Retirement……LOVE IT!

We are on our way to meet our daughter-in-law to get the grand kids. They are coming to our house for another week of fun, swimming, and memory making. I can hardly wait!

In an earlier post about the grand kids visiting us in June, I mentioned “Naughty Nickels” and said I would explain later (click here to see that post). I got this idea from my sister-in-law who is always coming up with the best ideas!

When the grand kids are at our house without their parents, we start each day by giving them ten nickels. They put their nickels in a ziplock bag with their name on it (you could use a jar or any kind of container). Any time one of them breaks a house rule, argues with us or each other, or treats a sibling disrespectfully, they lose a nickel. They must go get their bag, get out a nickel, and put it in the “Lost Nickels” bag. Let me tell you, not one of them likes to put any of their nickels in that Lost Nickels bag!

At the end of each day, they put what nickels they have left in their “Spend” bag. Those nickels cannot be lost on any of the remaining days of their stay.

On their last day at our house, they get to take their money to the Dollar store and buy whatever they want. We count their nickels before we go, and Papa usually doubles whatever they have managed to save.

Shopping at the Dollar store is sometimes a little very stressful for us but quite fun. They get in line with their selections treasures and pay for it with their nickels. It is usually always a little inconvenient for the customers behind us in line as each grand kid counts out their nickels.

A WORD TO THE WISE: If you see grandparents at the Dollar store with three grand kids holding ziplock bags full of nickels, you might definitely want to consider changing to another checkout line!