Allowance & Chores

{I'm taking a little break from unpacking, ok?}

So I thought I would do a post on our system of allowance. Tons of people have asked me about how I do things. Seriously, it's nothing earth shattering but I'm astounded about how well it works for our family. Here are the details:

- The big kids get $1 for every year old they are, each week. Kenna gets $4 and Carter gets $6.

- We pay their allowance to them using quarters.

- They are required to pay tithing (10%) and save (40%), leaving 50% to spend. We round up using the quarters. It never hurt anyone to pay a little bit extra tithing anyway ;). The saving gets transferred to a bank account every couple months. {And when I start running out of quarters, I transfer things into dollar bills} These are the jars that we use to divide up their money:


- Allowance is NOT tied to chores. I want my kids to help around the house because they are part of our family. My kids do have chore charts and are expected to complete them every day.

Their daily chores: Make bed, pick up toys, empty dishwasher, take out trash/recycling, set the dinner table, plus one varying chore every day (wash windows, wipe down bathroom, dust, wash off appliances, clean baseboards, take trash out of car, etc.)

- However, allowance can be lost for complaining about chores or not doing them. We usually give one warning and then they lose a quarter out of their SPENDING money. The kids can also lose quarters for back talking, breaking a rule, having to be asked several times to do something, etc. I'm big on giving them a warning before taking it away. And it almost always only takes one warning.

- The kids have 24 hours to earn quarters back by doing an extra chore. After that, it's mine.

So that's the gist of it. I especially love it because it is giving them great lessons about money. I love that when we go out shopping and they ask for things I tell them that yes, they can buy it, with their allowance money {right down to the candy in the gumball machines - I'm a hard nose!!}. I can almost ALWAYS tell them yes but then it is up to them to decide if they really want it. Sometimes they go for the silly, frivolous dollar spot toys but they're doing that less and less. Carter is saving up his spend money for a new Wii game. He has worked hard and I am really proud of how he has stayed focused on his goal.

So that's it. Hopefully that helps someone. Let me know if you have questions about our system.

{Oh, the jars are from Dollar Tree and I just used scrapbooking rubons for the lettering. You could also order cute vinyl lettering for them.}

Meltdown at the Library

Carter will probably hate me in a few years for posting this. But it is so hilarious that I just have to share and have a record of it.

First of all, let me explain that I've just finished rereading Parenting With Love and Logic. It's the third time I've read and it and I finally broke down and purchased it because I love it so much. Anyway, the premise of the book is to parent with natural consequences. It works SO well with my kids and I feel totally in control of my emotions when I'm using the principles in the book. It recommends that you give kids 2 choices with consequences attached and let them choose.

So yesterday we were at the library getting some stuff. Carter has started to read chapter books and I just can't keep buying at the rate he is reading. I also let each of the kids choose 1 movie for the week. So we're walking out of the library and C asks if he can watch his movie when we get home. I said no because he had already used his TV time for the day and he needed to eat and get off to soccer practice. He immediately started to cry and whine (and seriously, Carter is a champion whiner!!!) that I wouldn't let him watch the movie. I stopped and gave him two choices:

1. Stop whining and take the movie home to watch later this week OR
2. Continue whining and mom would return the movie right then

He chose the first option but then continued to whine. I stopped and gave him the options again. He again chose the first option. By now we had walked right out the doors of the library and he was whining and grumbling as we were walking to the car. I stopped, took the movie from him and took it back into the library and returned it. No idle threats from this mom.

Here's where it gets so funny. He was standing outside the library bawling and pounding on the glass window shouting "No, no, no, no" over and over. I came out and very calmly told him that he could try again next week when we came back to the library. He was so angry with me but I held firm.

We got in the car and he was still really upset. I could see the wheels turning in his head to try to think of the WORST possible thing to threaten me with. He said, "fine then mom, I'm only going to take one bite of my food from now on and throw the rest away." Calmly I said, "ok, you're going to get very hungry though." Then he said, "Fine mom, when I get home I'm going to run around the tree in our front yard so hard and long that I get dizzy and throw up." (By now, I am desperately trying not to burst out laughing in front of him.) I told him that I would be sad if he got sick and couldn't go to soccer.

He eventually calmed down but I can tell this has made a big impression on him. He's talked about it a lot and I just keep reminding him that HE chose to whine and lost his movie privilege as a result.

Aaaahhh... isn't parenting grand?!?

Mothering 7....

is lots and lots and lots of work. And I have it "easy" with all the meals being pre-prepared and my sister's kids having rides with friends to all of their different activities. Yes, this week I am playing mommy to my two and my sister's 5 kiddos while they are cruising the Caribbean. Just the shear amount of schedule coordination is overwhelming. 3 school aged kids, 2 preschoolers and 2 babies - dance classes, Activity days, track, Scouts, Preschool, piano lessons, homework, piano practicing. Plus doing hair of 5 (particular) little girls, coordinating outfits, finding shoes and jackets. Ushering out snacks, mass making PB&J, lots of diaper changes and constant, constant messes to clean up. My biggest fear is actually having to drive my sister's enormous Suburban somewhere.

Oh what fun!

So far my only miss was this morning when I forgot to feed one of the babies her breakfast. She woke up about an hour later than the other kids who had already eaten. Then we were at the park and I couldn't figure out why she was furiously gobbling down snacks. I seriously felt so bad and came home to feed her right away!

Cross your fingers that everyone survives (them and me). Until Sunday then...