Remember how I finally succumbed to some kind of “strict” schedule with my 3 kids with regards to household chores? Well if you’re wondering what I’m talking about, you can check it out here.

So, now we’re on week 3 of this idea and so far, here’s how it has been.

Week 1 – FANTASTIC, kids were into their chores, Master 6 loved being responsible and he even started to appreciate that it takes time to make sure shoes were put away properly and the floor swept clean of crumbs – their own crumbs. Miss 10 loved the fact that she got to sit next to both parents. That’s another rule the kids imposed on themselves – the person that sets the table gets to sit in between both parents. It also meant she learned to stop being so calculative when it comes to putting away the spreads or snacks that are on the kitchen benchtop. No more, “I didn’t eat that so I won’t put it away”, type of attitude. Basically, just put everything that’s there because it’s her turn. Miss 8′s job of unloading the dishwasher helped a lot on the days that I’m working. That’s one less chore for me to do when I get back from work, easing the way for other more important things.

Week 2- I purposely got Miss 10 to do the dishes this time. I knew it was the first week of the holidays, and so she can take her time when unloading the dishwasher – she’s not an early riser when it comes to school days. Miss 8 was in charge of the floor. She loathed that and even threw a tantrum when there were too many crumbs on the floor after everyone had eaten some French rolls for lunch. But, she still did it. Master 6 needed some guidance with cleaning the tables and benchtops. His clean isn’t necessarily very clean but still, better than nothing. But he improved by day 3, and even started getting serious about it. This is not to say that we nearly didn’t make it to week 2. Master 6 and Miss 10 tried to get out of their duties by trying to convince me that we should change the chores monthly instead of weekly. Smart – but no…didn’t happen.

Week 3 – So far so good. Master 6 is now in charge of the dishes. He LOVES unloading them – of which I have to help put them away because the cupboards are too high for him – and he loves putting in the dishwashing tablet and turning the thing on. It’s like a toy to him – for now. Miss 8 is going a bit overboard with cleaning the table – once over spraying the benchtops with the anti-bacterial spray. Miss 10 is finding that sweeping is no fun – not surprisingly. But, she’s still doing it.

School starts next week and Miss 8 will be in charge of the dishes again – thank goodness! Yes, that was planned of course. So here’s hoping that they keep at it and learn more about responsibilities…while making my life easier!

While I can be called a relatively strict parent – yes I can but funnily enough I’m not so much into strict routines – except for bedtime. That is MUST as that is an indication of my “down time” for the day. I am what you would call so NOT a Tiger Mummy – very un Asian in some ways but very Asian in others. While my kids do go for their piano lessons, I’m not one to force them to practice. I just use my voice to remind them and leave the piano lid (is that what it’s called? lid?) open, for whomever that wants to practice on it. And so far that has sometimes worked. I don’t force my kids to do any extra homework except for their usual nightly reading.

With chores, I usually ask any of the three to help me out when I need to. This has sometimes worked, but, a few things had been driving me nuts lately. The fact that nobody wants to volunteer to set up the table when I ask them to – no not ask, well, it usually starts off as me asking then begging then escalates to me screaming for someone to do it. Another factor that has since driven me up the wall is the fact that sometimes the kids just leave their plates on the kitchen benchtop instead of putting them away in the sink or dishwasher – more so Master 6. No idea why, but must be that “male” gene that rubbed off on him from his father. Who knows really. It was that one Saturday, late afternoon, when I work up from a not so great nana nap to find my kitchen a HUGE mess, the house in a HUGE mess, and the bin FILLED to the brim! It didn’t help that I had a massive headache either. So I made up my mind that this had to stop. I was sick of telling people what to do, asking for help that I now have came up with a new solution – a Chore Chart. Basically, it’s a weekly chore duty type of thing that each child is assigned to. For example, Week 1:

• Miss 10 is in charge of the table & benchtops – meaning she sets the table for dinner, wipes them clean and puts everything away after breakfast, snack and dinner.
• Miss 8 is in charge of the dishes – unloading the clean dishes from the dishwasher, loading whatever that needs to be loaded into the dishwasher; although we all do this ourselves anyway.
• Master 6 is in charge of the floors – sweeping the floors once everyone has finished their meals in the kitchen (breakfast and snack time). This also includes arranging the shoes at our entrance nicely.

