I'm in the stage of all little ones (oldest is 4), and the baby still wakes multiple times per night. We've reduced toys to a minimum, and anytime it gets out of control I put more away. It's just not worth my time or energy to tidy toys that are just getting dumped and spread. Hope this helps another mum of littles who might be feeling a bit discouraged. ❤️
I just have to ask: how many toys do your kids have? I've been reducing, but I'm not sure what a good number is.. or at least a ballpark. I'm considering just donating all the baby toys, cause my baby just plays with literally anything she can find, and same with my toddler. I also have 2 school aged kids (5, and 6 year olds) who do mostly imaginative play with whatever they can find. I feel like we could declutter most of our toys but I don't want to go too far 😅
@@Reeder.Rabbit We have out currently: lego duplo blocks, a small bucket of vehicles, a tub of dress-up clothes, a couple of baby dolls, and lots of books. We have some board games and puzzles available, but the kids don't pull them out as much as they're in a cupboard. There's also paper and pens/pencils out so they can draw/'write' anytime.
I urge you to look into what you are actually saying when you refer to children as the L word. Hint: disgusting "adult" stuff (inn. Sessst, childgrape, etc...) *YES, REALLY!!*
"and you know when you have another baby your home is a little bit in survival mode for 6 months to a year" GIRL you have no idea how much this encouraged me since you are a mama of many! I had my fourth baby 4 months ago and I just feel like we cannot get on top of things. So this really encouraged me
Yes! My fourth is 11 months and I'm still floundering. Been so stressed out thinking I should be able to get back into the swing of things, and I constantly have to remind myself, "no. Remember? This is how its been for a whole year after every baby. It takes time."
I appreciate the reminder that our home won't look perfect since the children are here all day. It's easy to compare homes to those whose kids are out of the house most of the day.
(Wife typing) We also do the "pay us if you leave your stuff out", so don't feel alone there! We actually start that at age 8 ish when they start to earn money. If any socks, shoes, jackets, etc of theirs are on the main level when Dad and Mom are going to bed, they owe us 25 cents per item the next morning. Money does talk, and my floor is MUCH cleaner!
I started doing something like that when my two oldest (7 & 4) would leave their clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. I would say, you owe me a penny if it’s left on the floor and I owe you a penny if you put it straight into the basket. It took some time but now I watch them put their dirty clothes straight into the laundry without even thinking about it! 😅🙌🏼
I agree with you that having a set chore schedule throughout the day really helps. My kids have chores they do when they first wake up in the morning, then they have after breakfast chores, then after lunch chores, and then evening chores. They know what is required of them when I say it’s time to do chores. This has been very helpful. My children are ages 10 to 6 so right now they’re ability to do different chores are changing and we adjust every few months what is required of them so that the youngest has age appropriate chores as well.
Yes! Love this...kids thrive when they know what to expect. My kids don't always like the chores at first, but it becomes our normal after a while and everybody loves having a clean house.
Same here! We swap the big chores like cleaning bathrooms, sweeping twice (yes, twice!) a day, dishes, etc weekly so no one is stuck doing the same thing for too long.
Love all your encouragement! Another technique we use is the Clean Up Count- I will have each child clean up the # of items equivalent to their age (or perhaps ‘half’ their age or if there’s a lot then ‘double’ their age). This gives them each a unique and ‘tangible’ amount of items to clean up, like being on a treasure hunt! It also works great when we’re unloading groceries, etc.
I do something similar to this! I found if I say, "Ok it's time to clean up! Put all your things away." Almost nothing happens, they pick up 1 thing then start playing or just fooling around and act like they have no clue how to pick something up and put it away. I found for our kids (oldest are 4 and 7, youngest are 16 month old twins) if I say, "Ok, I need each of you to pick up 3 things and put them away!" They will always get right to it. Then when they are done I'll have them do 3 more things. And continue until it's all cleaned up. It usually take about 10 min or so doing it like this.
