Day 16 of Give Aways - My Apologies

I apologize for any one looking to win something over the weekend. Unfortunately, I was giving my time on a fund raiser (which turned out awesome by the way, maybe I can post pictures later) and I had nothing more to give. I was exhausted. So let's get down to business.

• Meatless Monday will be postponed until next Monday (sorry)
• Half-Assed HouseWife is our big Valentine winner.
• Oh boy its a girl wins the Veggie Tale Movie
• Kathy is the big winner of the Cloth Napkins
• Teaching Money to Kids is moving! (I am trying out WordPress)
• I even have my very own domain name: http://www.teachingmoneytokids.com/
• You will have to visit Teaching Money To Kids at the new site in order to get in on the next Give Away.

Sorry for making you move, especially since some of you just got here. But I have been counseled that it makes more sense to do it now, than when there are more followers to lose. I just hope you stick with me.

I am also still feeling my way around WordPress, so it may take a while for me to get the look I want and all the buttons in the right order. Thanks for being patient.

Giving You my Heart - Day 11 of 28 Days of Give Aways

No Valentines blog about money would be complete without an origami heart made out of a dollar bill. I am here to deliver. This makes a great gift, and also an entertaining hobby, for yourself, or those you wish to impress.
The best thing about giving these hearts for valentines day is that you can be as cheap or generous as you want, and it is still cool. It doesn't even have to be money, it could be opened to reveal a sweet note, or directions to a romantic place. But...Everybody Loves Money.



I want to give you my heart this Valentines Day. This Give Away is for FOLLOWERS only. But the catch is you have to not only be a follower, but also leave me a comment so I know how much you love me, too. This GiveAway is open until Sunday, Valentines Day of course.
This is also linked up with Things I love Thursday.

Saving the world one Napkin at a time

Napkins are not exactly a huge expense at our house.
But since we started using cloth napkins about a year ago, we have saved even more.
I found whole box of napkins a yard sale. They only wanted $.10 a piece for them, so I bought the whole box. I sorted out the napkins by color, since they weren't really in sets. And I put the more fallish colors in a box with our fall stuff, Christmas colors, etc.
We have come to where we like the blue, pink, yellow, and green ones the best. They match our vinyl fish table cloth, and everyone gets their own color. We have two of each color, except for blue. We have like ten of the blue, which is handy, because My Pet uses the blue ones, and he needs more than everyone else.
Let me tell you about all of the benefits of using the cloth napkins:

• We don't have to buy more. Saves money, time, and we don't run out.
• We can use as many as we want. We don't have to worry about conserving.
• We just throw them in the wash. Since I do a load of towels, etc. every week anyway, we just throw these in, and they don't take up more laundry space.
• They clean up great. One napkin can usually take care of most spills, no extra napkins, paper towels or rags needed.
• We can use them more than once (if this grosses you out, then skip to the next part) but for many meals, a napkin is just needed for touch up. You can easily fold it the other way, and it is good as new. And since we each use a different color, we don't have to worry about cross contamination.
• They are cute. We don't have to decide between cheap or cute. Ours are both.
• We aren't living a disposable life. The more I can teach my kids that we don't just buy stuff just to throw it away, the better.
• Hubby said just last night, "these are one of the finer things." I thought he was talking about the cheese enchiladas I had made, but no. He was talking about the napkins. Apparently he thinks they are classy.

So now that I have taught my kids how to fold them, they are the easiest switch we have made in saving money and being green.

This has been linked in with Works for me Wednesday, Things I love Thursday, and Finer things Friday, and the Penny Pinching Party.

And now.....

For our 28 days of Give Aways...

A set of new cloth napkins! (set of four + 1 that is just slightly a different color) Just leave me a comment to be entered to win. For more entries, you can become a follower, or a subscriber, each would give you another entry. Leave me a comment, so I know. This Give Away will be open until Sunday, when I announce the winners.

Sorry for no pictures, but that computer has been having virus troubles.

