Chore Charts Revisited. Yes, Again.

I know. You would think that I would have this chore thing nailed by now, but truth be told it's a thorn in my side. A big. Massive. Thorn.

The problem is that my kids don't listen to me. I'm always talking, talking, talking, and it's as if my voice is on mute.

What's wrong with my kids that they don't love to do the chores on their super cute chore charts? I love checking things off my list, it's the best feeling ev-AH, so what's wrong with my kids?

Maybe the chore charts aren't pretty enough? Maybe they're tired of the tokens? Maybe I need to be more enthusiastic? Maybe I don't pay them enough?

Maybe my kids are brats?

Whatever the reason, I'm always changing up the girls' chore system, trying to find that one magic bullet that will solve all my problems.

The truth is, I don't think there is one perfect system that will always work. I think most things work for awhile. And then one day they don't.

It sucks.

Either way, here I am again. Changing it up.

This new system is pretty basic. I just created lists in Microsoft Excel and printed each day on a different color of card stock. The idea is that by having each day on its own card, the list isn't overwhelming, and the girls will be able to get through them quickly.

In theory.

Maybe not so true for Miss Dawdle Pants, aka Stinkerbell.

The little snot who put the grouchy face next to "Help Mom Clean House." Which, by the way, was my sneaky way of putting 6,042 check list items on one line.

I think she knows.

Heh, heh, heh. You will never be done with your chores. Nev-AH!

The chore cards hang by magnetic hooks on the refrigerator. I can always tell whether the girls have done their chores or not by which day is showing. All it takes is one look, and if the chore card hasn't been flipped, I know they haven't done them.

The funny thing is that they have no idea that's how I know whether they've been done. My kids are so naive, they think I have cameras mounted in every room of the house and that I'm spying on them.

I like it that way, so I don't deny it.

Please don't rat me out. They don't read my blog, so as long as I can trust you, we're good.

This is Zoe Bug making breakfast for us last weekend. Peanut Head taught her how to make pancakes, and they're quite delicious.

I could get used to this.

Flexible Chore Charts

Back when school was about to start, I was sitting in my hairdresser's chair, waiting for her to finish working her magic, when I started lamenting about our chore charts and how the system just wasn't working for me anymore. Okay, I was whining. Is that better?

I've told you that my hairdresser is a magician, so I was very interested to hear what she had to say about chores. Lucky for me, she had a lot to say. We got into a big discussion about how we were tired of nagging our kids to finish their chores. To just stay focused long enough to get them done. Stop beating a dead horse and do the ding dang chore so you can ding dang play before you leave for college, PUH-lease!

I'm sure you are familiar with the scenario.

The Magician shared with me how she revamped her whole system by assigning just one chore to each kid per day. Every Monday they had the same chore. Every Tuesday they had the same chore, and so on. I was desperate and willing to try anything, so the schedule you see above is what we came up with. And guess what? It worked.

Mostly. I really like that there is just one chore to focus on because the kids aren't overwhelmed with a ginormous list. Now, they are still responsible for other "procedures" as I like to call them. Sneaky, yes, but that's what us moms are paid to be, aren't we? Oh wait. There is no pay.

All the more reason for us to do whatever the heck we want to do. My house is a small country and I am the Queen, and all that jazz. 

The "procedures" I'm talking about (by the way, snarky air quotes are required) are making the bed, picking up after yourself, brushing your teeth, etc. Basically, whatever I say they are, on any given day. I just point at the kid, say do blah-blah (please) and it is a "procedure," not a chore. Also, Saturdays, which are my cleaning days, they must be available to assist me at a moments notice. I make it a rule to never bend over to pick up anything that I didn't put on the floor, so it's mostly that sort of thing. "Pick up that creepy looking horse or I'm going to suck it up in the vacuum cleaner. Head first."

It works for me.

The nifty thing is that the kids are not doing fewer chores, but they think they are doing fewer chores.

The only part of this system that didn't work long term for us, was the same chore on the same day part. The problem is that some days we aren't home long enough to do even the one chore. Every week is different because there's always something going on it seems. It's probably like this for everyone, right?

Anyway, I've been thinking and thinking and thinking about how I can improve this system, and I came up with this.

