A Mom's Year

Over the years, I’ve tried to come up with a system for keeping track of allowances and chores but nothing has ever stuck. I saw this Marble Jar Reward System in the June/July 2010 issue of Family Fun and, ever hopeful, decided to give it a try. I purchased four glass jars, puffy paints, and stickers at JoAnn Fabrics. Marbles were surprisingly hard to find, but I finally tracked some down at Walmart. I decorated the jars and made a chart that listed jobs in one column and the number of marbles earned in the other.

What works: This system definitely inspires a sense of ownership and initiative. I like the tangible connection between “I want X” and “Here’s how I can earn it.” I also like how the kids can see their jars filling up. As the marbles creep closer to the top, their motivation increases.

What doesn’t work: Using the jars as a reward for positive/negative behavior. It felt too arbitrary to take away a marble that was fairly earned because of a moment of weakness. I’d be in big trouble if that rule applied to me. The other issue is that the reward system as laid out (fill up the marble jar, then have a friend sleep over, get a new toy, etc.) was too “out there.” Andrew wanted a $60 video game, while Lily had her sights on a $10 Barbie. We’d quickly go broke if we kept that up, plus it didn’t really feel fair.

Our tweaks: Each marble is now worth 25 cents. The jars each hold about $40 worth of marbles, so if Lexie wants to buy something big from American Girl, she has to fill up her jar a couple of times. On the other hand, if she wants to buy something for $10, she doesn’t have to wait until her jar is full; she can cash in her marbles at any time. Marbles are rewarded strictly for a job well done and cannot be added or removed for good or bad behavior.

I’ll let you know how this works. And please share your ideas, too.

• Check out this New Year’s Time Capsule. If you started this, would you keep it up every year?
• The Purl Bee’s Best of 2010. Baby leg warmers!
• Wouldn’t a poster of Gandhi’s Top 10 Fundamentals help you get off to a good start this year? You can download it for free here. The file is big and took a while to download, but the finished product will look good on my revamped inspiration board.
• Day 6 of the Push-Up Challenge. So far, so good.

Hi, I’m Will. Welcome to my Science Lab. Today I’m going to show you how to make a volcano using just a few materials that you probably have around the house.

First, make a volcano out of clay. My sister used most of the clay for American Doll food, so I had to make a small volcano. But it’ll work. Make sure there’s a deep hole in the middle for the lava to come out of.

Next, gather the rest of your materials. You’ll need a cup or two of white vinegar, a few drops of red or orange food coloring, and a few tablespoons of baking soda.

Pour a few tablespoons of baking soda into the hole in your volcano. It’s okay if some spills out over the sides.

Pour some white vinegar into a measuring cup. Add a few drops of food coloring to make the vinegar look like lava. I’m using red.

Now pour the vinegar into the volcano.

Lava!

When the baking soda and vinegar mix, it causes a chemical reaction that makes a gas called carbon dioxide. The gas pressure builds until the “lava” bubbles out of the volcano. Give it a try.

This is the Love Bucket, faithful companion to under-the-weather Taylor children. Lexie came home sick from school today and I tucked her in with a warm blanket, “Cats and Dogs 2”, and this old warhorse. I don’t remember what inspired this particular project. Maybe it was the helplessness I felt as a new mother watching my toddler suffer through his first bout with the flu. I couldn’t wave a magic wand to make him feel better, but at least I could give him a plastic purple bucket covered with heart stickers. I like to think it helped a little. Traditions come in all shapes and sizes, and it’s kind of nice to pull out something old and familiar when someone hollers “Mom! I think I’m gonna be sick!”

Do you have special rituals or comforts for your child when he or she is sick?