How Do We Get So Much Stuff? 28 Days of Give Aways Day 9

People like to give us stuff.
I don't know why.
Do they think we are poor?
Or maybe, because we have a lot of kids, they think we need a lot of stuff.
Must I remind them that we live in a pretty small house. We have 3 kids in one room, and are looking to add a fourth. But then that might make them think we are poor.
So I just say thank you.
But then I spend the rest of the year wondering how we ended up with so much stuff. We give it away, we get more. Should I say no? I hate to sound ungrateful when people are trying to be thoughtful. Is it offensive to say no when someone wants to give you stuff?
Having too much stuff is really a burden. It is more to put away, or more to clean, or find storage for, or put away again after Big G pulls it out of the drawer. Again.
So I have decided to give it all away.
Today's Give Away is a box of baby blankets. I am giving it to our local Community Services, who actually expressed a need for this sort of thing. They are making care packages for families. So I am happy to pass these along to someone who will need them.
Now it is your turn. What do you have that you don't need? Is there someone that might actually need it? Consider what you can give to them. Bless them, and unburden yourself.

Meatless Monday - Kids in the Kitchen - Her Own Recipe

Welcome to Meatless Monday!
Today's recipe is by Miss Love herself. The day after her 5th Birthday she announced that she wanted to make Her Own Recipe. The first attempt was a cross between a crepe and a muffin. It was not bad. Then Friday she announced she wanted to make "Snow Flake Treats." The result this time was more like a chocolate chip lemon bar (without the lemon).
Super sweet, and super yummy.

Her Own Recipe
In 1st bowl:
2 cups of flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg

In 2nd bowl:
1 cup sugar
4 T butter (melted)

Then combine them together and add 1/2 c. chocolate chips
Fill greased cupcake pan 2/3 full, bake at 350* for about 15 min or until golden.
Then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

I mentioned these were sweet didn't I?

But Miss Love has been so proud of her treats. She wanted to call her Grandma and tell all about them, and tonight we delivered some to her friends, so that they could try some, too.

Her "recipe" experiments may seem like a waste of ingredients and money to some people, but I would rather her test her independence with a measuring cup in the safety of my kitchen, then to want to rebel, because her mommy is always telling her what to do.

Also, I like to see the way she has learned about different ingredients from recipes that we have done together. She is starting to get a feel for what flavors go good together.

And now for a bit of business:
Mondays Winner $25 Gift Certificate to Picture me Studios: Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship
Tuesday: Our Local School
Wednesday: Amie @ Adventures with Audrie wins The Grouchy Ladybug
Thursday: Olivia @ Of Such is the Kingdom wins a pair of bath mittens
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday: The people of Haiti

And announcing the new Give Away for today:
in honor of Meatless Monday I am giving away a Veggie Tales movie! Duke and the Great Pie War by Big Idea Productions (DVD).
In order to win you have to leave a comment. To get more entries, you have to link up a recipe. And to get even more entries, you can visit the links posted, and then leave a comment about those blogs you visited. I will leave this give away open all week, to give you a chance to visit and leave lots of comments.

Now it is your turn: Please link up with a tip or recipe for our Meatless Monday Carnival. (if you don't have a blog, but would like to participate, you can always leave your tip or recipe in the comment section.) We would love to hear from you.

What is your Story? Haiti Give Away Weekend

We get to talking about Heaven around our place. What’s it going to be like? What are we going to be able to do? Who are we going to see? And won’t it be fun to hear the stories from the Bible from the people themselves.

Can you imagine hearing about the inside of a whale from Jonah himself?

Or listening to David talking about how big Goliath was?

Or maybe we can find the little boy that gave his lunch away and have him tell us all about eating with Jesus.

But what amazes my kids more than anything is when I tell them that those people from the Bible are going to come looking for them to tell a story. Can you imagine that ?

Getting a tap on the should from Queen Esther, and then she asks, "Tell me your story." And then a crowd gathers at their feet, the feet of my little children. And there is Samuel and Zaccheus sitting next to Ruth and Moses. And they are asking them, "How did God use you to be a blessing?" And maybe Joshua raises his hand to say "Tell us about the walls God tore down for you." And maybe Noah will want to know about when it was the hardest to trust.

Miss Love especially gets wide eyed at the thought of all her favorite friends from the Bible wanting to find her and ask her about her story. 'Cause to me, that is what Heaven will be like. Everyone sharing their stories.

What will your story be like? Will it be like the widow who shared her last meal with Elijah? Or maybe like Peter pulling blessings out of the sea with a net. Maybe God will use your gift to Haiti like He did when he fed the 5,000.

