ACW Episode 66 – Uh-Oh!

Well, we are not entirely derailed from our duties in the Madden household. In spite of the fact that I am now surrounded by cuteness (the kittens AND the girls going all goo-goo over them), I am getting work done. It’s just so hard to resist stopping every five minutes to play with the kittens! Or take photos of the kittens! Or tell the girls to stop hogging the kittens because it’s my turn to play with them!

Anyway, I am staying on track with work because I have discovered a new means to get through my day – the chore chart! Princess wants new games for her Nintendo DS, and has been asking for them ever since she first got the DS last month. Because I know once she gets one game, she’ll want another, I had to find a way to give her the games without giving into the constant whining. Thus I created the chore charts. Both Princess and Pixie now have a chart on the front door that lists what they need to accomplish each day and a goal/reward that they are working on earning. Each task accomplished earns them points toward that goal. I weighted certain areas, like school work and cleaning their room, with extra points to encourage the girls to do work harder on those things. After one week, Pixie has already earned her first reward – a trip to Dairy Queen for ice cream. Princess has about one more week before she gets her first DS game.

And just because I think I should walk the walk and not just talk the talk, I set up a chore chart for myself as well. At first I thought it would just be a way to set an example, but ever since setting up my chart…

The laundry has gotten done each day.

I’ve gotten up at 6AM every morning to workout.

My scheduled work is done on time each day.

And so on. I am somehow miraculously getting things done because I know I can earn points toward something **I** want.

What do I want? Oh, uh, nothing big. You know. (Just a Nintendo DS of my own…)