How much does this cost?

Yesterday, we quickly did most of our school work in the morning (leaving some more readings to be done in the afternoon) so that we were able to go and pick up Miss Craig and take her with us to have lunch with Laura S...and Anna and Sam!

After lunch, we ran inside a new bookstore in the mall, and the girls were thrilled! But so was I, for everything in the store was automatically half-off...I love stores like that; however, it just makes me cringe a touch when I go into the next store and my brain automatically takes 1/2 off there as well! But back to the girls...it is so nice to have children that get thrilled to go into a bookstore; however, there were too many books that they were begging for me to purchase for them.

Knowing that they each have their own little purses, and some of them actually haven't spent all of their "spending money," I saw an opportunity for them to decide whether or not they wanted to make their own purchases. Tressie quickly set her eyes on a book on tea parties...no surprise there!

She asked the lady, "Um. Excuse me, ma'am. Um. How much does this book cost?"

The lady answered, "$5.00."

Tressie said, "Well, I only have one dollar and a few pennies."

The lady was quickly cast under Tressie's spell and answered, "Well, if your mommy says that you may, then I will sell it to you for $1.00."

Tressie was beaming with pride, and she successfully made her transaction ALL by herself. I did show her how to set her purchase up on the cashier's table, then she counted her money out and slid them across the counter to the lady! Then she asked the lady for her receipt to put in her purse and then said, "It was a pleasure doing business with you!" And the lady ran to the back of the store to get her manager to have Tressie tell him what she had said.

Now, all the while Miss Craig had picked out the same book, and I could tell that she was thinking, "I'd like to get this for my grandkids, but I'd like that same deal!"

Then once the coast was clear, Annie set her eyes on her prize and begin to "bargain" for the David and Goliath book that she HAD to have! She went to the manager (since the other lady was still palling around with Tress!), and she asked him, "How much does this book cost?" And I'm standing back watching and thinking, "Once again...here we go!"

He answered, "$5.00."

Annie said, "Well, I only have one nickel!"

Now the fella was cast under Annie's spell, and he answered, "Well, let's think. What can you do?"

She said, "Well, do you have any jobs here that I can do?"

He said, "Well, let me think!" "There's a customer over there that looks like she might need some help. If you'll make sure that she can find everything okay, then I'll give you that book!"

As a mother-hen I watched her closely, and I could see that we weren't getting out of there any time soon! Annie was then proudly accepting her task as a "worker" and making sure that customers were "finding everything okay"! She did a great job, and the look on her face was priceless when she was awarded her earnings...she's still holding onto that book tightly! And she had to call her daddy at work and Mimi and Aunt Jenni and Aunt Losi,...to tell them what a great day she had! "My first real job!" she continued to exclaim!

After a couple of more stops to help Miss Craig get some of her shopping done, we dropped her back off at her house, helped her unload her shopping bags, then drove back home and collapsed...on the sofa to finish our readings, of course!