Elaborating on chores.

So, to elaborate on the chore charts:

Toy Pickup Table: This is the table in the stairs hallway where all of the kids' toys end up. I started putting them there when I was cleaning up the house, so that they would see their toys there and, in theory, take them up to their rooms. In reality, the mountain of toys on that table grew larger and larger, and eventually I have to have the kids do a full-on aerobic session of taking toys upstairs from that table every week or two, which is always a challenge. Corbin coined it "the toy pickup table" one day when I was referring to "the toys on the table", and he mistook me for the toys that had ended up on the kitchen table. When I explained what I meant, he said, "OH you mean the toy pickup table." So, every day when they get off the bus, they will take care of their coats, boots and sneakers (also on the list) and use the bathroom if they need to, and then take care of the Toy Pickup Table.

Scrub Toilet: I don't know; this probably seems extreme to many parents, to have your 6-year-old scrubbing the toilet, but to me, it's an easy job that needs taking care of, and I think he can handle it. Especially if it's on a weekly basis. I will put the cleanser into the toilet and let it soak for a few minutes, and then he can scrub it. No biggie.

Entertainment Center: It's only fitting that this be a job for Corbin. The entertainment center is used mainly for the Wii games and controllers. And when they are messed up, it's almost always because Corbin had been rummaging around in there. They should be lined up neatly, and it drives me nuts when they aren't.

Dust Living Room: I can't remember how old I was when dusting became "my" chore. I hated it. It has now become time to pass down that crappy job to my own daughter. She's very excited about it at the moment. I head read that a good way to have a 4-year-old dust is to put socks on their hands and spray their hands with furniture polish. :n) I think that's cute, but I figure I'll just start buying those Swiffer Dusters for her. She can't wait to start dusting. I think her first day of it is tomorrow. I have cleverly scheduled her dusting day on the same days as Corbin's Entertainment Center days, so that if she messes up the games with dusting, he'll be putting them right back into place. :n)

Kid Dishes: When I unload the dishwasher, Brooke just loves putting away the kid dishes for me. I have all of the kid dishes in a low cupboard where both of the kids can reach. So that's her job. Putting away the kid dishes that are clean from the dishwasher.

Since we're starting on Wednesday this week, I told the kids that I will give them half of their allowance this week. I am going to try to find some small notebooks for the kids to keep track of their earnings and expenses in, so that everyone knows how much money he/she has from allowance.

Corbin already knows that he needs to do chores for 3 weeks in order to buy the Angry Birds plush that he wants. I'm really excited at how excited he is about saving up for something that he wants. :n) Brooke doesn't seem at all put off that she is getting $2 less per week than he is. It may become an issue in the future, but I'm thinking that there will come a point when they'll both be doing a lot of chores around the house and will make the same amount at that point. When they are 13, I will get them their own reloadable debit cards.

I realize that's far off into the future, and I'm not trying to get ahead of myself. I just think this is an important step for both of the kids in learning personal responsibility. I definitely have more chores in mind as they get older (they will get a $1 raise every birthday, but they will also gain more chores). For example, cleaning the bathroom sink, cleaning the bathtub, bringing down their own laundry and putting it into the big hamper for me, and maybe around 8 years old taking the dogs out.