Making It Count: Week 4: Chore Chart

It's Making it Count Tuesday! Every week, Pam and Sarah are co-hosting the Making it Count Tuesday link-up. Start with any one of those fabulous ideas you have found online. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you're done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us. Make your time online count.


CHORES!!  There are so many better things to be doing.  We are making a castle in the backyard out of boxes from the move.  I am working on an I Spy book for Joe and a really cool crayon holder.  There are new recipes to try and baseball practices.  And Tom and I just came up with a list of 52 project we need to do on the house.  But we can't ignore the housework.  This house is twice as big as our old one and the messes seem twice as big.  Dust appears the minute we sweep the floor.  With four toilets there is always one that needs to be cleaned.  And dirt dishes and laundry multiply like rabbits when I am not looking.  I need help.  Well, a professional housekeeper would be nice and is in the budget when we win the Lotto but until then I will have to turn to the underage minors living in this house (sidenote: if we win millions they still will be doing chores and they do chores now but this is a way to keep all of us accountable.)  We attempted a chore chart at the old house based on one from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  I didn't have the pocket chart so there were chore cards and tickets all over the house.  So, here is our simpler attempt inspired by the Bursett Family.

Each child will have a checklist of daily chores.  When they complete the chore, they can check it off.  At the end of the day, I will record their checks and keep a tally for the week.  From that tally they can "shop" for prizes.  I love this part of chores.  Our prizes are vouchers for activities: game night, date with mom or dad, painting nails with Mom, projects with Dad.  There are other treats like Wii (which never allow them to play alone), Nintendo DS or V-tech.  But they have to work hard to earn them.

I have another checklist for weekly chores.  I am still working on it for this house.  The kids are excited because it means more responsibility and more points for prizes.  I hope this makes the messes manageable so we can have more time for cardboard forts and other random things I find on the internet.