Eat the Rainbow Punch Cards for Kids

We are a family of healthy conscious eaters.

That being said, the holiday sugar bug has bitten all of us and as a result almost all my kids are sick. 

We already eat a diet high in produce and we try to abstain from sugar, dairy,  most meat, and processed foods but I got to thinking..... I spend almost all my time explaining and reminding my kids why we should try to refrain from those things instead of focusing on what we SHOULD be eating and why! 

Why not focus on the positive instead of the negative right?!

So I tinkered in Photoshop until I came up with a way to encourage my children to eat more fruits and veggies and this is what I came up with:

The punch card is 7 days worth of eating the entire rainbow every day. (I've included a list of suggested produce below)

I combined blue and purple for 2 reasons: 1- There is a fine line between what produce is blue and what produce is purple. And 2- this is the hardest color to shop for (in my experience). Regardless- the Phytonutrients that come from either color are nearly identical regardless.

Brown could also include white produce such as onions and cauliflower OR you could have that be their healthy grains if you eat them such as oats, barley, rye, rice, etc. 

Eating the Rainbow every day is the best way to ensure you are getting all the various vitamins and minerals Mother Nature has to offer as each color has different phytonutrients. - which in turn keeps your body healthy and capable of fighting off all the winter bugs that float around.

What kind of foods make up a rainbow diet?

The punch cards are $3 in my Etsy shop. 4 cards per page- print as many as you like:)

However.....

if you don't want to/can't purchase the punch cards I've included a free printable chart you can laminate and hang on a fridge or wall. (OR put in the Responsibility/Chore Binders I made!)

This chart would be great for adults or older children!

Here's to a healthy new year!

Happy Parenting!

Why I Don't Pay My Kids to Clean Their Room - Chore Binder System Explained.

About 5 years ago when my oldest child was 5 I began my quest for a chore system that would fit our families needs.

I ran into 2 main problems:

1. All the chore systems out there were wall or fridge based. At the time I was a major decor junkie and I couldn't stand that all the chore systems had to clutter up my wall or fridge space- and that most of them didn't match. Don't worry- I've progressed past that OCD stage but deep down inside I'm still a little obsessed about order and visual aesthetics- even though my home is rarely a reflection of that due to 4 little people that do their darnedest to make sure that my house is ever a reflection of a massive toy and art explosion

2. Most of the chore systems out there were based around a system that involved paying your children to do things that I felt were a responsibility. For example- I don't think that kids should be paid to clean their room. Or brush their teeth. Or the systems rewarded kids with stickers, treats, or cash but didn't integrate life skills and autonomy.

So what's an OCD Mommy of 4 armed with ambition and Photoshop to do? Why design her OWN chore system of course!

After over a year of twerking and making necessary changes based off of what was working and what wasn't- I had an entire system in place that was color coded per child, fit neatly on a shelf, and 4 happy children who LOVED doing their chores!

* They love it because they each get their OWN binder. It is THEIRS. Not mine. 

*They love it because they get paid every week! And with said money they get to spend and budget accordingly and don't have to ask me for money or items anymore. 

*They love it because I'm not nagging them anymore about what to do, when, and how. Not only for their chores but also when it comes to cleaning their room and their daily hygiene.

So why don't I pay my kids to clean their rooms or brush their teeth? It's simple:

I want my home to be a safe and loving reflection of the real world- since that is what they will be entering one day. A place to learn, grow, make mistakes, and prosper, all under my roof and loving guidance

So how do we do that? 

In the real world (generally speaking) you go to work, get paid for going to work, and then come home. And you are expected to fulfill (hopefully happily and willingly) whatever responsibilities are necessary at both places. 

The way I decided to apply that theory and practice  into our home was simple. Their room became their "home" and our home became  their "job". Their physical hygiene is wrapped up in their "home" responsibilities. Because short of being a Trucker I can't think of any other job where it's OK for you to brush your teeth, shower, and get dressed on the job.

So in order to mimic real adult life as much as possible my children were now expected to go to "work" in order to receive a paycheck- which they would now need to purchase all their wants and needs. Before the age of 8 I take care of all their needs. Shoes, school supplies, new outfits, etc. But after the age of 8 they get a pay increase and that responsibility falls on them. And they LOVE it! It does my heart good to see my 8 and 10 year olds get out their shopping lists and budget their wants vs. their needs. Granted, they will make mistakes. Oops- spent all the money at the movies and on that brand new toy they thought they needed...  but it doesn't take them long to figure out that they disappointed themselves by blowing all their money in one place.

The thing is... I WANT them to make those mistakes NOW and not when they are 18 and handed a credit card! By that age the mistakes are usually on a much grander scale with much higher consequences. 

Plus, giving your children the responsibility of their own lives via their own finances builds trust, communication, and self esteem! 

AND they learn to take better care of what they have because if it breaks or gets worn out- they know it's THEIR responsibility to replace it.

This also means that I'm no longer paying for all their wants/needs so our budget has remained the same. The money is simply redirected into their hands instead of my wallet.

About half way through our little binder experiment I realized that I could make this even more life applicable by also giving them the freedom to choose whether or not they wanted to go to work that day. In the real world if you miss a day of work you miss out on a piece of your pay check. And once you're at work- you rarely get to choose what you have to do. You have a list of expectations (whether they are boss given or self directed) and you are supposed to get them done.

