Chore Routine

We've implemented a new chore routine in our house and I think it's just what we needed to make our days go smoother. Please keep in mind that I don't have to have my house spotless. It has taken a long time for me to be okay with the fact that our house is "lived in" and looks like it. I don't mind a few things out here and there as long as they are currently serving some purpose. On the flip side of that, our family functions much better when things have a home and most of the things are in their home instead of just cluttering up the house.

Our kids have always had chores. I try not to complain about the kids not pulling their fair share of the load around here because all that means is that I haven't done a good enough job helping them to do so. The two oldest are perfectly capable of having chores and being really helpful around the house. Gigi has a handful of things that she can do independently too. But, they are still 7, 5 and almost 3 and need a lot of guidance which equals time. Sometimes is just easier to do it all myself...no longer!

All three kids have laminated chore cards where their daily chores are listed. Aidan and Emma help Gianna read hers and cross hers off, or I do it if I'm helping her with a particular chore. These chores are nothing out of the ordinary: make bed, put pajamas away in drawer, straighten up room before school and before dinner, etc... There is a laminated chore card in the kitchen with "extra" chores listed on it: wipe down table, clear entryways of coats/boots/etc, vacuum, take out bathroom garbage, etc... I keep track of who did what throughout the day.

Here comes the fun part. We've been on the fence about allowances. I think we've come up with our own solution to the problem. Chore dollars! Our kids earn up to two chores a day for their regular chores and one chore dollar a piece for each extra chore they do. They get to cash in their chore dollars at our "chore dollar store". For example: 3 chore dollars= 5 cow races on the Wii, 5 chore dollars=30 minutes of Wii or computer time, 15 chore dollars= help mommy make dinner, 30 chore dollars=slumber party in the living room.

The other side of this is discipline. For bad behavior they lose chore dollars. One child in particular has learned that it isn't as easy to save up for things when one forgets to watch how one treats others.

We've only done this for a day or so. Emma got sick and our routine flew out the window. I can't take complete credit for the choredollar idea. I first saw it several years ago in a homeschooling catalog (it was a book that had all the work done for you), and then a friend mentioned something about the system on her facebook page. We've adjusted the system to meet our needs and I'm hopeful that it will work.

So, that's that! Our new chore routine. Hopefully we'll have a few weeks to really get into the swing of things before the baby comes that way it won't be a total lost cause trying to keep things somewhat orderly.