Wordless Wednesday 10/22/14

Wordless Wednesday 101/14

Motivated Moms

Chores.

The very word is met with groans from my little ones.

At least, it was until we were given a Motivated Moms ebook to review. Now, the kids actually ask to help clean!

Motivated Moms is a chore planning system. Housework, homeschooling, raising a family . . . it all takes time and figuring out where to start can be overwhelming. This system helps take the guess work out of what to do every day. It's as easy as checking the list, doing the work, and marking it complete.

This chore planning system was created by two women who wanted to help moms "balance creative endeavors with their desire to have an orderly an organized environment in their homes." The business started with a traditional book format and evolved to printable ebooks and apps for iPad/iPhone/iPod touch and Android.

I think the most difficult part about using this system was choosing which book I wanted. They have so many options! With differences from half-page to full page, black & white or color, page-per-day or week-per-day, with or without scheduled Bible reading, and any combination of it all, there's a format for everyone. If you're like me, you'll appreciate the option to print a sample page so you can see exactly what each choice is like. I finally settled on the weekly color planner with scheduled Bible reading. 

I've been wanted to give my little ones (8, 5, 4) more chores around the house. They already had certain tasks (putting away toys, folding/putting away laundry, emptying dishwasher, setting table), but I wanted to give them more responsibilities. I never had a schedule to clean before, so I wasn't consistent in using their abilities. This system keeps me accountable. 

I start the week by assigning chores. I highlight each child's jobs in a different color. If it's not highlighted, it's mine. There are daily chores that are completed every day of the week and then individual day chores. The kids each have a daily chore and usually one individual day chore. Some days, a child won't have any individual day chores at all.

Here is the list for today:

• Clean middle shelf of refrigerator
• Mop kitchen
• Clean/wash hairbrushes and combs
• Dust family/living room
• Clean light fixture - utility room
• Work on baby book/scrap book/photo album

Washing the hairbrushes and combs is purple, so Alyssa (5) will help me with that. Dusting the living room is Jake's (8) job, because it's yellow. Nothing is blue today, so Zac (4) only has to change the dish towel (his daily chore).

The kids have been enjoying this method so much that sometimes while I'm assigning the chores, they beg for me to pick them. Or, if one child is dusting, another one or two will join in, because "this is fun!" I expected the excitement to wear off quickly, but at 6 weeks in, they're still going strong.

There are a few things that I would do differently if I were going to design my own list. Some of the individual tasks don't apply to our family. It's not a big deal. I'm a big list maker, and if I make a list, I have to mark things off the list. For instance, no one in our house takes any prescription medications, so I wouldn't need to check them or call in refills. It's on the list one day though, and it bugs me to leave it unmarked. It makes me feel as though the day is not complete, so I cross it off. Another thing that I would change is that there are no blank spots to add chores to individual days. (There are spots for daily chores.) Sometimes, there are things that I have to do, like bake cupcakes for a party or write a review for the blog {wink}, and I would like to add them to my master list. Also, because we are at church pretty much all day on Sundays with only a couple hours at home in the afternoon, I don't do any chores in those days. The scheduled tasks for Sundays are pretty simple: filing coupons, making shopping list, planning menu. I just do them on another day.

Over all, I really like having the planner. It's helping me involve the kids more, getting them to enjoy the work, and reminding me to do things I often forget (like cleaning the tops of the kitchen cabinets). The things I would change are not enough of a problem to stop me from using it. Those are just the ways I would change it to better suit my needs. Not having to create my own rotating list for an entire year is well-worth overlooking aspects that aren't perfect in my eyes.

You can purchase an ebook for $8 and start the system right away. Or, if you prefer, you can check out the new customizable apps.

To connect more with Motivated Moms, you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

If you'd like to see how this system worked for other families or to read some reviews of the iOS app, click here.

Wordless Wednesday 10/30/13

Jake at Work

Some workplaces have special days when parents can take their children to work with them. For some reason the company I work for doesn't have an official day to do this. I suppose it has something to do with falling debris, moving machines, and extremely loud noises. That is only naming a few of the hazards. I don't labor any more so I am not always in all of the dangers as much. I spend the great majority of my day behind the wheel of a 20,000 lb (when empty) truck delivering the tools so others can tear stuff up. Every so often I will have to go in at night to make a quick drop of tools. There have been a couple of times when I've made a single drop Jake has gone with me. I've just never taken him for more than a single run. But when he asked to go with me this past Saturday when I knew I had at least three runs and possibly an hour at the yard, I thought we might give it a try. He did awesome! He had hoped to watch me take down a wall and possibly help, but he wasn't too disappointed when it didn't happen.

We started the morning with an extra stop on the way in at 7-eleven to grab a donut and strawberry milk. When we got to the yard the questions began. What's a time clock? Why do you check the oil everyday? What does the oil do? But when I pulled the hood open to check the oil, . . . "Whooooooa! That's a huge engine!" I cleared out the passenger seat and gave him a place to sit. He got to watch me dump a load of steel from the cab. Which of course brought about more questions. Please don't go thinking I'm upset about the questions. I like the questions. I like him learning. Just with as quick as they come I wonder how much he hangs on to. But then he amazes me and brings it up later. He gets it.

Once we hit the road he was quiet, for the most part. There are a lot of things that a six year old can see from the cab of a big truck that he can't see from the back seat of a minivan. We dropped some tools off and picked some up. We talked about how concrete breakers work and how Bobcat skidsteers move. He asked what oxygen and acetylene tanks were for, and why I had to put so many chains on the machine when it was on my trailer.

When we got back to the yard he patiently waited until I unloaded everything and then loaded what I needed for Monday. One of the bosses showed up and needed some help getting a couple of things together so Jake began to explore. He started finding little things that fit in his pocket to bring home. Rocks are always finding their way home, but he even found little pieces from old power tools floating along the edge of the lot and put those away for safe keeping.

Just before leaving I had to load a bunch of small pipe into a dumpster with a Bobcat. Jake loved watching the machine. I had him waiting on a trailer to keep out of harms way while I was doing the loading. When I finished what I could with just the machine though, he hopped right down and helped me pick up the last few pieces of pipe by hand and put them in the bucket of the machine. That made me proud. We have men working for us that can't manage to figure out to do that even when they are told to. But my little guy got right down to help without me saying a word to him. I wasn't even going to have him help with it.

When all the pipe was cleaned up, it was time to put the machine away. He climbed up in my lap and I let him drive it into the building. It was a slow go with the throttle down, but he was grinning the whole way. I've got a slight feeling he enjoyed that part.

By the time we went home he actually looked as if he worked for us and finished a good days work, he was filthy. We washed up a little and headed home. It was a fun day, and he made it through the whole day without once asking when it was time to go home. Oh, I didn't tell you, the day started when I woke him up at five-thirty am. He jumped up and was ready to go. He made me proud!

Have you taken your kids to work? Did they get to learn lots as well? What are your stories?