Emily Jones and Julie Nuno

J - I have always admired people who could get up and talk about their loved ones during a Memorial or Funeral Service.  Emily and I talked about it and we both said we could never do that, it would just be too emotional.  Now faced with the circumstance ourselves we decided the only way possible was to talk about Mom’s humor.

J - For those of you who spent some time with our Mom you know she had many sayings and expressions, always appropriate for the particular moment.  We wanted to take a few minutes to share with you some of our favorites.  We started jotting some down with a group of friends reminiscing and came up with a handful.  Since then they haven’t stopped “coming out of the woodwork” – which is one of them by the way…If we shared them all we’d be up here quite a long time!  Here are our favorite Marilynisms:

• J - We got used to hearing some of the same things at meal time that might not have always made us laugh then, but bring endearment to our hearts now…

• E - MIK – more in the kitchen…this meant there was plenty more in the kitchen so live it up.  This almost always applied to green beans or some kind of vegetable.

• J - FHB – Family Hold Back…immediate family don’t you dare take seconds on the scalloped potatoes (or something else delicious) because we were running short.  She always said this one with a high pitched voice

• E - Nobody’s going to take it away…this really applies to Matthew because the way he inhaled his food drove mom crazy and she wanted him to eat slower.  Once she couldn’t stand it and she took his plate away.  He said, “hey, I thought you said nobody was going to take it away?”

• J - Thank god for Tupperware – Marilyn was a very successful Tupperware Lady and was very loyal to the product (we had cabinets and cabinets full.)  Anytime someone dropped a Tupperware container and of course it didn’t spill she would exclaim, “Thank God for Tupperware!” 

• E - Leg saltz – was her answer to "I'm hungry & there is nothing to eat." This usually was inbetween meals, and literally meant lick salt.

Everyday occasions…

• J - Damn Damn Double Damn – speaks for itself!

• E - It was also not uncommon to hear That stinks on ice – a nicer, more everyday way to say DDDD

• J - Oy Gevald Gastrvina – translated by Grandma as “Oh my god, I’m screaming”  It wasn’t unusual to hear this at least 3 times a day.

• E - Mashuguna - meaning crazy - as in "oh boy, is he ever mashugana"

• J - I’m gonna give you a shot in the kisser… you better watch out…you are almost in trouble!

• E - Gubunya Land – her special word for a far away place. Used in a phrase such as I'm not driving you there, that’s in Gubunya Land.

• J - Keep the home fires burning – she would say this whenever she would leave us home alone.  Matthew was particularly concerned about this fire the first time he heard it.

• E - Now we’re cooking with gas…It’s working, now we’re on a roll.

• J - Stand on your head and sing the Star Spangled Banner – her answer to “I’m bored” or “what should I do?”

• E - Y is a crooked letter… her response to us when we heard no for an answer and then asked but why.

• J - Quick like a bunny…let’s move it!

• E - Corkerooney – another way to say you are a little sillyl

• J - Muchker – stop muchkering the cat!

• E – Chachka – a small present or prize

• E-We tried to pick the top 10 Marilynisms but there were way too many so we narrowed it down to the top 20 and there are still tons more. Every day we would think of another one and laugh.

Here are some more Marilynisms…and like we said, this is a growing list!

• Don’t Tip the Chair – which all 3 of the kids did (but I think Matthew was the most frequent offender)

• Children in China are starving…I think most of you heard this from your own mother at some point, yes?

• Shout it out…Yes, we watched a lot of TV and the tag line for the stain remover “Shout” was “Shout it Out” so whenever someone got a stain on their clothes Mom would always say “Shout it Out.”  Once after hearing it Emily “shouted” at the stain on her shirt – “Get out of my shirt you stupid stain!”

• Soak it – Mom had a very high pain tolerance and not a lot of patience for minor aches and pains.  I remember unless there was gushing blood her answer was “soak it” when she was told of a hurt.

• Don’t muck it up…this could apply to new underwear at Christmas (yes, that was embarrassing!) or when borrowing something of hers.

• Look it up – always her answer to, “Hey Mom, how do you spell…”

• All I want for Mother’s Day is a clean room – none of us were neat freaks in our bedrooms.

• I just mopped this floor and now look at it! – Yes, I have caught myself saying this one too!

• Don’t fill up on bread – We heard this at any restaurant until the entrees where brought to the table.  Now when I am kind of full on the bread when my entrée is brought to me I think to myself I shouldn’t have filled up on the bread.

• Camping is NOT a vacation – after all she still had to cook and clean and with no running water!

• No news is good news – this worked well when we were out a little later than we should have been.  She figured if something bad happened the police would have called.

• What’s not to like…applies to a person (wow, the new girl really likes me) or food (how do you like the chocolate cake?).

• Don’t wreck the pattern – She loved when there was a fresh blanket of snow in the backyard, and when our dog Alfie went out she would say to him “Don’t wreck the pattern!”

• How about some cold mashed potatoes? Mom’s response to a late night or any inappropriate “I’m hungry request.”

• Pish Posh – don’t sweat the small stuff

• Hold your Horses – be patient

• Off to the races – here we go!

• Coming out of the woodwork

• Kaput

• Go Fly a Kite….a nice way to tell someone to “forget about it”

• I’m not your maid…speaks for itself

• What, are your legs broken? – Another version of I’m not your maid, and yes, I hear myself say this quite often.

• Is your Father a glazier? – When we were standing in front of the TV and she couldn’t see through us…do you think you are made of glass?

• People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones… but they should get dressed in the basement.

• You’re (or he/she) is a good egg…

• Something is rotten in Denmark…

• Up the creek with out a paddle.

• What’s cooking?

1. •Your father’s mustache…meaning “don’t think that’s ever going to happen!”
   

2. •Schpilcus -as in you've got schpilcus - meaning you've got ants in your pants and can't sit still!
   

3. •Whosamadrinkie - used when she couldn't remember a name or what something is called.
   

4. •Stop hocking me - stop nagging, the answer is NO.
   

5. •Hootie - used when a door mysteriously closes itself: “It must have been your Hootie!”
   

6. •Thank god for small favors - her sarcastic way of saying, "gee, thanks for nothing."
   

7. •Like it or Lump it - take it or leave it.