More chores and earning money

My kids are forever wanting to buy things.  In order to buy things, they need money.  We don't do an allowance, and birthdays are only once a year.  They've been desperate to earn money.  My son came to me the other day, asking me to pull his tooth.  The way he was talking, it was so loose it would soon be falling out of his mouth.  I'm still not sure it's really loose at all.  But he was hoping to put it under his pillow to get more money towards whatever the snake hook he's really, really wanting (his favorite show on Netflix is The Jeff Corwin Experience).

 I told my hubby that before the kids start getting some crazy ideas of how to knock teeth out, we need a way for them to earn money.  And maybe we can get some stuff done around the house at the same time.  Win-win!!  

We came up with a list of chores that need to be done around the house--most on a weekly basis.  We then came up with money amounts that job is worth (turns out we're pretty cheap).

I cut 3x5 cards in half and wrote the chores out (along with instructions and needed materials) on them. I slid them into those baseball card protector sheets and put them in the family control journal that's on the counter--the same binder that holds the family schedules.

Any time the kids want to earn some extra cash loose change, they can go to that and pick whichever one(s) they want to do.  It has to be done on their own time and to my satisfaction.  And all of them (other than sweeping the floor and brushing the dog) can only be done once a week--that way I don't have one of them scrubbing the back door one night and another one picking the same chore first thing the next morning.  Since they're in the card protectors, they can mark them off with a dry-erase marker.  The marks can be erased at the beginning of each week.

Some examples are:  Cleaning the front door will earn you 20 cents (I make our glass-cleaner, etc.  No yucky chemicals I have to worry about).  Putting away toys from behind and under the couch and using the hand-vac under the couch cushions will get you a quarter.  Picking up dog potties from the yard gets you a dollar (not really a bad deal if it's really done weekly--he only goes once a day).  When it's all added up, it totals just over $4 a week.  Not too shabby for us to get some of these odd jobs done that we never seem to get around to.  After all, how often do you wipe your window sills?  And they're excited to have a less painful way to earn money.  After all, you only have so many baby teeth...

Family Schedules

My chore system is constantly undergoing renovation.  With the number of people in this house, things can get out of hand quickly.  As the children get older and are able to do more, our expectations of them change.  Each child has their own chore chart (I'm working on making the little ones' charts out of pictures).

You can see here that some things are marked off.  As I said, this is ever-changing.  We see what works and what doesn't, and I can just change it on the computer and print out a new one whenever.

This is a VERY flexible schedule.  The times are very approximate.  The JOY part is important in two ways.  One, it's a big mantra around here to keep Jesus first, Others second, Yourself last.  Others should be treated with respect, etc.  Another thing is that every chore needs to be done with the proper attitude--a joyful one!!!  I don't want grumbling and snarky remarks.

If they do all their chores for that day correctly:  in a timely manner, done to my satisfaction, done with the correct attitude, they get a sticker on a piece of paper on their bedroom door.  They LOVE picking their stickers out of my big sticker box.  Each sticker gets them 15 minutes of iPod play, to be done with a timer and on their own time.

So far, this system is working out well--both for them and for us.  I don't have time to make sure everybody is on task every moment of the day.  I got tired of asking "Did you do..." just to hear "I forgot."  Now it's all on paper, so no forgetting.  All the charts are kept in a binder on the small counter beside our refrigerator.

There are also weekly chores they can choose from.  I'll tell about those in my next post.

How do you organize the chores in your house?

Quick Tip #6--Storing Kids' Artwork

My kids draw pictures and make things for me ALL THE TIME.  And they expect me to save and treasure every single one.  I do treasure them, but I don't have the inclination (or space) to store all of those papers and things.

The solution is simple:  take pictures!!

Star Wars is a big theme around here.  My 7-year-old son drew these:

In case you missed some of those details, here's Princess Leia.  See the buns?

And here's Yoda.  I love the frownie faces.  And the stick legs with ball feet.

He's not alone in his Star Wars fixation.  My 4-year-old son did this one of Darth Maul.  He was so proud of how he turned out.  Fierce.

He also did these of Yoda.  Star Wars art is so simple, no bodies required!

My 5-year-old daughter did this one of my husband.  The body is included, but no clothes.

I typically like to label the artwork with the child's name and age, though you can tell by those above that I often forget.

Some things the kids want to keep on paper, not just the computer.  They typically do those things into composition books.  My seven-year-old son is currently writing his own reptile book, complete with drawings.  =)  My nine-year-old daughter is currently writing her own comic book, again in a composition book:

You can also do pictures of things they build, paint, etc.  It all stores nicely on a computer, disc, etc.

How do you store your kids' projects?

