OHMYGOSH...today I took Aaliyah(4) and Dublin(6) out to eat at one of our local restaurants for a treat.

Both of the kids had a favorite toy with them and I really didn't pay attention...you know, hurry, hurry...

We were seated and the place was full. The kids set their things down and we went to fill our plates. (Buffet) We came back to our table and were preparing to eat when I hear this most embarrassing and loud spluttering sound coming from Aaliyah's side of the table.

I looked around to see if anyone else heard and caught a few people staring and a few others snickering. Then she did it again and again. She and Dublin were laughing hysterically while Grammy jumped to retrieve the cushion. My cheeks were burning.

The little skunk had sneaked in her whooppee cushion and was squeezing it repeatedly. I had to wrestle it from the little Shirley Temple look alike who then started screaming to have it back!

"No ice cream for you!" I was so embarrassed...anything like this ever happen to you??!!

Never in a public place but boy did my brother, sisters and I love those things.

Last week while racing through an airport, Ross and I heard a noise worse than a whoopie cushion. Sure enough, it came from someone. We couldn't believe it. We looked at one another in total disbelief, then roared.

I had an uncle who was the same age as me and we would visit his family (my grandparents) during the summer. Our big fun thing was to sneak out of bed and get a plum from the refrigerator and sneak back to bed. I know, silly. But, one night he sat on the sofa in the dark and accidentally sat on the whoopee cushion and this loud noise echos through the house. My grandmother yells...RONNIE!!!! We were in hysterics.

Those are some of my fondest memories..the cousins and I spending the night and sometimes the whole summer with each other.

Aaliyah just looks at me wide-eyed and innocent like, "What"?
How do you explain that there are some activities that are funny at home, but not in a public place? These things will come back to haunt you.

I am laughing, REALLY, laughing out loud right now. I would have loved to see the look on your face, Hannelore. Sorry, I think it is just hilareous! Oops, sorry, I meant to say, "How naughty of her! Children these days, no boundaries!" Hee Hee.

That little TOOT! literally!

I've since hid the darned thing and they keep finding it. The other night we were at my husband's house, whom neither of them have a great fondness for and put it under the cushion of his favorite smoking chair.

He went out to smoke and I heard it all the way in the living room. He jumped up like he had been shot, then discovered what the kids had done.

I quickly hustled them out of there and back home.

Once, my second husband and I traveled to Estes Park, CO. He thought I would look fantastic in ledderhosen, I know I misspelled it, but the leather short shorts. We had just left Ripley's where I had purchased a bag-o-laughs for the kids as a souvenir.

We were in this trendy little German shop, and I was in the dressing room with all the bags, including the bag-o-laughs, trying on the ledderhosen, while he waited outside with the clerk. Before going in I had voiced my serious doubts about how I would look in them.

While undressing my clothes must have fallen on the bag-o-laughs "on" button because I set the darned thing off and couldn't figure out how to shut it off. It just laughed and laughed uproariously and me frantically trying to shut it off.

I heard my husband and the clerk out there laughing too. (Just one of the many many reasons I earned the nickname "Lucy")

NL, I also have the nickname Lucy. How funny. My husband and daughter once went to Disney and came back with a Lucy glass case for me. I still have it.

Dotsie, believe me, I've earned the nickname. Life has been a series of Lucy reruns for me.

My foster daughter always sends me Lucy mugs and memorabilia for birthdays and such. How did you earn the nickname?