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Becky Parker
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| Posted: July 02 2009 at 8:32am | IP Logged
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I've thought about ordering MOTC for a long time now, but always told myself I can organize a chore list for my kids, I don't need to buy a book to do it. Well, a little while ago, in a fit of desperation  I ordered it. I've been so frustrated with the way my house is looking and my kids aren't helping much. I started reading it and there's alot more in there than just chore chart examples. The author's perspective is one I don't think I've ever heard, believe it or not. Some of it I just new I guess, but the idea of chores and our children's morality is a new concept for me. Has anyone read this? What do you think?
It actually makes sense to me and I see that I need to go to confession for several things, including sloth. Maybe not sloth in doing my housework, but in training my children to do their chores.
I'm still reading, but I just thought I'd check here to see if anyone has read this book and what your thoughts are.
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Becky
Wife to Wes, Mom to 6 wonderful kids on Earth and 4 in Heaven!
Academy Of The Good Shepherd
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Becky Le
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We began using MOTC a month ago and I love, love, love it! I actually bought it in April and took my time absorbing all of the wonderful justification for chores and the very detailed examples of how to organize the chores. I too was ashamed to realize what a disservice I was doing to my children by NOT having them do a chore routine that they were responsible for every single day. Serendipitously just after we began our chore packs this theme was brought home to me during more than a couple sessions at IHM. 
What has surprised me the most is how compliant my children are about doing their chores. They know EXACTLY what is expected of them and they just do it, without nagging and micromanagement. They are also more helpful when asked to assist with other thing that are not part of their chore packs. My DH is happier too. Many times he has come home and said it is like coming home after "the maid" has been here (we don't have a maid of course but he remembers when we did from a looong time ago. )
I don't mean to sound like I'm gushing but I can't overemphasize what a blessing this has been to our family. Everyone has a job to do and we are all more relaxed with everyone pitching it. Plus I am able to teach the children cooking and homemaking skills in the course of doing their chores.
Did I mention I love this program? 
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Becky, loving wife to Chris and mom to Stephen (11/99), Elizabeth (04/01), Catherine (08/04), Natalie & Samantha (10/07)
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Bookswithtea
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I have it. I've done my own chore lists for years, but organizing 6 kids with the broad age range I have now, and doing it well was eluding me and I bought it to see if it would help. The book is ok, but the choreware subscription has been very helpful for me. I was already convinced of the importance of work in a child's life so that wasn't new to me. I needed the organizational help.
We overhauled our entire system and are still tweaking it through the summer to get it running smoothly before the school year starts (I'm not using the chorepacks...we still do better with lists on the wall).
I don't regret buying it, but I don't usually recommend the Maxwell's, especially to Catholic families, without knowing the mom well. They are fundamentalist protestants and some of their ideas are pretty radical (Managers of their Schools is particularly out-of-the-box). I wouldn't want to cause someone to stumble, kwim? So consider that my caveat. 
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 02 2009 at 1:06pm | IP Logged
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Becky Parker wrote:
| I started reading it and there's alot more in there than just chore chart examples. |
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I think that's why I like this tool. It's not just a "chore chart system." I have it and pull it out about 2/year, when I re-evaluate everyone's jobs. It's motivation for me and gives me the little shot in the arm to keep on being vigilant with this aspect of mothering.
BTW, I'm going to move this to the MOTHERING Forum, which is where all the other threads about MOTC are.
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Suzanne in ID
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amyable
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Bookswithtea wrote:
| The book is ok, but the choreware subscription has been very helpful for me. |
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What's choreware?
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Mary Chris
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After reading this post, I just ordered it. I ordered the choreware, though I'm not super sure what it is.  I think it is what we need to get on track.
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amyable
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Mary Chris wrote:
| After reading this post, I just ordered it. I ordered the choreware, though I'm not super sure what it is. I think it is what we need to get on track. |
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I'm thinking of doing the same! *Something's* gotta give here!
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Amy
mom of 5, ages 6-16, and happy wife of
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: July 02 2009 at 3:13pm | IP Logged
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Choreware is an online subscription that lasts for a year and I think it was $10???
After you have read the manual and understand the system, choreware is a program where you can save your own personal settings online and use drop down menus to create/change chorelists for your entire family. You can then print out chore pack cards that use words or pictures (they have the pix for many things on the site already). It also has dropdown menus for adding in chores that are specific to your family's situation (like egg collecting for us! ).
I printed cards for my non readers and then just cut out the images and put them onto cardstock for them since we use wall charts instead of the packs.
The lists I created would have taken me so many more hours if I had had to start from the beginning. Choreware was well worth the $10 for me. Fyi, the Maxwell's do not allow purchase of the software without purchase of the book, too.
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Blessings,
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: July 02 2009 at 4:37pm | IP Logged
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I deleted my above post and added these specific threads as links:
Anyone use MOTH?
Managers of Their Chores
Chore Paks - Other ideas for chore paks without MOTC
It still seems like there are a couple missing that I can't find, and now it's going to bug me .
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Suzanne in ID
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Mary G
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Gosh, I so need this but don't know if it's worth the money ... once things settle around here, I'll need to revisit this topic ....
Hey Tim, how's about a tickler link so I can track back to this in a month or so? 
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MaryG
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SuzanneG
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I just revised the chore charts, and realized one of the great things about MOTC that I use all the time are the EXAMPLES of different families chores in the Appendix. There are MANY!
And, yes, you could find these at various places on-line or even do a search here at 4real....but it's easier and much quicker this way and makes it a knowing and quick reference for me. I flip through the 30 pages of chore charts and look at the similar ages of my kids and it gives me "ideas" of chores to add or change. Then I wander around the house looking for the different "little things" that are specific to our house that can be done by a child. Between these 2 quick-takes, it's not such a big deal.
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Suzanne in ID
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Bethany
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I just wanted to say the $10 for Choreware is definately a bargain. In about 10 minutes I set up and printed my first set of cards for my 3 DD's. This was just for their morning and evening routine (get dressed, brush teeth, etc.). I can see how I can use this to break down chores and have them working in seperate areas to keep the peace . Now I jsut have to walk the house and determine who should do what and when. That will take awhile longer, but at least they'll be getting use to using the chorepaks.
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LLMom
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Do you have to own the book to buy the choreware?
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Lisa
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LLMom
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I just found the answer. You do have to buy the book to get the choreware. Oh, well.
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Managers of Their Chores
