The Children called her "Mother", not "Mommy"!
Marie Florence Jacobs Finnigan
If Charlie loved Marie any more, he’d simply turn into a giant pumpkin. She turned him inside out and gave him a eight new borns because she was completely irresistible to him. She was an addiction, one of a kind and Irresistible. She was also a very loving mother, check out the instructions she left Daddy when she went on a holiday... such details! Check out the last page 6 where she refers to her Mom not as Mom or Mother or Granny or Grandma, but Mrs Jacobs!
A real clown, Marie Finnigan was playful with her children, the oldest of whom was 13 and the youngest 2. “This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home,” she would laugh while playing with his or her toes. She’d twist her face until she brought a laugh from the child. She’d play hide and seek with them. She always kept her dignity, the children called her “Mother,” not “Mom” or “Mommy.”
But she was funny and was a purveyor of the great, healing power of laughter. She didn’t do the “dad jokes” that became famous a century later. Hers were “Mother jokes,” but spontaneous and funny. She kept the children at ease and comfortable. What did serious, old husband Charlie think of it all? He chuckled and kept his nose buried in the Buffalo Morning Express
“Where do polar bears keep their money?” “In snow banks.” “Where do cows go on a Friday night?” “The moo vies.” “What vegetables do pirates hate the most?” “Leeks.”: “Knock knock.” “Who’s there?” “Candy.” “Candy who?” “Candy cow jump over the moon.” Silly stuff. A chuckle a minute.
In a Shakespeare play she’d be Puck from “Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Playful! Antic! Filling the homel with love! “How now, spirit! whither wander you?” She’d be 17th-Century Robert Herrick’s “Delight in Disorder.” “A sweet disorder in the dress. Kindles in clothes a wantonness.” The Gracie to Charlie’s George Burns. The Lucy of Lucy and Desi. Unstoppable. Irrepressible. Very funny!
Princess Marie!
Marie the clown!
Charlie Chaplin?
She loved to dress up in clothes that caused a stir. How about her Charlie Chaplin get up. [Figures xx and xx.] She’d be colorful, almost like a clown (but a very tasteful clown). In the movie fashion of the time, she might dress up in an Indian head dress.A chuckle a minute. She lightened the whole atmosphere around the house. She was almost a thespian, and the world was her stage. She drew attention.
She kept a scrapbook. She was a poor little rich girl living in a mansion on Bryant St and showing off to her friends on 20 pages of photos. She wanted and needed attention. She probably never cooked or washed the dishes. Charlie was well qualified to do all of the duties she had no experience with. Charlie treated her like a princess and gave her a family to raise, probably the first important thing she ever did in her life!
Marie Jacobs, a beautiful and charming woman who was a real clown, always dressing up in costumes and painting her face, always full of happiness and surprises. Women wore lipstick, eye liner, powder, but Marie took off from there and created a serenade on her face . . . somehow tastefully , as only she could do it.
Page 1 of 4 do Mom's instructions to Dad when Marie took her vacation.
Handling house during mother’s vacation, May 27, 1927
Breakfast – about 7:30
Orange juice, toast and coffee for Daddy
Orange juice, oatmeal or cream of wheat or milkd toast and a glass of milk dor Jimmy and Jerry Also toast and a glass of milk for Jimmy and Jerry. Also toast and jelly bread.
________________________-
Jerry goes on the chair right after breakfast. You will find it in front hall clothes closet, also chambe and paper.
If you let him use chambe every hour or so, he wont give you any trouble about wetting hiscloshes. Jimmy will tell you when he has togo to toilet. I allw him to use jar in front closet during day. To save running the stairs.
About an hour after breakfast, Jerry gets his bath. If you dress Jimmy while Jerry is in the chair, he can go outdoors immediately after, and then you will only have Jerry to take care of.
You will find the children’s closhes either in the chest in their room or in the buffet drawer. I always wash out Jerry’s wet pajamaa, myself, . . .
The rompers and overalls I send to the laundry. ____________
I usually put Jerry out on the veranda shortliy after his bath and he will play there with his kiddie car and a few toys for several hours. This gives me a good chance to get my beds made and dishes and washing done. ____________
Lunch is usually between 12 and 1. A glass of milk with bread and jam, or gravy bread if there is any left from dinner the night before or a hot cereal if they have had mild toast for breakfast. Something not too heavy but as much milk as they can drink. Jerry sits in his high chair and Jimmy likes to sit in the big kitchen chair at the sinkledgewith is black tray. (Warm milk a bit)
After lunch they both take a nap. I always undress them and put their night gowns on, as I think they sleep more comfortable. I let Jerry wear the old night panths with . . .
3
They usually sleep till 4 or after, so that gives me a good chance to get the downstairs picked up a little and also to get dinner started.
Daddy comes home between 5:30 and 5:45. You can put the children outdoors after their nap if there is time and they will be contented till Daddy comes.
Fr dinner we usually have meat, potatoes, a vegetable or salad bread and butter, plenty of mild (Daddy, too) and dessert. Daddy takes care of the shopping, generally gets most everything in on Saturday and will bring bread or meat whenever you need them.
_____________________
After dinner, Daddy plays with the kiddies while I wash the dishes and always gets them ready for bed.
On Thursday, the cleaning woman comes. I always fix her a hot dinner at noon. I try to save out something from the night before.
4
Sometimes Daddy brings home fresh halibut or salmon, or I fix creamed codfish or salmon load for some such dish. Ask him what he would like for that day as he is kind of fussy about Friday dishes, but the rest of the week use your own judgement, because he doesn’t like to know what he is going to get till he sits down to the table.
The laundry man comes on Monday for the soiled clothes and brings them back on Wednesday or Thursday. If you will sprinkle the unironed clothes, the woman will iron them after she finishes cleaning on Thiursday. Daddy will give you money to pay both the laundry man and the cleaning woman.
Please try to keep Jimmy in front of the house as much as possible. He likes to run out in front, but it always worries me when I can’t see where he is.
After thoughts
(two handwritten pages worth)
Look at her scrapbook. She is a born influencer of Facebook. She’d blend right in on TikTok.
