Silly String Cheese

Is Silly String a thing anymore? It was rather popular when I was a youth. Did this character just rebrand spray cheese? Maybe. Don't go falling for any tricks today. Happy Birthday Eve to my sister! I remember when she had her birthday party on this auspicious holiday one year and our neighbor gave her a gift-wrapped boulder the size of a desktop computer tower. It was memorable. 

Text:
A: We've made the ultimate party food: Silly String Cheese!
B: *face-palming* 

True Story: Mystery

 

The mom brain hits hard sometimes. This mystery was solved within seconds of me stating the problems. 

Explanation: The little toddler fork had fallen into the disposal. I had not checked in there. I might have been avoiding it because I didn't want to fix it because I was fixating on finding the fork. Oh, the irony.

Text:
Title: True Story: Mystery
L: I cannot find Ori's little toddler fork anywhere - I've looked all over! Also, the sink disposal is making a weird grinding noise.
M: Hmmm.

Hip Hip Cheerios

 

Happy Birthday to my Oriole! For this comic to be the truest of stories, Ori would have been in a grocery cart - however, I did not wish to draw one so we have the modified version above. I think it's great when you use a new word around a little kid and they substitute it with whatever word they know (hip to hippo). 

Text:
Title: At the Grocery Store
O: Cheerios!
L: Hip, hip, cheerio.
O: No hippo, Mom - Cheerios.

GMO animals

 

So many critters fit in this comic. Now I'm thinking of these critters in the style of Avatar the Last Airbender, where they'd be half-n-half animals like a turtle-duck (a turtle shell with a duck head and four duck feet). This scene depicted is at a zoo, so that's a zookeeper talking to the confused lady. 

Text:
S: Squirrel monkeys? Elephant shrews? What's next, a kangaroo rat?!? When will the GMOs end?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Z: You are... confused.
P: *Squawk* rhino beetle *squawk* sloth bear

Musical Day of Creation

As a bonus, here's the sketch from my Sunday bulletin. My pastor is doing a sermon series on Creation - listen to it on SermonAudio.com! You can look it up by the sermon title and passage on the bulletin. 

Explanation: A music rest is a marking to show that you pause. The seventh day of Creation is when God rested, and is known as the day of rest. 

Text:
Whole-note rest: None of you got a day of creation.
Quarter-note and Eighth-note rests: *backing up their spokesperson*
Various music notations that are not rests: *sad* 

DST Reparations

 

Honestly, I would just like the time change to end. I'm trying to think how a state could give individuals their sleep back and I'm not coming up with anything. Let's just call it done and quit changing the clocks. I don't care if we stay in DST or Standard Time, just call it quits whenever we can get the votes to do so. 

Text:
A: DST has happened around 60 times, so we should get 60 hours of sleep in reparations.
B: But doesn't Standard Time negate it?
A: Nope, double it! 120!
B: Sure, shoot your shot. 

Take It All Back

The song being quoted is "Take It All Back" sung by Tauren Wells, We the Kingdom, and Davies. This song was going through my head as we had to Spring Ahead yet again. Can the time changing please end. 

Text:
A: You want to end DST?
B: 🎜Taking back what the enemy stole🎝

Humerus Femur

Humerus is a real word, despite what my spell-checker is trying to tell me. This comic came to me at a children's museum up in PA where they had a life-sized Operation game in the medical play-pretend area. It was very nicely done. Only tangentially related, there's a minor Star Wars character named Feemor and I keep thinking of his name when I write femur. 

Explanation: The second character is laughing (humorously) at the leg bone (femur, not humerus - which is an arm bone). 

Text:
P: This is the fossil I discovered. Why are you laughing?
F: Didn't you find this humerus?
P: That's a femur. 

ReMarkable

 

A friend gave this idea to me. The joke only works if your husband's name is Mark. Also yep that's a Star Wars reference with the company name. 

Text:
Billboard: Have you ever wanted to clone your husband? Well, now you can! KaminoTech Advanced
L: How reMarkable.
M: *understandably uncertain*

Introvert Audience Participation

 

I went to an excellent theater showing down in D.C. recently, but it started unexpectedly with some audience participation for which my group of introverts was happy to not get selected. I have to prepare beforehand when interaction is a possibility. It was a full theater but I was not about to draw 100+ figures for this comic. Though that would have been an interesting perspective, showing all the others excitedly looking for the ticket while the group of introverts is like NOPE gonna hand this off to an extrovert.

