A little competition never hurt anyone...

I'd like to know when being 7 was the new 16. Dev is 7.5 and lord almighty does he have an attitude some most times. Its aggravating. I know he's exploring his independence and all of his new-found knowledge, but please, I'd really like my sweet little boy back. Granted some of the acting out is probably due because of baby #3, but seriously, I'm over it.

So in order to help with the harmony of the house; the hubs, Devlin and I sat down and discussed the chore situation. It was a huge bone of contentment. He didn't want to do them, but wanted to get paid for them. Complained constantly. Basically the house was always angry at one another, mostly because of the fight the chores had become.

We came up with 5 chores that had to get done, every day, no matter what. If he didn't get these chores done, it would affect the allowance he could earn. The other 5 chores we came up with were the ones he'd get paid for. $.10 for every chore done (providing the 5 basic ones were done). He can earn up to $.50 a day, which equals $15 a month (what he was earning before). The difference being that the money offering chores were not mandatory. He could choose not to do them, but he would not get paid for them. We decided that all the chores needed to be done by the end of dinner, because at the end of dinner; we'd tally the monies earned/forfeited and write the amount he earned for that day. At the end of each week, we'd total up his take.

Everyone agreed and signed a contract. Steve and I then made a simpler one for Harrison, and he can earn half of what Dev can earn. Same rules all the way around.

The first couple of days were rough. Very rough. I didn't have the chore charts done yet, so it was hard to track what had been done and what hadn't been done. Behavior was also an issue. Well, I got the chore charts done and then a funny thing happened. The boys started competing with each other. Who could get the most stickers (magnets) done before the other. Competition is good for the soul, because the first 3 days, Harrison not only earned more money than Devlin, he wiped the floor with him. That first week, Harrison made only $.05 less than Devlin, because by the 5th or 6th day Dev had had enough. It was game time.

The chore charts were simple enough to make. 1 1x12, Galvanized Flashing, Silver Upholstery Nails, Magnet Paper, Cardstock, Glossy Accents and Black Vinyl. I stained the wood with Kona from Rustoleum. Mostly because its a one coat wonder and its quick and dirty. I needed these things pronto! I glued the galvanized sheeting down with some liquid nails adhesive, and then finished off the edges with the upholstery nails. I like the industrial look it gives them.

 I used my Silhouette to cut out the vinyl, cardstock and magnets. After getting everything just so and assembled it all. I topped off the magnets with glossy accents to help protect the cardstock from use. I also made sure to have the magnets attached to the metal so they wouldn't curl up. That made a huge difference.

As you can see the competition is going strong. We make allowances for evening where we might be out and not home for dinner, but the time frame is usually the same, and things are flowing much smoother now. Thank goodness, because the next thing we get to tackle is the play room. Its time to start planning the nursery!!!