Episode 49

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Published on:

15th Aug 2024

#49. Our Everyday Agains: Raising Kids That Really Help Clean and Making It Fun For Them | Part 1

Looking to still the storm of stuff?! Betsy and Stephanie are back to discuss how they have maintained order in their homes and how they have trained their children to help clean. This episode is packed with advice--and lots of it is fun to put into practice! You'll come away inspired to calm the chaos when you hear about some of these simple methods!

Resources Referenced:

Every Day Before You Say Chart

Chore Checklist

Transcript
Stephanie:

They're the joyful agains our children shout on the swings, the

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exhausting agains of cooking and laundry,

and the difficult agains of discipline.

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So much of what we do

as mothers is on repeat.

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So what if we woke up with clarity,

knowing which agains we were called

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to, and went to bed believing we

are faithful in what matters most?

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We believe God's Word is

the key to untangle from the

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confusion and overwhelm we feel.

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Let's look up together to embrace a

motherhood full of freedom and joy.

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Welcome back to the again, podcast

brought to you from entrusted ministries.

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I'm your host, Stephanie Hickox.

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And just like that, the

calendar has turned to August.

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I know some of you have already said

goodbye to your kids and are praying for

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a fruitful fantastic school year for them.

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Some of us are prepping to

homeschool and gearing up for that.

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And some of us are wondering how

we're going to fill those long

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days with the little ones when

the sunshine isn't as present.

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Whatever your fall routine is.

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We hope that the tips and

tricks we provide in this episode

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will be a blessing to you.

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Before we get to the episode,

I have to tell you that we have

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some exciting things coming.

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And trusted with the child's heart.

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The video series is going to be

available for its lowest price ever.

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And that is happening.

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This month, so please stay tuned.

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I will keep you posted.

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If you would like to be the first to

be notified, then please head to our

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website and trusted ministries.com.

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Fill out.

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The contact form.

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And you'll be added to our mailing

list and I will send you an email, the

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moment, this price change launches.

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We are really dropping this price because

we want it to be as accessible as possible

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for churches and home groups alike.

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We know that there are so many

smaller groups of moms wanting

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to do this study, and we want

to remove every barrier for you.

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We also have a, get the

word out coming shortly.

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This is an incredible Bible

study resource developed.

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Over decades by Betsy and David Corning.

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And it is a one of a kind resource.

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So we can't wait to share that with you.

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Also next week, we'll mark our 50th

episode and we have a giveaway coming.

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That's a lot of updates,

but please stay tuned.

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I often find that transitions are a great

time to establish new routines and adopt

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new habits and training our children.

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And this episode, Betsy and I sat down

and talked about some of our favorite ways

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to make sure that our home is in order

and really encourage our kids to clean.

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As we begin that fall season, we

wanted to equip you with some tools

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and tricks that we have found over

the years that really make cleaning

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and stewardship fun in our homes.

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And maybe if it's not

fun, Having a clean house.

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Certainly is.

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We're going to try to teach you to

keep it as smooth as possible to be

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faithful in those little years so that

as they grow, they are helping you

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bear the load of caring for your home.

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I'll even be sharing some advice that my

13 year old son claimed was absolutely

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brilliant for getting kids to clean.

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And we're going to give advice that spans

every age and stage of having children.

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Today is part one of that conversation.

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And then in part two next week,

we'll be focusing more on what it

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looks like with older children.

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And we'll also talk about the

definition of a clean room.

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I can tell you that there have been

years of me cleaning toilets, while

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my kids are playing in another room.

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Though they're supposed to be cleaning.

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And me feeling frustrated because

I felt like they weren't working

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quite as hard as I wanted them to be.

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And I was trying to figure

out how do I manage it?

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So the words that I spoke in this

episode, Are of me finally enjoying

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and reaping the rewards of those years.

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Of training.

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But if you are in the thick of it, those

memories are still fresh in my mind.

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And I get it.

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I hope.

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That we give you.

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Some inspiration to try some

different methods in your home.

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And that something will click for you.

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This summer, I read a book

called the four hour school day.

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And in it, there was a quote that

has really been resonating with me.

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She said you can expect what you inspect.

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What a true reality that is.

