$$ McDowell Money $$

So if you're a parent like me, it’s highly likely that you have requested something of your child and the task was either ignored or you were met with a whining tantrum. Consequently you may have chosen to find items of interest and use what is called bribery to get what you need out of them. I have tried a lot of different angles with this system because whether or not its frowned upon by professionals, I will do what it takes to keep what limited sanity I still have and keep my kids happy at the same time. When Riley was younger it was a lot easier to find things that would easily persuade her, usually candy was an easy and cheap fix. Like in potty training, she could get 1 skittle for number one and 3 skittles for number 2 :) Well right now she is 6 years old going on 19 and her little sister Sienna is not far behind. They are almost amused at the suggestion of candy to clean their room and usually Riley has a smart mouth reply like, "I can just ask Daddy for some, I don't have to clean anything for it," and sadly I know she's probably right...damn that Tommy!

Anyhow, I just wanted to share what is probably not a new idea but is new to us and it seems to be a real hit around the McMorgan household. It's called McDowell Money and it starts with getting a craft project out of it by having the girls pick four colors (2 each) of colored paper and cutting them into however many pieces you can get in a rectangular, money shape. Chose the denomination and color code it however you choose. Ours is green for $0.50, blue for $1.00, orange for $5.00 and pink for $10.00. They colored each piece of money on one side and then I wrote and initialed the other (initialing prevents counterfeit <3 I love my girls but they are half Tommy aka sneaky).

We then sat down as a familia and discussed a couple different lists. One of all the special trips that they could save up for like St. Augustine fort, movies, putt-putt, picnic, camping, etc. The other list was of things they could convert their McDowell money into real money and buy like dress-up clothes, lego’s, make-up, Dragon Ball Z dvds, and even simple items like soda which is prohibited in our house as far as the kids go. Including them helped them visualize the things they would work/save for and helped build excitement. The most important list was the one we put together of all the tasks, attitude (or lack of) and example behaviors to demonstrate which were all ways for making McDowell Money.
We put the list up where they can easily review anytime then emptied two Crystal Light containers for banks (squeeze another project out of decorating the banks) and voila. The best part is that just like a bank, they can deposit money and if they make mistakes the Bank of Parents DEDUCTS money! If Sienna remembers to put her shoes by the door and takes the extra step of getting everyone’s shoes to the shoe rack she can make $1. However, if she then proceeds to run over to her sisters and take away their toys or refuse to share she will then have a Bad Choice Fee applied and lose money based on severity.

I’ve done the point system, the chart of chores, and general bribing with whatever exciting thing is coming up (ex.: “If you don’t go to bed Santa is NEVER coming to the house!!!” and then after Christmas it’s, “If you don’t put those toys where they belong Santa is coming back to take them to good kids who’ll appreciate them!!!!”) Right now, in this money driven generation, my girls are fully aware of cash and that it can buy them what they want but could use to learn how hard it is to acquire and how important saving it can be.
It’s a lot of extra steps in place of just giving them real money but if you’re household budget is like ours it’s hard to keep extra cash on hand so it works out to convert at your convenience (it also works to keep Tommy out of their banks).

Some of the things they can buy are obviously things we would do regardless of their fake money bankroll but it never hurts to get a little lesson on doing something for a reward instead of spoiling them. Next time we go to Target and they point at 30billion things they want me to buy with that magic plastic debit card I can remind them they should be doing more to help out around the house or whine less so they can make more McDowell Money!!! :D

Nawn's First Original Recipe

First orignial recipe! Yet to be titled ;) Basically, we had nothing but a list of random ingredients/leftovers that I successfully mixed together to create a yummy new entree! Even though there is pasta involved, I added enough mushrooms and peas that it was only 1/4 of the dish...

Leftover chicken, any kind, cut up into smaller bites (ours was mixed with sauteed onion from previous dinner)
BowTie pasta
Frozen peas
Can of mushrooms
3 strips of bacon
1 jar alfredo sauce
1 tablespoon cream cheese

Cook pasta...Cook peas...cook bacon (we had microwave precooked so it took 25 seconds)...stir in alfredo sauce, cream cheese, mushrooms, cooked peas, bacon shredded into pieces...season to taste VoiLa! I couldn't quite place where I had tasted something similar before and then BAM! I remembered...when my Dad traveled to Orlando on business he'd always take me to the Cheesecake Factory who offered almost the same exact dish! Soooooooo good!

The Cheesecake Factory-Farfalle with Chicken and Roasted Garlic

If you have any suggestions or potential variations post them!