The Time Has Come...

The other weekend I hit my limit. I feel like every weekend is spent cleaning, with no fun involved at all. And Cameron is right there with me. Yes, we get so tired during the weekend, that things do fall by the way side and have to wait for the weekend, but this time my frustrated focus landed on London. She loves to be a good helper - yet when I asked for her help by picking up her room and her toys/clothes in the family room, I was met with a perfect "No". 

At work on Monday, I mentioned my frustration to a co-worker, who mentions that her daughter got behind such chores only when she had a list to check off or when she earned money toward a fun Dollar Tree toy. And so to Pinterest I turned. And inspiration struck. 

I'd get a magnetic board and print out some graphic magnets. The board would have London's name on it and a "To Do" column and a "Done" column. At the end of each week, where she was a good helper, she'd get a little treat or we'd go do something fun on the weekend when time allows. 

We headed to JoAnn's that very night. All I needed to complete the project was a magnetic board and magnet sheets of paper. I had sticker paper for printing the words and placing on the board back at home. $7.50 and a 1/2 hour later, I had what I needed and set to work that night. The cost was so low thanks to the surprisingly large selection of reasonably priced magnet boards, in all kinds of colors, at JoAnn's and some great coupons on their App - one for 50% one regular-price item and another for 40% off. Our total was actually less than the board cost alone, at full price. And instead of magnetic sheets for printing, I found business-card sized magnets with a sticky side - so the graphics just needed to be printed on regular paper and cut out and stuck on. 

A before of all the supplies: 

And an after: 

Basically, all I did was cut out the words for the board on sticker paper and stuck them on there. Someday I'll get a Silhouette Cameo which can do all the letter cutting for me, including all the middles : ). I cruised the web for the images that would work for what I need London's help on. I found some great ones and threw in a few I know she likes to help out with, including feeding the dogs and helping empty the dishwasher. Some of her current chores are: 

• Flush the Toilet
• Get up on Time
• Put Away the Laundry
• Help unload the dishwasher
• Be a good listener and do as your told
• Say Please
• Say Thank you
• Water Plants - this will come in handy after we get some "treats". London has requested a Flower garden this year. 
• Put Away Books
• Clean up the Bedroom
• Clean up Toys

This past weekend, the girls spent with their Grammy, which meant I was able to get a lot of cleaning done, including cleaning London's room. When she got home Sunday night and saw, she actually said "Thank you Mommy for cleaning my room". It was a perfect time to introduce her to the chore chart and move some of the "to dos" over to the "done" side of the board. The best part is London was very receptive to this and excited about it even Monday morning, when I told her she could move the "Getting up on time" over to start her day.

Supplies Needed: 

• Magnetic Board
• Magnets
• Chore Graphics
• Sticker Paper
• Scissors