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The things I'm inspecting

and following up with.

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Are the things that my kids

are the most diligent in.

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This summer, we traveled more than I

expected and I had to let go of some of

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the hopes I had at the beginning of the

summer when we recorded this episode.

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So certainly we are always

adjusting our expectations

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to be realistic and to help our

kids be intrinsically motivated.

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One more note before the episode starts.

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For some reason, my audio came

in quietly on this episode.

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So I have rerecorded my parts just to

make sure that it's easy for you as a

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listener, but if it ever sounds like Betsy

and my exchanges are a little bit robotic.

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It's because a lot of that

disclaim into quietly.

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Thanks for your grace.

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Hope it turned out okay.

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For you.

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I recently read a resource based

on Charlotte Mason principles.

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And it was called smooth and easy days.

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And she said the mother who takes pains

to endow her children with good habits,

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secures for herself smooth and easy days.

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While she who lets their

habits take care of themselves.

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Has a weary life of endless

friction with the children.

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And we know that our actions don't

necessarily guarantee a result, but

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we do find that it is often when we

train our children and good habits

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that those will bless us as they learn

to put on those character traits.

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And the areas where baby we've

been a little lexical are going

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to continue to be a struggle.

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And this resource said that every

day, every hour, parents are either.

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Actively or passively forming

habits in their children.

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Upon which more than anything else,

future character and conduct dependent.

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Betsy: That kind of reminds me of

a saying that I actually stand and

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trusted that you end up doing what

you do 80 percent of your time is

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spent doing what you do second best

because if you do have a little system.

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a little plan, a little habit.

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You are so efficient in that.

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You don't, it takes so much less time.

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And really over time, it's just nice.

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You don't even realize that you do it.

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It's just an automatic.

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Stephanie: And if you've been listening

to us for a while, you might be thinking,

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oh, the chart would be a great resource.

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To establish a lot of these

habits and reinforce routines.

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And it certainly is, but sometimes you

find, you might need a little something

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in addition, And you need to create

chore systems or routines in the home.

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And we, so we do still

absolutely stand by that chart.

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And I will link in the show notes because

if you haven't started the chart, now

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it'd be a phenomenal time to do that.

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Then you can purchase those

packs online on our website.

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There are 17 by 11 pads of really

thick, solid paper, and they're fun

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to decorate and you can get your

kids so excited about embracing.

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Routines and character

growth and taking initiative.

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By those charts.

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Betsy: I think we call it

the every day before you say.

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So the purpose is for kids to just

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Establish their own routine without

mom having to constantly remind.

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In fact, you don't remind.

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And then they see the reward or the

advantage of doing it without being asked.

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So that's the purpose of that.

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Very helpful for establishing some sort

of self governing things in their lives.

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Stephanie: For sure.

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I recently bought something.

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I've been scoping them up for a

while and I finally realized, okay,

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this is definitely worth the $12.

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I've got to get these.

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And they compliment the chart really well.

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They're these little plastic

checklists and they have.

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Little sliders that the kids

can slide like the toggle once

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they've completed the task.

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And, I wrote the name on the top

in Sharpie, and then they have 10

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spots and the front of it opens up

so that you can put a new checklist

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inside and you can laminate it.

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But I decided I'm going to write

out the list and I'm going to test

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it to make sure that these are the

things that I really want them to do.

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Before I set in stone.

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Initially I prayed pretty hard about it.

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What are their priorities that I

want them to focus on this summer?

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And I narrowed it down and then I

put the list in there and closed

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it with that plastic front cover.

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And then they use the 10 little slider

toggles to let me know if they've done it.

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And so they're checking it off

and what's really wonderful is

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that I can put their chart goals.

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On this little checklist.

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But then I don't have to ask

them, or I don't need to them

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to tell me when they've done it.

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I can just look at the checklist

and then I can know that they've

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done the goals that I have for them.

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Betsy: Give us an example of a

couple of the items on there.

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Stephanie: Sure.

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I did the morning routine on there.

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So get eating breakfast, making

your bed, brushing your teeth,

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trying to keep that simple.

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And then another one is for reading their

Bible and practicing a Bible memory verse.

