Chore chart

I made a new chore chart. I've made a LOT of different chore charts. They work for about a week, but things start getting skipped, and then forgotten. I start creeping back into the kind of mom I never wanted to be. The yelling, nagging mom. YUCK!

This time things are different and it is working so well. We are almost a month into it and going strong.

So what's different, you ask? SIMPLICITY!

My big-picture goal is not to teach the kids to get rewards for doing what they SHOULD do. My goal is to get the kids to do their part in this family, and to learn how to do these things before they are adults. I want them to reap the benefits of a clean home, and to learn how to stay on top of tasks so they don't snowball into giant messes. I want them to learn organization and routine.

This shouldn't be a complicated thing, filled with 20 daily steps, graphs, and nightly check marks or stickers. That can be overwhelming to a kid and redundant for mom.

So here is my simple solution. Aside from being responsible for your own bedroom, there are 4 rooms in my home that require daily upkeep.

Kitchen

Laundry

Den (family room)

Bathroom

It just so happens that we have 4 able bodies in this house. (Cutecumber gets to plead BABY on this one).

Here is what I made:


It's a big thrift shop cork board spray painted white, and then I just wrote the rooms and lines in permanent marker. Each person is assigned a room for the entire week. Then on Sunday, we rotate everyone and they get the next room in line.

Here is a close up (sorry for the poor quality pictures, my light just burned out in there and its the florescent kind so I have to wait for my honey to get home to change it.)

I plan on making the little note permanent, but I wanted to make sure it all works before I take the time to write it out. It's a basic description of what needs to be done in each room during the week. Then I made a tag for everyone and they got to pick the picture used.

Mom-owl (cause I'm wise duh)
Dad- Darth Vader
Ms. Thang- Skelanimal dog (google it if you don't know, she's loving these right now)
Scientist- low rider
Cutecumber - smiley face (couldn't leave her out even if she can't join)

I love that my nagging has gone down so much since this started. If Ms. Thang has the den for the week, SHE reminds everyone to pick up their toys when they are done because SHE is the one that has to clean it up if they don't. It's magical!

I also like that I'm cooking more. Not only do I cook on my week, but on the weeks that the kids have the kitchen, Honey and I spend quality time teaching them how to make meals and they enjoy helping. My Honey loves to cook, and his week is filled with delicious, fattening foods. He used to do almost all of the cooking, so it helps that we have 3 other weeks out of the month to even all that out with some healthier choices lol.

I still do a lot around here, and some of the kids chores need my help, but it's always more fun to take something on with a partner. There is just overall less to do because the kids honestly create less mess now, and have started to form a routine of picking up things after using them. It's becoming habit!

I'm being appreciated for things I do that they thought were "so easy" and I am a happier person. I have more time to smile, laugh, and talk with the kids. I don't feel so behind and I can do the deep cleaning that I used to skip over because the little things are getting done. I finally found the chart that works for us.

*I feel like I should throw in that we got rid of cable around the same time I created the new chart and that helped us have TIME for chores and time to cook/clean together. We are our own daily sitcom and it's a great show! I'm really in love with the characters. :)