Today is our last day of the Giving to Haiti Weekend. I hope this opportunity has blessed your family.

Tomorrow I will announce the winners from last week Give Aways, plus Give Away even more.

Tomorrow is also Meatless Monday, so get your recipes or tips ready. We would love to have you join us.

Choosing a Place to Support - Give Away Day 6

There are so many agencies out there looking for money. Each of them have a different spin and a different name. It is hard to know which places to trust, who can do the best job, and what your money really goes to.

Large groups have somehow gotten a bad repetition in some circles. Like somehow if you get too big, you lose sight of the cause. And in the midst of a crisis, like what we are seeing in Haiti right now, you will see a lot of small groups popping up, taking advantage of the circumstances.

I recently got a letter from one of the large groups (so of course there was a bit of bias) outlining why giving to an established organization may be a better way of giving your money. Now it is true that a bigger organization has more employees, and therefore more overhead, I felt like the pros really out weighed the cons.

Here are some things an established organization is more likely to have:

• Credibility here - all of the top names in Disaster relief have to go through regular auditing, publishing, etc. to prove to their donors (and the government) that they are doing a good job.



• Credibility there - many of the established groups have already been working in the countries, like Haiti, and are familiar with their needs.



• Streamlined Resources - The groups that do this for a living are actually pretty good at what they do, because they have been doing it for years. They know how to get through the red tape, the delays, and the politics.



• Training - part of the overhead costs, that seem like such a negative in a larger group, actually go toward training their people. Before there is an emergency.



• Quicker Response Time - They already have the people to help, many times in the region, plus they can have resources en route within hours of a tragedy, while others are still waiting for volunteers and pledges to come in.



• Seeing the Bigger Picture - Because these larger groups have often been in the country before the crisis, are there helping during the crisis, they usually are invested in the lives of these people to see them through to the next step. Beyond living in temporary shelters, these groups are often there for years afterward, helping them build infrastructure, find jobs and get decent medical help and education.

If you want more information, a great site is Charity Navigator. They list the top charities providing relief, and great reasons for not giving to the Government, or smaller groups in the area.

We have decided to give our money to ADRA. Our reasons may be different from what you are looking for, so I will explain our decision.

1. ADRA has been working in Haiti for a number of years already.



2. We have friends that have been field directors (in other countries) for ADRA that have testified to their belief in the ministry that ADRA provides.



3. My sister was an ADRA volunteer in Sri Lanka after the tsunami.



4. We have given to them in the past. They have a great online donation center, ADRA's really useful Gift Catalog. The catalog lets you see where your gift is going, and you can choose small and large donations. This was my daughter's charity of choice for her Birthday Giving this year.



5. We believe that they will be there for the long haul, to make sure that the Haitians have clean water, good food, a chance at employment and education, and of course a warm bed.

Thank you for your help in this Give Away. Tell me what your thoughts are on the different charities. Who did you choose, and why?

A Warm Bed - 28 Days of Give Aways Day 5

I love our bed.
We have a great mattress. And a big feather comforter that is just the thing to snuggle down into on cold winter nights. I love the look of the dark wood and the sleigh bed style (although in a couple months I know I will be too pregnant climb in easily). I love the feeling of relaxation that comes every time my head hits the pillow.
Our bed is a finer thing.
Which is why for day 5, I am giving one away.

What? Giving a bed away? How rich are these people? I can hear you thinking it from here.
I'm not giving it to you.
I am giving it to the people of Haiti.
And you are going to help me. I want you to spend some time in prayer, maybe a bit of time with your budget. Spend some time with your kids, talking about what you can give up, so that somebody else can have a bed. And then come back tomorrow and help me give a bed to the people of Haiti.

This post has been linked in to Finer Things Friday.

Things I Love - Giving Things Away Day 4

I love giving things away.
Which is probably the only thing I got from my grandma on my dad's side.
I love the feeling of having more than I need, and wanting other people to benefit.

Maybe I just don't want to feel the opposite.
I don't want to feel like I don't have enough. And that I need to hold onto everything I have, just in case.
My Grandma on my mom's side is kinda like that. She grew up during the Great Depression, so we give her a little slack.

