So I posted earlier about our family meeting and how important it was to our family. It really helped our family to get on the same page as the summer schedule began. Without it, we would be a month into the summer and have to do damage control, trying to fix things including mindsets, attitude, habits and messes. One of main things we discussed was our summer chore chart. With everyone home all day, the potential for messes in our house is catastrophic, and I am speaking from the experience of summers gone by. Giving direction to this area is saving us great headaches for the months to come.
I thought I would talk about this chore chart a little bit as some people have reached out about it. To be clear, we have not done well with chore charts in the past. Especially when our kids were much younger, it was more work to follow up with each one of them than it was to just do the work ourselves and for that, we have paid the price and so have our kids. We do have kids with special needs and all kinds of struggles that make some of this more difficult than some households. However, this summer we were determined to make it work and save our selves a lot of hassle, time and hard work, AND… help our kids take responsibility around the house.
First Things First…
So here is what our schedule looks like. We have a list of things that need to be before they can participate in any kinds of electronics/screens. Those things included taking care of their rooms (making their beds, picking up their rooms), quiet/reading time, prayer for our family, and brushing their teeth. This way our house stays a little quieter and there is less of a rush to get to the tv or computer.
Cleaning the Abode…
The next section of the schedule varies from day to day. Everyone has a designated room that needs to be cleaned on certain days, and there is a rotating list of chores like emptying the dishwasher, and various dog related chores that get cycled through everyone to make sure everything is getting done. So far, this schedule has been a game-changer for our house. In the past, dishes would almost always pile up, there was fight about who fed the dog last, and crying about taking time from their Saturday to clean the house. We have seen none of that this week with only an increase of peace among our tenants:-)
Rest…
The last part of our Schedule seems to be a missing piece. On Sunday of our schedule we do not have anything listed. No chores, no lists, no mandates. We have left it intentionally open in order to make an effort to have a family time of rest. In the past, we have not done a good job of resting the way we should. It is one of those things that we know we need to work on. Then a couple weeks ago, our small group decided to do a study on taking a sabbath. This week our church started a series on taking a sabbath… We get the message… We need to rest:-)
Last week was our first time in a few years that we were intentional about getting things done by Saturday night so that we could enjoy a day of rest and rejuvenation. We figured we would have push back from our kids. We would be instituting a device free time for most of the day and that never goes as smooth as you would hope. So we worked hard at spending time together, resting, playing games, reconnecting with eachother. To tell you the truth, it was one of the best days we have had in a long time. It wasn’t perfect. There are always issues when you do something new. It took some time to wrap our heads around the idea of not rushing off to do something and putting our phones on the counter. But we did it, and by the end of it, our kids were talking about what a great day it was… even without all of the screens.
In our house, we have our share of difficulties just like the next house. Our struggles are different than most, but we have them all the same. And some of them are exactly the same. Minimizing struggles is part of what makes life a little easier. I mentioned in my last post that we were determined to not have electronics/screens be the theme of our summer. And we are taking active steps to make sure that is the case. I’m hoping and praying that the theme of our summer is simply ‘Family’. Not a vacation. Not a trip. Not a sport. Just a couple months spent together doing what is important. Being a family.
Father’s Day is only 16 DAYS AWAY!!!!!!!
If you are looking for a good Father’s Day gift that your dad or “dad-like” person in your life would love and appreciate, this is a great list of ideas that will not disappoint! Take look a look at this blog post and see if there is something that your guy may enjoy and appreciate!
