One of my favorite stories to read as a kid was The Elves and the Shoemaker. I loved that the little elves came at night to help the shoemaker and his wife get all of their work done. I haven’t been able to track down any elves though, so I had kids. I don’t want you to think after reading my post yesterday that I’m trying to do everything by myself. I readily admit that I’m not SuperMom. That’s why I made each of my kids a list of their own to compliment my grown-up ones.

Since my children range in age from four to almost twelve, each of their lists is a little different. Here is one of them just to give you an idea:

Today I need to:

Wake up

Make my bed

Check the dogs’ food and water

Eat breakfast

Brush my teeth

Comb my hair

Get dressed

Finish my schoolwork in a timely manner

Find a way to be helpful for 20 minutes

Eat lunch

Spend 30 minutes reading

Clean up after myself for 20 minutes

Check the daily chart and be helpful

Check the dog’s food and water

Eat dinner

Help clean up the table

Put away my things from the basket upstairs

Take a shower or bath

Get pajamas on

Brush my teeth

Go to the bathroom

Put my retainers in

Go to bed when I’m told

Say my prayers

Each of the kids has their own list. They are laminated (easily done with clear, sticky contact paper) so that they can cross jobs off with a dry erase marker as they are completed. (Mine are laminated as well.) Plus, they earn an allowance each day they complete all of their tasks, and a bonus at the end of the week if they finish their lists every day.

So, you see, it all works out. I get help, and they earn money, learn about responsibility, and can take pride in a job well done..