Not your average chore chart!

So, after my little venting post earlier today, I decided I needed to make something. When I make something, it makes me feel happy. A few years ago when we lived in Pleasant Grove, I ordered 2 magnety board things for a Relief Society Super Saturday project. I made the one that was the Family Home Evening one but I never did anything with the other one. I've wanted a chore chart for my kids for some time now but I am really not a fan of most of the chore charts where they do the same chore everyday. I've tried other ways but I'm just so inconsistent. My friend, Mysti, has a dry erase board and she just puts everyone's name on it and writes what chores they need to do that day. A much better idea if you ask me! So I made over my little board. I'll just write the chores with a dry erase marker each day. I just used letter sticker that I ordered from QVC several years ago instead of my Cricket because I need a new mat thing, some vinyl, and possibly a new blade.  Other than that it's totally great! ;)  Anyhoo, it was already painted black. I Mod Podged the paper on and then just glued chip board letters (also from QVC). I decided it would be nice to have some positive messages on it to encourage them to do their work (once again, they are letter stickers from QVC). If you've never Mod Podged before, try it! It's so great you'll want to start Mod Podging EVERYTHING!  It's kind of pricey but it lasts and lasts! I just got it at Walmart. I have used it and used it and I've let my friends use it and there is still like half a bottle. Just get a foam brush or a paint brush and brush it on fairly thick. If you do it too thick it will dry strangely but if you do it too thin the paper won't stick because it just dries so fast. Really watch for running or globs. Those dry so ugly so be sure to clean those up. Basically, I just painted on the Mod Podge, then put the paper on and made sure I pressed it down all over and tried to make sure there were no bubbles. Then I just put another layer of Mod Podge over the top of the paper, cleaned up the runny spots and globs, then I put a thin layer of Mod Podge on all of the exposed wood because I have the glossy kind and it looks best if you put a layer of it all over the wood so it all looks the same. It was SOOOO easy! Anyway, I'm so excited to start writing chores down for my kids tomorrow!!! 

Loser mom...again, Chore chart progress report, and Way to go Zacky!!!

~So, I'm checking facebook (rare for me because it gives my computers viruses but I was totally bored) on Sunday night around 9:00 and I read one of my friend Emily's posts that talks about her son's Valentine box he made for school. UH OH!!! We totally spaced off the Valentine's boxes. We were going to do them on Saturday. Matthew was going to make a dragon. Zack was still figuring his out. They were going to be awesome and they were totally going to win 1st prize in the Valentine box contest at school! Man I suck sometimes... Sorry mom, I had to say it! Luckily Zack was still awake because Brian has been letting him stay up until 9:00 lately. The poor kid had to stay up late and throw a box together. It was pretty cool and even had a monster drawn on it with it's mouth open around the card slot. Matthew had to get up early and throw his together. They would have totally rocked when I was a kid but since the Valentine's box competition is CrAzY and people are really intense about it, they didn't have a chance! When there are Spongebob, Bunnies, a whale, and a dragon that are all HUGE and intricate and totally awesome there is NO way my kid's had a chance at winning. They knew going into it after their experience last year. That is why we were going to make totally awesome ones this year. Unfortunately, I taught Zack to clean the bathroom Saturday, made the other kids do chores, took Max to his friend Michael's super fun 2 1/2 hour birthday party at the Wave Pool. We finally got faster Internet for several reasons and now we can watch our Netflix movies through the wii so we pretty much spent any spare time we had over the weekend watching movies. So, after the bday party we watched a movie while the kids played outside since it was a beautiful afternoon and apparently none of us even thought about the Valentine's boxes. Next year...it...is...on!!! We are going to start making them in like January so I won't be a loser mom and my kids will at least have a chance at winning! You'll see! It's going to be great!
~Max is cracking me up lately so much. He is always hilarious but lately he is just really funny. I am SO like Dori on Finding Nemo so I can't remember 5 minutes later what he said but it is fun to have a good laugh at the moment. I'm going to start writing everything he says in a notebook in my purse now so I can remember and share. I'm just a mess!
~Zhack talksh really shilly lately becaushe he hash retainersh now. He got them last Friday. His top one is cobalt blue (he picked it because it's called BYU blue but I am a Utes fan so I'm choosing to call it cobalt blue) with the Batman symbol. Totally awesome!!!
~This new chore chart thing is the best! Last night Matthew's chore was to straighten the living room, Max's chore was to vacuum the living room, Zack's chore was to peel potatoes. When they were finished Matthew asked if he could wash the dishes, too. Who am I to stand in the way of a kid that wants to work! When he was finished he was disappointed that there weren't any more for him to wash. AND he's totally stoked about learning to clean the bathroom on Saturday. He keeps telling me everyday that he just can't wait until Saturday so he can learn to clean the bathroom. He was my biggest grumbler about chores for the first few days and now he's my biggest helper. How cool is that?!
~Zacky has always been a great student. His kindergarten and first grade teachers in Cedar City called him "brilliant"! He was always one of the 3 top scoring kids in the class. His second grade and third grade teachers in Pleasant Grove were INTERESTING!!! At that school they literally tried to dumb things down for students that excelled so that everyone was on the same learning level instead of having different levels for different kids. I talked to his second grade teacher about how he was reading at a fourth grade level in the first grade and just wondered how he was doing. And she said that she didn't realize he was that great of a reader, she would have to test him. This was in FEBRUARY!!! It was just not the same, to say the least. The teacher he had in Salem for the last 3 months of 3rd grade (we moved there in March...HARD for him!) was interesting. Each time someone misbehaved EVERYONE was punished by having to put their heads on their desks for a minute. The next time it happened it was 2 minutes, then 3 and so on throughout the day. How is that fair to anyone! Here's my poor Zacky who has always behaved so well (every one of his teachers has said they wished all of their students were as well behaved and as kind to the other students as Zacky is) and he's being punished off and on all day long for other's bad behavior instead of rewarded for his good behavior. Not cool! One morning on the way to school, he was crying because he didn't want to go so I started crying too and just kept him home. I just couldn't do it. Fourth grade here last year was..eh. Now, this year his teacher is outstanding and recognizes that he is "brilliant" :) and LOVES my boy so much! She challenges him and helps him become the best he can be. It's been amazing! He and 2 other students this year are always the top scorers on everything. She moved all 3 of them up to accelerated programs in reading and math. He is doing so, so well! He's happier! We're happier! It's been a wonderful year and I am so grateful that things are going so well for him! He really needed this boost in his confidence after so much weirdness! And with all of our crazy moves and everything I am just so proud of him and his ability to be so resilient and remain the "brilliant" :) amazing boy that we love so much!!!

