Adding to the Chorebook

When adding new rules to your chorebook, you gotta make sure you follow the rules!

One of the things that made our chorebook so successful for me when I first implemented the system, was the fact that I included my name in the book too.

In times BC (before chorebook) I would scream and holler my commands at the kids: to make their beds, take out the trash, do the dishes, clean their rooms … I sounded like a broken record (does anyone remember what a record is?)

In times BC, I always did my chores, but the kids never realized it because they were too busy tuning me out — am I the only parent this happens to?

Since we now have major conflicts with the time-shares on the ‘puter, I found I had no other choice but to add a new rule to the chorebook.

We’ve all been neglecting our chores a tad bit more than usual because of our on-line activities, so I will add, yes (ADD) another teentzy weentzie guideline.

Do Not, (repeat) Do Not … try this at home, even you daring one’s out there. I’m warning you now!

Remember the old expression that grandma used to quote, you know, “this was the straw that broke the camel’s back”?

All I did is put the following statement in the chorebook: “No on-line activities until all chores are done for the day.”

It seemed simple enough to understand, don’t you think?

So yesterday I arrived home from a particularly stressful day at the office. In the heat of summer, in my car with no a/c, in Phoenix-it’s-a-dry-heat, AZ, my skins feels like an oven upon arriving home. Forget spending quality time with the kids — I’m in a touch-me-not mood, I do not feel like talking or even cooking for that matter!

The kids didn’t adjust the thermostat (another “don’t” rule) just like the dutiful little “me’s” I had produced. My home-sweet-oh-so-comfortable home was hotter-n-hades! (You’d think my kids would be smart enough to figure out how to adjust the t-stat while I’m gone, cool the house down all day long so they’d be comfortable, then switch the t-stat back UP before I arrived home so I wouldn’t think they broke the rule. Sheesh! I thought they were smarter than that!)

On days like I had yesterday, I decided to relax for awhile; you all know how my story goes …

I sneak on-line for just a minute or two, check my e-mail, post a couple of articles to my favorite discussion groups, surf the web, etc. Just so I can unwind, of course, right??

And then it happens…

THE KIDS converge upon me! They all take part in yanking me off the PC, drag me over to the chore book table and the older one with the sense of humor shoves the chorebook in my face. With a stern tone, his s-l-o-w, perfectly enunciated words, reads the new rule straight from the chorebook:

“NO-ah, on-nuh, line-eh activities-seh UNTIL-luh all-lah chores-sah are-reh done-neh for-rah thee-uh day-yeh.” (No online activities until all chores are done for the day!)

So, how do I get out’a this mess folks?

Only the sincere need respond…