We were chatting about FAMILY WORDS recently. These are words or phrases we use for certain things which might sound foreign if not totally confusing to other people.
I wanted to remember them so I’m recording them here (including translations):
- Stripey cheese = Tre-Stella brand cheese, which has stripes on the package
- Sprinkle cheese = grated Parmesan cheese
- Mouse pillows = interchangeable term for gnocchi and/or pierogi
- Daddy bread = a brand of bread
- Mummy cereal = a brand of granola
- Bum Covers = underwear
- Boobie Covers = (take a wild guess)
- Sneakbelt = seatbelt (I used to tell the girls that sneakbelts were invented to keep little girls from sneaking out of the car.)
- Huggle = a whole body hug. Combination of hug and cuddle.
- Fleckles = freckles … something Sarah used to say when she was small.
I also often find myself giving a jokingly stern warning about giving someone a “smackeral on the backeral” and I have no idea where that one started.
What special made-up words and phrases do you have in your family?

