Pride & Prejudice

Pride:  Henry is reading!  It is incredible to me because I’ve had so little to do with it.  Both Seth and Sam learned before Kindergarten with a book called How To Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons (highly recommended for any parent with a struggling reader in grades K-2) and I was so worried that Henry would fall behind or struggle because I didn’t do it with him over the summer or fall (bad parenting, I know!).  Thankfully, he has thrived in spite of his negligent mother and can read Go, Dog! Go! among others.  He has an incredible memory and easily memorizes his school readers that have words he can’t sound out yet.  Today, at his school Valentine’s Party (they had it a few days late), he easily matched the conversation heart’s phrases to the match on his “Luv Ya” bingo sheet.   He also likes to read the scriptures with us each night and gets every “the” “for” “and” and even “Lord” etc.  He can read “And it came to pass” but struggles with “fruit of his loins” that was repeatedly used in 2 Nephi chapter 3 a few nights ago.  I figure he can learn about that phrase later.



Prejudice:  I have never bought any kind of Playtex baby product before today.  Between its name (hello.  You make feminine hygiene products.  I don’t think of your company as sweet and cuddly) and my own bias against latex nipples, I have always steered clear of its bottles and pacifiers.  After reading many comments from moms who have babies that refuse to imbibe from bottles, I learned that these hideous, yellow latex nipples are supposedly easier for them to drink from.  I still shudder when I look at them.  Blech.

Pride:  Sam is such a great sport.  He has been eating gluten-free for the past year and his 2nd grade teacher always gave him a few gluten free cookies whenever anyone brought in a birthday treat he couldn’t have.  I thought it was really sweet of him to go out of his way to purchase and store them so that Sam was included in the festivity.  His teacher this year hasn’t brought cookies but each time there is a birthday party, she gives him a rubber duck.  He loves these ducks.  He has named each one with his go-to list of favorite names (Mike, Bobby Jr., Steve and Johnny).

Prejudice:  I think I’m in the minority here but I am against men wearing tight v-neck t-shirts.  I also think jeans with heavily embroidered back pockets, if they must be worn at all, should be restricted to female fashion design.  I understand that some men embrace the term metrosexual, with its smedium sizing, soft hands and super controlled coifs, but I suppose I like men to look like men.  Not sloppy or slobbish.  Clean.  Well groomed.  Occasionally rugged.  My sister disagrees with me.  She says bring on the bare strip of triangular chest.  I say, “Wear a t-shirt underneath that t-shirt!”

Pride:  Daniel slept through the night last night!  10 pm until 6 this morning.  It’s a whole new ball game when momma gets some sleep!  What a sweet baby.

Prejudice:  If I am behind an annoying driver in my town, 8 times out of 10 (not a percentage scientifically deduced but you get my point), they are driving a Subaru.  Now, I love Subaru.  It was Jay’s and, by default of joint property via marriage, my first car.  They are dependable.  They are sturdy.  They are great!  In my liberal-leaning-environmentally-conscious-what’s-good-for-me-must-be-good-for-everyone-thinking town, they are very popular.  I reason that it’s because people want and need an all-wheel drive vehicle, because of our terrain and weather, but can’t live with the guilt of driving a gas guzzling SUV.  In spite of my love of Subaru, I almost always notice that those who annoy me on the road drive them.  Even their latest commercials seem to embrace this kumbaya label.  What do they do to annoy me, you ask?  Drive 5 - 10 mph under the speed limit.  Leisurely use the left turn arrow signal, leaving other cars to wait for the next turn.  Stop for pedestrians or bicyclists to cross the road at places other than crosswalks.  Darn those Subaru drivers!

Pride:  Seth came home pretty upset yesterday that his History Day project wasn’t selected to go onto regionals.   I should restate.  I knew that he was upset.  It took me awhile to get it out of him but I felt bad that something he had worked so hard on (he and a friend made a website about the Dutch Underground Resistance during World War II) didn’t get the recognition he had hoped for.  Today, he came home elated because there had been a mistake in announcing the results and their project had been left out of the award ceremony.  He was beaming.  I am proud of him for working hard on it and proud that his effort was validated by the judges.

Prejudice:  We get a notable influx of Texans and Oklahomans visitors to our local ski resort during the winter months.  They are easy to spot, not only because they ski in packs and yell loudly to each other with their distinctive drawl, but also because many do not own proper ski attire.  If they are comfortable skiing in jeans, so be it.  I am from Montana and that look was very popular in the late 80s/early 90s.  What I don’t love is the unzipped ski coat.  Wear it or don’t wear it, but unzipped, it just flaps around when they ski with any sort of speed.  And it looks silly.  When I picked up the boys from their ski lessons the other day, I was near the chairlift and overheard a conversation between two men speaking with those undeniable southern accents.  One said, “My instructor said I was killing it today.  I think I’m ready to take my game to the next level.”  The other said, “Bring it.”  Both had unzipped jackets.

Pride:  I jogged up my driveway today.  Hey...it’s a start!

Prejudice:  Just because I brought my baby into the class Valentine’s Day Party and you have also had a baby in your lifetime does not mean that we should be discussing your husband’s vasectomy after your failed tubal ligation.  Somethings are better left unsaid.  Especially when we don’t know each other.