Morrisons Family Chore System

A few ladies have asked me to post one of our family systems with pictures.  We have adjusted our "chore" "responsibility" "family"system and change it up often. Having a system for kids fosters independence, responsibility, initiation and it helps me not fall into the nagging, irritated, frustrated drill Sargent in our home. A drill Sargent is one job that is not on my bucket list and when I notice that the hat gets put on it is time to re-fresh the system (& my heart).  The chart has two sides, one side is Morning Time (sunshine)  and the other is Evening Time (star).  The cards have a sunshine or a star at the top right corner so they will not get mixed up. Our kids ages range from 14y to 3y so we adjust the responsibilities depending on their ages.

Morning Time



Each child has a "To do" pocket and an "all done" pocket.  I cut an envelope in half to make the pockets and put a matching index card over it.

On the left hand side the top pocket says initiation.  This is a BIG deal in our home.  When the kids see something that needs to be done for example the ceiling fan needs to be cleaned. They write it down and place it into the initiation pocket. It doesn't mean they have to do the extra chore but it will be done on Saturday or during the week by one of the other kids taking the initiation to do the chore without being asked.

The pocket for Odd Jobs such as dishes, taking sheets off the bed, putting sheets on bed, taking the trash cans to the road.

 The last pocket on the left hand side is Saturday jobs.  The jobs are divided up between the kids on Saturday morning.  ( I do have check sheets in the bathroom and rooms)

Evening Time

For the youngest she has pictures on her cards so she will be able to do her cards independently (and she does this well). Her tasks for the morning time are to get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth. Evening Time put clothes away, bath, bible, clean room.  

Maddy and Logan for the morning time cards are get dressed, eat breakfast, feed pets, pack a snack for school, brush teeth.  The kids are not allowed to put the card into the "all done" until the task is completed. (this eliminates "I forgot") Evening Time is homework, piano, bible, bath, brush teeth, clean room, lay out clothes for next day and put away laundry.

Breanna is 14 so her cards are different.  She does the above things on her own. She makes her own cards such as take the dog out to the kennel. Evening Time would be homework, room pickup, bathroom pickup and make your to-do list for the next day.  This helps her to initiate her own tasks.

Here is the BIG question we get. Do you pay your kids for Chores. NO we don't, the chores on the chart are all part of living in a home and being part of the family.  The cards are expected to get done, its not an option.   Our kids are rewarded on Sunday with a family activity such as having Sunday ice cream, movie night or other activities when they have worked throughout the week without complaining (Philippians 2:14)or being reminded to do the chores. 

Great Resource book: Boundaries with Kids by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend

Comfy Old Jeep

Today I was pondering the thought of an "open book" as we walk through this process of moving for the sake of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not an easy thing to lay yourself wide open sharing the strugglesof daily life, however it's awesome to see how God can and will provide opportunities for His name to be glorified in the midst of our lives.

I was sharing a story with my sister yesterday of an example of how difficult change is but how struggling through it can reap personal growth and excitment.  A few months ago in the midst of our conversations about moving, the transmission went out in my van. It took a few weeks for the van to be repaired so during those weeks I drove Billy's Jeep.

On the outide the Jeep appears to be functional and efficient. It cleans up well and it doesnt have any dents, rust or major damage, however, the inside is another story.  Every button in the jeep does something it shouldn't, the ignition switch is broken but it works when you yank it a certain way, the air is tricky you may get hot,cold or no air, the window doesn't roll down on one side, and not to mention you may get a little wet if it rains because the sunroof leaks.  In those few weeks of driving the beat up old Jeep I settled in and got used to all the hangups.  I actually started to enjoy driving it.

Finally,  Billy suprised me by pulling my nice, clean, repaired van into the driveway, Shortly after he got home I had to run a quick errand and I didn't jump into the van but the Jeep!  As I drove to the store being comfortable in what may not be the best option,  it occured to me that God has a plan and perhaps, I had struggled with change and being "comfortable."  Had I allowed my own comfort level to cause me to miss out on something better? It takes faith to do something that you can't predict or plan for.  There are a lot of unknowns and even unforseen outcomes. How many times do we let our comfort level interfere with how we grow by preventing us from being vulnerable to the unknown?

Would we rather settle for less than what God has to offer because we are comfortable where we are?  Or are we even like that Jeep in the fact that on the outside we look pretty good but on the inside we are disorganized, discontent and dissatisfied?  A personal relationship with the one who Created us is the only way we can get out of our comfort zone with the assurance that the unknown and the future is far more than we can even imagine.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

A cup of sugar

I found myself not sad, or a little upset, but crying as I walked in my house with a cup of sugar that was needed to make tea.  Periodically it hits me that this is real, it is real that we are leaving so many special relationships.  My sweet neighbor who I have spent many hours with talking, crying, laughing and sharing life is where I had borrowed the cup of sugar.  The thought of leaving such meaningful relationships and dear friends had overwhelmed me at that moment. 

It is in those moments that the Lord gives me a deep appreciation for the people in my life that I may have taken for granted and not told them how important they are to me.  Our neighborhood is special, there are no huge houses, often times maintained weeds rather than grass, makeshift forts in the woods and bikes/toys that get left behind in yards. You will see a diverse population of kids playing at any number of our houses. Neighbors helping neighbors pull the garbage cans to the road, or perhaps even a traffic jam in our cul-de-sac because we stopped to talk.   It's not your cookie cutter neighborhood. It is special and unique a direct reflection of the people who live here that I have grown to love.

As my thoughts flooded in about how much I love the people that live here, I asked the Lord to teach me.  Olivia pulled at my leg asking me if I was going to bake the tea (I chuckled) thats when I noticed the individual grains of sugar in the measuring cup.

God knows........
God knows how many hairs are on your head (Matt 10:27, Luke 12:7)
God knows the number of stars in the sky and has named each one of them (Psalm 147:4)
God knows and loves my neighbors/friends much more than I ever could (Psalm 139:13,14)

Agape love,  perfect, unconditional love, unfailing love, that only comes from Him. I am overwhelmed by the privilege to be where I am now (today), in this community, this neighborhood, our church, our family.... TODAY. My prayer is God will show me daily how to love the people around me by being  REAL, transparent, compassionate, giving, available and vulnerable. Even though our time appears limited in this zip code it doesn't mean that we stop developing new friendships as well as deepening the ones that already exist.

"YES send US"

This year has had it's ups and downs as we found ourselves in the middle of a conversation about church planting. Life seems to be flying by from the moment we said "YES send us".


Riding through car pool the other day the Lord gave me a visual picture of a child on his first roller coaster. I found this video and thought it was a great visual for what the Lord showed me. Although the little boy has a wide range of emotions he allows himself to enjoy the ride and even after it is over say "I want to do it again" . As you watch the 2 minute video below think about....


".....I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances". Philp 4:11
& "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18.


You will notice the little boy in the video has a wide range of emotion as they climb the first hill on the roller coaster. Once the roller coaster is in full gear he grips his hands around the bar and holds his head straight only looking ahead. The bar in the roller coaster is my bible, I am gripping scripture close to me as I plunge through the process of church planting and keeping my focus on truth .


The child on the roller coaster had people cheering him on and encouraging him along. This continues to be critical in this process to have people affirm the call and to give encouragement during the ups and downs. I can throw my hands up and praise the Lord during the process despite my wide range of emotions. I am thankful for the peace that passes all understanding and thankful that despite changing circumstances God remains the same. Although my emotion is not fear, I can rest knowing that the Lord knows what is ahead.