But when I am teaching my kids about money, I don't want them to feel like scrooge. I don't want them to hoard their things and their money. I want them to feel rich. Like they have enough to share.

I want to be an example to my kids about the joys of giving things away, rather than emphasizing the joy of having stuff.

So I am having another Give Away as part of my 28 days of Give Aways. Today's prize is a pair of bath and shower gloves. Just slip these babies on, add some soap, and enjoy your shower. "These bath & shower gloves gently scrub your body squeaky clean. Enjoy a quick lather, plus the textured nylon helps stimulate circulation for healthier skin."

So, to enter this Give Away you just have to leave me a comment. Pretty easy. To get more entries, sign up to be a follower, and then leave another comment saying that you now follow (if you are already a follower you can get the bonus entry if you let me know).

This Give Away will be open Thursday, February 4 only. (Although really I am not going to check until sometime Friday so you have a bit of extra time). But if you miss this one come back, because there will be new Give Aways every day. Although truthfully some of the prizes are reserved for charities, and local places, like the library and Good will.

Tell me what you love, and then find out more at the Diaper Diaries Things I Love Thursday.

WFMW - Giving it away {Give Away} Day 3

Welcome to Day 3 of 28 days of Give Aways. I am linking up with We Are That Family this week.
I am giving away a free book today. A classic: The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. This prize will be taken from my list of followers. So if you want to be included in this drawing, make sure you sign up as a follower.
Also, followers are eligible for many of the prizes this month, so even if you don't want to win this prize, you will be automatically entered in many of the future drawings.

So today's Give Away is all about books. We have a lot, and we seem to just get more. I used to buy books at yard sales, because that is the only price that makes sense to me. I am not sure if I have ever paid full price for a book before.

But I can't even buy them at yard sales anymore, because we somehow still end up with LOTS of books. Unfortunately we love them all. We read them all of the time. I cannot imagine not having books. Which is why as part of my Give Away today I want to encourage you to also give something away.

You see, there are so many kids out there who don't have so many books. They can't go to bed hearing the same story read to them over and over and over again until their parents can read it by memory. And yet, it is this repetition that creates a love of literature in a young reader. In fact, if you have ever read Freakonomics by Dubner and Levitt, they did a study about kids and having books at home. Having books at home was a higher indicator of future success in school than how many times you went to the library.

I want to challenge you today to go through your books (not just your kids books) and find books in good shape that can be given away. You don't even have to look for an official program, just get a box and take it to your local public school. Say, "I have a box of books I would like to give to kids who need them." Smile, and then go home.

Or you can get more involved, and offer to come and read some of the books to the kids at school, and then let them keep them. I will let you decide.

But know, that whatever you decide, you will be giving your kids a powerful lesson about money.

• We never have so little that we can't share with someone who has less
• There is always someone who is thankful for having books
• Learning how to read is more important than having the best toys
• You don't have to have money to give some thing somebody needs

Thank you for joining me for this Give Away. And that is how giving things away Works For Me.

28 Days of GiveAways!

Sorry for not posting about this sooner. Especially since it is Day 2 of the great Give Away.
Every day this month I will post about a new give away. Some give aways will be for followers only. Other give aways will be for new followers, most frequent commenters, and I have one or two things set aside for local charities. (Sorry guys, you don't get to win everything.)
Giving things away makes me feel rich.
And I want you to have that same feeling. So I am asking you to join me this week in the Great Give Away. You may not have prizes, but I am sure you have things that can go to Goodwill, or other charities. Look around and I am sure you will find some things that you, too, can give away.
Leave a comment each time you give something away, and maybe we can have a prize for that,too.
The give away today is actually for a local school looking for donations for a Silent Auction. Even though my kids are not yet in school, I like to support the schools. Volunteering, or donating to local schools is a great way to show your school and your kids that you value education. Even if you are planning on Home Schooling, your presence in a school will still have a positive impact. Schools need you.
And to announce the winner of yesterdays Great Give Away:
Katie at Kitchen Stewardship has one a $25 Portrait Certificate for Picture Me Portrait Studios (usually found in Walmart Stores)! Thank you Katie for participating in the Meatless Monday Carnival yesterday.

