Well, I didn’t really know he was going to do this, but I thought it was awfully sweet that while I took the boys on a field trip last week, my husband Matt (did all the breakfast clean up and) wrote a guest post explaining our “Kitchen System“. The system was his idea after all, and it’s been working beautifully. So many of you asked about this system after I wrote about it last week…so here you go! Once it’s springtime again, I think I need Matt to write a guest post about how to build a raised garden bed, what do you think?
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My Heavenly Homemaker had too much of the cleaning responsibility in our kitchen falling on her. And I think she felt like the kitchen was falling on her sometimes. We have children ages 5 (he’ll tell you five and three quarters) through 13 right now. They should be doing more. Rarely will a child just magically hop in and do more. If you are blessed with one of those who jumps in and works hard, it is due to your parenting. BRAVO! If they need some help in this area, then likewise, it is up to your parenting. Laura and I recognized that our boys needed guidance in this area so we came up with a Kitchen Chore Chart aka The System.
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, making many messes and monumental masterpieces there, but Mom was usually stuck with the aftermath. Notice I said “was.” We’ve moved from (after)math to music (to her ears). In our effort to conduct our family as an orchestra playing a work of art we are becoming more organized. Below is our plan for kitchen chores plus some other cleaning that we felt was being overlooked or needed to be systematized. Click on the link below to download:
Remake or tweak the chart to fit your context. Then FOLLOW THROUGH. Be the parent. I know this audience is overwhelmingly Moms, but Dads, get on board with the plan. Yes, literally mark your name/initials on the chart and work alongside your family. I have had fun and I have been firm also. You reap what you sow. So sow seeds that will reap dividends better than so-so. (I couldn’t resist.)
A few notes:
1) In the early, training days of implementation it will probably take you and the team longer to complete the tasks than if you just did it yourself, but after proper training, it will pay off.
2) We are rotating the duties every meal and changing the lineup a bit daily in hopes that it won’t get old and because each day is different.
3) Obviously, older kids can do some chores that younger ones aren’t capable of yet, but don’t forget to graduate the younger ones onto higher expectations. Right now our chart separates “Put away leftovers” from “Clear table/buffet” so that our youngest has a couple of different chores he can do or team up with someone else to do. In a year we’ll probably combine the two.
4) Ideally, the chart is updated for the following day at the end of the day so you aren’t scrambling, confused or arguing the next morning. Hmmm, does that sound like we have had that experience?
Field trip this morning that Mom and the boys went on,
so breakfast was a little out of the norm on this chart.
Many hands, even mini-hands, make light work…when trained and organized.
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Laura here…I will state again what Matt said in this post: Download the Kitchen Chore Chart we’ve come up with to get an idea of what works for us, but be sure to revamp it to meet your needs! And just in case you were wondering, “Mo” stands for Mom and “Ma” stands for Malachi. And “D” stands for Dad because we couldn’t have another “Ma” that stood for Matt. Wow, this system is really complicated, huh? Okay, no, not really.
“We’ve moved from (after)math to music (to her ears). In our effort to conduct our family as an orchestra playing a work of art we are becoming more organized. ” LOL!!!
You guys are the kings & queens of puns and metaphors. Hilarious and brilliantly-written!
Love it and yes I am looking forward to the veggie patch post.
Would love a post about a raised garden bed!
THANK you!!! This is an area our family struggles with, and having a model to work from will be such a help. And yes, I would love to see Matt write about the raised bed, too. Your family is a great encouragement to me.
I love this ! Such a great way to get the housework done in an organized way . I have one question on the 6 week rotation is there a certain day that you do these tasks or are these task done thru out the week?
A specific day on the chart would work best, but we ran out of room on the chart. You’ll probably want to write in the day that works best for you that week.
Any thoughts about those who have 3 (almost 4) that are 6 y.o. and under? LOL! We have the older 2 do some simple things – unload dishwasher, clear their own place settings, put away folded laundry and clean their own rooms. Anything else? :)
i think all your kids are old enough to at least clear their place settings. I have 5kids 7 and under. the only one that does not clear their plate is the baby (8 Months) if you are worried about someone spilling uneaten food on the way to take care of their plates then scrape it onto mom/dad’s plates. I have also had my 3 year old help with the handwashing of dishes. this is hard for me because i think it ammounts more to playing in the water, but i know i need to be careful not to discourage thier help. She also loves to help with the laundry by putting dirty clothes that i have sorted into the washing machine for me, or transferring the wet clothes into the dryer. hth
I love how you are following your heart on this. My dd was this way at around the same age, and I was too ‘particular’ to let her help. How much easier it would have been to have started both she and her brother with servant’s hearts early. Come on, grand-babies! :-)
Of course, that will have to be way in the future since neither of my guys have anyone serious, but I am already setting up my ‘game-plan’.
Thank You!! i was wondering how the system works. and will be looking for a way to modify it to our family’s needs with our oldest being only 7. I know i need to give her more responsibility and have struggled w/ turning over the reins on simple tasks. but know i need to especially if our family continues to grow.
I love this! Our grown children are still home and it has gotten frustrating at times because they don’t always just jump up and get started helping out with the necessaries. I’m going to implement this and I know it will help.
Also, Laura, I absolutely love your humor and it appears that your soul mate has a great sense of humor, too. What a happy household that must make.
Blessings.
Love the kitchen chore chart! We have always struggled with this when it comes to getting the kids to do the chores. My kids are now 18 and 15! When they were younger they were more eager to please. Maybe by using your system and adapting it we can get stuff done. Also would love to hear about a raised garden in the Spring! thanks!
katy
I have found that organizing every day requires a tremendous amount of effort on my parts and it leads to fighting over whose day it is. I like having the kids take ownership by putting there initials beside the chore of their choosing, but think it would work better for us if we changed this every month or week instead of daily. :)