Text:
Title: Introverts
MC: Everyone look under your seat to find who has the golden ticket to come up on stage!
C: I better not find a ticket.
L: I did not come prepared for audience participation. 

Listerini

 

And an extended version:

For the carbivore with Halitosis.

Explanation: Linguini is a pasta. Listerine is a mouth wash. 

Text:
A: What's your idea?
B: Pasta that freshens your breath - Listerini!
Bonus:
A: I'll pass.
B: Dude, you need it!

Fashion Show

 

I don't recall what exactly sparked this comic but it was something in the fashion world. Those runways (or rather the designers) have some weird options. I think the spark was a fluffy purple dress that had cutouts, but it was so fluffy, and it was a rather garish shade of purple. 

Text:
Title: Watching a Fashion Show
S: That is hideous.
L: The color is the best part, and it's not a good color.

Skinny Genes

 

Happy Birthday to my Dad! You're the best <3
My father-in-law and I made eye contact when this conversation happened and I could tell that we had the same thought, which I then vocalized like above. My dad's side of the family has very strong metabolism, and my son is looking like he inherited that with how he is slimming out from his baby chubbiness. 

Explanation: "Genes" and "jeans" sound the same. Some people with skinny genes wear skinny jeans, but not all do. 

Text:
M: Ori has your father's skinny genes.
L: ... My dad does NOT have skinny jeans. 

Risk vs Reward vs Morals

 

Haha, this wouldn't happen. At least not too often, so that's good. Right?

Explanation: Usually things are low risk, low reward (i.e. give a dollar, receive a dollar or less) or high risk, high reward (give $1,000, receive $0 or $2,000). So if you have low risk, high reward (give $1, receive $0 or $2,000), that is a tempting combo (that could convince you to do something morally dubious). 

Text:
S1: Risk: Low. Reward: High. So clearly -
S2: Morals: Out the Window!

Sleepy Arm

 

I think all parents have had this happen. You are falling sleep, your arm is totally asleep, you peek at your child only to see them wide-eyed looking right at you. Heavy sigh.

Text:
M: How did bedtime go?
L: My arm fell asleep before he did. 

Food Down the Drain

 

So I saw a reel about this and then I looked this up and yep it's a thing but the American plumbing sites say don't do that please. But apparently it can be done if it's the right consistency? So because I know this, now you do too! And we use our disposal or trash bin for spoiled leftovers because that's how I was raised.

Text:
G: What is your hang-up with the economical choice of flushing leftovers down the toilet?
A: You have to ask "is this food similar to poop?"
B: *green face*

Light Weight

 

My pastor is starting a series on Genesis/Creation and he titled his sermon on Genesis 1:3-5 "A Light Day at Work" and I came up with this comic when I read the title. 

Explanation: I'm no weightlifter, but I think one of the lowest classes is lightweight. But I don't think they lift lights. I could be wrong. 

Text:
A: Will you ever increase your weight class?!
B: *lifting a barbell with a lightbulb on either end*

Circus Kids

 

I was reading a local county brochure about summer camps and came up with this comic. I may have lost track of my child for a moment, but that is neither here nor there. Rather, he was neither here nor there. He was quietly reading in another room, so all was well.

Explanation: A common circus act is an escape artist. Children are escape artists, especially when you want them to do something they do not want to do. 

Text:
A: They have circus and magic classes for little kids.
L: Absolutely not - I'm not sending them to learn how to be escape artists. 
...
L: Dang it, where is Ori?!

Bronto Boba

Bonus:

Well now I want to look up that drawing I did for DiNovember 2023 when I did a "tea" theme for each prompt. 

I did boba for the Carnotaurus prompt. Now I could go back and change my comic to reference a short-armed dinosaur, but I think the joke is clearer with a long-neck. 

Explanation: The Brontosaurus dinosaur has a very long neck. She would need a very long straw to get that bubble tea all the way up to her mouth. The paleontology community seems to keep flipping between Brontosaurus and Apatosaurus being the same or different dinosaurs. They look very similar and one could be a juvenile of the other but there are some differences and it's fascinating how little we know about dinosaurs. 

Text:
A: Where are the special straws? I have a boba for - 
B: Not the brontosaurus again!!!
Bonus:
A: Apatosaurus. 

