Do You Pay for Grades????

I was never paid for good grades, but lately I've considered starting paying my kids for good grades and so I've been doing a little research on the subject, but I can only find opinions and no any solid statistics.

It seems like people against it feel it may add fuel to the entitlement mentality that plagues our society.  People for it feel it teaches kids that hard works equals rewards.

My husband and I are considering it as a way to teach our kids financial responsibility and hopefully motivate our less motivated kids to try a little harder in school. Our allowance system has been as amazing tool to keep the house clean, so I'm hoping this might boost the kids GPA..

So what has been your experience?

$20.84 Prom Dress

 Most prom dresses looked cheap in every sense of the word.    Anything in our price range ($150) that wasn't made out of cheap polyester and that her dad and I would feel comfortable sending her out wearing with a boy looked a little "mother-of-the-bride" than prom. 

We were thrilled when we found this dress here.  She told me she felt so glamorous and beautiful all night. (I know my opinion my be a little biased, but seriously she is gorgeous) 

We found it here at eShakti.com.  I've talked before how much I love this site (and have bought 5 dresses between the 2 of us that we love and I am buying this one next as soon as it comes back in stock).

 You can customize sleeves, hems, and necklines, but we thought this one was adorable as is. 

They are always running great promotions-currently is a a buy 2 get one free and $25 of your first purchase.
 FYI my mother bought one, but didn't like the way it fit and she said it was hassle free to return it.

 (Full disclosure-I have signed up to be an affiliate for eShakti.com and  get a commission when you click to the site from my blog-and I greatly appreciate it when you do)

DIY Glitter Prom Shoes

Several years ago, my daughter found a pair of gold glitter stilettos at Ross for $9.99.  I could think of no practical reason to buy them so we didn't, but she has been fantasizing about them ever since.  

We searched all over town for a pair, but could only find them online and she really wanted to try them on first. We found a pair of "comfort plus" at Payless and a few tutorials on Pinterest, so we thought we'd give it a try. I figured they would either be fabulous or I would be out $29.99.

 
Step 1: Cover the heal w/ painter's tape.

 Step 2: Mix Modge Podge with glitter and paint on the shoe. It was very thick-about like mud.

Step 3: Apply as many coats as needed (here's a pic after the first coat) and let dry between coats. I waited about an hour after the first coat and overnight after the second coat.  I did 3 coats and then covered the entire shoe with a coat of Modge Podge.

I usually hate glitter because it gets everywhere and I told my kid she wasn't allowed to wear them in the house. Shockingly, once the shoes were dry, the glitter was like one solid sheet and didn't flake off. 

There were a few cracks, that I might touch up before she wears them again, but they held up pretty well- even after 8 hours of dancing. 

Stay-tuned for more prom posts-this is the closest I'll ever get to being a fairy-godmother.

UPDATE: Touched them up w/ a little more glitter and Modge Podge and they're good as new.