Let's Trade!

Parents:

How many of you have children that grow out of their snow boots before they are even close to being worn out? How about the super cute holiday/party dresses or Halloween costumes?

Don't we all just cringe about having to buy another pair of boots when last year's version is still like new in the closet? I know I do!

Have you ever thought about hosting a Kid Swap?


A Kid Swap is a way to gather a bunch of people that need kid "stuff" in the same area and trade or sell your kids' outgrown or no longer wanted/needed boots, athletic gear, Halloween costumes, toys, bikes - you name it! You could organize one for each category or just have one Big 'Ole Swap!


Things to think about if you'd like to organize your own Kid Swap.

• Do you want people to reserve a table and sell items or do you want to have a true swap without money exhanged?


• If you'd like to try the no money version, you'll need a way to account for what people trade in and trade out.


• Have a plan for what happens to the items not taken home (do they go back to the original owner or has everyone agreed to donate the left over items to the local clothing bank or shelter)?

Check out the Fort Langley, BC version of a Kid's Swap Meet.

Find some suggestions on how to organize a...

Kids clothing swap

Toy Swap

General kid stuff swaps

Once you know what kind of swap you'd like to have, start planning.

1. Pick a date and time.
2. Find a big open location with tables available.
3. Advertise! Use fliers at the local "kid friendly" stores and use your online network of parents to take advantage of viral advertising.
4. Clean out your own closets.
5. Have fun Swappin'!
   

Babysitting Co-ops

Cooperatives have been around for ages. They have been, and continue to be, a great way to share and trade goods and services for little or no payment. It is basically a fancy, and more formal way saying, "what comes around, goes around," or even maybe, "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine." What about, "do unto others what you'd have done to you?" It makes perfect sense!

Babysitting co-ops are a great way to enjoy some guilt free (and cost free) personal time. Doesn't an adult only shopping day seem even better when you are not paying for a sitter? Or what about those rare "date" nights? Wouldn't they be even better without the added cost of a sitter on top of the costs for dinner and a movie? Goodness, you might even go out more often!

How they work is quite simple. A bunch of parents get together and agree to take turns watching each other's children. Some groups are as small as 5-10 parents and others as large as 30+.

There are great benefits for everyone involved.

• a new network of parents for you


• a network of friends for your kids


• quality child care - FREE!

Check for a babysitting co-op in your area, or start one. It is easy!

Essentially, you need a way to keep track of who is watching kids and who is using the service. Some groups use a point system and even appoint a secretary to keep track. To start, parents are all given a set amount of points. They use points for each hour (and each child) of childcare they use. Parents earn points by watching other children.

Some groups use a monetary substitute to keep track of "payments." Tokens or poker chips that are somehow unique to the group could be used. One child for one hour might cost one blue chip. Red chips might equal 30 minutes. The rules and methods for tracking is really up to the group.

Babysitter exchange is a website that helps parents either find a co-op community or start a co-op.

Each group can be set up to meet the needs/wants of the parents. Some co-ops hold monthly meetings or socials where they can share information, stories, challenges. Others invite guest speakers to talk on topics of interest to the group. Again, the possibilities are endless.

How many full-time jobs can you have?

Try listing out all of the "jobs" that you have and put them into 2 different categories. 1. full-time and 2. part-time. Here is a sample of the lists that I made for myself.

Full-time

• event coordinator
• parent
• wife
• dog "mom"
• house keeper

Part-time

• graduate student
• soccer coach
• school volunteer
• scrapbooker
• runner

How is it possible to have more than one full-time gig? But we all do, don't we? How is there even enough time in the day for all of the part-time jobs that we have? Well, basically, in my world, there isn't. Unfortunately, the things that we must do (jobs) tend to take our first priority. That isn't always bad, but it doesn't always mean that we are doing what we want to do either. When I have to put my "paying" job first, that is when I start to feel the most guilty. I know that when I am working I am contributing to my family, and, for the most part, I like what I do, but the guilt is still there.

I want to be able to pick my kids up from school in the afternoons and take them to the pool in the summer. I want to plan weekend getaways with my husband or travel to see friends that have been neglected. These things seem to be lower in the list of priorities, but why? They are all very important to me, or at least I say that they are. Recently, I was asked to make a list of my values for a class that I am taking. It seemed like a relatively easy task. What do I value? Well, I certainly value hard work, don't I? And education - that is important to me too. I value family and friends. I value exercise. Yeah. I value all of those things. Step two in the task was to determine if my behaviors were supporting my values. Uh oh. Hmmm? Well, I work hard. I am working towards my master's degree. Hmmm? I sometimes have to put my family and friends second because my job is demanding. My behavior is definitely not convincing me that I really value excercise. Wow! What a wake up call!

After that assignment, I was determined to be really honest with myself and what I really do value and what I want my behaviors to support, and most importantly what actions do I need to take in order to make that happen. What full-time job is most important to me, and which ones should be in the part-time category?