On voting:
Her: "I don't want my taxes to be raised. Who do I vote for? (showing me Democratic absentee ballot form)
Me: "Then you have to vote Republican."
Her: "No! I won't vote Republican! They take our money and destroy their
families. They don't have values or morals. Who was that man who went to Argentina to cheat on his wife?"
Me: "I can't believe Gov. Sanford just raised my taxes."
[P.S. My mom loves Bill Clinton. That man is pure teflon, I tell ya.]
Voting 2010: my mom and I, discussing propositions on the ballot.
Me: Your taxes will go up...
Mom: No!
Me: ...but children's health services will receive more money.
Mom: Wait! This is tricky...
Scolding Me: (English is my mom's second language.)
"
You are getting out of the line."
On Pancakes: Saturday morning, 8:00AM.
Me: "Okay, Mom, let's go get some pancakes."
Mom: [excited] "Are we going to IHOP?"
Me: "No, someplace better, called Stacks."
Mom: [incredulously] "Better than IHOP???!!"
Me: [shaking head] "I can't believe you think IHOP is the pinnacle for pancakes."
[
Update: she liked Stacks, but didn't think it was significantly better than IHOP.]
On Style:
Me: [On my way out the door, wearing shorts and a t-shirt for my doctor's appointment.]
Mom: "Why don't you wear something nice? People will not respect you dressed like that. Why don't you dress like the Spanish people?"
Me: "Mom, you've never even been to Spain. Sigh."
On Cleanliness:
Mom, checking out my bathroom and unhappy with its uncleanliness:
"How are you going to live with other people? I bet [when it happens] people will complain and the police will come and arrest you."
On X-Mas cards:
Mom: [showing me a proposed holiday card she's written] "Have a blast, happy and wonderful holiday" [sic]
Mom: "So, is it 'holiday' or 'holidays'?"
Me: I can't believe you've written a sentence that is impossible to fix. I bet I can submit this to a record book of some kind.
Dad: It's "holidays."
On X-Mas presents (2010):
Mom: [gives me a mug with the phrase, "Christmas Calories Don't Count."]
Me: I know I collect mugs, so thank you, but this one is for women.
Mom: That's okay, you are getting fat.
On Super Bowl (2011):
Mom: every touchdown is 7 points?
Me: it's 6 points, and if you make a free kick, it's 7.
Mom: you mean if it goes through that thing?
Me: [sigh] Yes. If it goes through the thing, it's an extra point.
Mom: What if it doesn't go through the thing?
Me: Then it's 6 points.
Mom: When is the halftime?
Me: At the half.
Mom: What do you mean the half? The time, or the score?
Bonus:
Mom, on Usher: he stole all his moves from Michael Jackson.
Payback Time, from Mom:
Me, on telephone, leaving someone a message: "I would rather have this [referring to someone who is blunt but passionate] than someone apathetic."
Mom, over-hearing me: "That's not right. It should be 'her,' not 'this.'"
Me: "Unbelievable. You're actually right for once."
Mom, later, texting me: "U should say in face book that I corrected your English. U make fun of my English. now is d pay back time. Let's see what your friends say. I bet they all love me more."
On Nutrition:
Me: "You know how to identify good orange juice, right?"
Mom: "Yes, 'from concentration.'"
On Overeating:
Me: "You're eating too much."
Mom: "Me? What about you? All you do is eat. You're a potato."
Me: "What? A potato?"
Mom: "A potato couch."
Me: [confused] "What's a potato couch?"
Mom: "Someone who sits down and eats all the time."
Me: "You mean 'couch potato'?"
Mom: "Yes, that's what I meant."
On Overeating, Part II:
Mom, unhappy at seeing me eat an entire pint of ice cream: "If there is shortage of food, you will die quickly."
On Idioms:
Repairman [installing kitchen microwave]: "This microwave just needs some elbow grease."
Mom: "Where do I buy that?"
Grandma Edition, shopping together:
Grandma (in Farsi): "Is this blouse good?"
Me (in Farsi): "No. It's terrible. Are you able to see well?"
Grandma: "Yes, I can see very well. I can see all the way over there." (pointing to end of store)
Me: (joking) "Then why can't you see the dress in front of you?"
Grandma: "I am going to hit you."
Not sweet by any name:
Mom: "What smells? Something smells really bad."
Me: [finally noticing a smell]
Mom: "It's a skunk, be careful!"
Me: "Uh, Mom, I think that's marijuana."
Mom: "In the daytime?"
Bonus: why my dad is voting Democrat in 2010: "Bush destroyed America, and now China is going to lead, and most of us will need welfare."
Me: "Facebook, Twitter, Instagram."
Me: "Wait, this would make a good blog post." 
