Confuddled

After 6113.75 days of trying out innumerable lists, schedules, routines, agendas, bulletin boards, graphs, charts, arrangements, notes, calendars, tabulations, bribes, plans, programs, schemes, methods, diagrams, illustrations, outlines, etc., etc…

I have apparently stumbled upon the magical formula for getting the kids to do their own dishes! 

Back before school started this year, I posted a little clipboard by the sink, complete with a pencil attached, that said this:

NEW DISHWASHING RULES:

If you don’t want to wash your dishes, you have to put a check mark by your name (below) for EACH item that you leave unwashed.

For each check mark, you will be required to relinquish 10 cents.

Penalties:

There will be a 20 cent charge for each item if you get caught NOT making check marks when you are supposed to.

There will be a 20 cent charge per item left on the table or items left elsewhere for more than a day.

Reward:

Whoever washes the dishes gets the money.

(List of names)

I have no idea why this has worked.  That’s why I called it a “magic” formula.  For approximately 7 weeks there have been virtually no dishes sitting by the sink!  (There has been lenience during days of illness).

So, now you see why I am confuddled.  Something has changed dramastically.  (I just had to use these two words that my kids invented.  And yes, I’m going to choose to believe that they were the first to ever utter these fabulous concoctions!)

Now, I probably better prepare myself for the obvious repercussions of this post…it’ll be a jinx, don’t ya thinks?