Teaching Your Child About Money

http://www.msgen.com/assembled/money_savvy_pig.html

With the crash of the financial market and the economic troubles our country has been facing I thought this would be great to share.

Michael & I are Dave Ramsey fans. Sean by proxy has been listening to Dave's show almost every day during the week when he's on (for probably the last year), so much so, that when I pick him up from school he asks me to turn his show on. Sean now knows he can catch the last hour on the drive home. Sean's favorite day is Friday, because callers get to scream "I'm Debt Freeeeee!!!!"



When Sean was about 4 we stopped buying him stuff, because he started asking us to buy it. That's when we started allowances. Sean has learned that he must provide some sort of service to earn money. This has worked out great, because we don't have a chore list for Sean. He actually takes the initiative to do stuff, then promptly tells us what he's done and asks for money (it's pretty funny when he does it). Sean is almost 7, but for the last 3 years he has done every thing from sorting laundry, taking out the recyclable to the bin outside, emptying the trash, putting dishes away, dusting, vacuuming, and he's even scrubbed the toilets a couple times.



So what do you do once your child earns allowance for their own spending... TEACH THEM TO BUDGET!!!! We're fortunate, because Sean doesn't like to spend his money (much like my brother when we were kids). At one point Sean saved so much that we HAD to take him to open a savings account. The great thing is our local credit union (Texans Credit Union) has a program that every time Sean goes in and makes a deposit he gets stickers for his chart. When he gets 10 stickers he gets a prize. Sean is all about goals/prizes, so that has given him more incentive to save more. We did explain to Sean breaking up his money and that it's okay to spend some of it. This way he learns to save some, donate some, invest some, and spend some.



So how do you get your kids started. I saw this cute piggy bank in Family Fun magazine that would be a great start in teaching your child about money... and hopefully teach them to avoid what SO many Americans are facing today. Debt up to their eyeballs, foreclosures, and trying to keep up with the Jones. NEWS FLASH... the Jones are BROKE and about to lose their house and luxury cars!!!

Getting Your Kids to Monitor Thier Own Screen-Time

With the last three days be ice days in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex the TV has probably been on more than most parents have wanted it to be. I found some creative ideas in Family Fun magazine to help your child learn to regulate their own TV time.

1. Use 2 small jars and label them Time Saved and Time Used. Put marbles or beads in the Time Saved jar. How many you put is up to you, but each bead represents 30 minutes of TV time. Each time your child wants to watch a show they have to move the bead to the Time Used jar. When the beads are gone... TV time is gone.

2. Activity = TV time - Make a chart with 30 minute increments on it. Use a clothespin to mark the time. For every 30 minutes of active time (playing sports, running around at the park, etc) the clothespin moves forward. Every time your child sits in front of the TV the clothes pin moves back. This gets them active, because they have to exercise or run around to earn the TV time.

3. Pay to Watch - This one I'm going to try, because Sean hates to spend money. At the beginning of each week give your child seven one-dollar bills. For every hour of viewing time they must pay up $1. The incentive... whatever they don't use at the end of the week they can keep.

This would work well for your video game junkies too ;)

Loving The Belly

Sean is very excited about his baby brother. Only 4-1/2 more weeks til he makes his appearance. We had maternity photos done a couple weeks ago and I just love this photo. Sean has been bonding with his brother throughout the pregnancy. Before my belly got uncomfortably large, Sean used to jiggle it and tell me that he was playing with his brother. Now he's resorted to zerberts and kissing my belly goodnight.

He's going to be a great big brother.

Stylish Blog Award

{THANK YOU!} to my sister-in-law April for choosing my blog.

When receiving this award the rules are:

1. Thank & Link Back to the person who awarded you

2. Share 7 things about yourself

3. Award to 10 great bloggers

4. Contact those bloggers & tell them about the award

{SEVEN} things about ME...

1. I've been married for the last {almost} 16 years to a man that challenges me to be a better person and {LOVES} me despite my faults. We can be honest with each other, seriously dislike each other's opinions, have the occasional knock-down drag out... and at the end of the day (he HATES that saying - LOL) we STILL love each other. It's wonderful to be {WHO I AM} and he's still there.

2. I have the most amazing son - soon to be {BIG BROTHER} that has shown me the world through his eyes, {LOVES} unconditionally, has unbelievable compassion for others, and {LOVES} to make the world {SMILE & LAUGH}.

3. I am an {ARTIST}, though not professionally, it's what I'm passionate about. I {LOVE} to create things that make an emotional connection. I paint, scrapbook, take photos, sew, crochet, quilt, and whatever else I'm compelled to do to create.

