Last year, I compiled a list of fun ways to surprise your kids with holiday-themed items in their lunchbox for Jacksonvillemom.com. Check out the post below!
Category: Mom Life
D-BAT Jax (post includes promo code!)
Thanks to a partnership with the Navy Ortega Lakeshore Little League, we had the pleasure of checking out D-BAT Jacksonville. It is a huge indoor hitting and training facility with pitching machines that accommodate baseball and softball players of all skill level. The staff members are very helpful and seem to really enjoy what they do. You can tell they all are very passionate about the sport.
The cages are very safe, requiring helmets for everyone who enters. The fences are high and even have double lined nets in front of them. I had Aubrey with us so I found all of it very comforting knowing that she can watch the kids practice without being in danger of getting hit, unlike at the ballpark.
There is also a viewing room with large windows so that you can still see them batting. I spoke with Troy, one of the staff members at D-BAT and he explained how it was designed with moms in mind. The way he put it is pretty accurate. He said dads will go anywhere for sports. They don’t blink an eye at a muddy field when their kids want to practice. And of course, moms will do anything for their kids as well. But let’s be honest, especially if smaller siblings are involved, we would love a nice, clean, cool, indoor area where we can go to watch the kids practice but not have to worry about foul balls knocking out the little ones. Aubrey was hit in the shoulder last week at the ball field so it can totally happen!
Aiden absolutely loved it and is already begging me to take him back. Besides the batting cages, there is an area for a wiffle ball game, and a whole section of cages to do fielding drills. D-BAT even teaches lessons and has clinics and camps. I’m planning on signing him up for one of their camps over Christmas break. You can even have a birthday party there and we are seriously considering it for next year.
Baseball lessons would make a great Christmas gift, too! From now until Christmas, D-BAT Jax is offering anyone who inquires about them through my blog a gold membership discount on lessons. That’s a 20% discount off a Non-Member price! Just use “promo code 3030”.
So, the next time it is raining outside, or cold, or you don’t feel like chasing the toddler around the ball field, come check out D-Bat. Run through Chick-Fil-A on your way, make yourselves comfy in the viewing room, and watch brother/sister hit so many balls that their arms feel like jello! I promise, you won’t regret it.
6 MONEY CONVERSATIONS TO HAVE WITH YOUR KIDS IN 2019
I can’t tell you how many times I have been at the store and Aiden has asked begged for a toy, candy, anything. I usually tell him “no, because it’s not in the grocery budget”. A few weeks ago, he was pleading with me to buy yet another pack of Pokemon cards when I blurted out, “We don’t have the money!” To which he quickly replied, “Okay, but you have your card.”
I knew then that we needed to have a serious conversation about money. Since his attention span is so short at this age, I thought a few mini talks would work best, instead of a full blown lecture. Below are the mini money conversations we have had so far. I’m sure there will be plenty more in our future as he grows and matures, but this is a pretty good start.
- Budget. In kids’ terms, explain what a budget is and how it can help the family. I don’t agree with talking about money “issues” with kids. Your kids shouldn’t know that you are afraid that you won’t be able to pay your bills this month. We have no idea how they internalize things and they have enough stress on them with kid stuff. They don’t need to worry about adult stuff they don’t even understand. But I don’t see any harm in explaining the fact that a certain amount of money is set aside for groceries, gas, etc. and using more than what you’ve budgeted for can take away from the “fun money”.
- Debit Cards. Tell them that the debit card isn’t a magical piece of plastic that always has money on it. Explain that the money comes from a bank account where you store your cash. Yes, they may imagine it like Scrooge McDuck’s vault of gold coins, but at least they can visualize that it is actual money being used when you swipe your debit card. They may very easily think that it works like the gift cards that they have been given in the past. Free money, essentially.
- Credit Cards. Explain the difference in a debit card and a credit card, and in simple terms, the interest that accrues. Let them know that if you use the credit card now, you will pay more for it later. This will open a discussion of importance. Is this item worth paying more than it actually costs? Or would it be better to wait and save up?
