1. About a year ago, I made myself a chore chart. My goal was to complete one or two scheduled household chores each day for each two week period. There are 52 weeks in a year. That makes 26 chances I have had to complete all the chores on my list. Not once have I actually succeeded in doing every chore on my list. Perhaps I need to come to terms with the fact that my house will always be dirtier than I wish it was. The chore I most often avoid? Dusting.
2. I've really been struggling lately with feelings of discouragement and a lack of energy. It is reminding me of the depression and anxiety I have so often experienced. But I don't want to call it that! I don't want to go down that road again. Life is good. I live with a very strange mix of pure joy and nearly overwhelming discouragement. Working in the garden and hiking with my family are my most effective forms of "therapy."
3. Teaching my kids at home is something I never thought I would do. I feel like homeschooling found me, and I am so glad it did! I am extremely blessed to have this time with my kids. Yes, there are days when I am tired and wouldn't mind a small break, but I wouldn't trade this opportunity for anything (not even hundreds of quiet days to myself).
4. The Bible is the most amazing book! Even after reading through it multiple times, I am constantly surprised and encouraged by the new things I find.
5. I lived alone for a while in my early twenties. One weekend I realized that I had been home by myself for three days and did not feel even remotely lonely or bored. I hadn't talked to anyone, seen anyone, hadn't even watched TV or listened to the radio. I think I can safely call myself an introvert. The most challenging part of parenting for me has been the fact that I am never alone!
6. The gophers and squirrels in my yard are taunting me. I think they know I don't have the heart to harm them. They poke their little heads out of the dirt and watch me as I work in the garden. Maybe they are cheering me on. "Way to go! Keep working! We will really enjoy eating all these great vegetables you are planting!"
That's all for now. Maybe someday soon I will have some more coherent thoughts!
Showing posts with label Chore charts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chore charts. Show all posts
Friday, June 3, 2011
Monday, May 31, 2010
Cheers for charts!
The kids and I have done most of our chores, most of the days, for the past 2 weeks! Considering that I was pretty sick about half of that time, I think we did pretty good! Tabby and Oliver are getting much better about doing their jobs without as much complaining. Plus they really enjoy putting the little star magnets on their chore chart and getting rewarded for completing tasks. They get a reward of some kind every 2 or 3 days, which seems to work pretty well for their ages.
I'm feeling much more confident in my ability to keep up with housework as a result of my own chore chart. Funny, though, I think I'll need to be careful not to become too obsessive. The more time I spend doing things like scrubbing all the walls, the more aware I am of the dirt and grime that I haven't yet cleaned. Not all of my chores were accomplished on the exact day scheduled. There were some I did a day or two late, and a couple I did a day early. But the important part is that almost everything got done. The one thing I skipped was cleaning one of the bathrooms. The best part has been having a meal plan, knowing what I'm going to cook each day, and planning my grocery shopping accordingly. Unfortunately I don't get rewarded this time around like the kids do. At my age the expectations are much higher. Or maybe I just have a mean task master! At any rate, I think I'll wait to reward myself until I manage a two week stretch without skipping any of my jobs.
As I mentioned, I was sick quite a bit the last couple weeks... which brings us to a whole new topic. I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo in July! It was getting the immunizations for this trip that made me so sick. Hopefully it will all be worth it and I'll be healthy now while traveling. While in the Congo, I will get to spend time with my sister-in-law and her family who have been living and working in the Congo for the past 3 years. I will get to spend time with my nieces - 2 of whom have grown a bunch since I last saw them, and 2 I'll be meeting for the first time! Plus we will be taking supplies to, and spending time doing what we can to help out at an orphanage.
I will miss my little Tabby and Oliver terribly while I am gone. Two whole weeks. But I am also excited to see what God has in store for this trip. I pray that the supplies we take, the projects we do, and the love and attention we are able to give the babies and children will truly have a lasting impact on their lives. I imagine my life will be forever changed by this experience.
I'm feeling much more confident in my ability to keep up with housework as a result of my own chore chart. Funny, though, I think I'll need to be careful not to become too obsessive. The more time I spend doing things like scrubbing all the walls, the more aware I am of the dirt and grime that I haven't yet cleaned. Not all of my chores were accomplished on the exact day scheduled. There were some I did a day or two late, and a couple I did a day early. But the important part is that almost everything got done. The one thing I skipped was cleaning one of the bathrooms. The best part has been having a meal plan, knowing what I'm going to cook each day, and planning my grocery shopping accordingly. Unfortunately I don't get rewarded this time around like the kids do. At my age the expectations are much higher. Or maybe I just have a mean task master! At any rate, I think I'll wait to reward myself until I manage a two week stretch without skipping any of my jobs.
