The importance of using the right word

First day of school holidays and Ella spent the day at the gymnastics club's holiday program. This will be the first school holidays that I am not taking any leave and she'll be going to holiday care for most of it. And on top of that, I have to get my flex back into positive so they will be longer days than when she is at school.

So when Ella said in the car on the way home:

Ella - Today I had an awful day!

I immediately started throwing arguments at the guilt that threatened to flood my brain: "I have no choice but to send her to care. It'll be good for her in the long run to see that I have other responsibilities and to learn about work ethic and financial independence." And we should probably find an alternative for the gymnastics holiday program next holidays.

Me - Why was it awful?
Ella - No, I didn't mean awful. I meant aws..., awes...
Me - Did you mean 'awesome'?
Ella - Yes, awesome! I had an awesome day!

Huh?

Ella was watching ABC 4 Kids.

Ella - I'm not going to watch Playschool for 45 years.
Me - Huh? Why 45 years?
Ella - Because it's going to be on for 45 years.
Me - You mean it has been on for 45 years.
Ella - I haven't watched it for 45 years.
Me - Indeed not, because you're only 6.
Ella - I already knew that.
Me - This conversation is getting really weird.
Ella - Meh.

 

3D

Voice over on Bondi Vet trailer - "And will Lisa find what is causing this dog's bulging eyeballs?"
Ella - Maybe it's in 3D?
Me - What is?
Ella - Maybe his eyeballs are in 3D.

 

The glass and mum's will*

 * Title accredited to Ella

Yesterday I'd poured our lemonade and when I drank from my glass, Ella said she had wanted to drink of that glass. But I said it was mine because it was my favourite glass. The glass actually has a history. A friend found it under a bush near our campfire at the end of a camping trip in the Mimosa Rocks National Park a couple of years ago.

Today I poured lemonade in the same glasses. And this conversation followed:

Ella - One day, can I use that glass?
Me - Oh alright then.
Ella - One day I will have that glass all to myself.
Me - What do you mean?
Ella - When you die.
Me - Imagine if that would be the only thing I left you! And when they read the will they'd go "And to Ella, I leave... the glass" and all the other stuff - the house, the car, all my money - would go to other people. And you'd walk out with just that glass!
Ella - No, when you die I'll get your car, your house, your bed...
Me - But not the glass! Imagine that I'd leave everything to you but put in the will "everything except for the glas"?! That would make you laugh, wouldn't it? C'mon, that would be funny, hey?!
Ella - Or when you just give me the glass, I'd walk out without clothes. Coz you didn't give me any clothes, just the glass?
Me - Don't worry, by the time I die you'll have been buying your own clothes for a while already! I'm going to be really old when I die. You might have to wait a long time for that glass!

If I ever make a will, I will definitely mention that glass!

And today:
Ella - Can I have some kid champagne? [Mineral water + cordial]
Me - Sure.
Ella - Can I have that special glass?
Me - Only when I'm dead! [I didn't think of saying "Over my dead body!" which would've been  funnier still.]

Of the land

Me - I know you won't like moving away from here, but it's kind of exciting that a house will be build that will be ours and ours alone.
Ella - Yeah...
Me - And you know, in May, when I buy the land, we will have patch of Australia, a bit of land that will be totally ours.
Ella - And nature's. The land is nature's too.
Me - You sound almost Aboriginal. The Aboriginals say "The land does not belong to us, we belong to the land" and that's kind of true, isn't it.
Ella - The land can't belong to us, it belongs to nature.

Useful words

Ella picked Roald Dahl's 'The Witches' as her before bed book. I tried my best to convince her to pick something else, as I was (am) convinced it's too hard for a beginning reader and she'd be better off reading something less challenging before bed. After I went through her bookcase and got an "Oh yeah, I already read that one" to pretty much all of the books aimed at beginning readers, I tried one last attempt at persuading her to choose something else.

Me - It's ok to say 'This book is too tiring, I might read something else first.' I still think The Witches is more for older kids.
Ella - Mu-um! I've already read the first page and it's not hard.
Me - I think there might be too many big words in there for you.
Ella - I can read 'bloodthirsty'.

What could you say to that?!

The big bang

Guy on Masterchef - You know the world is good when [...]
Ella [pauses the tv] - Mum, how did the world begin?
Me - How many words do I have?
Ella - No, I said 'How did the world begin?'

I'll need to read up on the big bang theory...