Who loves chores? Me neither! | Gilbert Family Photographer

Like most people, I'm not the biggest fan of chores...it's like that thorn that you can feel but just can't get rid up.  The basic chores that have to be done in my house daily seems standard: dishes, laundry, vacuum and clean bathrooms.  I swear, I spend the majority of my days doing nothing but that.  But it's the bathrooms that  is almost the most annoying. Trust me....I figured out a while ago the brilliance in buying paper plates in bulk at Costco to cut down on the dishes that build up in my sink. (please don't judge:)) Then I'm left thinking, cleaning bathrooms wasn't TOO bad until my son was potty trained.  Now, it's just about every day I think,  "how in the world did pee get .... (insert any random preposition and noun and you've got the idea) ?"   Then to have one of my daughters tell me: Cashlyn: Mom, there's pee on top of the toilet.  Me:  I know honey.  It was your brother, I'll get it cleaned. Cashlyn: No mom, there is seriously pee on top of that tall thing on the toilet. Me:  Huh?  (still thinking it's just the toilet seat) And I keep going about my day. To then get their bath ready and see that there literally WAS pee on top of the water storage tank.  HOW in the world did pee get on top of that?  Actually, my imagination thinks of some invisible sword fight idea my son must've had midstream. Then I think, I wonder if he was  seeing how high he could pee...then making me think I better clean the wall too. Never in a million years did I think that would be a thought I'd be having as a mom.  A thought of trying to solve the random problem of the how's and why's of pee getting on top of the toilet tank. I probably should've apologized at the start of this blog post, but honestly, I wasn't planning on writing what appears to be bathroom humor...I just started on the pain in the butt (no pun intended) of having to clean the bathrooms daily.  But then again, I also never thought the majority of my conversations with my friends would revolve around venting about the million ways boys pee and to boys it's a game that they hope to win a trophy for peeing in a place it's never been before. To then only find out, when talking with my friends that have boys, that it's a standard confusion moms have. Just before my twins started school, after two months of uninterrupted time with my kids, I was reaching my limit with how many times I begged nagged told them to clean up after themselves in the bathroom.  It was then that I laid in bed complaining to my husband that it was driving me insane.   Almost on a daily basis my kids beg me to do chores! I know crazy huh?  They have no idea what they were saying.  And then the clean, organized freak that I've bottled up since having children thinks...um, hell yeah I think it's time I cash in on the fact I have three willing children to do the tedious things that annoy me.  Or as my older sister would say...cashing in on the dividends of having children.  I told the kids sure...they could start with cleaning the bathroom sinks and toilets with Clorox wipes.  But, my husband stopped me there...he wasn't a fan of them cleaning the toilets.  I can't blame him.  But sinks...that is totally doable or them.  Doable for them to clean off the crusted toothpaste from the night before.  That's when Pinterest and I started our intimate relationship beyond it's decorating and fashion inspiration I craved every morning while I drank my coffee.  I swear, Pinterest is a genius invention.  Obviously, there are a gazillion types of chore charts and ideas for teaching children responsibility and ownership for the house they live in.   After pinning several, I found a few that I thought were simple enough to create on a weekly basis. Here's the printable chore chart I decided on.  Also a bonus that it will reinforce the twins remembering abbreviations for the days of the week.

You can find the link to print the chart:

HERE

The chores I started putting on their charts are basic daily tasks really.  I listed what they need to do each day, with the idea of keeping the chores part of their daily routine for the required amount of time it takes for a behavior to become a habit.  Once they've passed the time it takes for it to become a habit, I'll take two of the listed tasks away and add two new ones.  With the hopes that once it becomes a habit, I won't have to nag them daily to do.  

Here are my kids chores:

Put away backpack

Empty lunch boxes

Clean room before bed

Brush teeth (AM & PM)

Put dirty clothes in hamper

I then added a bonus that the kids would earn money for each chore they did each day.  They only get reminded once to do the chore and then after that if it's not done, I won't sign off on the chart for that chore.  

Then on Sunday, I pay out for each chore done on each day.  I'm a cheap parent...the kids get paid a quarter for each chore each day.  I pay them out with different combination of coins. They then can count out the coins to trade in for dollar bills.  Making it a lesson in counting money.

I also found this fun chore chart system below, which I love.  But, I'm realistic about what's doable for me.  I have this habit of planning crafts to make but when it comes down to actually doing it, I find myself suddenly scrubbing the inside of my washing machine to avoid having to actually commit to making it. I think in time, I'll definitely make it but for now...what's realistic is being able to send the chart to my printer to have it made in a few seconds.  

How fun does this look for the kids though?  The best part about this chore chart is the brilliant woman behind this creation gave step by step directions for making it and lists the supplies needed.  You can find the information HERE on the blog, A Lemon Squeezy Home.

And this chart too!  SO cute and fun.

The best part about these charts is they can be bought off an Etsy store called Abbie's House  HERE.  

 She also sells these adorable chore magnets HERE.

I have this girlfriend that I truly believe is the most organized and prepared mom I know.  Granted, she has three kids in school that have her driving every single direction for hockey, gymnastics, swimming and anything else you could think of so she has to be organized.  But seriously, this friend is efficient and organized.  One day we were talking about chores and she sent me a link to an idea for kids to do extra chores if they wanted to but it wasn't expected.  I fell in love with the idea.

Basically, creating a board with "work for hire" for chores that are expected of them but they can choose to do and earn extra money for it.  I decided to make this board with the chores:

Clean all bathroom sinks

Clean bathroom mirrors

Vacuum family room

Empty bathroom trashcans

Homemade by Carmona pretty much spells out every detail needed to help parents teach their children to be helpful around the house.

This chart idea is part of her smart chore system that you can read about HERE.

Also sharing a few fabulous links for ideas for creating age appropriate chores for children of all ages.

Age Appropriate Chores   HERE

If you haven't heard of the Over the Big Moon blog.....it's created just for moms!
 Pre Kindergarten Chore Charts on   HERE

Who doesn't love to have another creative mind give amazing ideas for you to make your own chart chart?

Love all the choice that were listed on the Somewhat Simple blog....you can find the details  HERE

I had plans on sharing a picture of the chore system I have in place for my kids...and I promise I will.  Right now it's a super slow process getting back into an structure in the midst of the organized chaos in my house!  How about this, since I'm writing that I'll post a picture...writing this will hopefully keep me accountable ....with a goal of say....um, Wednesday! 

Happy Monday everyone and I hope any mom's out there find it helpful!