Meatless Monday Carnival - Kids in the Kitchen

Welcome to Meatless Monday!
I have been looking for a carnival to fit this theme, and I just have not found one that lets everybody link up with their own posts. So if you want something done right.... So here is my first carnival set up. Just link up a Meatless recipe or tip. It can be fun, cheap, easy, for kids, not for kids, expensive, difficult, whatever you want, as long as it can be made with out meat. Vegetarian is a must (dairy products & eggs are okay), vegan is optional.

We happen to vegetarian all the time, not just on Mondays, so you would think that getting my kids to eat their vegetables would be like second nature. It's not. Hubby doesn't even like to eat vegetables, how ma I going to get my kids to eat them?
Well, we have discovered a meal that had hubby exclaiming, "Mmmm... This is my favorite way to eat broccoli!"
This, of course, was followed by a chorus of "Me, toos." The Magic recipe: Cheese Fondue.
And you don't need any fancy pots or forks to eat it with either.
Here is our recipe, adapted from the Family Fun Recipe Site:
Cheese Fondue

• 12 oz. Cheese (we use the cheddar / Jack Mexi melt - we use that for everything)
• 4 T flour (divided)
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 3 T butter
• 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 C milk
• lemon juice (to taste)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

1. Grate the cheese into a bowl and toss with 1 T flour
2. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium-low heat, stir in the remaining flour, paprika, nutmeg, and garlic until smooth.
3. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes.
4. Add the milk slowly, and stir constantly
5. Add the grated cheese mix by the handful, stirring well. Once the cheese is melted and sauce is thoroughly combined, stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste.

We like to dip apples, bread chunks, carrot sticks, pretzels, and, of course, broccoli (best when cooked in semi covered dish for 2 min with 1/2' water). We keep the pot in the middle of the table, and then each person gets their own small bowl and fork.

With supervision, this is a great recipe for teaching kids how to use the stove. It requires constant stirring so they don't get bored and forget. And besides the cheese grating, most of the ingredients just require a dump in the pot at the right time.

But the base for this recipe: the melted butter and flour is a common base used in many sauces and cream soups. If your kids can learn basics like these, then they can begin to experiment with their own combinations in making soups/sauces from scratch, rather than having to buy a can or mix.

Now it is your turn. Share some of your favorites, or even something old that you have on hand.

The Swords of Sharing

Our Soldier Boy got foam swords for Christmas.
When I tell people that, they get this knowing look that says, "I bet it was from a crazy uncle. I'm so sorry." What really shocks them is when I tell them that I was the one that put it on his Christmas list.
"What?! Why would you let a three year old have swords?"
"Well, everything from my kitchen spatula to his sister's markers were swords any way. I figure that foam swords would be safer for everybody."
"But aren't you worried that it will teach him to be violent?"
"Um.... I think we have already crossed that bridge. He already knows about swords."
"But what about teaching your kids not to fight?"

Actually, this has been teaching him to share. You see, he got 2 swords and the main rule was this You may only 'Get' someone if they have a sword, too. So, its fun to run around with a foam sword in your hand. But, it is even more fun to have someone to play with.

So now, instead of hearing, "He hit me with a car track/sword" we hear "You wanna play swords with me?"

Who would have thought that swords would teach my kids how to share?

This works for me. Check out more at We Are That Family.

I Don't Like to Share

I know that some women, at delivery, gave up all their selfish desires. The moment that they saw those precious fingers and toes, they never put themselves first again.

That didn't happen to me.
I won't give away my last bite of ice cream, just because you are cute.
The box of stuff on my dresser is MINE.
Whatever it is can wait until I am done taking my shower.
Yes, mommy and daddy are going to do something special without you tonight.

Sometimes I share.
You can have as much of my corn as you want.
Sure, I think we have some canned stuff in the BACK of our cupboard you can have.
You can sleep in my bed for a few minutes, if you let me go back to sleep.

But my sharing still tends to be pretty selfish.
Did I not learn how to share when I was a kid? I know how to take turns. I know how to wait in line. I know how to borrow and lend. I even know how to volunteer, and give.
When it is convenient anyway.
How am I ever going to teach my kids how to share?
Apparently God knew this about me and had the foresight to get it into His book some 2000 years before I was even born.
"Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?" Romans 8:32
Luckily, we have an even better example of how to freely give. So that not only will my kids learn, but just maybe, I will too.

