WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers IN THE BUSINESS OF NUMBERS—Simi Valley residents, from left, Nathan, 13, and Caleb, 15, Porter used stencils and a wagon filled with painting supplies to paint curb numbers for residents for a small fee as a way to make money over the summer. Pulling a red Radio Flyer wagon with their supplies, two enterprising brothers, Caleb, 15, and Nathan, 13, set out to earn some extra money this school vacation. The boys worked painting house numbers on curbs.

"We wanted to do this to earn some money over the summer," Caleb Porter said. "We just didn't want to sit around and do nothing."

This is the first year the brothers tried a "real" job, they said. So far, they've painted more than 30 addresses in their neighborhood.

"They're both too young to get a job at Wendy's or whatever," said Sharon, the boys' mother. "They needed to earn some extra spending money and start saving for their future. We also wanted them to learn how to handle money."

The Porter family has lived in Simi Valley for 16 years. Daniel is a financial planner. Sharon is a stay-at-home mom raising the boys and daughters Bethany, 9, and Lillian, 4.

Earlier this summer, the parents were brainstorming ways they could help their sons earn some spending money. They came up with the curb painting idea.

To make the job possible, the parents needed to contact city hall to get all the required permits.

The Porters wanted to make sure Nathan and Caleb did a good job if they were going to charge a fee.

"They had to practice for free on some of our neighbor's curbs," Sharon said. "I wanted to make sure they were doing a quality job. They had a few do-overs to make sure they got it right."

The boys started making the rounds of their neighborhood at the end of July.

Caleb started his sophomore year at Royal High School this week. He likes doing math and hanging out with friends.

Last week he participated in "hellweek" for the school's junior varsity football team.

"He was nervous about starting that because it's a really grueling week," his mother said.

Nathan is an eighth-grader this year at Hillside Junior High School. He's interested in falconry and attended a weeklong animal study camp at the Moorpark College Zoo in July.

"My personal goal for doing this (job) is to get money so I can do falconry," Nathan said. "I'm working on getting the permits and getting a bird."

Though Nathan and Caleb might not have broke the bank, their impromptu painting careers did provide a great excuse to get outdoors—and away from the TV screen.

"Our parents said they wanted us out of the house and doing something productive," Caleb said.