Using Time Wisely

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Establishing Chores for Kids

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Establishing Chores for Kids

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

My children are ages 8, 6, and 3, and honestly, we have not established chores for them. My children have routines.

For example, at meal times, they help set and clear the table. With carpet on our dining room floor, my older two children clear their own place settings while my toddler may take her utensils to the sink.

Though they have some responsibilities, we have not established set chores for them.

Realizing that they need to understand the workings of a home for when they have their own, I would like to teach them one step at a time.

Though I am not ready to have them clean the entire house, I am ready to start because, typically, I clean while they play.

Delegating Chores

During this last cleaning session, my children were begging to help. I’m not sure if they were tired of playing, needed a change of pace, or stuck inside due to all the rain, but I welcomed the help. My son and older daughter worked together to empty all the trash cans into the larger trash bag. I then hauled it out to the trash can.

My son dusted, wiped down the furniture with polish, and vacuumed the kids’ rooms. My daughter picked up the bonus room and cleaned the crayons and marker dots off the furniture and doors using a magic eraser. While my children worked in these rooms, I cleaned our bathrooms.

In working together, we cleaned the upstairs in record time. My children were tired after the constant 3-hour session, but they were so proud of their accomplishment. I also was very proud of them and their willingness to help out.

As I consider turning over some of these responsibilities to them, I know their help will end up being a time-saver for me while developing their skills. In thinking about teaching them to use time wisely while being efficient, thorough, and accurate, I know I need to delegate more responsibilities to them.

Chore Chart Suggestions

If you need to establish, change, or adjust chores for kids, these suggestions may offer a starting point:

    • Reader Alyssa finds Kidpoints.com a helpful resource for creating chore charts and monitoring each child’s progress. (Thanks, Alyssa, for sharing!)
    • Chuck E. Cheese offers a number of calendars whereby a child can earn 10 tokens:
      • Daily chores
      • Clean room
      • Let’s get dressed
    • This post from Money Saving Mom includes links to 5 different types of chore charts. I love these because some children need a visual and/or tactile reward when completing their task.

In keeping our home clean, I welcome the help of my children. Though I know I can clean quicker and better right now, I must invest my time into teaching my children how to correctly clean to help them with the benefit of saving me future energy and time. Capitalizing on their willingness to help compounded with gratitude and rewards, I am learning to encourage my children to help.

With no official chores in place, we give our children different tasks. As we see them develop and learn how to complete each task, we will slowly delegate those responsibilities. The ball is in my court to using time wisely training my children a way to correctly clean and maintain a task before handing it over. Yikes!

We are laying the groundwork. I know others who have established chores for kids with success. We are not there yet, but thankfully, my children are still young and willing to help. Happy training!

Question: What tips do you have for establishing chores for kids?

Delight in No-brainer Routines

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Delight in no-brainer routines

Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Not sure if this happens to you, but I can finish a day and feel like I have accomplished nothing.

I can get my children off to school, maintain the house by picking up a few things, make the meals, clean up, help with homework, run to and from school, play with my children, and feel exhausted at the end of the day.

In this typical scenario, I did accomplish much as I exerted lots of energy which resulted in a well-fed, well-cared for, and happy family. So, if you are struggling with days where nothing but the ordinary gets done, delight in your no-brainer routines.

My No-brainer Routine

I’m sure you have at least one no-brainer routine. These are routines where you don’t need to think. Your brain goes on auto-pilot, and the task gets done which saves you from exerting brain power and energy.

One of mine is making lunches for my children. I follow the same routine each weekday morning. As long as I am not interrupted, I make the sandwiches, add the snacks, and place the thermoses in their lunch bags.

Without having to think about supplies, items, or which bag gets which item, I accomplish the task with little effort. It is not that the task is mundane, but that I have perfected the system to a no-brainer routine.

Paul’s No-brainer Routine

My husband also has a no-brainer routine in the morning. He puts on his Bat belt (his term for it). He goes through a series of adding his handkerchief, wallet, MP3 player, belt, two cell phones, and other accessories. Leaving any one of these items at home creates a disruption to his day.

However, knowing what he needs, creating a routine, and following that same pattern each day results in a no-brainer routine that saves energy and time.

As you go about your week and you find days where you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything, focus on what tasks you completed. Every day is not going to be Facebook-worthy, but those little tasks repeated day after day serve a purpose. Delight in no-brainer routines because they are the glue that holds your life together.

On those mundane days, look for a bright spot. Give yourself grace. You need to rest, play, and enjoy life. The To-do list is still there and will stay there until you can get to it.

(Writing this to myself as I get tied to my To-Do list way too often. I needed this reminder.) Learning to delight!

Question: What are your no-brainer routines?

Annoyances: Towel Ring – Part 4 of 4

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Annoyances: Towel Ring - Part 4 of 4Just fixing the little annoyances in our home makes me smile as I pass the finished products. Since creating a space for our swords and batons, I have not found one of them on the floor.

Also, I no longer need to remind my children not to slam the garage door open as the door bumper softens the blow to our wall.

Our washer is working great without the screwdriver holding down the prong as Paul reset the washing machine lid catch.

The last annoyance I will share in this series is our half bathroom’s towel ring.