This will go on rotation and I’ve written it down on the school planner on our board. I am not normally into such strict routines, giving each a specific chore. I normally just ask them when I need help, so the past week definitely has been pretty interesting. Master 6 has learned a lot about taking responsibility and appreciate what it takes to do chores. It was funny to hear him say, “Please put your shoes away nicely, I’ve taken a lot of time to make it all look nice”. Miss 10 hasn’t complained about setting up the table just because it’s her turn and Miss 8 has been incredibly great at making sure everything is stacked up in the dishwasher and taken out afterwards. But the best thing is….it makes my daily job as a mum so much easier! Hahaha…yes, there definitely is a bonus for me in all this. How long will this last? I don’t really know but I’m enjoying it at the moment. And this week, it’s Miss 10′s turn to do the dishes, Miss 8 the floors and Master 6 the table. This week will definitely be an interesting one with the roles reversed.

Have you got any sort of methods in place to get the kids to chip in on the chores?

If you had read the post where I shared some personal stuff about myself, you would already know that I don’t mind doing the cleaning – just not the part where I have to clean after everyone else’s mess. While I’m not a complete Greenie either, I do try my best to  do where I can to save the environment.

The steps I’ve taken to do that are:

• Using biodegradable and environmentally friendly laundry detergent
• Using a biodegradable solution to clean my floors
• Avoid using the dryer whenever I can – that’s usually most of the time
• Using a biodegradable solution to clean my kitchen stove and benchtops, that also reduces the amount of landfill.

Remember the JAWS Multipurpose Cleaner/Degreaser I trialled in April? You can read about how it works here. Well, I’m still using that to clean my benchtops and kitchen stove and so far I haven’t had to buy any refill cartridges yet because it has surprisingly, lasted this long! That then prompted me to buy their Bathroom Cleaner and Deodoriser, which also works the same way – Just Add Water System – hence JAWS. The bathroom cleaner comes in a purple coloured solution and thankfully does not have that killer chemical smell that most bathroom cleaners do! I’ve used it to clean the toilet and the shower. The best test is of course on the kids’ bathrooms. If it can kill the killer stench of “non-flushed” toilets, then it passes my test. And thankfully it did! The scent is a – I wouldn’t really say nice- but pleasant lavender, which I think is always great at getting rid of odours, and in this case, “wee” stench.

JAWS Glass & Hard Surface Cleaner rrp$6.99 (with 1 free re-fill cartridge)

So, when I was asked to trial their Glass and Hard Surface Cleaner, I jumped at the chance! I live in what I would say a glass house…ok, not necessarily like those uber rich people that literally live in glass houses, but I do have LARGE glass windows and the doors that lead to my side and backyard, are all made out of LARGE glass. NOT a great thing to have when you’ve got 3 super active kids who touch EVERYTHING! I have to confess though, I have NEVER cleaned the glass on these doors and windows – except for when we first moved in because I had to do the builder’s clean MYSELF!! To me, it really is such an unnecessary task – ok fine, I really cannot be bothered, as if I don’t have enough on my plate already and who cares if the glass windows and doors aren’t 100% clean, clear and shiny. So, my husband was quite shocked when he saw me spraying and cleaning the glass doors. Yes, I would clean just to see if the thing works.

I’ve used other glass cleaners before, ages ago when I used them to clean the mirrors in my bathrooms. Hated the strong chemical smell! So I stopped and used my Enjo cloths instead. While I can go out and purchase the “super duper” Enjo glass cleaner…well…you know what they say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees”. That’s another reason why I haven’t been cleaning my windows and doors. The JAWS glass cleaner though, not surprisingly, did not have that yucky chemical smell. It’s got that glass cleaner scent without the “urgh” factor. The JAWS glass cleaner also works the same way as their other products – simply by filling some water into the bottle, then placing the cartridge through the spray tube. I didn’t have to do that as my bottle came filled with an extra cartridge, and when you do purchase it at the supermarket, the bottles come already filled too. So, what about the “clean factor”. I found that it was pretty easy to use, simply spray and wipe with a lint free cloth. Good news – no streaks! And those annoying hand prints on my glass doors are now gone too! Won’t last, I know, but, because this solution is environmentally safe, with no chemicals I can get the kids to clean them instead! Bonus! This can also be used on other hard surfaces, like granite benchtops, stainless steel, walls (ooh! have to try that!) and so many other places and things!

