Congress Fails
Among the bloggers I am friends with there aren’t many that I agree with politically, but I hope most of you will agree with this sentiment: Miserable Failure
Leaving this world the way you lived in it
A few months ago I wrote about what my wishes were in the event of my untimely death. My wife made me write it because she knew members of my family might have trouble with some of it, and she was right - they weighed in.
I will say my brother Mike had an awesome alternative, except he left out dolphin fishing off Key Largo and a poker game. But remembering the strip club (now closed, unfortunately) is certainly a masterstroke, and he has my permission to find an appropriate substitute. Lord knows, we supported many a single mom in our day. But his trip still needs to finish at the gulf with my wife and kids.
Last week, a friend of the family on my wife’s side passed away. A neighbor, a gentle man, unassuming, always willing to lend a hand. He would help my father-in-law when he had particularly difficult or heavy chores to handle. He was so vigorous I had no idea he was in his 80’s until my mother-in law told me. His yard was full of old boats in various states of repair, and he loved fishing.
He told his wife he didn’t want a memorial service, and he wanted to be cremated. His family went ahead with the memorial service because sometimes families need that sort of thing. But they did a wonderful thing.
Roy attended. In his tacklebox. 
Homemade Ice Cream Recipe
My wife posted an excellent homemade ice cream recipe on her Florida blog. Her mother and grandmother made it at every summer gathering - yum!
I love the idea that my daughters are learning traditions that have passed from mother to daughter for generations. I’m not sure how much of that goes on anymore, but I bet the afternoons they spent making ice cream with Mom and grandma will be the things they’ll remember when they have grandchildren.
What are some of the traditions passed down in your families?
Technorati Tags: ice cream, tradition, family
“Allah told me to watch a Bruce Willis movie and walk the dog”
I don’t really have a problem with this: Naked dog walker shocked with taser
Brings back memories of this:
Stop… I’m getting all misty…
One thing I’m going to like about Alabama
Ah yes, we’ll actually see the seasons change…
Saving money on the kids by giving allowances
I never had an allowance when I was a kid. Chores were treated as pilgrimatic (is that even a word?) - you know, no work, no eat? Prior to 10 years old, if I needed to earn money Dad made a list of “extra” chores over and above the usual chores and assigned a value to each.
It can take a long damn time to earn money when a day of raking leaves only earns you $1.
When I was 11 we moved to New Hampshire and I wanted a 10-speed bike. I mowed lawns all summer, spent a little as I went, but managed to save up enough for a bike by labor day. Just in time for winter in NH.
So, when my wife and kids first started talking about allowances, I was not favorably inclined: “I put a roof over your head, food on the table, clothes on your back, and you have a roomful of toys. Um… NO!”
Eventually, I relented to following my father’s lead and drawing up a list of extra chores. Mind you, my kids have never been expected to do even a fraction of what we did at their age. So extra chores were things like ‘washing the dog’. They never lasted longer than two days. My master plan was intact.
A couple months ago my wife or I read about a family that paid allowances without specific lists of chores to accomplish (if it was another blogger, I apologize for not remembering where I read it), and the kids had to “pay their way”. If they wanted something, they paid for it. Family activities were exempted, but if they wanted a toy or gadget or clothing accessory, the kid had to save and pay.
Not so novel for a lot of you, I’m sure, but in our house it was. Bunch of little leech-beggars around these parts. My wife and her cohorts in crime, the Grandmas, helped the lil beggars develop a wicked Webkins habit.
So, what the hell, we decided to give it a try. “Great,” I thought, “Just what I need, another bill.”
But, it’s working. It’s saving us money in the process. Every time the begging starts, we can immediately ask “well, how much money do you have?” Cruel to do to a 6-year old? Don’t forget, she gets paid by us every week. We’re teaching her is budgeting and saving.
The 9-year old gets it. She’s a saver, but she isn’t cheap. She wanted a Flip video camera for her birthday, so she asked for Target gift cards and saved them all up and eventually managed to buy the Flip. Her allowance goes straight to the piggy bank, and she never begs. She responds immediately to any request to help around the house, whether it is unloading the dishwasher or climbing into the attic to look for Mom’s fall decorations. We haven’t tied the allowance to a specific activity, but she’s smart enough to understand how it’s all supposed to work.
A side benefit is that we’re seeing real savings. No longer are we weighing decisions about Webkins. They’re responsible for saving and buying everything over and above the normal necessities. We still pay for movies and entertainment and educational products and services, and anything that involves the whole family, but if it is for themselves, they know they’re responsible for saving. Dad does not pay for Webkins anymore.
How do you handle the money situations with your kids?