You know how I love me some magnets, right? Well, couple that will some jumbo popsicle sticks, a little pretty paper, and some Mod Podge, and we're in business. They are very simple, but they are versatile.

Our chore charts have always had a home on the side of our fridge, so that part is still the same. Now each chore is on it's own popsicle stick under the responsible party's magnet face. We started with the three chores above, that each of the girls have to do at least once a week. Next, they took turns picking their chores.

These are the chores I gave them to pick from this go 'round. Aren't they lucky?

After they chose their chores, I moved them around a little bit so they wouldn't both get scoop litterbox on the same day. That would be a waste of a perfectly good chore, don't you think?

As you can see, our chores aren't tied to specific days, but instead we will rotate them in order. If we are home and the chore can be completed, as decided by myself and my mood of the moment, then each child will do the chore on top, then rotate it to the bottom of their stack. This way things still get done on a regular basis, but maybe not on June Cleaver's schedule.

Also, we can trade chores when they get tired of the chores they picked. We like to mix things up to keep them fun. Because chores are so fun.

I'm really excited about the 10-minute timed family pick-up. We've never done this one before, but I have high hopes for it. The idea is to set the timer for 10 minutes, and everyone runs around and tries to pick up and clean as much as they can before the timer goes off. Doesn't it sound like fun?

Okay, pretend then.

Here's the other part of the chore system that the Magician gave me. When the girls finish their chores they come to me to get a token, which is simply a poker chip. If they forget, the token is forfeited. This puts the pay out on them, and let me tell you, this is really working for me. Before, I felt like every time I turned around I was handing out allowance and printing out new chore charts. Now, I have more cash because they hardly ever remember. Not that I should be cheating my kids or anything like that, but I'm teaching responsibility, right? If you don't punch your timecard, you don't get a paycheck, right?

Do people even still use timecards? Did I just totally date myself? Let me guess, hourly wage earners are microchipped and as soon as they walk into the building, their time is noted by a computer off site, and their paycheck is delivered electronically to their bank without them ever knowing how it was calculated? Do I watch too much Sci-Fi?

Anyway, as I was saying, the poker chips are worth 25 cents each. They can't cash them in until they have $5 worth collected. Then I take 20% off the top for charity and savings.

The tokens also work great for bribing consequences. I can take them away if the girls misbehave, or I have to ask them more than once to do something, or not do something, whatever the case may be. I have to tell you also, they think the tokens are pretty cool. Losing a token is a big deal around here.

And it makes me feel powerful. Which I love.

I also put the tokens into play to curb some other undesirable habits, shall we say.

For example, if Annika gets up in the morning the first time we ask her, and she gets dressed, brushes her teeth, etc., the first time we ask her, she gets a token. If she doesn't, not only does she not get a token, but she can lose tokens if we have to ask her to get her gnarly carcass out of bed repeatedly.

For Zoe, if she wakes up without her hair looking like this,

she earns a token. If she wakes up and it does look like this, she can still earn a token if she takes care of it by herself. For example, like this:

Hey, whatever simplifies things for me, that's what works around here. I've had to work very hard at relaxing my standards.

Spring Cleaning Giveaway Winner

Wow! This contest resulted in the most comments I've ever had on this blog. Maybe I should do this type of thing more often, eh?

I don't want to torture you so I'm going to go ahead and just tell you. The winner of the Spring Clean Year 'Round box is 

 #47 -  Shiloh and Bob Willey

E-mail me at Jillderbeast@cableone.net to give me your address. Congratulations!

Now, a couple of you suggested that Ter should win because she's had such a rough year. Since I can't, in good conscience, rig the contest, I decided to make her a little box of her own.

What do you think? It's smaller than the Spring Clean Year 'Round box and it's not the same. I've made different chore cards because, again, in good conscience I couldn't just copy the original since it is something I purchased. My intent in holding this little contest was to support another work-at-home mom and share a great little system with you.

Yikes! They multiplied. You can't put those dang boxes together because they just can't behave.

Actually, I figured since I was going to be making one anyway, I might as well kill two birds with one stone and make one for one of my contest winners from this post. 

So, one of these boxes is for Ter from Canada, and the other one is for Amanda of Another Day in Diaperland.

Please e-mail me at Jillderbeast@cableone.net with your addresses. Congratulations.

Here's a little peek inside the boxes I made. The chore cards are small, 2" x 4" but I think they are plenty big for their jobs.

