Movie Money Magic

I'm not one of those parents averse to telling my kids no, but if there is a better way, I'm open to that as well.

It may not be the most beautiful currency ever
issued, but she recognized the back as a DVD.

The movie rule in our house was one a day, until I discovered Laney behaves much better when she watches no movies at all. And, with summer coming, I was pretty much resolved to curb the TV time anyway. The only thing unresolved was the best strategy.

Inspiration struck while grocery shopping with the realization Laney is fascinated by the idea of paying for things. The hubby and I decided three movies per week was fair, so that Friday I issued my own currency. Three tokens per week which she can use to buy a movie.

I had high hopes, even thinking it might teach her a lesson in budgeting. The only worry was how she would react once her tokens were gone.

The first week played out pretty much as expected. She spent her money in the first three days. The fourth day she cried. Then something cool happened. She figured it out! Now, when she asks to watch a movie and I explain she can watch a movie when she gets more money on Friday, she gets excited. She has something to look forward too.

An unexpected benefit: my scheme may cure the same-movie-day-after-day phenomenon. Every time she's asked to watch a movie, it's been a different one. (Or maybe she's just trying to find a chink in the armor by choosing a movie she thinks I will like.)

Time will tell, but I sense success.

Comments

Evergreen asymmetry

This is a chart I've been meaning to get to for a while. The Christmas before last, I was making a whole bunch of Christmas ornament gift toppers . I wanted each to be unique, so some of the miniature sweaters were adorned with duplicate stitch in traditional knit motifs. I hit a snag with the tree. A row of perfect triangle trees is cute. A single triangle tree is not so cute. A chart for a small tree is not hard to find. One which is not symmetrical is. Enter the sketch pad. My goal was a scraggly tree, which was small, but was still recognizable as a tree. This is the result. As a matter of personal preference, I think this looks best when the chart is turned upside down and is used on a piece being worked from the top. That way, the top of the tree comes to a nice point.

This is what I've been working on leading up to Christmas

After all the last minute rushing and prep, Christmas finally arrived! I hope yours was merry. We enjoyed time spent with family, and it was a happy holiday, indeed. With the gifts safely delivered, I can show you what I've been working on. The big knitting project which claimed not one, but two of my interchangeable cables was a baby blanket for my nephew, Cooper, who will be arriving this spring. The pattern by Marie Grace Smith is one I've been wanting to make forever, but I allow Darren's input on a lot of my baby projects, and he kept vetoing this one. One day, though, I walked into Jo-Ann Fabrics and these yarns just called to me. The pattern recommends a solid color, fingering weight. Of course, the yarn I chose is worsted weight, not even close to the same, but they were the perfect neutrals; it just seemed right. The nice thing about blankets, they are a simple shape, so the yarn weight really doesn't matter. Just knit until it is the right size. This blank...

A project 19 years in the making

Just how does an obsession start? Sometimes even an offhand mention can cast an inextinguishable spark. I just finished one of the coolest projects. Ever! The Icicle Hat , knit from yarn I spun myself. The goal was to utilize a plying technique to produce well defined cables, and it seems to have worked. Exciting! The wool for this project was purchased in January, but it's origins go back a little further than that. An elementary school friend of mine lived on a farm. In second or third grade, her mom spoke to our class about farm life, and she brought with her a drop spindle. It was huge! A couple feet long with a whorl 6-8 inches across. While she knew what it was for, it was clear hand spinning was not this woman's passion. She probably had more important things to worry about. Like, raising her kids and running the farm, for instance. Most likely, she wanted some type of visual aid and the spindle was easier to manage than a goat or some other livestock. I ...

Cricket in a Biscuit

Search This Blog