The thought makes me giddy. Some of the things I love doing in the Spring include: going to plant nurseries and checking out the plants I wanna get for my yard when chance of the last frost has passed--sometime after Mother's Day here in Colorado. Thinking about sewing projects. And Spring Cleaning...nothing makes me feel as good as a spic and span house. The smell of clean floors, cabinets, walls, closets (yes, they have a smell too!), drawers, and windows makes me smile from the inside out!
With such a large family (9 when they were all home)--I got tired of the kids runnin' out the door, poutin' and whinin', or feigning bladder problems ("I gotta go to the bathroom!") whenever I announced Spring Cleaning Week. So I wracked my brain and put a twist on Spring Cleaning:
The kids have to bid on the jobs they want to do.
1.Make a list of what needs to be done.
2.Attach a value to each job...the harder the job, the more value it has.
3.Value = compensation.
Compensation. Compensation is where I got creative. Anything from a huge candy bar to gift cards at McDonalds, Target, Claires; or gift certificates to be exchanged for CD's, RIDES (big with pre-drivers), sleepovers and cash. This part lets them know up-front what they're working for.
4.Make sure there are enough goodies to attract each kid in the house, whatever the age is, and make it so that the Value is higher for the harder jobs you want older kids to do.
Process:
5. I buy all of the necessary cleaning products beforehand.
6. Make copies of the list and give one to each family member at a special meeting around the dinner table.
7. And we go down the list and let them bid on the job--now they really have to say why they are qualified to do the job, and propose when it will get done.
8. It's up to me to decide who gets the job and we have set deadlines when it has to be done, otherwise the job is forfeited and someone else may have the chance to get the compensation.
9. After all the jobs have been bid on and awarded, I then make a Master List, and Post it on the Fridge.
10. As each is completed, it is checked off by the bidder and then it is inspected by another child and they check it off. If the job needs more attention, I am called in to inspect it and help the bidder with directions to finish it right.
And that's it. Spring Cleaning has been made more fun because I no longer am in charge of saying who does what job--they get to choose--and yes, they all must have the same number of jobs--that gets them all involved on the same level. Cuz honestly, I have some kids who would do alot more than their share and some who would let them. (I know I am the only mom in the world who has this kind of child, so I freely admit my poor parenting skills.)
Diana likes doing the kitchen by herself, while Daisie is a good closet organizer; Joseph likes doing the vacuuming, while Ari loves mopping...tapping into their natural abilities helps us all enjoy cleaning our home without more fussing than is bearable. Oh! And that's another condition of the getting the bid--there cannot be any whining on their part or nagging on mine.
Doing it this way has been more fun for all of us--the bidding part is especially fun. So that's what works for Momza's House!
What a fun way to clean! I loved reading your post. I don't have kids yet, but I'm going to incorporate the list when I do. Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDeleteSorry, had to delete my other comment because it had a boo-boo! That'll teach me to preview before I hit post! :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, fantastic ideas! Thanks for posting them. Wish I'd known about those when my son was young. Wonder if they work on husbands? :)