Long Denim Skirt

Ok, it's about time I do a sewing project other than Star Wars characters on t-shirts, right?  =)

I've been wanting a jean skirt for my 9-year-old for a while now.  The problem is, she's skinny.  Really, really skinny.  As in 45-lbs of hollow bones and rubber bands skinny (latex-free rubber bands, of course!).  I mean, check out these knobby little ankles.

Yes, my 9-year-old daughter only weighs 45 lbs.  But she's healthy.  I was scrawny as a kid, and I eventually got some meat on my bones.  I assume that she will, too.  =)

Anyway, the only jean skirts I could find in stores were made to fall right above the knee.  However, even though she can wear a size 7 in height, she only has a size 4-5 waist.  If I buy a skirt made for a 4-5-year-old, it's shorter than a mini skirt on her.  So I finally decided to make my own.

I didn't want to go out and buy a bunch of denim, when we already have lots around the house in the form of old jeans.  I found this tutorial from Stand by Faith, for how to make a long jean skirt from two pairs of jeans.  I started out with a pair of my daughter's jeans and an old pair of my hubby's jeans.

I ended up changing my mind, however.  In the end, I kind of got started off with the tutorial, but I used my daughter's jeans and an old jean skirt of mine.  That way, there are no seams down the center portions on the front and back.  You can't really tell it much in the pictures, but there's a lot of contrast between the lighter sides and the dark center triangle parts I LOVE it!!

The back looks just like the front.

She's been begging to wear it around the house today, but I told her to save it for church tomorrow.  This is one project that I'm really, really pleased with!  She's lucky her waist is smaller than mine.  Otherwise, I truly might have kept this skirt for myself!  Maybe I need to make another one in my size...

Sandwich, anyone?

My two-year-old wanted me to share her latest recipe with you all.  Having two children who are gluten-intolerant, we hadn't fed her gluten until she was old enough to be able to tell us if her tummy or head hurts, etc.  We recently tried her with wheat, and it seems that she does fine with it.  

So she recently had bread for the first time ever.  She LOVES it!!  She also had Cheerios for the first time ever.  She LOVES them!  If they're so good apart, she must have figured they'd be even better together.  Hence, the birth of the Cheerios sandwich.  Warning--this recipe is NOT gluten-free!!

Take one slice of whole wheat bread and a handful of dry Cheerios.  Mash the Cheerios really well into the bread--they don't fall off as easily.  Promptly lick off any Cheerios that stick to your hands instead of the bread.  Then fold the bread in half to help them stay in even better.  Now enjoy!!

I must admit that I haven't tried this recipe for myself.  Based on the relish with which she scarfed down this sandwich, it must have been pretty good.  In her own words, it was "yummy in mine's tummy."

What fun recipes have your little ones tried?

How to treat the flu

My kids have the flu.  It is no fun at all.  They look and feel horrible.

You can always tell my kids are sick by looking at their eyes.  

So we've been trying to make them feel better and help them get over it more quickly.  Some things we do are making sure they get their vitamins (particularly D and C) and giving them elderberry.

When they actually feel like eating something but they still don't feel like leaving the couch, pouches of applesauce have been wonderful!  Easy on the tummy, and easy to eat without the mess!

Of course, handwashing is a MUST!!  Especially when I'm dealing with several sick kids, while still caring for and feeding a newborn.  There are also various herbs, essential oils, etc. people like to use.  I try to stay away from medications such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen, unless the fever gets really high (my daughter pictured above was running 104* yesterday afternoon), or if they're in a lot of pain (her head and body were aching horribly).  I prefer to let a lower fever burn as much as possible.

What are your tips and tricks for treating the flu?

What are your best tips and tricks for treating kids who are sick with the flu?

Fun Eggs

My Mr. Man has taken over most of the household duties while I've been on bedrest.  When he's home, he even does all of the cooking for everybody, and he often tries to make it fun for the kids.

Tonight, he took my Mickey Mouse pancake molds and made the kids eggs in them!

The kids loved eating them!

Kids love eating foods with fun shapes.  I have TONS of cookie cutters that I use to cut shapes out of sandwiches, pancakes, etc.  I've also used them for fun-shaped frozen yogurt and even fun-shaped soap!

What things do you do with fun shapes to entertain the kids?

Kids are soooo weird!

The other day, the kids gave me a small insight into their random little minds.

