So in the last two weeks my camera broke, my cellphone shattered, my home computer and laptop froze… and today the power steering in my car abruptly stopped working! Fortunately, I wasn’t on a freeway… but does practically pulling your hair out and having a one-sided screaming match in my car paint a picture for ya?!
It’s time to schedule my Friday post (today’s Wednesday and my only free moment to write it) and I’m having a serious “brain traf”. Brain traf, you ask? Good, cuz now I can explain one of my favorite ridiculous made up words! My best friend growing up was Marty. We did everything together. We even made up our own language… it wasn’t Pig Latin, but close. We were pretty good at it too, until the end of her five-year battle with cancer. Just before she died, we still spoke our made-up language and laughed as we always had together. There will never be another laugh quite as wonderful as Marty’s.
One day, one of us let go of a big huge f-a-r-t. We were ladies back then; it wasn’;t cool to use that word. I’m laughing right now, because it was mostly my prim and proper Marty who couldn’t bring herself to say the word… and, I was always the one f-a-r-t-i-n-g!! So what did Marty do? She reversed the spelling… and the word “traf” was created!
HB and I created a new word together. We called our children “cute little traffers” – and even though our kids will be hearing this for the first time if they read this post… in our heart of hearts, it’s a true term of endearment and HB and I use the same (when no one’s around) term for our adorable grandchildren!
Our “cute teenage (like the permed mullet on our eldest?) and little traffers” -1988
And here’s our next generation of “cute little traffers” November 2011
So often in today’s world, parents are heard calling their children unthinkable names. Hopefully this will give you a moment’s pause.
How do you refer to your children, those gifted to you by God? Even in your almost-pulling-out-your-hair days, try to lift and encourage them through the positive and loving words they hear from you. Oh, and if you want to borrow our term? Have at it!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
LOL! Traf. Sorry your having one of those weeks though.
I’m so glad I brightened your day! I have more made up words to share in the future!Thanks for the visit!
This post made me laugh. I need a word. ps. I am more gassy now, than when I was young. This aging thing is not for the weak.
Seriously Stephanie… you have no idea what you’re in store for. Why do you think I had my own room?!!!!
I loved your post, am sorry about the crazy crashing everything.. but I had to laugh when you wrote about “traf”!! LOL! I haven’t ever heard anyone else use that word, but when we were young, our mom wouldn’t let us use the alternative “f” word (still hard for me to even write it out, haha) so we did the same thing and so in our family it’s always been “traf”!
I’m so surprised to learn we’re not original-eek! hahah
thanks for sharing!!!
Laurie, how funny! I love your mom already! It was hard for me to write that word as well… hence the hyphens!Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Janice,
I just talked to your mother, and she told me about your new Blog. Congratulations! I’m going to keep coming back. I love the pictures you posted of the family.
Love,
Pam
Hey Pam, my sweet cousin! No one calls me Janice but my family! It made me smile. Congrats on your books, checking them out!