Some Reasons For Not Sharing

Yesterday I was dealing with a question from a reader about sharing. Click here if you want to know how I feel about sharing.



Some kids don't like to share. Maybe being selfish is natural, and they have to unlearn it. I don't know. But I do know that there are many reasons why kids may not want to share.

1. It is a special toy. It doesn't have to actually be a special toy, for it to feel like a special toy to a kid. Big G got a set of cars for Christmas that came in a divided cardboard package. he carried his cars around in that for days. I wanted to throw it away, the other kids wanted to play with it, but the answer was always "No."


2. They want to take care of it. I remember my older brother was always very careful with his books, he would let me read them, but not our younger brother. My mom thought he was just being mean, until BigBro explained that he didn't like that Little Bro folded down the corners of his books, instead of using a book mark.


3. They don't want to. Yes, this can be personal. I don't think I would share anything with someone who was mean to me either.


4. They are defensive. If they are always being forced to give up things when they don't want to, some kids may become more resistant to sharing in the future.


5. They just remembered they had it. Sometimes when they are asked about it, it reminds them that they had it, which may make them want it. Even if they were playing with something else before.


6. They don't know how. Some kids may worry that they won't get it back, or that they aren't allowed to play anymore. Showing them by example may be a great way to ease their worries about their toys.

To me, these are perfectly good reasons for not wanting to share. The trick then, as a Mom (or Dad) is to teach our kids to want to share, despite all of these reasons.

Do You Share?

I had a question yesterday about sharing, and then coincidentally we watched the Veggie Tales movie King George and the Ducky, which is about selfishness. Which got me to thinking about where I (we) stand on sharing.

Here's something to think about. As adults, what do you share? Do you share your car? Your toothbrush? Your pillow? While the answer may be no to those questions, the answer is likely yes to these: Do you share the park? The road? or what about a meal? or your home?

With the exception of the road, they do seem to have some pretty strict rules about sharing, nobody MAKES me share. I do it because I want to. My motivations might be selfish, maybe I want something; or maybe I am just generous.

In our home, I think it works the same way. There are "public" things: books, legos, bathrooms, and the sandbox. It would be silly for each kid to have their own. So kids do learn to share these things. But even then, it is not a free for all. They still have to learn to ask, "May I play with you? May I come in? Are you done with those blocks or books."

Now, as a mom, of course I want my kids to share. But I am more concerned about what is going on in their hearts. If my kid is only sharing because he doesn't want to go to time out, well, frankly, I would rather have a selfish kid who ends up playing by himself. Because even though I may be able to force him to give up something of his, he hasn't learned to love, and to give from the heart. When he is thirty-something and making his own money, I want him to share his money with the needy, not because of the tax deduction, but because he has a burning desire in HIS heart to help them.

So this feels like it is getting long, and I have more to say, so stay tuned next time for more on sharing.

Kids in the Kitchen - An Attitude of Grattitude

This is a new series about teaching kids about money, by letting them help in the kitchen.



"Thank You Miss Love, for helping to make dinner tonight."

"Miss Love, Did you help make our dinner tonight? Well, Thank You."

"Your Welcome. And Mommy helped, too. Thank you Mommy for Dinner."

"Thank You Mommy and Miss Love."

"Your Welcome."



Doesn't that just make you want to smile? My favorite part is that nobody had to tell anybody to say "thank you."

But now Miss Love knows how good it feels to be appreciated and may be more likely to be thankful in the future. And the other kids had a great example of what it means to say thank you for the food.

And an attitude of gratitude is the whole point.



Here's the recipe and how Miss Love was able to help:



Auntie Sarah's Potato Cheese Chowder



5 med. Potatoes

3 cups boiling water

2 1/2 t. salt



6 T butter

6T flour

1/2 t. salt

1/4 black pepper

2 c. milk



2 c. grated cheddar cheese

2 t. mustard

1. place potatoes, water and salt in big pot. Simmer covered about 20 min.


2. melt butter in sauce pan


3. blend in seasonings


4. cook over low heat till mixture is smooth and bubbly


5. stir in milk, boil 1 min.