- Work For Hire. I am a firm believe that chores should be done just because you are a part of the family. Everyone needs to contribute and pull their weight. No one pays me to make dinner, so I don’t believe in paying an allowance for putting your clothes away. But, what I do believe in is “Work For Hire”. Whenever I come across something extra that needs to be done around the house, I write it on our dry erase board and the amount I’m willing to pay. (Ex: Wipe down all of the baseboards in the house. $5.00) That way Aiden (and eventually Aubrey) can pick things to do to earn cash.
- Gift Money. Set a rule about birthday/holiday money that relatives might give. We have a 50% rule in our house. If someone gives the kids money as a gift, they can spend 50% of it and the remaining 50% has to go into their savings account.
- Piggy Banks. Both of our kids have piggy banks in their rooms. When they get full, we empty them and deposit the contents in their savings accounts. We bring the kids to the bank and let them do it themselves. Aubrey is still too small but I let Aiden fill out his own transaction slip. I want him to feel involved and hopefully instill an interest in saving money at a young age. I’m also considering switching out their actual piggy banks for clear mason jars. That way they can see their money stacking up and it may motivate them to take some of those “work for hire” jobs to fill it up faster.
Thoughts on the future:
. College Savings. If you can swing paying for a college fund for your kids, by all means, go for it. Personally, I feel like it is not a smart idea to be paying on something unnecessary while trying to get out of debt. Yes, we all want to do amazing things for our kids but let’s face it, college funds are not necessary. It would be great for you to help your kids get through college debt free, and maybe you will help in the future. But think about it, once they graduate from college, they go about their adult life. What are you left with? All of the debt that you could of been paying off and even closer to retirement age. Moral of the story: You have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Even your kids.
. First Car. When it comes to our kids’ first cars, we are planning on matching whatever they save. That way, the type of car they get will be a direct reflection on how much they’ve worked for it. If they get a job and save up $2,000, we will match it and they will be able to buy a pretty nice used car for $4,000. I think this is a happy medium between making them work for it and just giving them things. Hopefully, I’m not creating some sort of financial genius who is trading stocks and using off shore back accounts and somehow raises $20k before his 16th birthday. Then we’ll be in trouble.
Productive to a fault.
At first glance, this picture is a mess! But it tells such a beautiful little story. I took this yesterday, during the “afternoon rush hour”. You know, the time after work/school but before bed. That time frame where you rush home from work, swing by the store for something you forgot, pick up the kids, try to get dinner on the table in a timely manner, help the kids with homework, make sure they (and you) get baths, clean up the kitchen, pre set the coffee for the next morning, feed the dog, etc., before finally being able to go to bed yourself. That little window of time is crazy at our house, especially because Brian has school most nights so I’m typically on my own. Aiden usually asks to ride his bike or go to the park after school and I almost always tell him no. Aubrey wants to play or be held and I find myself sticking her in the high chair with a snack. I feel like I’m being productive, getting things done, but what does this look like to my kids? They’ve been gone to school all day and when they finally get home, mom’s too busy to even talk to them. Why? What am I trying to prove?
Yesterday was starting to look like every other “afternoon rush hour” when Aubrey stopped me. I had music on in the background, and as you can see from the picture I was in the middle of starting dinner, emptying the dishwasher, and putting away groceries when I heard her yelling “Mommy!” from the living room. I run in there and she’s sitting in the middle of the floor. I ask her what’s wrong and she stands up, puts both hands in the air and says “Up? I dance with mommy?”. So I stopped what I was doing, picked her up, and we slow danced to “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” by Meghan Trainor and John Legend, and then to the next song and the next. Then Aiden came in and saw us, danced for a minute and said “Mommy, I really wish I could ride my scooter outside, but I know I can’t”. To which I replied, “You know what? Homework can wait”. And we went outside for an hour or so and watched Aiden on his scooter, Aubrey cheering the whole time. And do you know what happened when we came back inside? Homework still got done and dinner was still eaten.
I like to get things done just as much as the next momma, but sometimes, for the benefit of the family, chores can take a backseat. I’m not much for New Year’s resolutions, but I will definitely be working on being more present with my kids in 2019. I want to find a better balance of being productive but also attentive. If the dishes have to wait so that I can dance with my kids when the mood strikes us, then so be it. The hubs can get them when he gets home!
