Organising your Chores {Blog Hop Week}

Now, THIS is an area of life that I feel I am always tweaking, and feel needs constant updating and improvement.

I am not one for amazing charts and lists, highlighting exact details and times for each chore to be done.  We tried it, and it just didn't seem to work for us.  Part of it stems from the fact that Robert doesn't like things so regimented, so we fit in with that.

Instead, we work more by a system of just KNOWING what they are to do, and when they are to do it, rather than any charts up on walls.

We tend to work with having particular times of the day to do particular jobs. After each meal, the oldest 3 have a job to do.  Josh sweeps the floors, Beth clears the table and work surfaces and Daniel empties the dishwasher. Setting the table is whoever I ask, but I would like that to have better organisation, so I plan to allocate that out with more routine.  We only really need the table "set" for dinner, so I could allocate a child per day, with an older child helping the younger one on their day. It's handy having plenty of children! *grin*  Clear up after dinner is also a "Pitch in" job.  No-one leaves the table without their own plate/cutlery/glass, and then they all help put things in the dishwasher and clean the table.  I should have that organised more particularly, as it would prevent squabbles over whose "turn" it is to do it.

As well as after meals, we have jobs that get done after breakfast, in their rooms.  They MUST have their bed made every morning.  Daddy checks, and they know all about it if they don't do it!

At the end of each day we have "clear up" time. At 5.30pm, they are all given a job to do, to make sure the hall, lounge and kitchen are tidy for Daddy coming home.  There's nothing quite like a nice, welcoming tidiness, for Daddy to return home to.  I know it bothers him if it is messy when he gets in, so we do our utmost to make sure it is tidied, and preferably vacuumed, before he sets foot over the doorstep.

Throughout the day I will have random "spot tidies".  I will maybe tell the children to find 5 things each, in a place they don't belong, and to run quickly and put them away.  Again, with plenty of hands, this makes light work!

The other main way we divide up chores is that each child, over a certain age, has a "dominion". It's an area that they have to do a "proper" clean and tidy, every Saturday morning. Josh looks after the dining room, including the bookshelves in there, Beth (10) is in charge of the downstairs loo and the bathroom,  Daniel is responsible for the utility room and Susie the toy room. I try and give out jobs like that according to age and ability. Abi will soon be in charge of daily checking that the hand towels and toilet rolls are supplied in the bathrooms, once we get our shelving back in the airing cupboard. I plan on putting it all at her height, so she can easily reach things.

My "dominion" is the school room (control issues - I know I will do it how I like it!), and my own bedroom. I also make sure that the kitchen is done in a more thorough way.

More "deep clean" jobs are done less frequently, and I just assign them to a child, as I see that they need to be done.

The children are responsible for tidying their own rooms, and I give them a gentle reminder each day, to get it tidied up.  Then, they spend a bit longer on a Saturday doing a "deeper" job. That would include me checking there has been no "shoving" going on - ie, under beds....

I would like to have more of a routine with some less frequent jobs, such as cleaning cupboard fronts in the kitchen, or cleaning out the fridge.  I tend to do it, at the moment, when I see it needs to be done. If I had a better routine, I think it would save such a big job when I *DO* notice that it needs to be done!  It's another one that I need to have a search on Pinterest for ideas about.

Another thing, which I saw mentioned on Heidi's FB page, is payment for chores, or not?  We don't pay for regular chores.  When we are coming up to a holiday (vacation), we find them extra chores to do, for which they get paid, which are not "run of the mill".  Then they get paid a set amount per chore, and less if they do not do a good job!!!  We feel that helping with chores is just a part of normal family life, which they shouldn't expect payment for. We all work together, to make the home run as well as possible, and it'a labour of love.

Again, this is what works for *US*.  I am always happy to learn about what others do, and be inspired by fresh ideas.

So, once again, please share links, Pinterest boards, or blog posts that you have written that tie in with today.

More importantly, don't forget to hop on over to these ladies, and see what they have to share about chores!