chores...

since i'm asking for advice, thought i'd throw this one out there.

we are searching for the PERFECT solution to get our children to be just a tad more helpful around here! (cuz, ya know, if we find the perfect one, my children are all the sudden going to want to DO their chores, with NO COMPLAINING! ya, and pigs fly!)

anywho....

i think we've tried it all.
-the tickets. (earn so many, get stuff)
-we've done the charts. all different colored, thinking that the prettier i make them...ah, ya, not happening.
-i am not afraid to admit, we're not even above bribing. yes, you read it right. we bribe.
still nothing.
-we've done the 'time' thing. "alright boys, i'm giving you 10 mins. and this had all better be clean or i take all the toys away and give them to children that will take care AND appreciate them"!!. threat,threat,threat. come on,moms,you've ALL said THAT at one point.
today, a job that should have taken about 5 mins. took 45. i'm not kidding. 45 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i feel like we don't ask much of them. i don't make them wash toliets, change their sheets or even put away most of their laundry. after all, kids must be kids, HOWEVER, how do you teach them good work ethics and yet, let them be little? at this age, what should we expect of them? cleaning their rooms usually consists of them throwing most of their worldly possessions under their beds or in their closets. i hate being this mother that comes behind them and says "sorry babe, you didn't do a good enough job. do it again". i want to teach them to not do a 'half-way' job. i hate it when things get MOSTLY done. BUT i also want them to feel like the job they do is ok. i always tell them "do a job you're proud of."

don't get me wrong. they work. earlier this week, they made me SO proud. together, the three of them rid the yard of all waste (that would be sticks and grass). sam drove the mower with the trailer and the other two loaded. they laughed and worked together as a team. of course, lame mom that i am, i didn't bother to go get my camera. for me, it will cemented into my memory as one of those sweet childhood memories of them. i told them over and over again how proud i was of them! all i had to pay them was a Popsicle. such joy. :)
so, please all you wonderful parents out there. what are some of your great ideas?? what little tricks do you use to Get the job done??

anyone have a solution??

Alright all my DS (digital scrapping) & blogging friends…
Question for you.
I found this GREAT ‘new’ font by Becky Higgins and would love figure out how to use it on my blog without having to ‘copy & paste’ it from Microsoft Word. Is there an easy way to do that?

ok, I tried to cut and paste into here but that didn't work. :( I’m sick of using the same ol’, same ol’ font. HELP ME! please!

Over-protective mother???....

tonight i had the nicest compliment.

"mom, you are SOOOOO Over-protective".

can you believe i was worried about the fact that he was 10 feet up a ladder (with no cushion at the bottom)???
can you believe that i MADE him stop hanging (no,STANDING!!) on the outside ledge of his window sill???
can you believe i made him back up his 'sale stand' (i'll have to blog about that one tomorrow) back 5 feet from the road while the farm trucks were barrelling down the road at 60 mph??


"honey, if loving you and taking care of your well-being makes me an 'Overprotective mom', than i wear the title proudly"

i'm ok with that.
thanks for the compliment honey.