"i just can't do everything by myself."
now, my kids are great helpers.
and, my husband is a GREAT helper.
but still... it was getting to be a habit that even by bedtime i wasn't finished with my daily chores.
so, we revamped.
i divided the house into ZONES and gave each kid an area.
i wrote down daily and saturday jobs for each zone... and included EVERYTHING that i normally do.
now...
i can clean, like i did before,
or, i can spend my day doing something other than cleaning.
Either way-- right before the professor gets home, the whole house is shining.
it is working well...
my kids were already in the habit of doing after school chores.
they are great chore do-ers.
this just added a bit more to their plate to take a bit off of mine.
i LOVE hearing my oldest say, "Mom, i just finished straightening the living room and ellie just drops her shoes right in the middle of the floor."
now, we SHARE the burden.
i also came up with a permanent dishes chart.
the professor said it was too hard to rotate by week or month because we'd always forget...
so we have a paper where my four oldest rotate through four jobs (unload, set the table, clear, load).
they change every day, but the chart never changes... they do the same job every monday.
so, they hop on it right when they get home.
if i set out a snack, it is the same... snack after chores.
for us, it works...
just thought you might like to see our NEW plan.
my mix of 6 also does zones... she rotates zones, and has a cute system.
i change jobs at the beginning of the school year...
I'm looking for a new chore system so thanks for posting this it looks like a great way to do it!
ReplyDeleteWe have a system that has worked pretty well for us, but I've been looking for a way to get my kids involved in doing MORE. I like the zone idea. I once read about it on Marybeth Whalen's blog (Cheaper by the Half Dozen), but that was so long ago that my kids couldn't really handle a whole zone by themselves. Thanks for bringing it back to mind...I think we're going to try it! Do your kids help with laundry?
ReplyDelete:) well, I guess I should have read your zone charts before asking about laundry. Actually, though, I was more wondering if they wash and fold?
ReplyDeletein the summer, my kids do their own laundry...
ReplyDeleteduring the school year, anna sorts every day. i wash and fold and anna puts the clean laundry into rooms. they put away their laundry (except for the stuff in their closet that is too high for them to reach).
it's not too hard having them do their own, but for me it is easier to wash one load of everyone's white stuff rather than waiting till they have enough whites on their own.
let me know if this doesn't make sense!
Jen, you are my hero! And my inspiration.
ReplyDeletemelancholyjune-- thank you!! you are sweet... please come over sometime and check under my kids' beds... perhaps i would loose hero status (but it would be fun to visit!!). :)
ReplyDelete