jogging stroller, $20

Two months ago grandpa C called from yard sale: he had come across a a jogging stroller for only $20. Did we want it?

Like many things baby-related, these things are works of engineering genius. Not on the scale of strollers made for smooth surfaces, or cribs, which apparently only the most elite designers and engineers work on, but well thought out. Sturdy wheels that you actually pump, canvas side panels to shade Prince Clementine, ample storage, and even a hand brake, which suggests a hint of daring that makes even non-joggers fancy the jogging stroller.

But two months ago, we declined. And immediately, another buyer who had been eying it and waiting for the results of the phone call snapped it up. At the time, C thought the only jogging stroller worth having was one with front tire that swivels. Soon, a sort of non-buyer's regret set in and we began to think that grandpa's dream of rolling PC around the wetlands and along the James River this fall might come at a price--an actual retail purchase price. By late August we had not seen a jogging stroller again--not of the kind or quality we first saw, and certainly not one with the swiveling front tire. This did not happen for a lack of shopping craigslist or weekly yard sales. No.

This is of course a story with a happy ending---another stroller showed up at a sale last week (above) and it was again fetchingly priced at $20. This time, there was no hesitation.

Score!

a goofy pair

StanStats - two months

The new babystats are in, and we've got ourselves a two-footer.

earning a wage

Sometime, down the line, we'll end up talking about the possibility of Stanley getting a job. And like many things parenting, there is no one way to approach such a set of choices. Some parents, no doubt, need their kids to work a little, whereas others would rather have them focus on school or play and save the workaday routine until it's absolutely necessary. Because those silly U.S. child labor laws will prevent us from sending him to work anytime soon, this conversation is probably a long ways off for us, but still.

My parents' attitudes and ideas about labor tended toward kids-that-work, with the goals of saving for college and teaching us the value of earning. We had paper routes early on, a Dairy Queen job (they didn't care about child labor laws) and babysitting. But the real winner of the family labor was Hardee's, where my sister was hired on to the very first crew 25 years ago this year (!), and where three of us logged a collective twelve years of shifts. Mom praises them for teaching us a good work ethic, and secretly, she's grateful to Hardee's because our savings accounts reduced her part of the college tuition and fees bill!

Depending on your perspective, making biscuits on the weekend shift was a plumb job. Preparing and baking consistent batches involved just enough that it bought the biscuit-maker a little bit of space away from the rest of the madness (like transitioning from breakfast to lunch). It also had some status--it was not a job trusted to just anyone, or at least that's how I remember it. When my friend Troy began working weekend mornings at Pizza Hut down the street, I'd occasionally spend my break with him, exchanging ham, egg and cheese biscuits for Canadian bacon with mushrooms pizza. De-lish. Stan could do worse than a Hardee's job, I suppose.

On the other hand, the shift ran from 4:30-12:30. Ouch! So early (late?) your body doesn't know what to do.

Smooch

A Serious Boy

Prince Clementine in his baby Ralph Lauren seems ready to join his father at university. Already and old man....

One Week vs. 6 Weeks

Deal of the Day

Graco Comfort Sport convertible car seat from nice family. Never in an accident. Two years old. $1.

Oh, the bottle...

Aside from the initial supplementation of formula during the jaundice phase, Prince Clementine has only been fed my Mom's natural parts. Recently, we have introduced the bottle. This is a painful experience for both Mom and the prince. Sad but necessary.