@kristenharless7596 one time I saw and idea of using a hoola-hoop and setting it down in the mess, then telling the kids to put away whatever was in the hoop. Young kids especially are overwhelmed and don't know where to start. And kids younger than 7 developmentally do not stay on task independently. They have to do tasks with a older child partner or adult. Right around age 7 I notice I can say "time to get ready for bed" and they can do it in an acceptable amount of time without distraction. I'm seeing the shift begin with my 6.5yr old right now. She has the ability and some days she will do it in a few minutes no problem. Other days she will lay on the floor and sing and dance and 5-10min later she has done nothing she was supposed to do. Knowing that it's a developmental thing helps me have more patience and pretty soon she'll be capable of staying on task more easily. Lately she's been cleaning her zone independently. So it comes and goes as she nears the development milestone.
loved this and would love to see a similar video for Balancing Homeschooling and Cooking (especially since I know I need to do better at cooking from scratch)
I've had others request this too! A couple of people have asked to see meal ideas for homeschooling. I really need to do this...it's a harder video for me to make, but I'll definitely put this at the top of my list!
God bless you Sherry (Spelling?)! I have 3 kids and we always unschooled but we started homeschooling this year and became Christian a year and a half ago. Having 3 kids it is not easy...I can't imagine 10! This is why God knows us best and always give us what we can handle and not more. I would have more kids if I started earlier but He knew 3 was it for us. I love your channel!! Thank you!
@shelbys2750 Here's some from our home: 11yr old- do own laundry, vacuum and clean own room, make breakfast or lunch for everyone independently, make dinner mostly independently (one or two meals), clean a zone independently, make bread using bread machine, help put away groceries, haul firewood and kindling, mow the lawn, rake leaves, clean inside of a vehicle, unload the dishwasher, help with other meal prep, make a dessert, make some cookies, clean windows, feed pets.... 8yr old: do own laundry with a little help, make breakfast and lunch with supervision, help with other meal prep measuring/stiring/chopping, clean a zone independently, vacuum and tidy room, wash windows, clean bathroom sink/counter/mirror, sweep, feed pets, help put away groceries, help with firewood 6yr old: sweep, clean a zone with some help or supervision, tidy bed and get dressed, needs help tidying room and personal space, help unload dishwasher, help with meal prep or baking prep or snacks, help with laundry, help put away groceries, help with firewood, some vacuuming or dusting with vacuum, clean windows, dust, wipe dinner/breakfast table. Set the table for a meal. The less fussy and controlling i am about how things get done, the more they feel confident to try and do it. The more they do, the more confident they get and the more willing they are to help out. I struggled at first when they were young and then one day I asked my then toddler to hand me a large spoon I needed in the kitchen. I could've gotten it. But she was thrilled to help. From then on my mind kept opening to other services she could do for me. Could she open the fridge door a moment as my hands were full? Yes. Could she put that back in the fridge for me? Yes. Could she get out the milk for me? Yes. Could she sort and put away the utensils? Yes. Could she help with laundry by picking out all the socks? Yes. Could she help carry in groceries? Yes. Could she help clear off the table after a meal? Some things. Could she help wash dishes? Yes. Once you start, you figure out more and more as you go.
That's a great idea for a future video. I'll keep it in mind! We break our chores up into zones so for the most part, I just expect something different in each zone depending on the age of the child who is doing it. Also, pairing up younger kids with an older kid until they are old enough to be put on the chore list helps expose them to different jobs.
I only have 2 kids, 12 and 9, and we all clean before school starts. I've had the kids do some cleaning, but this was year I focused more on our cleaning routine. Deep clean areas: Monday-dusting and windows Tuesday-bathrooms Wednesday-living room Thursday-bedrooms Friday-Kitchen Saturday-front and backyard Every day: we all do laundry, floors, meal prep (includes table setup and cleanup) Love all your tips except the money one. I dont have teens, but I wasn't paid for chores growing up, and neither was my husband. We plan on continuing to have the kids invest their time in their home. Thank you for your time.
Thanks so much for reminding me of all this, and to re-evaluate problem areas of the home. I was so encouraged to hear you show the difference between mums whos kids are at school all day long, compared to families who are being raised in the home. ❤
Thank you so much! I really needed this video. I am a homeschooling grandmother to our two granddaughters, who we have custody of. Getting it all done is often overwhelming. I will be implementing some of your tips. God bless!
