Deja Ju

Chore Tokens

2012-01-25T21:20:00.000-08:00

Ah, Chores... it's that never ending battle (usually with yourself) of whether or not it's worth it that day to get your kids to do their chores. I'm sure this is the case in most homes, we tend to change our Chore routine, rewards, plan of attack, etc, every so often. We went with the sticker reward chart for a long time, which the kids liked... for a while. Stickers can only be so exciting... especially when baby sister LOVES stickers and takes them all off the chart.

We have tried a few other ideas but nothing seems to really get the kids motivated. So I decided to revamp our chore routine. This is not a brand new idea, but for us, parts of it are new. What is most exciting for me, is that the kids LOVE this idea, which of course is bonus for me.
We have a designated "Computer Day" (Wednesday) and "Wii Day" (Saturday). Generally they would get 30-60 minutes to play, 30 if they weren't 100% in to all their duties for the week and 60 if they went above and beyond. They usually landed somewhere around 40 to 45 minutes. There were always extra ways to earn minutes, and of course ways to lose minutes. It was hard to keep track after a while... in came the new plan.

Tokens. They HAVE to do 3 Saturday Chores drawn randomly from the Chore Bucket, and for each chore completed they earn 2 minutes (up to 5 minutes for the nasty chores like Cleaning the Toilet) of Electronic Entertainment of their choice (come designated days). They also have a chance to earn more minutes by doing more token chores. Then of course there are there Daily Morning and Evening Duties that they are required to take care of.

They also earn minutes by doing these (I haven't created the tokens for these yet... I ran out, I have Popsicle sticks so I may use those instead), however, not for each individual duty, but rather if they finish all the "Morning Duties" they will get a token/popsicle stick with a morning picture on it, well that's the idea anyway. They are more often than not really good at taking care of these simple morning and evening routines so they always get at least 28 minutes of brain dead time, once a week.

The Chore Can in on on fridge at the moment, not sure for now where it will end up, but this will do for the time being. I covered a pint size paint can with scrapbooking paper that I've had since 2002 (does anyone scrap book anymore??) and then mod podged over it for durability. I love mod podge. The "tokens" are 1.5" wooden discs that Joann sells, I had these left over from another project so I used them. Just printed off clipart onto slightly smaller circles that I created in Microsoft Publisher and glued them on using Tacky Glue. Then Mod Podged over them as well.

I haven't finished making the kids cans to put their tokens into once their chore is finished, but they are all really excited about it. Honestly, so am I, how easy it will be to change the reward when something entices them more. This would be so easy to adapt to any child of any age, video games, TV, allowance, time with friends, earn up to a certain amount and get a sleepover or late night, Trip to the children's museum, anyway, you get the idea, the possibilities are endless.
With our children computer games are the key right now... to prove that, I woke up to this sign this morning on the table...

and a PERFECTLY picked up and straightened house. Denver didn't forget any of the rooms. It is Wednesday... think she was trying to earn extra minutes today?? ;o)
We also have a Dinner Duties chart that the kids follow, I considered adding minutes for these, but these are established so well already that I didn't want them to think it was an option ;o)

Tate's Quilt

2011-05-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

I finally finished Tate's Quilt the other night. It feels so great to be done!!! And it is so nice to know that she is snuggled up at night under her quilt rather than many random baby blankets :o) I am pretty happy with the finished project as well. Making the pattern for the square was fun. I have never followed any quilt patterns before, just come up with what I wanted to see. In fact I didn't even know their were quilt patterns until recently. It's been fun to come up with new ideas for each quilt. I loved the one this one turned out, and I love the colors! Happy Quilt Day Tate!

Kids Church Bag / Library Bag

2011-05-14T23:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I like my bag/purse, to be my bag!! I don't like shoving it full of toys and crayons, especially on Sundays! So I made some church bags for the kids.

It is so nice to say "you can only bring what fits!" and then for them to be responsible for their own things.

I made these last year and when my sister came up to visit a couple of weeks ago, I made one for her daughter. I had some left over squares from the quilt I am making for Tate (so close to being finished!!).

