Sometimes it's the simple things that can have the most profound impact. Like white boards and dry-erase markers. I love 'em! There is always the traditional paper calendar route, which does have its perks. Or the high tech route of Google calender or Cozi on whatever device you please. I admit, my dream scheduling device is a flat screen something-or-other attached to my kitchen wall that is a touch-screen calendar linked to whatever devices I use that updates everything I add or change from that one spot. Better than a limited paper calender you scribble on. Better than a white board by giving access to whatever date/time whether past, present, or future. Maybe my Hubz can add that to his "invent someday" list...along with the Transporter. :-)
Until then, however, I have discovered something that works really well for our family. One really big calender/notes/cork board, a small square calender white board, and a good set of dry-erase markers (all from Target). I used a Sharpie to label each marker -- that way I don't have to keep a list somewhere or remember it in my head AND if anyone else uses the calender, they know which color to use. On the calender/notes/cork board, I have a small "key" line for quick reference to the reader. I'm sure you can guess that each event is written in it's designated color. If I have a doctor's appointment, it's purple. If we have a church event, it's light green. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays are dark green. Orange shows important things that affect the family as a whole. And so on. I have one extra color undesignated to keep some flexibility, and black is used for general items like numbers and simple events.
The small square calender is our newest experiment. At the beginning of each month, I'll evaluate family life and schedule weekly chores using the colored marker system. Orange is for chores Hubz and I both can do together, and the rest are in personal colors. The boys each have one main chore for the month (with assistance) in order to start learning how to care for the home. We plan to switch those chores for them each month to avoid monotony and to make sure they are well rounded in their chore-learning. I am toying with the idea of scheduling quarterly and yearly chores to also be written on this calender. See my friend Kimiko's great
home management schedules for ideas! I don't write down daily chores because those are obvious enough to all that we do them regularly (dishes, straightening, etc.)
Other chores I have on another specific chore white board (also found at Target) that the boys earn money for. They can earn $0.10 each for putting away folded clothes, helping with gathering and sorting laundry, putting away silverware, setting the table, making their beds, and answering questions about the previous night's reading. I drew simple pictures so the boys can tell what the chores are. They earn $0.50 for helping mom and dad with big chores like washing the cars, picking up yard waste, etc. The one catch is if they are told to do any one of these chores and they are not willing and lack a happy heart, then it becomes an obedience issue and they must do it without payment. At the end of the week, we count up how many stars they've earned (Judah red, Elijah blue, big jobs yellow) and let them put that amount of money in their banks. At the end of the month, we open the banks and count up how much they have earned (and write the number down so we can reuse the coins and dollars). We are still determining a good system for teaching them how to be good stewards of the money -- it's still a new system, but it is working well so far! (Note: If you are keen enough to observe how much each boy has, the reason Judah's is much less is because he had to learn the hard-but-good lesson of paying for something he was not a good steward of -- otherwise, he'd have $8.00 more!)
Until then, however, I have discovered something that works really well for our family. One really big calender/notes/cork board, a small square calender white board, and a good set of dry-erase markers (all from Target). I used a Sharpie to label each marker -- that way I don't have to keep a list somewhere or remember it in my head AND if anyone else uses the calender, they know which color to use. On the calender/notes/cork board, I have a small "key" line for quick reference to the reader. I'm sure you can guess that each event is written in it's designated color. If I have a doctor's appointment, it's purple. If we have a church event, it's light green. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays are dark green. Orange shows important things that affect the family as a whole. And so on. I have one extra color undesignated to keep some flexibility, and black is used for general items like numbers and simple events.
Other chores I have on another specific chore white board (also found at Target) that the boys earn money for. They can earn $0.10 each for putting away folded clothes, helping with gathering and sorting laundry, putting away silverware, setting the table, making their beds, and answering questions about the previous night's reading. I drew simple pictures so the boys can tell what the chores are. They earn $0.50 for helping mom and dad with big chores like washing the cars, picking up yard waste, etc. The one catch is if they are told to do any one of these chores and they are not willing and lack a happy heart, then it becomes an obedience issue and they must do it without payment. At the end of the week, we count up how many stars they've earned (Judah red, Elijah blue, big jobs yellow) and let them put that amount of money in their banks. At the end of the month, we open the banks and count up how much they have earned (and write the number down so we can reuse the coins and dollars). We are still determining a good system for teaching them how to be good stewards of the money -- it's still a new system, but it is working well so far! (Note: If you are keen enough to observe how much each boy has, the reason Judah's is much less is because he had to learn the hard-but-good lesson of paying for something he was not a good steward of -- otherwise, he'd have $8.00 more!)
3 comments:
Hey Dawn,
You could use one of these:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/bracketron-unveils-its-iroom-idock-touchcode-in-wall-ipad-mount/
with an iPad to achieve the touchscreen wall calendar that syncs with everything. You'd also then have access to any and all iPad apps from that location if needed.
-Willie
Hmm...how about something 11x14 or bigger? Looks like technology is headed that way. I'm sure it's possible now...for a pretty penny. :-)
I like the chores chart you have for the boys. I've been trying to decide whether or not to do an allowance for Lakota.
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