Nuggets

And I'm not talking about the chicken kind. A few months ago we were in the parking lot at the vet's office. There's a Panera next door so Jacob and I had run over to get an I-C Mocha...I believe that is what they call it there? Basically a frappuccino. So we were back in the van getting something and the heavenly drink was resting on the floor of the van. Jacob accidentally knocked it over, spilling half of it. It was a total mistake and I didn't want him to feel badly, so I really didn't react at all. I just started cleaning it up. So Jacob goes, "Mommy, say 'oh nuggets!'" What? I thought about it for a minute and I guess I remembered saying that at some point instead of swearing. I swear a lot. But I'm trying to stop, or rather I was then, because for the most part I have successfully replaced my potty mouth phrases with child-friendly ones such as; sugar, friggin, mother, f-er, eff, snugabitz (long story), or possibly the gayest one ever, geeze louise. Actually, I wouldn't necessarily call these child friendly, persay...

Anyway, I figure I must have said it once (as I was always using whatever word was foremost in my mind, but announcing it with just the right emphasis) and Jacob picked up on the fact the I was saying it in a moment similar to that one. So "oh nuggets!" became our all purpose swear word. I usually just say "nuggets" kind of like Richard Fish on Ally McBeal with his "bygones." But when Jacob uses it, it's all drawn out and cute, "O-h..nug-gets..!" with a scrunched up nose and his head tilted to the side, a little whine in his voice.

Sometimes in moments of anticipation, Jacob will patiently instruct us to "Say 'oh nuggets.'" like he first did in the parking lot. But other times, which are not the proud parenting moments, it is delivered (rightly so) as more of a reprimand. As in, "Daddy, don't say shit, say 'oh nuggets." This was Zach putting up the sheetrock in the bathroom on Friday night (did you catch that? Putting up the sheetrock. Progress on the construction front, woohoo!). Or at dinner last night, "Why did Daddy say f**k?" (more sheetrock on Saturday night). I'm making Zach out to be the bad guy here, but the truth is that I am just as serious an offender. These times just stuck out for Jacob maybe because there were tools involved, and for him tools are inherently good, so integrating the coexisting presence of tools and a 'bad' word was probably something that was hard for him to do.

I've noticed recently that Jacob begins every sentence with "So..." and ends with " 'n stuff." This is a 'chicken or the egg' scenario because of late I have also been catching myself doing this. Mostly the 'n stuff part. And I'll do it while actively trying to not do it.

On the phone this morning I actually said the following: "Um...just cleaning 'n stuff..."

Jacob the other morning, "So...Mommy, wanna watch the Dilmore Dirls 'n stuff?"

"So - let's go outside."
"To do what?"
Shoulders shrugged, palms facing up, and head tilted, "Um...(smacking noises)..to dig and stuff, rake da leaves." Totally casual...