Works

As a mom, I try lots of different things to motivate my kids:  stickers, charts, threats, praise, more threats, rewards, etc. etc.  You all know the drill.  Most of these things last for about a week and then they are dead and buried.  So, I have to do a dance for joy when something actually works and sticks.  So, I'm celebrating.  Celebrate with me.

On Christmas Eve we were doing our annual "big house cleanup" and I realized something that made me, well, sad.  My kids don't know how to clean.  They were throwing major tantrums and seriously slacking on their parts.  Even with Santa on the line they had some bad attitudes and it was really frustrating as a mom.  I also realized that this was my own fault.  As their mother, it is MY job to teach them how to clean, and I wasn't letting them in on the action as much as I should have.  Then, I got down-right determined.  I will not allow my kids to grow up to be those roommates or mission companions that everyone dreads because they don't know how to take care of their own space, or be responsible when it comes to matters of cleanliness.  AND, I will not be spending my wind-down time at the end of the day picking up after my kids.  My kids would know how to clean.  I knew we needed to make some changes, and behold:

The Zone Chart.

We've been doing it for a few months now, and I'm so very pleased to say that IT IS WORKING!!  A cleaning system that is working for my kids!  Hurray!  Here's how it works:  Each kid has a zone that is theirs for the entire week.  At the end of the day (7:30, to be exact) we all clean zones.  Now, obviously, Daisy and Lainey don't do much, but Nick or I, or both, usually help at least Lainey pick up a few things.  I don't expect perfection.  I just expect them to pick up what's on the floor and put it away.  No scrubbing or vacuuming.  It usually takes about 10 minutes or less if they really buckle down.  I had someone ask me, "How do you actually get them to do it?"  Ha!  This is where the threats come back into play.  ;)  Actually, the kids know very well that if they are not in bed by 8:30, they miss out on stories, so that is usually the motivating factor.  Plus, it has just become something we do.  We clean up the house before going to bed and even Everett and Lu are picking up (ha!  Get it?  Picking up?  :) on that.  On Saturday, this zone is their chore and I expect a more thorough cleaning job with toilet cleaning and vacuuming and such.

And, the best part!  I come downstairs from putting kids to bed with a clean house.  No more spending those precious hours between 9 to 11 picking up.  I can actually sit down and unwind.  Yeah for something that works.  :)