Bring Back the Funny. Please?

So, after a colossally underwhelming, seriously sucky weekend (though I’m sure it was all hugs and puppies in comparison to poor Britney Spears’ trainwreck of a weekend, but focus…), capped off by a horrendous Monday morning (there was this whole thing with a spider of enormous proportions, and then some recklessly itinerant sprinklers– don’t ask), something happened yesterday that finally brought back the funny. Seriously. Cracked me right up. I laughed right out loud and e’rything.

It began when TGIM grabbed his car keys from the table and announced to the family in general, “I’m going to Sears.”

“Why?” I asked. Because when TGIM voluntarily commits himself to braving the mall, there is invariably a compelling why. “Do we need a tool? Or an appliance of some sort?” I mentally inventoried the utility closet.

TGIM shrugged. “Nah. I just haven’t been in a while.”

Okay. Sure.

Wait. What now?

He looked around at the kids, who stood with their Okay, mister, what have you done with my father? eyes trained warily upon him. “So… who wants to come with Daddy to Sears?!”

Huh. He was serious.

Poor darlings. The kiddos looked to me for guidance, but I simply shrugged, still puzzling over TGIM’s sudden shopping compulsion. Plus, I was trying to remember if we needed vacuum filters or not (because, if he was going)… which, not, thanks to TGIM’s Great Sears Shopping Spree of ’06. Boy rocked the sale, yo?

TD and Hannah agreed to go, no doubt hoping for a chance to hit EB Games for a little one-on-one time with the Wii.

Not funny yet? I know! Patience! Good lord. Let a gal set the stage, will you? Sheesh.

Where was I? Ah, yes. The mall excursion.

So they left, and I took advantage of this windfall of Quiet Time by running upstairs to put the finishing touches on my TechnoGeekery podcast.

Still not funny? I know! I’m almost there! Stop interrupting.

After a few hours–oh, yes, I said HOURS–I heard the front door open, and Hannah burst into the house. How do I know it was Hannah? Because she was singing. And what was she singing?

Ah! Pay attention! This is the part where it gets funny! Although I probably just ruined it by telling you it was funny! Which is like explaining the joke! Which makes it un-funny! But whatever!

TGIM must have been listening to My Chemical Romance in the car because Hannah was singing Teenagers at the top of her lungs. As she thundered up the stairs, I sat frozen, mentally cursing TGIM for his indiscriminate song selection while Children Were Listening.

Until, that is, my girlie burst into my room belting out the chorus, “…’they! say! now! teenagers scare the little sheep out of me! Duh da da da dah…’– oh, hi, Momma, whatcha doin’?”

And that, my friends, is the exact moment when life brought back the funny.