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Reading a quality book for at least

30 minutes, practicing math facts,

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getting a good amount of exercise.

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Those are all on there.

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And I did put quantities.

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I wanted to make sure it's a

very tangible goal and that

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they knew when it was completed.

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I also put drinking enough water

and I put how many ounces on there.

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And that's just something that I really

want our whole family to grow in.

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And it was kind of funny because,

Initially I had showed them the

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checklist and then they had gone to bed.

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And then I filled out the goals.

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And then they were

hanging up in the morning.

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So when they came down, I

hadn't taught them really how

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to measure ounces of water.

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And I found that my boys had gotten

out a little kitchen scale and

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they changed the units to ounces

and they were measuring water.

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And I thought that was so cute.

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They were like, mom set the standard.

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We've got to meet the standard.

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So how do we figure out

how to reach this goal?

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Betsy: They want to get the

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goal.

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Stephanie: Another one.

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is that they have just their

bedtime routine to brush her

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teeth and do a 10 minute tidy.

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So they have to complete all

first nine before they can have

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any screen time for the day.

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And they know don't even ask mom, if

we're still working on the checklist,

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if we can have screen time, And some

of my kids are like let's race through

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it to complete that, to do list.

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And some of them.

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Our fine to kind of take

their time through it.

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Maybe play Lego's for

awhile and, and that's fine.

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I really want summer to be

a time where they can relax.

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But I also don't want to be spending

a ton of time reviewing in the fall.

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So I'm keeping the math facts

in there and they're reading.

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Just a couple academic things

to stay fresh, but they do

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have plenty of time to play.

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But those checklists, have been

really wonderful and I will put that

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Amazon link here in the show notes.

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For $12, it's a pretty phenomenal tool.

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Our bookkeeper Ana, I sent it to her

and she said, oh, these are amazing.

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But then she sent me a text about a day

or two later and said, oh, the upfront.

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work have creating a new system.

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And I told her, yes, the inertia

of setting up any system.

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It's a lot, but you reap the rewards

once you've trained them in it.

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So I think anytime we set up

a new routine, we just have to

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expect that the front end is

going to take a lot of extra work.

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Betsy: Desire, Discipline, Delight.

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That little middle part.

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Stephanie: Exactly.

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And I do find that it's not as

much about the system or the

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little trick or tip that I pick.

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It's often about my consistency

and creating those expectations

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and training them clearly.

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I think sometimes it's fun to switch it

up let's do a 10 minute tidy or let's

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do this, but if I'm not consistent,

then really most of my tips flop.

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Betsy: Yeah, it does depend a lot on the

mom to get them reinforced and instilled.

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But explain a 10 minute tidy a little bit.

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Stephanie: I find these are helpful maybe

after dinner, when I'm doing dishes.

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And sometimes my favorite days are when

I put on a fun song, maybe like the

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KB church clap, which is a fun, upbeat

one, but it's still theologically sound.

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So maybe I put on a little bit

of music and I'll tell my kids.

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All right.

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It's a 10 minute tidy.

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Or sometimes I'll say everybody

look around and pick up 30 things.

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I've realized through the years

that sometimes it's better.

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If I stay a quantity.

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More than, a time limit,

because then they might doddle

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Betsy: they might be dancing.

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Stephanie: Right.

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But if I say pick up 30 things, they're

going to do that quickly because they have

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a quantifiable standard there to achieve.

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When they were, you know, getting out

tons of Lego things all over the floor,

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I might say, give me a quick 100.

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Betsy: Now they're not counting the legos.

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Are they?

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Stephanie: Depending on the kid.

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Yes.

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Uh, I might say, I want the playroom

vacuum ready, and then they know that

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everything needs to get picked up.

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So I just try to make the standard clear

to them, but I do switch it up sometimes.

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Sometimes it's going to take more

than 10 minutes and sometimes I'm

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just wanting them to have eyes to

see what needs to be picked up.

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So the one tip that my son, my

oldest 13 year old, he said,

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That was absolutely brilliant.

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I figure if it is.

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Teenage boy approved.

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That's got to give it

some validity, right?

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Betsy: Thinks this mom's brilliant, wow,

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Stephanie: I know I felt good about that.

