tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post5731668909982601874..comments2024-03-28T21:58:41.783-04:00Comments on Home Joys: Q&A - Balancing HouseworkGinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-35866050171384894272017-04-05T10:35:04.508-04:002017-04-05T10:35:04.508-04:00I know the last post on this was a year and a half...I know the last post on this was a year and a half ago but I couldn't help but comment. Back when my kids were school age we used to do "5 minute clean ups". That could be anything from folding and putting laundry away, floor sweeping, dusting, taking trash out, making beds...... but the key was we only did it for 5 minutes then break then back to studies or whatever. It's amazing how much can be done in 5 minutes with four people! That would be done a few times a day and worked great! Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-24325204501565427802015-08-25T21:57:55.757-04:002015-08-25T21:57:55.757-04:00Thanks for your honest commentary! I love hearing...Thanks for your honest commentary! I love hearing how different households manage chores and homeschooling. I'm not sure I have great tips to add, but I do like having older children (9 and 7) so we can talk more reasonably about the work that needs to be done. My oldest, for example, will ask to go to the park or library or something and then ask what chores need to be done before we can do that fun thing. Then she will pitch in and work because she wants to go out!<br /><br />I guess I am also a total stickler for the house being picked up before bedtime. I like to fake a clean house just like you! The kids know that "get ready for bed" means also to go through the house picking up any of their personal detritus, too.Margohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16345165456341197559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-68562835792016008412015-08-10T19:45:49.404-04:002015-08-10T19:45:49.404-04:00Just have to add....I think when boys know a thing...Just have to add....I think when boys know a thing or two about keeping house, they appreciate what their wives do o smuch more , than they would otherwise. "Dinner does not magically appear!"<br />There are many reasons for a boy to learn to cook, besides being single though that is a very good one indeed! ( I have known poor old widowers completely lost, when their wives of many years passed on and they could not so much as boil water) but how 'bout a husband helping out when a new baby arrives, or the flu strikes? Or heaven help us..mama goes visiting for a few days away?<br />Many life-skills apply to both boys and girls..men and women...thank Goodness for the women who can plow a field, check the oil (at least) on a car or tractor and split wood when the mister is laid up! <br />Help-meet can mean many things to both the genders!Grandma Ruthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-45624488173410060732015-08-10T15:18:30.367-04:002015-08-10T15:18:30.367-04:00My parents homeschooled me so I am prejudiced towa...My parents homeschooled me so I am prejudiced toward homeschooling. It was a positive asset to my life. But I know that how you school your children is a personal decision with many different facets involved. Seek the Lord and He will guide your decision.<br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-713025744307697702015-08-10T14:42:51.012-04:002015-08-10T14:42:51.012-04:00Gina, do you find homeschooling valuable in the lo...Gina, do you find homeschooling valuable in the long-term? We currently have our children in public school and aren't sure what to do. Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-41147885627362167792015-08-10T14:38:20.792-04:002015-08-10T14:38:20.792-04:00The best part about this though this that they don...The best part about this though this that they don't have to be teenagers. For example, when our children were in elementary school we told the girls they had to help mommy with dinner and dishes every night. By middle school we divided it up so that my wife did some things and the girls others. Then, when they reached high school they were expected to make dinner twice per week as well as make lunches for the family if we go anywhere. Similar stuff stuff for the boys. Jordannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-9136910339927831932015-08-10T14:02:03.843-04:002015-08-10T14:02:03.843-04:00Great idea. We are a few years from teenagers but ...Great idea. We are a few years from teenagers but I love hearing what works for other families.<br />Thanks,<br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-2757446158902132872015-08-10T12:54:24.917-04:002015-08-10T12:54:24.917-04:00The expectation in our home is that the boys aroun...The expectation in our home is that the boys around 16 or so go out and get a hands-on job outside the house, like in an automotive shop or landscaping service. They can get an office-type job later, but we want to see them out and about because it teaches valuable skills. The girls on the other hand have to cook dinner, clean the house, iron the clothes, etc. It was difficult at first (my oldest son, who wants to be a biologist, was upset when we told him that he had to work for a local mechanic for a few years before we'd let him go to college) but it's paid off bigtime -- the boys are career-ready and far ahead of their peers and the girls know how to manage a home and are ready to be married. Our approach is different, but it works. :)Jordannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-1670814094513651442015-08-10T12:11:34.808-04:002015-08-10T12:11:34.808-04:00Yes, as they get older I'm sure their chores w...Yes, as they get older I'm sure their chores will change somewhat depending upon gender. But I hope my sons also learn some household skills. I'm so glad my mother-in-law taught my husband to cook, clean, and iron. It is a blessing to have a husband who is not helpless around the house. And my sons may live alone and need some household skills. And I'd like my daughters to be able to change