I needed to hear all of this 🙌🏻 My kids are 14, 12, 9, 6, and 5. My oldest and youngest are girls and we have 3 boys in between them. This is our 5th year homeschooling and we still haven't found a good balance between school work and housework. Either the house is tidy and barely any school work got done or we got a lot of school work done, and the house is untidy. I'm embarrassed to say that I have never had an actual chore chart or any type of routine for the kids to do chores. I always have to nag them to clean and that usually doesn't go well. I find that most of the time, I am the one doing majority of the housework. That just causes frustration and stress for me. When we first started to homeschool, I was only focused on the school work. Now I have been trying to explain for them that chores are school work because they are life skills they need to learn. This is definitely a goal of mine to create a daily rhythm, because it isn't fair for my husband to go to work and work hard to provide for us and then come home from work and the house be untidy. That usually disappoints him and leads to him saying he wants the kids put back in public school. Only our 2 oldest were in public school before we began homeschooling. I dont ever want to put them back into public school. I know that God called me to homeschool, so that is why I continue to do so. I just know that I would never get any type of fullfillment if I would have to go back to work and send my kids back to school. Sorry for all of my rambling and thank you for the encouragement as always! ❤
Thank you for sharing this and I completely relate to your comments! I was very similar when I started homeschooling.As I mentioned in this video (and others) I focused on learning how to homeschool so much. in the beginning, the housework got behind. At one point, I realized that we needed to change our priorities. Good for you that you are following through on the job God called you to even when it's tough. You are doing such important work with your kids. I hope you can find some good rhythms that bring peace to your home! Blessings!
Thank you, need these helpful reminders! We have off & on done 15 minute timer at end of day to see how much we could get cleaned up (toys & clutter around living space.)
So good. I always try to remember that there will be time to enjoy a perfectly clean house when my kids are grown and gone, but I bet I won’t enjoy that as much as I’m enjoying these messier years in a full house.
Thank you! I'm on my 6th yr homeschooling and still trying to manage the balance. If anything it's more difficult the more children come into age for taking lessons and need more instruction. I do need to have us do chores together more than I do. I discovered zones for keeping the house moderately clean and mostly tidy last year. It's a wonderful tool.
I have three kids 5 and under, it is like pulling teeth trying to get them to clean up the living room of their toys and cleaning their rooms. It’s exhausting having them clean because they fight me and just don’t want to. I am looking forward to when they’re a bit older and more capable to help. Right now I’m pretty much doing everything and my house is showing it.
@KatieJane31 it's a difficult stage for sure! You can try putting away some of the toys and having fewer out at a time. You can swap toys out after a few weeks with the ones you put away for a change. You can also try teaching them to pick up by playing a practice pick game. Have a few toys in a bin or box and dump them out. Then practice picking them up as fast as you can. Do it again faster the nasty time and give high fives. Celebrate. Try again the next day and a few days after. Maybe they'll discover it's not such a big deal to pick up the toys. Or maybe they won't. But at least you tried.
I completely relate to that stage in life.I remember it very well. It wasn't easy for me either. It's not easy when they are all little. Limiting toys as much as possible helps, but for the most part you're kind of outnumbered until they start getting a little older. Just remember that these are foundational years and it will get easier. Focus on small habits...having them make their bed, brush teeth, and get dressed everyday. That's where I started when my kids were all little.
So when you say they have a zone- they just tidy their zone or they are mopping/dusting? How do you logistically add their chores to their schoolwork? Every one does chores before school or when they need something independent, they do their chore? I saw some of the chores on your chart said school room- does that mean afterschool for them? I wanna know logistics! Haha
@blessedmamalife We've done both together and separate chores. In the beginning we did zones at the same time. I split my home into 4 zones, one for each kid and one for myself. The kids have zone cards. They each have their zone for one week. During that week they are in charge of their zone to keep it looking good. The cards give them suggestions for what to check in their zone (sweep, clean windows, vacuum, dust, etc). They are not required to clean more than 15min at a time. Most days it's 5-10min. At the end of the week we rotate zones so no one is stuck with the same one all the time. Mine is the kitchen because it's used so often and more difficult. The kids have dining room, living room and laundryroom/hall. They tidy their bedrooms on their personal schedule. Usually they clean them on Sat but they are supposed to tidy 5 min every day when they get up and before bed. Right now my kids clean their zones during independent school time. It's on their school checklist. They started doing them that way and it works so I let them continue. We use the dining room for school so sometimes that one isn't cleaned until after lunch or after school.
