Chores

**This is the first post in a new series I am trying to do. This blog is basically my journal / family history. Sometime I want to bind it into a book. Some things that I think are really interesting in reading family history is what every day things they did. Not just special days or fun trips, but what a normal, boring, average day looked like. So that is what I want to do periodically here. These will probably be boring to most everyone, hopefully until 100 years from now when my great-great-great-grandkids read it!**



Can you tell just from looking at this picture that I was (am still at heart) a teacher. I think that some people are born (or maybe they just become) some things. Some people are natural scrapbookers / designers, some are natural organizers. There are lots of things that I see in other people that I wish I could get as easily as they seem to, but for me, I think like a teacher. I have a hard time making the cute-designed-hip-modern stuff, but I certainly can design like a teacher!

This is how we do chores at our house. I have no idea how others do chores for their kids, but after a few years of trial and error, this system works pretty well for our family. Each day the kids have their chores that need to be done. They have to have that days chores plus the everyday chores/homework done before they can either play on the computer or watch tv. At our house tv time starts at 5pm and goes until dinner is ready around 6pm. We discovered that we really like this because I can cook in relative peace, and when Jonathon walks through the door he isn't bombarded by children.

Starting at 5pm they also each get 15 minutes on the computer. On the little chart next to the day of the week is how we tell who goes first. We weren't doing this a few weeks ago, but those extended snow days put too much pressure on the kids kindness at computer time. So now everything is fair and square. I even set the timer. Each kid-15 minutes. They know that they can't do "Just I minute mom, I need to finish this one thing!" They've tried it a few too many times! :)

Their chores are pretty easy. They grumble a lot, but I can't imagine that any of the chores will kill them. They are partly in charge of their bathroom. Mostly it just means that they wipe down the sink and the potty with a wipe (2 wipes, one for potty, one for sink.) Aspen is in charge of collecting all the garbage on Monday then bringing the empty garbage can from the curb to the garage. She also gets to clean out the hamster cage once a week. This one takes the longest, but she really likes it. (which is good!) Olive has a lot of vacuuming the couches. Since we have a cat, I like to have the couches vacuumed. Especially during the spring when she sheds. Olive also gets to clean out under couch cushions. It's amazing how much stuff migrates down there! Cedar and Aspen get to vacuum their room on Saturdays and lucky Cedar gets to strip the beds down and bring the laundry down to the washing machine.

Each year on the kids birthday they get another chore. I know, what a birthday present! But, they also get a raise in their allowance. We pay $1.00 per year old. I know, slave labor. But for now, what we really want to teach them is to pay tithing, and to save. Though they are learning from each other the pitfalls of borrowing money and being in debt. I figure for now, that all of their needs and most of their wants are being met so they don't NEED much money. Someday they will want to do more, so we will tackle that monster only when we must!

ps-Do you like how Olive signed her name on the chore chart. I asked her if she wanted to redo it and put the e on the end of her name. She said no, that you don't need the "e" in cursive.