Delusions of a Super Mom

I used to have chore charts for the kids. I just had them do a few chores like making their beds, cleaning toys, setting the table. Easy stuff. When we first moved to Price I never started that up again, having faith that we'd be moving any day and we'd start it in our new place. Then, when we moved here life was crazy! My health was steadily declining and I just didn't do it. Now that the medication I'm on helps with some of my symptoms I have been able to start doing more deep cleaning, organizing and just plain trying to make more sense out of life. Some days are really hard and I just can't do much so I have to play catch up for the next couple days and when I change medicine I have harder days but when it kind of evens out and I actually feel pretty decent I really dig in! I can't do EVERYTHING! I know that! Ever since my diagnoses in November I guess I have felt more like it's ok to start asking Brian and the kids to do more to help out. I have so much guilt over that usually because I have that whole complex about being a stay at home mom and feeling like because I do that I have to be super mom and super wife and get it all done and not ask for help because that's how I "earn my keep". Brian NEVER has made me feel that way I just feel that way!!! I think a lot of it is the stereotype of a stay at home mom sitting around eating bonbons or something you know. I am ALWAYS busy! There is ALWAYS something to be done. I WISH I could just sit around and eat bonbons all day. I have to force myself to take breaks because my body needs breaks and even still I have that guilt. Brian keeps encouraging me to scrapbook and sew and stuff but I just have a hard time giving myself permission to do those things. Well, I've started asking Brian and the boys to do more to help and it's been wonderful! I still have plenty to do but it really helps to have them do more. I really shied away from the usual chore chart because I have my kids help me all the time and I hated to put more on them than they already were doing not that they were over worked or anything. I was just feeling that stupid supermom complex crap that made me think I should be able to do it all and what the heck is wrong with me that I can't! My kids are always putting dishes away in lower cabinets, getting things out of lower cabinets, picking stuff up off the floor and handing it to me, getting the clothes out of the dryer for me when it hurts too much to do that, getting stuff out of bottom drawers for me, just basically being at my beck and call all day to help me perform tasks that have become impossible or at least extremely painful for me to do on my own. We had them take care of the dog most of the time and we have them do quite a lot of stuff outside as well. Well, even with the extra help I finally decided we need more organization in our lives. I knew I needed to do a chore chart again so that things were more organized and so that the kids were helping more and learning to clean and such, I just didn't know where to begin. After talking with Brian, my Mom, my friend Sherelle, and reading some chore chart stuff online I decided what I need is a flexible chore chart. There are some things that are just expected, everyday things that MUST be done every day by each of them. Like brushing teeth, making beds, doing homework, straightening bedrooms. It's the blank spots on the chart that are my favorite parts!!! Every day I get to write chores down that I need done specifically for that day. One day I needed the dining room vacuumed, the table cleared off, and the toys cleaned up around the house. Every day is different for each of them and they (mostly Matthew) grumble a lot but I keep assuring them that it will be good for them to learn to be hard workers. And it has been great to teach them about working together as a team/family to get things done and how there are 6 of us and I am only one woman and it's just impossible for me to take care of everything for 6 people. It's hard getting used to all of this again after having a break for the past 2 years from chore charts but all in all I think it is going ok. Today, I taught Zack to clean the bathroom. Many of you will be appalled that I am just now teaching my 10 year old to clean a bathroom. I know. It was that supermom thing, and the fear of bleached out clothing, etc. that held me back. I have to say that it was one of the funniest things I have ever experienced in my entire life!!! He was literally gagging when he was cleaning the toilet and the floor around the toilet. It was hilarious! He's quite the little comedian and had me in stitches the entire time as he over exaggerated his disgust at having to do this chore!!! I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long! He laughed too and it was actually a fun experience. Next weekend it's Matthew's turn to learn to clean the bathroom. I have a feeling it might not be so enjoyable...Wish me luck!!!