Parenting

We took a two week toddler parenting class at church during October with three other couples. Most of what we learned was fairly standard but the discussion was useful and I'm sure we would have wondered what we had missed had we not attended.

There was one list, however, that shocked all couples in attendance.

The pastor authored the material and included a list of "Top Four Things You MUST Teach Your Children."

The first three were very standard, something like: Teach them about God. Teach them to love God's Word. Teach them what God says about parents and children. OK, very standard.

The fourth caught *ALL* of us off guard. "Teach them that racial predjudice is unacceptable." HUH??? I won't disagree with the statement, but it didn't seem to belong in the Top 4 of what you need to teach your children.

A mexican woman raised her hand and asked, "Where did that come from???"

Dan and I discussed it on our way home. This is the most racially diverse evangelical church we've been to. (OK, maybe Foursquare was close, but...) Black families, hispanic families, Asians, Pacific Islanders, people from the Caribbean, etc. It is a small church, too, so it is quite striking. The pastor's oldest daughter is married to a man who is half Puerto-Rican and his middle daughter is married to a Pacific Islander. His son is dating a Mexican woman.

As strange as the fourth "commandment" was, it seems to have impacted the church quite positively. I'm not sure it belongs on the "Top 4" list, though.

A final note, in our 3+ years at the church, that was the ONLY mention of race. Maybe that's why I forget that our church is racially diverse until someone visits for the first time and points it out to me.

Two very good days

My two have been taking morning naps at the same time. Anna naps about an hour more than John, so I get some good one-on-one time with John while she's asleep. We use the time to play together. We read on Monday, built blocks Tuesday, and I taught John to pour and scoop lentils today. (Boy, did he love that! He didn't want to stop, but I could tell he was exhausted.)

I also have had time for Bible reading, dinner prep, laundry, other reading, and, you guessed it, blog updating.

I'm still keeping my kitchen clean. I started after my ankle healed (mid-September) and now it bugs me if it isn't clean. I clean up after each meal meticulously. Although there may be dishes drying on the counter, they don't sit in the sink dirty anymore. It is a habit now!

Kids are fun!

We had dinner at a friend's home last night. Their almost-five-year-old, E, was nearly done with dinner when this conversation began.

E: I'm done with dinner.
Dad: OK.
E: I don't think I'll have any dessert tonight. (There was a chocolate cake.)
Dad: OK. Why not?
E: I haven't eaten enough dinner.
Dad: Alright.
E: I think I should eat some more chicken. (Goes on to finish some more chicken, and later, to eat dessert.)
Dad: Isn't my son great? He parents himself!

We got home and Dan and John spent some time playing with John's letter blocks. (John was mainly playing, Dan mainly videotaping.) John can build a tower of nine with 1" cubes on carpet! Right before Anna was born, a tower of four was about all he could manage.

Dan said to me, "Given John's rate of progress, and the rate at which the World Trade Center rebuilding is being delayed, John may end up being the contractor for that project."

It's Dan's birthday today, so there is a cake in the oven. He is 26.

We went to a "Holiday Party" for Dan's department yesterday. A man who has a son who is just a bit older than John came over to talk with us. Dan began throwing John into the air and flipping him about and the guy's chin dropped. "WOW!" John loved it. The man suggested that this was good training if John wants to be a pilot or astronaut.

Anna found her thumb and wants to suck it. She would nurse about 24 hours a day if I'd let her. John was the opposite - 5 minutes of eating every three hours was enough for him most days. He put himself on the three hour schedule pretty effectively. (Which is why she is about two pounds heavier than he was at 6 weeks.) Anna too is on a three hour "schedule" of sorts. I know she'll wake up from any nap if it has been three hours since eating. She then wants to eat/suckle until she falls asleep again.

I have the two kiddos napping at the same time in the morning. That's how I'm baking a cake and updating the blog!

First Grocery Trip

Today was my first day shopping with both kids!

I absolutely love my nearby grocery store, Wegmans

. The first time I went shopping there, I turned around about ten feet past the door and left. It had beautiful murals, classical music playing in the background, and attractive displays. The place would break my tightwad budget, I thought.

Thankfully, a friend told me I should give it another try.

Wegmans appears to have a different philosophy than most grocery stores. Instead of sending out flyers each week with loss leaders while pricing basic goods very high, it doesn't reguarly send out flyers and consistently prices basic goods very low. I cook from scratch most of the time, so this is perfect for me. The customer service is flawless and everything is well-managed and well-organized.

Today, though, I was near and Aldi and decided to stop in. I had heard that Aldi had low prices and thought I might be able to save some money.

Nope. Eggs were 10 cents a dozen more. Milk was 30 cents per gallon more. The line was long, the lights glared, and a panhandler nearly approached me in the parking lot. (I overheard the *large* man loading his car next to me tell the panhandler, "Don't you dare go over to her" as I was buckling Anna into the car.)

So, Wegmans it still is. If only I can stop impulse buying...

One more plug for Wegmans - they treat their employees well and are consistently ranked among Fortune's 100 Best Companies to work for.

The interim pastor at our church in college, RW, described his grandbabies to us, saying, "You constantly service one end of the intestinal tract or the other."

Anna only cries for three reasons: she is hungry, she is trying to poop, or she is uncomfortable because she just pooped. I then change her, and she wants to eat again. I guess that's why she has a double chin and thunder thighs...

John has done wonderfully during the last few days! We moved him to the big table yesterday and he seems to like being there.