Show & Tell: NieNie Asks -- What Are Your Family's Summer Chores?

I am going to miss the warmth...we haven't had a very warm summer & I'm grateful the sun made an almost daily appearance, but I wish it could go on & on & on, now that it has warmed up a bit, without having to ever leave the beautiful Pacific Northwest!

I'm going to miss taking my little girl to gymboree play and learn classes. Watching her sing and dance....can't beat it!

I'm going to miss the good weather and having an excuse to send my child outside to play, instead of watching TV. I'm going to miss listening to her giggle on the swings with her Best Friend.

I am going to miss being with my family. My brother and sisters and all our children (12 boys and 1 little girl) love to spend time together during the summer. We go away for two weeks all together and I treasure that. Everyone will be going back to school and the older boys will be heading back to college...so sad...

I'm going to miss swimming, too and the carefree schedule.

i will miss absolutely nothing because it has been the hottest summer on record in 30 years in the houston area. we've had 3 solid weeks of 100 degree heat. plus we are 20" behind in rainfall for the year. i'm SO over the heat. come on fall, rain and cooler weather.

First things first. Congrats on the new baby!!!! I am so excited for your family. The summer activity I will miss the most is early morning runs with my 16 y/o daughter (the baby). Our oldest daughter moved out this summer so its just her and I (my husband is not a fan of running). This is her senior year and she will be attending BYU next year. We live in FL, so I cherished these times with her. Every morning we would run, laugh and sing at the top of our lungs. I'm sure drivers passing by thought we were crazy.

Nie, I didn't know how to message you on todays post, but I had to share my congratulations to you and the mr. on your baby news. That is wonderful. I am so happy that God is expanding your family. All the best!

I know this is the wrong post to put this comment, but I wasnt sure I would be able to comment under your other post. I AM SO EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR NEW LITTLE BABY!!!!!!!! Today (Aug 16- also the anniversary of your accident) is my wedding anniversary, and my husband and I are trying to get pregnant. I think I might be actually, but haven't tested yet. But anyway, we weren't supposed to be able to have kids at all, and in 2009, God blessed us with a wonderful little girl. So when I would read posts about you aching for a baby, I understood where you were coming from. God definately has a plan for your life, and for this new life growing inside you! I would really love to meet you one day. Let me know if you are ever in Tampa or Orlando. We could do lunch or something!

My three year old helps unload dishes (the plastic ones), feeds the dog, lets the dog outside to go potty, is learning to make his bed and hangs out with me while i do laundry. He also loves to cook with me (doesn't really count as a chore though, we love cooking) Ironically, he loves to help do anything and views it all as a game. I am so glad, for now.

I used to get my sweets at the sweet tooth fairy when I lived in Utah. Now that we moved to Oregon I just bake cookies or some treat.. I do REALLY miss their treats! Esp. the VaNIElla cupcakes!!! I have never tried the Cake bites but have heard they are delish!

When we lived in the Mormon Colonies, my children were young and in the summer they would go to the farm with their father who would put them to work hoeing weeds. One time my older son told my younger son to get pollywogs from the empty preson. That is a water retention pond. He obeyed and sunk into the mud. He could not get out. When he tried he sunk deeper. He became scared until he felt his fathers arms lift him out. His boots stuck firm. His father dug deep retrieving his boots then washed them off. He has never figured out how his big farmer father did not sink as he had!

At home the summer chores always included emptying out the kitchen cupboards, washing them out and putting back the canned and bottled items. The kids always found treasures left over from Halloween, Christmas and Easter, but even those treats did not endear the chore to the children.

Now that we live in Mesa it would be inhuman to expect anyone to work in the summer heat outside. So, I make sure that every closet is cleaned out, every cupboard washed out and every floor board and ceiling fan cleaned.

Creating obstacles for my children to overcome has become more challenging and amusing as I watch them develop life skills with such utter determination not to.

One summer I gave each child a toothbrush and we scrubbed the kitchen grout! Even I hated that chore, but we managed to turn it into a game. Who could get the most done and who could get theirs the whitest. I lost.

I have 3 kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) and have come up with 9 chores - besides making their bed and keeping their rooms straightened up. Everyday we rotate chores. So Monday and Thursday they have the same chores, Tuesdays and Fridays, and Wednesdays and Saturdays.
They are (not in any particular order):
Wipe down Bathroom
Sweep kitchen
Take out trash
Vacuum rugs
Sweep Living Room and Hall
Pick up Family Room
Load Dishwasher
Unload Dishwasher
Maggie Duty (Our dog)

And every Tuesday morning, we weed until it's done. On Thurs or Fri they have to put away their clothes. The kids also have their summer school lessons - to keep them sharp through the summer.
Is this too much?

I was all prepared to be a very appropriate chore giver/manager. Just as my oldest reached the age where she could do more, her homework got harder and I couldn't bear to heap chores on the 3 hour homework periods. Things have calmed down, so I have done the following which are not regular, but frequently assigned chores:

- tidy up room (floor has to be vacuum ready)
- put away own clothes from laundry
- empty hamper into laundry basket
- clean mirrored closet doors (they love the job even if not done perfectly)
- help bring groceries in and put a few away
- empty dishwasher (usually silverware since the - rest is hard to put away)
- empty "returns" basket (like a stair basket where I put things that I find during they day that belong to various family members)
- water garden
- set or clear table

The garden is the big summer chore (which is separate from regular everyday chores). As a kid, we would spend what felt like hours (really only about 45 min) weeding, hoeing, thinning, picking, fertilizing, and irrigating our garden. At the time, it was the worst thing ever. My sister and I came up with a game: The Weed Farmer Conspiracy. You see, every night, a farmer (an evil weed farmer, not the friendly-Old-MacDonald-kind of farmer) comes by the garden and plants his weed seeds. We would dig them up and stack up our piles of weeds to see who could pull the most. I won most of the time - but that's only because I am the big sister. As I spend my time in my garden now, I am filled with the knowledge that I learned as a child. How to feed my family healthy food that tastes better than anything you can get at the store. How to make my garden more productive by adding compost that would otherwise fill the garbage can. The sense of accomplishment that comes from working diligently toward a long-term goal even in the face of great adversity (drought, squash bugs, ants, grasshoppers, and sunburn). Passing on the knowledge of the soil, seasons, the life cycle of bugs, the camraderie of a weeded row, and the pleasure of fresh squash with butter for dinner is the greatest gift I could ever give to my family.