Ipod Touch

 The day finally came...  Abby earned her Ipod touch.  We made an agreement with her that if she earned $100, we would match it. She has been working on this since the beginning of 2011.  It was one of her yearly goals.

 She has worked really hard.  We set up an account with My Job chart - It has been an awesome way for her to know what chores she has each day and a way for us to keep track of the points she has earned.  (the penny system just didn't seem to work - we kept forgetting to pay the kids for the chores they did). 

So - now, Eric and Abby both have accounts on My Job chart.  They have daily and weekly chores - some that they have to accomplish before school, and some at night.  Chores like: clean the bathroom mirrors, scrub the toilet, dry dishes, vacuum a certain room, clean room, clean out closet, sweep the kitchen, set the table, take out the trash... just to name a few. They only get 5 points for each chore - some are worth 10 - but only a select few.  Once in a while we throw in an extra chore just for a day if we need something done - and it's so easy to do!  I love this system - it really works for our family. 

You can add any incentives to your individual child.  Abby had us add lots of stuff - the ipad for 9,900 points, 10$ cash for 1000 points, earrings for 1200 points, and lots and lots of stuff.  But she hasn't redeemed any of her points since she started in March 2011 - so she could earn her ipod.  It's been pretty amazing to watch.  Some days she didn't care and didn't finish her chores - other days she worked really hard.  So - it is still a battle some days to get them to do chores - but it was so worth it to see her succeed.  I don't know what she is going to earn next - but I'm excited to see.  She also had to earn enough points to pay tithing before she could redeem them... just in case you were wondering. :)

Eric has also had a lot of fun with this - he isn't quite as far along as Abigail - but he did earn a new Lego set during the summer, and is now back up to 6100 points trying to save for his own ipod.  Not bad for 5 points a chore. It just goes to show that .05 cents can really add up!!!!   He could buy a lot of his incentives right now - mostly Lego sets he wants - but he's really trying to save for an ipod.  It's fun to see them put off what they want now for something they really want.  Sometimes parenting is really fun!