@blessedmamalife you're welcome! I also have have the zone cards posted on a corkboard under their names. So when we swap zones they can look to see which one they have. Or if something comes up in a zone I can see who has that zone that day. Usually they know which one is theirs. Lately I've been having the child with the dining room zone help clear off the breakfast table and wipe it down to prep for school lessons there. I may also add setting the table for dinner to the tasks for that zone instead of the other routine we were doing.
@blessedmamalife they are 6, 8 and 11. If my oldest was younger than 7, I would definitely need to take a different approach. We would work together on one zone per day or I might try scheduling each zone into a different time of the day and only spend about 5min with them doing quick tidy jobs. Anyone younger than 7 needs an older partner. I have often worked with my 6yr old. Lately, she wants to do it herself like her older siblings.
I'm in the stage of all little ones (oldest is 4), and the baby still wakes multiple times per night. We've reduced toys to a minimum, and anytime it gets out of control I put more away. It's just not worth my time or energy to tidy toys that are just getting dumped and spread. Hope this helps another mum of littles who might be feeling a bit discouraged. ❤️
So true! That's exactly how I feel!
I just have to ask: how many toys do your kids have? I've been reducing, but I'm not sure what a good number is.. or at least a ballpark. I'm considering just donating all the baby toys, cause my baby just plays with literally anything she can find, and same with my toddler. I also have 2 school aged kids (5, and 6 year olds) who do mostly imaginative play with whatever they can find. I feel like we could declutter most of our toys but I don't want to go too far 😅
@@Reeder.Rabbit We have out currently: lego duplo blocks, a small bucket of vehicles, a tub of dress-up clothes, a couple of baby dolls, and lots of books. We have some board games and puzzles available, but the kids don't pull them out as much as they're in a cupboard. There's also paper and pens/pencils out so they can draw/'write' anytime.
I urge you to look into what you are actually saying when you refer to children as the L word.
Hint: disgusting "adult" stuff (inn. Sessst, childgrape, etc...) *YES, REALLY!!*
You just blew my mind saying that chores are the first school lessons of the day. You are so right! That is going to change my life...
Oh good! Glad to hear that! It really does help to see. it as part of the process rather than an obstacle to the school work.
@@OurLifeHomeschooling we tried it out the last two days, doing chores first thing. It made an enormous difference in the tone of the day each time.
@@victoria9663 Great!
"and you know when you have another baby your home is a little bit in survival mode for 6 months to a year" GIRL you have no idea how much this encouraged me since you are a mama of many! I had my fourth baby 4 months ago and I just feel like we cannot get on top of things. So this really encouraged me
Oh I'm so glad to hear that! I completely relate...I felt that way each time!
Yes! My fourth is 11 months and I'm still floundering. Been so stressed out thinking I should be able to get back into the swing of things, and I constantly have to remind myself, "no. Remember? This is how its been for a whole year after every baby. It takes time."
Perfect timing. Mama of 4 kids 5 and under. Homeschooling the oldest 2 and trying to find a balance
I'm glad to hear that! It's challenging, but definitely doable!
I appreciate the reminder that our home won't look perfect since the children are here all day. It's easy to compare homes to those whose kids are out of the house most of the day.
So so true! I've fallen into that comparison trap more than once, but I have to keep reminding myself of this too!
(Wife typing) We also do the "pay us if you leave your stuff out", so don't feel alone there! We actually start that at age 8 ish when they start to earn money. If any socks, shoes, jackets, etc of theirs are on the main level when Dad and Mom are going to bed, they owe us 25 cents per item the next morning. Money does talk, and my floor is MUCH cleaner!
Agree! It's a great solution!
I started doing something like that when my two oldest (7 & 4) would leave their clothes on the floor instead of putting them in the hamper. I would say, you owe me a penny if it’s left on the floor and I owe you a penny if you put it straight into the basket. It took some time but now I watch them put their dirty clothes straight into the laundry without even thinking about it! 😅🙌🏼
I agree with you that having a set chore schedule throughout the day really helps. My kids have chores they do when they first wake up in the morning, then they have after breakfast chores, then after lunch chores, and then evening chores. They know what is required of them when I say it’s time to do chores. This has been very helpful. My children are ages 10 to 6 so right now they’re ability to do different chores are changing and we adjust every few months what is required of them so that the youngest has age appropriate chores as well.
