Family Systems

Family systems that are working really well for us:

Zones

I've been using the same weekly cleaning system for our family for a year, and it's still going strong. Every Sunday each of us gets a new section of the house (we call them zones) to take care of. Each night we each pick up messes in our own zones, and each Saturday morning we do more in depth cleaning (vacuuming, dusting, etc.).

This is so great because I (Mom) am no longer really in charge of the house. If there's something left out, I don't feel responsible for cleaning it, because it's in someone else's zone. Plus I'm motivated to do some deep cleaning/organization in one area of the house each week, because I won't be worrying about it again for six weeks.

It's fantastic! Here's a link to my version of an excel chart for it: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e-W96gUCYBVG3eP2k1qPxh8j6gqGrpmuZUR7_a0-E5I/edit?usp=sharing.

Popsicles

Our bedtime routine starts at about 7:00. I set our stove timer for about an hour and we all work on our "lists." Lists include things like zone cleaning, piano practice, changing clothes, etc. At 8:00 we all eat a popsicle - outside if it's warm enough. Popsicles provide motivation to get our lists done and provide great family time because they take a while to eat. They're a fun way to end our day together.

After popsicles, we head upstairs to brush teeth and then it's someone's turn to pick a story for me to read. After that, that same person gets a turn to hang out alone with me for about 20 minutes, where we get a chance to talk about each other's day and get some extra connection time.

Council

Every Sunday night we have family council time. We all contribute to this ahead of time through a written list of things we want to resolve. It's a good time for all of us to be able to feel heard and to wait to complain about something until we're all gathered and able to discuss how to resolve it.

Ok, those are my favorite family systems over here right now!