So what are you thinking now? New thread!

[Clars]

Ooh Valerie, I like that. I may try that with my 8 yr old. Or something like it.

He wants a new DS game badly, so DH told him if he could remember to feed and water the dog everyday without being told to do it for 2 weeks (until next payday), we would buy him the game. DH already picked up the game on sale at the pawn shop. DS wrote himself a note and put it on his bedroom door. He has done really well for 4 days.

 

[poidoman]

Nice Val!! I may try this. Except it has to be much later on the weekends, cause, well we all know I love to sleep and 9am is simply too early for me! :lol:

 

[Valerie]

Ooh Valerie, I like that. I may try that with my 8 yr old. Or something like it.

He wants a new DS game badly, so DH told him if he could remember to feed and water the dog everyday without being told to do it for 2 weeks (until next payday), we would buy him the game. DH already picked up the game on sale at the pawn shop. DS wrote himself a note and put it on his bedroom door. He has done really well for 4 days.

Thanks Chris. The idea come from a book I'm reading about another Mom's experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement. My kids are less than thrilled but in the long run I think they will realize that it's not sooooo bad.

Next Month: Kitchen Patrol--Discovering the Joys of Cooking--Along with Menu Planning, Shopping and Washing Dishes. They will each take one day a week for the month and it will be their responsibility to plan dinner from start to finish (with minimal assistance from me).

 

[poidoman]

What's the name of the book?

 

[Valerie]

What's the name of the book?

Cleaning House: A Mom's 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her HOme of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma

 

[poidoman]

Thanks. I think I need that book

 

[jll2375]

Kids in school.... check...
hubby at work... check..
room mate at work.. check
breakfast eaten.. check...
I don't HAVE to go anywhere until 2 pm to pick my kids up from school... I do believe I am going BACK TO BED! Shhhhh no one call me please!

Good luck with that!

I was pretty surprised to see that big bright ball in the sky.

The crazy winds didn't seem to start here until around 5am. It woke me up and it sounded like something was gonna come crashing through the windows at any second.

They kept talking about thunder storms but as far as I know, we didn't get that.

Low 30's with flurries tomorrow.

I'll trade you -30 windchills and 9+ inches of snow?

Cold front came thru this morning!!!!! Dropped from 70 to currently 63

steve .... :gah:

 

[Clars]

Thanks Chris. The idea come from a book I'm reading about another Mom's experiment to rid her home of youth entitlement. My kids are less than thrilled but in the long run I think they will realize that it's not sooooo bad.

Next Month: Kitchen Patrol--Discovering the Joys of Cooking--Along with Menu Planning, Shopping and Washing Dishes. They will each take one day a week for the month and it will be their responsibility to plan dinner from start to finish (with minimal assistance from me).

My son wants to learn to cook by himself so badly, so soon we will start that. He is a good kid and doesn't have a lot of entitlement feelings. We make him earn things. He wanted a toy that cost $75 and we had to get it from Japan, so it wasn't cheap to ship either. We told him we would match every dollar he contributed. He did chores, picked up dog poop, used his Christmas money and came up with $75 which we matched and he got a bunch of stuff from Japan.

We refer to him as our tiny butler because he does little tasks for us. Now he can do bigger things, so DD will be taking over as our tiny butler.

We are tough. Sometimes he gets mad at us when he gets punished and we correct him that it is not our fault he is being punished. If he hadn't behaved badly, he wouldn't be punished so the blame lays on him.

I beat manners into him, I will beat personal responsibility into him to. (not physically beating, you know what I mean)

 

[icoupon2]

Wow....I've never fired anyone and then gotten a very nice thank you note for giving them the opportunity and all they learned here blah blah

Until just now :lol:

 

[skincarekathy]

Valerie - also (and your book will probably not suggest this), I found it VERY helpful with the "I want $$$" from my middle DS to involve him in the household budget and bill paying.

I introduced him to it when he was 11 or 12, and now he budgets, balances the checkbook, and pays all the household bills. This includes savings for property taxes, etc.

That doesn't mean he doesn't waste his own money any more (he does) but it REALLY cut down on the my friends have this, why don't we............

No more requests for $300 trips to the mall either :snicker:

My DH was horrified when I did it. No idea why, why do family finances have to be a secret?

This also cured the habit his mom (DS mom) had of verbally trying to convince the kids they were Cinderella, that we had all this money and just didn't care to spend any of it on them, etc. When he could tell her, the house payment is X and groceries are X and next month the property tax are due, so in June I will get new summer clothes instead of now... That made her stop doing that.

