Poor Little Beggar Boy

I still don't think Levi is 100%, but it hasn't slowed him down too much. He was pretty tired last night and after I tucked him in bed I realized he had something in his hand. I asked to see it and realized he was clutching a fistfull of change. I have no idea where he got it, but I didn't think it was a good idea to let him sleep with it, so I took it out of his hand an placed it onto the night stand. He had a complete meltdown, crying giant crocodile tears, quivering lip, the whole nine-yards. I finally calmed him down enough to ask him what was wrong, and in between sobs he croaked, 'That was all the money I had to buy a toy'. Like he was some poor little beggar child whose life savings I had just taken away. He was seriously pathetic and I had to stifle a laugh cuz he was so darn cute. I re-assured him that the money would stay right there for him. He stopped crying and 10 seconds later was sound asleep. Poor little beggar child. Maybe I should get him his own pencil cup and a cardboard sign....

I ordered some shorts and tank tops for him the other day. I got a pretty good deal. Three pairs of shorts and three shirts for $10.92. They came in the mail yesterday and when I told him the package was for him he practically shot across the room to get to it. He tore it open and then had to try them on and model them for us. I know the days where he is thrilled to get clothes in the mail will be ending soon, but it sure is nice while it lasts. It is also very nice to be able to clothe him for so little. All too soon he will be demanding Abercrombie or whatever the store-du-jour is then. Someone please tell me boys are not as hard to buy clothes for as girls are.

The search for a vehicle for Katie is on. The criteria are that it has to be safe, reliable, not carry too many other people, get good gas mileage and be safe. Yeah, I said safe twice. After her accident last year, I cannot stress how important safety is. Price comes into play too. We don't believe in just handing things to our kids leading them to a false sense of entitlement. We want our kids to appreciate what they have in life and know that you have to work hard to do well. How do you balance the desire to give her some independence (and frankly, free me up from a lot of chauffering around) and not lead her to feeling like she deserves a car to just be handed to her? I told her last night that in an effort to get her some transportation and yet take good care of the environment we were going to buy her a Donkey to ride to school. I was only half joking. Whatever we end up doing, she will need to contribute to the costs, she will have to sign a contract that she understands appropriate car usage and the consequences of failing to follow the rules. (ie: speeding ticket = 1 month no car) We also plan on customizing the paint on her vehicle to make it easily identifiable so that all the other people we know in the community will recognize her and be able to tell us if she is driving irresponsibly. (It take a village!) I keep telling her I am going to put signs on her car that say, 'How is my driving? Call my Mom 555-2349'. Oh, and Chris has already scoped out a GPS system where we can see instantly where she is, and you can download driving info, like top speed, etc. None of this is intended to 'catch' her doing something wrong. She will know it's there. It is just insurance that she will make the best decisions since she knows we are watching. Just call me psycho mom. Maybe I can parlay this into a turn on the Dr. Phil Show! Psycho Mom tracks teenage daughter's every move. Or maybe that is more of a Jerry Springer show? I better go practce throwing chairs.....

Wait, the search is over. Ellie found the perfect car! Safe (bounces rightoff of other cars) doesn't carry many people and is easily identifiable!!! It fits her personality perfectly, too!!!