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, so one night I was getting ready to

tell them to do a quick 30, and then

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I was looking around the homeschool

room and I just saw a couple spots.

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Like nobody's going to pick that up.

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That's been sitting there for a

little while that stack of craft

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papers on the piano bench and.

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Those, items on top of the bookshelf.

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I selected these three mystery

spots of things that I thought,

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no, one's going to pick that up.

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I wrote them down on a post-it note.

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And then I put that in my pocket.

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And then I went and I told them

I have three mystery spots in,

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at the end of the 10 minute tidy.

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Whoever has picked those up is going

to get a little reward, but I'm not

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going to tell you what they are.

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It worked unbelievably well, and

it, it just really helped them.

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As I was saying to have eyes, to

see what needs to be picked up.

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And instead of just quick picking up

the things that were on the floor, they

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looked up and they looked in areas that

they knew weren't their typical spots.

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And then when they were done cleaning.

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I went with them and I pointed to

the piano bench and I said, okay, who

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picked up the papers on the piano bench?

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I think that one was Everett.

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And then we went to the top of the

bookshelf and I said, who picked these up?

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And it was Ryder but I found that they

each, I mean, they were all working

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so hard that I did give them all.

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something small, like maybe some chocolate

chips or something, but, and then the

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ones that had gotten the mystery spots,

I gave a little something more, but.

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I really wanted to encourage them

that they all worked very hard.

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And you might be thinking, why don't

I just train my children to pick

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up after themselves when they play.

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But with homeschooling, they might

be playing something independently.

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And then I say, okay, I'm

ready for your reading lesson.

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And then I interrupt them.

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And just for us, for our routine.

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It, it works if we just, you

know, some things they pick

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up as they go, but sometimes.

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It's fine with me, make your good

mess and we'll get back to it.

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Betsy: It happens.

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Four children in the house, In the

side, else it's gonna get a little

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disheveled during the day, right?

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Stephanie: Yes.

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And I do.

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I have one friend that I had shared that

tip, that I thought was so brilliant.

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And she said in her house, she

struggles with a lot of sibling rivalry.

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So she thought that that could

be a dangerous tip for her.

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So, I'm sorry if that's your situation,

but for us, it worked really well.

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But I thought about this idea because when

I was teaching often I would have Popsicle

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sticks because if you know me, that's

one of my little favorite parenting.

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Go-to problem-solving resources.

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I often think, how could I

solve this with Popsicle sticks?

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But before we were leaving my classroom to

walk to a special class like music or PE.

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And it was a huge, long building and

we might have to pass church offices.

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So I really wanted to help them be quiet

and keep their hands to themselves.

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So I would pick one stick.

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They each had the student's names on them.

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And I would say I have a mystery Walker.

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And I would remind them we're

going to be quiet in the hallway

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and keep our hands to ourselves.

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And then I would tell them when we

got back to the classroom, All right.

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The mystery Walker did great.

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And it was this person.

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And then maybe I'd give the

class a couple of tallies.

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And then maybe that child's got a

jelly bean or something, and if the

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child didn't do well, I wouldn't tell

them who it was, but I would just

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say actually my mystery Walker had a

little bit of a struggle this time.

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And then there wasn't a consequence.

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It was just, let's really look, let's

just try to improve for next time.

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And then all of the kids

do, oh, it might've been me.

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I better try harder next time.

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Which actually, this reminds me a

little bit of the happy event, right?

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Where you could almost draw a happy man

and say, okay, we're going into a store.

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I'm watching.

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You should explain the heavy metal and

Betsy a little bit better before we go on.

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I think we talked about the happy

men on a sibling episode, but it's so

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great even for summer and traveling.

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So talk about that a little bit more.

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Betsy: Just a reminder

if people haven't heard.

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It's just, if you have four grandchildren,

four children, or whatever number.

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You have a little token.

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I just use the men from the Candyland game

that we had and put it in a little pouch.

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And when you come upon a situation that

maybe all four can't do, such as sit in

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the front seat or whatever it is you draw

a happy man and then that's the person

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that gets that privilege or opportunity.

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And it saves so much squabbling

because they have to shake the

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person's hand and say congratulations.

