Ambitious and Encouraging Start to the Summer

Well, summer is in full swing around here.  So far, we've been working hard and having fun.  I may have been a little ambitious in the things I expect from our kids, but so far, the results have been encouraging!

With the help and advice of a few friends and relatives, I settled on a chore chart that I like for our kids.  Each morning, they wake up, eat, watch TV, shower, or do whatever they want to do. After all, it IS summer time.  At 9:00 am, the TV goes off and the kids get to work on their chores. If they really focus, they can have it all done in around an hour, but if they dawdle, it's still usually finished by lunch time.  They each have to take care of their beds and rooms, straighten up the house, read, do something school-y, something creative, one mom's-choice-chore in the house and one outside chore.  The girls also have to practice the piano and Josh also has to speak Spanish.

I was concerned about how these chores were going to be received, but I have LOVED the response so far!  Alison puts up a bit of a stink, but I think deep down she knows what a good thing it is.   The boys are super motivated by a list they can check off.  They are often the first ones done.  They are constantly thinking about what they are going to do for their creation chore or their school work, etc.  It's been fun to watch them.  Plus, once they are done with their chores, we all feel perfectly great about however they want to spend the rest of the day.  They've already accomplished so much, it's fine with me if they watch television or play outside for hours and hours.  The other great benefit to me is all the little chores that I never have time to get to that I can assign to the kids.  Our walls and baseboards are getting scrubbed, windows washed, etc.  It's lovely!  

Here's the boys looking through a cookbook, making big plans for things they can create. Sometimes, they cook.  Other times they draw a picture or learn how to make an origami animal or play with legos or play dough.   I tell you, it's been great.

Nicki's working on the piano. (She loves it. Ha.)

Both girls like to write stories for their school time.  

Josh is reading the scriptures.  

Also, we've started up tech-free Tuesday again this summer.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it again this year, but the kids are the ones who insisted that we do it.  It's hard.  Really, really hard.  But totally worth it.  When I look outside during the little boys nap time and see one of my kids deep in imaginary play all by themselves, I am glad that I put forth the effort. We all need a weekly detox.