Saturday, August 15, 2009

A FUNNER New Plan!

My very smart daughter, when she was still young and lived at home, found it her life's mission to correct my usage of one of my favorite words. "Mom! It's 'more fun', NOT 'funner'. Funner is not a word!" So, if you are an English teacher and that word of mine just made you cringe...well... I can't help it, it's just funner to say than 'more fun'!

Anyhoo, I didn't get on here to ramble about my poor grammar, but instead to elaborate on a way to make the 15-minute chores funner. I was once again IMing with Emily, and as I reached into my darling white bowl for my very first pink slip, she excitedly awaited for me to tell her what my first chore would be. I said to her, "And the winner is..." It hit me as those words were being typed onto my IM screen - that attitude is a WINNER! I could've said, "Okay, my first dreaded chore is..."

Do you see the difference? Attitude is everything, baby (well, so is money, romance, blogs, IMs, Brighton anything, BFF trips to the coast, etc.)

So, that was one way to make this 15-minute plan more fun (I had mercy on the cringers, because I do want you to be able to read this blog all the way through, and not miss the fun). The other way came quite by accident. As Emily picked her 'winner' she wrote out what it said, and it was something like: Boys room. And I am the best mother for caring enough about my boys to happpily clean their room.

"Wow!" I cheered, "You wrote all of that?"

"No," she answered, "I just typed it here."

Well, why not add a little encouragement to our chores, hmmmm? She had hit upon Funner-Tip #2 - write a few words of praise, encouragement, or a beloved verse on that slip. I happen to love encouragement, as well as give it. Why not get the best of both of worlds?! :)



This is just an example. It could be as simple as saying, "Woo hoo!"

And last, but not least, not by any stretch of the imagination, because I happen to like this one best of all --- Funner-Tip #3 - Place a few fun things on one or two of those slips. When my kids were little, I would take those colorful plastic Easter eggs, and instead of tossing them after all the fun of Easter, I would fill them with little slips of paper with chores for me and the kids (Oh no! They say that as you age you revert back to things like when you were younger..and now...gulp...here I am with my own chore slips. Can diapers be too far away? AGHHGHH!). But, intermingled with the chores, were eggs filled with dollar bills, or a slip saying, "After all the other kids have gone to bed, one game with mom and dad" or "You get to stop the ice cream truck and buy an ice cream". Stuff like that. My kids looooooooved this way of doing chores. For one thing, I wasn't nagging them, and that was a huge plus. The other thing was the element of surprise. Could that next slip be The Fun One??

My husband used to say that I could make a party out of anything, and why not? Life's got enough ick, that we just have to grab happy moments when and where we can!

I have a Martha, Martha, Martha magazine on my floor that is begging to be perused. That's going on my slip. And if I pick it...ahhhh, 15 minutes - GUILT FREE - of me and Martha's doings!

Oh, and for chores that are huge and will take more than 15 minutes to complete, after pulling the slip, doing the 15 minutes, I will place that slip under the bowl. When all my slips have been finished for the day, I will then fold that slip back up and add it in with any others that need to go in there, until, finally, all those 15 minutes turn into one happy, organized closet. Get it? And then, I'll throw that slip into the trash and make a new one... next fall!

Please send me any ideas you have for making this funner!!!!

9 comments:

Aimee said...

I love your funner (I use that word to :) ) ideas! I think I will use all of them for me and my kids. Thank you!!!

I have one idea...how about a reward or something to look forward to after your slips are done? This is pretty effective for my kids and I. Yesterday it was a trip to the park after our chores were done. Sometimes it's getting to watch a movie or have a friend over. For me personally it can be a date with my husband, or working on a quilt, or making a fun dessert. I really like having things to look forward to.

Oh, and the Louis L'Amour book my husband and I just read is called The Empty Land. We really enjoyed it. I don't know that I have a favorite LL book. I've only read about 5 so far. What amazes me is that it seems that he could write on almost any subject. His westerns are great, but his other books are just as good. The Last of the Breed is one of those.

Sorry for the long comment. Hope you're having a good weekend!

Aimee

an encourager said...

I love comments, of any size!!!! :)

Having a reward after my day's slips are done sounds like a smart idea!!! I rarely reward myself for chores accomplished, but why should't we? Not only would that give something to look forward to, but I would probably work a whole lot faster, just to get that reward!

Thanks, Aimee. You must be a kindred spirit!

Wife of Rob said...

Can I make Rob a bowl too? Can I can I can I?? :~D

I love this idea.....I am going to work on my bowl goodies tomorrow afternoon. That is just the greatest thing I've heard all day!! I'll have to take a picture of my little strips of paper!

an encourager said...

LOLOLOLOLOL -- Why didn't I think of that? Let's all make our husbands a bowl!!!! That would be the smartest 'dish' we ever cooked up!!!

Lift Up Your Hearts said...

Woo hoo!! I'm all for making chores fun! And I'm LOL that my word verification is "hotty" LOLOL

Mummy McTavish said...

I have been wondering how to get the kids involved in my 15 minute routine since they are usually the downfall of it. I think I'll try this. I do 15 on then 15 off but I might change that around and try to work some jobs and fun for them into it. At the moment they just play by themselves, get under my feet and ask me every 15 minutes "what was that timer for?"

I might make every third time slot one that I help them with. I bet they'll be in it if they get to "RACE through the house and fill a basket with all the toys you can find" or "put on some dancing music make your bed before the song finishes". Even I could be tricked into thinking that was fun:)

Awww, my WV is "dincin", I wanted to get "hotty" too!

an encourager said...

LOL!!! Since everyone is longing for that "HOTTY" wv, I now declare we are all hotties! It's settled forever! :)

Mummy McT -- Your ideas for making the chores fun for kids is funner than fun! I did that with my kids, and it does work!!! Shoot, I'm going to do that dancing/song one to get me to make my bed in the morning. Maybe an upbeat praise song to get my heart going, as well as my feet! Oh... and as for them being under your feet... I can't wait for grandkids to take that irritating action up again - I miss it! (Bet I won't be anymore tolerable, though...lol.)

Mummy McTavish said...

Watch out for grandkids under foot!
My Lion broke my mums arm when he was just teeny tiny, 6 weeks with her arm in a cast telling people her 8 month old grandson did it :) I'd left him there while I ducked to the shops and came back to find my mum with ice on her arm and my sister on the phone to the doctor. Those babies can be DANGEROUS!

PS So far the kids have stayed excited about doing their "lucky dips"... My house only has toys in the playroom, I had two really cute little garbage trucks help me take the rubbish and recycling out... I hope this lasts!

Queen to my 3 Boys said...

That sounds way funner than a list!

Not sure if 'IMing' is an actual word, either...*grin*

Thanks for stopping by my blog. Not sure how you found me, but it will be so much funner *wink* knowing that you may be reading!