These bags are just not complete without these awesome Crayon Rolls (Have you made one yet? Easy and awesome tutorial!!) These bags also double as great Library Bags. They are extremely sturdy, and machine washable.

Sewing "Room"

2011-05-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

My Sewing "Room" is actually just a nook in my bedroom, which is probably pretty lucky. I can only imagine an entire room devoted to sewing, would look a lot like this...

This is something that is embarrassing to me. I LOVE an organized space, and consider myself a very organized person. However, this area always seems to pile up. It has become a catch all. Mostly because I borrowed my sisters sewing machine so my sewing machine hasn't actually been used in over a year... so I haven't had to open up the desk at all. In fact I've done most of my sewing in the dining room or living room over the last year. I do clear this area off every once in a while, but it always seems to get back to this. I don't have nearly enough drawers for all of my stuff, so it's inevitable that things will be on top... but that's no excuse for this disaster... so I tackled it tonight. I can breathe again.

Waste Not

2011-05-09T23:45:00.001-07:00

Tonight was the first night that my baby fell asleep before 11pm in weeks!! And instead of starting (or finishing) any of my projects I cleaned my shower... That can only tell you one of two things, either I have a serious cleaning condition or my shower was really that bad. I do like things to be clean, but seriously... Who does that??!!

Running Around Like a Mad Woman

2011-04-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

This last week has been insanely busy...family in town... birthday... wedding...Easter, not to mention my sewing room (which just so happens to be my bedroom and office as well) is being shared with my ten month old while my sister and her daughter are in town. I'm hoping this next week I can relax while tackling a few projects that have been on the sidelines for a while. But for now, I'm going to enjoy family and just dream of the projects in store... see you next week!

Mmm... I just love fabric

2011-04-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

Some yummy projects in the nears future...

Hand Stitching

2011-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

There is something about a hand stitched quilt that makes it irresistible. Tied don't seem as "finished" to me, so I spend hours and hours hand quilting and get so excited with the little puffed squares, only to watch them disappear with time... oh well... I still think it's worth it. :o) First row down!!

Art Display

2011-04-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

I asked my husband to make me something to better display the kids art. I had an idea of what I wanted and he took that and ran with it. I love this thing!! Not only does it hold lots(!) but it is also magnetic and so everything goes up and down without a fuss. We have the neodymium magnets which are amazingly strong!! There is usually tons of art on each of these, but I was in a tidying mode earlier this day and took (almost) everything down for the new month :o)

Beanbags

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

This tutorial was very easy and quick, I made all my seams french seams for extra durability, after all it is a bunch of kids climbing and jumping all over these. Unfortunately our computers crashed and this was the only photo of the beanbags that was recovered. But you get the idea... they were awesome.

Crayon Roll Ups

2011-04-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had made pencil roll ups last year that turned out worse than okay, they served their purpose, but not well. So I decided to remake them following this tutorial from the Pleated Poppy. Love it!! Super fast, super easy, and the kids love them!

I could only find two when I searched the house for them (not really surprised), and one was completely void of any and all crayons (again, not surprised). Wondering when my three year old will catch on and keep her crayons in the roll up so they are there when she uses it at church.

Transformations

2011-04-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

This was last Halloween's exciting transformation... trying to turn this little cutie

into this commonly known wizard... you may have heard of Harry Potter before??

It was a lot of fun and we scored on free black fabric (my husband found) and a free pattern (that my sister in law had) for an adult sized robe, glasses from good will (took out the lenses), a new sweater to keep him warm (this was our biggest purchase, $10 at K-mart) and the tie was sewn from fabric I had on hand (time consuming because of the stripes) with a free pattern from The Pearl Bee. I was super excited about the finished product. The kids want to all be Harry Potter Characters next Halloween... my oldest keeps telling me it's time so start working on the robes... I hate that she is probably right....

Homemade Dolls

2011-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

It's an odd thing, trying to run around and find things that you've worked on over the last year... not only are they hard to find but when you do find them, they aren't as crisp and neat looking as when you first made them... not exciting to take pictures of! Oh well...