Before I found Travis' Spring Clean Year 'Round system, I had a system of my own that wasn't working very well. It was the same general idea as the Spring Clean system, but it wasn't cute. I think because it wasn't cute, I didn't keep it out in plain view, so I didn't  use it. I also had tried the Fly Lady System, but I just couldn't stay on top of it during busier days and weeks, so I found that it wasn't flexible enough for me. Plus, I need another e-mail in my in box like I need a hole in my head. Plus, plus, I find her website incredibly confusing. Granted it's probably just because of my rabid Chihuahua attention span, but still.

I like spread sheets and all, so my skills are limited.

So, what I really like about the Spring Clean Year 'Round system is the flexibility. If you can't get to a chore on the day you had planned, you just move it to the next day when you think you will be able to get to it. You might think that it's just enabling procrastination, (my friend) but I've found that isn't the case. I have all my chores in one place now, written down, and I know that I have them scheduled so I don't have to be overwhelmed by thinking about the big picture and everything I have yet to do. I just focus on today with the knowledge that I will get to the other stuff, just not today. It's liberating.

So, having a peek at this Spring Cleaning system and getting some inspiration, I've had another go at my own system and spiffed it up a bit.

I used a rotary Rolodex for mine because of that rabid Chihuahua thing again. I tend to rush around, and as a result I'm always dropping things and knocking things over. This way, my chores are anchored so I don't 52 Pickup them all the time. Remember that game? It's a hoot. Not.

Can I just tell you how much fun I did not have making the Rolodex divider cards. It took FOR-EVER. The picture above is the smart way, with the exception of the pain in the rear tabs and that I don't think I would use staples again. I would just stick them on with my Tape Runner.

See, when I started making my own dividers, I had to cut out all those little notches with little itty bitty scissors.

And as I mentioned, the tabs were a whole 'nother problem. 

Until I got this from Melanie-Who-I-Almost-Killed-With-Pie.

It's a Round Tab Punch. I could have used this thing years ago and I'm so happy it lives at my house now.

Watch this . . . I punch my tab out . . .

Fold it in half and put some adhesive on the inside, and then sandwich my piece of divider card stock between it.

TA-DA!

I digitally scrapbooked my chores. Of course. I put three to a 4x6 print and uploaded them to my local photo center. By printing them at a photo center, I save my own printer ink and I get a much better quality print. Waaaaaay better. And I even have a decent photo printer.

Then I just cut the chores apart.

Round the top corners so I won't stab my rabid Chihuahua fingers.

Then I used way more Tape Runner than I really needed on an actual Rododex card. I adhered my chore cards this way so that I wouldn't have to cut out all those dang Rolodex notches. I'm a cheater, and I never want to do that again.

Then I carefully lined up my chore on the Rolodex card. Some of them aren't super perfect.

And here are some of my chores.

I want you to know that I'm going to try to turn over a new leaf and dust more than my once a year whether it needs it or not system. But still, one room a week is my limit. 

I just thought this one up yesterday. It's one of those things that I'm always noticing and thinking I should do, but I just never get around to it. Now there's hope.

I have chore cards for cleaning the toilets once a week and the sinks and counters too, but this one is for all the rest of the bathroom. My goal is to not need a Hazmat suit to clean the bathrooms in the future.

I even made some blank cards for additional chores that I think up. I could go to Fly Lady to look for more, but I figure I'll start with this and add them as I need to.

Like this. I was filling the cat water yesterday and realized that this needed to be a chore. I just wrote it on there with a Fine-Point Sharpie.

If you want to purchase the Spring Clean Year 'Round system, click on the link and go get yourself one. They're $30 plus shipping.

So who's in the mood to clean now? Me neither.

Maybe after I finish off that box of Bon Bons that Peanut Head thinks I eat all day watching soaps while he's at work. He has no idea.

Allowance Jars

About a year ago we started giving our girls allowance for some of the chores they do around the house.  I did a lot of reading about the pros and cons of giving kids an allowance for doing chores, and I found out there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding the subject.

We even had some heated discussions about it in my house.  Peanut Head argued, and I don't disagree, that they should be doing chores as members of this family and not expecting to get something for everything they do.  After all, as adults we don't get paid to do our own housework, right?

