Start Them Young: Job Charts

Learning to be a Responsible

"The price of greatness is responsibility."--Winston Churchill

     I don't know if it is the teacher in me, or the fact that I grew up with week day and Saturday chores, but I completely believe in giving my kids jobs/roles around the house.  We don't call ourselves Team Mac for nothing!  How else do I teach my kids to be responsible?  I know so many other parents who agree with us.  Giving children jobs around the home while they are young is a good thing.  Of course they might not think so, but one day, looking back they will have to agree that learning to work hard is always beneficial.  No one intentionally raises lazy, entitled kids.

"Find joy in everything you choose to do.  Every job, relationship, home...it's your responsibility to love it or change it."  Chuck Palahniuk

    The difficulty with Job Charts and giving your kids responsibilities is being consistent with it.  I get all excited and ready to go every August, and then after a few weeks I find myself doing all the chores myself (because let's face it, sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself) and completely putting the lists aside.  I have found what helps is accountability with your spouse and your kids.  Have a quick family meeting talking about why these new jobs/roles are important and then (for the older kids) give them a list to keep in their room to remind them.  The kids can tape it to the back of their bedroom door or their desk so they don't lose it (with that cool colorful tape they have now!)  Also, start small, give your child 1-2 new jobs per week and once you have a good rhythm going then add another.

"Quit making excuses.  Putting it off.  Complaining about it.  Dreaming about it.  Whining about it.  Crying about it.  Believing you can't.  Worrying if you can.  Waiting until you are older.  Make a plan & just do it." -Nike

  Some jobs/roles I find important to start with first are in the kids bedrooms.  Making their beds in the morning and cleaning up their toys before bedtime should become daily habits.  Then move to the common areas like the kitchen, dining room, and bathrooms.  

We have 4 kids so here are their ages and the jobs they are able to handle.  Sometimes seeing what another kid the same age as your own really helps.  I was recently at a women's conference and the speaker was listing jobs her kids did and it was very convicting to me and eye opening because I had become very slack in this area.

Julia is 8 years old: Makes her bed, cleans the kids bathroom (puts away toothpaste/toothbrushes, replaces toilet paper rolls, wipes down the counter, uses the dust buster to vacuum), Julia also knows how to sort laundry and fold laundry, she clears the dinner table and empties the dishwasher at nighttime, she also watches the kids when I am in the shower or when the kids are in the back yard playing, and she feeds the chickens.

Mark is 7 years old: Makes his bed, collects all the trash from the bins in each room, brings trash to the curb, sets the table, clears the table, sweeps dining room floor, feeds the chickens, and Mark folds the laundry (THE BEST) and puts the laundry on everyone's bed for me.  Mark also watches the babies when I take a shower.

Micah is 3 years old: Learning to make his bed, he puts away his shoes inside the closet, puts dirty clothes in the hamper, puts the napkins and silverware on the dinner table.

Amelia is 2 years old: We sing the clean up song and she puts her toys away, Puts clothes in the washer machine (front loader), she also is going to put cups on the dinner table starting this week

"It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do."--Moliere

  One of the major reasons I am writing the post is to get myself back into the groove of holding my own kids accountable for their responsibilities in the home.  I figure if I am taking the time to write about it, I need to actually do it consistently!  And after writing this I realized how lax I have become with Micah and Amelia.  Julia and Mark were doing so much more at their ages and I really needed to step it up with the little ones!  

Quick Recap:

1. Family Meeting

2. Give 1-2 Age Appropriate Jobs

3. Print a List and tape to the back of their bedroom door

4. Be consistent 

5. Once a rhythm is established add another job

Awesome Responsibility Quotes Link

Age Appropriate Jobs For Kids Link

Job Chart for Kids Link

Fall Meal Plan 101

Five Quick Tips To Make Meal Planning A Cinch!

1. Buy a large desk top calendar from Staples 

For some reason this was a game changer for me!  Having a large calendar hung up in our laundry room close to the pantry listing all of our meals has been super helpful.  I can check to see what meals are coming up and easily jot down what ingredients I need to pick up at the store, and what ingredients I already have I can pull out the night before or day of and keep on the counter.  It's really helpful to have your meals planned at least one week ahead of time so that you can remember to thaw the meat, pick up last minute ingredients or prep any sauces you may need.  Having this large calendar posted near the kitchen is just a helpful reminder and also keeps you on track with making healthy, well balanced meals as opposed to constant take out meals, or fast food, or meals that are carbohydrate heavy.

2. Take out your go to recipe binder/basket or google some new recipes you want to try!

When I am in meal planning mode for the month (or week) I like to look through my recipe basket and pull recipes I haven't used in awhile.  I also enjoy trying a few new recipes to keep John on his toes, and just because I actually enjoy cooking when I have everything ahead of time.  Nothing is worse than looking for a meal last minute and then having to run to the store with all the kids to pick up only 1 or 2 things that you need.  I just like that feeling of not being rushed or hurried when I cook.  I also keep binders of previous years that I have planned out the whole month and it helps to see what meals worked or what dishes were in season during Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall.  I also love looking for new recipes in the Real Simple magazine or on The Pioneer Woman website.

3. Ask the people in your home for their 2-3 favorite meals

One way to get some dishes/meal ideas is to ask the people in your home!  In my house John loves Chicken Francaise, Julia loves Shepherd's Pie, Mark enjoys spaghetti and meatballs, Micah really likes raw veggies and guacamole or salad with tortellini, Amelia loves the  spinach quiche I make!  I try to use those ideas at least once throughout the month and that's 5 meals right there!  Everyone isn't going to be happy every night but at least there will be a few times that you cook their particular favorite meal.  I also like to keep those particular meals on the rotation at the beginning of the month.   At every meal I like to have a protein, a salad and a small carb, and a fruit.  Sometimes I can't get Micah to eat anything but a yogurt and an apple or a banana but at least he ate something!

4. Choose one day a week to food shop!

I hate food shopping.  I try to have a good attitude about it but I just don't enjoy it at all.  I try to make it as painless as possible so once a week is enough for me.  Monday is usually the day I go, and John does Costco on Saturday for me to get all the bulk items like paper towels, granola bars (he has a problem) diapers, wipes, toilet paper, etc.  When you meal plan ahead of time food shopping is so much easier because you get everything you need for the entire week!  And you save money not stopping at the store throughout the week buying unnecessary things every time you go.

5. Choose a day on the weekend to cook 2-3 meals to get the week started off right and the freezer/fridge packed!

Saturday and Sunday I try to start prepping for the next week's meals.  If I know we are having spaghetti or red sauce I make a huge pot of it ahead of time and freeze it.  If I know we are having grilled chicken or chicken thighs I season them ahead of time and let them marinate in a large ziplock bag.  Soups and chilis freeze really nicely and can easily be prepped by chopping all the vegetables and then cooked in a crock pot.  I like to cook bigger meals for Monday-Wednesday and let Thursday (Our Awana night) be left over/buffet night and Friday can be an easy meal like homemade whole wheat pizza or baked salmon and salad.

A link to my Recipe Binder