Week 46: Penny Pony Rides

Meijer is where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping, and I smile every time I see kids riding the Sandy pony at the checkout, knowing the parents had to only pay a penny for their child's ride. 

With homeschooling my kids until the oldest two reached high school and the youngest 7th grade, I am proud to say they were errand-running champs. Heck, just last week I called my son on his day off and asked if he wanted to tag along on my errand day and he said to come pick him up. 😊

Back in the day, my kids were a wonder, they sincerely never really complained or asked me to purchase things out of the ordinary and were quite helpful sidekicks as we made our way through the grocery store, picking up drycleaning, stopping at the post office, etc. 

But I know that is not the norm for kids used to being in school during the day and parents accustomed to accomplishing these tasks solo. The way I see it, the Sandy ride at the end of a Meijer shopping trip is probably helpful incentive for kids and their parents. 

Five years ago, when I was completing 45 acts of kindness to count down to my 45th birthday, I got the idea to put out a cup full of pennies to make the rides free. 

Last week, when my son and I were finishing up my shopping, I noted a cup was there but only had 2 pennies in it. And Summer is just beginning. Unacceptable. 

The next day, I returned with 150 pennies to fill 'er up! And my boyfriend snapped this picture after a woman walking by said, "Get on up there, you only live once!" 

And so I did. Giddy up!