It's just part of our vernacular now. We say it all the time. "18 months to the Cape". We say it so much, that I really believe it. Which is good. You should believe in your goals. Bryan and I will be talking about doing something or see an ad for something that's really cool and comment on how great it would be but then look at each other and say, "18 months to the Cape." It has definitely haulted the thought process on several purchases and keeps the iniative top of mind. Even the boys will say it, which is pretty cool. I think that this is the first time we've set a goal that we could all work on as a family.
The boys are really into recycling. They've learned about it at school and we practice it pretty religiously at home, so they're on board. The particularly like recycling cans and bottles that have a deposit. We keep them separate from the other recyclables and when there's a good amount of them, my mom will take the boys to cash them in. The money then goes into a special jar in our dining room. This past spring, they were saving for special activities that they wanted to do this summer. Trips down to the beach with my mom and dad would typically include ice cream, mini golf and a few fun rides. They decided to save for this themselves and they did. I think they saved around $30 which was in turn all spent on them. Not that they wouldn't have been able to do those things anyway, but I think it's a good lesson to teach them that saving for something can pay off. So now, they're saving their money for the Cape, in a way.
They both really want a Wii system. I'm pretty strongly against it. Not the Wii itself, I think it's awesome. I'm just against it because I think that they have enough electronic gaming options between the computer and their Nintendo DS handhelds. As it is with just those options, it is certainly their activity of choice in their free time and we've had to establish limits or else it would be all they do. What does this have to do with the Cape? Much like Bryan and I are paying of debt and saving for the house, I wanted to give the boys an attainable goal related to the Cape, and I wanted it to be something that they would be excited about and work as hard at it as we are at the house. I suggested to them that they save their recycling money for a Wii that we would keep at the Cape. That way, it would be preserved as something special. Something that they could get excited about related to the Cape - their contribution to the effort. who knows if the Wii will still be the IT toy in 18 months, but at least they've got a goal and they're working towards it.
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I feared the same thing when we got our Wii (and even when Alex got her DS) but it hasn't been like that. They usually only play the Wii when it's raining or sometimes in the evening when there isn't anything else to do (which isn't very often). Even after picking up LEGO Batman this week, they haven't played too much. They'll have to start saving up for games as well!
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