All about the Benjamins and finally the winner!

No, I haven't gone gangsta, so don't worry.

When Indy was little his currency was Thomas the Tank Engine. If he was acting up, all Mr. HH and I had to do was threaten to put Thomas in the attic (we had a door opening to our attic in the bonus room that served as Indy's play room) and instantly the bad/unacceptable behavior would end. Thomas was his BFF and just the thought of spending a day without Thomas could render him speechless (a rare feat indeed) and make him instantly into the perfect child. Man I miss those simple days.
Now his currency is, well, currency. He's all about the cold hard cash. He guards it with religious fervor. Being as I rarely have cash on me, I've actually had to borrow money from him and he hounds me like a collection agency to get it back. He's quite the saver and sets himself a goal (usually something Playmobil). Once he has enough saved up, we'll go to the store and buy what he wants. The last big thing he wanted was the Playmobil Roman Galleon and he saved (including his b-day money) until he could buy it. He clutched the HUGE box to his chest all the way to the register and was so proud to pay for it himself. I was proud of him. He's got his eye on a new Playmobil temple (so new I can't find it on the internet) and is saving again.
We were doing the standard allowance thing that most families do, but were having trouble getting him to do the chores. Oh, the drama. The other day I hit upon a solution: a chore chart. I had it all planned out in my head. I would get a wipe board and use a permanent marker to draw lines and then use erasable markers to track his project. Brilliant! When we were at the store, I came across this little beauty which had the work already done for me. Hurrah! He now has 8 "chores" to do every day. If he gets 20 stars, he gets $1. 40 stars equals $2 and 50 stars equals $3. He has 56 chances a week to earn stars, so it is possible he can get 50 stars a week. If he collects 56 stars 5 times he gets the much coveted 5 dollar bill or he can hold off and earn it 10 times for the super fantastic much beloved 10 dollar bill (he likes the big money). His chores are mostly simple tasks/hygiene that he can easily accomplish. I used to have to tell him to do these things, but now he's anxious and excited to do his chores. He asks if he can practice his violin, take the trash/recycling out or the dogs out so he can earn the star that goes with it. If he can see that he's working towards a specific goal he's more than happy to do what needs to be done. Yay! This is clearly a sign that I am a genius with superior mothering skills.

And I'm so sorry I'm late with this, but I've got a winner in my giveaway! Drum roll please........ the winner is..............5 boys and a Princess! Shoot me an email with your address in it and you will soon have not only the pretty plate headed your way but a bunch of lovely German sweets. Congratulations!