Our Family is so "Pinterest"ing!

I've been putting Pinterest to good use lately. It's easy to pin ideas like mad and then do nothing with them. But I feel good about the fact that I am actually implementing some of the ideas I have come across. This blog is about our family, NOT Pinterest worthy ideas, but because all of these are for the betterment of our family, I'm going to go ahead and document them. I shared my Snack Cupboard with you earlier, but here are a few more things we've been doing lately.

Prayer Jar. The kids L.O.V.E. this! During our morning and evening family prayer, Charlie and Liv each pick a craft stick out of the jar. Each stick has the name of someone we can pray for. It may be a family member or a friend, or it might be the President, our Bishop, or the kids' Primary teachers. We even pray for our city. Not only do they look forward to seeing who we are going to pray for, but it has given us a lot of teaching opportunities as we talk about who our President is, or the name of our city, etc. The original idea looked like this...

Source: lubirdbaby.com via Abby on Pinterest

Ours is much simpler. I used a Ball jar, wrapped it in cute scrapbook paper, and wrote on it with a marker. That's how I roll...the simpler the better. :)

Chore Chart. These are free printable chore charts that I printed for Charlie and Liv. Time to make 'em work!

Source: pinchalittlesavealot.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

7 Quirky Family Rules. I read these a few nights ago and was surprised at how many of these we actually do! But this really helped to clarify them. I want to print them and post them in our home, both for my reference and for the kids'. Because they can read and all...:/ So far, I'm loving them! They are:

        1. You can't be in the room when I'm working unless you work too.
        2. I don't work past 8 p.m.
        3. You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit.
        4. Take that show on the road. (used after the trillionth "Mom, watch this!")
        5. We don't argue about money. (used when children request to buy something.)
        6. I can't understand you when you speak like that. (applies to whining and lack of "please" and "thank you.")
        7. There's no such thing as boredom. (it is the children's job to find something to entertain themselves.)

Intrigued by some of these rules? Go here for my source and a great explanation of each rule. I'm especially excited about #2!

These next two weren't found on Pinterest, but are actually my own ideas! This is truly amazing, because my brain just isn't functioning at it's full capability these days. :)

Happy Jar. We've been doing this one for a long time now. In fact, it's been around so long that it's starting to collect dust. But I think it's time to resurrect it. This is another idea using a Ball jar and craft sticks. When we see Charlie and Liv doing something good, they get to pick a stick out of the Happy Jar. The jar is full of special rewards ranging from an extra piece of candy after dinner, to a special trip to the park or a new toy. The Happy Jar used to be accompanied by the Sad Jar (or consequence jar) because I came up with this idea when the twins went through a running stage. But now that they are past that (for the most part), I think the Happy Jar can function on it's own to help encourage extra great behavior.

Charlie's Bike Pedals. The twins both have bikes without pedals. The idea is that they will learn how to balance so that when it's time for a bike without training wheels, they will already feel comfortable with balancing on it. But recently, Charlie decided he wanted to get pedals for his bike. He still doesn't quite understand that we have to buy a whole new bike. :) So Eli and I decided to have Charlie (and Liv) work for it. For every cooperative or kind act, they can earn dollar bills until he has earned enough to pay for the bike. So far, they are super excited about it, and it also helps Eli and I focus on the positive things that they do. It's a win-win!

And those are a few "pinterest"ing things our family is doing right now. :)