Genentech

Monday, August 1st was David's OFFICIAL first day at the company he has been working at for almost 2 years now (as a contractor).  It's a bit odd because it is a 'new job' with all the things that go along with it (W4, benefit enrollment, paperwork galore...) but David has already been at this company and even in this exact role for a while.  Anyway, it is yet another NEW START for us this year and hope it is a VERY good one! 

The company, Genentech, is pretty amazing.  A big bio-tech company, even bigger since they were recently purchased by Roche, but with a big heart.  Their primary market/products are cancer drugs - maybe they will be the ones that will finally cure that nasty beast - they've made a good start!  They are always doing community give-back programs.  But from our standpoint, we have GREAT benefits at very low cost.  They have tons of big events we can attend (a big annual concert with some pretty big names performing, baseball games, etc.).  Very excited!

A separate topic, but a few tidbits - good and bad.  Happy birthday to one of my BFFs, Jennifer!  Older can be better - and you are proving it! 

I lost a cousin on Monday - he was swimming in Allatoona and drown.  He was only 35 and will be sorely missed.  Here is his obituary. 

And now onto something complex - but I will try to keep it short.  My general parenting philosophy, is to be open and honest with the kids in regards to all things.  If they ask, I try to give them an age-appropriate but correct and honest answer.  Because of this simple but sometimes difficult philosophy, I generally have all the answers they need and can build on them later when the questions come up again.  For example, the boys for a long time now have wanted to know why girls pee sitting down.  And most importantly, where the pee comes from.  They can easily see their own urine coming out of their penis.  So, I have just told them that girls don't have penises but our pee comes from our urethra and that their pee actually comes from their urethra as well its just theirs is inside their penis.  It is honest and truthful and just enough - though the do want to actually see it - which I draw the line at that.  So, that is my point - even in this philosophy (or especially in this philosophy) you have to have lines.  One day they will have more questions about boys versus girls or even sex, and I can give them info, but I suppose I will need some visual aids and/or books.  So, today, Ethan tells me that he really wants to know what the 'F-word' is.  It came up a while back in a comical situation, and we just explained that the F-word was an inappropriate word for both kids and adults but some adults make the decision to use it.  So, I tell him this again.  He says he will not make the decision to use it, and I tell him that there are several words that are considered inappropriate and they are also called curse words and that some adults use them when they are angry or upset, but that I think that it is just a sign that they don't have better words in their vocabulary to use so they resort to those words.  He pushes me that he really just wants to know the word...and again, I can't bring myself to be completely open and tell him the word - so I draw my line and tell him that I choose not to use it, so I can't tell him, but that he will surely hear it one day because young boys love to experiment with curse words.  That is enough for him - for now.....oh, and he assured me that he would always choose to not use curse words - let's hope he sticks to that :)