Lions of Daniel

Alternate version:

We had a special speaker at church a few weeks ago and he spoke from Daniel 6, which is probably the most famous chapter of Daniel. There is a lot going on in the rest of the book - I recommend reading it. My daughter really likes the story of "Daniel's friends" i.e. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (she watches the Saddleback Kid's "Stories of the Bible" version).

Explanation: God sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths but in my comic, that just means they don't eat Daniel and can still complain. The cubs in the second version are quoting the song from Veggie Tales, "Oh no, what we gonna do? The king likes Daniel more than me and you."  Are the cubs in the first comic acting like my kids when I tell them they can't have a snack as I'm preparing dinner? MAYBE.

Text:
Dad Lion: Daniel is OFF the MENU! Stop asking!
Cub 1: But daaaaaaaaaaaaad
Cub 2, belly-up: HUNGRY!

Alt version:

Dad Lion: Daniel is OFF the MENU! Stop asking!
Cub 1: Oh no!
Cub 2, belly-up: What we gonna do?

Can't Dill with a Pickle

 

Some days it be like that. Yes, that is my toddler using a Magna-Tile as a phone to order pickle pizza. 

Explanation: "Dill" and "deal" sound similar, and dill is a popular flavor with pickles. A child being ornery can be described as "being a pickle" - this might be a phrase often used in Bluey. 

Text:
L: Your sister is being a pickle. And I can't dill with that so your dad has her.
O: Yesh - pickle pizza. Bye!

Pizza Wars

When I visited my family over Christmas, my kids happily talked about their favorite pizza, which is pickle pizza. It's not on any menus that we've found, but we make our own pizza when it's pleasant outside (since we grill it) and also we have a local Italian place that makes it for us (just add pickles on a cheese pizza). My daughter really, really likes pickles but honestly, the pizza is good. My brother commented that it was an issue that could unite the pro/anti pineapple crowds.

Text:
Scene 1: Person A is angry with a sign "Yes Pineapple" while Person B is angry with a sign "No no no Pineapple."
Scene 2: Person C is happy with a sign "Yes Pickles!" while Persons A&B look on, confused.
Scene 3: Person A is angry with the back of his sign "No Pickles No" and Person B is angry with the back of his sign "No no no Pickles" while Person C is still happy with his sign "Yes Pickles!"

Miscalculated Risk

 

I like playing Sudoku, but not the really hard ones because then it gets frustrating. Sometimes I incorrectly narrow down a square but it still works out. It's not really guessing because I thought I had logic'ed it out. Like "it can't be 3 or 4 so it must be 2" but actually 4 was still in the running however 2 was correct so it's all good.

Text:
Title: Sudoku
A: You totally guessed!
L: No, it was a miscalculated risk that worked. 

Kidsteer

 

My dad has a skid steer and my daughter now tries to spot them in the wild. If you have young kids who like construction vehicles, I recommend looking up Diggerland in NJ - it was a wonderful adventure for my kiddos and also us because who doesn't want to dump dirt with an excavator. 

Explanation: A Bobcat is a construction vehicle that looks quite similar to a skid steer. The best way to tell them apart is to be able to read the logo on them. BUT WAIT I WAS WRONG? "A skid steer loader is a type of machine, a Bobcat is a brand of skid steer." So... she did see a skid steer. It was just a branded one. It still wasn't a kid steer. So I have that.

Text:
R: Mom, look! It's a ... kid-steer.
L: Close, that's a Bobcat.

Buy the By

 

The comedy of words that sound the same. Some call them homonyms. Those people are nerds :)

Explanation: "By" and "buy" sound the same and mean very different things which change the meaning of that sentence. 

Text:
L: Is that a tub of duckies in that shop's window?
M: Yes, we should go by that shop.
L: Seems extreme, but sure - let's go buy that shop.
O: Quack!

New Phone Same Look

 

True Story. I needed a new phone because my old phone was crashing when I took photos and that's a major thing I do with my phone because I have small kids and they're cute. And it would corrupt the image I had tried to capture in the crash so that was further frustrating. So I went from a 6 to an 8 and was able to get the 8 to look like my 6. Yay!

Text:
M: How is your new phone?
L: I spent the last two hours making it look and act like my old phone. 

Tune the Car Musically

Happy early Birthday to my father-in-law, sister-in-law, and nephew! So many birthdays this weekend. 

