On my last blog post, I talked about planning summer activities for my children when they were younger.  And now that they are older, I need to back off on planning every minute of their summer.  With that being said, they will continue to do their chores as they are expected to do during the school year, and then some.  I already explained to them that I am not their maid, I am their Mom (sometimes they get that confused), and I want to enjoy my summer as much as they do and not be in the house cleaning all the time.

So we sat down and discussed how they wanted to do the chores.  In years past, I had a list of daily chores they needed to do, but I found that many of the chores needed to be done immediately, like emptying out the dishwasher, and they were at school or not home.  They also informed me they did not like doing the same chores every day.  I could understand that.  That could be a bit boring, so I changed my strategy.  We now have a plate that is on a plate stand that I write down what I need done each day.  It sits on a table in the foyer, so when they come downstairs in the morning, there is no missing the list! 

Photo by Life as A Healthy Mom

We decided that since they will be expected to do more chores, they will get an increase in allowance.  I feel it helps them budget money, understand the value of a dollar, and not have to ask Mom or Dad for a handout for every little thing.  They already know that if we are at a store and they want something frivolous, such as an iTunes™ card, they need to have their money with them.  I want my children to grow up not relying on their parents to pay for everything.  My husband and I were blessed with parents that expected each of us to get a job, pay for our own car, car insurance, car repairs (my dad showed me how to change my brake pads on my car), gas, and anything else we “wanted” once we had that job.  They paid for our needs, not our wants. Because of learning how to save and being responsible with money, my husband and I were able to buy a nice starter home at the age of 20 years old right before we married.  In a few years our children will be of driving age, and it isn’t too late to teach money responsibility.  Recently, my son received a cell phone for his 13^th birthday…..he only has been begging for one for a couple of years because “all the other kids have them”, We bought him a phone, as a gift, with the indication that once the minutes that we placed on the phone were used, he was responsible for buying more minutes. He is very careful about not wasting his minutes!! My daughter has been saving up for a Kindle Fire for the past 6 months.  With a boost of her savings from her birthday money, she was able to purchase it, and $25 in an Amazon™ card, on her own.  But I digress……back to the chores!!

Here is a list of chores that I have assigned them:

Daily: 

• Walk the Dogs
• Make Bed
• Feed Dogs/Wash Pet Bowls
• Spend 5-10 Minutes Picking up Room
• Take Vitamin (I know it isn't a chore, but I want to remind them to do it

    
      As Needed (I choose 2-3 daily)

• Dust Bedroom
• Dust Dining Room
• Vacuum/Dust Sunroom
• Put Laundry Away
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Kids Bathroom
• Wipe Down Vanity, Toilet, Mirror in Master Bathroom
• Wipe Down Window Sills in Sunroom
• Empty Kichen Trash Cans
• Vacuum/Dust Family Room
• Clean Patio Door
• Vacuum Upstairs
• Bring in Trash Cans After Trash Pickup
• Empty Small Trashcans Throughout the House

Once a Week, my son mows the grass and my daughter picks up “yard bombs” as we call them.

Ideally they should be done in 10-15 minutes, and I explained that I expect them done by 10 am.  If they are done at 9 a.m., that is even better!  By 10 a.m., they are free to spend the rest of the day enjoying the summer.  My friend, Jennifer, made a wonderful suggestion about what she does with her girls (who are of the same age as my two children).  When the girls make the choice to not complete their chores…….she docks their pay!!! Yep, if they don’t do as they are told, they do not get paid for that day.  And, if the other sibling wants to do the chore for them, she gets paid the money.  Isn’t that a great idea? So I implemented that idea into the chores requirements.

Now onto me…..I have chores too! But I organized my chores in a way that not only keeps the house in tip-top shape; it will keep me in tip-top shape too.  Here is my schedule/chores:

6:00 - 7:00          Check Computer/Read/Meditate

7:00 - 8:00           Exercise
                   

                              Monday/Wednesday/Friday-Stair Step /Weight Training

                              Tuesday/Thursday--Step Aerobics

8:00 - 10:00       Make Breakfast/Shower

                              Do Chores:

                               Dishes                             Sweep Floor                Wipe Down Counters
                               Clean Appliances          Empty Compost         Water Plants Outside
                               Wipe Appliances           Make Bed                    Wipe Down Guest Bathroom 

Once a week I pick a chore based on what needs done:  laundry, iron, thoroughly clean kids bathroom, thoroughly clean master bathroom, mop kitchen floor (that is more 2-3 times a week).

We just started this schedule, and it is working out quite nicely, so far!