Preparing her for life.

This is my eldest. She is sporting some new pajamas I bought her in January that are almost identical to her Aunt Kyle's pajamas. She hearts her Aunt Kyle.

Elisabeth is a fabulous little lady. Big heart. Fun and energetic. Good friend and super smart. Funny and creative.

Here's the thing though: the girl is a slob. And super forgetful. And, dare I say, ditzy.

Now, before you start getting all huffy and puffy that I'm saying these things about my own beautiful daughter, let me say one thing...

It's all true. Ask Evan.

Oh, and she may get some of that from me.

If you were to walk into my house right now, there would be toys strewn about the floor. There are dishes piled in the sink waiting for the dishwasher to finish washing it's current load so they can have their turn being washed. There are papers piled in various corners because I just love a good pile of things. So, I know that I am not a neat freak. I know that I let things slide because I hate constantly picking up and it makes me hate my house and my current position as the maker of the home if I am expected to keep my home spotless with two children, two cats, a spider and a kitchen that I am always cooking in for goodness sake! But, it's not unsafe. You can walk around. And it's easily picked up in 10 minutes.

But, Elisabeth? Dude, her room is a DISASTER AREA! Yesterday, while trying to put her laundry away, I almost crashed headlong into her dresser because I had tripped on the giant mound of blankets she's pushed off her bed when she woke up and never bothered to pick up. Then, when I went to put clothes in her closet, her hangers were all over the floor from when she puts clothes on and doesn't hang up the empty hanger. Not to mention that I can not even think about letting Julia wander around in there because god knows what kinds of little toys and pieces of things are all over the carpet.

So, I counted to 1,000, said a prayer for my sanity, and came up with a game plan. I informed Elisabeth that I was going to come up with a set list of chores that she will be responsible for on a daily basis. They weren't going to be things new or hard, but things that we are CONSTANTLY asking her to do day in and day out that she in incapable of remembering to do on her own.

And I didn't even yell. Not even when she started whining and complaining. But, that might be because I walked back into her room and recounted to 1,000 to not yell.

Anyway, here's her list:

It is posted on our refrigerator. She is expected to look at it daily and make sure that she's done everything on it. Thankfully she can read now, so she can do it on her own. Evan and I will remind her as needed, but hopefully it'll become a routine for her to check her checklist. (oh, and we bathe every other night since the girls have terribly dry skin like me and bathing every night leads to eczema break outs...we don't let them go night upon night without bathing...just so you know...)

I did this instead of a chore chart because 1.We don't have a working printer for me to make endless copies every week. and 2.I think she's too big for a sticker reward system. The things I have posted are her responsibilities as a member of our family. And, quite frankly, I'm not asking much. But, for Elisabeth, these are things that are hard for her to remember. I feel like that with Elisabeth's personality, she's going to be someone who needs to make lists and reminders for herself when she's older. She just doesn't seem to have built in organizational skills or a fabulous memory for the everyday routine. So, by starting this list, I'm hoping to start a great habit for her that she'll need as she ages. I mean, I can't follow her around in junior high and high school and college and career making sure she has all her books, has completed her projects, has remembered to make those important phone calls. She's going to have to have some coping skills at her disposal to keep herself organized.

This morning was the first day of our expecting her to check the list. She announced from her bedroom that she'd already made her bed. She came down, looked at the list, and then hustled back upstairs to turn off her light and radio. She was beaming as she ate her breakfast when I complimented her on already being done with most of her morning list.

She's a good girl.