Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: cheap fake watches

This topic has 15 replies, 12 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 3 months ago by momto2blessings.

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February 25, 2010 at 11:04 pm
RobinP
Participant
Alright folks, I need help. I have two 6yo’s…one was 6 last week (adopted from China last month), the other will be 7 in June. (My 19yo is home too, going to college close by but he’s either working or in class.)
I’m not a neat freak…HOWEVER, this house is beginning to fall apart at the seams and I need to get these boys in the HABIT of chores. After Christmas, we went straight into the China trip and since we’ve been home it has been so hard to get back into routine and a new sense of “normal.” Can you all suggest to me some good chores for the boys…something besides picking up their toys, making their beds, etc.? Is there a chore chart you like that rotates chores? I’d like to set the timer for 15 minutes or so and have all of us working, whether together or independently (after training, of course) on some aspect of house cleaning. My adopted 6yo is very young for his age although he apparently had to do for himself in the orphanage. ANY help is appreciated before I load up a dump truck and haul it all out.
February 25, 2010 at 11:35 pm
LindseyD
Participant
First of all, take a deep breath. I’m just impressed that doing chores this soon after an international adoption is on your priority list! You already deserve a pat on tha back.
Second, my kids are 6 and 4.5, and we have been using a chore chart for about 6 months now. After their breakfast dishes are cleared from the table, they automatically know it’s time to check the chart. I need to update my chart as there are only 3 chores per day required. Some of the chores that they are learning and will be on the chart eventually are: cleaning the floor on their hands and knees (we have linoleum and very little of it, so it’s not that bad), wiping down cabinet door fronts, cleaning baseboards, sweeping with a hand broom and dustpan, helping me fold laundry, and helping me load the washer and dryer.
I’ve recently learned that if you give a kid a squirt bottle of water and a rag, they’ll happily clean anything!
Hope that helps!
February 26, 2010 at 12:01 am
missceegee
Participant
I have 4 kids – dd9, ds6, dd2, ds3 months. Right now, I am blessed to have a housekeeper come in to help, but this is still our chart and the way it works around here. http://www.box.net/shared/f8msseornb
I am very visual, so it’s colorful and in chart form. We rotate the rooms through the adults/kids, so each room gets a good cleaning by the adults each month.
HTH,
Christie
February 26, 2010 at 2:06 am
art
Participant
The thing that has seemed to go the best in our house is the 5 minute chore. You could make it 10 or 15 or whatever. I put chores that usually need done each day on little strips of paper in a plastic baggie or dish. When it’s time for 5 minute chores, each person-parents included-picks a chore out of the bag. We work for 5 minutes and then quit.
Usually, people end up working longer, because it’s not drudgery. You’d be amazed how many things can be done in 5 min. We have 6 in our family, so that’s 30 minutes of solid work. Think about what you can get done in 30 minutes of solid work.
The things in our bag are things like sweep a room, mop a room, scrub a toilet, straighten bookshelves, do a dish load, put in a load of laundry, clean under couch cushions, fold a basket of clothes, empty dish drainer, etc. In fact, it seems like most of our things can be done in a really short time period.
Anyway, this doesn’t seem to bother them, because they don’t feel like we’re asking them to work their fingers to the bone for hours at a time. When we just ask them to spend some time doing chores, they feel that way. I always say it’s marketing-presenting it in the right way.
Hope that’s helpful.
Angela
February 26, 2010 at 2:08 am
art
Participant
I forgot to mention that we also have each of us wash our own personal dishes after we use them. That way, whoever’s turn it is to do dishes doesn’t have too many. Makes them more responsible and aware too.
February 26, 2010 at 3:15 am
Mama
Member
I have 4, 6 and 8 yo boys that do these jobs….
empty the dishwasher
feed the dog
haul firewood twice/day
sweep
take out the garbage
take out the recyclables
take out the compost
carry the dirty laundry down to the main floor and sort it
fold and put away their laundry
fold and put away towels
clear their dishes after each meal
they love to wash windows/mirrors and dust
vac the living room and play/school room
peel and cut veggies for meals and other meal prep jobs (they love it!)
take off their bed sheets and help put them on again (bunks can be tough! They do the back corners. I do the ones I can reach.)
help wherever needed
We do not do a chart type thing. They each know which jobs are their regular jobs, but if something needs doing we just tell a kid to do it. Sometimes I need the oldest on something not the norm so the others have to step up and switch things around. It all seems to work out.
Honestly, the thing my kids are the worst at is general clean-up of whatever they played/worked with. It is frustrating!
February 26, 2010 at 12:03 pm
mrsjamiesouth
Member
I took a piece of posterboard and made my own chore chart. I put it in the stairwell next to the kitchen until it becomes habit. My 9 year old feeds dog, unloads the dishwasher, vacuum upstairs or downstairs, and cleans up after the dog outside. My 5 year old wipes down the baseboards, helps me sort and fold laundry, sprays and wipes the glass surfaces, dusts and organizes the toys. They also both put away their laundry and make their beds.
February 26, 2010 at 12:07 pm
RobinP
Participant
Thank you all SO much! I’ll put some of these in place. I love the 5 minute chore idea. I’ll write up some things that need to be done around here on slips of paper. That will be a fun, but productive, way to start. Before the adoption, we just my son just helped me with whatever I was doing but with two boys, all they want to do is play. Good for bonding, bad for being able to walk through the house. Plus the weather has been terrible so they haven’t been able to burn off some of that energy OUTSIDE.
