Chore Chart

I'm not sure what exactly is the deal, but it seems like this house is hard to keep clean. Or maybe it's just an area of discipline that I am working on.... but I would like to be more consistent about keeping up with my house. I would like it to be a place where we can all come home to and relax. To unwind, and enjoy each other as a family. A place where friends came come in at a moments notice and I can welcome them in without cringing over how my house looks, or wondering if the bathroom is clean....

My children are definitely old enough to help in this endeavor. They are almost 9 and 10, and 45 minutes a day of chores, aside from their regular chores is not going to kill them. In days gone by, as a part of our rich history it was expected of children in the family to help out with the family chores. My own grandmother had to tend the chickens and milk cows. Tom Sawyer had to whitewash the fence before he could play, and in Russia and other slavic countries the children all had "jobs" to do within the home. (I'm sure there are other countries as well, but that one comes to mind.) I'm not sure why we think that kids today don't have to do much to help out in the family. I've seen too many kids doing the minimal, and even then begrudgingly, that they have to cease playing video games for the immediate chore. Hmmf. I too have been guilty of not expecting too much from my children in this area. But not anymore. They have 14 hours a day to play, relax etc (during the summer months).... 30-45 minutes to help clean or straighten is not asking too much.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. Sorry about that.... :-) So, I created a chore chart for our week to better handle the cleaning of our home. Like I said I want to be on top of it... and not have to do these massive cleanings on weekends. I'm sure some people have used fly lady... but I'm just not into all the emails, or how she breaks everything down. It's a little overkill for me. If you want to check out how I made up my schedule click here.... it will take you to my other post that describes it more in detail.

I'll let you know how it works out. Who knows maybe in a few months it will be a Works for Me Wednesday post. Anyone else make their kids actually do chores when they are at home? I would love to know what chores your kids are required to do. Maybe it will give me some more ideas.... :-)