Summer

It's hard to believe my kids have been on summer break now for 6 weeks. For them school starts back the first week of August. One thing I decided this year was that they were going to have to take some responsibility over the summer. Because my husband and I both work full time, we don't have a lot of time to do work around the house. The kids are old enough that they can help now. They have two main things they have to do each day. #1 is they must read for 1 hour. My oldest and youngest enjoy reading. However, I knew this would be difficult for my middle child. Luckily, she discovered a new book series just before summer break. She loves it and has had no problem doing her reading every day. #2 is they each have a chore to do every day. Chores can be anything from laundry, to cleaning their room, to cleaning the bathroom. Each day is something different. They each do their own laundry (which helps tremendously!) and have their own specific day to do it. During the summer, they are also responsible for washing towels and bedding.

Surprisingly, the kids have done well with their new responsibility. They have not complained (much) and don't whine when I remind them. They have even called/text me to ask what their chore is if I forget to post it. With only 4 weeks to go before school starts, I better start working on a plan for them to continue this during the school year!

What do you think? Do your kids help out around the house? How do you keep things running smoothly, especially if you work?