Scheming and Planning

As soon as Sean's feet hit the floor this morning, he grabbed some paper and he and Sierra began working on their Christmas list.  Yes, in February. 

Last night we were looking at the Sunday sale ads and there was a Nintendo DS in there like the one I showed Sean while we were looking at mp3 players. 

So, guess what was on his list for Christmas.  A Nintendo DS and some games to go with it.  He showed me his list and then asked me if he can have that for Christmas.  I said, "Sean, this is February, when is Christmas?"  He thought for a moment and then said, "How about for my birthday?"  I told him that is still not until October and I am not making any promises about what he will get. 

Soon after this, he brought me Sierra's list that he helped her make.  It had two things.  One was a Dora the Explorer video game (for her Leapster) and Trix (yes, the cereal).  He went on to explain why Trix was on the list.  Because on tv, the commercial showed that if you open a box of Trix, you might find $10,000 inside.  And if Sierra wins with the box she gets for Christmas, she will share her money with him so he can buy the mp3 player.  They have it all worked out.  What a plan.  By the way, in case you were wondering, his urgency for an mp3 player is less for now because Callie has loaned him her personal CD player. 

Later, Sean asks me if we can go to Target later and get a Nintendo DS.  I guess he decided October is too far away.  I told him I do not have $130.  He says, "Well, I have $10, how much do you have?" 

He brought me his soccer ball bank and asked me to open it for him.  I told him there will not be $130 in the bank.  He said he knows that but that Daddy said that a dime at a time, bit by bit, he can save that money. 

I found that Berenstain Bears book this morning and we will be reading it SOON.  We also need to be looking for a book about "patience". 

I also have a plan of my own that will hopefully deter the Nintendo DS obsession.  I bought a Didj recently on clearance.  It was an awesome deal at 75% off (I love Target).  It is a special edition Star Wars version and came with a Star Wars Clone Wars game that is educational in Math (1st-3rd grade).  We are going to start an Accountable Kids program here so that we can have a better handle on tv time and video game time and get a grip on behavior.  The kids will have to earn tickets by doing their chores.  The tickets can be taken away for bad behavior.  These tickets are then used to buy ticketed activities such as tv time and video game time (including the Didj for Sean) and other pre-selected activities.

I'll let you know how it goes.