Tis the Season for This, Too

A fun anti- meta- christmas/hannukah/kwanzaa song (thanks inky!) from Straight No Chaser:

The Return of Air Quotes

Daughter, discovering the power of 3s where air quotes are concerned:
Just because I didn't "STICK" it "ON" with "GLUE"...

My conclusion is that air quotes on a five year old make everything sound more fun. Things I should try:

• Honey, it's time for "school"!
• You really need to "straighten up" your room. It looks like a "bomb" went off in there!
• It's only "broccoli"!
• When I said "ignore" your brother, I didn't mean "refuse to speak to him all week."
• It is "pink." Trust me!
• Yes, that was a "lie."

Hm. It's a "gray area."

Ps and Qs

This morning my daughter asked me what the word "ow" begins with. I said "o" as in "o-w" rhymes with "how". She seemed confused, and then asked why did we talk about Qs then? As in, "pay attention to his Qs." Wondering if I'd ever used the expression "mind your Ps and Qs with the kids (couldn't think why on earth I would) I realized she meant "cues" -- as in, "mind your brother's cues" -- as in, "ow, ow" means get off him now!!

Reading around on blogs I found a phrase I liked. A writer said she had a certain work "on a rigorous submission schedule." Someone else talked about their "To Query" list. So, I've developed my "to query" list, and plan to apply "rigor" as the standard.