Meanwhile, I have been a bad parent. Last week, in my 6 year old's second baseball game, he was awarded a "golden baseball." At the end of each game, the coaches give out one gold baseball and two gold bats. The bats go to kids who made great hits in the game and the ball to a kid who made a great play. Remy was over the moon and so happy to receive this ball. I was so proud of him!
He was on the pitchers mound (although they don't pitch at this age, it's coach pitch) and a player hit the ball towards him. Remy fielded the ball quickly and threw it to first base. The first baseman caught it and they tagged the runner out! This is a rare occurance at this age, let me tell you! We were so proud of him. This kid's a natural athlete, that's for sure.
The boys have been dragging their feet lately about helping out around the house, and I've decided we needed a new approach to chores. So, we made chore charts last night. I didn't put a lot of creative craftiness into, just enough to make it ok to look at. We put up a week's worth of chores on a poster board with marker. And, if they mark off a certain amount of chores within the one week period (allowing for a few chores to be skipped in case of problems) then I'll take them to Target (one of our favorite places to go).
Well, apparently this works. In the last 24 hours the boys have made beds, taken dishes to the kitchen, fed and watered the dog, taken out trash and recycling, etc. I'm amazed! Why didn't I do this sooner? Such a simple concept. lol
I see a trip to Target in our near future.
23 comments:
Like the chart!
Jealous of everyone who lives near a Target.
And love the new header.
I keep meaning to do this with my kids. Do you think it will work on an almost 18 yeard old and almost 14 year old? Maybe I should try it out on the almost 8 year old.
Mama Bird Diaries - Glad you like the chore chart and the new header. Thanks! How far are you from a Target? I thought they were EVERYWHERE!
Valarie - I think it works on older kids as long as the reward is age appropriate. lol I'd been meaning to do it for a long time too...finally did it, and am amazed how easy and effective it was. :o)
Maybe I need to make up my own chore chart and reward myself with a trip to Target :-) I am so glad the chart is working. We have a checklist for the girls that they usually ignore...so they end up losing stuff rather than gaining anything. Unless they *need* something...and then it gets the attention it deserves.
Congrats to Remy and the golden baseball...quite an accomplishment!
Kat - I agree. I need a chore chart for me too, might get me more motivated to do my cleaning and oraganizing. The reward system is so...rewarding! lol
Gotta love the chore charts! :D My mom used them and so I started using them with my son....AWESOME! :D
yeah, but lets see how long it lasts! Everytime my mom tried to do that it never lasted more than a month.
Ok, I admit it. I'm a big geek. I LOVE Future Weapons . . . and Mythbusters . . . and basically everything on the Discovery Channel. The dragon skin is cool.
Thanks for stopping by my blog! I hope you'll be back . . . I saw on your profile you're married to a lawyer. Heh - I hope you don't take too much offense at my lawyer bashing! Speaking of, I need a job . . . your hubby hiring?
Also, believe it or not, those morons who don't turn on the AC actually DO live in the building. It blows my mind, too.
The job chart is a GREAT idea! I may need to try that.
BTW, I love you blog header - very catchy!
I love Target!
Thank you for visiting my blog. I lived in and around the Houston area from 1977 - 1989 when I moved back home.
That should have read before I moved back home. Moved back to kentucky in 1989. Silly me.
We've got a chore chart that we actually bought. It's dry erase with little stars that are color coded for each child. FANCY.
We go through waves of enthusiasm for chores which are directly proportional to whatever the coveted toy is each month. The girls just discovered Webkinz, so they're working like crazy.
We did somethin similar with a chart for our boys. Man did they eat it up. It kind of faded out after time, but this reminds me...maybe we should resurect it again. Might be good for another month or two.
Way to go for your son getting the golden baseball. Nice job buddy!
Crazy4Danes - I think that I had chore charts at some point as a child, but I don't really remember. I've never used them with my boys before, not sure why. They're so helpful!
Tearese - Oh, don't tell me that! I'm hoping these last longer than a month. lol
Law Student Hot Mama - The Discovery Channel is awesome. I think TV shows where you actually learn something are really great. (and TV you don't is nice too, don't get me wrong) I'm so sorry about your AC. That makes me miserable just hearing about it.
Blessings from Above - Thanks for the compliment about my header. It's a photo I took in a nearby field. Have to get pretty pictures now before the Texas summer heat kills everything...
Emily - You just can't go wrong at Target, it's so much fun. But, you can spend way too much money...easily.
Trailboss - I have relatives in Houston. I like it, but I like Austin and Dallas a lot more. My favorite part of Texas is the hill country, which is Kerrville, Hunt, Ingram, etc.
All Things BD - Where did you get the fancy chore chart? I might get tired of doing poster boards each week, depending on how long this lasts...My boys were into Webkinz for a while, and I think we've got a million of those little buggers around the house (the dog keeps trying to eat them). Then they moved onto Funkeys. Not sure what's next.
Jeff - You should definitely resurrect the chore charts for a while...get the most out of them you can. Thanks about the golden baseball! It's amazing what such a simple little reward can do for a child's self esteem! (not that his was lacking, but you know.)
Awesome for Remy!! Way to go.
When Ron posts his comments for todays blog, you'll see why I soooo need a chore chart for ME! LOL I've been a bit scattered lately.
We did a star/sticker type chart for our daughter many years ago for behavior I think it was. I'm not sure it worked, she's still mouthy but at almost 24 I can't really ground her. LOL
Have a terrific weekend!
Remy is GORGEOUS!!! I just want to cuddle and kiss the heck outta him!!! :-D
LOVE the chart!! Soooooo cute and such a great idea!!! :-) xx
hmmmm.....i wonder how a chart like that would work for my husband! lol
Great idea. I am always trying to figure out what my kids can do. I am so bad at asking them to help. If you ever need a post idea, I would love to hear what chores you assign to your children/ages. I really need to start or their futures wives will not be happy with me.
I love the chart and the idea of the golden baseballs and bats...so much fun stuff has happened since I was a kid ;)
Crystal Chick - I read your comment on Ron's blog and was laughing by the end of it. You are a little scatterbrained occasionally, huh?!
Giggle - Thanks for the sweet comments about Remy. That actually wasn't the most flattering picture of him. I think he's a cutie though...and I'm not biased or anything. When he was little he had a head of curls. I put off his first haircut forever!
Chatti Patti - I'd love to know what you'd put on your hubby's chore chart. I think I should make one for my hubby also. He needs to switch out some lightbulbs, change our air filters, put the dead palm tree leaves...and I could go on and on...I wonder how much I'll end up doing that I have planned for him. UGH
Indy - You do need to get started on those boys so they're good husband material. My hubby had never made his own bed or put his clotes away or hung up his own towel before we married. It was a shock for me! I wasn't havin' it.
Bleeding Expresso - I agree, lots of neat things have popped up since we were kids...the Internet the biggest one of all!
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