As I mentioned, I was sick quite a bit the last couple weeks... which brings us to a whole new topic. I am going to the Democratic Republic of Congo in July! It was getting the immunizations for this trip that made me so sick. Hopefully it will all be worth it and I'll be healthy now while traveling. While in the Congo, I will get to spend time with my sister-in-law and her family who have been living and working in the Congo for the past 3 years. I will get to spend time with my nieces - 2 of whom have grown a bunch since I last saw them, and 2 I'll be meeting for the first time! Plus we will be taking supplies to, and spending time doing what we can to help out at an orphanage.
I will miss my little Tabby and Oliver terribly while I am gone. Two whole weeks. But I am also excited to see what God has in store for this trip. I pray that the supplies we take, the projects we do, and the love and attention we are able to give the babies and children will truly have a lasting impact on their lives. I imagine my life will be forever changed by this experience.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Cleaning Schedule for Mom (me) and Meal Planning
As mentioned in the previous post, I made a chore chart for myself too. If I knew how to put it in chart form here I would, but sadly I'm not willing to take the time to figure it out today. So I'll just include a general list of what I'm planning to do. The first week was a success! I got a magnet for each day I did all my chores, just like the kids : ) Now I just need to determine what my reward will be. Maybe just a much cleaner home...
Week One:
Monday- wash sheets & vacuum
Tuesday- clean master bathroom & sweep and mop all linoleum and tile floors
Wednesday - clean kitchen & vacuum
Thursday- dust living/dining areas & clear clutter
Friday- do a "spring cleaning" project & vacuum
Saturday- plan next week's menu & grocery shop
Sunday- a "day off" or finish any chores I missed during the week. Today this involved 7 loads of laundry and 3 loads of dishes, plus putting away clutter and dusting that I hadn't done Thursday. Oh yes, vacuuming AGAIN, having young kids and a dining area with carpet is really not a good idea!
Week Two
same as above except...
Tuesday- clean main bathroom & sweep and mop
Thursday- dust bedrooms and blinds & clear clutter
After that, I'll start again with week one and hopefully keep the cycle going. Every day includes laundry, dishes, and cooking of course. The spring cleaning tasks I did this week were cleaning the patio and washing the bathroom walls. Other things on my "spring cleaning" list include washing the rest of the walls, washing windows, organizing the filing cabinet, steam-vacuuming the carpet, and selling or donating items we don't need.
The weekly meal planning on Saturdays is especially important for me. I don't mind cooking, but always have a hard time deciding what to make, with dinner being the worst. We also have been trying to cut back on our food budget as much as possible while still eating a healthy diet. Having a plan really helps! Plus I despise shopping, detest it, abhor it... With a plan in place I know what we'll be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a whole week. I can do all the shopping just once a week, hopefully without kids. And we're not so tempted to eat out or order in due to a lack of food in the fridge or ideas in the brain.
I'm wondering if I'm over-ambitious currently. I feel like I need to be because I've been "under"-ambitious for so long. Time will be my deciding factor. For now, I'm glad to have accomplished this much this week.
Week One:
Monday- wash sheets & vacuum
Tuesday- clean master bathroom & sweep and mop all linoleum and tile floors
Wednesday - clean kitchen & vacuum
Thursday- dust living/dining areas & clear clutter
Friday- do a "spring cleaning" project & vacuum
Saturday- plan next week's menu & grocery shop
Sunday- a "day off" or finish any chores I missed during the week. Today this involved 7 loads of laundry and 3 loads of dishes, plus putting away clutter and dusting that I hadn't done Thursday. Oh yes, vacuuming AGAIN, having young kids and a dining area with carpet is really not a good idea!
Week Two
same as above except...
Tuesday- clean main bathroom & sweep and mop
Thursday- dust bedrooms and blinds & clear clutter
After that, I'll start again with week one and hopefully keep the cycle going. Every day includes laundry, dishes, and cooking of course. The spring cleaning tasks I did this week were cleaning the patio and washing the bathroom walls. Other things on my "spring cleaning" list include washing the rest of the walls, washing windows, organizing the filing cabinet, steam-vacuuming the carpet, and selling or donating items we don't need.
The weekly meal planning on Saturdays is especially important for me. I don't mind cooking, but always have a hard time deciding what to make, with dinner being the worst. We also have been trying to cut back on our food budget as much as possible while still eating a healthy diet. Having a plan really helps! Plus I despise shopping, detest it, abhor it... With a plan in place I know what we'll be eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for a whole week. I can do all the shopping just once a week, hopefully without kids. And we're not so tempted to eat out or order in due to a lack of food in the fridge or ideas in the brain.