Recently, Little Love #5 celebrated her second birthday!!  The day before, I'd tell her excitedly, "Tomorrow's your birthday!!"  She'd respond by crying and saying, "I don't want my birthday!"  After trying to convince her it was a good thing, she finally told me that I could give her birthday to my oldest daughter.  LOL  Soon enough, she'll realize that this whole birthday things is a pretty good deal.  =)

The other day, the kids and I were all playing outside--or I guess I should say that they were playing, while I sat and read.  They kept bringing me their little "treasures" that they were finding around the yard:  a colorful leaf, a pretty rock, a snail shell...  My 3-year-old son brought me a leaf that he said was "so bootiful."  It was fuzzy with mold!  Then, my not-quite-2-year-old happily brought me her treasure--dry dog poop. At least it wasn't fresh.  As my brother pointed out, "One girl's poop is another girl's treasure."

(I don't have a picture of the poop, thankfully, but sometimes you've gotta wonder what the animals are thinking, too.  This really CAN'T be comfortable!!)

Later that same day, my six-year-old son came up to me, totally serious, and asked me, "Mama, would you rather have a braid in your hair or eat a banana?"  What?!?!?!?  In what way are those two things related?  Oh, wait, they're not.  Sometimes I'd really love a peek into their minds.  Questions like this are just major teasers of what's going on in there.  Other times, I think it's really lucky for us both that I don't know what they're thinking.

I love these young ages.  There's so much random weirdness, so much excitement, and so much hilarity.

I sure love my kids!

Quick Tip #6--Easing "Growing Pains"

My kids often wake up at night complaining of "growing pains" in their knees.  I've read that these aren't actually growing pains at all, but are some kind of muscle or ligament pain, but no matter what they are, it's very unpleasant.  I don't like giving my kids any kind of medication unless it's medically necessary, so I set out to find a remedy other than over-the-counter pain medicines.

I've found the perfect treatment for it.  We have several heat socks--you know, those long, skinny things full of dry rice or corn that you can throw into the microwave to heat it.  I also have a medium-sized teddy bear full of herbs that can be thrown into the microwave.

I heat the sock or bear in the microwave--typically only for a minute, so they're not too hot for the kids.  I then have the child lay on their back.  If I'm using one of the socks, I tuck a small pillow under their knees and lay the sock on top of that.  If I'm using the bear, it's thick enough that it elevates their knees on its own.  The key seems to be the combination of heat and elevation.  It eases the pain enough that the child is able to go back to sleep.  (Though some nights we have to get up and reheat the sock/bear a few times through the night--3x last night for my 6-year-old son.)

This has really helped us and our children.  I hope it helps you all, too!

Have you come up with any other methods to help with "growing pains?"  Please share!

Cupcake Felt Fun!

I love doing busy bags for my littles.  They're great at church, they're great to keep them happy while I do school with the older kids, and they're great when they're not feeling well and are stuck on the couch.  The other day I came across these cupcake busy bags at Crafty Couple.  I fell in love with them!!!  Yesterday, while the kids napped, I sat down in front of the TV and cut some out while watching shows.  So fun and easy!

You can print out the patterns for almost everything:  cupcakes, liners, fancy icing, regular icing, marshmallows, and chocolate chips.  It also comes with a heart one, but I did cherries instead.  Then I cut a bunch of little scraps for sprinkles.

Put it all together, and you have a large, fun cupcake!

The kids are going to LOVE these!! 

The Boy Who Cried Wolf--A 6-year-old's Interpretation

Ok, so when my 8-year-old daughter gets hurt, she really lets up a wail.  It can be a paper cut, and you'd think she's dying.  So I recently told her and her 6-year-old brother the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf."  My son, in particular, listened with rapt interest.

(Ok, I know that picture is not of a wolf.  It's my 3-year-old with our dog.  But I LOVE that picture, so I thought I'd throw it in here anyway.)

The other day, I was sitting on our back deck while the kids played in the yard.  My 6-year-old was under the deck, playing in the rocks with his 4-and-3-year-old sister and brother, when I heard him tell them, "Let me tell you the story of the boy who cried wolf!"

I perked up, and he continued, "There was a boy out in the field, and he yelled, 'Wolf!  Wolf!'  And all the people came running.  And he said, 'HaHa, you look sooooo funny!'  So they went away.  Then, the next day, he went out in the field and yelled, 'Wolf!  Wolf!'  And all the people came running.  And he said, 'Haha, you look soooooooo funny!'  So they went away.  So the next day, he went out and cried, 'Wolf!  Wolf!'  And nobody came, but two big wolves came and ate him up!  So never go out in the field and cry, 'Wolf! Wolf!'"

My 4-year-old asked with awe in her voice, "Why not?"

To which my 6-year-old, in all his wisdom, reponded, "Because when you go out in the field and cry 'Wolf!  Wolf!' it calls the wolves, so they hear you and come and eat you!"

*Sigh*  So much for that object lesson.  I can only imagine what his little 6-year-old boy's mind does to other lessons I try to teach him...