Here are the girls dolls that I made, one this past Christmas and two the Christmas before. One is definitely more "loved" than they others, as I have had to make a more permanent nose and replace the hair several times. But all the limbs have stayed attached. The girls love these dolls and I love seeing them play with them!

Tate's Quilt

2011-03-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

Tate (child #3) has been looking forward to her quilt for some time now (her 3rd birthday was in November). She went with me to the fabric store and picked out the fabrics a few months ago. It took me a while to get around to cutting (after washing of course) and piecing together, but eventually I got there. This was the first picture I took of the process.

I usually try to take pictures of the process so the kids can see all the cool (hard) work I put into it. Since all this happens when they are sleeping it probably seems like a magic fairy puts it all together. Oh well...

Last week I got it put on the quilting frame YAY! Have I mentioned how much I love this quilting frame??And it's only been sat down at twice since I set it up... I hate being sick... it really cuts into my "me time".

Skirts

2011-03-30T10:15:00.000-07:00

Skirts for the girls. This was a fun project as I was able to put these cute skirts (from House on Hill Road) together for my girls fairly fast. Here is what the skirt was/is supposed to turn out looking likeVery cute and flirty. Mine came close, but I didn't have the correct amount of fabric (since I was just using any Green fabric I had on hand) so it wasn't nearly and "twirly" as theirs. But the girls didn't seem to mind. I didn't get a great picture of the my finished product, as soon as they were finished they were on the girls and enjoying the fresh air and swing set and mud just like every other article of clothing my children own... but the girls did stop for at least a minute so I could get their picture.

Can we say MIA??

2011-03-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

I dropped off the face of my own blog, but I have still been keep close tabs on all thing crafty on other blogs. A few things that have caught my eye recently:

Fell in love with this necklace, so much character.

I'm thinking these aprons with a little adjusting would be an adorable summer skirt for my girls. They love skirts and I think with a cute little yoga waistband it would be adorable on them. And of course a cute pair of leggings to go with.

Another idea that I thought was very cute. What kid doesn't like a good countdown? We countdown to everything around here!

My kids would go nuts for these cardboard guitars.

I always thought these April Fools Day pranks were cute... will I ever take the time to fool my family like this... probably not, I'll stick with their milk changing colors and short sheeting their beds... but it's still fun to think about their reactions.
My Sister posted these Wheat Thins on her cooking blog the other day, they have been calling to me since.

I actually have been somewhat crafty here and there over this last year of being MIA, maybe I will take the time and blog a little... no promises though, I don't think I can handle that kind of pressure.

Baby Quiet Busy Book

2010-03-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post the rest of this Busy Book after Christmas... One of these days one of my babies will get a cool quiet book... but for now they'll just have to dream about this one that I gave to their Aunt :o)

Because there can never be too many bags...

2010-03-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

A friend asked me to make a bag for her. She gave me complete liberty and said she trusted me... that made me very nervous, style is something that everyone has a different opinion on, and I don't want to make anyone unhappy. But having free range at the fabric store was very fun. I dreamed and plotted out a million projects with other fabrics until I can't upon this one that just screamed make me into a bag, and I thought maybe just maybe, the little bit that I know Maren, that this might fit her personality. I spent last night and tonight working on this and just finished and had to blog about it because I love this fabric. I may have to go get more so I can make myself one, I just hope Maren likes it. :o/ Still nervous about that.

This is what I'm going to have to celebrate the cuteness of this fabric! Mmm... it's the only candy I can find that I can have... and it is so so yummy... although I am afraid I'll find something else in it that I can't have... but shh... for now I'm just going to enjoy it and be happy. Cyn (lil' sis) picked this up for me ... I think she's trying to make me fat... actually I'm convinced of it... I have no self control when it comes to sweets in the house when I'm pregnant... unless of course they are poison to me... and she's always getting them... I should really just convince myself I'm allergic to every kind of sugar, I'm sure I would appreciate it later on.

