Today My Name Is...Compensate

I wish the weekend had 3 days instead of 2. If that were the case I would make 2 for family and fun and the other to getting groceries and organized for the week ahead. There is never enough time on weekends to fit everything I want to do in.

As I did not get everything done that I had planned, I used today to compensate for what I neglected to do on the weekend. It's a Monday and while I am normally not that motivated on Monday's I have flexibility today to get more packed into my day, so I took advantage. I got off my ass, and used the bits of free time I had available to get things accomplished. Chores happened, I re-focused myself to eat healthy, enjoyed a detox bath, did my nails, got out to look at glasses again, got my oldest her reading glasses and crossed things off the list to allow week time balance to do an abundance of other stuff. I can cross off BILT enhanced 2 week ringette camp this summer as well for my oldest as I got registration completed. Getting tasks done always feels so good, especially the stuff one really dislikes doing like washing the floor. Done! Haha I did it and even though it's only one chore it's one I dread. I love having a clean house, and love seeing the final product of my labor but sometimes I wince and procrastinate the dreaded. Not anymore.

I even found time to fit in a quick trip to the Bulk Barn which just opened and treated my girls to those HUGE jaw breakers that I remember as a child and then an Astro Pop for each of us. It brought back fond childhood memories.

One of the things over the past few months that has been very beneficial to our home and family has been working together. We sat down as a family before Christmas and decided as a team who could do what, and what was expected of each. We made a family chore agreement.  Making these decisions together allowed my girls to feel that they had a voice in our home as well, and we don't feel like bossy parents. Instead of slacking at giving my girls their allowance, I have followed through when they have kept up to their end of the bargain and done their house work. Allowance is given for work inside and outside the house. They are doing their family part in contributing. Having everyone doing their part has lessened the work load on my husband and I at the end of our work days and gives way to available time we can all spend doing things we enjoy. I think more kids should be doing stuff to help out around the home.

As my girls see their funds grow from helping around the house they reap the benefits of having money. Just this past weekend my oldest used her savings to buy a very nice purse and new shoes.

See why allowance is such a great idea:

1. Kids usually spend less of their own money on junk. It's super easy for kids to ask you to spend $2, $3, or even $300 of your hard-earned dollars on something they want. But when you turn the tables and suggest that they cough up their own cash, they begin to realize how the money game works.

2. They learn from their money mistakes. Sometimes your kids give in to temptation and buy junk they don't need. Or they lose a wallet full of cash because they're careless. Or they don't budget wisely. And when they screw up -- and they will, oh, they will -- they learn a lot faster than you could ever teach them.

3. They take better care of junk when they buy it themselves. Even though it pains you to see your kids throw away their money on junk, let them. And see how their attitude towards the junk changes. They are far more likely to pick it up, put it away, and care for it when they spend their own money own it. That's a valuable lesson, even if it's learned over junk.

4. You have something to take away. Allowance can be contingent upon grades, behavior, chores, or anything you choose. It's a great enforcer, because kids love getting money. If you write out a contract for allowance, when your kids don't comply with the rules, you can just point to the chart and say, sadly, "Sorry." Try to sound like you mean it.

5. You can teach money management. You can make your lessons as simple or as complex as you want. Set rules about how much goes to savings, charity, and pocket money, or just give your kid a list of things he's now responsible to pay for on his own. Figure out what will work best for your family and your child's personality, and go from there.

I saw on a finance show a few years back a segment about children and allowance and the recommended amount was to give their age in money/week. So my oldest gets $13/week and youngest gets $11/week. If they do their chores that is. Part of the deal as well is to do it without whining. I may have to ask or remind which is fine but I do not want to hear whining or I cut their allowance a %.

My girls can also earn money each reporting period by getting good grades in school. We don't pay a lot but they can do pretty good for themselves for having put in the effort and seeing how it pays off. All kids will struggle in an area at one point or another so we also reward areas of improvement. If they go the extra mile to get extra help outside of class and their mark gets better for it, we will reward them. What we are teaching is no different then what they will be required to do later in life. We are just forming early hard work habits.

Motivated Monday has me feeling like this is a good time to plan ahead for monthly challenges. I have planned ahead for the next 6 months. These ideas are not set in stone and I may change my mind or decide on an even better idea for one of the months ahead. As long as I stick to the plan for that month all is good. 

APRIL- 30 Day Yoga (at insane morning hours) If I can do this, I can do anything!
MAY- 30 Day Marriage Challenge
JUNE- Happiness Project! I will get the book and live my own.
JULY- 30 Day Mom Challenge & Bucket List Item- Get away for a day, Edmonton, Banff, Canmore...enjoy a family adventure. Just do it!
AUGUST- Read a book each week + finish the Orca Cross Stitch
SEPTEMBER-30 Days & 30 Bags + No Alcohol for 1 Month (Also a Bucket List item!)

My monthly challenges are not all fitness or health related. As I initially stated my 2013 goal is self improvement over all and seeing things through. Health, fitness, happiness are all areas I wish to improve on and by doing these monthly challenges I hope each can become a part of my life in the long term. 30 days is just a kick start to forming a routine. Part of it is to learn to stop and smell the roses. For some like 30 Days & 30 Bags, it's about decluttering life, reading and finishing a cross stitch is about doing things I enjoy but have set aside, these are part of getting me to see things through. The No Alcohol is just a personal challenge.

If I can do each challenge through my intent is to set bigger challenges. The reward is seeing the success at the end and feeling of accomplishment. I know I can...it's just a mental thing and I need to break bad habits.

                                             

Today My Name Is...Compensate!