august to september

We are in the throes of getting into our new school routine. I discovered a not-too-small miracle for our household....had heard about it a while back but looked into it earlier this week and wow, it is making a huge difference. It's myjobchart.com - the kids have an "account" with their jobs listed to be checked off each day. I designated what's to be done & when, and how much they will be paid in points, to be turned into a reward of their choosing, or money. They are going wild about this thing! Of course they love a reason to get on the computer, and they are buzzing around the house like I've never seen. Jumping into their jobs without one. word. from. me. Whoa...... I know I know, it's only been 2 days, but last night before bed Linc said he was so excited for tomorrow to start doing his jobs. Then this morning when he came in our bed, I could tell he was not sleeping and asked if he was awake:
L: "yes"
me: "what are you thinking about?"
L: "...my job chart"

Then tonight he said he wished it were tomorrow (why?) -so I can do my jobs. Todd said he asked them what their favorite part of today was and they said..."doing our jobs."

They get to pick their reward and "organize" their points (cents) into save, share and spend categories, so it's a great opportunity to review the old lovely, predictable patterns of a decimal point dealing with multiplying or dividing by 10! And a wonderful way to really see how their totals grow each day toward their goals.

They both asked for even more jobs this afternoon, so in addition to what I had planned (which included them folding a basket of laundry and putting it away) they vacuumed the 1st floor. Earlier they sprayed and wiped the glass doors, and took care of the bathroom sink/counter/mirror (which was still pretty clean from yesterday!). And that's only naming a few.

Linc was so excited about bringing in the garbage bin that he did it even before the garbage was taken out of it! We didn't realize it at first because the garbage truck had come by and we assumed it took the stuff. But because we're on a "T" in the neighborhood they have a couple of different opportunities to take our trash.

Then tonight when I got home from a meeting, the table was set for breakfast. Unbelievable. It really is like a dream come true. It's like I can think of something I want them to do, write it down in their account and BOOM it appears, completed, in my home, adding peace to my overcrowded mind. Hallelujah!

Hopefully we can keep the momentum going. I've never seen anything like it.