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I'm happy for you and That's it

because the happy men don't lie

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and everybody should be happy.

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Stephanie: Yes.

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And it's a decision that

mom doesn't have to make.

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Betsy: Yes Picking favorites or anything.

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Although my husband says the

oldest sits in the front and

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then it's always the same person.

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But it's undisputed too.

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But that's how he does it.

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Of course women always do it differently.

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We make it more complicated.

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Stephanie: Yeah.

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And of course we're careful with

rewards, but it is nice to you.

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Instill for a job well done.

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And to reinforce that.

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And I think if I'm asking my kids

to do all of these things, a couple

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chocolate chips or something really

isn't that big of a deal, because

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believe me, I'm sneaking a little

bit of chocolate from my pantry to.

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Betsy: Yes, it's fun to make

things exciting and something

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to look forward to or, yes.

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Yeah.

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Have an accomplishment.

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. A couple of things that for very

young children, just starting

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out, this is for very basic, not

necessarily for young children, but

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for moms who are just beginning.

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you know

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saying I'm a little bit

disorganized, where do I begin?

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I think the simple beginner point

is if you have something that needs

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to go upstairs, you set it on the

bottom step and, like away from

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where people are going to step.

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And if you have something that

needs to go downstairs, you set

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it near the top of the stairway.

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And then when you go downstairs,

you make sure that you take

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it down and put it away.

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And the same thing with

coming up the stairs.

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Every time I go upstairs, I mean in my

last house, I could get 10, 000 steps in

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:

a day just going up and down the stairs.

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Because, and I was always

going up and downstairs.

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But I realized that I always

put something by the step.

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And I wouldn't, as I'm running up,

I wouldn't I'm not thinking about,

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:

oh, do I need to put something away?

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But it would be sitting there,

I'd grab it, I'd put it away.

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It's amazing how organized you can keep

your house if that's just a habit of

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:

putting something there and taking it out.

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Now when you bring the kids into the

system, you can, rather than having a

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:

bunch of stuff sitting on the steps,

You can make a bin, or a lot of people

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:

have mud rooms where they have a bin.

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We had it in our laundry

room, even myself growing up.

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:

And my sisters and I and my

brother, we all had our own bin.

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:

And our mom would, when she would

fold our laundry when we were

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:

young, she would put it in our bin.

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:

Or let's say a library book, or a little

necklace, or any sort of little thing

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that's left laying around the house.

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You put it in that child's bin

and then they're not hunting

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:

all over the house for it.

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And they, every day, they need to

take their bin upstairs and empty it.

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:

So it's incorporating them into the

process of keeping things put away.

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:

And it helps mom not to think,

Oh, here's all this clutter.

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:

Where am I going to put it?

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You have a spot to put it and

you don't have to think about it.

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:

It's out of your view.

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:

And another thing to do with little

children when you pull a chair out,

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:

when you're done, you push it back in.

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:

If you open a drawer, then

you push it back shut.

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:

There's so many people that

I know personally, that

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:

Aren't

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:

aren't accustomed to doing this.

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:

Maybe it's an adult, but just that simple

little habit of, you get it out, you

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:

put it back, it just becomes automatic.

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:

And then it's not such

a big deal to work with.

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:

Stephanie: Yes, definitely

to stay on top of it.

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:

That is so key.

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:

I've had different ways to

clean the house over the years.

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:

Of course, I'm doing most of the

cleaning in my home, but I have always

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:

had a time of the week where we are

cleaning it, my kids and I together.

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:

And I started this when they

were pretty little and it was

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:

exhausting and it took away longer

to train my kids to help me clean.

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:

Then it did to just do it all by myself.

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:

But I knew eventually we're

going to reap a harvest.

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:

So I kept doing it.

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:

And it's amazing.

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:

Now I am able to say to the 10-year old.

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:

Okay, go vacuum the upstairs and

he does it, and it's not a thing.

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:

And I think because I'm doing it

with them at the same time, it's not

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:

like I'm watching TV or something.

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:

Well, I'm making them clean.

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:

It's a family effort it's gone,

pretty well when they were

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:

younger, they had to build up

their endurance for continuing to.

