In spite of my having tried over and over again (however weakly) to establish a good chore system in the Diamonds in the Rough household, nothing has really worked. (More evidence that we are still "rough".) The weakest link has always been the mother, who is not very consistent at following through and making sure these things are done -- except for the obvious ones, like dishes still in the sink. As for laundry, I don't have to even think about the girls' wash. That was assigned to the older girls ages ago.:)
SmocketyFrocks has posted a wonderful chore chart! With a bit of ingenuity I made one (backwards and inside out -- who reads directions?), and it's working!
The pink sections are for weekly jobs, and the yellow are to be done daily. The jobs in the center are to be done weekly, too, but I forgot to highlight them. The center part of the chart rotates one job to the right each Monday morning. This way, each girl does each job for three weeks, with a bit of variation each week. A bit of FunTac behind the middle circle keeps it from spinning accidentally (or on purpose, hmm), and us from losing our place. The flower in the center is a shank button with safety pin on the reverse side.
It needs a bit of tweaking. Emily is not big enough to handle the supper dishes by herself, and Elisabeth can't stand anything crumbly or slimy in her dishwater, so I have been washing for both girls while they dry and put away. Hence I am washing a lot more dishes than I was before the new system. Also, I need to add "wipe out the van" with "set table".
The girls have been quite willing to serve cheerfully, which is a huge blessing! Thank you, my lovelies!
Yesterday I began my ruthless decluttering, taking the wise Biblical advice of a good friend -- BE THE EXAMPLE!!! While I did get rid of two large boxes, the stuff that was in them was mostly hoarded and repacked in other boxes that had empty space. lol. I was not as ruthless as I had hoped, but the closet looks better anyway. That was the upper shelving. Now for the clothes and the floor.
Also in the news: T-Tapp is working!! Yippee!! Always the skeptic, I am becoming a believer in spite of myself. Who would have believed a fifteen minute workout could deliver results in a week?
Ohhh, I love the rotating chart idea. I might have to see if I can do something like that...although it's probably not as fun with just 2 girls.
ReplyDeleteYeah for T-Tapp. Have you lost a dress size yet?
Alas, no. I have been in the same size for the past 30lbs, so I am not expecting to change sizes for a while. However, my skirt is looser today, so hooray.
ReplyDeleteTo rotate the chart for two, you can have four sections and put A1 and A2 in each of them alternately. So they change chores twice as often as if you only divided the chart in two. :)
This is a great way of accountability on all parts! Super great idea.
ReplyDeleteAren't you amazed by the whole TTapp thing? I am. I am wearing a shirt today that I have avoided because it was snug around my middle. Today it isn't snug. I have not weighed or measured and I have not lost any great amounts but I definitely can tell I am doing this, even if this week has been pitiful.
And not even workable with just one! Sigh. Maybe I can modify something here to share with the two of us just for a change of pace. It's a wonderful system, hope it works! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, that might work with the chart! I'll try it sometime...I'm brain dead right now.
ReplyDeleteThat's me too about the size loss...I have plenty of layers of fat to work off before it begins to show...although I think my mid-section is getting smaller. Woohoo! I'm just amazed too...that it would work for even me and that it is working with so little effort. Perhaps I should celebrate by making those 7-layer bars. bahaha.
Sadly, it all boils down to my fault here, too. Will your daughter use gloves to wash dishes? My daughter is very squeamish about those sort of things too. Hooray for sticking with Ttap!
ReplyDeleteI need to be more diligent about my children's chores. My downfall is doing jobs myself so I don't have to discipline when they don't. Bad mom. Congrats on Ttap. I've looked at it, but was skeptical about real results.
ReplyDeleteYay, Melissa and Jane! We'll be svelte yet. Wait. I just looked up "svelte". It means slender and elegant. Slender maybe, but elegant? I don't think I'll ever be elegant!
ReplyDeleteI think the key to T-Tapp is form. For the first couple of days I was a total klutz, but now that I am getting the stance and keeping it, I can feel it working. So exciting! I can't wait til I have to buy a new wardrobe. :)
I like your chore chart! Probably won't work with just Blondie and me... and the downfall here is also the mother :(
ReplyDeleteI should look back on your other posts to see what T Tapp is...
I'm so glad that your chart is working and I really like the way it looks. Good job. Also glad that T-Tapp is working also - don't you love the feeling of loose clothes - just wait until you HAVE to go shopping for new clothes! What a great feeling that is- almost as great as giving AWAY your older, bigger clothes!
ReplyDeleteI love this rotating chart!
ReplyDeleteMy dd does not like the dish water either...however she is willing to do the bathroom and dusting. We agree to swap it out and it seems to work.
I have to admit I am the one at fault most of the time. I do not follow up well or remain consistant. Or I just do it myself to get it done in a timely fashion.
Let us know how this works a few months into it!
That's awesome! So true about the mother being the weakest link. I am so good at forgetting I need not rely on my own strength all the time...
ReplyDeleteHey Sally, Darin, my husband, and I have been gearing up for the last couple of weeks to start T-Tapp and I love reading that you're seeing results!
ReplyDeleteBut we're confused. On which DVD is a 15 minute workout? It doesn't seem clear to us - maybe it would help if we went to bed a decent hour one of these days.