New Washer

Last Friday I went to home depot and walked out with a piece of paper. It just didn't seem real but then on Thursday when a big delivery truck showed up at my house it was real. I now have a washer that cleans clothes not pretends to. I love how big it is and how much I can fit in it without over loading it.

Thanks Sweetie.


Before






After

How Things Work

I know a lot of people that have male and female jobs around the house. Well here is a different story. There is not a job that I won't do if I can do it and very few that I can't. If I can do it I do. I take out the trash, I don't think that my hubby even know when trash day is. I change light bulbs, cook, Hang pictures, clean bathrooms, take the car to get the oil changed, kiss boo boos, Do mounds and mounds of laundry every week, But I only put away mine and my sweeties the kids do their own. vacuum, sweep and mop , wash wall. Mow the lawn (when we have one), wash windows. You get the picture.

I have tried to teach this to my kids also and they do every thing that they are asked to do.

Is there any job that you won't do? how do you split up the work at your house?

And I thought getting ready was the work

Well after 2 1/2 weeks of vacation, it is nice to be home. But I thought it was a lot of work to pack. It is just as hard to unpack, This is what my kitchen and mud room looked like last night.





This is what the kitchen looks like now. If only I had the mud room done too.

How to have kids help with Chores.

I recently asked for help on what to teach and now I thought I would tell you what I taught.


How do I get my kids to help with chores?

I believe that chore charts are a great way for kids to learn to help. They can get very elaborate but I like mine very simple. My last one was two circles, one about 9 in diameter and one about 4 in diameter. I drew a "X" on both and on the little one I added a name in each of the sections and on the larger on I wrote two chores around the edge in each quarter. I then poked a hole in the middle of both and added a brad. I turn the circle each week to tell the kids which jobs are theirs.

Another is just a simple list that they need to check things off as they do them. This is how my mother did chores on Saturdays. The list would look something like this.

Bedroom
Assigned room
Laundry
Kitchen Chore
Extra

We had to put our initials next to each chore that we finished. Let me explain each chore on the list. First is bedroom, Every child should be responsible to keep their own room clean. This includes putting laundry in the hamper, keeping toys where they belong, making their bed and vacuuming along with any other clutter.

I assign each of my kids a room in the house that they need to keep clean. Right now they are the Kitchen, living/dinning rooms, Office, Playroom. They need to keep them picked up all week but on Saturday mornings they need to be cleaned, dusted, vacuumed.

Next on the list is Laundry, I do the wash in our house but I do not put it away for my kids. They need to make sure their laundry is put away.

Also Extra, this can be a chore of my choosing. I choose things like sweep the patio or organize the bikes in the garage.

Next is kitchen chore, this is a job that helps keep the kitchen running smooth. In my house these are empty dishwasher, set table, clear table, empty trash. These need to be done daily, sometimes more, for example on weekends we eat more at home so we have more dishes, the table needs to be set and cleared for each meal.

Some people put all the jobs in a jar and have the kids pick out which ones they want to do. First come first pick. I have never used this but I think that it definitely would work.

I also think that having a hubby that helps with chores is a good example for kids too. My sister has a great way to have her husband help. Some times husband want to help they just don't know what chores would be most beneficial for them to do. My sister a a list on the fridge for her husband. It has things on it like vacuum the living room, or clean the front bathroom, but also has things Like Kiss your wife.

Before a child can clean a room they need to know what is expected to be done in that room. Here is an example that my sister has of this.

Cleaning the Bathroom

Quick Clean- Time estimate 4-5 minutes per bathroom
Put dirty clothes in the dirty clothes basket
Wipe down the sink and toilet with Clorox wipes
Spot clean the floor with Clorox wipes
Empty trash if needed
Straighten towels

Deep Clean- Time estimate 10-15 minutes per bathroom
Put dirty clothes and towels in the dirty clothes basket
Spray mirror with Windex and wipe with paper towels until streak free
Sink:
Take everything off the sink
Spray with Clorox cleaner or bathroom cleaner
Wash sink with cleaning cloth
Rinse all soap off
Dry with a different cloth
Put Soap, etc. back on the sink
Toilet:
Spray all levels with Clorox cleaner or bathroom cleaner
Wash each level with cleaning cloth- starting with the top
Rinse all soap off
Dry with a different cloth
Spray bowl cleaner, let set, wash bowl with toilet brush
Tub:
Spray with Clorox cleaner or bathroom cleaner- including handles and faucet
Wash with cleaning cloth
Rinse all soap off
Dry handles and front ledge with a different cloth (the rest can drip dry)
Empty Trash, Put in new trash sack
Put new towels on the racks
Floor:
Move mats to another room.
Mix Pinesol with water (about 4 lidfuls to a dishpan)
Wash down floor with cleaning cloth
Try not to leave a lot of water on the floor.
Let dry

Having a list like this for each room is useful when teaching kids how to clean a room, when Hubby wants to help, or as a reminder to kids of what they need to do.
Also having the time estimate is important info. If it only took 5 minutes to do the deep clean, it probably was not done correctly.

