Chore System

Oh chores, how I loathe them....ok, not all of them, I loathe having to nag and beg and plead to get my kids to DO them! After years and years of trying every most of the systems out there I finally settled on one I came up with a few years ago that worked. In fact it worked every time we used it. I don't know why I ever stopped. Oh wait, I do know. I saw all these other colorful chore systems and they looked FUN! Mine is not colorful or fun, but it works.

These are my kids chores cards. The numbers on the cards are for the days of the week. 1 = Monday, 2 = Tuesday, etc. Since we have had these chore cards for awhile some of the chores on the cards don't correspond with the number on the card and my kids know just to ignore that chore. For example, You can see that my daughter Katie has "Do laundry on Wednesday" but the number on the card is 1. She knows it's Monday not Wednesday so she doesn't have to do her laundry. Does that make sense?

These are my Extra Chore cards. I put these on the kids chore rings when I need them done. They don't get anything extra or a reward for doing them, they are just ones that I need rotated between kids and don't need done all the time.

It is simple, not fun, not colorful, but it WORKS and that is all that matters to me!

Workbox System for homeschool

Here it is in all its glory! Ok, so it really isn't fantastic...well, I think it's fantastic, but you don't have to think so. I have been struggling for years with how to organize the kids schoolwork and we have done some systems that temporarily worked but it never even lasted 3 months. In fact they usually only lasted about 4 weeks (or less) but who's counting? Oh right....I am.

I had heard about workboxes for a few years, and I tried a folder system that mimics the workboxes because I didn't have the money to buy 1 box per subject per kid. It didn't last. I kept forgetting to put worksheets and stuff in the folders and if the subject didn't have a worksheet, but instead they had to read...they wouldn't do it.

So, I finally had a meltdown  told my husband that I NEEDED something that worked for us. I had been struggling for years and now that I have a 5 and 3 yo and they are begging to do school with the older kids and my oldest will be starting highs school soon, I needed the organization. So here it is!!

The 3 orange boxes and 1 green box are my kids Science. They are SRA Science Labs that I got years ago. The top right cubby holds teachers manuals and my binder that has our yearly schedule and other important stuff. All the white bins hold more teachers manuals and manipulatives. I had to hid the lower stuff from my 18 mo old so he wouldn't pull everything off the shelves. The kids chore cards and daily schedules hang on command hooks. I will explain these later in this post.

Each kid has 8 bins that are numbered and color coded. I added the subject labels on them for my info so I don't mess up which bucket I put what in. Depending on the child, buckets # 7 and  #8 are not labeled because they are "floating subjects" or fun bins. Floating subjects means that the subjects that go in them rotate between electives. So one week might be art, the next week music, the next cooking, etc.

I put everything that the kids will need for the week in the buckets. That means, living books, worksheets, textbook, whatever is needed. I even put the teachers manuals for their math in their bins so that if they have a question they can refer to the lesson in the manual. 

I used my silhouette to cut out the circles and colored flower design. I wrote the numbers on them and laminated them. I put the round velcro dots on them and the buckets. The numbers stay on the left until they are done with the subject, then they move the number to the right side of the bucket. That way with a quick glance I can see who has done what.

These are my kids weekly school charts. I modified the weekly schedule I have been using for years and laminated the charts so I could use wet erase markers on them and plan a whole week at a time.

Each card has the subjects listed and I just write the assignment they have. They like having everything split up into days and they know what to do without feeling overwhelmed with a weekly list. I know, I know,  this  is a weekly list because it has Monday through Friday, but they like having each day on an individual sheet. They don't do every subject everyday, and some kids don't even have all the subjects, I just made a master and photocopied it for all of the older kids.

I keep our manipulatives in the buckets on the shelf so we can grab them when we need them. Easy access for the kids and they know where to put them when they are done.

So there you have it! This is helping my kids become more independent and need me less and less which is AWESOME! I mean, I love helping my kids, but when each one individualy wants me to sit next to them and tell them Every. Single. Step. That is not ok with me. I have other kids to take care of and meals to prepare and my chores that need done. This is the FIRST time I actually think my kids feel responsible for their own work and I can see that they feel more accomplished because they are doing it themselves. My only regret is that I didn't start this YEARS ago. Thoughts or comments?! Let me know!

Laundry Room makeover!

I am so embarrassed to show these pictures, but without them you won't truly see the difference. Don't judge me!  I have been trying to get the laundry room under control for years. So far it has not. gone. well. It seems that any time there is a shirt or towel or any item that needs to go in the laundry basket it instead gets tossed nonchalantly into the laundry room. It's not just dirty stuff either. My kids toss trash, toys, shoes...anything that they want to disappear forever in there! Here is what my laundry room looks like most of the time:

This is what my kids do. Throw EVERYTHING in there. See the pink chair on the bench? That was supposed to be taken to the garage so one of the seat slats could be repaired. Instead it only got as far as the laundry room. 

All these boxes are supposed to be collapsed and taken to the trash can outside! The laundry all over the floor is supposed to go in a basket which should be under the bench!