4. I have an unbelievably wonderful {FAMILY}. Not only the {FAMILY} created, but the {FAMILY} I grew up with and the {FAMILY} I married into. So many people get married and don't get along with their in-laws. I'm so fortunate. How many people can go to their mother in-law & father in-law's house without their spouse to just hang out? (I'm even the one with the spare key to the house, not my husband - LOL)

5. I have great {FRIENDS}!! Having grown up an Air Force Brat, it was hard to have life long {FRIENDS}. I have a handful of {FRIENDS} from my early childhood that I keep in casual contact with (thank you Facebook). However, the best ones are the ones I've made in the last 15 years.

6. I'm now scared of flying!! How weird is that? Again having been an Air Force Brat, and even being in the Air Force myself... who would have thought that would happen. I used to {LOVE} sitting in the window seat and watching the world pass by below. I {ENJOYED} the thrill of take-off and landing. Then a few years ago when I got promoted at work I started traveling all over the country. I had {ONE} bad flight out of Denver and I haven't been the same. I'll admit that becoming a mother has made me acutely aware of my mortality and there are alot of things I used to do that I don't because I don't want to take the chance of leaving my child without his mother.

7. I'M DEBT FREE (Dave Ramsey fans can appreciate this one - LOL) Thanks to my wonderful husband (see #1) and his DRIVE & DETERMINATION. He quit his J-O-B five years ago to create his own consulting business that has given us a better lifestyle and helped get us out of debt (we still have the mortgage, but not for long).

Bloggers I {LOVE} to keep up with (in no particular order):

1. Eat. Home. Live. - This is my BFF's blog. I'm jealous of her culinary skills. I enjoy cooking when I have the time, but I require recipes for just about everything. She threw me the most amazing shower with a Mediterranean spread - Yummy!! She's a fabulous cook.

2. Blogerisms - This is Liz Hicks' blog, a design team member for Tattered Angels. I go to her blog for creative inspiration when I'm in a creative rut. I {LOVE} her eclectic style.

3. Heather's Custom Sewing - This is a recent one for me... and I {LOVE} it. Sewing seems to be a lost art for my generation and younger. I don't meet alot of people from the Gen X and younger generations that sew. I don't think most of them know how to sew on a button!!

4. What You See Is What You Get - I met Suzy at Great American Scrapbook Convention 2010 and I've been following her blog since. Again... another site I go to for inspiration and I {LOVE}to keep up with her on Facebook to see where she's off to next (Suzy - You are one BUSY girl).

5. Tim Holtz - Amazing creativity. My son {LOVES} to watch his demo videos. It's hard to keep him out of all the Tim Holtz products in my scrap studio... I had to start buying Sean his own stash. Again another site I visit when I need inspiration.

6. Unclutterer - Those near & dear to me know I don't like clutter, I like organization, and I'm a bit of a freak about it. While I'm not officially diagnosed, we often refer to me as O. C. D. I like to read this blog to get ideas or just get a fix - LOL

7. The Frugal Girl - My BFF (see #1) turned me onto this blog. My BFF and I are kindred spirits in the O.C.D. problem - LOL. Hers is more challenging, because she lives with polar opposites to her O.C.D issues. Everyone in my house is O.C.D. to some extent or has gotten accustom to mine. Anyway, since I've been on the Dave Ramsey kick, reading some of the blogs on being frugal & minimalist help keep me filled up. With the way our society is and the constant bombardment of advertising... you have to keep yourself prepared and centered so you don't get sucked into the "keeping up with Jones" mentality. Look at what our economy is facing... 'nuff said!

8. Brave Girls Club - This is one of Melody Ross' blogs and my recent addiction. Aside from the inspiration it's my latest therapy. I'm currently enrolled in her {SOUL RESTORATION} online class and it's amazing how much I'm creating and healing.

9. Tattered Angels - I don't even have to read this blog... I could just spend hours looking at the pictures. Warning their products are highly {ADDICTIVE}!

10. Dave Ramsey - This for me is just part of life. We listen to his radio show everyday during the week. Sean even asks me to turn on his show when I pick him up from school, because he knows he can catch the last hour. Sean's favorite part is Debt Free Friday when people call in to scream "I'm Debt Free!!!" Even though Sean has never liked spending his money prior to listening to Dave. It's reinforced it. Sean now thinks about the stuff he asks for or wants to buy and understands value for your money. Sean's even figured out that taking the initiative to do some chores without being asked he can come ask us for money after he's provide the service to get paid... then he asks me to take him to the bank to make a deposit.

Late Post... Project from Spring Break 09

During spring break 2009 Kimberly and I took Sean and Lauren to Smashing Times in the Highland Park area (http://smashingtimes.com/) to do mosaic art projects. Of coarse Sean had to pick the skull & crossbones. This was alot of fun to do, but it did take a long time. I just finished painting the trim of it so we can hang it in his rooms. (Resolution this year is to finish all the unfinished art projects in my scraproom)