Quiet here today, but you can see what I have to say about oceans and lakes over at Midwest Parents.
The Ocean and the Lake
Monthly Archives: June 2008
Chore Charts for Kids
When do kids get chores? Do you pay them? How do you set the standard for doing a “good” job? What’s good enough?
As our kids leave baby-hood and begin toddling around after us, the question of chores is inevitable. It’s even one of the questions our pediatrician asks my kids in their annual well-check. “Do you have any jobs you do around the house? What are they?” Please, I silently pray, tell him you do. Help Mommy look good here, boys!
Over the years I have tried about two hundred different methods for assigning chores. I tried one of those store-bought charts for the side of the fridge. I tried setting certain chores for certain days. I tried customizing the list of chores and printing them out at the beginning of the week. None of these were particularly effective for us.
The trouble all boils down to the fact that I simply do not know, on Sunday night, which day I’ll need help folding laundry or watering the plants. In my ideal dream-land, I would mop on Monday, cook ahead on Wednesday, and fold on Friday, but this NEVER actually happens. I plan to mop, but a friend calls for lunch. Discipline? Well, I have lots of it, but not enough to choose mopping over lunch with a friend. Seriously, I have my priorities! I plan to cook and freeze, but I don’t have all the ingredients, so I make a list and it’s so daunting I decide just to grill brats or chicken, instead. And folding, well, who wants to fold? I just try to avoid it.
That said, chores are a part of life for just about all of us, and my boys don’t get a vote in whether they’ll have them, they just will. So after many missteps, I have finally found a method that works for us, and maybe it will work for you, too. But if not, take heart. Check here and here for more ideas—remember, this was not my first try!
FIVE STEPS TO A CLEANER HOUSE: CHORES FOR KIDS
One: Buy a big sheet of posterboard in a color you like. You’ll be looking at it often. I think the baby blue is nice.
Two: Buy one of those clear rolls of contact paper. You’ll use this to laminate your chore cards.
Three: Cut your posterboard into small rectangles & use a sharpie marker to write one chore on each rectangle. I also tried (tried!) to DRAW a picture of the chore, since my youngest was only about 2 or 3 when I made my cards.
Four: Buy magnetic clips, one color per kid, to hold the daily chores on the fridge.
Five: Laminate your cards and help the kids get busy!
The chore card method has worked fabulously well for us. Each morning, I simply sort through the chores & see what needs to be done that day. Water the plants? Nope, it just rained. Sweep off the porch? Oh, please, do it now! Fold or put away laundry? Yep, finally getting to that today. I choose the chores, put them in the clips, & put the clips on the front of the fridge. When the jobs are done, the kids move their clip to the side of the fridge. I think the reason this works is 1) the chores are specific to our family and 2) I can choose them that day—no detailed planning ahead required.
And, no, we do not pay for chores at our house. I buy into the “you’re a part of the family, this is a part of your life” philosophy. When my kids hit 5th grade, they get a monthly salary, from which they pay for friends’ birthday gifts, school skating trips, etc. But that, my friends, is a different post for a different time.
Have fun cleaning!
-Kirsetin
Bikini, Tankini, Martini??
When the beautiful season of summer finally arrives in the cold Midwest, I’ve already been itching to hit the lake for months. The sand between my toes, the sun on my face (sunscreen, I know!), and my kids laughing like crazy—there’s nothing else quite like it. But before I go, I must tackle the dreaded task. You know the one, right? It’s the task that forces you to stand under horrid lights that magnify every real and imaginary fault you’ve ever despised about yourself. It’s the annual buying of the bathing suit.
For a couple of years, I avoided this task altogether. A few years ago, I found a great swimsuit: a perfect fit and complementary to boot. So for the next two summers, I bought suits off the rack, avoided the dressing room, and, mostly, wore my old suit. But, despite their unreasonable price tag, swimsuits aren’t known for their long life and before long I was forced back into the small room with bad lights and a very large mirror.
The mirror reveals, like no other can, that, yes, I have had three children. And although I exercise and eat healthily, I’m not a fanatic. My body is far from ideal, and the sacrifices required to attain that look of perfection are just too high: come Saturday, I’d like to have a burger with cheese, thank you very much. Preferably with a nice cold beer.
So what’s a mom to do? Break out the bikini, go for the tankini, get out those swimshorts, or just behind an oversized beach towel? Well, whichever floats your boat, I think. You’re a big fan of the Lilly Pulitzer suit? Buy one. Love the shorts with the bikini top. Go for it. Just feel better in a one piece with a sarong? Slip it on. As for me, perhaps I will brave a bikini on occasion, but for now, I think I’ll stick with the suit I found this year, which I’m quite happy with: a polka-dot bikini top with a swim skirt.
How about you? Am I wrong? Is your motto “No Pilates, No Beachwear”? Do you prefer a cute cover-up, regardless of the temperature? Share your thoughts on your blog for a chance to win $150 VISA gift card to spend on your new beach gear, and be sure to leave us a comment so we know where you stand.
This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by BOCA.