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:

Clean instead of getting

distracted by the toys, but.

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:

It's amazing how much they've grown.

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:

And there've been different ways that I've

broken up the cleaning over the years.

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:

I think one of the most effective ways

we've done it is if we would, maybe

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:

we're having a Friday family movie night.

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:

And I'll say, okay, if we get done

cleaning by this time, then we can

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:

watch a movie and have popcorn.

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:

And it's just a fun way to set

up our weekend for relaxing.

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:

It's so nice to go to bed

with everything clean.

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:

But if I notice that they're dawdling

a lot, then I would say, oh, we

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:

don't actually have time for a movie.

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:

Maybe it's just going to

be a quick show tonight.

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:

And we don't really have

time for popcorn either, but.

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:

You'll still just get

a little bit of a show.

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:

And I think this was born out of

them cleaning their room, but it was

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:

taking a long time and I realized

they need something to benefit.

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:

Them completing the task efficiently.

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:

So then, right after dinner, we would

start the family clean and they had

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:

their list of what they had to get done.

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:

Sometimes I've said, okay, we're going

to have team floors and team surfaces.

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:

And one team is going to help me clean

all the bathrooms and the kitchen counters

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:

and all of the surfaces and the dusting.

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:

And another team is going to do the

sweeping, mopping and vacuuming.

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:

And that wound up to be a pretty even.

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:

Trade that worked out.

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:

Pretty well that we would finish about

at the same time, you just have to.

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:

Figure out which zone you

would start in and end in.

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:

So you're not in the

same spot at the same.

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:

Time.

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:

Betsy: That reminds me of

something because I think

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:

your system is really great.

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:

Because a lot of times moms give up

because the kids don't do it as well

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:

as they really want it to be done.

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:

But when you persevere, you're

going to find out that you're going

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:

to get a lot more relief in help,

with help, if you keep doing that.

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:

that.

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:

I used to have my grandkids over a

lot and one weekend when they were

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:

a little bit older, I knew they were

coming over just to, have a grand time.

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:

But I thought, this time we're

going to clean the house all day.

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:

And I assigned them chores.

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:

These would be teens and I was

going to be like, we're going to

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:

diligently learn how to clean a house.

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:

And we did it all for maybe eight hours.

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:

And then when I felt like they had done

their jobs well, then we went out for a

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:

movie and dinner and we had a lot of fun

and did stuff for the next three days.

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:

But I felt like, no, we're not

going to just, hang out and

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:

spill popcorn all over the place.

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:

We're going to, clean up something and

then respect it and try and keep it clean.

484

:

But that was really quite an experience.

485

:

That was, it was a lot of fun.

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:

They, their faces dropped.

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:

We're like, we're going to

clean the house all day.

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:

Yay.

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:

And here's my big list.

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:

And when you finish this chore,

run back here, cross it off.

491

:

And they all had like maybe four

chores, but it maybe didn't take

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:

eight hours, but it, we did spend

pretty much of the day doing it.

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:

Stephanie: That is so great.

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:

Betsy: I loved it.

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:

Stephanie: And it's such a

blessing to their future spouses.

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:

Betsy: Yeah, that's what I told them.

497

:

Stephanie: They're really training

and learning these lifelong habits.

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:

And it's all about stewardship, and

we want to take care of what we have.

499

:

And I find there have been

seasons in my motherhood where I

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:

want to be such a servant leader

and I want to serve my kids.

501

:

And then all of a sudden I realized.

502

:

Oh, the pendulum swinging a little

bit where I'm creating a little

503

:

bit of laziness and, you know, I

don't want my daughter-in-laws.

504

:

Everybody said a lot to be angry

with me some day, so I better

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:

make sure that I'm asking them.

506

:

To serve as well.

507

:

And it's neat when I see them taking

initiative and my boys, even, I was, I

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:

was packing for the trip to come here.

509

:

They were jumping up to

carry my bags to the car.

510

:

And I love that.

511

:

And I want them to know that I will

serve them diligently, but I also

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:

want them to be quick to serve.

513

:

And when you start to see them observing.

514

:

'cause I always tell them you have

to be observant to be a servant.

