Barf Bucks

The kids went back to school today after two weeks of winter break. This year’s break felt extra long (not necessarily a bad thing) for a few reasons:

1. Christmas fell on a Monday, so we just had one day between school and the holiday festivities, giving us 14 days to fill with activities and fun.

2. For two weeks straight, temperatures were WELL below freezing, so we were cooped up inside trying to stay warm and sane.

3. Two days after Christmas, Mack got the stomach flu. Then Evie. Then Ben. Then Juliet and Vivian (both on the same night!). Then me (the day before my birthday!). One by one we fell like dominoes, so we didn’t dare go out and risk the health and safety of others in our community. I’m not sure if it would have been better to all get sick at once.

While much about parenting is gross and untidy, perhaps nothing is worse than cleaning up kid puke. The smell. The chunks. The splatter. And, they always seem to get it in the middle of the night, usually when I’m having the best dream ever. I love my kids, but I HATE their barf.

Which is why I started the Barf Bucks program in our house. We pay the kids $1 when they make it to the toilet with a barf (vs doing it all over their beds/floor/wall/etc). It is amazing what a crisp one dollar bill can motivate a child to do. Last week, sweet Vivian cashed in. Cha-ching! She thinks she won the lottery, but I know that not having to clean up three pukes is truly priceless.

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2 Comments for this entry

  1. Catrin Frischer says:

    You are a genius!

  2. Brilliant! And likely helps keep those germs from spreading further. That is probably the worst task. We go through a lot of baking soda when someone is sick.

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