Chore Chart Reveal

Work is good for everyone--- children included!

I have been pondering chores for about a year now. (Does that say something about how mundane my thoughts can be? ha ha!) We had a chore chart that just doesn't work for us (and hasn't for about 3 years). The girls definitely have chores and expectations, but there is so much more I'd like to teach them. Summer is upon us and I'd like to make sure they glean the blessings for working, not just playing. Also, Gwen will begin piano lessons in the fall, I want to have my kids earn some money through both assigned chores and volunteering for tasks, and I'd like to get both girls contributing in the kitchen more consistently. Right now it is kind of a "who wants to earn a penny" kind of a thing. Which implies that work is optional. Since I don't believe that is the case, I have been looking for a chore chart update.

You've likely seen these popular cookie sheet chore charts on Pinterest. Here's a great tutorial on how to make one if that floats your boat.

What I LOVE:

• super, super CUTE
• visual component for non-readers
• "to do" and "done" idea is tangible and fun for the littlest chore-doers in the family
• it is modular, so easily customizeable for each child AND each season AND even each day if there is something specific you want to assign a child. 
• I love the "extra" chores sticking to the top of the cookie sheet, so not required for that day, but still there if someone wants to earn a little something extra. Would also work to store the seasonal pieces there. 

What I'd like to change:

• not enough room for all the chores that need doin (does that make me sound like a task master?).  4 morning chores, 4 afternoon/dinner chores, 4 evening chores at the minimum. Then what about extras like helping in the garden, making dessert or preparing lessons for family night, etc? There just isn't room. 
• I fear that those cute little magnets would attract toddlers (and even preschoolers!) and would disappear under couches and beds or would be confiscated for use in the doll house, etc etc and we'd forever be replacing them or tracking them down--- and never knowing if something got done or not. 
• I would have to do a DAILY accounting of chore completion. Let me be clear: I check that chores are completed daily already. But with this system, I'd also have to financially compensate daily and reset the chore chart every night so it is ready for the next day. 

I reconsidered my desires after seeing this succinct but personalized job chart at Family Ever After. 

What I love:

• weekly accounting instead of daily
• still has images for visual component, rather than just words
• images ON the paper, so no lost chore pieces
• personalized to each child

What I'd like to change:

• just isn't as cute. Very utilitarian and efficient, but I miss the 'design' element.
• laminate and use dry erase rather than print out new sheet every week
• I don't want to specify the monetary compensation for each check mark--- right now only a penny, but that could change to a nickel or a dime if we decide to do so.
• I would miss the flexibility of having "extra" chores I can throw in intentionally (like for a seasonal garden or canning project) or that the kids could request if they are itching to earn extra cash. 

So. After much pondering, quite a bit of experimentation in Microsoft Word, Exell, and Powerpoint, and a little bit of instructional tutelage from my savvy husband, I came up with the perfect chore chart for our family.

What I love:

• it is cute, but functional
• no little pieces, but still retains the design tiles
• grouping of chores so that we pay less money (boy I'm starting to sound like a miser, eh?) 
• bottom row of "extra" chores. I can circle them if I am assigning that chore, but the kids could also volunteer to do a chore and earn the extra for it. Extras have all kinds of fun things like 'prepare a dessert,' 'water the plants,' and 'fold washrags'. 
• print out 1 per year per child, laminate, and dry erase
• weekly accounting rather than daily (accounting, payment, and proper distribution of income into saving/spending/tithing done at Family Home Evening)
• everything is saved in Powerpoint, so I can easily duplicate charts and adjust for each child as his/her abilities progress
• I prepared tiles for 'big' chores like mowing the lawn, babysitting, cleaning toilets, etc that won't be used for years to come but can be added to future chore charts. 

 Caroline's preschool-age chores

Gwen's gradeschooler chores (aren't Susan Fitch's illustrations so cute? That sweet piano...:)

 I have them trading off dinner chores so I'll be able to focus on my helper in the kitchen.

 

There's a behavior component and a lovely row of extra chores!

Here's how it all came together:

I downloaded these free printable tiles from Susan Fitch Designs-- I love her cute illustrative style!-- and she has a bunch more chores than those pictured above. But there were many tasks I wanted on my chart that she didn't have.

So I used free clipart I found online and simple Microsoft Word to build similarly shaped tiles of my own to accompany Susan's work.

Susan's tiles were ready to insert in the spreadsheet, but my homemade ones had to be 'grouped' so that when I moved the rectangle the picture and the text came with it. Kind of a pain in the rumpus if you know what I mean. But the work was worth it. Now ALL the chore tiles that I might EVER need to use are on the first page of my powerpoint. Our current chore charts are page 2 and 3. Easily edited for next year's needs, but still cute! I am so pleased with how things turned out!