515

:

And lately I've heard a couple of

friends say, That that's like the camp

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:

mentality, see a need, fill a need.

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:

I want my kids looking around.

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:

And finding a way to serve others.

519

:

Betsy: Without expecting anything

in return I think is a big thing.

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:

Yes, when I come in the door, like

I've been out shopping or something

521

:

and I open the door to the house and

I say, I'm home then, it's automatic.

522

:

That everybody comes and runs to the car.

523

:

I really believe that as women of the

house we bring in 90 plus, 95 percent

524

:

of everything that's in the house.

525

:

So I laugh about it when I come home

I always have a load or two to carry

526

:

in the house and my husband comes

home, he's not carrying anything.

527

:

I'm like, why is this?

528

:

But so yeah, they've all been

trained to know when mom says I'm

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:

home to run and check and see if

she needs anything carried into the

530

:

house and so I do appreciate that.

531

:

They're all trained to know that they'll

be carrying my groceries when I'm 80.

532

:

I always say that now

533

:

and I'm getting closer and closer, but

anyway, But I had a chore for my kids when

534

:

they were younger and you know My kids are

obviously grown and married now, but when

535

:

they were younger and they wanted to earn

some money I always had what I called a

536

:

gold chore and if they needed some money

I would say you can do the gold chore.

537

:

And it probably, it was, I think it

was 10 then, it'd probably be a little

538

:

bit more now, but this would be a

chore like washing the kitchen floor.

539

:

And so that's a little bit more difficult

chore for an older child, but they want

540

:

money for a movie or something they

needed to, they could earn it quickly.

541

:

Stephanie: Wow.

542

:

That's a good rate.

543

:

I think I would do it.

544

:

my friend Stacy has something

called jobs for hire.

545

:

Which is so cute and her kids all

have their own jobs, but she has a

546

:

list of jobs on the fridge and she

will have, an amount next to it.

547

:

This job that's worth 50 cents.

548

:

This one's worth a dollar.

549

:

And, if they want to earn extra money,

these are things that they can do.

550

:

And I think that's just

a cute little thing.

551

:

And do you find that in life,

when you take extra initiative,

552

:

often there's bonuses.

553

:

That works really well in her family

554

:

Betsy: I also had a chore for

if they told me they were bored

555

:

and that received no reward.

556

:

They had to do something like

sharpen all the pencils in the house

557

:

and put them back where they were,

because of course we have our quiet

558

:

time pencils in our little places.

559

:

They learned not to say they were bored.

560

:

Stephanie: Oh, that's a catch.

561

:

Uh, Laura did a blog post for interested

years ago on this, but she had a

562

:

board jar over the summer and she put

random things in there somewhere fun.

563

:

Some, were cleaned the toilet and some

might be two, a piece of bubble gum.

564

:

And, if you study your board, you

had to go pull out a piece of paper

565

:

out of the jar and you didn't know,

are you going to get a good one?

566

:

Or a bad one and.

567

:

I think that that helped, for that short

season where her kids were saying that.

568

:

Betsy: You wouldn't keep saying

it to get lots of bubblegum.

569

:

Stephanie: Right.

570

:

Could you talk a little bit

about your one place rule?

571

:

Betsy: Oh, yes.

572

:

So everything in your home,

especially your eyeglasses, your

573

:

keys, your Bible, those really

important things need a one place.

574

:

And that means that there's only one

place we keep the keys in the family.

575

:

So if my husband needs to move my

car, or whatever, then he knows

576

:

exactly where they're, where they are.

577

:

So you come in, you don't throw

them on the kitchen counter.

578

:

You automatically right away take

them to the one place and that just

579

:

saves a lot of clutter, but it also

helps not having to search for keys.

580

:

I need a one place for my phone

because I think I have a Ten places,

581

:

and I, they're very random and weird.

582

:

I really think I need to

apply that to my phone.

583

:

My husband's always calling

me to help me locate it.

584

:

But that is really helpful.

585

:

And it's very helpful for

kids because they'll say,

586

:

Mom, I can't find my whatever.

587

:

Where's your one place?

588

:

And establish a one place.

589

:

Stephanie: And one time you gave my

kids a cute little certificate at do.