On the other hand, I want the girls to have an allowance so they learn how to manage money, and I want them to develop a good work ethic and know what it's like to work and save for something they want.  I want to use it as a teaching tool.  

In the end, we agreed to give them a small allowance, but they still have to do whatever we tell them to do because we're bigger and we're the parents.  I think the girls like having the responsibility, and I know it has helped me in my own housework.

Anyway, I also knew that I wanted them to save a portion of their money and to give a portion of their money to charity.  That's where these little jars come in.  They each get $1.75 a week of which they get to spend $.75, they have to save $.75, and they have to put aside $.25 for charity. When they get enough in their jars to make a bank deposit or a donation, we take the money out for that purpose.

They are free to spend their money in their spend jars on whatever crap they want.  And believe me, that's exactly what they buy.  I cringe when I see them feeding quarters into the little machines at the grocery store.  I shudder when they beg me to take them to the dollar store. It's like paying good money to bring Happy Meal toys into the house, and I cannot stand Happy Meal toys.  They breed clutter.  The kids love them though, so I try, once in awhile, to indulge them and just look the other way.

The jars are just one idea.  I've seen other people use envelopes, and I actually think that would be more convenient, so why not decorate some little envelopes instead?  I would do it, but I made these things and we're going to use them dang it.  At least until one of them falls to the floor and shatters.

Click here to see how this idea turned out.

Chore Charts

I made a couple chore charts to share with everyone for Works for Me Wednesday. We've been using chore charts with our girls for several years, and they've changed over time to reflect their abilities.

I believe that making kids responsible for chores is important to developing responsible adults. As parents we're responsible for preparing our children for adulthood and the many responsibilities that come with it, regardless of the fact that I'd really rather just freeze them and keep them little forever.

That being said, chore charts are one tool that we use in our house. I'm sure they're not for everyone, but they work for us. Here are some examples of chores in our house:

Grooming: Brush/floss teeth, comb hair, wash face

Bedroom: Make bed and tidy bedroom

Laundry: Keep dirty clothes in hamper and sort into bins in the laundry room three times a week (on designated days).

Trash: Empty bedroom and bathroom trash cans into main trash (again on designated days). The girls aren't strong enough yet to take the trash out by themselves, but that's coming down the road girlies.

Water Plants: This is mainly a summer chore and it's a daily one. The girls are responsible for watering my porch flowers and herbs which are in pots and dry out quickly.

Pick-Up Toys/Put Away: This is their least favorite chore and they tend to drag it out waaaaaay too long.

Dust: I give each girl a very specific area to dust and it's not a very big area because they are easily distracted. For example, Thing 2 is responsible for doing the kitchen chairs because they are low enough for her to reach and she can't topple anything over while doing it. "Oopsy is her favorite word right now."

Lay-Out Clothes for the Week: Every Sunday night the girls pick out five outfits for Monday through Friday, and place them in their days-of-the-week closet organizers. This saves time on school mornings. I try to put their clothes away in sets so that the matching is already done for them.

Make Lunch for the Next Day: Obviously this is a chore for the school year.

Skill Practice: This varies depending on what we're working on. Sometimes it's flash cards, reading, tying shoes, telling time, whatever we happen to be working on. It's just something we do as part of their bedtime routine and it's 5 or 10 minutes.

Homework: If they don't have homework from school and it's Monday through Friday, I give them something to do. It's not a big deal, we just do it to keep them in practice and to avoid the whole "I don't have any homework" argument.

Read 20 Minutes: Strangely I never get an argument about this one.

Here's a girlie chore chart for you. Enjoy!

For more great ideas, check out the links at Rocks in my Dryer.

During 2010, we moved over to a more Flexible Chore Chart. You can read about that here.

UPDATE: I've received some comments asking for the download link for these chore charts. Tip Junkie referred to these as a download and they are, in fact, not a download because I had to upload them as jpgs to get them on blogger. My intention is for you to be able to use them though, so you can save them by using the right click on your mouse, or just drag and drop them onto your desktop. Before you do this though, click on the chore chart image you want. It will open larger and you'll be able to save it in a much better resolution. This is an important step for the best results. I hope this helps everyone. Thanks for stopping by my blog. :)http://www.controllingmychaos.com/2010/12/flexible-chore-charts.html