Comments on: Because I Bribe My Children http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/ The musings and ravings of a bloggart family Thu, 4 Dec 2008 19:49:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 By: Linda http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6441 Linda Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:03:18 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6441 Kathy, we do have a regular chore schedule. Mostly this is because I can't relax in a dirty house. It just drives me nutty, so we have divided our house into 5 zones. Each weekday one zone gets cleaned. Basically, I dust and the boys vacuum. Each of the 3 older kids is in charge of a bathroom (except I clean the tubs & showers). I have found the Kaboom NeverScrub product to be superb. Haven't cleaned the inside of a toilet in a year. I do one load of laundry a day. The kids put their clothes away. We have toy pickup twice a day, when Carys goes down for a nap and right before bed. I try not to go nutty the rest of the time. :-) Basically, I love organizational stuff and am always looking for new ideas. I know, I'm sick! Kathy, we do have a regular chore schedule. Mostly this is because I can’t relax in a dirty house. It just drives me nutty, so we have divided our house into 5 zones. Each weekday one zone gets cleaned. Basically, I dust and the boys vacuum. Each of the 3 older kids is in charge of a bathroom (except I clean the tubs & showers). I have found the Kaboom NeverScrub product to be superb. Haven’t cleaned the inside of a toilet in a year. I do one load of laundry a day. The kids put their clothes away. We have toy pickup twice a day, when Carys goes down for a nap and right before bed. I try not to go nutty the rest of the time. :-) Basically, I love organizational stuff and am always looking for new ideas. I know, I’m sick!

]]> By: Jodi http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6410 Jodi Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:19:41 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6410 I just threatend that my kids weren't eating dinner if they didn't at least make a path through their bedrooms and start on the mountain in the middle. We've found that decluttering is the hardest part with five kids and parents that are pilers and stashers. (I just filed stuff last week from last December.....about time. ) We clean by throwing everything into the pile that moves toward the dooor of the room as it diminishes. We tend to go from room to room this way and do it all together. My kids are big on things being fair so if they are all in one room then at least they can tell each other what to do. They will sometimes set a timer and see who can put away the most things. When company comes.....there are no good days....it's alway panic mode. We have to race and then I usually give in and let them throw all the "I don't know where this goes" stuff into the laundry room and no one except children are allowed upstairs. I applaud you who can keep up with weekly chores. We do that for some things as far as daily meals. Maybe in my spare time over the Holidays...in between out of town visitors....coaching extra hours.....making a mess with crafts....trying to finish christmas shopping....Oh who am I kidding---let's just seize the day and go geocaching instead. That way we don't have to look at the messy house.:) I just threatend that my kids weren’t eating dinner if they didn’t at least make a path through their bedrooms and start on the mountain in the middle. We’ve found that decluttering is the hardest part with five kids and parents that are pilers and stashers. (I just filed stuff last week from last December…..about time. ) We clean by throwing everything into the pile that moves toward the dooor of the room as it diminishes. We tend to go from room to room this way and do it all together. My kids are big on things being fair so if they are all in one room then at least they can tell each other what to do. They will sometimes set a timer and see who can put away the most things.
When company comes…..there are no good days….it’s alway panic mode. We have to race and then I usually give in and let them throw all the “I don’t know where this goes” stuff into the laundry room and no one except children are allowed upstairs. I applaud you who can keep up with weekly chores. We do that for some things as far as daily meals. Maybe in my spare time over the Holidays…in between out of town visitors….coaching extra hours…..making a mess with crafts….trying to finish christmas shopping….Oh who am I kidding—let’s just seize the day and go geocaching instead. That way we don’t have to look at the messy house.:)

]]> By: Cindy http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6409 Cindy Sat, 15 Dec 2007 22:06:45 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6409 We do some "Ten Minute Tidy" times; focusing on certain rooms. We do that throughout the week and then LOTS of them getting ready for a party. It helps me to specifically assign certain areas to certain kids. I LOVE your idea for when we're in a pinch! I think it would work well for us! ;) We do some “Ten Minute Tidy” times; focusing on certain rooms. We do that throughout the week and then LOTS of them getting ready for a party. It helps me to specifically assign certain areas to certain kids. I LOVE your idea for when we’re in a pinch! I think it would work well for us! ;)

