When I had two children I just ran all the time. My number 2 learned to crawl and walk so quickly that I just couldn't keep up.
When I had three children we lived in chaos.
When lil Meg came around we hit a new high. Or low.
But one thing that we have done much, much better as our children have gotten older is routines. These are the routines that have slowly developed over time and I have to really give credit to my husband for being the consistent one.
- Bedtime. Kids are in bed by 8:30 at night.
- Family night--we do a little "family night" every night, starting at 7:30. This includes singing a song together, praying, and reading a little scripture.
- Reading together. We have read all Harry Potter books, The Hobbit, Watership Down, and A Wrinkle in Time. They started LOTR which is crazy to me but I guess Casey is getting it.
- Chores. When Casey was five he didn't really lift a finger around this place. Now, all kids have a number of chores they are responsible for doing. Which is a good thing because this apartment is one crazy mess. What is funny is that guess who is the best dishwasher? At age 5.
I wish someone would have told me when my kids were younger that they were capable of doing chores, but I really don't know if WE were capable. My favorite time of day is when we are all working at the same time. I might be cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, Steve is doing laundry or cleaning kids rooms, and we are all working in unison and harmony. When we were reading tonight Casey stopped and said "These are my favorite nights."
Me too, son.
Nice. Very nice. Chores are my FAVE.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get started with chores? And how do you motivate? I need major help in this department.
ReplyDeleteGreat post as always. I love the satin dress as she washes dishes. Goes well with the forlorn look on her face. Hence the post heading? Jobs are a big thing for us too, but lately I feel like quite the Taskmaster. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI am taking note. Not only do my kids not wash dishes, when company stops by they throw stuffed animals in their faces.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute picture.
Chores are great....and the bane of my existence all in one.
ReplyDeleteI too enjoy the satin dress. I've forwarded that pic to CPS. You can expect a visit soon. She is too cute to have dishpan hands.
Gillian say this and said, "I should have a happy face!"
ReplyDeleteI had to "let go" when my kids started doing chores. Let go of things actually being cleaned correctly. So worth it.
ReplyDeleteOh, Lee, how sweet. Last night we had an evening when Mark was actually around and I felt the same way. I love Gilly's dishwasing attire. No wonder she's so good at it!
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