Feeding My Pinterest Addiction

So when I heard about Pinterest I made a conscious decision not to waste my time with such things.  Then one day, something brought me to Pinterest's website and there was no turning back.  The following picture (that I found on Pinterest) describes my journey.

Now that I check Pinterest on a daily basis I have found many projects to add to my to-do list.  I have also been reading more and more blog posts, and I just keep thinking "Hey!  I have an idea like that that I could share!"  Because, as a teacher, that's what I do- give and take ideas.  Which brings me to where I am now.  Today I am creating a blog and I am also sharing a recent project.  Go me.

One of my early Pinterest inspired projects was to create a family chore board.  My dilemma was that the distribution of chores just didn't feel fair.  Sometimes my husband did most of the cleaning.  Sometimes I did most of the cleaning.  Sometimes we worked together.  Sometimes no one worked.  I was looking for a house that stayed clean and organized more often than not, with minimal prompting.  I needed to create an incentive to get people interested in cleaning (not an easy task!).  My 9 year old son already has assigned chores, but I figured this would be a great opportunity for him to earn some extra cash.  So now that the whole family was on board it was time to brainstorm.  And there's no better place for brainstorming crafty ideas than Pinterest!

I came across two pins that got me thinking about what I wanted to do.  The important things to remember about the first pin are: magnetized, and $$$ amount per chore.  The important things to remember about the second pin are: color-coded, chores broken down by room, and big chores broken up into segments (i.e. cleaning the bathroom becomes (1) wiping down the toilet (2) wiping down the sink and counter (3) scrubbing the floor...and so on.)

Here is my inspiration:

                                          http://www.etsy.com

                                                       http://www.embellishgoods.blogspot.com

Here is what I came up with:

How it works: 

The chores are color-coded by room.  Big chores are broken down into segments.  If you do a chore, you put the magnet under your name. At the end of the week Mom (that's me!) pays everybody.  Then we clear the board and begin again.

Why it works:

Both my son and my husband share a giant love of Star Wars and all things Star Wars- especially toys.  Extra money from me means extra toys for them.  Putting myself in charge of payday insures that chores are done, or redone, to my specifications.  Also, since I was the lucky winner in charge of making this chore board I got to determine how much each chore is worth.  I coincidentally made my least favorite chores worth the most amount of money.  This means that my husband is more likely to do the chores that I don't like doing! Winning.

The chore board was easy to make.  I bought a dry erase board, decorative contact paper, and a sheet of adhesive magnet.  I typed up the chores and prices.  Printed them on colored card stock.  Laminated them for durability.  I laid them out on the adhesive magnet sheet and cut each to size.  I used my Cricut to make our name labels.  I covered the dry erase board with the decorative contact paper and used black electrical tape to create the sections.  Chore board complete!  It's been up and running for three weeks now and I feel pretty good about it.

Next up....menu board.  To which my son replies, "Why do you have to make a board for everything?"  The answer?  Because Pinterest told me to.