Just for funzies, I made a copy of our pages but deleted the names, so if you would like a copy for your child, you can download the PDF, print out page 1 or 2 (1 for preschool age, 2 for gradeschooler), add your child's name and wualah! Sorry it isn't personalized to you... but if you want to select your own chores, feel free to follow the process I described above!

Hope you enjoy and that your little ones learn the value of working towards rewards!

Microscopic Milestones

Ever feel so great about a goal you've accomplished...
Only to realize later that compared to what you've STILL got to do, this was a minor accomplishment?

I reached a weight loss milestone Easter Sunday and was pretty stoked! Rewarded myself with a new shirt to wear and bragged to Eric so he could give me a big congratulatory high five and hug. I love how proud of me he is.

And then that night we video chatted with family... and when I caught a view of myself all the wind went out of my sails. The urge to share my 'accomplishment' with everyone fizzled. Because I don't LOOK like I reached I milestone. I don't LOOK like I've done diddly squat! And that is so extremely frustrating.

Eric reassured me that it is all mathematical equations. That when a sphere has lost half of its volume it has only decreased its radius by the tiniest percentage. (Yes, isn't my nerdy husband the cutest/sweetest thing? Who brings up math to comfort their wife? Oh, my man does. ha ha Love him!) Ugh. Thanks dear for helping me accept my current state... but you DO realize that only makes the future look even more daunting? Because by the same logic I've got a TON of work left to do before I see what I want to see in the mirror. So. Here's my pep talk to myself and any of you seeing only the long road ahead:

You've got this. Don't give up now. You're not alone. Be proud of what you've done! Gird up your loins because the next portion of the mountain climb is a steep slope... but remember the view at the top will be worth it!

And go ahead. Brag about your 'minor' milestones. :)

Ships that have Sailed

No pictures of the girls on this post. Just a lot of thoughts. Here is an instance when my blog is my journal. so only read on if you are actually interested in what goes on in my head. If not, if you just like the funny posts, you are under no obligation to continue. I promise, I won't get my feelings hurt. :)

During our long day of flying to come back out to Idaho, Eric and I had opportunity to talk about a million different things. But the one that really stuck out to me--because I haven't taken time to really think about it...EVER-- was our discussion about 'wishes' or 'desires' or 'dreams' or whatever you would like to call them. A discussion about all the possible things we almost did with our lives as far as education and profession goes. Now I'm not talking about when you are 6 and you want to be a firefighter or when you are 10 and think you will be the next Jane Goodall (um, yes, that was my goal in 3rd-5th grade). Those dreams are valid, but my thoughts revolve around the choices in HS and college that shape your 'career'. Do you ever have those 'what if' moments? Like I said, I had never really thought about all the things I almost did, until now. Suddenly 'what if' is more on my mind.

I love art. and I love biological science. In my younger years, I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. I'm not even kidding when I tell you that at the end of 10th grade I told my adviser I wanted to illustrate biology textbooks as a career. I think I would have been amazing at it. Eric tells me there is actually HUGE demand for qualified science-artists who can illustrate what the intellectuals can't. But, that ship has definitely sailed. I don't remember much biology. And this field would not afford me the interaction with people that I thrive on.

I thought about being an architect. The art and engineering was both lovely and challenging... but I was intimidated and scared to pursue such an ambitious field. Plus, BYU didn't have an architecture program. If they had, I might have given it a shot. But that ship has sailed too. I am neither prepared to go into such a rigorous field nor confident that I could design anything fabulous. I guess I will just have to be one of those admirer/critics that appreciates fantastic architecture when she sees it.

Then I was going to be an industrial designer. Again, that combination of art and science was so intriguing to me. But I got in there and realized I was not trendy enough to make really great designs, nor skilled enough to really master all the industrial materials, nor interested in the huge time commitment and ridiculous work hours. I didn't fit in the program and really didn't see myself fitting in the profession. Again, I can admire great design when I see it... but don't want to be the one making it.

I thought I'd make a pretty fabulous landscape architect because I love gardening and being outdoors. But I got talked out of it (I won't say by whom), which I think is a shame. Because I could have been great in this field. But that ship has sailed too because going into landscape would require full time education which I'm not willing to do with little kids... and let's face it, when they aren't little any more, I probably won't want to do it then either. I'll probably keep it as a hobby-- or at least be an annoying client looking over the shoulder of whomever comes to trim our trees when I'm 50. :)

I thought about floral design-- the hands on, almost sculptural elements were satisfying along with the 'outdoorsy' quality to it. The foil, of course, is the business side of things. Plus it could easily digress into floral grunt work and lose that creative, stimulating quality. It can't be all weddings and events, there are also the 'boring' bouquets and balloon thingies.

