Sharing the Workload: Family Chore Calendar

January 24th, 2017

Running a Village

It takes a village to run a village, right? With SEVEN living under our roof, we need all hands on deck. Trust me, there’s plenty to keep me busy during the week while they are at school too, but it’s a tremendous help for them to help share the load.

In 2016 we started an organized chore calendar system with an allowance system for saving, spending, and giving and it has revolutionized our home. For our family, we needed the weekly rotation and predictability along with a visual calendar that was easy for them to follow and implement.

By finding out what color the week is, the boys know their jobs for the week and the expectations.

The only tweaking we did to the system this year is adding the “Hudson” seat, since it kept being a source of contention. They love getting their turn of sitting next to him in the van for the week.

Overloaded to Sharing the Load

Prior to implementing this chore calendar, I was overwhelmed and quite honestly, resentful. I felt like the load fell too heavily on my shoulders. It was too much for me to accomplish in the week along with grocery shopping, meal-making, 12+ loads of laundry, commutes to school, and various other responsibilities. I felt defeated before the week even started by the to-do list leftovers from the previous week. We needed defined ways for the boys to help me more than just the requests I would give them throughout the week.

It also helped when we switched to a natural cleaner that was safe for them to use. Prior to that, I didn’t want their preemie lungs exposed to the harsh chemicals that we used to keep under our sink. Boys that could clean their own toilet? Life changing!

Perhaps our boys would have it “easier” in a smaller family, but I think it’s teaching them not only life skills but work ethic that they will hopefully carry with them out our door someday.

The most perfect system can’t curb attitude issues or complaints, however. Those heart issues continue to be a beast we continue to tame, but overall it’s been a sanctifying process for ALL of us. I’m sharing our calendar here not to look like we have it all together, but just as a visual example that might be a help to your own family.

The Chore Calendar Breakdown

>> The first job listed is the chore for the week – Dusting, Laundry, Bathrooms, Vacuum

>> The second listed is their meal job – Dishes, Put Away, Table, Floor

>> The person who has Dusting + Dishes for the week gets to sit next to Hudson.