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amyable
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| Posted: March 16 2007 at 6:41pm | IP Logged
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I've seen the lists of "what a child can do when" ...
but I'd love to see what is working in your real, homeschooling, sometimes larger than average families (of course I'd love to hear from ALL sized families...)
We need a major chore overhaul here (all of a sudden I'm doing everything  how did this happen?  )
Could we just do a quick list with age and chores, like:
8yo - sweeps floor daily
scrubs all grout with tooth brush
6yo - vacuums house 2x day
cooks dinner
3yo - mows lawn (of course I'm just making these up)
Thanks!
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of 
The Highly Sensitive Homeschooler
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Ruth
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| Posted: March 16 2007 at 6:46pm | IP Logged
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OK, Amy. You had me going for a while
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Ruth
mom to 7 miracles
My family blog
Loreto Rosaries
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mellyrose
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| Posted: March 16 2007 at 7:22pm | IP Logged
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With this pregnancy, I have started asking the boys to do more & more. I find that instead of having them do specific things on specific days, I just ask for their help in whatever I'm doing / needs to be done.
For instance, in the last couple days, they helped by:
feeding the dog and getting her fresh water (every day thing)
emptying the dryer and carrying the laundry baskets for me
filling the washer with dirty towels (I added the detergent and started the machine)
clearing their dishes
wiping down the island
putting away their own clothes after I folded them
stripping the sheets from their beds
picking up their Legos from the living room floor
emptying the small trash cans
cleaning the hallway mirror
cleaning the sliding door window
filling my water cup 342 times (ok, maybe an exaggeration - but I am SO thirsty!!), bringing me popsicles
I'm sure there was more -- but I try to look at it as a team effort to get things done and that seems to go over well. They have been extremely helpful the last couple months as long as I just ask for their help.
They're only 18 months apart, so they're both able to do most of the same things -- Nate is a little short to fill up the dog's water dish from the kitchen sink, but everything else I listed either boy could/did do. (They're 6 & 4.5) Also, most things they do as a team together -- for instance, when the dog is fed, one holds the garage door open (where the food is kept), while the other scoops the food into her dish and carries it into the kitchen (where she eats.) When they wipe down the counter, one wipes it wet, then the other dries it.
It would be nice if they would sometimes do things without being asked, but I still need to ask. Of course, I also need to specifically ask my DH as well . . . so hopefully as time goes by I'll get my boys into the habit of doing things before needing to be asked? Something to work on this year, I guess 
Melanie
Mom to Colin (6), Nate (4), and baby girl on the way!
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: March 16 2007 at 7:29pm | IP Logged
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Truth be told, there are many days when I just want to do everything myself!
My 8yo can wash and dry dishes, set table, help prepare and cook meals, sweep, dust, vacuum, sort laundry, load washer and dryer, fold laundry, hang laundry on clothesline, completely take care of dogs, and weed and water garden. She is balking at learning how to clean the bathroom!
My 5yo is very good at emptying the garbage, getting some food out of the fridge, helping to set the table, helping to stir cakes and cookies, drying non-breakable dishes, dusting, holding the dust pan, and helping with the dogs.
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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teachingmyown
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| Posted: March 16 2007 at 9:50pm | IP Logged
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My kids live a charmed life!
Here is our true life chore breakdown:
(no wonder my house is a constant mess!  )
15 yr old- takes out trash, vacuums stairs, does all dishes except occasional pots and pans, does own laundry, mows grass and helps with "manly" outside work.
11 yr old- collects the trash, takes out compost, scrubs table after dinner and cleans bathrooms
9 yr old- feeds dogs, vacuums dining room after dinner, vacuums other rooms on Saturdays or as asked.
7 and 4 yr olds- pick up living rooms on cleaning day, supposed to pick up bedroom and keep toy room clean
7 yr old- helps collect dirty laundry, dusts occasionally , loves to sweep hard floors, still working on actually using the dust pan after dirt is in a pile.
4 yr old- likes to clean the toilet bowl, go figure.
3 yr old- wall decoration, ugh!
37 yr old mom- everything else! 
