Chores, chores and more chores

My kids hate chores. Simply hate them. Sometimes it is easier for me to NOT have them do them rather than listening to them gripe and complain about them.  We are trying to turn over some leaves in this family this year. One of those leaves being chores and being consistent with doing them and doing them with a happy  content heart. 
I seems as if I have tried every single method of doing chores and keeping track of them.  I have to admit, I am not very good at remembering to pay at the end of the week, so maybe this is why chores do not get done.  I tried to come up with a new way of keeping track of chores for my boys, the problem is getting them motivated.   Money seems to work well, but our limit for allowance is 3.00 per week.  There are some kids who brag that they get 10 bucks a week!  When my kids get paid at the end of the week, it is easy for them to look at their 3 dollars and say...Really, I did chores for 3 dollars?  Maybe we are being too cheap, who knows? Maybe we should consider at least 5.
So, this is my new method. I hope it will last more than a few weeks.  I will have these laminated so that when it doesn't work, I can pass it onto somebody else that it won't work for either.  lol

I have labeled clothespins with certain chores.  On the tips, I have painted the ends either brown (daily chores) and red (weekly chores).  In the beginning of the week, all of the chores start off on the "2 do" side. If they are brown, these pins must make it to the right side (Done) of the chart by the end of the night.  For every one that is NOT done by bedtime, 25 cents gets docked off their allowance for the week.  As the week goes on, the red clothespins must make it down to the bottom of the chart (weekly) to show that they were done.  If the weekly chores are not done .50 cents gets docked for each "weekly" clothespin that is not completed.  I have decided to also create "doing chores with happy hearts" clothespins. 
I have also decided that the weekly chores will remain the same for a month.  After the month is over, the boys will trade their weekly clothespins.  Fingers are crossed.

In other news, I am creating a monster. He loves getting the very last sip of my Starbucks coffee. He loves Crimson Cup coffee too, but I am using up a gift card given to me by a friend.  I have a feeling I will be able to continue my "coffee shop" excursions as I did with Owen back in the day.

Oh, Granola eats everything in the house. I have not swept my hard wood floors in over a month!  He is my personal vacuum cleaner. Elliott continues to be his best friend and is always checking to see if Elliott has a treat in hand.