Leave No Trace

This week I am really being hard on my girls to get them into the right school routine. I figure hopefully after a rigid, regimented week, they'll be more in the habit. In the past I have printed up daily charts for each of them that they needed to do. It worked, but I wanted something a little different. So I am trying a weekly chart that is divided into three parts per day: morning, afternoon & night. So in the morning, they have certain things they have to do in order to get a sticker or star on their chart. Same for the afternoon and night time. They have the chance to earn three "stickers" per day. After so many stickers, they earn something small. This week if they earn 10 stickers (we started late), they get a candy bar of their choice. In the future I might up the anti and if they get it all filled in, they can buy hot lunch or get a Lunchable or something in their lunch.

Another big thing we are stressing is something Brian instituted one time. He told the girls about the "Leave No Trace" policy when he goes camping. He applied it to our home. When we go into the bathroom, we shouldn't know that Eliza, for example, just got a shower because the towel is on the floor or her dirty clothes are strewn about. Or we shouldn't be able to tell that Ellie did her hair in my bathroom because the drawers are left open with hair stuff hanging out of it. I think they are catching on, but it is taking a lot of reminding. But our house is cleaner and I have less to pick up after they are gone, especially in the morning after they leave for school.