]]> By: Liz http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6406 Liz Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:54:11 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6406 We usually stick to our weekly chores pretty well, so if I'm smart I'll plan to have guests on the day(s) the house has most recently been cleaned! Otherwise I have the kids do their usual job but an extra (or earlier) time. NO pay. (We give monthly allowances instead, which assumes being an active, contributing member of the family when needed.) We do a monthly chore rotation - each child has one level of the house for that month. They have a chore a day: they each have to dust and vacuum their own bedroom one day, they dust their level one day, vacuum another day, and clean the bathroom another day in the week. The teenagers also are supposed to do their laundry a certain day each week. So they have a chore a day, Mon-Fri. Since the levels in our house are very different in difficulty/time expenditure, the easy level cleaner also is the dishwashing helper for that month. The hardest level cleaner collects and empties the trash (a simple once a week task), and the medium level cleaner helps feed the dog, set the table and give any help needed to get supper ready during the month. It sounds more complex than it feels. We have modified it several times through the years to where it is now; at different ages children are capable of different things, of course! And as we've moved, our houses' requirements have varied (we haven't always had a 3-level house!). But it mostly works, and that's the point. We usually stick to our weekly chores pretty well, so if I’m smart I’ll plan to have guests on the day(s) the house has most recently been cleaned! Otherwise I have the kids do their usual job but an extra (or earlier) time. NO pay. (We give monthly allowances instead, which assumes being an active, contributing member of the family when needed.)

We do a monthly chore rotation - each child has one level of the house for that month. They have a chore a day: they each have to dust and vacuum their own bedroom one day, they dust their level one day, vacuum another day, and clean the bathroom another day in the week. The teenagers also are supposed to do their laundry a certain day each week. So they have a chore a day, Mon-Fri. Since the levels in our house are very different in difficulty/time expenditure, the easy level cleaner also is the dishwashing helper for that month. The hardest level cleaner collects and empties the trash (a simple once a week task), and the medium level cleaner helps feed the dog, set the table and give any help needed to get supper ready during the month.

It sounds more complex than it feels. We have modified it several times through the years to where it is now; at different ages children are capable of different things, of course! And as we’ve moved, our houses’ requirements have varied (we haven’t always had a 3-level house!).

But it mostly works, and that’s the point.

]]> By: Kristine/SHS http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6398 Kristine/SHS Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:06:08 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6398 Kathy, I love you. This is such a great post. My kids have minimal chores, and we don't have a regular "cleaning" schedule. As I look around and want to SCREAM, it seems to make sense to throw a few quarters on the floor, hoping to motivate someone . . . I don't read your blog as often as I'd like ONLY because I know that I will spend a significant amount of time reading through your posts, thinking about them. I think I'm subscribing to your feed, I'm thinking that means I'll get your posts emailed to me, and I can read them that way. Your blog is SOOOOOOO encouraging. Thank you! Kathy, I love you. This is such a great post. My kids have minimal chores, and we don’t have a regular “cleaning” schedule. As I look around and want to SCREAM, it seems to make sense to throw a few quarters on the floor, hoping to motivate someone . . .

I don’t read your blog as often as I’d like ONLY because I know that I will spend a significant amount of time reading through your posts, thinking about them. I think I’m subscribing to your feed, I’m thinking that means I’ll get your posts emailed to me, and I can read them that way.

Your blog is SOOOOOOO encouraging.

Thank you!

]]> By: Aunt Kate http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6397 Aunt Kate Sat, 15 Dec 2007 15:56:04 +0000 http://www.edgren.com/wordpress/2007/12/15/because-i-bribe-my-children/#comment-6397 Sweet Katherine. You are doing a great job. I hope other moms tune in with ideas. I didn't do very well when your cousins were little. I think I did it mostly myself. NOT a good EXAMPLE. Now I have a wonderful cleaning lady!! Am I blessed!! And still the picking up and dejunking is mostly done by me. Some rooms we can close the doors to. This helps. I love you. Aunt Kate Sweet Katherine. You are doing a great job. I hope other moms tune in with ideas. I didn’t do very well when your cousins were little. I think I did it mostly myself. NOT a good EXAMPLE.

Now I have a wonderful cleaning lady!! Am I blessed!! And still the picking up and dejunking is mostly done by me. Some rooms we can close the doors to. This helps.

I love you. Aunt Kate

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