a tire and mow grass. But certainly, the lawn work and repair type jobs will be more the boy's responsibility. <br /><br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-51513948412720016652015-08-10T11:38:51.021-04:002015-08-10T11:38:51.021-04:00Seems like you have a decent system figured out. :...Seems like you have a decent system figured out. :) When your children get older, do you intend to separate out the chores by gender? Since you should be training your children for their future roles, it makes to e.g have the girls clean, cook, do dishes, etc.and have the boys work on the car, do stuff outside, etc. It also helps teach them about Biblical roles for men and women.Michaelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-65354106628030661492015-08-10T09:09:17.703-04:002015-08-10T09:09:17.703-04:00Our children have daily chores that they need to c...Our children have daily chores that they need to check off a chart, then they get the chart signed at the end of the day, and they get paid a small amount for those jobs. <br />Some of their jobs rotate, like the room of the house that they are responsible to keep picked up/orderly every day, and clean on Fridays. We rotate those every other month.<br />We also don't do school on Fridays. They double up a little, and don't mind doing that, in order to have Friday off. We clean on Fridays, and maybe do art!<br />And this doesn't begin to address the things like, how I get the checking done, how I feel my mind is pulled in so many directions at once, with questions from the children, simple talking, and the problems that go along with relationships! Or yes, the ones who shirk, or the ones who are slow, or the grumbling. But they can be pretty sure if they complain about work, they will get another job to do, also. <br />Our 11 and 12 year old daughters make breakfast, each one day a week. They also make dinner on Fridays, usually pizza. Simple meals help keep kitchen time down! Wendy W.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-77633657341893597282015-08-09T17:07:02.387-04:002015-08-09T17:07:02.387-04:00Great topic!
I encouraged my sons to cook with me...Great topic! <br />I encouraged my sons to cook with me, and by the time they were 10 or so, they could actually take care of themselves in the kitchen. They also did their own laundry and ironing by about 12. <br />We had a rule...if I find it on the floor it goes in the trash. I meant it, and they picked up pretty well after they got the picture.<br />Now the hard part..<br />We still laugh about their bedroom...I would tell them to 'go in there and don't come out until it's clean" Many hours would go by and lots of strange noises emanated from that room, including guitar playing, fake car/motorcycle noises and other imaginative sounds. I contend they didn't come out for 3 weeks one time! <br />With my Grand daughter, I used a timer and she had 10 minutes to pick up her room...ready, set...go! She was little and loved the game, but now she really does know she can pick up her room in under 10 min. I put a low clothes bar in her closet so she could hang her own clothes up. <br />We would of had a ball with the William Tell Overture!! Grandma Ruthnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-81957005817676536692015-08-09T16:15:21.373-04:002015-08-09T16:15:21.373-04:00I'm terribly at keeping up with a chore chart,...I'm terribly at keeping up with a chore chart, we do good for a while but then we forget it. You are right - patience, consistency, and encouragement go a long way.<br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-90042325214862568332015-08-09T16:13:55.285-04:002015-08-09T16:13:55.285-04:00I think we all need to realize that we can't c...I think we all need to realize that we can't compare ourselves with others because each of us face different sets of circumstances. <br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-31784763288962880782015-08-09T16:13:00.880-04:002015-08-09T16:13:00.880-04:00I like the idea of having a rag and spray bottle h...I like the idea of having a rag and spray bottle handy and giving the bathroom a quick clean throughout the week.<br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-77204251399263925092015-08-09T16:11:18.680-04:002015-08-09T16:11:18.680-04:00I love your mom's creative idea on how to have...I love your mom's creative idea on how to have the chores inspected! <br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-50277477572427253802015-08-09T16:10:29.488-04:002015-08-09T16:10:29.488-04:00The other thing my children like to do is put on s...The other thing my children like to do is put on some loud fast music - like the William Tell Overture, I work as fast as the music!<br />GinaGinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-7043340572934764502015-08-09T14:51:52.631-04:002015-08-09T14:51:52.631-04:00Sounds like you're doing a great job! At bedti...Sounds like you're doing a great job! At bedtime, we used to do the "10-second tidy". They would run around for probably five minutes putting stuff away. It didn't seem like such a daunting task.Rainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10931592050866851989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-21987627072247696412015-08-09T14:31:12.329-04:002015-08-09T14:31:12.329-04:00This was helpful and encouraging even for me - wit...This was helpful and encouraging even for me - with only three kids and my kids are in school.