Thursday, August 13, 2009

Thursday Thirteen: What they CAN Do

At the beginning of the summer, my MIL told me that her kids (my hubby) , and subsequently all of the other nieces and nephews, had a "chore bucket" growing up in the summer. Not big tasks, but one little thing they could do each day to keep them helping around the house during the dog days of summer.

We started the bucket, but I found it easier to just ask them to do things each day. After a few initial complaints, they generally are quite agreeable about helping and I am amazed at how many more things they can do around the house than I have ever considered before.

Her are 13 "chores' the boys have performed this summer (so far):

1. Dusting the furniture



2. Spray disinfectant on the door knobs and appliance handles



3. Line up shoes by the door





4. Wash windows and glass mirrors



5. Animals: Clean hamster cage and fill cat food and water



6. Caulk holes in the wall



7. vacuum the living room



8. Water the plants

9. Pick up toys and stuffed animals (especially the stuffed animals) in bedrooms and any other room in the house that needs tidying up.



10. Read weekly email alerts from the library and collect all of the books that are due each week.







12. Laundry: Sort and load dirty laundry into washer, put folded clothes into correct drawers in each person's bedroom




11. After grocery shopping, take all groceries out of the bags and put them on the table for Mommy to put away. Then put the bags in the bag holder.











13. Return books and movies to the CORRECT shelves, not just what is convenient.











Okay, when I started this post, I wondered if I was going to be able to get to 13. Now I already reached thirteen and I am still thinking of things they have started doing around the house regularly. I actually am quite happy to realize just how much they are doing around the house. It makes me see that we really did accomplish SOMETHING this summer.

As a comment, please let me know if there are other chores that your kids do consistently that I haven't mentioned.

1 comment:

bethn said...

Wow! They really are doing a lot this summer. My boys sweep the kitchen floor and wipe the counters, wipe out the bathroom sink, set and clear the table, and load and unload the dishwasher. They've also been very helpful this summer.