Yes! Love this...kids thrive when they know what to expect. My kids don't always like the chores at first, but it becomes our normal after a while and everybody loves having a clean house.
Same here! We swap the big chores like cleaning bathrooms, sweeping twice (yes, twice!) a day, dishes, etc weekly so no one is stuck doing the same thing for too long.
Love all your encouragement! Another technique we use is the Clean Up Count- I will have each child clean up the # of items equivalent to their age (or perhaps ‘half’ their age or if there’s a lot then ‘double’ their age). This gives them each a unique and ‘tangible’ amount of items to clean up, like being on a treasure hunt! It also works great when we’re unloading groceries, etc.
What a fun way! Gonna use this tip❤
I do something similar to this! I found if I say, "Ok it's time to clean up! Put all your things away." Almost nothing happens, they pick up 1 thing then start playing or just fooling around and act like they have no clue how to pick something up and put it away. I found for our kids (oldest are 4 and 7, youngest are 16 month old twins) if I say, "Ok, I need each of you to pick up 3 things and put them away!" They will always get right to it. Then when they are done I'll have them do 3 more things. And continue until it's all cleaned up. It usually take about 10 min or so doing it like this.
What a great idea! Kids relate so well to something concrete. Thanks for sharing this!
Love this!
@kristenharless7596 one time I saw and idea of using a hoola-hoop and setting it down in the mess, then telling the kids to put away whatever was in the hoop. Young kids especially are overwhelmed and don't know where to start. And kids younger than 7 developmentally do not stay on task independently. They have to do tasks with a older child partner or adult. Right around age 7 I notice I can say "time to get ready for bed" and they can do it in an acceptable amount of time without distraction. I'm seeing the shift begin with my 6.5yr old right now. She has the ability and some days she will do it in a few minutes no problem. Other days she will lay on the floor and sing and dance and 5-10min later she has done nothing she was supposed to do. Knowing that it's a developmental thing helps me have more patience and pretty soon she'll be capable of staying on task more easily. Lately she's been cleaning her zone independently. So it comes and goes as she nears the development milestone.
loved this and would love to see a similar video for Balancing Homeschooling and Cooking (especially since I know I need to do better at cooking from scratch)
And balancing homeschooling+ housework + MARRIAGE 💕 how to save energy for husband and keep the love fire burning 🔥 💗
I've had others request this too! A couple of people have asked to see meal ideas for homeschooling. I really need to do this...it's a harder video for me to make, but I'll definitely put this at the top of my list!
Ooh, that would be a good one to do! I'll write it down. Thanks for the input!
God bless you Sherry (Spelling?)! I have 3 kids and we always unschooled but we started homeschooling this year and became Christian a year and a half ago. Having 3 kids it is not easy...I can't imagine 10! This is why God knows us best and always give us what we can handle and not more. I would have more kids if I started earlier but He knew 3 was it for us. I love your channel!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you are enjoying the channel! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and I’m so glad you found some helpful tips!
I would love to hear some practical chores for kids at each age because I feel at a loss of what to have my kids do a lot of the time.
@shelbys2750
Here's some from our home:
11yr old- do own laundry, vacuum and clean own room, make breakfast or lunch for everyone independently, make dinner mostly independently (one or two meals), clean a zone independently, make bread using bread machine, help put away groceries, haul firewood and kindling, mow the lawn, rake leaves, clean inside of a vehicle, unload the dishwasher, help with other meal prep, make a dessert, make some cookies, clean windows, feed pets....
8yr old: do own laundry with a little help, make breakfast and lunch with supervision, help with other meal prep measuring/stiring/chopping, clean a zone independently, vacuum and tidy room, wash windows, clean bathroom sink/counter/mirror, sweep, feed pets, help put away groceries, help with firewood
6yr old: sweep, clean a zone with some help or supervision, tidy bed and get dressed, needs help tidying room and personal space, help unload dishwasher, help with meal prep or baking prep or snacks, help with laundry, help put away groceries, help with firewood, some vacuuming or dusting with vacuum, clean windows, dust, wipe dinner/breakfast table. Set the table for a meal.
