Thanks a lot, Walt Disney

Wednesday afternoon saw me and my three children at a local shoe store, buying new back-to-school tennis shoes. Or should I say, *attempting* to buy back-to-school shoes. At least for two of them. One of them went into her normal "it takes half an hour to decide on anything and we've got to try on every pair in the store and then fuss about them all because these are too tight and these are too loose and none of them are exactly what I had in mind" and since the first two had already annoyed me with their complaining and eye rolling and smart mouths, I wasn't willing to wait on the third so I said we were leaving which elicited a whole 'nother tantrum because that's not fair they got new shoes and I didn't and I reminded her that she and I have an entire day of shopping planned for next week and we can just buy her shoes then but that's still not fair because probably the perfect shoes are right here in this store if I could just try on another eight thousand pair I'm sure I could find them and the other two are still complaining and whining and really, remind me again why I don't drink in the middle of the day?????

Regardless, we were in the car yesterday afternoon with Kellen, Kendrie, and their friends Chance and Emma. Kellen had worn older shoes that morning and left his new shoes, still in the shoe box, in the car the day prior. He was changing shoes ..... this is (I am not even kidding) the conversation that took place:

Chance: "Are those new shoes?"

Kellen: "Yeah, we bought them yesterday."

Kendrie: "Show Emma your new shoes."

Chance: "What kind are they?"

Kellen: "Pumbas."

Kendrie: "You mean Puma."

Kellen: "No, I mean Pumba. Just like the picture on the box." And he points to the puma logo on the box.

Chance: "That animal is called a puma."

Kellen: "No, it's called a pumba. Do you guys even see what I'm pointing to?"

At which point we were all sort of giggling and I said, "Kellen, honey, I think you're thinking of 'Timon and Pumba' from the Disney channel. Remember that show? That little one was named Pumba."

Kellen: "Yes, exactly! That's what they're called --- Pumbas!"

Kendrie: "It's Puma, not Pumba! PUMA!!"

Emma: "A pumba is that Disney creature. A puma is a leopard-like animal. The shoes are named after the animal .... P.U.M.A."

Kellen, hesitantly: "Mom, is it puma or pumba?"

Chance: "I'm telling you, it's puma."

Kellen: "I'm still pretty sure it's pumba."

Me: "No, actually it's puma. That animal right there (and I pointed to the logo) is called a puma."

Kellen: "Really? It's puma? There's no 'B'?"

Me: "No, it's just plain puma."

Kellen: "Oh. All this time I thought it was a pumba."

And everyone in the car laughed a little and we moved on.

Then, a few miles down the road, Kellen, who was sitting in the passenger seat, looked over at me and said under his breath, so no-one else could hear, "Are you sure the "b" isn't just silent???"

Bless his heart. That Disney show messed him up for life.