<br /><br />Thank you for sharing!! <br /><br />I have found using a chore chart to be helpful for awhile - but now that we don't really follow it anymore - the children still willingly help out and do their part ...I guess, patience, consistency and encouragement go a long way...especially with age appropriate chores.Bevy @ Treasured Up and Ponderedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15821971923515558110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-74030655945216447812015-08-09T13:35:58.540-04:002015-08-09T13:35:58.540-04:00While my mom didn't homeschool us, she did a g...While my mom didn't homeschool us, she did a great job teaching us how to help out with the housework. There were 5 of us and she picked 5 areas for us to take care of- living room, dishes, bathroom, pets, garbage. We each had regular things to do during the week- pick up the room, do the dishes, clean up the bathroom, feed/walk the pets, take out the garbage- and then we did a little more on Saturdays- dust and vacuum the living room, scrub the bathroom, change the litter for the cat, take the garbage to the street & back. These 5 jobs we rotated each week. We all hated the dishes the most, so the person with dishes would check at 5pm on all the other jobs to see if they had been done, if not, the person/people that didn't do their job had to do the dishes that night. It worked well and my mom didn't have to be inspecting everyone all the time. Of course these were in addition to keeping our own rooms clean during the week/dust & vacuum on Saturday, doing our own laundry after we turned 10, and helping with yard work for an hour on Saturday. It sounds like a lot, but we had lots of free time and we learned how to take care of a home. I thank my mom all of the time for teaching me all of these skills.Melissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02914509267914958596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-73194819699148902752015-08-08T22:26:00.088-04:002015-08-08T22:26:00.088-04:00Oh another thing if you are hanging out clothes, i...Oh another thing if you are hanging out clothes, is to have the children have a small low clothesline. My children like to use the clothespin upside down so they can just "push" it on instead of clipping it. Then they can hang the smaller, lighter things like socks and washcloths and such and it saves you time and keeps them busy and they love it. We just made ours with heavy string and it could be hooked up or taken down when not in use. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-29128146015618122582015-08-08T22:24:03.609-04:002015-08-08T22:24:03.609-04:00I find this a challenge as well. My children are ...I find this a challenge as well. My children are 3, 6 and 9 and I also homeschool like you do. I think that this is a universal problem of mothers and homeschooling mothers especially. I haven't met one yet who doesn't find this to be a challenge. I do find that including my children in the work makes a big difference. But really only the 9 year old is mostly reliable (although there are some challenges with bad attitudes, she does a good job when she does do the task). It also gets tiring to be on top of attitude problems and making sure jobs are done right. But it does pay off. The 6 year old does do a good amount of work as well but she is very distractable. The 3 year old loves to help but her "help" is often not that useful. I think that the best thing for me with laundry was having my children help bring it to the basement from upstairs like you do each day. Then the laundry is there ready to do when I have the time. I don't have to haul it down from all the rooms. One of my oldest's jobs is to empty the dish drainer every morning first thing. Then it is empty, ready to catch the next load of wet dishes. If I don't have enough time to clean well, I focus on the bathroom, living room and kitchen. Even just vacuuming around the furniture instead of moving it and not moving everything helps a lot, even if the room is not dusted. I do this sometimes if I simply cannot do more. Sometimes I also do the toilet and sink and not the tub if its a really bad week. I do find though that if I clean the bathroom consistently once a week, it actually takes less time than if I let the bathroom grime build up for a bit longer. Another thing I do is keep vinegar and water mix in a spray bottle under the bathroom sink. Every morning I wipe it with a rag and I can also do it quickly when I use the bathroom during the day if it starts looking gross (and with one bathroom and 5 people this happens fast). <br /><br />When I had my 3rd child, my oldest was in grade 1. So although it wasn't as "serious" as when a child is older, we did take about a month off homeschooling. A friend with 7 children told me she always took 6 weeks off when she had a new baby. I found that my children liked the structure that homeschooling brought to our day, but it was nice to have some time off too (although we continued to do a lot of reading).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-26362278811706668302015-08-08T19:43:27.625-04:002015-08-08T19:43:27.625-04:00This is really helpful and interesting! Though we ...This is really helpful and interesting! Though we are still using Rod and Staff preschool books for our daughter I am excited to start teaching real school. I hope to use Christian Light Education for most of the subjects, I just love how they teach independence and the Bible. lindzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13218111039323851513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-16797121269919874972015-08-08T19:09:33.762-04:002015-08-08T19:09:33.762-04:00It sounds to me like you juggle it quite well! My ...It sounds to me like you juggle it quite well! My daughter home schools her boys(9 and 11) plus has a 3 yr old and a new one due in Jan. She has her boys help with sweeping and dishes on an alternating basis. They don't wash clothes,but put theirs away. I think they also help take them off the line and fold them. Her oldest likes to bake(like his grandma!),so he often does that for her. I can't really say how she fits the schooling in..she just does and it seems to all work together. She did tell her friend recently that she couldn't figure out how mom(meaning me) could keep the house so clean,cook all the time,sew,etc. and raise her and her brothers. She finally realized that I had all day while they were in school! It was then that she stopped stressing over trying to do it all and focus on the important tasks at hand. I think she does well with it all. I also think you do,too!Barb Wrightnoreply@blogger.com