Chore Chart Reward – He earned it!

Summer is in full-swing around here. We are enjoying the quiet mornings, the pool, library, picnic lunches on the deck, visiting with friends and watching lots of movies. I love just being able to enjoy my kiddos and spend quality time with them … what a blessing!! I’m soaking in every minute of it.

Last month, I posted an article about Chore Charts & $$ for Kids (http://wp.me/p1se9T-48). We were trying out a new system for our 3-yr-old. Well, he did it! He collected all the rocks in his dump truck so he got Chuck-E-Cheese. It was a blast, he was beaming with pride! During lunch, we talked about how hard he worked for this reward.

One funny thing happened while there, I found my 7-yr-old under the booth shaking because the “real” Chuck-E came out to visit! Ha! She has been scared of that character ever since she was a little girl. Can anyone relate?

When we got home, he emptied the dump truck & started over. Now, he’s working for a toy at “Ta-To” … that means “Costco”!

I hope you are having an awesome summer!!

{I did it!}

{Serious fun at Chuck-E-Cheese}

Chore Charts and $$ for Kids

As a mom, one of my goals is to instill a good work ethic in my kiddos. I also want them to appreciate and be able to manage money in a smart way. Matt & I learned a lot through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University about eight years ago (http://www.daveramsey.com/). Now, I am passionate about teaching my young children the value of saving and giving.

When Ella was 5, we implemented a Responsibility Chart. You can buy these almost anywhere … we got ours at Target for about $15. If she completes the task at least five times during the week, she gets the reward magnet. If she gets four or more reward magnets, she gets four quarters. Then, she puts one quarter in savings (in her piggy bank for when we go back to Disney World … last time she had over $70), she takes one to church and she gets to spend the remaining $0.50. She loves it! Sometimes she spends the money on candy, and other times she will save for something (like a stuffed animal or small toy). It’s rewarding to see her make small financial decisions on how to manage her allowance.

Since Carter is only 3, can’t yet read and doesn’t understand the concept of $$, I’ve been struggling with how to implement a chore chart. We desperately need one because he does not like to sleep in his bed. So, I started asking my friends what they use for their younger ones. My good friend and neighbor, Whitney, uses marbles. They do a chore, they get marbles and when they collect a certain amount, they get a prize … like Chuck-E-Cheese. I absolutely loved that idea!

Since Carter loves to collect rocks, we decided to put them in a dump truck (one that he does not play with) for each chore he completes. I took pictures of the chores and put them on poster board with the number of rocks he will earn for each item. I keep the rocks at my desk in a cabinet (so they do not become toys) and when he accomplishes his task, I give him the rock for the dump truck. When my rocks are gone and his dump truck is full, he will get something special. Right now, he says he’s working for Chuck-E-Cheese too!

What do you do to implement chores and allowances with your kiddos? I would love for you to share your helpful tips.

Summer is here. Let’s get organized!

Summer is here! My daughter only has 5 days of school remaining so we’ve been organizing our house for summer break. First stop — crayons, markers, etc. It seems they were scattered everywhere. So, using a Pampered Chef (www.pamperedchef.com) utensil holder, we created a simple way to organize everything in one spot.

This only took about an hour because my 7-yr-old loved to help (she’s the one who chose to organize by color … oh, makes a momma proud)! My 3 yr-old wanted nothing to do with it, but he found some long-lost coloring books which kept him busy while we were having our little organizing party.

So, how do you stay organized? Any simple tips you’d like to share? I need all the help I can get!