So now I don't force my children to go to work. But once they decide to go to work that day- they do all that was assigned. They don't get to pick and choose. In our home my children rarely take a day off. They want their paycheck on Saturday and they don't want it to be smaller than any of their siblings. But of course it happens and when it does, I don't freak out about it anymore. Granted, I may have to pick up their slack, or that chore won't get done at all that day, but that's OK! We are thinking bigger picture here! We are trying to build a life skill now not just keep the house clean and tidy. 

To BUY THIS SYSTEM as an instant download CLICK HERE

To BUY JUST THE CHORE CARDS as an instant download CLICK HERE

To See all that is included in the Responsibility Binders CLICK HERE!

HAPPY PARENTING!

Chore Cards

UPDATE: I am now selling INSTANT DOWNLOADS of the binder system described below. 


In my family each of my children has a "Responsibility Binder". (NOW AVAILABLE AS AN INSTANT DOWNLOAD!) In this binder you will find:
Their daily responsibilities "to-do" list
Their Chore Cards pages, Monday through Saturday
Calendar (for our monthly planning meeting)
Independence List
and Personal Interview page.

Not only does this teach my children personal accountability, but also about the importance of personal planning and organization.
And FYI - my oldest is 8 and even my 3 year old has one! So don't think that your child is too young for something like this!

Our Chore Cards fit perfectly into baseball card page protectors! So every week on Sunday nights I update all my kids binders for the upcoming weeks chore assignments.
(Oh... and FYI I have a master binder that holds all the cards.) It's inside my Family Planner.

Each child has Monday through Saturday  separate chore pages and each page holds 3-5 chores depending on the age of the child and the difficulty of the chore.

 Once a chore has been completed, and I pass it off, they turn it over.

After they complete their Saturday chores, they get paid. We call Saturday "Pay Day". I pay my children .25 cents a chore. This usually accumulates to $5-$7 a week.

Here is the catch. I like the things that I teach my kids to apply to the real world. Soooooo,

**Chores are not mandatory in our household!!** You're probably thinking, "WHAT??!!!!?!?!"

Here's why:

In the real world, if you go to work, you get paid. And once you're at work, you don't get to pick and choose what you get to do, you do what you're assigned and what needs to get done.
So, if my kids decide that they don't want to do their chores that day, they don't get paid. Simple as that. HOWEVER, If they decide to "go to work" and do their chores, they don't get to pick and choose which ones they do that day and which ones they don't. They do what they were assigned.

Yes this system means that there are days when chores don't get done. But come pay day, when one child get's $7 and the other only gets $3 it's a real bite in the butt! And more often than not, the $3 kid works way harder the next week due to that poor pay day.

Now one thing that IS mandatory is their Personal Responsibilities.

(Making their bed, keeping their room clean, picking up after themselves, doing their homework, getting up and ready for the day and putting themselves to sleep responsibly by brushing their teeth and getting their backpacks and lunches ready for the next day.)

In the real world, you have responsibilities. And in the real world, you don't get paid to fulfill your responsibilities.
Granted, when you grow up, chores become responsibilities, but when kids are young, chores are the closest thing to "work". 

Now I know that this won't work for everyone. Every family has a different system. So, I'm sure you could use these cards in a million different ways.

*Put them on Popsicle sticks

*Attach a key chain and sort the chores by day with 5 or 6 separate key chains, and then hang it on a chore board.

*Attach magnets and put them on your fridge....

If you decide to do something else with these cards let me know! I'd love to see them and showcase it!

CLICK HERE FOR THE LINK TO THE FREE DOWNLOAD 
or click the picture at the top of this post.

Happy Parenting!

UPDATE: If you're looking for something a bit more integrated or even MORE chore cards.... CLICK HERE

Cleaning Costume

A few years ago I noticed that if my kids were "in costume" they were so much more well behaved.

And easier to control! mwah ha ha ha ha.... (evil laugh)

case in point:

Dressing up as "little ladies"; play heals, purse, hat and all while we ran errands

Putting on an apron & chef hat while in the kitchen

and dressing up as "cleaning ladies" while doing our morning chores

Part of their "cleaning ladies" costume is this cleaning kit. (it's actually a shower caddy that I got it at Walmart for $3 or $4 bucks)

My kids are color coded (to prevent fighting) so purple kid got a purple one, and pink kid got a pink one.

*Tangent- my son, who is 2, has recently shown an affinity for the color red. I'm pretty sure it's his favorite color so that will be his "assigned" color and someday soon, as soon as I can find a red shower caddy, he will inherit a red cleaning kit.

anywho....

I filled the bucket with all their necessary tools and filled an empty spray bottle with a safe cleaner: Hydrogen Peroxide. Recipe listed below. Include an apron for added dress-up fun!

It's amazing what a HUGE difference these kits have made in their attitudes towards cleaning!

HYDROGEN PEROXIDE:

I got an email a few years back about all the wonderful things Hydrogen Peroxide can be used for and how safe and effective it is in cleaning. I have used it ever since and never looked back! It is by far THE best glass cleaner you will ever use and it disinfects just as good if not better than the chemical cleaners.

And the best part? It's super safe for your kids and pets & you can buy a huge bottle for under $1 and it will last you a long time!

RECIPE:

50% Hydrogen Peroxide

50% Distilled Water

(it is especially important for cleaning glass that it be distilled water.)