Mar. 23, 2009 - Getting Organised #2 - Chore Charts

My first task was to print my calendars.  I now have plotted in all the regular standard, week by week commitments I have:

Parenting courses and monthly Mums Support Night

Creative Memories workshops

Homeschool Co-op / or Support days

Family Birthdays

MDO – Mother’s Day Off (I have joined a craft group that gets together once a month)

I have also translated them to my online calendar as well.  (Which isn’t always that great of an idea since I’ve been without internet for 2 days!!)

Anyway getting organised #2 task is to print off my kids chore charts and my housework chart.

Last year we went to a chore system where the kids were responsible for one area of the house for a week.  During that week they would deal with the daily cleaning up as well as the bigger cleaning tasks that happen once a week.  Come Saturday morning they need to check their list and if there was something that didn’t get done then Saturday morning was the morning to finish it all up.  This works well.  Daniel and Nomi are at various levels of training with these chores which means I still need to be involved, supervising or working with them, when they are rostered for those tasks.  Josh and Jess can do everything independently.

We have three chore times a day

• After breakfast
• After lunch
• Before dinner

Though they also have times of personal responsibilities before breakfast and after dinner where they deal with getting dressed, personal hygiene, their bedrooms and desks, exercise and their devotional time with God.  My friend has her children follow the Flylady principle of getting clothes ready for the tomorrow the night before.  We do this on Saturday, for Sunday, but not any other night – maybe we should.  I know it would help my mornings.

The second chart that I’m printing off for my control journal is my overall housework chart.  I fluctuate between calling this my homeblessing (aka Flylady) or my housework chart.  I tend to think that work is not a dirty word and it is good to remind myself that I need to get in and work!!  My husband has aspects of his job that is simply hard work and that he doesn’t particularly enjoy.  Maybe home-work is a good compromise – it is the work that makes our house a home!  I am only playing around with words here.  It doesn’t matter what you call it – it has got to be done, and if it is done with a loving heart all the better!