"I couldn't find my paper!"

On Tuesday I picked Brody up from preschool and immediately noticed his pants.

That's right. He had used a red marker to draw on the upper thighs of his jeans. Not to mention he colored on one of the only pair of pants he owns without holes in the knees (I've got to learn to patch jeans!) When I asked him, "Why in the would would you color on your jeans?!?" He responded very matter-of-factly with, "I couldn't find my paper!"

I may have only been a mom for 3 1/2 years now...but even I'm not buying that excuse! I couldn't get a hold of Mike on the phone, so I called my parents. I asked what my punishment would've been if I had colored on my jeans with markers when I was 3 years old. They suggested that we have Brody do some jobs for us to earn enough money to pay for a new pair of pants (I decided that consignment store prices provided enough jobs for him).

Here's the chart I made so that Brody can see how many jobs he has to do. (Yes, it's supposed to look like a pair of jeans. What can I say? I'm definitely not an artist!) Last night he helped me empty and reload the dishwasher and he also picked up his room and Barrett's room by himself (usually I help so that it gets done in a more timely fashion). Two jobs down...fourteen more to go.

The odd/good thing is that 3 years olds are so eager to help that he's loving this punishment. I have to keep reminding him that instead of getting a toy with all the money he's earning...he'll get to buy a pair of pants. It sobers him...for a split second.