Turning Chores into Wars

We are the mean parents who make our kids do chores.  For one thing, I learned how to cook and clean after I was married.  I don't want my kids to be that clueless.  If that isn't reason enough, I need help and I'm not afraid to admit it.  There is no way I could the schoolwork, cleaning, cooking and everything else done without everyone else pitching in.  So our kids do chores.  That doesn't mean that we all have to hate them.

From Monday through Thursday, our kids do typical chores - take out the trash, feed the animals, and load/unload the dishwasher.  They each have an assigned laundry day to wash their clothes.  This took some time to figure out, but it's so much easier to get laundry washed and put away this way.  The kids include their towels and washcloths and once a month we add their sheets and blankets on their day.  Friday is family laundry day for me to wash everything else.

Friday is the chore day that everyone looks forward to and it's not because anyone gets the day off.  On Friday we  have Zone Wars.  These are the chores that are more than I want to tackle through the week, such as cleaning bathrooms, dusting, mopping, etc.  Before we start, each chore is rated a 1 or 2 based on the time it should take.  We change up how we choose teams, sometimes it stays the same for the entire day and sometimes it changes for each chore on a given day.  Once the chores have been rated and the teams have been picked, a team chooses the first chore.   The other team must choose a chore with the same rating and I tell them the time allotment.  For example, one team chooses to clean the guest bathroom and the other team chooses to clean the laundry room.  I give them a time allotment, generally 10 minutes for a chore this size and then they run.  Their goal is to get the room as clean as possible before the timer buzzes.  (We've done this long enough that the kids know what I'm looking for, but I coached them when we started Zone Wars.)  When the buzzer sounds, everyone must come back to the kitchen table and wait while I judge their work.  They get up to five points added to their total for a job well done.  Points are awarded to the team if we keep the same team for the day and individually if they will be switching teams.  At the end of the Zone Wars, prizes are awarded based on points.  Sometimes the prize is to choose what's for dinner or what game we play that night.  Other times I have four of something and they get to choose theirs in order of their points ranking. 

On Saturday we do other bigger chores like cleaning my car or helping work on dad's semi and Sunday is a day of rest so each kid does one chore (load dishes, unload dishes, empty trash and feed the animals).

I'd love to hear how you get chores done in your house.

Celebrating Thankfulness

Several years ago, our daughter came home from preschool with a foam tree.  On each leaf she wrote something for which she was thankful.  Every year since then, we have made our own tree at home for Thanksgiving.  We have varied the method of assembly, but it always gets done and we always enjoy doing it.  Some years we each take several leaves and write on them.  Other years, one person is the writer as we go around the table sharing our items.  No matter the method, we enjoy taking the time to give thanks for all that the Lord has provided for us.

Remembering Mother's Day

Yesterday was Mother’s Day. Mother's Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well the positive contributions that they make to society. The first attempts to establish a "Mother's Day" in the United States came from women's peace groups. A common early activity was the meeting of groups of mothers whose sons had fought or died on opposite sides of the U.S. Civil War.

The daughter of Ann Jarvis, Anna, campaigned to establish Mother's Day first as a U.S. national holiday and then later as an international holiday. The holiday was declared officially by the state of West Virginia in 1910, and the rest of states followed quickly. On May 8, 1914, the U.S. Congress passed a law designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day and requesting a proclamation. On May 9, 1914 President Wilson issued a proclamation declaring the very first national Mother's Day as a day for American citizens to honor mothers whose sons had died in war.

From that Mother’s Day has expanded into a day for every family to acknowledge the mother figures in their lives for all that they do. One of the most popular ways to honor Moms is to give them flower, cards and take them out to eat. Speaking as a mother, and grandmother, the best part of Mother’s Day is being able to spend time with the entire family, hearing the laughter and reflecting on the past and seeing all the possibilities that the future has in store for my family.

A Season of Celebration

I recently had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday.  Last year my birthday was almost completely overlooked due to some family circumstances, so my family was determined to make up for it this year.  Over the course of four days, the surprises and celebration unfolded - gifts, cake, ice cream, special dinners and on and on.  It became a joke in our family that the celebrating would never end.  When it did, we had another milestone to celebrate and then another.  All of this celebrating cause me to stop and think that maybe (definitely) every day offers a reason for celebrating. 

They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. - Psalm 145:7

Of course, some days are better than others.  I will be the first to admit this fact.  However, I also firmly believe that if we spent more time celebrating even the little things that we would soon realize that even the worst day feels a little better than if we celebrated nothing. 

What things do we celebrate? Anything!

• A-ha moments
• Displays of kindness
• Relationships
• The completion of a project
• Clean rooms

How do we celebrate? Sometimes big, sometimes small.

• Hugs
• Sweet treats
• Choice of dinner
• Movie night
• Take a picture
• Praise
• Sending cards
• Telling others

What will you celebrate this week?