New Chore Charts

Now that summer break is here, I decided it was time to reinstate the chore responsibilities for the kiddos. Last year, I made a chore list, and my intentions were to teach E and S.R. responsibility and the value of hard work, but my system was truly broken and our excitement for it lasted all of one week. 

Expecting my kids to do the same things over and over again day after day was just expecting too much. I certainly don't do the same things day after day. We all need a little variety, right?

So to fix my broken system, I searched on line for age appropriate chores. 

It's truly amazing what little ones can do...we really don't give them enough credit. If you check my Pinterest board, you can visit the sites where I found my ideas...

This particular idea came from the Martha Stewart website.

 Thankfully this little project was mostly free to me. I had one sheet of magnet paper left. I printed the kids' pictures and the chores with the money value on them(in 25 cent increments). I had blue card stock, and cut it down to size and put the kids' pictures on top and made little button magnets to hold the bottom in place. 

The paycheck pad is something made on publisher. I used Vistaprint to print the notepad. Once it arrived in the mail, I attached magnets to the back.

We are now on week three and still going strong. The kids get to pick some of the chores to do and I delegate some as well. Saturdays are for make up work because sometimes we are gone and they don't get the chance to really make any money those days.

It is amazing how much cleaner my house is now. If you haven't started making your kids do chores, you are truly missing out....and so are they!

Allowance/Money Holders

Ok, so I said I would post about these on Monday...well Monday has turned into Thursday for sure...but I am finally getting around to sharing with you our newest endeavor....allowances...enter shiver/shudder.

We now have to make our children be responsible little helpers...which makes us have to be more responsible because we have to remember to remind them to do their chores....and on top of that, we have to remember to keep $6 in 1's on hand, so that we can make sure they get their $3 a week.

Sheesh!

Who knew it was going to be this involved:o) 

I kid, I kid:o)

E and S.R. have been great about getting their chores done for the past two weeks, and we are so grateful. Not only are they learning valuable lessons in doing a job and doing it well, they are lightening the load on their poor pitiful mother;o)

So here are said money/allowance holders.

All items used to make these money holders were purchased from Hobby Lobby except the buckets. I found the buckets in the dollar section at Target.

 I've seen and heard, for the past few months, of parents using three categories...Share(or give), Save and Spend. I think that teaching the kids to divide their money up now is an awesome life lesson. The earlier they learn to save their money and to give of their means, the better off they will be when they are adults. 

Last Sunday they were actually able to give their own money to the collection plate at church. I didn't get to see it because I wasn't feeling well and stayed home, but I know that before they left for services that morning, they were really excited about giving their dollar.

It's the little things, right?

So what do you think? Are you inspired to make little helpers out of your rugrats? I promise it is well worth the effort!

 Here is a list of items if you want to make your own.

1 plywood board

3 oval shape wooden discs(optional)

scrapbook paper

letter stickers

Mod Podge

Paint for the plywood board(optional)

Drill(for holes)

Ribbon(to hang)

3 buckets with handle

3 mini cup hooks 

Wood Glue

I hope that all of you who started school this week have had a fantastic first week back. I know we sure have. I am still adjusting to getting up early....too bad I can't drink coffee...boo!

Family night tonight...I'll post recipes tomorrow...maybe;o)

Big Moments...

We have had a lot of "Big Moments" going on around here lately. Two weeks ago, I ran in my first 1/2 marathon...It was the most excruciating experience I have ever encountered. The hills and the heat were absolute torture, but I survived (barely) and have the medal to prove it:o)

These were the girls I ran with. Had it not been for my great friend Shannon(far left), I wouldn't have made it to the end. She is such a great source of encouragement and an awesome friend!!

Another big moment was my little sister graduated from college. She is the first in our family to graduate from a university. She graduated with a double major on Saturday & we couldn't be more proud of her. Especially since she was the first. My parents didn't go to college & I only went to junior college and then cosmetology school. My brother will be graduating in two years, so we are really looking forward to that!! 

The weather was wild that morning..it started out raining...and then the sun came out. Along with the sun came high humidity, high heat, and biting bugs:o) We're still scratching;o)

Here are a few candid shots of the big day...

I love this shot of my parents:o)

 The kids posing with their aunt...S.R. was freezing, so she wore my sweater.

 Here is my sister receiving her diploma.

 This is the cake I made for her. This poor thing traveled many miles to make it to it's final destination. It was two days old by the time we were able to eat it, but it was still delicious..if I do say so myself;o)

We have been so blessed with all of the big events happening here lately. 

Next week I will be completely redecorating a dear friend's house. I can't wait to share before and after pictures with you all! I am really looking forward to it!!

Have a great day!!

Taking a Minute to Breath...

This winter has been one of the strangest I can remember. It has felt like spring most of the winter months. It's been great for the kids because they have been able to spend a lot of time playing outside with our neighbors.

Yesterday, I decided I needed a break from all of the insanity that has been going on here lately...lack of sleep, and trying to catch up on that..homemakers club stuff...and then there is a certain someone's birthday coming up on Saturday as well:o)

Our neighborhood is nestled in beside a river, and there is a nice paved path and picnic tables there as well.

So we grabbed the wagon, some food & the dog and headed down to the river and had a wonderful little picnic.

I sat back, snapped pictures, and enjoyed just watching my children...just watching:o)

 E being silly, and S.R. mad because he "bonked her head."

 Flowers that S.R. picked for me

 Sweet smile

 Throwing rocks into the river

 Scosche waiting patiently as we eat in front of him:o)

 Sticks make great toys..E has a "gun"..go figure;o) And S.R. has a "smiley face."

 There is also a little playground beside the pool house, so they absolutely wanted to play on that.

 Our "Monkey" on the monkey bars...they both can cross them, and I love the look of accomplishment they have on their faces when they do!

We had a great time, and it was nice to take a moment and just breathe.

Now that our school week has officially started, it's time to hit the ground running, and there won't be any "breathing" until after the party Saturday:o)

I have a few sneak peaks that I will share with you guys as teasers throughout the week, so stay tuned!