The Summer Juggle ~ Household Chores

Comments Jul 2, 2012 | Kids, Laundry, Meal Planning, Spring Cleaning, Summer, Work

Today we are talking about the summer juggle when it comes to household chores. I don’t know about you but I always look to the summer and think “Wow! It will be so much easier for us to get the busyness and the back end work of taking care of house done without having to eat up every weekend. Surely I’ve got 5 days with my kids home and we can get the chores done.” Except for the simple fact that the only way that this will happen is if I make sure to have a schedule to get the chores done no different than the schedule that exists during the school year. For us during the school year doing chores as a family on the weekend has evolved into the best way for that to happen. During the summer, its my goal to protect the weekend so that we can really let our hair down if we’ve had a busy week. I’ve got three busy athletes and sometimes we get to the weekend and we are simply not here, all 5 of us, or we’ve just had enough and we really need a break. So here are my tips to help you get summer household chores under control with the juggle and it does involve your kids.

1. Make a List of Daily Chores: Think things like putting the dishes in the dishwasher, clearing the table, making beds, and daily tasks that are really in essence life skills.

2. Make a List of Weekly Chores: This is where cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming floors, taking out the trash and anything like that which might have a weekly tagline. Next, consult your GO MOM! Summer Checklist and identify anything that might be considered a monthly chore for the season as well.

3. Update your Planner: Get out your GO MOM! planner and get those items that are weekly and monthly mapped out. Find a block, knock it out, make it happen. When it comes to the daily and weekly chores that involve your kids, this is where your family master wall calendar is king. You need to make it clear to them what they are responsible for every day and every week. Its not something that they are going to get paid for, its not something they are going to be rewarded for. It’s because they live with you, they live in your house and its something they need to do.

If you are having trouble reminding your kids to stay on track and the key is you want them to take ownership of it, get out the clipboards. Make 2 lists there. Every week give them a fresh list on that clip board. One will list daily things they need to do and they can go and check those off as they happen all day long and the other will list the item or few that are weekly responsibilities. When you do that, all you have to do when the say “Mom what do I have to do?” or you need to remind them what to do, point them in the direction of their very own clipboard. After all is up to them to make it happen not you. Don’t rescue them, don’t’ go in there and do it for them if they complain enough. In my house, the more you complain, the longer your list gets.

That’s how we tackle the summer juggle when it comes to household chores and kids. Tell me…

How do you handle chores and kids all summer long?

Thanks so much for stopping by ~ we’ll see you next time!