As of right now the girls have their One Direction balance down to $754.81. I am told there is another $400.00 or so pending from my daughter's cohort (Christmas money and from the sale of an xbox). I've yet to receive these funds and am thus not counting my chickens before they hatch.
As an additional source of income Chloe and I have started a small business; we are now independent designers for Origami Owl. Origami Owl is a social selling jewelry company that allows mother/daughter teams. Thus we are learning the ins and outs of small business; costs vs profits.
To start this venture we had to make an initial investment of $175.00 (the starter package plus shipping). I agreed to front the starter money. However, Chloe will not be able to profit from our business until the starter money is earned back. We are nearly there. If you are interested in supporting our cause and getting some fun jewelry at the same time check us out at:
PeculiarFamily.OrigamiOwl.com
If you remember from our initial contract Chloe had to get all A's and B's on her report card. She is a smart cookie so in theory this should be easy. However she has had trouble turning in her homework (a component of her attention deficit, which by the way, was a major contributing factor to the impromptu ticket purchase). Her mid-trimester grades were not up to par; not even close. We've been working very hard to bring these grades up. This means less time with friends and lots of time with Mom at coffee shops, work and other venues. And our efforts are paying off. If Chloe keeps up all the hard work she will have all A's and B's before the trimester ends.
A side effect of all this school work; I can now tell you that the Louisiana Purchase was 3 cents an acre. I can also tell you Oregon joined the union on February 14, 1859. And I can now solve this:
(x=16)
and this
(x=7)
Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
Chloe has a big assignment in her Advanced Language Arts class. They are reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. She will be expected to keep copious notes on all the characters in the book. This is an assignment that she can not afford to get behind on.
Neither Mr. Peculiar nor I have read this book either. Thus we purchased two extra copies and have started a family book club; it should be educational for us and help keep Chloe on track. Our goal is to read 10 pages a day.
So yes, the learning continues; for father, mother and daughter. This has been quite an adventure and thus far I have no regrets.
We still have a long way to go. Once the ticket debt is paid off monies still need to be earned for travel (plane tickets for four people, rental car, gas, food, housing, etc).
People in town still ask my daughter about her ticket purchase (the lady who owns the knitting shop, her school counselor, etc). These are people I have not told directly. Word has simply gotten around. I suspect this is a life lesson that won't quickly be forgotten.
XO.
PS -- as I type this my youngest daughter is upstairs belting out "The Story of my Life" at the top of her lungs. She is also a huge 1D fan and is very much looking forward to the concert. As you can see from the account statement she has contributed funds for the trip. She has also been a valuable resource pressuring her older sister to earn money and get good grades. If Chloe falls short we will either take Ava to the concert on her own or refund her money.
