summer plans

i saw this great idea on A Soft Place to Land - we're going to make out our summer list tomorrow.

i told the kids they could have tomorrow off - it's the first real day of vacation and they don't have to get up early or do chores. the fun starts on tuesday.

i've just spent the last half hour placing books on hold at our library. i found a great list last year on Pioneer Woman, it lists favorite books by age. i picked out a few that i want the kids to read, and then i'll let them look at the list and pick some more. by the way, does anyone have any good reads for a boy entering 4th grade who is only interested in pokemon, legos, and video games? easy chapter books with a few pictures are best - i haven't been able to find a series that he can get into yet.

my sister (who has 8 kids) found some great links for getting kids to do their chores.

-here's a great idea for multiple kids (and super cute)

-here's a good one for having a big picture plan for the summer

-LOVE this idea, but not sure i have the guts and stick-to-it-iveness

-scroll down to comments, and you'll get to read about the way my sister does it.

i will probably modify our current method, which is charts with a morning, afternoon, and evening section and a token system. i've got one day to figure it out!

Laundry Math

0 trips to Lowe's for a washer moving kit + 2 years of loud washing = 1 broken washer

1 broken washer + 1 phone call to Sears = $370.00

$370.00 = 4 parts ordered

4 parts ordered + 1.5 weeks = 3 parts + 1 damaged part

1 damaged part = 1 more week

HOWEVER -

4 children + 2 parents + 2 grandparents = 8 loads of wash

2 bedwetters + 4 karate students + (6 workouts x 2.5 weeks) + ? clean clothes that never get put away but are thrown back into the laundry x 2.5 weeks = 3+ trips to the laundromat

$1.50 x 26 loads = 156 quarters

4 hours of hanging out at the laundromat = 1 incident of getting picked up on by a truck driver + 3 x reading "Catching Fire" and listening to iPod so as not to get picked up on by truck driver and friends

3 days of trying to get by until the washer is fixed = ? days of going commando