Funny Things Florence Has Said Recently (Age 3 & 9 Months)

Florence is a huge character by default (with the odd shy days, an extroverted introvert like myself) and frankly amazes others with not only her vocabulary but her emotional intelligence.

Even as a baby, elderly ladies would regularly stop me in supermarkets to kindly praise me on her beauty but also what they perceived to be her wisdom declaring, “Ooh, she’s been here before, mark my words”. I lost count of the number of times I heard this in her early years. 

I know I’m biased but she has that timeless, almost anachronistic beauty so I wonder if that’s what those elderly ladies meant! 

I wanted to make a note of some of the funny things she’s said recently as part of my family’s archive here, just as I did with my sons. I feel so grateful to be experiencing motherhood again. 

After reading Florence bedtime stories last night as we always do, she asked me to make up my own story. We’ve gotten into this habit of collectively inventing stories, silly, moving or nonsensical.

I think I might be onto a younger children’s book idea with something we’re developing together to be honest and it really get her imagination going from stories of endangered hedgehogs being cared for by a kind family to a child who took a baby seal home from the zoo.

Last night, she closed her eyes for a while, leading me to assume she was asleep before suddenly bolting upright and saying, ‘Let’s talk about ribbons, we haven’t talked about ribbons and kites in ages and ages’. It made me think of my own childhood, a simpler time where my brother and I would fly kites, and I would dance with ribbons at school, twirling them into circles. 

On a trip to our local shops, Florence enquired if she could have a toy.

“We can’t buy toys every time we leave the house’ I reminded her.

‘Well, I LOVE bags. Especially shiny bags. I actually love ALL bags. Bags make me happy”. 

Me and you both, kid!

Discussing our birthday plans (we’re on 5 days and 40 years apart), Florence suggested, “Let’s get a plane and go on holiday. Then, we’ll see a beautiful town and get some peach drinks and delicious snacks”. This sounds like the perfect holiday! Let’s see what Daddy thinks!

As a treat, I bought some squirty cream from M&S yesterday, and sprayed it over some homemade crumble (thanks to my Mum) . She asked me, ‘Do you know who else loves cream? Cats. Sometimes I wish I was a cat so I could just eat cream”.

I was coughing the other day whilst eating and Florence rushed to stand on her stool to reach the sink so she could fetch me a glass of water. She is the most caring child. ‘Sorry you choked, ‘ she said.

When I asked Florence what her favourite things to do are, she answered, “Making pancakes with chocolate and tasty strawberries”! Then she enquired, “Can we actually make chocolate?”!

With a keen interest in gardening, and their eco systems, again thanks to my green fingered Mum, Florence is endlessly observant, noticing the tiniest of lady birds (calling them lady bugs thanks to the US influence of TV shows) and blooming flowers.

She’s incredibly gentle with any bugs she comes across, respecting the earth (and hugging trees) just as we’ve taught her. Walking past blooming planters outside a hotel in Harrogate, she was concerned to find a flower-free patch where nothing had grown. I reassured her more flowers would be planted.

She loves dinosaurs and told me today, “Did you know I had a dream about dinosaurs. They are a bit scary because they eat people and pooh on the floor”. Haha!

What a sweetpea!  Florence is one bright spark, she’s thoughtful and caring, forcing us all to slow down and observe the world anew!