6. remove from heat and add cheese and mustard


7. mix potatoes and cheese mix into one big happy pot.

I am standing right next to her, by the stove, to supervise that she is doing this safely. We have an electric stove, so I don't worry about an open flame.

Miss Love does the measuring and dumping, while Mommy does the chopping and the stirring.

This post is linked in to Meatless Monday, and Tasty Tuesday, and Works for me Wednesday

Do Your Kids Need Money? 3. Buying Stuff That They Want

This is probably the number one reason why kids think they need money. 'Cause who doesn't want stuff? Especially if you've got cheap parents like our kids, your best chance of getting what you want may be to just buy it your self.

But just because your kid may be industrious enough to have earned his money, does not mean that you relinquish your controls as parents. Your role is still the same: you are their teacher, and this has become a teachable moment. Here are some guidelines to help you point your kids in the right money spending direction:

1. Spending Comes Last. After taking out a percentage for giving, and saving, then you can spend the spending money



2. Encourage goal setting. Let your kids window shop before they even earn their money. Not only does this help them prioritize their wants, but it can also motivate their work.



3. Discourage spontaneous spending. Buying little things will eat away at the money that has been earned. Reminding kids about their goal can minimize those junk purchases.



4. Shop Around. Teach your kids how to compare prices, look for coupons, or wait for sales.



5. Resist the urge to buy it for them. Regardless of how proud you may be of how hard your kid is working, let them have the satisfaction of buying it with their own money.



6. Have a borrowing plan. Your plan may simply be NO BORROWING. Or you can work out terms for repayment, if you decide that borrowing is a good option. However, this does teach your kid that credit is a viable option, and you may not want to go there. Be sure the pay out terms are short.



7. Figure out a Cash system. It may not be advisable for kids to carry around their own money. You may decide to carry it for them, or to purchase it, and then have them reimburse you the price.



8. It is okay to say NO. You are still the parent. If what your kid wants to buy does not fit in with the values of the family, then it should not be purchased. It does not matter whose money it is.



9. It is now theirs. That means anyone else in the house has to ask permission to use It. That also means that when the time comes to get rid of It, your kid should get the money, or the decision power of what to do with It.



10. With It comes responsibility. Now that they own It, they are responsible for Its up keep. this may mean batteries, clean up, repair, etc. However buying accessories for them is usually a great gift idea for relatives, since you know that your kid liked It enough to buy It themselves.

Usually I just tell my kids to put whatever they want on their Christmas or Birthday list, but when you have a birthday in January it can be a long wait until the next gift giving season. Some kids, like mine, don't shop much, and don't see many commercials. Their wants may be fulfilled by gifts that they get. Don't talk them into wanting something just for the sake of having something to earn their money for. Wait until they are ready. The time of wanting will come.

Buying Gifts for Others

This is actually part of a series called "Do Your Kids Need Money?" I know it is a bit late, having just passed the biggest gift giving holiday of the year. But now you have a whole year to prepare your kids to buy gifts for others.

Miss Love will be Five in a couple weeks, and this is the first year that she has expressed interest in giving gifts to other people. But since she did not have any disposable income this year (see taking care of other peoples things, and a future post) we had to be creative in the gift giving department.

I like to encourage her to make gifts. I make many of the gifts that I give away each year, so it is a habit I think will be useful to her forever. This year she made a book, The Fish Who Escaped, dictated by Daddy and illustrated by Miss Love herself. It was quite an impressive story for one not quite five, and, of course, Nana cried. Everyone else got felt star car fresheners. Since we used leftover craft supplies, there was no need for her to earn extra money for those gifts.

She really wanted to get Grandma and Grandpa clothes (I have no idea why). But since she didn't have any money, I let her "help" me pick out a turtle neck and a sweatshirt from the whole family.

I like that she wants to be generous in her gift giving. And I know that it can be frustrating to not be able to earn enough money to buy the big gifts. But if she can learn now to only buy what she can afford, she will be one step above those adults that are swimming in credit card debt.

Roth IRAs for Kids - a link

I found this great information about opening up Roth IRAs for kids. Jeff Rose at Good Financial Cents lays out a simple scenario to help a reader decide the best path for giving money to his grand kid.

