Allowance

Last month we embarked on a new adventure in our family.... Allowance.

Jasper is 3 1/2, and I really didn't envision him having an allowance this young.

But for the last few months I've been frustrated when I took Jasper to the store.  I felt like he was asking for a million things.  Toys, candy, a new bike, a fish, you name it!

At times he strongly resembled the Octopus we saw at the Shark Reef two weeks ago.  Eight arms, all grabbing (and whining)  for things he wanted at the store.

Even I was getting bored of my "no" answers like...."We have one of those at home", "We don't need that", "We can't afford that", etc. Last month I tried a Love and Logic tactic of telling Jasper that he can buy whatever he can pay for.

While we were waiting, Jasper found an overpriced pack of Mini Oreos he wanted at the Pharmacy.  I smiled and told him he could get whatever he could pay for.   He handed the  Oreos to the cashier and said, "Umm, my Dad forgot to give me money today."  I quickly realized that this tactic doesn't work too well if your child has no money.

After Jasper and I got home Mike and I discussed and idea I'd been rolling around in my mind for a while.  We decided to give Jasper $1 per week allowance.

He can spend it on whatever he wants. He can spend it every week, or he can save it for something big.  In the future we will set some guidelines up for setting money aside for savings, etc.   Right now we are in the "test phase" giving this a whirl to see if it's a good idea, or if I am a first time mom who is way off track.

The plan for now is that we are not paying Jasper to do his chores.  We are focusing on the fact that doing chores and helping out is part of being part of a family.  His allowance is not tied to anything.

Our trips to the store are much happier and less stressful for me.  Jasper has lost the "gimmies" while we're shopping.  My favorite is when we are out shopping and Jasper sees something he likes and says,"I don't have enough money for this."  Or, "Mom, the numbers on the price sign say 350 ($3.50); I can't afford this, I my money starts with a 1 ($1.00)."

Today at the store Jasper rode around in the cart with a Thomas the Train ($13.50) and then eyed a $2.50 six pack of bakery cupcakes with sprinkles.  Jasper told me, "Mom, I can work it out to buy both of these things."  I said, "I don't think so, but you go ahead and talk to the cashier and see what they say.
"When we got to the register Jasper set the cupcakes and train down and decided to got for a 50 cent package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.  I explained to Jasper that he could save his money to go towards the train and that he had a few mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups left in and Easter egg at home, but he wanted to buy them, and so he did.

The guy in line behind us was not thrilled that we took a little longer because we had a separate transaction.  I almost let his grumpiness sway me, but I went ahead and let Jasper hand the cashier his item and pay for it.

After Jasper ate his second Reeses Peanut Butter Cup I went to throw the wrapper away and he said, "STOP."  I asked why, and he told me that he wanted to eat ALL of the peanut butter cups.  At this point I realized he'd never eaten a pack of Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, and didn't know there were only two in the package.  :)  He was so sad when I told him.

Last week he bought a completely overpriced tootsie pop at the gas station for 25 cents.  It seems like he mostly wants to buy candy, which I am not feeling too great about. We don't usually have candy at home, so maybe I shouldn't worry about that too much.  I am not sure.

I used to have a hard time if Jasper wanted a treat at the store, because it seems like everything he wants is overpriced or something I don't want to buy him.  For now I hope he will make some choices that aren't so great and learn a lesson or two.

I have had some people say, "Well, I didn't get that much money when I was kid", and a slew of other negative comments.  I hope that Jasper will learn a few valuable lessons along the way.  And for me, $52 a year is well worth more peaceful shopping trips.

Crying over the Croup

Oh what a night!

Nothing like an ambulance coming to your house in the middle of the night to get your heart racing.

Shortly after midnight Jasper woke up screaming, crying and gasping for air....and barking.  I mistook it for an swollen airway.  We had no idea what to do.  As as we started getting ready to head to the ER (as I was worried it was an allergic reaction) I called 911. He was so worked up that he was really struggling to breathe.

The sweet paramedics were here in 5 minutes, and of course by that time I'd calmed him down and he was half asleep in my arms on the couch in the living room. 

The paramedics told identified it as croup right away and told us to take him outside in the cold for 3 minutes then in a steamy bathroom and call the doctor in the morning.

I was so glad I called them, as it ended up and saving us a trip to the ER. And as a bonus, the paramedics coming to your house is FREE.  Which seems really weird in this day of costly medical anything.

I have no idea how he got this and I am feeling bad for taking him to church and unknowingly spreading this to anyone else, not to mention everyone he's played with last week and his friends at preschool.  I really had no idea he was sick.

We will check in with the doctor when they open, and for now hopefully get a little sleep.  I will leave you with a happy photo of J from one of our trips to the park last week, and we will dream of healthier days to come!

Fun Little Lizard - Husband Guest Post

This post is cross posted at Mike's Jeep Law & Resources Blog. I post it here because Angela really liked these pictures.


One of the fun things about getting out into the desert is that I am always amazed at how much life there is out there. I live in southern Nevada, so I know how little moisture there is out here, but there are a lot of plants out there, and after a relatively wet winter the hills are pretty green right now. The flowers are all in bloom as well, which is something that surprises me as well.

There are also a lot of lizards out there. This is not surprising. Most are very quick, and they run like crazy. This weekend, however, I spotted one that is camouflaged like none other that I'm used to. In fact, had it not been moving when I first spotted it, I likely would never have seen it at all, because once it stopped, it was very well hidden.



Don't worry if you can't see it. I was standing less than 10 feet away when I took the photo above and could barely make him out. I was afraid that when I looked away to put the telephoto lens on the camera that I would lose him altogether. Thankfully I didn't.



The irony of Mr. Horny Toad hiding in the tread pattern of my Jeep's tires, which had only been placed there moments earlier, is not lost on me. Click on the picture above, and you will be amazed at the manner in which this little lizard blends in with his surroundings. It is likely that I've walked past dozens of his cousins and just missed them entirely. As for this little fellow, I tried to move in for a closer shot, but he vacated the premises and I was unable to locate him again.

P.S. Jasper did try to tell me where the lizard went, but he was unable to follow him far.