And then there is this bag, which is a monster, it is so thick!! I broke so many needles trying to figure this bag out, but I loved every minute of it. It's super durable, although the stitching across the top is far from straight... my machine couldn't handle it's girth and refused to sew straight... very irritating, but at least it managed to get the job done. I have to give it that much credit. :o) Annie picked out her fabric and we came up with this three-tone front because she wanted to see all the colors on the outside, so that was fun. I forgot to take a picture so I had to borrow this from her blog... she is so nice to boost my self esteem :o)
And one more bag that my lil sis asked me to make for her sister in law back in OctoberAnd another one that for some reason I only have a picture of the inside... kids must be playing on the computer too much.

I just love these projects, they are so fun!

Pencil (or Crayon) Roll Ups

2010-02-26T20:22:00.000-08:00

I'm sure there are tutorials for these found all over the internet, and I probably should have done my homework, but I decided to just wing it. I've been wanting to make these since Denver was old enough to draw (she's almost 6 now!!), I think these are a great way to stay busy during church. So this is what I came up with... and now that' I've made it there are a couple things I'd do different, but overall I'm happy with the way they turned out, because let's face it... they work. I am going to peruse the internet for any tutorials for the next time. I still have one more to make before Sunday.

Tinker Bell

2009-10-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Denver has been thinking hard about what she wanted to be for Halloween this year, she's changed her mind every month since last year. She finally settled on Tinker Bell. I thought I could attempt to make something that could resemble Tink and set off to the fabric store. I got everything that I needed for a mere 4.50 YAY!! Gotta love sales. And this is the finished product. It's not perfect, in fact there are at least two things that I need to adjust so it will look better, but for the most part it is finished!! WOOHOO... Denver seemed pleased too, she says "Wow Mom, can I wear it forever?" and "Oh Wow, now I just need wings!"

Busy Quiet Book

2009-10-10T21:48:00.000-07:00

I actually probably shouldn't post this, it being a Christmas present and all. But I just can't help myself, I'll only post a couple of pictures and then post the rest after Christmas.

More Big Bags

2009-10-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

After making my first big bag I've been dying to make more, lucky me my sister and my friend asked me to make one. So I had my chance to make two more and I loved every minute of it. Here is the one that I made for my friend, I'll have to post pictures of the other one later.

Dress

2009-10-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

Made this dress for a friend's daughter so that she would look super cute at a Black and White themed wedding. It was my first attempt trying to follow a patter that I purchased at Joann, there were a few terminologies that I should have called to ask my mom to enlighten me on, but overall I think it turned out pretty good, and next time, it will turn out even better!!

2009-07-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Despite the lack of posting I've been very busy sewing and creating and dreaming... however everything has been for Christmas presents recently, and I cannot post that! I am determined to have ALL Christmas presents accounted for BEFORE October 1st. We'll see how this goes, but I would love to accomplish this goal!! Wish me luck. I'll be back soon.

Old to Newish

2009-07-09T19:54:00.000-07:00

About 3 years ago Jon's good friend, Shawn, gave us a desk that his father had made back in high school (in the 70's). It has been my favorite desk since we got it. I didn't mind the yellow laminate and I loved that all the drawers locked, so I could keep my children out :o) I had the plans to paint it from the day we got it, but that went on hold as soon as I filled it up with all my scrapbooking junk. It has moved with us house to apartment to townhouse to house to house, and FINALLY received it's much needed makeover. It is no longer filled with scrapbooking stuff but I think the desk likes it new look. :o)
Here is what the top of the desk used to look like. It started coming off in places and was pinching my arm so I tore that off after about a year. This is what it looked like for the last 2 years. Attractive I know!! I thought once I ripped the laminate off that it would motivate me to actually do the project. Alas, it sat like this for 2 years, occasionally giving me splinters and still no progress. This last move I refused to fill all the drawers with my desk stuff until after it was done. Which was really hard since I like to unpack everything the first day. But I stood strong and was finally able to get things started. Here she is all sanded and ready for primer!!I can't even tell you how hard it was to wait the 24 hours between coats. It's really tough to not just get a project completed. But I think I did learn a little patience during this project. After I got it all painted Jon sealed it with a satin finish and i think it looks fabulous. :o) Best part, it only cost about $20 for paints and brushes AND I don't get splinters in my arms anymore.