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In Christ,
Molly
wife to Court & mom to ds '91, dd '96, ds '97, dds '99, '01, '03, '06, and dss '07 and 01/20/11
Remembering Today
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Anne McD
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| Posted: March 17 2007 at 11:59am | IP Logged
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I'm kind of with Melanie, in terms of having them help me with what needs to be done right now. Then again, I'm also with Paula, wanting to do it myself and avoid the arguments that will ensue.
One thing that my mom suggested that she did when she was pregnant was to take the kids into the room that needed to be picked up/cleaned, sit down, and start managing and supervising! "child one, pick up this, child two, pick up that, child three, take the swiffer and dust the base boards, child one, for the last time, I said pick up . . . . " you get the idea.
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Anne
Wife to Jon
Mommy to Alex 9
James 8
Katie 6
William 3 1/2
Benedict Joseph 1
and baby on the way! 10/14
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Angel
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| Posted: March 17 2007 at 5:44pm | IP Logged
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Should we include how much time we spend nagging in this list?
10 yo -- loads dishwasher 2x day, unloads dishwasher 1x day; wipes counters, sink; helps 7 yo clear table before meals, set table, pour drinks; picks up front room with 7 yo and 3 yo; on Saturdays, picks up room and cleans kids' bathroom toilet + floor around toilet
7 yo -- collects and sorts laundry; wipes bathroom sinks; unloads dishwasher 1 x day; helps 10 yo clear table before meals, pour drinks, set table; picks up front room with 10 yo and 3 yo; on Saturdays, picks up room and does a floating chore (currently it changes week to week)
3 yo -- picks up blocks, Legos, train toys
I should add that when I do wash bedding (I need a better routine for this), the 10 yo and 7 yo are responsible for stripping their beds and bringing the sheets/blankets into the laundry room.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Helen
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| Posted: March 17 2007 at 9:01pm | IP Logged
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Angel wrote:
| Should we include how much time we spend nagging in this list? |
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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Helen
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| Posted: March 18 2007 at 7:01am | IP Logged
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Helen wrote:
Angel wrote:
| Should we include how much time we spend nagging in this list? |
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Angela, this was so funny to me because just last night, I realized I should have given up
SPEECH GIVING for Lent!
Moms Kitchen demeanor:
and do you want to know whhhhyyyyy?....
DH: Uh-oh
younger children begin clapping because they know that is what they should do when mom begins a "speech."
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Ave Maria!
Mom to 5 girls and 3 boys
Mary Vitamin & Castle of the Immaculate
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marihalojen
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| Posted: March 19 2007 at 8:54am | IP Logged
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One dd here, aged 12 and she has a daily chore list of things that happen every day (make bed variety) and one chore that varies according to the day.
M - Fill water tanks and check chafe gear on dock lines
T - Polish teak below deck
W - Spin/Lubricate winches/turnbuckles on deck, and snaps/zippers on isinglass
R - Check and shake fire extinquishers
F - Fill water tanks and check chafe gear on dock lines
S - Clean cockpit
And yes, Angela and Helen, nagging and speech giving are seen on this ship frequently!
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~Jennifer
Mother to Mariannna, age 13
The Mari Hal-O-Jen
SSR = Sailing, Snorkling, Reading
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graciefaith
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| Posted: March 20 2007 at 8:08am | IP Logged
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My girls are young but they have a few chores they do each day.
4yo and 5yo:
-Make their bed(and mine sometimes too  )
-wipe the table when they are done eating breakfast
-put their dishes in the sink
-unload the dishwasher(they just put it all on the counter, except the utencils which they can put away themselves)
-pick up their toys(a constant battle)
-put away their dirty laundry
-hang their jackets and put away shoes once we get home
-occasionally mop kitchen floor(they love this)
-"wash" dishes(another thing they love but the dishes dont really get clean )
-and my 5yo does like to help me fold laundry which is not half bad since she only folds her and her sisters clothes
-help put away groceries
My dad constantly tells me that i'm expecting too much of them and treating them too much like adults but these are things they are capable of. How many of you give allowance for daily chores? We've started giving them $1 a week if they do their chores.
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Topic: Chores for kids