I thought about illustration because it is a career with a more stable paycheck. I could definitely have done that, and I suppose that door hasn't entirely closed, but it would require self-marketing and business sense.... which, shamefully, I don't possess much of. Which, by the way, is why I would make a terrible 'artist'. I'm not interested in trying to get into the gallery scene, which is where the money is to begin until commissions come in. And that's just it. I'm not eager to seek out commissions.

I love sculpture. That hands on thing again. And I can do it outside or work with natural materials like wood and stone that are just so satisfying. I'm very good in sculpture too, it comes naturally to me. And my work is actually-gasp-right up there with my competition instead of mediocre (like my painting). but it is a)expensive. equipment and materials. b)space consuming. equipment and materials. c) time consuming. I want to focus on my family. and d)marketing. the bane of my artistic pursuits. I guess sculpture will just remain a strong desire-- or a very expensive hobby, if we ever have the money to make that a reality.

Then there are the fields like culinary arts that would be amazing because I LOVE to cook, I love the intellectual, scientific challenge of it combined with the sculptural element to food presentation. Or there are the performing arts that I would have LOVED to actually do something with-- musical theater particularly. Though I'm not the best dancer, so that would probably have been a flop. Still, there are always community productions...

So then we come to teaching. Because that is the field I'm actually pursuing. I can take the art I love--and all those talents at appreciating good design that I DIDN'T create-- and combine it with an art history intellectualism I'm good at and teaching skills that aren't too shabby either... and voila! you've got a career that is flexible enough to allow me the familial focus I demand, stable (hopefully) so I'm actually employable, artistic but without business savvy, and intellectually challenging. I think this is the best I'm going to get at this point. And I think I'll be good at it. and I am excited to teach.

but sometimes I wonder...

especially those hands-on or science-oriented fields that would be so fun...

what if...

But you know what? An entire fleet of possibilities has sailed. And it won't do me any good to mourn their departure. I'm not on a leaky rowboat or anything, I've got a decent rig--- and my beautiful family is here with me too. So while it may not be the first dream or the most exciting or exotic dream I've had, it is a fit. And for those of you who successfully caught the ship I dreamed of catching at one time or another, I'll admit sometimes I'm jealous of you. But I also don't begrudge you your happiness. Maybe I'll take a vacation tour on one of your ships some day. In the mean time. I've got a ship to sail (aka, a paper to finish) and a family on whom I need to focus. Today is infinitely more vital than possible tomorrows of yesterday. So to all those ships that have sailed...

bon voyage.

Canning Project: Tomatoes

Labor Day Weekend Eric drove back up to Idaho to be with us. We were all happy to see him! and he got to join in the canning project of the weekend: tomatoes!

Don't you just LOVE the fact that the menfolk prep the tomatoes in the club house? Cracks me up! And as you can see, Gwen was a big help. Well, she just wanted to be where the action was... and where her Daddy was!

Uncle Collin and Daddy also worked on watering the trees in the orchard. Guess where Gwen was? Right. The water...

Eric Makes Us All Proud

Eric makes me so proud.

I don't brag about him enough in this blog. Usually posts are dominated by kid antics, photos, or random musings of my own. But I really need to take this opportunity to share some of Eric's accomplishments in the past 2 weeks.

He not only got accepted into the Landacre Honor Society (a medical research honors society), but scored a 3,000 scholarship for his excellent research in Radiation Oncology.

In the same week, he presented a poster on his research and was awarded a 500 dollar travel award so that he could present his research at various conferences.

And that day was actually my due date. (Good thing she was late, eh? Eric wouldn't have been able to present if he'd been at the hospital with me.) So immediately after scoring these recognitions, we were greeted by our lil gal. Needless to say, the emails that floated around the department about Eric's awards and his new family member were pretty impressed with all his accomplishments! Well-deserved recognition, if you ask me. He has worked so hard this year to try and boost his match potential...and it is validating to see his efforts finally bearing fruit!

We are so proud of you hon!!!!

Vice and Virtue

A quote from Friedman essay about literature, but with much greater application:

"Its vices are the defects of its virtues"

This really resonated with me. Does it ring true for you?

• 
  
  The unmotivated/unambitious vices are usually paired with the virtue of being easy going and not a worry wart.


