Chores

Every family needs to come up with a way to deal with chores.  I admit that I have purchased and tried many different chore charts over the years.  They always seemed to include chores that we didn't do and omitted chores that I wanted to include. We've also tried  skipping charts altogether with mom simply requesting what needed to be done.  Hmm, that seemed to produce only grumbling and complaining! If your kids are anything like mine, they like to know what is expected of them. So I came up with my own chore system...

Each child of working age has an envelope with their name on it.  We post ours on the fridge.  I have 2 other envelopes, one with all the chore cards and one for completed chore cards to be placed into.  The chores to be done are written on index cards with a sharpie.  Each child has chores placed in their envelope each day, and when completed they take the card out and place it in the completed chore envelope.  I update the chores each evening before going to bed or early in the morning before the kids get up.  I can add and delete chore cards as necessary, as chores and seasons change.  This method has been easy, cheap and has really worked for our family.

Be creative in your chores.  Jot down the many little things that need to get done and begin to add them to your chore list.  We include things like start yogurt, juice lemons, match socks, wipe trim, touch-up windows, clean closet slot, watch baby during dinner prep, straighten books on shelf, collect eggs,wash eggs, collects sheets, collect towels, put laundry away, water outside plants, sweep patio... Certain chores that need to get done daily get rotated through the children, like setting the table and straightening certain rooms.  This system has helped us keep on top of the workload that comes with a big, and often messy, household...