 

[Valerie]

Thanks Kathy. My kids don't have the "I want" mentality, yet. But I think the bigger problem is with me. I feel the need to do EVERYTHING for them because I'm home and I can. Once I stopped and thought about it, I've never shown them how to
--do their own laundry
--properly clean their bathroom or bedroom
--what goes into planning and preparing a meal
--and the list could go on and on
So this whole "experiment" is more about me stopping being the enabler and giving them the tools to do things for themselves.

 

[mrsred1]

I know this probably sounds bad but is there a place I can take home ec classes as an adult??
My mom never taught me all that stuff really. I guess she was just too busy with 4 other kids?
Anyways, I have her old sewing machine and would like to be able to be comfortable with using it, as well as better around the house in general and in the kitchen, and in finances. Then I can pass these traits on to my kids.

I am seriously asking this question. I guess I should just google it though.

 

[blonditz]

Valerie how old are the kids you're doing your challenge with?

 

[eiramnoaj]

I know this probably sounds bad but is there a place I can take home ec classes as an adult??
My mom never taught me all that stuff really. I guess she was just too busy with 4 other kids?
Anyways, I have her old sewing machine and would like to be able to be comfortable with using it, as well as better around the house in general and in the kitchen, and in finances. Then I can pass these traits on to my kids.

I am seriously asking this question. I guess I should just google it though.

Move in with Val for a few weeks?

 

[skincarekathy]

Red contact your Lake County ag extension. They have ALL SORTS of classes! :bliss:

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/lm/programs.html

They are in Grayslake. They have some program info on their site, but in my experience there are many many programs that are offered on a seasonal basis. Our extension has sewing, quilting, knitting classes. The other stuff you are looking for is on that page, offered on a regular basis.

Did I mention I changed my major to Home Economics? :bliss:

 

[Valerie]

I know this probably sounds bad but is there a place I can take home ec classes as an adult??
My mom never taught me all that stuff really. I guess she was just too busy with 4 other kids?
Anyways, I have her old sewing machine and would like to be able to be comfortable with using it, as well as better around the house in general and in the kitchen, and in finances. Then I can pass these traits on to my kids.

I am seriously asking this question. I guess I should just google it though.

Red, I totally get where you are coming from. My mom never showed us that stuff either. We weren't allowed to take Home Ec classes in HS because we had to fill our schedule with College Prep classes.

Mrsmom might like to give me crap about being a "Supermom" but I seriously do all this stuff because I think I'm overcompensating for the fact that my mom never took the time to show us so I had to teach myself as an adult how to cook, how to sew, etc. I just took a free class last week at the library to learn to crochet, why? IDK, just something that my mom could always do but never showed us. Will I ever make anything? IDK but it's a new skill that I can show my daughters.

So check out your local library, they often have basic "life skill" type classes....cooking, organizing, knitting, sewing. Or Joann's does classes too.

 

[skincarekathy]

Valerie how old are the kids you're doing your challenge with?

I'm not Valerie, but all 3 of our kids have been doing the stuff Val posted since they were very small.

I had nephew doing it from 2-3 years old when we were alone, together. Then when DH came with his kids (5 and 7 years old), they were already trained for it and we kept up with it.

They all make their beds, do their laundry, they don't have any clutter around in their rooms. If they make dinner, it is the panini-pasta dish type, but at least they made it!

:lol:

 

[Valerie]

Valerie how old are the kids you're doing your challenge with?

My three oldest are 15, 10 and almost 9.

The author of the book has kids that are 14, 12, 10, 8 and 3 (he's along for the ride on the experiments).

 

[skincarekathy]

PS - Making beds consists of pulling up their comforter in an orderly fashion. They don't have top sheets (well one does, but he is the OCD and his bed looks like a drill sergeant made it).

 

[Valerie]

I'm not Valerie, but all 3 of our kids have been doing the stuff Val posted since they were very small.

I had nephew doing it from 2-3 years old when we were alone, together. Then when DH came with his kids (5 and 7 years old), they were already trained for it and we kept up with it.

They all make their beds, do their laundry, they don't have any clutter around in their rooms. If they make dinner, it is the panini-pasta dish type, but at least they made it!

:lol:

I wish I would have "known" you when my kids were little. Your "family organization/expectations" is inspiring. But I know it's not too late to start with the older ones and I still have 3 little ones that I can train up before they start with all the whining and complaining.