$50 and 5 M&Ms

Back in the early part of the summer, my brother and his girlfriend came by to spend a Saturday with us and we decided to go to Cabela's. While there, I spotted a really cute raincoat, with trucks and tractors all over it. When I flipped over the price tag and saw that it was $40, I stated that that was simply too much to pay for a kids' raincoat. Heck, I would be hard-pressed to spend it on a raincoat for myself.

Fast forward to our trip to Maine this summer, and a stop at a fantastic little fabric shop. They had on display the cutest kids' poncho, and a great selection of laminated fabrics. I decided, in an uncharacteristically impulsive moment, that I was going to get the pattern, the laminated fabric and some fabric for a lining and make Colter a poncho. Well, apparently I cannot do mental math in these impulsive moments and did not realize until all the fabric was cut and everything was rung up that this poncho was going to cost me just shy of $50. Plus I would still have to make it. Suddenly that $40 raincoat seemed pretty reasonable.

Once home with all my supplies, I was a bit gun-shy to start cutting into my pricey fabric, fearing I would make a mistake and would waste all that money. So I waited until my mom was here to hold my hand through the whole project, and eventually I ended up with a really adorable poncho. A really adorable poncho that my really independent toddler refused to wear. He told me at random times as I was finishing it up, "I do not like the poncho." Finally, when it was all done, I told him I would give him three M&Ms to put it on. He agreed, but when I told him he had to wear it long enough for me to take a picture, he replied, "Five M&Ms."

Could he look less thrilled about his whale poncho?

This is what I got when I said, "Show me how many M&Ms you got for wearing your poncho!"

I am hoping that being allowed to go out and play in the rain on occasion will be enough to make the poncho more enticing!