do the hustle...

A short tale of two hustles

First, an update: I did not give my husband enough credit in this post. I did not have to provide matching funds for his black hole. He did it all on his own.

Craigslist and an Xbox
The boy that I am married to has been itching for an xbox. For months and months he's been insisting that he can make room in his very busy life to play video games. I'm not sure when he'll do it except either at 4:00 am or instead of going to church, but he's wanted one real bad.

We agreed to a deal - if he could "hustle" up $250 for the device, then I'd allow our bank account to match the rest. During the month of January he has kept to his word, selling various and sundry items on craigslist and ebay. I think he sold enough of our crap to make himself well over $300 - far beyone the original two-fifty mark. Good for him.

Yesterday he put the money in the bank and purchased his black hole. Did you know that Dell.com will let you purchase online with two different credit cards? Just incase you don't have enough of your credit limit left over on one or the other. Scary, right?

Anyway he bought it - now, will he use it? That's the million dollar question.

The Bink
I've decided that the Monkey doesn't need his bink and that as of last week, turning two years old, he really doesn't need it. It's driving me crazy because he talks with the thing in his mouth and I cannot understand a word of his slobbery gibberish. Easier said than done, though, getting rid of the thing. I'm not sure how to get rid of it - yes I know just take it away but his wrath is too deadly. Not in the mood or condition to be the bad guy. The nurse practitioner that we really like told me that with her kids - she tied their favorite bink to a chair in a really boring spot of the house and in order to use it - the kids had to stand at that chair, then realize how stupid it is and choose to give up the bink themselves. Good idea, right? Personal choice vs. mean mama. I like it.

Well, I'm not there yet, but have come up with my own hustle. This week, the bink is limited to the bed. If he wants the blasted thing in his mouth, he has to be in bed. He cannot get out of his bed with it in his mouth and if he starts asking for it, he has to get in bed to get it. And, we're not taking them with us anymore - no car rides, no stores, no church.

Results after two and a half days? Pretty good. I'm just not ready for screaming fits over the bink - and know that especially at night, he seems to really "need" it to help him sleep. So, were continuing with the "just in the crib/bedtime" route for the next week or so. Adults don't like cold turkey so why should kids be forced to do it?

Where is the hustle you ask? Well, I think that I have figured out the best bribe in the world - balloons. A mere dollar or two for some helium ballons and I think I can use those in exchange for a bink - if I need to. It's my last resort though.