Today Lee and I schlepped the kids and all of our laundry to the laundromat. We have made the laundromat run once a week for the past month. When we were doing that we were only doing the clothes and not the sheets and towels. It must have been close to 500 – 600 pounds of laundry. If it was not actually that much laundry, it certainly felt like 500 – 600 pounds of laundry. We loaded up the washing machines that hold 5 times a normal load. Hey, I told you we had lots of laundry to do. 5 times a normal load! You have got to love that. 30 minutes later all the laundry was completely washed. Then it took about 45 minutes or so for all the laundry to dry. With all four of us working at one time on folding, we finished in no time flat.

I know we will be hitting Craig’s List for a washer and dryer before long. While I love the convenience of doing laundry at home, I also love the fact that we can do so much laundry at one time in 2 – 3 hours start to finish.

Our friend Scott Rogers who owns Scott Plumbing (the best Atlanta Plumbing Company we’ve found) came in and took a look at the machine. He quickly told us that it was rusted through and needed to be replaced. It was 23 years old so I guess it had a good long life of grinding up our food scraps.

He made a quick trip to the store to pick up a new garbage disposal. Then he came back and installed it. I was amazed at how quickly he worked. It took him about 20 minutes total to remove the old garbage disposal and put in the new one. He even cleaned the floor and sink where he had been working, so there was nothing for me to do but try to think of things to grind up in the new toy. I wonder if it would handle a whole fruitcake. Hmmmmmmmm….

Our 5 year old twins, BusyBoy and GigglyGirl, can completely ransack the house in mere minutes. They somehow manage to distribute crayons, scraps of paper, Lincoln Logs, toy cars, all manner of dolls, microscopic accessories of the dolls, various other toys ranging from large to teeny-tiny, pieces of shredded cheese, slices of banana, Pop Tart crust, articles of clothing, sofa cushions, the little fabric covers that go on the arms of upholstered chairs, leaves they found interesting, books, buttons, pine needles, plastic cups, dried chunks of toothpaste, parts from the Hubble telescope, unidentified foreign objects from civilizations not yet known to modern man, and dirt in a random and chaotic but also thorough and even pattern all over our once pristine house. And this is just in the time between when they wake up and eat breakfast.

So in an effort to restore order and prevent our house from being condemned and quarantined by the government, we have created this Printable Chore Chart for Kids that gives us a daily guide which we can use to have them help fight back the pandemonium. Somehow having the chore chart in writing and posted on the refrigerator makes it more official and mandatory for them. If any complaining or arguing begins, we can just say, “it’s on the chore chart” and they shrug their shoulders as if to say, “well if it’s on the chore chart I guess I have no choice” and off they go.

We’ve made two versions of the Printable Chore Chart for Kids here for your convenience.

The PDF version of the Printable Chore Chart for Kids has a 7 day grid with boxes to mark off make the bed, put dirty clothes in hamper, wipe around bathroom sink, straighten-up the family room, dust around the TV, pick up any trash and scraps, empty the waste baskets, take the dishes to the kitchen sink, wipe off the kitchen table, sweep under the kitchen table, put away all toys & books, and pick shoes & clothes for tomorrow. It also has 3 blank slots for you to write in other chores.

Download PDF Version of Printable Chore Chart for Kids.

The Microsoft Word version of the Printable Chore Chart for Kids is editable so that you can put your children’s names at the top and add to or modify the chores on the chart to best suit your needs.

Download MS Word Version of Printable Chore Chart for Kids.

We hope using this Printable Chore Chart for Kids helps make your life a bit easier and happier.

You may also enjoy my Halloween Word Search.

“So, I am beginning to think about the holidays even though I am still wilting from the heat when I go outside.  I am not alone.  People all over the country and the world are beginning to think about the Christmas season this week.

Why?

This is the first week of the Holiday Grand Plan.  Have you heard of it? 

The Holiday Grand Plan is this awesome fully downloadable program.  The Holiday Grand Plan gives you small, bite size chores to perform each week between now and New Year’s.  It helps you get your house in order and by order I mean clean, really clean.  It helps you plan your Christmas goodies, gift purchases, and meals.  It helps you cook less in December so you can enjoy the season that much more.  It helps you be less frazzled and harried leading up to the holidays so you can truly enjoy the spirit of the season. 

The plan has Yahoo! groups for discussion if you want to share your Christmas planning with others on the net.  The yahoo group has an annual Christmas Card Swap so you can give and get cards with other HGP participants from around the world. 

You can download the checklists, planner pages, calendars and more from the official site.  Best of all, there is no cost to participate in the program. 

Probably the most difficult part of the plan is putting it in action and actually doing the work.  Do you really want to be thinking about Christmas cards right now in September?  Probably not.  But, do you really want to be stressed over getting the cards out along with a shopping list a mile long the last couple of weeks of December?  Definitely not!!  Taking baby steps now makes Christmas so much more enjoyable and gives you so much more time to feel the spirit of Christ in your heart during the Christmas season. 

The Holiday Grand Plan by Organized Christmas works for me!

Do you have any secrets that make your Christmas and holiday season more enjoyable?  If so, feel free to talk about them in the comments below.  Finally, be sure to check out Shannon’s site for other Works for Me Wednesday participants.

I have used vinegar in place of rinse agent in the dishwasher, which seems to work well and costs much less money.  I have researched alternative and more environmentally friendly methods to clean the house.  When it comes to cleaning supplies, I have purchased some of the milder, organic cleaning supplies and I have made my own cleaning supplies. 

And then. . .

I heard a teaser for the news and had to watch this news report: CBS 46 Investigates Green Cleaners.

“The three-day test showed what Crow said was a “big difference” in their effect on bacteria. Bleach prevented the growth of e-coli the best, he said. The more green the products became, and the less chemicals they contained, the less effective they were against bacteria.”

Eeeewww!

In fairness, there is some evidence to suggest that using a combination of a mist of hydrogen peroxide immediately followed by a mist of apple cider or white vinegar and then wiped off will kill E. coli on fruits, vegetables, and cutting board surfaces.  Also, steam cleaning machines advertise their ability to disinfect and kill E. coli and other bacteria. 

After I saw the sparkling house in this report and the e-coli that was rampant in the house, I decided that chemicals are not so bad afterall.  Since I cannot afford the steam cleaning machines right now (unless a company wants to give me one to review on my blog), I’d rather have a bleach based product that actually kills germs than have germs that cause disease and make us sick around our house.

After watching this video, what are your thoughts on household cleaning products?  Leave a comment to let me know.  Finally, be sure to check out Shannon’s site for other Works for Me Wednesday participants.