Chore Buckets

Chores....
This is something I've been meaning to address with my daughter for a while. But life gets busy, parents get tired and in the end taking the easy way out and doing it myself was just, well,  easier.
But then I ran across this article on Facebook. I asked for input from my friends on what they have their kids doing for chores. And to my surprise, kids that are younger than Sophia are doing way more than I could ever dream for Sophia to do.

A friend showed me this pic below

(website), and I knew that this summer would be the summer of Chores! Time for a change. No excuses. Time for this mom to be consistent.

I wanted to keep it simple. So I started with 2 black labels and 2 buckets. One bucket for daily chores (to be done everyday). One for weekly chores (to be done once a week). The weekly ones can be done at any time during the week.

Then I added the popsicle sticks with the chores. Our daily ones are: feed the cats, feed the dogs, scoop the cat litter, pick up your room, and pick out clothes for the next day (this last one is more for during the school year). Our weekly ones are: vacuum the living room, sweep the kitchen, mop the kitchen (I might take this one out of the jar...might be a little unrealistic), fold laundry, put away laundry, dust living room, and load dishwasher.

As she does them, she takes the stick out and sets it beside the bucket.

The only difference is that I didn't put screen time minutes on the sticks like my inspiration. I feel like these are things that should be expected to contribute to the family.

After talking to Sophia about it and explaining the concept, she asked if she could get paid to scoop the litter and feed the cats "because it's really gross". So I decided she could get $1 a week for doing 3 of the chores all week long, everyday: scooping the cat litter, feeding the cats and keeping her room clean (she is the messiest little girl). So that would a total of $3 a week if she does those all week.

Here are pics of the original Chore Chart I created for her when she was around 3. I had good intentions and a good plan. But the consistency wasn't there.

I updated the Chore Chart to make it look cuter. Cause that's really important. :)

So we'll see how this new system works. I think the biggest factor will be the consistency part. Wish me luck!


And don't forget to visit my Etsy Shop, Kaminski's Creations.

Use coupon code FREESHIP2016 to receive free shipping on all orders.

Get Those Numbers Organized!

If you're like me, I no longer have any phone numbers memorized (except for my own) and rely on my cell phone to have all of them. But what happens if your cell phone dies, the battery isn't charged or you just lose it?

Introducing a telephone index (rolodex).....

I must admit I love the security of having it on paper rather than just on my cell phone. I've made one for myself before here. 

 

But here is the latest one I've made that I actually made for the craft fair that got canceled. Now it will go in my Etsy shop.....one of these days.

 

I found this plain black box on clearance at Joann's. I spray painted a scrapbooking embellishment handle light blue and used E6000 glue to attach it.

I found a scrapbook paper that is a an old fashioned telephone index paper that I cut apart.

I stamped journaling spaces onto plain, solid papers and glued them down to double sided scrapbook paper so you can add info on both sides.

The tabs I made here are from that old fashioned telephone index paper. I got it from Scrapbook.com.

Now all your important numbers are organized, at your finger tips, easy for a babysitter to access and it just looks cute!

Recipe Boxes

I was trying to think of other ideas to add to my kitchen collections and when I saw several plain wooden boxes at Target, I knew exactly what I wanted to make....recipe boxes. Pair it with a set of my kitchen tea towels and they make the perfect wedding or housewarming gift.

 

So I just spray painted them (one blue and one brown). I used my E6000 glue to attach an old spoon and old fork to the front.

 

Then I made the recipe cards using a recipe card stamp and a journal stamp. The recipe cards are made from double sided scrapbook paper. I printed the stamps on solid papers that coordinated with the patterned papers and glued one side that has the recipe stamp and the other side has the journal paper for notes or extra space for the recipe.

Here's the brown box.

The blue one has already sold but if I find anymore of these boxes, I'll be making more.

Let's Get Organized!

For those of you that don't know, I'd planned on having a booth at the L.D. Bell Craft Fair the first weekend in December. I've done it twice before with lackluster results. But thought, maybe this was my year. My friend let me share her booth space and it was a prime spot. Unfortunately, a HUGE ice storm hit us around that same time. We were out from school 2 days and the craft fair was canceled. Boo! Not postponed. Boo! Just canceled. Boooooo!

