My wonderful mommy trunk!

My kids are very eager to clean and do chores lately. You may be asking yourself what's my secret? It's something called a mommy trunk! No more asking a hundred times to pick up, clean up, brush up, wipe up, or shape up. I ask once and that's it (Hallelujah chorus singing). My wonderful mommy trunk has changed my life and this is how it works.

I have a trunk, well actually just a cheap laundry basket from Walmart but that wouldn't have looked nearly cool enough in the picture. Use whatever works and whatever your budget can afford. I tell the kids to pick up their toys, backpacks, shoes, coats, whatever ONE time. If the items don't get picked up, they go in the mommy trunk. Simple enough so far, right?

To redeem their precious and sometimes very much needed items, they have to reach into an envelope that I've filled with different tasks, and pull out a piece of paper (we keep recycling the papers). Written on that is some kind of a chore, and here are some examples of chores I have on mine:

Put up all the toys off the floor in your room

Dust your room

Give your sibling a compliment

Vacuum your room

Help mommy with lunch/dinner

Dust your computer desk and computer

Read a book

Wipe down bathroom counter, sink and faucet

Empty dishwasher

Vacuum living room

Vacuum TV room

Put up toys in the TV room

Put all the shoes in the bucket

Vacuum daddy’s office

Ask daddy for a task

Ask mommy for a task

Ask your sibling for a task ((

Recite: Mom is cool, mom is great, she’s the one I appreciate! :)

Do X jumping jacks

Organize toys on the porch

Sweep kitchen floor

Sweep the front porch

Take out the trash

Dust the fireplace

Clean the bathtub

Clear the table after dinner

Load the dishwasher

Unload the dishwasher

Tell daddy how much you appreciate him and why

You have to do NOTHING! Merry Christmas to you J

Vacuum and mop the kitchen floor

Vacuum and mop your bathroom floor

Pass one of the Articles of Faith

Help cook dinner

Sing mommy a song

Sing daddy a song

Do the dishes

Wipe down kitchen cabinet doors

Wipe kitchen counters
Wipe down bathroom cabinet doors
Wipe down bathroom door

These had to be fairly simple tasks for even my littlest one to be able to do. My trunk filled up the first day I started to implement this. The kids got right to work to the next day to start earning back their toys. I was happy . 

One last thing, if a toy doesn't get redeemed in month, I donate it. The kids know the rules and we are all on the same wonderful page. That's my secret, what's yours?