JAWS Cleaning Solutions

Now that I’ve gotten the chance to try out the JAWS cleaning solutions, it’s YOUR turn to get a chance to try all three! Yes, you thought right – a giveaway just for you. I’ve got a pack of 3 cleaning solutions – the Multipurpose Cleaner/Degreaser($6.99), the Bathroom Cleaner/Deodoriser ($6.99) and the Glass and Hard Surface Cleaner ($6.99). They each come with an extra re-fill cartridge. Once you’ve finished both what’s in the bottle already and the cartridge, simply purchase a pack of two re-fill cartridges ($5.99). And you know you’re not harming the environment because those re-fill cartridges are recyclable.

How can you win these? Simply leave a comment stating what you have done around your house so far, to do your part in saving the environment. The winner will be picked by random.org.

The rules:

• Open to Australian Residents only
• One entry per person/per household but you can have extra entries by sharing this on twitter and facebook and telling me in separate comments that you have
• Closes 9th November 2011

No, I’m not going to share with you tips on how to cook with kids in the kitchen or include your kids in the kitchen to make it more fun. Why? Because, honestly, for a control freak like me, having them “help” me in the kitchen is such a nerve racking thing. That’s not to say that I have never had them in there “helping”, I have, the difference is I control the process so much that I think even they don’t find it enjoyable. Or at least I hope they don’t so that they’ll stay clear of the kitchen.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for having kids explore the joys of cooking, learning through cooking and the like, just not at my expense. I love cooking and baking. Most times, I treat it as an escape from reality. Sounds weird, but true. This is the time when I get to be by myself, in the kitchen, without any interruptions because the kids know that if they do interrupt then there won’t be any food for dinner or treats to snack on. So how do they “help” out during the times they ARE allowed to pitch in? They get to get the ingredients and necessary equipment out, they get to scoop the ingredients and add it into the bowl, and even then, only occasionally. I normally would scoop it for them and they would get to plonk it into the bowl when I tell them to. They do get to stir the contents, except for when I’m making muffins. I just have to get it right and if they over-mix the ingredients the muffins would turn out tough. See, told you I was a control freak. If there’s kneading to be done, they would; if I was in the mood, get to roll out the dough. It’s not so much that I hate them making a mess…ok I lied, I do. I hate cleaning up, let alone mess that wasn’t created by me. I guess it’s more because they would fight or start saying things like, “but he/she got a turn”, even though they each did. And I guess it’s also because when I was a young girl, my paternal grandmother, whom at that time was taking care of me, would only ever give me chores in the kitchen that nobody would want to do. Chores like peeling the potatoes and carrots, pulling the tails off the bean shoots (yes, I’m not kidding) or taking the “poo” out of the heads of dried anchovies. Each time I asked to help with the more interesting parts of cooking, say for instance, stirring, or chopping, or cracking an egg, I would be greeted with this line, “You can help and learn by watching, that’s how I learned, I just watched“. I did believe what she said then, now, I know why. It was probably seen as more of a hindrance than help.

So, that’s why it’s always with a heavy heart that I say yes to my kids, each time they say they’d like to help. Because I don’t want them to feel rejected, or useless. I have to let down my guard and let them into my space – the kitchen. With great control though. This Sunday, they have planned to serve me breakfast in bed and a cake! Eeek! I told them to just buy a premix from the supermarket. Quick and easy – and I sure hope will not a) burn down my kitchen and b)leave a huge mess that I have to clean it up afterwards.

What about you? Do you let your kids help out in the kitchen? What sort of chores would you let them help you with while cooking or baking? Have you got any tips on making things easier with them in there?