Chore Chart Up and Working

Although it took a few more days than anticipated to get the chore chart up in it's place, the kids have been doing their chores since the day the chart was created. 

I wasn't sure if the kids would be responsive to the idea of set chores. Dave & I want the kids to be able to care for themselves and also contribute to the keeping of the home, their home. What I didn't want was to have to be constantly reminding them what their chores are and to complete them. Nagging and aggravation isn't what I want from this. 

It hasn't been much of a surprise that Emily is very on target when it comes to getting her daily and home chores done along with some additional jobs. Of course, her motivation tends to be the allowance she earns if she does her jobs. Matt on the other hand needs a little more "reminding". Thankfully I only have to say "have you checked the chart" in order to get him to check in on his tasks. Our rule is if you don't complete the tasks for the day, you don't get paid. Yes, even if they miss just one job, they don't earn their day's wage.

I do have to report how nice it is to turn over some of the daily chores to the kids. Seeing them pitching in even though they are not always sure how or why they are doing it gives Dave & I the satisfaction of knowing that they are learning skills that will benefit them later in life. The other day I had Matt helping me with laundering his sheets. He asked me "why do we have to learn this?" I answered "because you need clean clothes and you won't be living at home all your life". He seemed satisfied with the answer and helped me to the very end.  

All in all the chore chart is a success and looks amazing hanging on the wall!!

Kid's Chore Chart

We've been talking with the kids for a while now about the chores they need to do on a daily basis and how they can contribute to our home. They are receptive to doing chores and wanted a chart to keep track. Both kids are highly visual so I was not surprised by this but I wanted to make the chart appropriate to their age, not too childish.  

I used a cork board I purchased a while ago. The line separations were made with crafting/washi tape.  The tags are from the Martha Stewart collection at Staples - yellow for Emily and blue for Matt. I also bought some small tags for extra jobs. The chart titles are "scrabble" style letter tiles I hot glued to the board. 

Now, every one has different feelings regarding allowances and you may not agree with ours but this is the system we have set up. The kids are assigned personal daily jobs - the things they should just be doing like making their bed, homework, getting laundry to basement, etc. They are also assigned two home jobs to complete each day (the number of these jobs will change based on time available and age). They must complete all the jobs for the day in order to get that day's allowance. If they miss one job, they don't "earn" their allowance. Oh and reminders by mom and dad are not part of the program....they need to be accountable for looking at their jobs and getting them done. The kids can also "earn" extra by completing additional jobs that have been written on the small hanging tabs.  

Emily was so excited when she saw the board. Already she has complete her jobs for the day, looked at the "extra" tags and asked "how do I do the laundry by myself".  With just a little "technical" help (where to set the dials and the amount of soap needed), she did the kids uniforms start to end. Oh she did also ask for help in telling  the difference between her and Matt's shirts while hanging them.  

Many times the kids ask for something they want and are told "it costs money".  There are things we get for the kids because they need them but as they are getting older their wants far outweighing their needs. So, we decided on an allowance system in order for them to learn not only about earning money but also to help teach them about tithing, saving, sharing and spending of money....those are hard things to teach if your child has no money to learn.  As I said, you may not feel the same as us and that is just fine, we can agree to disagree but I am praying this new system will help our home run smoothly and help my kids gain some financial "smarts".

The Rules Begin

Today was a busy day for me. I'm in project mode right now - that is craft project mode.  I have 3 weeks including what has passed already of this week to get 2 bulletin boards done, one planned for September and 2 personal projects completed. 

I have to say that the majority of the summer has been spent on occupying the kids as crafting has been quiet but that has all changed.  I never realized just how much I get done while the kids are in school. 

This morning after I did my devotions, workout and breakfast I started doing a few household chores. I have to say I was a little irked that my kids were just sitting glued to the TV (Wii this morning). I know they are on break but I am not and now I'm in crunch mode.

Well this situation led to our August Rules. These rules will help the kids to adjust to what will be expected of them in September. The main things covered were: getting fed, dressed and bed made before anything else; technology time limits; their summer homework pages done before dinner; a set bed time.  

The funny thing is that tonight as I was kissing Matt goodnight I told him to sleep in (neither Emily or Matt sleep past 7:30) because we are not headed out for anything tomorrow (mommy has jobs to do).  His response was, "so I don't have to get dressed". I told him he did need to get dressed.  Funny how he knew what was expected and already was hoping to get out of it.  Love that boy!! Drives me nuts, but I love him!!

What Dishwasher?

Yes, we have a dishwasher....but this week Matt has decided that he "needs" to wash dishes as his "job". I surely haven't stood in his way. I have made sure that certain items (like knives) are never a part of the "washing". To be honest, I believe his fascination with washing the dishes comes from the fact that he pretends that the water sprayer is his fire hose. Hey, anything that works, works or me. Now I will go ahead and rewash the dishes but not until after Matt goes to bed.....need to make sure that everything is truly clean. I don't want to dampen his spirit of helping by letting him think it isn't good enough....after all he is only 6 so I can't expect perfection when it comes to the job done. I am just pleased that he wants to help with keeping our house a home.