Swear Box Smile Challenge

I watched the Fantastic Mr Fox the other day and instead of swearing they’d say the word ‘cuss’.  It was sweet and innocent, unlike my sometimes very unsweet expletives.  So I’m going to undertake a radical plan to sanitise my vocabulary.  Bring on the swear box!  Unfortunately I can’t go out and buy a box because I’m not buying ‘stuff’ in NO-vember, so for now I’ll pop my 50p pieces in a jar.  I might need a big jar. 

Every challenge needs some rules.  Mine are simple.

All swear words are 50p.  Bugger is not a swear word.  I need referees who will point out when I slip up.  The swear box challenge will finish just before Christmas, but my new found habits will continue (fingers crossed, halo shining).

Sarah has been threatening me with a swear jar for ages so will be most pleased to see me taking up this challenge.  Sarah – it doesn’t include the word Jesus.  That isn’t swearing, that is an exclamation. 

(Post Note Edit: After much discussion and negotiation with a panel of judges; bugger, JEEEEEEESUS! and Oh My GOD! are now included as swear words.  My charity fund is going to be bigger than I thought!)

I’m going to donate the proceeds of my swear box fund to charity, not the LMS new Citizens of Humanity Jeans Charity either.  Every year I say I’m going to donate money to help a cleft palette child and this is the year I’m actually going to follow through.  The proceeds from my potty mouth fund will start the ball rolling and I’ll top up the balance for my bit of Christmas charity …  I need £150 to pay for a complete cleft palette operation with the smile train.  I hope I end up topping up more than I have in the swear box!  Check out the fantastic work from the cleft palette charity at www.smiletrain.org.uk

Angelica before the operation

Angelica after the operation

Toto in Palermo

I loved this little old man Toto, who we met in a deli in Palermo.  He had worked in the shop his whole life and was now retired, but still hung out there with the other old men.  He proudly told us that the shop was 150 years old and entertained us while we tasted the cheeses, ham and bought our lunch supplies. 

He also graciously shared his coffee with us and gave us his newspaper, even though there is only one person in our group that could read it.

Toto sharing his coffee