Explanation: Tuning a car and tuning an instrument are not very similar but we use the same word for both. Why is English like this.

Text:
A: Are you ready to tune the car? *holding a wrench*
B: To the key of C. *holding a tuning fork*
A: What?
B: What?

Forearms

 

Oh, the English language. 

Text:
L: You have syrup on your forearms.
R: I don't have four arms. 

Winter Driving Tips

Stay safe out there. Which means, don't follow this comic's comical advice. 

Happy early Birthday to my littlest brother! How are you a college senior you were like 3 when I went to college.

Text:
A: Winter driving tips?
B: Match your driving speed to the weather.

A: Excellent advice.
B: So if it's 20F, drive 20MPH.
A: I take it back.

A: ... summer driving tips?
B: Match your driving speed to the humidity.
A: That explains Florida drivers.

Be Anything But

 

So this is was created while my husband was playing DOTA2. In the first step of the game, you pick your character (called heroes) but you can ban heroes as well so people can't pick them. It's all a strategy move. 

Text:
A: You can be anything you want to be!
B: They banned my preferred hero.
A: You can be anything you want to be as long as it's not Zeus/Storm Spirit/Dragon Knight!

Not a Train

 

My son received a cute wooden car carrier with three little cars and he loves playing with it but he makes it chug along because he likes trains and his sister is not cool with that misrepresentation. 

Text:
O: Choo choo!
R: That! is! not! a! train!!!
O: ... choo choo!

Vintage and Spoiled

 

As it happens, this one came from a sermon doodle and it's included below. The sermon title was "Divine Urgent Care" which made me think of "the vine urgent care" which would be a fruit/vegetable taking care of some wrinkly grapes but that'd be hard to draw so I changed it up. 

Explanation: It's a play on "looking your age" but with wine it's vintage not age. Also when milk goes bad it's spoiled (not just a bad attitude but that would probably contribute). 

Text:
Milk: You are looking your vintage.
Wine: You are acting spoiled.

Shrimp Chicken Quack

 

He really does know his animals, he just sometimes fails under pressure. But really, what child actually *knows* what shrimp is? 

Text:
M: This is shrimp.
O: Chicken! Quack!
M: Wrong on all accounts, buddy.

Eternal Sickness of a Toddler Winter

 

Some days it be like that. Why are kids the best at sharing germs? It's like they won't give you the remote but they will sneeze directly in your eyeball. No snuggles at bedtime but all the snuggles when a tissue is direly needed.

Oh, here's the sketch this one came from:

Text:
Title: Eternal Sickness of a Toddler Winter
R: It's my turn to mutate the virus!
N: *handing over green blob* Ok, give it back when you are done.

Tool Search

 Not much to add.

Explanation: Calling someone a tool is an insult. The awkward pause makes it seem like the worker is self-labeling an insult. 

Text:
Title: Home Improvement Store
L: I'm looking for a tool. *shows phone*
W: Well, I'm right here.
...
W: And! I can help.

No Solution Desired

My child does not like waiting for me to finish my breakfast tea. I don't like rushing into the day. We are at an impasse. But as far as solutions go, I'm super grateful for my Yeti tumbler (not a sponsor) - I got it at an Alumni meetup from my college and it works wonderfully. It keeps my tea hot for hours! One time, I made boiling hot tea at 9am, sealed it and put it in my car out in the winter weather, then didn't drink it until after lunch around 2pm and it was perfect drinking temperature. If you're a parent who keeps getting pulled away from their tea and coming back to a cold cup, I think this is an excellent solution. 

Text:
R: Play with me!
L: I want to finish my tea first.
R: Use a fermos*
L: I don't want a solution.
*thermos

Penne for your Thoughts

 

You rigatotally had me there. If you want to know the difference in these noodles, see here: https://www.paesana.com/blog/lets-talk-about-pasta-the-difference-between-penne-ziti-and-rigatoni 

Explanation: "Penny" and "penne" sound similar and "penny for your thoughts" is a normal phrase. 

Text:
A: Why are you handing me a pasta noodle?
B: Penne for your thoughts?
A: That's rigatoni. 

Toddler Logic

 

Some days it be like that. This is a true story, depicting Oriole dumping out the freshly tidied up toys. But kids want to play and learn and not stick with your schedule. 

Text:
M: Why are you doing that - that's not helpful!
L: There's your answer.