In the words of Willy Wonka

 

“So much time, and so little to see…”

“Strike that. Reverse it.”

-Willy Wonka

Some days I feel like I’m chasing time. Some days, there is a list a mile long that I need to accomplish before I can cook dinner and it seems that every child in my household will do their darnedest to make it difficult for me. (unknowingly of course) Some days, I’m overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a yoga teacher and everything in between.

A day just like today.

Gelli won’t want to take a nap because she’s afraid she might miss out on the fun. Mig and Diego can’t agree on anything. And Gia-well, Gia just might need some time for us to be together. (Because teenagers want you around when THEY want you around, and since I know that it won’t last for too much longer-I will always accomodate her.)

So, instead of getting bogged down with my laundry list of things to do-I will settle for checking things off one at a time. (Much like I would have each of the kids check off the items they would need to pack for an upcoming Baguio trip). Having the kids accept responsibility for their own belongings makes my life easier and helps them understand the preparation needed for us to go away for the weekend. There are lots of checklist templates you can download from a ton of different sites to help make our jobs easier as moms. I downloaded this checklist from Microsoft Word, years ago, and adjusted it to fit our needs.

We can do many things with our children to help make our lives easier and encourage independence. I choose to get our kids involved with the daily chores in running the house. (Confession: Part of the reason why I’m planning to get so much done in the next few days is because we are trying to go away for the weekend, hence, why I pulled out the packing checklist because the kids need to pack!)

Did someone say CHORES?

Here in Manila, many of us have the luxury of house help. While I could probably spend quite a few posts on the pros and cons of having helpers in the house, that’s not my purpose in writing today. As a parent who was raised in NY, one of my challenges is taking the positive aspects of both of our cultures and fostering them in our children, here in Manila. This means, my boys help with setting the table, taking out the trash, and dusting. My girls (when Gelli’s big enough) will help me in the kitchen, and help with folding the laundry. This is in addition to minding their own toys, looking after their own school bags, putting away their shoes, and cleaning up their own rooms. YES, these are chores. NO, they do not earn anything from doing them. It’s part of their responsibilities as a member of our household.

Just like it’s part of my responsibility to let go of my lists for the day if my kids pull me in another direction…adjust and go with the flow, knowing that tomorrow will leave me with more time to check off those items on my own list…

I’ve included a sample list that my kids use to pack when we are going away for a short weekend trip out of town. Feel free to adjust and print to your liking!