I never thought I’d be the one to get a kid so young a cell phone.  Ever.  But it has happened.  Over the weekend we bought our almost 11 year old daughter a cell phone.

No, she wasn’t begging for one.  She never even asked.  It just seemed necessary.  She goes to camp, retreats, playdates, youth group, and homeschool classes where she may need to get ahold of us.  With pay phones being hard to find and everyone else having a cell phone, she wouldn’t be able to reach us without borrowing someone else’s phone.  If there is an emergency, I want her to be able to get ahold of me and vice versa without having to hunt for someone to borrow a phone.

I was talking to a friend at church yesterday and she told me the reasons she bought her daughter a cell phone.  Her daughter is a popular babysitter and sometimes when she would go to babysit, the family wouldn’t have a house phone.  They would obviously take their cell phones with them and she would be left with nothing.  No way to get ahold of them in case of emergency or even a way to call 911.  I strongly believe in still having a working home phone in case of emergencies, but that is a story for a different day.  Cell phones won’t always work.

With that being said, we opted for a TracFone for our daughter.  We went with the basic Alcatel 392G “The Big Easy Flip” Prepaid Phone With Double Minutes.  I didn’t want her to have internet and all the apps on her phone.  I also didn’t want to put her on our plan since it is only going to be used in emergencies or when she’s away from us.

We opted for this option because the minutes automatically double on that phone, so if you purchase 60 minutes, the phone will load 120 minutes.  It also gives you 90 days to use up the minutes, where many other brands only gave you 30 days.  The 60 minute, 90 day card we bought (which doubled to 120) was only $19.99.  That works out to be about $7 a month for 3 months.  Cheaper than adding her to our plan.  There was no activation fees at all and if we decide to not purchase more minutes, that’s fine, too.

Before we gave it to her, we went over phone safety.  We went over who to call in case of emergency.  If there was a car wreck or other urgent emergency to call 911 before calling parents.  If she can’t get ahold of us, to call Grandma.  If someone was bleeding (minor), to call Uncle Chip for first aid instructions or to send him a photo.  My brother is an EMT 🙂

This was not an easy decision, but I think it’s right for us for the time being.  It was well worth it when I got her text last night saying they made it to the retreat and she was having fun.  And another one saying she loved me.  Oh and that she forgot her tooth brush 😉

What are your thoughts on kids and cell phones?  

Have a great Wednesday 🙂

I hear a lot from other parents about children feeling entitled.  Entitled to treats, toys, and my least favorite, an allowance.  Around our house, we have never given an allowance.  First off, I have the memory of a rock and I would never remember to hand out an allowance.  Second, I don’t feel that my children should be paid for simply existing or for making their bed.  Making a bed and picking up after themselves should be a matter of respect, not something you get paid for doing.  Of course every family is different, but this is what we have chosen to do for our children.

We have 4 kids from age 3-10.  What we have come up with is a piece of paper on our fridge that I print each week that says “Jobs for Hire“.  I stick it up  fresh every Monday and the kids can put their name by it to let everyone know that they finished an item on the list.  Then I simply just go through the list, verify that the job was done, and pay the worker.

If you’re interested in making your own “Jobs for Hire” sheet for your family, CLICK HERE to download a copy of ours.  

Here are some examples from this week:

• Brush Dog: $1 per dog
• Wash sheets and remake beds $2 per bed
• Weed Gardens $2 per full bag of weeds
• Mop Kitchen $2
• Clean off porch $2
• Clean bathroom $3
• Clean and reorganize shed that holds outside toys $10

Am I overpaying on some of it?  Perhaps.  However keep in mind that this is the only chance they have to make some money and they have to get to them before a sibling does, it works for us.

And I have a clean house.  With freshly washed sheets.  And the kids are happy and proud of their hard work.  They have money in their piggie banks and I won’t have to deal with the “I wants” in the store.  They will have to check and see if they have the money for whatever their heart desires.  Most of the items on the list are already done today, the first day of our new job list!  Yes.  This works for us.

