twenty pennies

Twenty pennies doesn't sound like much, but it sure goes a long way in the Murphy household these days.

You see, at the beginning of Summer, we had a little bit of trouble adjusting to our non-schedule. Since Madi opted to stay home rather than sign up for many activities and camps, it was clear that she had some energy that needed to be...let's just say...harnessed.

One of my besties, Sherril, remembered a great system that she used with her daughter Julianna when she was young. I loved the sound of this great reward system, and it was certain that Madi did too.  Good deeds and household help result in pennies. The greater the deed, the more pennies rewarded. Together, we created various rewards for achieving ten and twenty penny levels.

Madi dove right into this new system. She earned six pennies the first day! Shorty thereafter, she had earned her ten pennies, enough to redeem for a prize. But she decided to hold out for a twenty penny reward. And several weeks later, Madi redeemed twenty pennies to go ice skating with Daddy.

But today, Madi received her favorite reward of the Summer. A pet fish. She is so excited about her new baby, and Charlie is quite fascinated, too. Perhaps he'll earn a fish of his own someday.

Way to go, Madi!!