See all this laundry. It's clean. The kids are supposed to take it out of the dryer and put it on the couch and fold it. Nope. Not my kids. It is WAY easier to just put it here! The stuff up top is some of my extra homeschooling stuff. I need to organize it. I also need to finish this cubby system I built forever ago!

So, here I am looking at my laundry room trying to formulate a plan that will help keep it clean. I look through pinterest and get sad because all the laundry rooms on there are clean and beautiful. I needed a plan. So, I decided that part of the problem is no one really has an assignment on when they should wash their clothes. Many days I tell my kids to get dressed and they tell me they don't have anything clean. So I make them do their laundry right then and there. I realized my problem. There was NO planning or organization! Because I have to be crafty and I can't just print off a checklist I made this awesomely cute laundry chart!

All I needed to add were the kids names (and mine too of course) and then we had a perfectly organized chart for who does their laundry when! 

The next thing I did was um, well, not what my husband expected. First I decided that the cubby system wasn't working how it was supposed to so I tore it out. Of course I did it while hubby was at work...when he came home the laundry room was empty except for the washer and dryer. He was a bit surprised because I had been so excited to put the cubby system in there in the first place.

Next I patched and textured the walls and got them ready to be painted. Then I moved the washer and dryer and realized I had forgotten about the 1 x 1 foot section of the wall that got damaged when we moved in. I had to rip out more of the sheet rock and patch the whole darn thing. Good thing I knew how! Then I painted  the room the same color as my playroom because I had leftover paint and, well, I thought it would go nicely with my red washer and dryer plus I didn't have to go buy more paint!

The 1 x 1 foot section that I had to repair was just below the water lines. See how well the patch job turned out? Pretty good if I say so myself!

I bought an IKEA Expedit shelf off the local classifieds and added workboxes for homeschool (I will post about that separately) because our current school system stopped working. So without further ado....here is my new laundry room!

The basket on the right hanging on the wall was a thrift shop find for $4. It is a PBK mail sorter but it works nicely for holding my swiffer  pads, cleaning gloves, and cleaning rags.

There is my lovely IKEA ironing board and my laundry day chart. The clips on the rod to the left of the basket are going to hold a laundry symbol chart.

This is the workbox system for our school. The cabinet to the left holds my laundry soap, and other laundry products.

The laundry room has been finished and working for nearly 2 weeks now and the it is staying CLEAN!!!! That has never happened before! If something is dirty my kids throw it in the blue hamper that you can see to the right. I am so happy that I finally found something that is working for us!! Yipeee!!!!!

Our New Playroom!!!

So I finally got to create a playroom for my kids. I have wanted one for years but it was never possible to have one. We moved into this house 3 years ago and I knew there was space for one, but between finishing the basement and moving state to state we ran out of funds.

Since we homeschool I knew that a playroom was essential for the younger kids to have a place to use their imagination and just play. I also knew that the older kids needed somewhere to be be able to hang out that is comfy and inviting. A place that they would enjoy being in.

It took me 3 weeks to nearly complete it. I only have a few things left to finish but they aren't essential. Mostly it I need to paint few doors and put up a few pictures and quotes on the walls. I have to apologize that there are no "Before" pictures. I did take some, but I can't find them anywhere! I searched my camera, phone, and the computer and they have completely disappeared. Just use your imagination and envision walls and ceiling that are oatmeal colored, no pictures on the walls, and a giant pile of toys strewn all over the room since we had no where to store them.

So, here are the details of what I did: I started with painting the walls and the ceiling. It took 3 coats of paint to cover the nasty oatmeal color that it was painted. The trim and baseboard got caulked and I made sure it was all secure to the walls. I painted the tree in the corner, and added the IKEA canopy leaves (I found them in a local classifieds for $5 each!).

 My kids asked to be able to put the ABC stickers in the tree  so they could have a cool alphabet tree. The dragon sticker and ABC's sticker I found at Dollar Tree! My mom gave me the ABC cards that are hanging on the wall years ago. They were so cute but I never had a good place to put them. So, I put some eyelet screws in the wall and tied some jute rope to them. I used clothespins to hang them and I am so happy with how it turned out!

 The shelves and the blue bins are from IKEA. I labeled the buckets so the kids know where everything goes.

The big blue bucket holds all the dress up clothes and the clear-ish green bin holds stuffed animals. The bear is from Costco and we have had it awhile. The play kitchen was made for my sister and I by my dad when we were little girls. That is a favorite with my kids.

I painted the chalkboard wall and added a magnetic board for their magnetic toys. They haven't been able to use the chalkboard yet as it hasn't fully cured and isn't ready for chalk. By the end of the week I am sure it will be the new "cool" thing in the playroom!

The gray couch is a giant beanbag/couch thing that they kids LOVE. It is so comfy! The ottomans were on clearance at Sams Club for $14 each!! My little kids love to jump from one to the other and pretend they are pirates on small boats!

I searched for curtains that would match the room and I couldn't find any I liked or that were in my price range. So as I was wandering through Walmart I stumbled across clearance table with sheets that matched the room! For $4 each I bought 4 of them and brought them home, measured them, hemmed them and hung them! This is a close up of the pattern!

