The Costco experience

A few months ago, I bought a Costco membership with assurances that diapers and formula would make it worthwhile.

At a cost of $40 for the membership, a 60 mile round trip at 20mpg and probably a Taco Cabana meal thrown in, there needs to be a bit of savings in there somewhere. (My guesstimate, at least $25 cash out of pocket per trip).

A note about the shopping experience... It is a different world once you go inside the giant warehouse store. Packaging and quantities are not the same that you find elsewhere.

One of these is not like the other...

Look closely at the quantity of formula in each package. The top one is from a multi-pack at Costco, which included that tub (17.5 oz) and two refill packs (Total 52.5 oz).

The bottom one (23.4 oz) is the standard single container from Walmart which goes for about $23.67.

Without looking carefully, the packaging looks like a double supply, but that would only be 46.8 oz.

Pricing comparison - Walmart, $1.01 per ounce. Costco, about $.96.

For Renee's favorite Kashi cereal, a two-pack seemed like a good deal, but we discovered when we got home that each package was 2.5 oz. smaller than a standard single box.

Of course, Costco also lures you in with monthly coupons, which for May included a whopping $8.50 off of the formula. So it is cheaper, but only significantly so with the coupon.

Brand-name diapers are a better savings.. we picked up a giant box of Huggies size 2 for 15 cents each, the cheapest I have found. I have also heard nice reviews of the Costco store-brand (Kirkland) diapers.

I don't know how Sam's compares, but I will just assume similarities... large quantities and some savings.

Bottom line.. if you live within a normal shopping distance or just like to stock up, you can save money. There are lots of other member benefits that they would tout as well.

However, it is also worth doing the math to see if you will save enough to make the trip. Just don't forget that unless you are a super-disciplined shopper, you will buy some big boxes of items you did not have on your list. And with different package sizing, you won't know exactly if you are saving money.

Don J.

Cabooses

Is it strange that toy trains still come with cabooses? It is unlikely that Joshua will ever see one scooting along at the end of a freight train, because they are rarely used these days.

Nostalgia is great, but cabooses served another purpose in my brain. They were a sure sign that the train was finished. You see, there is some remote possibility that the train could split in the middle, and the second half could come along, still at high speed, a while after the first half has passed. For some reason that stuck in my brain and I always look down the track to check before crossing the tracks after a train delay.

There are plenty of things in life that need a caboose. A "this is the end" marker. A sign that lets you know that you can move along without worrying that something unexpected is about to hit you.

Dirty diapers are like that for sure. When you think that the moment is right to "cross the tracks" and change the diaper, you just may get hit with some extra … freight.

On a more serious note, I wonder if modeling how to deal with life's uncertainties and unexpected twists isn't one of the most important things we teach our kids.

Do we seek understanding or make rash assumptions?

Live our faith or lose it?

Give up or press on?

Adapt well or pretend like we didn't just get hit by a train?

I know he will learn to deal with things by watching his parents.

From the Library of Congress' Flickr stream, which is fun to peruse...

Unexpectedly good lullabies

I understand the concept of "baby talk," and why we use sing-song voice talking to the wee ones.

Unfortunately, somebody decided that baby music should sound like baby talk. The songs that are peddled as soothing happy baby music turn out to be miserable synth-instrument melodies of kids tunes. To make things worse, there is occasionally a singer.

Classical music's affect on a baby's brain development may be questionable, but I hypothesize that bad baby music has detrimental effects on the parental brain.

Joshua's sleep does not seem to be affected by music at all at this point, but it is nice to have something playing to help cover any other sounds that might wake him. That music needs to be something that helps him sleep, but helps us keep our sanity.

Here are a few songs that have struck me recently as unexpectedly good lullabies in our playlist...

Sara Groves - Love

Bela Fleck - River (never mind that it is Christmas music)

Lyle Lovett - (lots of choices there) This Travelin' Around

Canadian Brass - Lullaby Rag

Sam Bush - Brilliancy

What are your favorite baby sleeping but parent listening songs?

Imperfection

Based on simple genetics, it is a good bet that Joshua will need braces on his teeth and glasses for his eyes. Those things we knew before ever getting pregnant.

"We've got one little surprise here."

That was the doctor's way of bringing up Joshua's cleft upper lip before handing him over to Renee in the delivery room.

And so we start off a journey that will include at least one surgery to straighten that up and a whole lot of deeper questions about what role physical ideals play in life.

First, let me say that in the grand scheme of birth defects, this is relatively minor. Last year I got to visit with some parents whose son had half of a heart. Multiple surgeries and amazing medical advances will allow him a shot at a relatively normal life.

Lots of other parents go through the agony of losing a child to cancer, heart defects, genetic disorders ... lots of things. The fact that those parents would gladly deal with something as minor as a cleft lip is not lost on me.

But nothing is really minor as a first time parent, is it?

What has been most interesting at every step in researching the treatment of cleft lip has been a discussion of the social implications once Joshua hits about second grade. Effective teasing begins then apparently.

So is he doomed to torture, ridicule and some sort of personality complex that will haunt him his whole life?

I can only think that a big part of parenting is turning the unique imperfections (physical or otherwise) of each child into a point of strength and empathy. Of course, that has to be modeled first by Renee and me before Joshua will get it.

So are "Wood-eye / Harelip" jokes still funny? Hmmmm.

We will have the initial surgery in August... If you have experience with that, I'd love to hear your thoughts and experience. Of course we will share ours along the way.

In other news, Joshua is doing great– eating, sleeping, pooping as any happy baby should be. Friends and family, thank you for all of the encouragement, kind words and good humor to keep us going through the sleep deprivation. He has been sleeping for longer intervals and we are getting out of the house more.

Until next time, more coffee.