This is the way we clean the house, clean the house.....

Kids and chores. hmmmmm!! I think some of you just passed out! lol! That is an interesting sentence to have the word, kids and then the word, chores in the same sentence. As a child, I wasn't always the most cooperative daughter that enjoyed doing my chores. I can recall sitting in the living room and hearing my mom ask me for a good 3 hours, "Tracee, you need to vacuum." I would put it off hour after hour until I finally got that stare mixed in with this powerful, life changing sentence, "If you don't vacuum I will inform your dad when he gets home." That was always the magic sentence for me to 'get er done.'

One of the things I have done with my kids is I try, for the most part, to not call them chores but instead, we call them responsibilities. It's a vital lesson for our kids to understand that we will always have things that we are responsible for in life so looking at chores through the eyes of 'I am responsible for this,' changes the perspective a bit.

When my kids were small, we started small. I remember sitting on their bed when they were 2 and 3 years old and helping them by directing where each toy, books, and my son's collection of dead June bugs belonged. lol!! Notice, I didn't do the work myself, I directed him while having loads of fun doing it. We had a blast doing it and he LOVED having me in his room. Kids LOVE for you to hang out in THEIR territory from a small age to being teenagers. As they grew, their responsibilities grew because they were ready to take on more, like an easy one for a 5-6 year old is to put the bathroom trash into the kitchen trash.

Here's a few ideas of what we've done through the years:

2-4 - Teach them how to keep their room clean as you lead by direction
5-6 - Empty small trash cans, wipe down bathroom cabinets on their level, polish the coffee table
7-9 - Take dirty laundry to the laundry room / laundry sort, feed the pets dry foods, take their sheets off the bed, pick up things collecting around the house and put away, clean off the table after a meal and place in kitchen, around 8-9 they can put their own clothes away that you folded, as well as hang their shirts, etc.
10-12 Do a load of laundry a week, take out the trash, clorox wipe the bathroom (this is not the deep cleaning but a light cleaning for a mid-week freshen up), load the dishwasher, clean up the family room, clean out the car, vacuum their room.
13 on up - They can do their own laundry, fold and put away, clean the bathrooms entirely, keep their rooms clean, kitchen duty 1-2 times a week (clean up the dinner dishes, load/unload dishwasher, wipe down counters), clean out the fridge, mop, sweep, vacuum, windex.

These are just to name a few...and yes, my kids do these actual responsibilities on a weekly basis. Life is very crazy these days and so, it helps when we all take part in cleaning up our messes! :) Plus, it teaches your children to take value in their belongings and to learn one of the greatest lessons of all - being responsible.

One last thing that is VITALLY IMPORTANT - lead by example. Don't expect your children to know 'how' to do all this, lead them, patiently and with loads of love and every once in a while, bless them and say 'I'll do that for you today!'

Now go put away those dead June bugs,

Tracee

Klaussen Pickles

Little did I know how powerful a pickle was until my son came up to me one day and said, "Mom, when I eat pickles (the Klaussen brand), they make me feel like I am invincible. Like I can do anything I want." I smiled a huge smile as I watched his facial expressions because as he was talking you could see such passion and love all for a pickle - a Klaussen one, that is. For some reason, outside of simply being one of those statements that your child says that you'll never forget, I couldn't help think of the power of that word - invincible. That's a pretty powerful pickle to make one feel that way. So, yes, I just have to twist this around and cause us to think about this in a God way. Oh yea - I think you are getting at what I am getting at!! We live for an invincible God - He is incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable!! That completely puts a HUGE smile on my face with that revelation. No one can overcome, defeat or conquer God! He is the Ultimate!! As you go about your day - living out His dreams, His passions for your life don't EVER forget - no matter what obstacles you face in life through Christ we are invincible!

Think about this: Living your life for God, does it make you feel like you can do anything? Let me remind you of one powerful verse: I can do ALL things THROUGH Christ who gives me Strength! Phil. 4:13

Now go get your pickle and conquer your world!!

Off to Krogers to get my Klaussens,

Tracee