The less fussy and controlling i am about how things get done, the more they feel confident to try and do it. The more they do, the more confident they get and the more willing they are to help out.
I struggled at first when they were young and then one day I asked my then toddler to hand me a large spoon I needed in the kitchen. I could've gotten it. But she was thrilled to help. From then on my mind kept opening to other services she could do for me. Could she open the fridge door a moment as my hands were full? Yes. Could she put that back in the fridge for me? Yes. Could she get out the milk for me? Yes. Could she sort and put away the utensils? Yes. Could she help with laundry by picking out all the socks? Yes. Could she help carry in groceries? Yes. Could she help clear off the table after a meal? Some things. Could she help wash dishes? Yes. Once you start, you figure out more and more as you go.
That's a great idea for a future video. I'll keep it in mind!
We break our chores up into zones so for the most part, I just expect something different in each zone depending on the age of the child who is doing it. Also, pairing up younger kids with an older kid until they are old enough to be put on the chore list helps expose them to different jobs.
I only have 2 kids, 12 and 9, and we all clean before school starts. I've had the kids do some cleaning, but this was year I focused more on our cleaning routine.
Deep clean areas: Monday-dusting and windows
Tuesday-bathrooms
Wednesday-living room
Thursday-bedrooms
Friday-Kitchen
Saturday-front and backyard
Every day: we all do laundry, floors, meal prep (includes table setup and cleanup)
Love all your tips except the money one. I dont have teens, but I wasn't paid for chores growing up, and neither was my husband. We plan on continuing to have the kids invest their time in their home.
Thank you for your time.
Thanks for sharing your cleaning routine! I'm sure others can benefit from these ideas!
Thanks so much for reminding me of all this, and to re-evaluate problem areas of the home. I was so encouraged to hear you show the difference between mums whos kids are at school all day long, compared to families who are being raised in the home. ❤
You're welcome! I'm so glad this encouraged you!
Thank you so much! I really needed this video. I am a homeschooling grandmother to our two granddaughters, who we have custody of. Getting it all done is often overwhelming. I will be implementing some of your tips. God bless!
You're welcome! I'm so glad this helped you!
I needed to hear all of this 🙌🏻
My kids are 14, 12, 9, 6, and 5. My oldest and youngest are girls and we have 3 boys in between them. This is our 5th year homeschooling and we still haven't found a good balance between school work and housework. Either the house is tidy and barely any school work got done or we got a lot of school work done, and the house is untidy. I'm embarrassed to say that I have never had an actual chore chart or any type of routine for the kids to do chores. I always have to nag them to clean and that usually doesn't go well. I find that most of the time, I am the one doing majority of the housework. That just causes frustration and stress for me. When we first started to homeschool, I was only focused on the school work. Now I have been trying to explain for them that chores are school work because they are life skills they need to learn. This is definitely a goal of mine to create a daily rhythm, because it isn't fair for my husband to go to work and work hard to provide for us and then come home from work and the house be untidy. That usually disappoints him and leads to him saying he wants the kids put back in public school. Only our 2 oldest were in public school before we began homeschooling. I dont ever want to put them back into public school. I know that God called me to homeschool, so that is why I continue to do so. I just know that I would never get any type of fullfillment if I would have to go back to work and send my kids back to school. Sorry for all of my rambling and thank you for the encouragement as always! ❤
Thank you for sharing this and I completely relate to your comments! I was very similar when I started homeschooling.As I mentioned in this video (and others) I focused on learning how to homeschool so much. in the beginning, the housework got behind. At one point, I realized that we needed to change our priorities.
Good for you that you are following through on the job God called you to even when it's tough. You are doing such important work with your kids. I hope you can find some good rhythms that bring peace to your home! Blessings!
@@OurLifeHomeschooling Thank you! ❤️
Thank you, need these helpful reminders! We have off & on done 15 minute timer at end of day to see how much we could get cleaned up (toys & clutter around living space.)
Great idea! We do the same when we need a quick pick up. A countdown is motivating!
So good. I always try to remember that there will be time to enjoy a perfectly clean house when my kids are grown and gone, but I bet I won’t enjoy that as much as I’m enjoying these messier years in a full house.
So true!
Sharing with my wife. She's a new stay at home mom and learning to do both
Thank you! It's more challenging in the beginning. When you get into a routine, it becomes easier. I hope things go well for you both!