590

:

They had helped for the year with, the

interested kids in the troopers program.

591

:

And you gave them a little certificate

and you said, I'm going to take

592

:

you to lunch at this fun restaurant

and you get to keep this, but you

593

:

have to keep their certificate.

594

:

You can not make your mom keep it.

595

:

This is your ticket for lunch.

596

:

So they had to keep track of it

and it was a really good idea.

597

:

And you said, put it in your one place.

598

:

And it made me think because I had

three boys sharing a room, which

599

:

we love, but there's a bunk bed

in there and a loft and a dresser.

600

:

And it's a full room.

601

:

And I realized, oh man, do they have

a one place or something like that?

602

:

And it kind of triggered me to

establish, I just bought these

603

:

canvas bins to put on a shelf.

604

:

So then they each had one and

I don't care what goes in it.

605

:

If your teacher gives you some

chotchkies at the end of the year,

606

:

you can put it in there or, stocking,

stuffers, anything like that.

607

:

Cause I'm always like, where

do we put those little things?

608

:

But they still love.

609

:

It just goes in there and it's

great to have a spot that they just

610

:

get to dictate the contents of.

611

:

We know you're busy, Mama, so

we are truly grateful you joined

612

:

us for this episode of Again.

613

:

If you're looking for more information

about building your home on the

614

:

foundation of Jesus Christ, head to www.

615

:

EntrustedMinistries.

616

:

com to learn more about our study for

moms, Entrusted with a Child's Heart.

617

:

This scripture saturated study

has blessed families around the

618

:

world, and we want it for you, too.

619

:

Before you go, I want to pray

this benediction over you

620

:

from 2 Thessalonians 1, 11 12.

621

:

We're rooting for you.

622

:

To this end, we always pray for you,

that our God may make you worthy of His

623

:

calling, and may fulfill every resolve

for good and every work of faith by

624

:

His power, so that the name of our Lord

Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in

625

:

Him, according to the grace of our God.

626

:

And the Lord Jesus Christ.

627

:

Amen.

628

:

Until we meet again.

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About the Podcast

Again
Biblical Motherhood Untangled
So much of what we do as mothers is on repeat. Join us to redeem this repetition and untangle from the confusion and overwhelm of parenting. We'll follow the Agains in the Bible to focus on the things that matter most. Let's look up together to embrace a motherhood full of freedom and joy! This podcast is sponsored by Entrusted Ministries.

About your host

Profile picture for Stephanie Hickox

Stephanie Hickox

Stephanie has always delighted in God’s Word and in sharing it with others. Whether it is equipping mothers and leaders through Entrusted with a Child’s Heart, inspiring students when teaching at homeschool co-ops or children’s ministry, or homeschooling her own children, Stephanie’s life mission is to encourage others to follow faithfully and joyfully after Jesus—especially if they hold her favorite job title: mom.

Betsy Corning wrote Entrusted with a Child’s Heart in 1999 in response to the needs she saw in families as she and David counseled young parents just a few years behind them. Entrusted has been taught in hundreds of churches nationwide, been translated into several foreign languages, and has made its way around the world. More recently, Betsy received her Masters in Biblical Studies from The Master’s University and is developing a new Bible Study program called Get the Word Out. Her passion for God’s Word, discipleship, and teaching biblical principles as they apply to family life has remained strong to this day. One of the greatest blessings in Betsy’s life are her three grown children, their spouses, and ten grandchildren that keep her constantly in touch with every age and stage.

Jen Freckman Is an incredible wealth of wisdom. She will tell you a natural remedy for just about anything! She is also a voracious reader and she is just overflowing with quotes and guidance that she's encountered through reading and being faithful. She delights in her children and is a devoted mother. She is also an amazingly creative problem solver! Her solutions to manage her home and guide her children are inspiring.

Emily Deyo is such a treasure. She is an incredible encourager and servant-hearted woman. When she has the mic in front of her, so much value comes out! She is a wordsmith and her heart consistently beats for how she can encourage and serve others. She is a truly loving and attentive mother.

Join Betsy, Emily, Jen, and Stephanie as they share the wisdom only Scripture and on-the-job training can provide to help untangle the joyful calling of motherhood.