Friday Link Love

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Partners In Crime: Sibling SuperPowers Unite! – PBS Supersisters blog
A great story of how two kids worked to pool together their resources to make a large purchase. What I particularly love about the story is the way each kid used his or her strengths to make it work so no kid was left behind. Bryan and I have been discussing the issue of allowances – when and how and if we should give our kids money. This definitely got me thinking about possibilities in a new direction.

I would also be interested to hear your thoughts on allowances in the comments.

Recession Hits Holiday Giving – KUOW.org
“As an At-Home mom I sometimes feel powerless in my ability to contribute to the financial welfare of the family, but I discovered I was wrong.”
I heard this story early in the morning one day last week while holed up in my office before the kids woke up. It wasn’t a particularly earth shattering story, but the above quote caught my attention so I went back and listened to it again once it was posted online.

I’ve had conversations with other stay at home moms where an insecurity was expressed (or implied) at not contributing financially to the household. Sometimes it’s in the context of anxiety over financial hardship, sometimes in the context of not wanting to ask for things like a night out alone to regroup or to pursue a hobby.

I appreciated this woman’s perspective – that even though she doesn’t bring in the money, she found value in her frugal management of it, and saw this as a significant contribution to the household.


Two-faced – Beautiful Sorta

I liked this idea of making up only half your face and leaving the other half bare, then taking a picture. Alison would love to get your picture for posting on her new blog.

It’s Been a Long Time – one-change.com
In my writing I’ve been exploring our family dynamic – how we make decisions of how to spend our time, things we do together, things we do apart, etc. Mollie’s post resonated with me in this regard, in making intentional decisions together as a couple and moving in the same direction. During past seasons, Bryan and I have moved in separate directions doing separate things, but the more we find our way around each other, the more we realize our family is most at peace when we move together to do the same things. If this isn’t making any sense, I apologize. I predict a full blog post on the subject very soon.

The Thankfulness Tree – PBS Supersisters
I realize Thanksgiving is over, but it’s never to late to pay tribute to all the blessings we have to be thankful for. This is a great craft project that’s fun to do as a family. I think we may attempt a version of it for Christmas this year.

3 thoughts on “Friday Link Love”

  1. Hi
    Our practice of giving allowances has been driven largely by our own limited means. We just have given the kids the dollar amount of their age – per month!! So yes, as high schoolers they are getting just $16 – $17 dollars to go wild with!! But they both have jobs now that help and they have never been required to buy their own clothes or other necessities. It’s just theirs to use for whatever. And they’re also both busy enough that they don’t have alot of time to spend it. It’s also not relative to what they do around the house to help – they’re just required to do what needs to be done from time to time….just because.
    Love you!

  2. Thanks for the link love! Of course I don’t have kids and can’t really give advice on any parenting subjects. But I remember being a kid and getting an allowance. Every Friday I got a dollar from my Dad, which I immediately put into a bank. (Not a real bank, but a little cat-shaped bank with a slot on top.) It wasn’t that I chose to save the money, it’s what my parents told me to do. Later, when I had enough saved up, they told me how to spend it. Fast forward to adulthood: my sister and I both have meager savings and a hatred and misunderstanding of the banking system. I say take the opportunity to use the allowance as a teaching tool. Teach them about making choices, how to spend and save your money wisely, and eventually, teach them how to navigate the financial world. Start young.

  3. Your quote on the frugality of management is a good reminder. Similar to the idea of “they also serve who only stand and wait.” My Grandmother raised 11 kids (had 2 more who died before age 3) and my Grandfather was a train engineer and gone most of the time. Grandma always said the “art” of running a good household was worth more than any salary you could bring home. In the intervening years I’ve come to believe what she said.

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