 

So a few of the bigger items I'd made will eventually make it to my shop but shipping costs may prohibit that. Wondering if my consignment friends would like me to send them there??

 

So now on to the post......

A great way to keep your family organized for the next year is a menu board. You log what you'll be serving. Everyone knows what to expect. Plus, you commit yourself to actually making it. Putting it in writing makes it more of a commitment.

 

The first chalkboard menu board I made I framed in wine corks.

Yes, they are authentic and have been removed from an actual bottle of wine.

The back looks like this. Just in case you get tired of being organized or need a break. It hangs by a twine rope that my husband drilled holes for. I tied knots in one side (the menu side) and it loops around the back.

The 2nd menu board is also chalkboard but with dining utensils as a frame. All I did was buy old utensils and spray paint them a robin's egg blue.

I glued them on with E 6000.

I decorated the back, just in case you get bored with menu planning.....

 

My 3rd menu board is a dry erase board. I used an old frame that I spray painted black. Behind the glass I did an arrangement of papers that are super retro and fun! All you have to do is buy a dry erase marker and write on top of the glass. Erase each week with a paper towel and rewrite.

 

Linking Up With These Great Blogs:

Alderberry Hill,      Tutus and Tea Parties,      The Rustic Pig Designs,      Or So She Says,      My 1929 Charmer,      Super Handmade Sunday @ A Cat- Like Curiosity,      Lil' Luna          Craft Geek,      Simple As That,       House on the Way,      Sassy Sites,      Mindy May's Market,   Skip To My Lou,        Sugar Bee Crafts,      Cheap Crafty Mama,      Be Different, Act Normal,   Homemaker In Heels,     The Busy Bee's,      Fireflies and Jellybeans,    The Shabby Creek Cottage,     30 Handmade Days,     52 Mantels,     The Shabby Nest,     Lovely Crafty Home,  See Vanessa Craft,     Blissful Bucket List,     Bacon Time With The Hungry Hypo,     Lena B, Actually,     Pocket Full of Pink,     Family Ever After,      I Heart Naptime,     Six Sisters Stuff,  Nifty Thrifty Things,     Homemaker on a Dime,     Under The Table and Dreaming,     Flamingo Toes,    It's Overflowing,    Ivy And Elephants,    Clean and Scentsible,    Creations by Kara,     Tip Junkie,      Love and Laundry,      Create. Craft. Love.,     Sarah Dawn Designs,     One Artsy Mama,      Tatertots and Jello,     The Grant Life,     The Hubby Made Me,     Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons,       The Chiffon Diary,     Manic Mother,     The Thriftiness Miss,     Say Not Sweet Anne,     Becoming Martha,     Too Much Time On My Hands,     Destination Craft,     The Dedicated House,      Katherine's Corner,   C.R.A.F.T.,    Fluster Buster,     Nap Time Creations, The Mandatory Mooch, Lamberts Lately, Made From Pinterest

My Blue and Red Collection

And finally, here is my blue and red collection. 

 

It includes a reversible table runner....

a variety of pillow covers...

kitchen towels.....

Hopefully now that I've gotten back into the swing of school, I can start listing my items in my Etsy shop.

And don't forget....there will be a special give away soon!

My Final Organizational Area- My Closet

I still have a few small organizational projects but my last big one was my closet.

Here's the before pic.....

 

You may not think it looks too bad at first glance. But I needed to go through all of my clothes and shoes and purge what I no longer wear.

I've also had a really weird goal for a long time...matching hangers. I'm tired of having the department store hangers and different colored ones from the store. I've actually been working on that for about 2 years. I just bought a pack or 2 of hangers (I chose a classic white) every now and then.

 

And here is the after....I finally have my matching hangers.

I purged what I no longer want/need.

I am kinda nerdy when it comes to closet organization. I organize clothes by type and then by color. So for example, I have all of my dresses together in rainbow order (with neutrals at the end). I have all of my skirts together. Pants together.

Shirts together (teacher work shirts at the front).

Sweatshirts together. Then I have super casual/grungy/wear around the house shirts together.

Here are my shoes. Easily stackable, easy to see what pair of shoes is inside and the containers contain any odors. 

And that's it y'all! I'm finally organized for the upcoming school year! Yea!!!!!