Part 4: Towel Ring

Broken Towel Ring

Among the many pulls on the towel ring in our half bathroom to get the towel down, the little plastic spacers separated from the base. With the ring spinning, the towel kept falling on the counter or in the sink. Having to keep hanging up the towel or changing towels due to wetness, I needed a new towel ring.

New Towel Ring

I added a towel ring to my list of items to get at the store. While shopping at Wal-mart, I stopped by the bathroom accessories and found a similar towel ring.

Spending around $6, I bought it. Paul replaced the old with the new towel ring, and now our towel stays on the ring.

Already noticing that the plastic holds in this new towel ring slide, I push them back at least once a week. This annoyance may need some super glue in the future, but the immediate problem of the towel staying on the ring is solved.

In using time wisely to address these small annoyances, our home looks and functions better than before fixing these problems. Though I still need to order a part for our oven drawer, replace a large battery, and install some lights, I have made progress and will continue to meet annoyances head on to save money, energy, and time.

As you find those annoyances within your home, and we all have them, finding a solution is worthy of your time. Keep making progress in maintaining your home one step at a time. Happy solution finding!

Question: What annoyances will you address in your home this spring?

Annoyances: Washing Machine Lid Catch – Part 3 of 4

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Annoyances: Washing machine lid catchFinding that little annoyances take up valuable minutes in my day, I jot down any items needed to fix the problem. As I prepare for shopping, I will look for deals and snag those items.

In addressing the annoyances, I focus on the next thing without the distractions of our swords and batons and our garage door.

The next annoyance we fixed was our washing machine lid catch – a little plastic insert that keeps the machine progressing through the cycles.

Part 3: Washing Machine Lid Catch

Losing our Washing Machine Lid Catch

As we near the ten year mark being in our home, some of the appliances are acting out. Saving for replacements, we are adjusting to the little annoyances nine-year-old appliances make.

One such annoyance occurred when washing a load of towels. During the wash cycle the agitator vibrated the little plastic lid catch off its placement.

Upon hearing the agitator stop, I went to investigate. As I opened the lid, I watched the little white plastic part ping off the side of the drum and heard the ting-ting-ting sound as it fell inside the washing machine case outside of the drum.

Letting out an “Oh, no,” I ended up holding my finger in the compartment for the next 15 minutes until that load finished. Yes, my finger was sore. Needing another load done, I chose to place a screwdriver into the slot for the next load.

Though it worked, I had to adjust the screwdriver a few times as it would vibrate out. Keeping an eye on the laundry was not on my schedule for the day, but I was thankful that the washing machine was still working with less-than-ideal equipment.

Finding our Washing Machine Lid Catch

Putting the remaining loads of laundry on hold until Paul, my knight in shining armor, came home, I accomplished other tasks. When Paul arrived home, he took the case off the washing machine.

Using a flashlight, we located the plastic lid catch. Paul then worked hard to slip that piece onto the metal form. Once the part was back in place, he returned the washing machine case to its position. Ta Da! Our annoyance was fixed saving us money, energy, and time.

Not planning for this interruption to occur, I adjusted as needed to get the task done. Keeping the screwdriver digging into the mechanism could have damaged those prongs with constant use. Had we ignored the issue, we might have needed to purchase new parts or another washing machine.

Taking the half hour to address this annoyance resulted in our washing machine working at maximum performance. I still check the washing machine lid catch periodically for any movement or shifting from side to side. Thus far, all is well.

In using time wisely, I am addressing annoyances around our home. Next week, I will share my last annoyance in this series – though I have more little issues to address throughout our home. Happy fixing!

Question: What annoyance have you solved with a quick fix?

Annoyances: Garage Door – Part 2 of 4

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Annoyances: Garage DoorAnnoyances are around us, especially parents, every day. Oh, the constant kicking of little feet against the back of the seat or the smacking of lips at meal time or the repetition of the same phrase over and over and over again.

(Please tell me I’m not the only one who gets annoyed at my children’s pestering sounds. 🙂 )

Besides getting on our last nerve, these annoyances waste our time. Last week, I overcame the annoyance of our swords and batons.

Part 2: Garage Door

This week, I turn to our garage door. This door is located across from my kitchen. As we enter the door numerous times a day, the door slams into the wall.

The Annoyance

Annoyances: Garage Door

Patched hole in the wall

Though we have installed a door stop at the top of the door, the door still bangs into the wall. A hole has already been patched, so I constantly hear myself telling my children, “Please open the door carefully.”

Realizing that this annoyance probably had an easy fix, I did a quick Internet search and found a door bumper. So, I added a door bumper to my on-going list of items needed at the store.

Current Solution

On our next trip to Home Depot for the Kids’ Workshop, we purchased a door bumper for less than $5. Paul installed it within 5 minutes, and now the door swings open and hits the door bumper.

No longer do I need to remind the kids to “open the door carefully” as the door lock will not embed in our wall but in the door bumper. 😀

Solving this little annoyance continues to save me time each day. Without constantly checking the wall for a hole when we get inside, I just walk in and unload. I know that the door bumper is doing its job in keeping my wall safe from my children slamming open the door.

Taking care of annoyances is an investment of my time. The $5 cost to fix our garage door issue was worth every penny. In using time wisely, investing in fixing your annoyances is worth saving your nerves. Happy solving!

Question: Have you noticed any annoyances in your household?