I'm wondering if I'm over-ambitious currently. I feel like I need to be because I've been "under"-ambitious for so long. Time will be my deciding factor. For now, I'm glad to have accomplished this much this week.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tabby Cat, Baby Oliver, and Chore Charts
I've been trying to decide on internet privacy related matters, for now my children will have fictitious online names. They have chosen the names themselves! For the past 3 years, my daughter (5 years old) has referred to herself as "Tabby Cat" when she pretends to be a cat. And for the past 1 1/2 years, my son (almost 3) has called himself "Baby Oliver," his kitten persona. They commonly introduce themselves to new acquaintances this way. The adults look at me like I'm crazy and don't know how to name my children. At the mention of Tabby Cat and Baby Oliver, just remind yourself, 5 year old girl and 3 year old boy.
It was way past time to get more organized around here! A year or two ago I read a book by the Duggars; you know the family with 19 kids? Michelle, the mom, wrote about how hectic their household was when she ONLY had 3 or 4 kids. Then she realized the importance of planning, scheduling, and organizing. Yes, I thought, it would probably be a good idea, but it takes time to make a schedule. Plus I might feel compelled to follow it, and I really like being flexible and stressed. Wait, I like the idea of being flexible, I really hate being stressed and always behind on my chores with no energy to complete them.
I have two cats, um kids. I want to adopt at least two more (yes, real children, not felines). So now is the time to get organized and start training Tabby and Oliver how to follow a schedule and be responsible for the things they are old enough to do themselves. Training myself, of course, is much harder than teaching them!
Last week was the start of a new chapter around here. Here's hoping it lasts! The kids got a new chore chart that allows them to put a magnet by each chore they complete, for each day of the week. Here are the chores we started with:
Make Bed
Brush Teeth (by themselves in the morning, Joel or I brush their teeth before bed)
Take Dishes to Kitchen Counter
Water Plants
Pick Up Toys (one magnet at the end of the day, not one each time it needs to be done)
This adds up to 5 chores per child each day. Oliver needs help making his bed, and Tabby is usually glad to help as long as she gets to put his magnet on the chart for him. Our first week with this went pretty well, the hardest thing for them is picking up their toys. Oliver especially will sometimes choose to have many of his toys put in time out for a week or given away. I think the sheer volume of his toys stresses him out because he never misses any toys when they are gone.
Due to the fact that they are young and just starting out, they are getting pretty big rewards to begin with. They got to do a special craft after getting their first 10 magnets. A trip to the zoo for 20 magnets. And a gift for 30 magnets. They were able to earn all of these this week which means they both did 30 of the 35 possible chores for the past 7 days! I decided the gift will always be something consumable or something they need or could really benefit from. This week I made them each a new hooded towel.
Of course, if the kids get a chore chart, so does mom! I'm trying to decide if I should get rewards too. It might be a good idea... This post is plenty long, so more about my own chore schedule will come later.
It was way past time to get more organized around here! A year or two ago I read a book by the Duggars; you know the family with 19 kids? Michelle, the mom, wrote about how hectic their household was when she ONLY had 3 or 4 kids. Then she realized the importance of planning, scheduling, and organizing. Yes, I thought, it would probably be a good idea, but it takes time to make a schedule. Plus I might feel compelled to follow it, and I really like being flexible and stressed. Wait, I like the idea of being flexible, I really hate being stressed and always behind on my chores with no energy to complete them.
I have two cats, um kids. I want to adopt at least two more (yes, real children, not felines). So now is the time to get organized and start training Tabby and Oliver how to follow a schedule and be responsible for the things they are old enough to do themselves. Training myself, of course, is much harder than teaching them!
Last week was the start of a new chapter around here. Here's hoping it lasts! The kids got a new chore chart that allows them to put a magnet by each chore they complete, for each day of the week. Here are the chores we started with:
Make Bed
Brush Teeth (by themselves in the morning, Joel or I brush their teeth before bed)
Take Dishes to Kitchen Counter
Water Plants
Pick Up Toys (one magnet at the end of the day, not one each time it needs to be done)
This adds up to 5 chores per child each day. Oliver needs help making his bed, and Tabby is usually glad to help as long as she gets to put his magnet on the chart for him. Our first week with this went pretty well, the hardest thing for them is picking up their toys. Oliver especially will sometimes choose to have many of his toys put in time out for a week or given away. I think the sheer volume of his toys stresses him out because he never misses any toys when they are gone.
Due to the fact that they are young and just starting out, they are getting pretty big rewards to begin with. They got to do a special craft after getting their first 10 magnets. A trip to the zoo for 20 magnets. And a gift for 30 magnets. They were able to earn all of these this week which means they both did 30 of the 35 possible chores for the past 7 days! I decided the gift will always be something consumable or something they need or could really benefit from. This week I made them each a new hooded towel.
Of course, if the kids get a chore chart, so does mom! I'm trying to decide if I should get rewards too. It might be a good idea... This post is plenty long, so more about my own chore schedule will come later.
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