The Chore Charts

While there are many thing I love to do, one of the ones I love the most is to DESIGN things - then admire how cool the Idea and Design is (because they are totally originally completely all made up by me - not really, just in my head). And then......redo the whole thing over to be even Bigger and Better!!

What? You are a "Why Reinvent the Wheel" kinda person. Hmmmmm.....I don't know what to say to you - except that by NOT reinventing the wheel you are probably finding a lot of free time to do other things........where is the fun in that?

Chore Charts are becoming one of my favorite Design Items. Back in STL I had created a chore chart primarily for SuperStar - it was supposed to help with Homework, her bedroom and various other little items that would just organize her as she started school. Unfortunately she didn't really need it - her homework was almost already done - and everything seemed to fall into place pretty easy. Moving here we decided the kids were old enough to do some serious chores.......so I created a BETTER Chore Chart. This one had Header sections like HOUSE - KITCHEN - PETS - PIANO and HOMEWORK. And it worked pretty well.............until it didn't get used much anymore.

See I have a perfectionist streak. The Permanent Ink that I used to create the chart so that we could then use a Wipe Off Marker to keep things updated did stay Permanent. Now I ask.......what part of Permanent means "easy to erase off"? So I started to find it too tedious to try to stay within the lines of my well designed Chore Chart because of the damn ink. And found that it needed to be redesigned.

Here we have the most updated version of the Chore Chart........
Chore Chart 2009



I really think this one is it. Sleek, easy to read and definately above the rest. However, in doing all this creating and recreating I realized that perhaps the reason I keep needing to redesign the charts stems from the fact that the children (whom I love) stop doing the chores. Maybe the question isn't "what kind of betterment can I put into a Chore Chart?" to make them successful........maybe the question should be "why do they get away with not doing the chores?"

My first instinct is to blame BigGuy. These things tend to be his fault. When I leave everything falls apart (or so I like to think - no, I was not one of those New Moms that didn't trust the dad to stay alone with the baby - I TOTALLY left with my girls and gave BigGuy his well deserved Dad Alone Time - I just came back and complained about how he didn't do things the same way I did. Gosh - seeing that typed out makes me wonder if there is something wrong with that method? Naah...probably just fine). Perhaps if BigGuy paid more attention to the chores the children are supposed to be doing they would get done and the Chore Chart 2008 would have been a complete success.

Or Not.

Now...........and your heads will probaly spin..........as I get deeper into parenting and marriage I find that perhaps I am not SO PERFECT after all. Just maybe.....and this really could be a big stretch of everyone's imagination.....just maybe I have some issues. I know, you are begging me to say it isn't so - hear me out before you take me off the pedastal........I think the Chore Charts aren't successful in part (maybe .25%) because of me. Yes. No, no...I really think this.

Why you ask....well there are a few reasons;
a) Even though the chores are writtne and known - the wonderfully talented head of the class children STILL need to be reminded to do them. So I do. And then I do it again and again and again and again and again.........and this act is in my Top 10 Least Favorite Activities. So after awhile I just don't. And I do the chores.
b) The chores the children really want to do - like Load the Dishwasher - Laundry - Sweep and Vacuum.....I can not stand for them to do. Why? You think all help is good help? WRONG!! Kids sweeping is not real sweeping - you have to sweep behind them - so why bother having them sweep at all? What? For the experience? What experience the one where I sigh heavily - thank them falsely and then get caught Re-doing it later and "hurt" their feelings? Right - whateeeverrrr. Then there is Loading the Dishwasher - ack! My dad is a Loading the Dishwasher right freak - and he trained me to be a 2nd Generation Dishwasher Freak (sorry to call you out dad, but it is totally true) and I really don't want to pass it onto my kids - or have a bunch of broken dishes - so the kids don't do this one. Based on these you can just imagine why Laundry or Vacuuming would drive me bonkers...
c) Didn't I mention earlier that I am a Perfectionist? While I see this as a definate Strength........other don't......my children included. Now in my defense - I try to balance myself with BigGuy's opinion on cleaning (don't get me wrong - he isn't a slob, but dishes in the sink for a few days won't make him lay awake at night and it will me). With the balancing I am able to leave the Olders rooms alone - they are allowed to live in their natural 7 & 9yr old glory without my judgement (and there is judgement) until I can't see the floor or I spot food.

There are many other things that I can think of. Funny, BigGuy does have his triggers - like when SuperStar or Spidey leave underwear on the bathroom floor - or even worse - the socks and shoes left all over the family room TV area - he hates those things............or perhaps he just pretends to hate them so I will have sex with him. Hmmm.....now that I think about it...........

Well.........back to creating Chore Chart 2010.