• 
  
  The vice of being high-strung, inflexible, rigid usually goes with the virtue of being organized, planning ahead, detail-oriented.


• 
  
  The vice of being sensitive, easily hurt, emotional goes with the virtue of being empathetic, caring deeply, feeling freely.


• 
  
  The vice of being hasty, blindly jumping into things, rash goes with the virtue of being a risk-taker, brave, fearless, spontaneous, eager to see an idea to fruition.


• 
  
  The vice of timidity, inaction, lost opportunities accompanies the virtue of caution, careful research, and logical analysis before decision-making.


• 
  
  The vice of shirking work, avoiding responsibility, being light-minded, shallow, cliqueish usually goes with the virtue of being social, fun, energetic, friendly, talkative.


• 
  
  The vice of eating too much with the virtue of appreciating delicious food, being able to create delicious food.


• 
  
  The vice of laziness with the virtue of restfulness or playfulness.


• 
  
  The vice of work-a-holic, busy, forget-the-real-meaning-of-things person with the virtue of hardworking provider, ambition.


• 
  
  The vice of pack rat with the virtue of valuing memories.

I am a planner, a culinary artist, empathetic, ambitious, memory lover. Now you know all my vices too. :)

I think that when the Savior promises all our weaknesses can become strengths through His Atonement, it does not mean he will root out of us those innate characteristics so that we can no longer recognize ourselves. He will simply help us to transform them over to the virtuous side of them. We will still be ourselves, but our best selves.

New Year, New Daily Routine

Hey folks! Well, it has been a while. I think this pattern might continue for a bit. Not that any of you readers will really be interested in knowing my daily to-do list, but I think it valid for posterity to know that I was a productive queen yesterday!

I finished all the unpacking,

wrestled boxes and suitcases up into their proper nooks in the closet,

2 loads of laundry folded and put away,

2 loads of dishes washed and put away,

living room tidied up,

prepared and fed Gwen lunch,

Gwen's clothes and toys all put away nicely,

took out all the food and scrubbed the fridge

(thanks to spilled and crystalized maple syrup, this was a real elbow grease chore),

grocery shopping completed during a driving snow

(oh, and bonus, I only spent 3/5 of what I normally spend! Hooray for thrift!),

dinner made and enjoyed,

played with Gwen for hours,

Anne of Green Gables finished,

read 2 chapters in my textbook for my music class,

had a wonderfully meaningful scripture study and Sunday school lesson planning,

put away huge stacks of books at the top of the stairs,

checked email and blogs,

updated my etsy products,

requested books and music from the library,

had Family Home Evening about the Creation with Gwen,

cut Eric's hair,

wrote about 2010 goals in my journal,

and relaxed on the couch.

Whew! I felt so motivated and satisfied with my 'accomplishments'. I love being able to cross things off the to-do list! Few things are more demoralizing than working on things all day but never getting anywhere or finishing anything so that nothing gets crossed off that list. But yesterday was not one of those days. :) Here I am giving myself a very nice pat on the back. :) The only thing I didn't get done was baking a pecan pie for family night. We got over it. :)

The beginning of 2010 promises to offer many such full days to me. I hope I have the energy to take them all. I don't know. Today I'm feeling much less enthusiastic. But maybe that is because cleaning the bathrooms is on the to-do list for today? :P

Anyway, I plan to keep posting about daily life as the only form of scrapbooking, journal keeping, and family history that I'm doing right now. But I can't promise that my posts will be very frequent or very entertaining. Most likely, things will focus on Gwen. Which reminds me that I need to ask my mom for photos from our trip down to visit after Christmas. I hardly even got out my camera because my mom is kind of a shutterbug and took a plethora of photos, so I figured I'd just borrow hers. I'll share some when I get the chance.

I have a success story so I can divulge a secret!

I received a communication today. It said this:

"Congratulations! Your application for admission to the Humanities Master of Arts degree program has been approved. We are happy to welcome you and wish you the best in your future work."

That's right folks! It is official! I am going back to school for my Masters degree!
I will be studying through the
California State Dominguez Hills
distance learning program (HUX).
Why am I excited about this opportunity?

• first of all, who ISN'T excited about studying art, music, literature, history, and philosophy? I LOVE the humanities!
  
• short term goal: I'll be qualified to teach humanities and art history at a community college
• the above goal is desirable for both fun/personal fulfillment and for preparedness. It was a harsh reality when I couldn't find ANY full time job 2 years ago despite my 2 majors and years of experience
• distance learning means I'll be free to set my own hours, my own pace, my own homework schedule.
• best part is that the coursework isn't online (though resources are if I need to contact anyone quickly). I won't be glued to a computer, with all the eye and back trouble that accompany it. I can sit in a comfortable chair and read.
  
