Manners and Other Tidbits

We received an additional foot of snow, with another storm coming this Sunday. The bright side, besides the obvious silent, still beauty of softly falling snow, is that Don's school district pays custodians time and a half to work on inclement weather days. Bring it on!

I try hard to instill good manners in the boys, but I have to say, I seem to be failing miserably. Daniel was irked that I wanted all of the pineapple upside-down cake to stay at Grandpa's. I reminded him that it was Grandpa's birthday cake, but that didn't silence his sour attitude. And Timothy, pickier than any other kid, got bent out of shape because Grandpa didn't have his kind of chocolate milk. They had Ovaltine instead. I was sooooo embarrassed, as I often am when we snack or dine at someone else's house. Lecturing and role playing proper responses doesn't seem to help. This whole thing grieves my heart. I told them that for the next two visits, they can have nothing to eat or drink at Grandpa's. Did your kids behave anything like this, and later outgrow it? I want them to be kindhearted and well-mannered. They manage this much better with strangers than with family, but that's no consolation.

The pacifier, which I hoped would allow me small segments of time to clean and get organized, ended up causing nipple confusion. It's either too soon, or she just isn't one of those adaptable babies. She does like the swing though; I was able to eat a bowl of oatmeal this morning without having to wear the sling, which was nice. I love my Over the Shoulder Baby Holder sling, except while doing dishes, laundry or while eating. Sometimes I wear it while cooking, out of necessity, but that's not recommended.

Both my little ladies are asleep now. I'd better run and grab a sandwich and reboot the laundry. Emily sleeps 2.5 hours, but Anna only naps on her own for as little as ten minutes, or for as long as sixty.