Chores and Choices

I have wrestled with issue of chores, allowances, etc. for quite some time now. I do not want the kids to think they deserve to be paid for doing their part in our family. So we have never given allowances, and chores consisted of them doing whatever we ask, whenever we ask. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes there is a fair amount of whining, complaining and nagging that goes on before any chores are completed.

Recently, I have started thinking that they are old enough to really help me out now, and I need to take advantage of this. I also think they need to have a way to earn some of their own money so that they can practice managing it. So, for the last four weeks we have done a chore chart and I AM LOVING IT.

I also love all the graffiti they write all over it because they love using the vis-a-vis marker on laminated paper. Hailey wrote that Kaitlin is her BFF and tried to change the diligence award to $1, while Symantha just wrote "Luv u" at the top.

Here is what I love about this plan:

1. I created it by thinking of what would help me on particular days, for example Tuesday is my biggest laundry day so I have them folding and hanging all their clothes that day.
2. They are responsible to mark things off and get them done by 7pm, for the most part I don't have to worry about it or nag or ask. They accept whatever jobs are listed that day and don't complain about them.
3. The blue areas are just things that are fun or to remind me to practice with them. 
4. Having clothes set out each night is SO helpful for us in the mornings. My girls are getting pickier about what they wear, so having them choose and me approve each night is a great routine. 
5. We still are not doing allowances, but instead they have the opportunity to earn a diligence award. That means if chores are done by 7pm without any complaining, nagging or arguing, then they will earn 50 cents. I got this idea from one of my parenting books and I love that the chores are not a choice, but how they get them done is what earns them the award - being diligent. It's not a lot of money we are giving them, but compared to the nothing they were getting, they think it is awesome. 
6. They are getting the chance to manage their money. They tithe at church, save some and think about what they might save up for. 
7. There is no more arguing and begging to help me make breakfast and dinner. They love helping me cook, and now I have a schedule of when each one is my helper, and I plan the meal accordingly. The other days, I am left alone:)

So far, so good with this plan. I just adjusted the chores again, to mix it up a little and to add a few things that once again, will help me! 

Some funny stories about their money management...  now that they have a little to manage. Hailey gave her friend Ethan at church $5, which she told me after we already had left. His mother gave it back to me when I saw her at school the next day, and we had to have a little talk about giving all of our money away to our friends!

Then, Symantha was thinking she would take some of her money to the book fair at school. She came home today with a present for me:

She bought me this cookbook for $11! Luckily, it was the buy-one-get-one deal, so she got herself a book too. She had written in it and everything. It's hard to see, but on the left side it says, "To the best mom ever." How can I complain about that! Even though she spent every last dime of what she had saved up for the past few weeks. Like I said, I guess we get to learn about money management through this process.

March 10 on 10

Addi's breakfast

Farmer Boy (Symantha has been telling us how to "break the oxen", could be useful information someday)

Transportation week at preschool

 

Recess before the storm hit

Lunch date

Kitchen planning meeting

Waiting at Canopy World

Grandma's handmade slippers for little feet

Letter announcing Hailey is on the "Wall of Excellence"

Showers, followed by homework

Alone

I am very rarely alone. I am usually good with this, because I have never been the kind of person who really likes to be alone. I love noise and busyness and people and so on. But the prospect of joining Derek on this business trip to Arizona, where he would be working all day and I would be totally on my own, sounded pretty great. What would I do with only myself to worry about all day long? Go on an adventure, of course, and mix in a little relaxation along the way. I threw my camera over my shoulder and headed out.

The mornings were started perfectly with coffee, breakfast, my book and the sunshine. I tried not to feel like a big nerd taking pictures of random things while I was all by myself, so I got pretty tricky at pulling my camera out and taking a quick shot without even looking through the camera. But who wouldn't want this lovely sight documented (don't answer that)?

Then on to mountain climbing. Ok, maybe not a mountain but some sort of steep, rocky peak. Gave me a good work out and more chances to snap photos.

The views at the top were so great, and I found my own little rock to sit on and bask in the sun for a while.

Then I headed to the Beach park. This was about the time that I started talking to myself. I had no one else to talk to, and I just started doing it without even thinking about it. There was usually no one around to hear my random musings, and I learned to keep them in check.

I was still blissfully happy, as you can imagine. 

After some more exploring, I headed back to the hotel for a little poolside reading. Now it really wasn't warm enough to be in my bathing suit at this point (it averaged around 70 by about noon), so I don't want to deceive you with this picture. I had capris on, but it was perfect to sit and read in the sunshine. Have I mentioned the sunshine yet? 

The bummer part of this beautiful day was hunting for thai food, which I was so excited for, and then discovering it was not good. Worst thai food I had ever had - blech. I made up for it with some ice cream on my way home. This was a great time for shopping through the little town. I loved that everything was perfectly in walking distance.

The next day, I masqueraded as an ASU college student and went on campus. I totally fit in. Well, maybe not totally. I kind of felt like everyone knew I was an imposter, but I'm pretty sure that was just my imagination. I'm hoping, at least. I think I would have loved going to college there, you know, in the SUNSHINE.

And I continued to walk all over town and back. I did a lot of exploring, call me your local Tempe expert. Here I am out and about, finding more tricky ways of taking pictures of myself. The trick was always making sure I was totally by myself so as not to look like an idiot. Not sure I succeeded in that. I think I might have made fun of the person taking a picture of themselves in the door reflection.

 

By the time Derek was done with work, I was good and ready for some company. This was one of my favorite meals, at a place called House of Tricks, which is outside on this nice patio.

We did have all day Sunday together and each evening, so I wasn't alone all the time. It was just so foreign to have 8 hours to myself! It was a nice change of pace, and I appreciated it for a couple of days. Such a great blend of time together and time to myself.

From snow to sun

Last week was cold and snowy. I was stuck on my mountain for most of the week and going a little stir-crazy. There were some fun times playing in the snow, like these pics show, but it was REALLY cold so these outside times never lasted long.

And after the beautiful, snowy days came the slushy, yucky days. 

Which was perfect timing for Derek and I to head off to Arizona for some of this. 

Derek had work in Tempe for a couple of days, so we left Sunday morning and got back Tuesday evening. The sun made me giddy, and I couldn't have picked a better time to get to go. I spent almost every waking minute outside, and I'm not kidding, it was like an obsession.

More on my adventures later, but for now I'll just say that I love warm places. And it was very hard to come home to gloomy, gray Washington. Especially when the forecast looks like rain forever. Sigh.

However, on another note, we are very thankful for the family we have here that allowed us (me, really!) to head off for a couple of days. They are the main reason we won't be moving to anywhere warm and sunny, and I think it's a pretty good trade off :). And getting to love on our girls made home a little less gloomy. Let's just hope Spring and nicer weather comes soon. I am ready.