Another wonderful, encouraging video! Thank you for your time. I always enjoy your content ❤
Thank you so much! I appreciate the feedback. :)
Thank you for this video. It’s just what I needed to hear today.
So glad to hear that! You're welcome! :)
This was SOOOOO helpful, such a blessing to hear this right now ❤
So glad!
Thank you! I'm on my 6th yr homeschooling and still trying to manage the balance. If anything it's more difficult the more children come into age for taking lessons and need more instruction. I do need to have us do chores together more than I do. I discovered zones for keeping the house moderately clean and mostly tidy last year. It's a wonderful tool.
Yes! Zones has been a good solution for us too.
Thank you for the tips! I’m also work full time from home and it gets challenging.
You're welcome!
Yes I have been hoping someone would address this! Thank you
You are so welcome!
❤
13:36 Yes, yes to this!
It works!
I have three kids 5 and under, it is like pulling teeth trying to get them to clean up the living room of their toys and cleaning their rooms. It’s exhausting having them clean because they fight me and just don’t want to. I am looking forward to when they’re a bit older and more capable to help. Right now I’m pretty much doing everything and my house is showing it.
@KatieJane31 it's a difficult stage for sure! You can try putting away some of the toys and having fewer out at a time. You can swap toys out after a few weeks with the ones you put away for a change.
You can also try teaching them to pick up by playing a practice pick game. Have a few toys in a bin or box and dump them out. Then practice picking them up as fast as you can. Do it again faster the nasty time and give high fives. Celebrate. Try again the next day and a few days after. Maybe they'll discover it's not such a big deal to pick up the toys. Or maybe they won't. But at least you tried.
I completely relate to that stage in life.I remember it very well. It wasn't easy for me either. It's not easy when they are all little.
Limiting toys as much as possible helps, but for the most part you're kind of outnumbered until they start getting a little older.
Just remember that these are foundational years and it will get easier. Focus on small habits...having them make their bed, brush teeth, and get dressed everyday. That's where I started when my kids were all little.
So when you say they have a zone- they just tidy their zone or they are mopping/dusting?
How do you logistically add their chores to their schoolwork? Every one does chores before school or when they need something independent, they do their chore? I saw some of the chores on your chart said school room- does that mean afterschool for them? I wanna know logistics! Haha
@blessedmamalife
We've done both together and separate chores. In the beginning we did zones at the same time. I split my home into 4 zones, one for each kid and one for myself. The kids have zone cards. They each have their zone for one week. During that week they are in charge of their zone to keep it looking good. The cards give them suggestions for what to check in their zone (sweep, clean windows, vacuum, dust, etc). They are not required to clean more than 15min at a time. Most days it's 5-10min. At the end of the week we rotate zones so no one is stuck with the same one all the time. Mine is the kitchen because it's used so often and more difficult. The kids have dining room, living room and laundryroom/hall. They tidy their bedrooms on their personal schedule. Usually they clean them on Sat but they are supposed to tidy 5 min every day when they get up and before bed.
Right now my kids clean their zones during independent school time. It's on their school checklist. They started doing them that way and it works so I let them continue. We use the dining room for school so sometimes that one isn't cleaned until after lunch or after school.
@@goodfriendacres5633 thanks! That’s very helpful!
@blessedmamalife you're welcome! I also have have the zone cards posted on a corkboard under their names. So when we swap zones they can look to see which one they have. Or if something comes up in a zone I can see who has that zone that day. Usually they know which one is theirs. Lately I've been having the child with the dining room zone help clear off the breakfast table and wipe it down to prep for school lessons there. I may also add setting the table for dinner to the tasks for that zone instead of the other routine we were doing.
@@goodfriendacres5633 how old are your kids?
@blessedmamalife they are 6, 8 and 11. If my oldest was younger than 7, I would definitely need to take a different approach. We would work together on one zone per day or I might try scheduling each zone into a different time of the day and only spend about 5min with them doing quick tidy jobs. Anyone younger than 7 needs an older partner. I have often worked with my 6yr old. Lately, she wants to do it herself like her older siblings.
Omg you read my mind of biggest challenge of mine! 😂🫶
Oh good! Glad this helped you!