I added 2 rugs both from IKEA. My 3 yo is obsessed with the car rug and my 5 yo loves to pretend she is in the forest when she is standing on the other one!

I LOVE the playroom and so do the kids! Any questions? Feel free to ask!

Solar System

We have been learning about the solar system for the past 2 weeks and although we aren't quite done I decided we needed to make a model of it. I looked online for a kit (because that would make it easier for me) and I decided I didn't like any of the ones I saw. So while I was at Walmart I found a styrofoam kit in the crafts area for $10! It was much cheaper than than the ones I found online so I figured I would just buy it.

Here the kids are painting all the planets. You can see the box it came in down in the front left of the picture.

Here some of them are done. The big orange one is Jupiter but the kids weren't happy until it had the big "eye of the storm and lines painted on it. You might be able to see it better in another picture.

Jupiter and Saturn drying do they can paint the bottom parts.

Here it is all done!

Here we decided to use the textbook scaled measurements to see how far each planets really is from the sun. You can clearly see the sun and the 4 inner planets here. The squiggly lines you can kind of see are the asteroid belt and the large orange planet by the door in Jupiter!

I am standing on the asteroid belt and that planet is Jupiter. Saturn in just barely past the door. See where the kids are standing way in the background? That is Pluto! 

Here I am standing where Pluto is. Neptune is the blue ball on the sidewalk, and Uranus is the light blue bale you can barely see in the snow.

We had so much fun doing this! Next we are going to learn about weather and climate!

It's Done!!!

I know, I know it has been FOREVER since I posted last and I know all of you have been wondering what happened to me! Well life, kids, illness and family emergencies got in the way of this post. Today I actually have a few minutes to get this done! So here is the BIG reveal!! First I have to tell you that my dad is ah.may.zing! My parents came to stay with us for a month and my dad loves to do this kind of stuff (which is why he does construction and painting professionally), so I put him to work!

This is a picture of what the boards and walls look like after my dad prepped them. He calked all the cracks, seems and joints, and he spackled the holes in the walls and textured them and then we sanded all the edges and joints to make sure they were super smooth. Sorry these first 2 pictures are not the best. But hopefully you can kind of see the prep work.

Now here is the best part....It's done! Since we have 5 doors at the end of this hallway and I hate when people open every door just to find the bathroom I added the "bathroom" symbol!  Now it is easy peasy for guests to find!

Look at how clean and sleek it looks! And the color just make it seem so calm! Don't you love my saying over the front door? 

Here are a few Before and Afters: 

BEFORE

AFTER

Here is another one:

BEFORE 

AFTER 

Oop! looks like I forgot to put a shoe and a toy away before I took the picture!

I didn't really have any decorations for my walls prior to this project because it was such an uninspiring entryway. After it got done though I found some inspiration and I went shopping! I spent under $35 on EVERYTHING you see! How on earth did I spend so little you ask? Well, I had a magnetic board (purchased at a yard sale for $3) in a frame and the frame fell apart so I made one from old fence boards that I bought for .50 a board. It took 2 boards. The white shelves I have had forever but I bought them at a thrift store for $2 each. The keys I found at a local liquidation center for $4 each and the nick knacks on the shelves were thrift store items that were .50 to $1.00.  I thought about raising the magnetic board because it would look better, but then it would be too hard for my kids to reach so I decided functionality is better than perfection.

I also added a bench that I made! Check it out! It was just a few boards I picked up at Home Depot and some stain I already had! I didn't put a clear coat on it because I want it to get the worn look, but I finally have a place to store ALL the shoes! If you want a tutorial or dimensions let me know!

I almost forgot! On the other wall I added a mirror I framed with old fence boards and a tray with rocks and glass tea-light holders!! Can you tell how excited I am for my hallway and entryway to finally be done AND decorated?!?!?!

There you have it!! Ask any questions and feel free to comment! 

We are finally making some progress!!

So I know it's been awhile since I posted but summer got crazy and some of my family came to stay with us for a month and all projects were put on the back burner. One project that did get done though, was our guest room....it was just studs...now it is sheet rocked, mudded, taped, textured and painted!!! It is awesome! We have been trying to get it done for 2 1/2 years. I have my dad to thank though since while he was staying with us he completely did the room! Thanks dad!!!!

The purpose of this post though is to update you on the progress of the board and batten. I am proud to say we have finally gotten around to putting it up!!

 It still isn't done...but all the boards are cut and ready to be installed. YAY!! Seeing as how my kids were less than helpful with this project and they couldn't (or rather wouldn't) even focus on keeping my 2 toddlers and the baby happy it took longer than we planned. We had to take care of the young kids and that meant lots of breaks. Here are the pictures of what we were able to do today. Tomorrow we plan on finishing the installing and caulking all the seams. Next weekend we will finish the living room and paint everything!!! I am so excited that this is so close to being done!! I forgot to take during pictures this time around, so tomorrow I will try to remember to take the during ones and perhaps I will post a tutorial. Enjoy!

This is the side of the hallway we need to finish. Hopefully it will be done tomorrow. 

If you have questions just ask!!