Inspiration to Keep Those Chore Lists for the Kids

Dear Sisters,
"In all labor there is profit, but idle chatter leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23
We have been talking about the early morning and the "profit" for the woman who grabs a hold of it. First there is the blessed time of sitting at His Feet in the early morning hour. Hearing His Beautiful Words and talking to Him in prayer before all the other words that come at us all day. Then "working out" while our children sleep with honest, hard housework. Seeing a couple of new hurdles jumped each morning which gives us a sense of accomplishment before the day truly begins. But now the children are starting to get up. What next?
I remember when all my hard work would come to naught because I simply had not properly trained my children. My husband would come home from work and there I would sit and whine to him how the children had done this or that upsetting my work and my day. Now any sympathetic friend would have nodded in agreement. Did my husband? No. He would tell me, "Harness the energy, Laine! Your trouble is you don't know how to harness all that energy." Meaning our children.
Now I was with them all day. He was at work. So the "energy harnessing" fell on my shoulders. I asked the LORD what to do. I remember the first morning that they all got up and I had a chore list for each one of them on the desk. The shock on their faces said it all. That was over three years ago. It wasn't easy at first. But now my children get up and know that they will each do four chores after their bed is made and they are dressed for the day. I have learned, the hard way, to harness the energy!
Here is how I do it. I have been working very hard in the early morning while they are sleeping to get my foundational housework completed: my bed made, dinner started, bread started, dishes washed, floors swept, clothes washed, and the living room nice and tidy. There are lots of things that I pass as I work that I see need to be done. Those are the things that go on their list. So every weekday morning when they get up their chore list might have something totally different on it than the previous day.
Some of those things that I might pass are: clean the microwave, vacuum the van, take out the trash, vacuum the living room, clean the top of the refrigerator, clean a drawer of the refrigerator, clean the inside door of the refrigerator, feed the goats, feed the chickens, sweep the coop out, rake out the goat pen,scrub the tub, water the garden, make waffles, make pancakes, make muffins, peel potatoes, bake a cake, organize a drawer, sweep the garage, iron three items of clothing, oh, and many, many more. But I think you get the idea.
According to the age of my child, I give them a job. If it is a new job, I walk them through it. Yes, they sometimes complain. But my mind is thinking, "Discipline is never easy, but those who are trained by it prosper in the future." I know that later on they will know how to manage a home, cook a meal, tend a garden, and raise animals. All of which I never knew how to do when I got married. I am so happy to help them avoid the difficulty I had when I got married with practically no skills whatsoever.
If they do not get up when I call them (I have two sleepyheads), I put another chore on their list after a warning. This usually works, and they're up and moving.
My little Gabe, who is five, needs more nudging in his chores than my fifteen year old, Quincy. But he is getting better and better the more he practices. He has been seriously practicing since he was three by taking out the trash, emptying the compost bucket, sweeping the patio, and things like that. My son, Brady, is twelve and is very good with the animals. He likes to have those kinds of chores on his list. Abbie, who is eight, wants to learn to cook more this year. I have taught her to cook many things such as apple crumb pie, a couple of dinners, and freshly squeezed juices, but this year I told her I will put more cooking on her chore list.
So now we are all working together. Usually to very loud music! My son, Quincy, changes my soft praise music to his favorite loud Christian music. I don't mind as we live in the country and my children work faster to their own music. They are working out like their mom! This really encourages me. I know by the time they are finished that I will see sixteen chores completed in addition to my early morning workout. I keep working as well completing my meal preparation and any hurdles that I have left to jump.
"Harness the energy!" my husband told me years ago. He was right. He was right!
Love,
Laine