Summer is here and I am so thankful for the lack of a school schedule. No rushing to get lunch made. No nagging Eric to get his shoes on. And no waking up my girls to get Eric to school on time. I have been very eager to attempt a new chores system with the kids and with a little extra time now, we have been using it and making great strides.
The breakdown:
Each child will have to do Kitchen chores after each meal. Then Get Ready chores in the morning. Up Keep chores during the day and Clean Up chores at night. 15 total. Each child has their chores written on cards hanging on the freezer. When they complete their job, they flip the card from "To do" to "Done." For each set of chores they receive a half hour of TV time. (3x a day = 1.5 hrs)
Results: Seriously, my house is clean.- for the most part. I don't know how long this will last. I don't know if they will eventually put up a fight. But for right now: My kids wash dishes, clean the table and highchair and the floors after every meal. They put away their laundry. Clean their own bathroom. Take care of the dog. Have clean rooms and a clean playroom. And are ready to go each day with clean teeth and a made bed.
The future: Undoubtedly, I will find myself frustrated. I know it. But that's okay. My kids are doing awesome, learning skills while they are so young. I cling to hope that the routine will be easy and one day soon and I hope to teach them even more skills...After all, it's not my job to do everything for them, but to teach them to do it for themselves.
Side note: Cailin wonders around to avoid making her bed. Alayna does an awesome job with her top bunk and usually is finished everything first. And Eric is getting competitive :)
