Do you want to know how you know you have too much time on your hands? When you spend a good chunk of your day 1) washing down the outside of your fridge with a Magic Eraser sponge, 2) rearranging all the magnets on said fridge all so you can 3) hang the 4 documents you created- Family Rules, Family Consequence, Scorch’s Chore Chart and Bean’s Chore Chart- just so on the fridge.  All documents are color coded, of course.

Gag me. Next thing you know, I’ll be whipping up some project I saw on Pintrest.

*~*~*~*~*

In all seriousness, the documents I created were a long time coming. The kids have been a tad bit challenging lately. Typical kid stuff- that is, if your kids spoke a completely different language than you and they came from Opposite World. The only way lately to get their attention was to YELL loudly and repeatedly (after already repeating myself 10 times at normal volume) and that’s not a fun environment for anyone. Growing up, I babysat for a family where the mom was a yell’er- she could be heard all throughout the neighborhood and her kids completely tuned her out. I was having flashbacks and realizing I was becoming her so something had to give and the documents were born.

Really, there is *nothing* earth shattering on any of them. The rules are basic, the consequences expected and the chores typical little kids stuff. But so far, so good. Instead of being the bad guy, I can point to the rules. When I dole out immediate consequences instead of yelling myself horse, the kids can’t say they haven’t been warned.  And they both have a list of things they are expected to do each and every day. I don’t know if the kids were blinded by the sparkling fridge or impressed by the charts, but tonight was by far one of our calmer nights. Whatever it was, here’s hoping it continues to work!