Making $

Since Turner started playing basketball, he also took on a fond appreciation for nice basketball shoes.  With that being said, he was drawn towards what I think are expensive shoes.  Now I am all for helping my kids out, but when they grow so fast and need new shoes and clothes every few months, it makes it hard to purchase some expensive items, ha!

With that being said, We agreed to pay for a certain amount for new basketball shoes for Turner.  If he wanted a pair of shoes that was more expensive that this amount, then he would have to come up with the difference.  So what did he do?  He started collecting  the cans and bottles and turned them in at the recycling center for money.  He got his grandparents, cousins, uncle and friends to join in and they all bring him bags of cans and bottles every so often.  He gather them all together, sorts them and then takes them to the recycling center and gets his cash.  It has worked out pretty well for him and was able to purchase a couple pairs of new shoes over the past year, and he even opened a savings account at the bank as well.  Here's to growing up and trying to teach your kids valuable lessons! Keep up the good work Mr. T.

14 Things I want my kids to know

A few months after T turned 1, I decided that I wanted to send pictures and little things to him.  So, instead of creating a whole new blog/website just for him, I created an email address for him and as soon as baby D was born, I did the exact same thing.  Now, occasionally I will send them pictures, a quick thought, mention a little story or something new that they had learned.  I figure when they are old enough, I will let them log into the email and they can read the messages and look at all of the pictures that I have been sending them
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It's kind of a good idea, right?!  Does anyone else do this?  If not, maybe you should start now.  It's never too late.   

On another note, let's talk about the number 14.  14 is my favorite number. I don't exactly know why, but I like it. It just seems like the perfect number in my head.   So, I have been adding to this list over the past week or so and here is my list of 14 things that I want my kids to know about life:


1.  Find people who make you laugh and stay close to them.  Laughter is contagious and you can never have enough of it.   

2.   When you are cleaning the house, crank up the music.  Music can make anything more enjoyable! 

3.  Go running.  It gives you time to think and clear your head.  Plus you get a workout from it. 

4.  Don't lie.  Small lies turn into big lies which means you may be in trouble and will have to suffer the consequences. 

5.  Be nice to Everyone!  You never know what someone else is going through that day. 

6.  Serve an LDS mission.  It will make you appreciate so many things in life and will give you some great life changing experiences.  And now they can go even earlier, which is way cool! 

7.  Always have your passport up to date and travel as much as possible.  Traveling and experiencing the world will show you amazing things. 

8.  Take care of your body.  Your body is a temple and you need it to last! 

9.  Give presents to people when they least expect it.  Everyone likes getting presents. 

10.  The busier the better.  When you are busy with good things, you won't have time to get into trouble. 

11.  Find work that will make you happy and help to support a family. 

12.  Work hard and play hard. 

13.  Live your life with passion.

14.  Always remember that I love you and will always be there for you.