I have a running list of quotes the kids say that make it to “the book” if they are worthy. It’s actually just a word doc on my laptop, but someday I hope to compile that list into something more formal—my kids say the funniest things and I try to capture these moments on paper. I’m certain I’m not the only proud parent of budding wordsmiths, but I thought I’d take the time to share a few noteworthy examples with you.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is when my daughter was trying to get me to order her a book she didn’t really want from the Scholastics website so that she could have the bracelet-making kit that went along with the book. Her argument ensued…”But, Mom, it’s free if you pay for it!” Yes indeed, my girl, most things in life ARE free if you pay for them.

Another classic was during our trip to the French countryside. We were sitting in an elegant restaurant with a French couple (please note that our children were the only kids in the entire restaurant, or in sight, for miles—probably until you crossed over the border into Germany) enjoying a plate of after-dinner cheese and wine when my daughter announced loudly to the entire room, “Yum! I love this cheese, it smells like my dog’s breath!” On this trip she also declared at one point, “I love Paris but I really don’t like the French. They’re mean and they make you speak French and not English!”

And no blog would be complete without our soup story. One cold winter day I placed a bowl of soup in front of my daughter who was about 5-years-old at the time. She looked up at me with an inquisitive look and said, “That’s funny, Mommy. This soup isn’t blue!” She was confused because I had told her we were having navy bean soup for dinner.

And now for the final ba da bump: “You know, I’m really not an optimist or a pessimist. I’m a real estate-or!” Ah, my budding realist.

I’d love to hear some of the funny things your kids have said over the years. Please, do share! After all, “It’s all in how you swallow it…sometimes it just goes down the wrong pump!”

Live the moment,