Work for Me: Review, Kinda, and Etc.

If you are looking for my weekly review of Works for Me Wednesdays, I am sorry, but I had limited time to assemble one. I do have two favorites, though:

Kim had a great post about weeding techniques I'm going to try. I am going to find a secure place near the door to keep my straw hat and a weeding knife.

and

Katherine Has a "Handy" way to help your kids remember their job routines. I especially love this one!

My kids have their morning, bedtime and after school routines. They have done really well with learning to do the morning and evening ones without prompting, but the after school one is hard for the girls. I think they have a hard time focusing after a long day at school. Especially Maddy. I had been writing them down on a 3 x 5 card for them to carry around and cross off as they did them. (They like checking things off a to do list as much as I do.) This works quite well, but writing the cards out is tedious and I was too lazy to get around to making some up with the computer. Besides, I want them to eventually do them without prompts!

So, today I tried Katherine's hand technique with my girls as soon as they got home from school and they really liked doing it this way. I put it on a piece of paper they could cross off the chores as they did them. I'm hoping, after a time, to shorten each finger to a single word, then a letter that I will eventually write directly on their fingers. After that I'm hoping they'll be able to remember them just looking at their fingers.

This is their after school chores:

S - Stuff put away (shoes, backpacks, lunch boxes, papers to mom's desk)
L - Laundry (clean put away, dirty sorted)
B - Bath (Tidy)
B - Bed (Bedroom tidy, including bed made)
C - Chore (an assigned after school chore that varies from day to day)

We didn't have room for homework and snack, but decided homework could go on their palm, and who needs a reminder about snack time anyways!

Thanks, Katherine!

On a totally unrelated note, I have to introduce you to one of my new favorite blogs. Jen at Amazing Trips. This woman will very soon have developed the patience of a saint. She seems to manage life with triplet toddlers with aplomb. (YES, that is THREE toddlers!) She is ingenious, funny, informative and always makes me feel like a wimp for trying to manage with just one toddler. For fun reads, try May Day! May Day!, Tub Time...Trials & Tribulations, and the sweet Babies, babies, everywhere...