I can't resist this from Overheard in the Office

9AM Mexico: Hey, We Warned You!

CSR, on speakerphone: And where would you like this order shipped?
Secretary: 123 Main St.*, Los Alamos, New Mexico.
CSR : We don't ship out of the country.
Secretary: That's fine, but this address is in the country.
CSR : No, you said to ship it to New Mexico.
Secretary: Yes, New Mexico is a state in the US.
CSR : Sorry, but we can't ship out of the US.
Secretary: Do you have a supervisor I can talk to, please?
[Long pause.]
CSR supervisor: This is Tim. Can I help you?
Secretary: I hope so, Tim. Your employee doesn't seem to understand that New Mexico is a state in the United States, and so refuses to ship me your product.
Supervisor: Well, that's true. We can't ship out of the country. I'm sorry ma'am.
Secretary, raising her voice a little: Have you never even heard of the state of New Mexico? It's one of the big, square ones? It's right between Texas and Arizona? It's one of the 50 United States?
Supervisor: I'm sorry, it's just our policy not to ship out of the US.
Secretary: Tim, let me get this straight. Your company is going to lose a $14,000 order because the people in your customer service department are too moronic to know or comprehend that the state of New Mexico is a part of the United States?
Supervisor: Yes, ma'am. That's our policy.
Secretary, completely exasperated: Well, I guess there's nothing more to be said, is there?
Supervisor: No, ma'am. Have a nice day.

Los Alamos, New Mexico

Overheard by: New Mexican

via Overheard in the Office, Jun 16, 2008

She used chopsticks AND she spelled her name!

Father's Day weekend was busy and exciting.

During lunch on Saturday, I heard my daughter say "A-B-B-Y" and I was stunned. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to repeat it.

Then during dinner at a Chinese restaurant with my father Abby used beginner's chopsticks. My husband said she handled them better than I do. Way to go Abby!!!

mini book report- "Stress-Free Potty Training"

I read "Stress-Free Potty Training" by Sara Au and Peter L. Stavinoha, Ph.D. over the weekend. The cover says "Match the toilet training to your child's unique personality and temperament!" and it also says "A Commonsense guide to finding the right approach for your child".

Since we've been potty training for several months already I wasn't even sure if it would be worthwhile to read this book, but I skimmed it anyway. It would be great for a beginner though.

There is a 5-part quiz that you take to determine which personality type your child has. My child scored high in 3 of the 5 parts, and that was kind of discouraging. However, following the quiz is a summary of the 5 personalities and I was able to determine from those descriptions which one fit my child best. I read some of the "universal" information about remaining calm about accidents and "nakedtime" etc. Some of the suggested dialog was pretty silly. I don't think a 2 year old is on the level that these authors are expecting in terms of language skills. One helpful thing was a chart that listed several different potty-related skills/achievements and the average age girls and boys reach them (different for each gender). My little girl is more advanced than I thought she was. Since we have been potty training for so long I skipped most of the personality chapters and just read the one that pertained to my kid... strong willed child. If we were just starting out, this probably would be helpful, but since we aren't, the information just fell into the "commonsense" category. It was a reassuring book to read though. It let me know that we are doing things the way they should be done, and my goals have been realistic.

If you have already started potty-training then you could read this book in your local library or bookstore. If you are just beginning or haven't begun yet, it would probably be worth buying.