Helping with laundry

The laundry is something I am constantly struggling to stay on top of. I do laundry almost every day, and yet I can't seem to ever get it under control. Last night I decided it was time to get everyone involved (minus Bill who was in the other room entertaining Claire). I gave each of the kids a task. Anna was assigned the "big" towels. Ryan got the "small" ones. James had to find all the socks and put them in a pile. I put an episode of the radio drama Adventures in Odyssey on (which we listen to online on the computer). The kids worked diligently at their tasks while they learned a lesson on loving others. Everyone was happy to help out. No one complained. Wow! Imagine that! For 20 minutes I had 3 happy helpers.

Sometimes I forget the importance of getting my kids involved. So often I take the route of, "it is much easier to do it myself". This is an area that I know I struggle in. I pray all the time for ways to teach the kids. I know I need to teach them responsibility, and doing it all for them doesn't teach that. I'm so thankful the Holy Spirit whispers to my soul and reminds me of MY responsibility to teach my little ones life skills and lessons. And it is okay if the towels are not folded perfectly. :) They weren't and I didn't go back an refold them. I left them as they were, evidence that I had had little helpers. I was just thankful for the time we had together and the joy that filled our house as we worked together.

Thank you Father for reminding me of my role and to use every moment to instruct my children. Thank you for showing me the importance of making them responsible at a young age. Give me wisdom Lord and help me to make good decisions in regards to what you want me to teach them. I pray that I can demonstrate serving with a cheerful heart. Thank you for moments such as these.

Excited about chores

I think I have found a way to get my older kids motivated about chores. I have tried many different types of checklists. They always work for a week or so, and then fizzle out. Well, in my search to find something better I found this. I am very excited about using Handipoints as a resource. It is a virtual chore chart (you can also print it if you want). You sign your child up, assign chores on a chart you create, then they are assigned their own cartoon cat. With each completed task that they check off, they earn points that they can use to build a house and get clothes and accessories for their cat. Both Anna and Ryan love doing things on the computer so I think this will be a great way to encourage them. Oh, there are also demerits that you can assign (which take off points) for things like fighting, being mean to siblings, not listening, etc.

We let our kids go on the Internet but only under supervision. We use FireFox Glubble. If you have never heard of it I encourage you to check it out, it is a safe way for kids to use the Internet. They can only view sites you allow. The Internet can be a great tool, but we choose to use it carefully.

*I am not being paid to endorse these programs. They are just tools that we have found that work for us.