What My Kids Think

My husband had this great idea of letting our kids blog! I thought it might be nice for you to hear what THEY think of our New Years Resolution of 2010... as the small ones sort of forced to deal with it!  Heres what they said, in their own words:

Elisabetta (10 years old) said:
"What!!!??? 


HOW COULD YOU GO ON WITHOUT BUYING NEW THINGS?


Well, going to parties and having to make my own presents is cool and it gives me a chance to be creative. 


What I learned is that you don't have to buy things that are factory-made. You make the presents. When a person receives a gift if it is home-made or hand-made by you it is more special because... they know that you spent time on their gift.


I also noticed that YES! it is hard. But it can make a difference in your life. You can think Wow! I made something. You will be able to pay your bills faster and not have to worry about not having enough money to pay.  EMP."


Heres what Matthew (11 years) had to say: 


"In the experience of us only buying used stuff really helped me connect to God. The reason why is because God gave everything He had to us. He didn't go to a store and get it He gave everything He had. So I would inspire you to use what you have and use it wisely."


WOW!!!!!!!!!  Even I was a little surprised by their responses! What a blessing to know that our kids got something out of this experience too!

Candy Buy-Back! Whoot whoot!

We caught wind that a Dentist (Dr. Treva) was giving children MONEY to sell her their candy. What a brilliant idea! A candy buy-back! We, just like most parents, would love a good way to keep our children from eating all of that Halloween candy. Or maybe its just me. As a child I saved my Halloween candy ALL YEAR! Not only was I a little savorer (enjoying special pieces only on occasion) but I lack a sweet tooth. My friends loved this about me. Every time they came to visit, I still had Halloween candy to share!

So maybe I'm just a nerd. But I jumped on this opportunity to sell all of their candy! In we went... a one year old, three year old, ten year old, and eleven year old... all bogged with bags of candy. Yes, even my one year old. Because she's so cute, candy distributors inundated her bag with sweets, regardless of her limited teeth to even chew it. I digress.

Dr. Treva bought their candy for $1 per bag. We made out of there with $5! Last year, we let the kids pick as many candies as they were years in age. Then we traded the rest for Jamba Juice. This year, we forgot about letting them pick out some and just sold it. Then we went to the Dollar Store (not a thrift store, but.... almost!). I let them each pick something with their dollar and offered to cover their tax. This way, each child had something tangible and fun. My oldest bought sun glasses. My next oldest bought fake money with a money tray (and kindly paid for the dinner I made her :). My youngest son bought a paddle ball. And my baby couldn't decide- so she kept her buck. And because it's the Dollar Store, its all only going to last a couple of days anyway and will then make it to the trash- minus the cavities, obesity, and sugar highs.  (Point in case, the ball and the paddle parted ways after only 4 hours).

I just wanted to share another really cool way to have a "loose" hold on things in life.. including our candy mountains. Maybe my "sweets" aren't actual sweets... maybe its my laptop, or my ipod, or my guitar, or whatever! Maybe its even my children! But to truly be at peace with our lives and the journey God takes us on, we have to hold things loosely, for the season with which we've been given them.

I loved seeing my kids so willing to give up ALL THAT CANDY for only a buck. Oh, and for our soldiers... Dr. Treva will be donating the candy to our deployed army men and women!!! So we did talk about how we were sending candy to our soldiers. The kids made cards to send with their candy. What a rewarding thing to give up something meaningful for the sake of others (and their cavities! j/k).