Oh, Duck, where's our pictures?

On the last day of Duck's travels (for a couple days at least, then he's off again), he has sent us no pictures at all!  Naughty Duck :p  The kids are kinda disappointed but they made sure to send Duck at least one photo.

Princess Duck decided to help with the chores :)

One of our favorite apps

One of our current favorite apps is called Our Home


We were searching for a good, free app that we could use to keep track of points.  At home we have been using either a whiteboard or a paper chart but if points were earned outside of the house, we would often forget to add them at home.  Plus, the motivation isn't quite the same when you hear "when we got home" versus "here's your point!".  S found this one in the app store and thought it looked like just what we needed and he was right!  At 11 he's starting to take more responsibility around the house and for himself so he has the app on "his" phone (my old phone loaded with some games he doesn't want his siblings interfering with) as well as mine so as he completes tasks, he can check them off.  He also sometimes checks off his siblings tasks.  We use it to track chores as well as random good behavior points (positive reinforcement--Miss Iz is still bragging about the three points she earned at PlayLand for being a great big sister to Baby W and Colby).  They can use those points for prizes at different levels.  Miss Iz likes to hoard her points because just having them makes her happy.  S likes to turn them into money.  My Busy Little B just wants toys.

The kids were really excited about setting up the app because you can assign a different animal to each person and then choose a color.  Miss Iz insisted everyone get an animal and a color, even Baby W--she absolutely loves clicking off his chores when he does them (he puts away his own shoes, puts laundry in the dirty clothes basket, and is very quick to pick up liquid medicine syringes if they fall on the floor).  I'm pretty sure she's more invested in him earning points than in her own.

I really like the fact that I can customize the task list.  They have preset chores listed but I can input my own to tailor the lists to our needs.  Tasks can be set as a one time thing or on a schedule.  I use the scheduling tool for S because as the oldest, he has a set list of things he does everyday and then "extra" things he can do if he wants to earn more points.  I tend to add things as we go for the younger kids because while they often do the same chores as part of their routine, their age and attention spans and need to randomly nap sometimes interfere with chore time ;) The only complaint I have (and complaint is too strong a word--its more of a minor inconvenience) is that when I am adding a new task and start to type in a chore, the app's suggestion list only has their preset tasks.  No matter how many times I add the exact same custom chore, it never pops up in the suggestion list so I have to type it in full every time.  Like I said, a minor inconvenience but it sure would make me smile if in a future update, it saves and suggests my frequently used custom labels!  I tried just using the present label that was closest to what I wanted done but my kids tend to be extremely literal and it threw them off to have the chore listed as different from what it was supposed to be.  So I'll continue to type them out every time.

So far, I only use it for kid chores but it has more features (tasks around the house, groceries, etc) that look useful and I'm hoping to slowly incorporate them into my organizational arsenal.  My schedule can be so hectic and I rely on various apps a lot to keep track of things so it would be nice if I could consolidate all those different tasks and apps into one!

And in case you are wondering, this is not sponsored, I have not been asked to review the app.  I doubt they have any idea who I am ;)  But it has been so useful to us and we like it so much, I thought I'd write about it! 

Learning From Her Brothers

Most of the time, tv is a reward after things are done.  Once S comes home from school, he can't have screen time until homework and reading are done and then he gets one cartoon or a video game or computer time until dinner (usually just a half hour or less).  After dinner, he has chores and if he is done by the time I'm done putting B to bed, we watch Leave It To Beaver together and read a chapter of his book before he goes to bed.

B is also old enough that he has a few little chores to do after school and then he gets a cartoon before we leave to pick up S.

This morning, Iz was pointing at the tv and demanding ON!  I jokingly tell her that I'll turn it on if she does her chores and puts away the sofa pillows she threw on the floor.  Wouldn't you know, she went around and put them all away and then sat there beaming at me until I put on Super Why.  She doesn't normally pay attention to the tv, just stops to dance and sing if music comes on, but she has a little cold so she actually watched the entire episode.  She laughed, she clapped along, she repeated the major words and letters.  She had fun.  And then she took a nap lol.

I need to stay healthy

Things around here are so much smoother when I am not sick!  I have had back to back viruses and each one is taking longer and longer to kick.  I have been sick pretty much nonstop since December :/  I am really really really tired of it and ready to be healthy again!  At the moment, I am on yet another batch of medications and they seem to be helping--I have been feeling a bit better and while not completely well yet, I am more able to act like I am.  I am slowly catching up on the household things that fell to the wayside when just walking to the bathroom left me too exhausted to do anything and I am getting back into doing more cooking instead of grabbing them quick things so I could lay back down.

Of course, I would bet my oldest two children would tell you that things are much more fun when Mom is sick.  They get to watch tv and play video games and sometimes they even get to skip homework because Mommy is too sick to help them do it :p  All those kid things that seem so much more important than chores and homework and stuff, right?  But I know that when we are in our more normal routines, things are quieter and calmer and nicer.  The kids get playtime and reading time and a cartoon is the thing that they might get once their homework and chores are done; the only reason I use the word might is because often they are too busy with imaginative play to take the time for a cartoon.  I like it that way :)  Oh, sure, we have those times when we take some time off and just veg and watch cartoons and movies and cuddle and eat popcorn but I prefer to make those a "special" event.  I remember as a kid, my family was always watching tv.  I wanted to go to the park or play board games or go for a walk or read but the tv was always going.  And I'll admit sometimes I have it on for background noise and watch while I do other things--but that is usually when the kids are asleep or outside or at school.

What kinds of routines do you guys have when it comes to the kids?  TV rules?  Chores?  Anything that works better than others?   Sharing ideas is always a good idea :D