I know some "go with the flow" moms that get along just fine without having a printed schedule. From what I can tell, they actually lead happy, low stress, fairly (ha!) productive lives. I'm not one of them. I'm a sucker for a schedule. I love to have my weeks and days planned out. I feel so much more in control (less anxious,) and of course my efficiency increases when I have a good guide. I like to tweak, simplify and try to come up with better schedules as circumstances change. I remind myself not to reinvent the wheel, but I am allowed to grease and shine it a bit.
Anyway, I bet you were hoping I was going to share some great tips in this post. Instead, I am asking... okay, begging... for advice. (Then later... I'll pull it all together, tell you what I decided and have a big share of what I'm putting in place. Okay?)
It's those chore charts that I just can't get a grip on! I have no problem designing, making (and sometimes even laminating) the pretty little things, but I am terrible at following up on them!!! And if Mama can't keep up with them, they are of no use really, right? Darn!
My latest approach was suppose to be "simple and easy-going." The plan was this- kids have certain chores they are expected to do because they are part of this family and if they do them they get $3 at the end of the week. It seemed so reasonable when I came up with it, and I wouldn't have to count star stickers or multiply monetary units or anything fussy like that. I thought I was onto something. But really, I think I was kidding myself and that the chores just aren't going to get accomplished consistently unless Mama implements and follows through with a consistent plan.
This is where I want your advice... Is there an easy/ no-frill way to post chores, keep track of them being accomplished, and reward what is done? Or do I just need to buckle down and meet this even-more-less-favorite-than-cleaning-bathrooms task with renewed commitment?
Here's where we are at-- Our current charts are printed out weekly-ish and the kids put an "x" in the box next to completed daily chores. Typically, we get almost two days of them filled out. We still do the chores (pretty much) when we aren't meticulously following the chart and marking as we go. As I mentioned, during this last go round, we (me) decided that if the kids made a pretty good effort they'd get $3 at the end of the week. Uh... how does one measure "a pretty good" effort? By the mood mom and dad are in when allowance payday comes around? Well, weeks are flying by with no payment. What happens is that the kids see something they want in the store and say, "Mom, how much allowance do I have?" meaning "how long has it been since you paid me, and what do you owe me now?" My answer is "I don't know. Let's talk to Daddy about that sometime." Sometime never comes. See, I'm terrible at this.
Help me! If there is not an easy way to do this, then how can I make myself commit to do what it takes to keep up with a chore chart? How can I make it a part of my natural day instead of it being this bothersome thing I need to remember to think about?
One week till school starts! I wanna get this in place ASAP. I'm feeling such a sense of urgency over this that I am giving myself permission to (for a few more days) ignore all the summer vacation photos and memories that need blogged.
So, please share with me how you make chore charts work in your family!
Here's a picture, just because, of me and my littlest who is still too young and cute for a chore chart... or is he?!
4 comments:
I like to blame my artistic nature on the inability to keep a schedule running smoothly for more than a month at a time, because that is about how long we keep a good schedule running and then we let it slide. You need to just admit it."I'm an artist and I just can't be tied down to these schedules. I must have constant change in my life! I am too free of a spirit to use the same schedule for more than a week in a row" See isn't that liberating? I know totally unhelpful. But it is important to recognize who you truly are deep down inside :)
The most effective times that I have kept my house in order was when I was following Flylady. She has routines for your kids too. I would give my kids a weekly habit to work on--such as make your bed, pick up 20 things off the floor before bedtime, etc. I expect everyone to pitch in when I ask them to and they do a pretty good job when asked. My house is in flux, somedays it is clean most days it is not. What can an artist do with 5 children and such a free spirit? Fine. I will admit, I have been thinking of the same things with our school starting up soon also.
Hello sweet Mama! You've already seen the way we do our chores. I don't pay my kids for those but they do earn extra money for doing things outside of their chore lists. I know of a family with six children and even the smallest one had a little chore. They had table chores and his job was to put the salt and pepper on the table and then to take it off before dinner and put it away after dinner. I always thought that was so great! I'm anxious to see what people come up with. Good luck!!!
this may come as a big surprise to you, but i have an opinion on this.
no chore charts. just "contributions". everyone contributes to the success of the home and family. they are free to do their leisure activities when their contributions are complete. it will require maybe a month or two of you checking up on them, but after that, they run like well-oiled machines.
we pay allowance (totally unassociated with chores) once a month, because we always forget too. we can handle once a month. plus, we only get paid once a month as adults, so they may as well get used to budgeting their money for 30 day stretches while they're young.
email me if you want me to continue rambling about how amazing love and logic programs are.
Seth is so cute!!
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