A Roth IRA is a great way to earn tax free money, but there are some specific things that you need to know before you sign your kids up for one. Check this site out to find out more.

Job vs. Chore - In the Living Room/ Family Room

Because the living room is usually a shared space with the whole family, much of the daily or weekly cleaning will fall in to the chore category instead of a job that you would pay for. If you are looking for more information on the difference between a job and chore click here.

Chores:

• vacuuming


• dusting


• picking up toys/books/clothes


• straighten books/magazines

Jobs

• washing windows


• cleaning spider webs


• washing the floor (we have wood floors)


• vacuuming couch


• wiping fingerprints off walls/switches/pictures/stereos


• vacuuming under furniture


• cleaning bugs out of lights

Most of these jobs would only require attention once a month or less. Different rooms and different houses may have more to clean than ours does. But this should give you a place to start.

Tell me about who does these chores or jobs at your house.

The Going Rate - The Changing of the Sheets

We have only been paying for work around here for less than a year. It is hard to figure out the going rate for many jobs. Frankly, we don't have a line item in our budget to pay for someone to clean our house. But since we are only paying Miss Love so far, things haven't gotten out of hand.
One thing that I am trying to be careful about is not overpaying for jobs. For instance, changing the sheets on the bed. Right now, taking the sheets off the bed takes a bit of energy, because she is not so big, but the bed is. However, as she gets older the job will get easier and faster. I don't want to pay less then, just because she is better at it. So I tried to pick a wage that may seem small now while the job is tough, but may be about right later. Also, there is room for a raise if need be.
So this is what we have done so far:

• taking accessories off the bed (blankets, animals, pillows) ...........$.05
• taking the sheets off the bed (and pillowcases) ..............................$.05
• taking accessories out of the crib (involves climbing in) ...............$.10
• taking sheets off the crib ...................................................................$.10
• taking accessories of Queen bed (guest or master bedroom) ......$.10
• taking sheets off Queen bed .............................................................$.10

Nobody gets paid to do their own beds. When My Soldier Boy gets old enough, he can do his own bed, and Miss Love will have to find a different source of income. If Soldier Boy decides to pay her out of his own money, then that is his choice.

I cannot wait until Miss Love ( or any of them for that matter) are able to put sheets back on their beds. Especially the crib. I am inclined to pay double for this, just because I don't like it that much. Which is how our economy works. People get paid more to do the jobs nobody else wants.

• putting sheets on the bed (twin) ....................................................$.25
• putting accessories back (neatly) ...................................................$.05
• doing the whole job(twin) ................................................................$.50
• putting sheets on the crib ................................................................$.50
• putting accessories back ..................................................................$.10
• doing the whole job (crib) ................................................................$1.00
• putting sheets on the Queen ...........................................................$.50
• putting accessories back ..................................................................$.10
• doing the whole job (Queen) ...........................................................$1.00

Now, I still stand by the belief that everyone needs to make their own bed daily, but I am happy to pay some one else to change my sheets. And according to her allergist, we should be doing this at least once a week due to the dust mites.

It seems like a lot of work to have the jobs broken down this way, but these kids aren't physically able to do the complete job, yet they are still willing to do work. I want to be able to encourage their industriousness while still being fair. This way they can still get paid for partial jobs, but then they can earn a bonus when the whole job is complete.

So do these seem like fair wages? or am I taking advantage of poor innocent children?

Mary Poppins

My kids love Mary Poppins. They can sing you every song and quote you nearly every line. But there is this one part that is their favorite. Everybody is up on the roof top with the chimney sweeps covered in soot. Then the chimney sweeps start singing and dancing and doing these balancing tricks on the edges of the roofs. It doesn’t matter how many times they see this movie, these kids are still sitting on the edge of their seats, worried that one of them might fall.

I want to laugh at them for being so silly. They know how it ends, why would they still be worried? But then I think of some of the things that I worry about: where are we going to put another kid? How can we afford to send them all to school? The list could go on and on and on.

Looking at the beginning of the year it would be easy for me to sit at the edge of my seat too. But instead of thinking what is this year going to bring, I have to remind myself to look forward to whatever wonderful things God has planned for this year, and keep worshipping him with my tithes and offerings. When I trust in the one who knows how it ends, it is easier to sit back and enjoy the show.