How do you handle your kids earning money?

Apple Cider Vinegar has so many benefits for us but it can be a little hard to get down.  Since we got limes and strawberries today in our Bountiful Basket, I decided to put them to work.  Here’s my newest favorite way to get in some apple cider vinegar.  I enjoy making my own good girl moonshine along with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle!  Don’t worry, there is no alcohol in this drink but it does have a little bit of a bite!  Hope you enjoy!

In a blender, combine strawberries, lime, ginger, sweetener, and water.  Blend until well blended.  Pour over ice and enjoy!

You know, it’s not everyday you get the chance to educate Darth Vader….

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Back in April, I told y’all about how I took my 4 year old to get her ears pierced.  Suffice it to say that it didn’t happen.  You guys gave me excellent advice on how you went about going for or waiting for earrings.  We decided to wait.

Here we are a month later and she has been asking again.  Constantly.  Telling me she doesn’t care if it hurts, she wants earrings.  We decided to go for it today, honestly thinking she’d back out again when we went there.

My pretty girl proved me wrong!  She hopped up on the chair and took the earrings without as much as a flinch!  We could see the determination in her eyes of how badly she wanted earrings.  And so… let me show you one of our little princesses and her beautiful ears….

I definitely think the key is waiting until they are 100% absolutely positively sure and so are you.  It’s okay to back off when you get there.  Even if they change their mind after the first ear.  It’s OKAY.

I felt horrible for the girl that went after my daughter.  The mom was pressuring her and there was lots of screaming, crying, and bribery.  I even went over to try and talk to the mom but she would have nothing of it.  It broke my heart.  I’m so glad we waited and my daughter is so thrilled with her earrings.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy made May 15 National Peace Officers Memorial Day and that full calendar week National Police Week. Today, we honor those who have given their lives for the protection and safety of others. Today, we honor their families who were left behind.

Looking for a way to support your local officers?  Check out our instructions for Police Officer Appreciation Week Goodie Bags.

With my recent post about making a Survival Kit for Law Enforcement Officers, I’ve received a ton of new readers on Facebook.  Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!  I thought it was time to introduce myself!

I’m Erin!  I’m a stay at home mom of 4 and wife of 12 years to my husband who is a Corporal with the local sheriff’s department and we live in NorthEast Georgia.

This blog was created so I can share deals and tidbits with my friends and grew from there.  We now have over 16,000 Facebook fans and I’m increasingly surprised about how many people take the time to read this little blog.

We love going camping, enjoying the outdoors, and we also homeschool.  Our days are filled with fun and adventures with a little blogging on the side.  Thanks for taking a moment to stop by our little world and enjoy the ride 😉

It’s Cinco De Mayo!  Time to pull out some food and get cooking!  Here are a few of my recipes that you may want to use today:

Crockpot Unstuffed Pepper Medley

Super Simple Guacamole

Simple Crockpot Chicken Quesadillas

Enjoy!

My husband’s grandmother drove down here all the way from New York and we have been having a blast.  Yesterday we went to Washington Farms to conquer our strawberry fix.  We picked 3 gallons of berries within just a few minutes and had an absolute blast!  Pickings are great!

Now we had to figure out what to do with all those beautiful berries.  I decided I would whip up a simple strawberry shortcake.

For starters, I washed the strawberries, cut the green off, and sliced them.  Lightly sprinkle with sugar and stir. Let them sit in a bowl for the time it takes to make the cake.  I used 1 gallon of strawberries since we had a bunch of people over, but you could easily do less.

While the strawberries are resting, start working on the shortcake.

When the cake has cooled, cut into squares.  Each square, cut in half as you would a hamburger bun so you have 2 square pieces.

Place one shortcake piece on a plate, layer with a helping of strawberries.  Place the other on top and add more strawberries.  Top with whipped cream and enjoy!