Other things that I talked about. Age appropriate jobs. My 3 year old can help empty the dishwasher. I have a friend that has all of her dishes that are used for setting the table in the lower cupboards so that her kids can reach them. The older the child the more they can do. They can also help teach the younger kids by having them help a younger sibling with a chore.

Which brings me to my latest things that I have been doing at my house. Having kids work in pairs. Who wants to work alone? I don't and I have found that my kids work better when they work in pairs. But if one is doing more of the work, or one is not working on the chore they get to finish by themselves.

The Last thing is rewards. Should I pay my kids for jobs done around the house? I don't. I believe that they need to contribute to the workings of our home. But there are extra jobs that can be done after the assigned ones that can earn money. An example of this would be Ironed shirts is worth 50 cents. This is not to say that I don't think rewards are a good thing. Family activities are a great reward, "when the Saturday chores are done we can go swimming or have a picnic" are great rewards and motivators. I remember Saturdays as a kid when my Dad would hand out heresy Kisses to those that were working. Another sister has a marble jar that she adds a marble to it when she sees kids working with out reminders or when kids helping others with their jobs. When the jar is full they have a Ice cream party. I think that the best reward is just to say Thanks and give your kid a hug.

I hope this helps, or gives you things to try. Remember it is a work in progress, teaching kids always is.

Productive Mondays, not so Tuesdays

I Haven't been able to figure this one out but it seems to be true on more often then not.

I wake up Monday and get so much done, For example yesterday I cleaned the kitchen that included all the dishes from Sunday, Floors and even both trash cans, 4 bathrooms, worked out, played tennis, put puzzles together with 3yr old, finished the baby quilt I was quilting, finished sanding the dresser I am refinishing, got 4 kids to and from school, Vacuumed and dusted the living room, office and dinning rooms, plan and had Family home Evening and watched kids play out front.

Now it is Tuesday and there are still things that need to be done, laundry, bind the quilt and another one, vacuum bedrooms, workout, and the list goes on but I don't want to do it. I don't want to do anything, OK maybe finish the dresser, I am ready for 7 yr olds clothes to not be in piles or should a say pile in his closet. We didn't bring his old dresser when we moved last December. But the modivation just isn't there.

OK ,OK Ill get up and do something, I cant get dressed until I work out and I can't go buy the stain until I'm dressed. so I guess it is work out. Maybe that will motivate me. LOL

Need Help

I was asked to teach a mini lesson on having kids help around the house, Brian laughed and I said OK if you really want ME to. Brian's next comment was along the lines of "is this one of those lessons that is really for the one giving it?"

Well I need your help. How do you involve your kids? and what have you tried that doesn't work?

Any thoughts are welcome.

Lydia

Great Kids

This weekend I was pleasantly surprised by all of my kids. Saturday morning I said it is time to clean and they ALL helped. They went from room to room and all helped. I usually have to keep reminding one or two that it is cleaning time but they all worked until the whole house was clean. It was great. and I only cleaned one toilet. I think that it works better for my kids to have everyone help with everything then they can do the job they like and yet it all gets done, instead of having each one clean a room where they have to do it all. They really worked great together to get it all done. Then we went swimming. But they didn't know we were going until I walked out in my suit and cover and asked who wanted to go with me. It was a great Saturday and my house is still OK today. Which is Great for me.

Broken Dryer

As I moved laundry yesterday I took the clean dry clothes out of the dryer and put in the load from the washer. My dryer wouldn't start. You can just imagine the things that went through my head, hanging clothes until it is fixed, using a laundromat for a family of 8. I tried everything I even flipped the breaker, but nothing worked. I didn't even put a new load in the washer, why have two wet loads?

I finally just walked away and said then my sweetie gets home I have him look at it. Then my 3 yr old asked to watch Dora, we went to the living room and I tried to turn on the TV but it didn't come on either. I looked at the computer and the screen was black, wait no lights are on, my mind suddenly was calm, the dryer wasn't broken the power was out. I have never been more thankful for a power outage even on a hot day. Even if it was out for several hours at least I had a dryer when it turned back on.

Everything has a place and everything in its place

With lots of kids around they have LOTS of stuff. I know that if things have a place, it is easier to clean it up. I have several rooms that I have organized so that everything has a place. This weekend I worked on my mudroom. It seems there are a gazillion coats,sweatshirts,rain jackets, shoes, galoshes. So how to organize them.

I went and bought a 12inx10ftx1in board and had it cut into two pieces. I also got 8 hooks and a can of paint. I went home and painted the boards and put the hooks on and had them hung on the wall one lower for teh little kidsand one high for the bigger kids. I also had a good friend make vinyl letters that said "home is where you hang your stuff". and a little name for each of the hooks. I love it and now there are not coats all over the floor or on the one hook that was on the door that the little kids couldn't reach. Now I need to figure out how to store all the shoes. any suggestions?

Black Eye

I had my 10 and 5 yr olds wash the glass sliding doors to the playroom and they must have done a great job. 11 yr old came running around the couch and ran straight into the glass door, bounced off and hit the floor. Yes she hit it that hard. The door is still on one piece bit, she has a nice shiner. I'm sure she is liking long bangs today.