The newest store in town!

I just opened a store!  Yep, it was a spur of the moment venture which I hope will produce a lifetime of wealth!

You see, I have 2 sweet daughters who share a room.  This is a good thing and a bad thing. 

It's good because they love each other and can spend hours playing "dance school", or "teacher" or "restaurant" or "store" or a host of other imaginative, wonderful activities they love.

But it's bad because the room is small.  It's bad because they have too much stuff, and it's bad because they don't put things back where they belong!  This is an ongoing struggle and a bone of contention because they just look at me and hear the "wah wah wah wah" of my voice and never pick anything up. (I am so very thankful that my mother doesn't have a clue how to comment on my blog because she would be frothing at the mouth exposing my childhood room cleaning skills.)  But, hey, this isn't about me :-)

Today was the last straw and I had had it!

While I was bagging up all this crap, my original thought was "darn it, the trash man already came today and now there won't be room in the trash barrel the rest of the week". But then the genius in me (that part of every Mom's brain that get's overworked and underpaid) thought of a better, dual purpose, exploitative use of this teaching moment.

I will open a store.

And today was the grand opening!!!

The inventory consists of all the things I located off the floor of their room - minus the dry cereal found in a lonely bowl, dried apple slices which didn't start out that way, and other science projects retrieved from under the bunk beds.

All of the books, clothes, shoes, toys, dolls, etc are displayed in clear trashbags, and stored in a enclosed trailer we have.

The girls can "buy" back their toys.  Their "currency" would be additional chores - not the ones they have to do anyway - but extra chores!  They can also choose to use their own money. (Of course, this money will go right back in their piggy bank, but don't tell them that!)

So when the girls got home and headed to their room, they stopped dead in their tracks!  Taken aback by the sight of their carpeted floor, which hadn't seen the light of day in quite some time, Jillian asked "what happened"?  Sloan started crying.  And, I was overjoyed to announce the grand opening of my store!  I explained the shopping rules quite succinctly:  Extra chore=1 tally mark= 1 toy bought back.  Easy Peasy!  Sloan went fetal, and Jillian responded with "well, I better get busy then."

The tally marks of chores have already started.  If they argue about who did what,  a tally mark is deducted.

My goal is that they will learn the following:
1)  If you want something, you have to work for it!
2)  Arguing is of no benefit.
3)  This will help them decide which toys they really want and enjoy, and the rest will go to GoodWill;
and
the
MOST
IMPORTANT
LESSON.......

Don't jack with Mama! 

Wait, maybe this IS about me after all!!!

I'll keep you posted on the sales volume at the store.