Lessons from a Chore Chart

Giving is an important part of our family.  A few months ago, I noticed the girls were entertained by finding loose change around the house and collecting it "for the act of giving it away".   I wanted The Princess to learn that, while giving is a wonderful thing, she can also save some for herself.  And she should not only SAVE some for herself, but give herself some SPENDING money as well.  

Some might think that our kids are too young to have a chore chart and to be getting money.  I think kids are smarter than people give them credit for and learning about money from a young age is essential.  Our kids don't get an allowance, they get commission.  The chore chart,  which is a great way for them to learn to contribute to the family by doing some tasks, is OPTIONAL.  I don't hound them to do their chores.  To be honest, they are way more into it than I would even like them to be!  (Because when Hammie does her chores, I still have to supervise, so it makes more work for me!)

What sort of chores do they have?  Well, our girls are two years and soon to be five years old.  Their chores include:  

Homemade Laundry Detergent and Dryer Sheets

Homemade Laundry Detergent:

For about a year now, I've been using Honest Laundry detergent.  It is gentle on my girls' skin, but it is also fragrance free.  When I do laundry I really like some sort of scent (as long as it's natural).   My good friend has been making her own laundry detergent for a while now and loves it so I thought I'd give it a try.  See original recipe here.  I just finished making our second batch today!  My mom and I put our ingredients and supplies together and now we have a pot, spoon, funnel, grater, and measuring cup all dedicated to making laundry detergent.  It makes so much we've been sharing each batch.

Ingredients:

a bar of soap (your favorite kind.  I stuck with my Honest brand because I love the scents that they make                           and I didn't want to "test" my girls skin with other soaps)
1 Cup of Borax
1Cup of Washing Soda (also used in my homemade dishwasher detergent)
a big pot (2+ Gallon)
a grater
a funnel
a long spoon
2 empty gallon jugs/containers

I kind got into the process of making it and forget to take pictures of each step, but it's pretty simple so here it goes!

Make Your Own. . . Dishwasher Detergent

Dishes in our house goes something like this:  Fill the dishwasher with dirty dishes (but rinse them or they won't come clean), pour in A LOT of detergent (or they won't come clean), put it on Pots and Pans setting, high temp, and sanitize (or they won't come clean).  When they are done:  Sort through them, put the clean ones away and rewash (almost half) of the ones that didn't come clean.  Repeat  two to three times a day.  And that is with a newer dishwasher!  We have tried every brand of dishwasher detergent.  Pricey ones, cheap ones, chemical ones, Eco-friendly ones and the same with rinse agents.  They are all about the same to us.

Honest. . . Products We Love

I sound like a broken record, but The Honest Company founded by Jessica Alba, actress and author of The Honest Life, and Christopher Gavigan, author of Healthy Child, Healthy World: Creating a Cleaner, Greener, Safer Home,  has to be my most favorite company!   Here is a list of what Honest products are free of directly from the Honest web page:

Our HONESTLY FREE GUARANTEE means you won't find the following list of toxic nasties in our products or packaging:

phthalates, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, PVC, parabens, benzene, chlorine, synthetic fragrances, triclosan, formaldehyde-based preserving agents, nanoparticles, TEA, MEA, phosphates, polyethylene glycol (PEG), quaternium 15, DMDM hydantoin, 1-4 dioxane, bisphenol-A (BPA), alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs)/nonylphenol, BHA, benzalkonium chloride

(We hereby confirm this to the best of our knowledge based on information from our raw material suppliers & manufacturers.)

When The Princess was two months old she was diagnosed with Eczema.  Her skin would break out in red, rashy areas and they were super itchy.  When it got really bad we used Hydrocortizone and it would clear it up.  I felt bad putting Hydrocortizone on her skin all the time, but I also knew she was itchy and miserable.  I tried every natural baby soap and lotion out there.  Ones specifically for Eczema, baby ones, sensitive skin ones, the list goes on.  There were two things that helped, but nothing made it stop!
For the first few years we were getting by with Aveeno Baby soap and lotion and Aquaphor.