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!

I Learn from My Kids

This little boy is a happy boy. Content. Giggles to himself when he sees something mundane. Grins at a glimpse of someone he loves. Chuckles when he gets to hold a sippy cup and *attempts* to get water out of it. Sure he has his moments of discontentment and grumpiness (ie. when he is hungry or tired), but for the most part, he is happy to just go along with whatever we are doing. Happy to just experience whatever life throws at him. 

I admire that. 

I learn a lot from my kids. And not just patience or endurance. They truly are amazing little people. Motherhood is so very humbling. 

8 Months Bawlin

When a sweet boy turns 8 months and his mama wants to document his cuteness for posterity...and the perfect natural backdrop presents itself for a flattering photo shoot...naturally, one can expect the little boy to feel less than excited about his moment of stardom. 

tears, tears, tears, and more tears ensue

but wait... what is that?

that looks like something I might want to touch...

nope, false alarm. Back to bawlin.

Inniswood Metro Garden--- Splendid in Spring!

  Last year we visited Inniswood Metro Garden in mid-May, just after the bulbs were gone and the tree buds were changing to tender young leaves. It was lovely, but I saw the skeleton stems of tulips that had already spent their blooms and blossom carpets wilting on the ground, and I longed to see the gardens in all their spring splendor. Catching the tulips and trees in peak bloom has been on my bucket list since then!

 We met up with some med-school friends for lunch and frolicking through the gardens. Emmett slurped down his 2nd 'pouch' puree like a pro, then army crawled right over to 6-month-old J to swat at his head. :) Linz and I chatted while our children ran all over the place, just thrilled to be outside. I don't know that very much lunch was consumed, though Caroline did eat at least a bowl full of grape tomatoes that Linz brought!

  aren't those trees gorgeous? That tiny dot up there is Caroline, eager to get going. 

 some kind of Trillium, don't remember the exact variety. 

 We were watching a frog when this snake left the reeds and slithered out into the water!

 The girls were fascinated by the snake and quite concerned for the safety of the frog. The snake did not seem to be aware of his amphibious neighbor, however, so no graphic trauma ensued. 

 So many varieties of tulips. Aren't these pale yellow ones so cheerful?

  Emmett was in pretty good spirits, especially after we stopped for a couple of milk breaks. 

 He likes to peek back up and flirt with me while I push the stroller.

The kids loved this cute little gazebo house. It reminds me of a birdhouse. 

  

  The stone retaining walls were perfect balance beams. 

 Caroline was REALLY excited about the "rainbow flowers!!!" and wanted to get her photo taken with them. 

   Gwen practices ballet moves every time I try to take her picture now. If I don't want ballet poses, I have to take sneaky pics. 

  This was one of 2 highlights for the kids: a water activity with locks and wheels. Very cool! Everyone got wet, there were several bouts of tears and splashing, and more than one apology needed, but it was a blast and the kids played here for almost an hour. 

  Gorgeous tulips here too. 

  and a sweet little mini 'house'

 clearly, I am not a selfie proficienada (yeah, I just made up that word), but I adore Linzi and am so glad we got together to strengthen our beautiful friendship in such a beautiful place. And I love this picture because it is of US, even if it isn't super flattering. What matters to me is the relationship and the memories and I love this gal!

 Gwen hopping over a little stone bridge. 

 cool little stream-waterfall thing

and an imperfect pic of my three wonderful children (hey, even though I only got 1 of Caroline's lovely eyes, at least no one is blurry! I'll take that miracle!) Emmett is even smiling despite the fact that he was refusing to nap and was a grumpy pants by the time we took this photo on our way home. But more on Emmett and photography in another post. 

When I am outdoors among all of God's creations, I am calm. It helps to put things in perspective, reminds me to keep cultivating the sweet tender 'plants' in my family, and encourages me to take every opportunity to appreciate the moments blooming RIGHT NOW. Each season quickly fades into another, each blossom is so fragile. And I'm grateful for my blossoms. I am blessed. 

*contended sigh*

Isn't spring wonderful?

Spring Exploring

Spring is upon us (finally!) and we are loving the color and outdoor exploration!

flower-themed ABC practice

flower pattern-making

little daffodils (these were made at book club--- all the kids wanted to use these mini cupcake liners because they were so cute, though the flower size would look better with regular sized liners)

Gwen has been enjoying our rainbow of flowers

Caroline is loving running around outside and looking at the dirt in the sidewalks

trees need to be smacked by sticks. It is a right of childhood passage, I think. 

We had a week themed around rain and rainbows. I happened to have found these rainbow water beads on clearance (SCORE!!!) and pulled em out to do a little 'science' activity. See how small they start out? This is awesome...

Caroline and I talked about what she thought was going to happen and defined that as a 'hypothesis'. 

She was pretty excited to see them growing bigger only 20 minutes later. 

 

After 2 hours, they were huge! and they have this AMAZING tactile feel that just demanded exploration. Lots of squishing and sorting ensued. 

They tried to sort out which colors grew the largest and which ones remained the smallest. 

Moving the beads from one receptacle to another was just pure joy. I couldn't believe that these 15 cent things could keep my kiddos entertained for OVER AN HOUR!!!! Now THAT is a fabulous kid activity! :)

ps. you know what else is cool? They shrink back down as the water evaporates!