• I'll be working from home, around Gwen's nap schedule, with some Saturdays to spend in OSU's library on research.
  
• I estimate only 10-12 hours a week for school work.
  
• entire program is only 35 credits, about 2 years to a degree (not counting any time I end up taking off for baby #2)
• The program is very flexible and family-oriented, so deferring or taking breaks for important events like babies or moving won't be a huge paperwork fiasco.
  
• interesting coursework with fun classes on Mayan art history, female literature around the world, etc.
• The program design gives a broad/general base in 5 distinct humanities fields (literature, philosophy, music, art, history) but allows for specific specialization in one or two as well.
  
• I can emphasize 18 hours in Art History which more than doubles my chances of being hired as a professor at a community college post graduation
  
• I can design some of my own credits/coursework to be Asian specific if I desire (which, of course, I do!)
• the above bullet helps keep me "in the know" for my long term goal: after the kids are grown, get a PhD in Asian Art History or Asian Humanities with Korean emphasis
• There are no tests. Every grade is based on essays and papers. Since writing is my strong point, this is a thrilling prospect!
• entire tuition cost of program: 6,000 dollars! (not counting books or fees, of course) and my Education Grant after my service year in Americorps (at the YWCA) comes to 5,000 dollars... so really, we only have to dish out 500 dollars a year! :)

Well, that is it! Celebrate with me folks! Coursework begins in January!

ps. naturally, there is some apprehension. I will not have as much "free" time to do personal hobbies and projects. I'm sure there will be stressful days. I am trying to think positively, however, and view the blessings and opportunities as what they are: tender mercies from a loving Heavenly Father Who truly answers our prayers.

Biting Off More Sewing Than I Ought to Chew....

Am I allowed to say I'm growing weary of fabric? (for more than one reason. Spending 2 hours standing up ironing squares being the most current distasteful memory.) This service project is taking a lot more out of me than I anticipated. What happens when the person who is supposed to be soliciting help and encouraging others to participate stops wanting to work on things? How can I expect others to give freely of their time, talents, resources, and finances if I am not willing to do it myself? That doesn't sound too uplifting. Obviously, I don't want to give a "gift" grudgingly or with complaint. I don't want doing something for others to become a chore... That isn't very charitable at all.Perhaps, once again, I've simply bitten off more than I can easily chew? I really didn't think so when I began. I thought it was more than manageable, especially since I've been getting help along the way with cutting and tying the quilts. Even so... I think I'm gagging just a bit. Kind of like when you make a huge crock pot of soup... and then after you've been eating it for 4 days it starts to be a little bit gross to you when you serve up a bowl. I guess I've had a gutfull of sewing to last me a while. I will be quite relieved when the whole project is completed. No more piles of fabric occupying every surface in the living room. No more sewing machine on the kitchen table. No more scraps of fabrics and strings for Gwen to try to consume off of the carpet. No more quilt tops staring accusingly at me when I am doing something else besides sewing during one of Gwen's naps. *sigh*

There is still so much to be done before the quilt tying party on Tuesday, though, so I'm glad to be taking a break today til 3 by heading down to the Circleville Pumpkin Festival. Perhaps I'll feel more inclined to serve after taking some fresh air, glorious fall colors, and pumpkin joys to heart?

Hallelujah!!!

You don't realize how much you appreciate one of these:
Until you've been without a functioning one for over a month and a half!. That's my fault. Called at the beginning, they said it needed replacing, and I just waited. I was getting pretty good about a dishwashing routine in the morning during Gwen's first nap, but seriously enough was enough, especially on days after a big meal or canning adventure. Procrastination got me nothing but less time to do something fun, wrinkly fingers, an overloaded sink, and all my counter space (I don't have much of it) filled up with drying dishes. Well, okay, I also got a pretty good arm work out on some days. :)

*(Posterity, just so you know, I don't like being a squeaky wheel. I also really don't like to make phone calls, so will avoid it even if necessary calls need to be made. I much prefer written conversations, perhaps because I sound a lot more intelligent. :)*

Well, turns out I really should have called again sooner, because 2 days after the 2nd call, we got a brand new one! I've done 2 loads today and it is wonderful! (doesn't match, but beggars can't be choosers-- who cares about aesthetics when the thing actually WASHES YOUR DISHES FOR YOU!!!) Glorious, glorious, technology!!!