Thanks so much again…
February 26, 2010 at 10:02 pm
csmamma
Participant
Hi Robin!
In case you missed them, here are a couple of old threads that you might find helpful.
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/household-chore-breakdown#post-10677
http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/favorite-home-organizing-books
Have a great weekend!
Heather
February 27, 2010 at 11:48 pm
missceegee
Participant
I shared my chart above, but failed to put in the explanation. Each person takes care of their assigned rooms – picking up, dusting, vacuuming & mopping floors, etc. to the best of their ability for that week. Obviously, my 6 yo isn’t great at floors yet, but he does fine for his age. Either my husband or I will help as needed or it’ll keep until we have our rotation through that room.
March 2, 2010 at 4:40 am
mommix3
Member
I have four kiddos ages 6,9,13,and 12. We have been struggling with chores for awhile now. BUT this last month I came across something on a homeschooling blog that I follow. The lady that owns the blog is AMAZING!! She has 3 kids and seems to be very organized. Anyhow, She mentioned something called chore sticks. She Takes those fatter popcicle sticks or craft sticks and writes individual chores on each of them. Then has the kids each (not seeing what it is)pick one. I took that idea from her and went a step farther. I wrote down on a wide popcicle stick each chore that I need the kids to help out with. Then I went back and wrote on the sticks whether it needed to be done daily,2x a week, weekly. And seperated them into their own catagory by how many times a week they needed to be done. All that are done daily in one pile and so forth. We have a total of 8 things that need to be done daily. So we went around the table and each child picked one then we went around again until they were all gone. We did this five differant times,one for each day of the week Mon-Fri. That way they would have a varied chore list. They ended up with two daily chores each. Then we went on to the 2x a week chores. We have a total of five. So they each picked one out,again not looking, and I get the left over one. Then onto the weekly chores. Again we have 5 of those. we each picked one. The weekly and 2x weekly chores each had an assigned day written on them. After we were finished picking our sticks I wrote out a chart that we will use for the next month . It was placed in a pocket that can be written on with a wipeoff marker and hung on the wall in our schoolroom. They can mark off their chores as they complete them this way. Here’s a breakdown of our chore sticks.
~~~~Daily~~~~ Clean hall (major problem in our house)
pick up yard (another problem area, the boys like to build things and not clean up)
feed dog
feed birds
clean diningroom
kitchen trash
dishes
clean bathroom
~~~2x week~~~~vaccum diningroom (mon and sat)
vaccum livingroom (mon and sat)
bathroom trash (wed and sat)
sweep and mop bathroom (mon and sat)
~~~~~1x week~~~~
Friday-clean out car (they make the mess)
Monday~dust diningroom
wednesday~~dust liviingroom
Tuesday~~clean birdcage
Thursday ~~Clean fridge (with mom’s help)
Anyhow, This is how we are now doing it and my house has been clean for several weeks now which is amazing!! It keeps me motivated to do some housework as well. They aren’t having to do ALL the cleaning only their chores on the chart. Most of the time they have a morning chore and an evening chore. If anything else needs to be done I usually do it. Other than cleaning Their messes. THAT is their responsibility.. We LOVE this method. Their rooms are even clean WOW. Which is a must before they can go do their freetime afterschool stuff.. I will eventually be adding in laundry and they will have their own individual days to do theirs but for now they have to hang their clothes and put them away themselves. I wash them and set them out for them to finish. It’s easier on me and they like it better than the previous weekly chores. It’s not so boring now according to them.

Angela

March 4, 2010 at 4:03 pm
BethelMom
Member
MISSCEEGEE: Where did you get your amazing chore chart?? I love it and would love to make one of my own!!
March 4, 2010 at 4:36 pm
missceegee
Participant
Hi BethelMom,
I made it in iWork Pages. It’s just a table colored in. I assume it could be done with MS Word, too. I could send it to you via email if you like as either a pages or word doc. PM me if you are interested.
Blessings,
Christie
March 6, 2010 at 1:50 pm
ccdecosta
Member
I have four kids (9,8,6,and 2) and we have created a circle chore chart. The outer circle has their names (minus the 2 year old, she shadows me and helps me), and the inner circle has the chores they must accomplish daily/ weekly. This way, they know that the dog feeder for the week also is the recycler, laundry helper and napkins and fork girl. Etc… Each week they recognize that they have the set chores and if there is one they particulary don’t like, it is only for a week before the chart is rotated. I find this works for us because they have memorized what chore goes with the others (so I don’t have to remember!) and there is never any question about who is the …girl this week. And mom is the only one who can rotate the chart, Sunday night after dinner.
We also do a Super Kid Chart every evening. This is more of a reminder of the personal items they need to accomplish everyday. So every night we sit down and ask, “Did you pack your bag for tomorrow? Are your shoes where they belong? Did you put your things away? Did you make your bed today?” Most of the time they have already checked off their list before I come in for book&bed time. We have also added one per their request, “Did you do something to help someone today?” That gives us a chance to talk about their day and reflect on someone else that may have needed a helping hand.
March 7, 2010 at 12:07 am
Michele Barmore
Participant
Have you checked out this—We use it and love it –works great with all ages even those who can’t read.
http://www.titus2.com/ecommerce/products/prod_listing.php/1150
Manager of their Chores — It doesnt’ just give you a way to do chores it gives scripture and sooooo much more.
The book is great. Highly recommended.

HTH
Michele