Scavenger Chore Hunt

We're one week into winter break and my kids are driving me nuts!  Saturday is always a struggle because they expect to be able to play Wii or other electronics all day, but drag their feet when it comes to doing their chores first.  So this morning they were surprised with a fun approach to their jobs.

I left this note on the counter and then placed 5 envelopes with their names on them in easy to spot places.  Their first clue was in each envelope.

It's Saturday and it's always the same,

That doing jobs is completely lame.

But today is different, your chores are a game.

So get ready, get set, and go find your name!

These are some of the clues/jobs I left for them around the house.  The clues that couldn't be put in a specific spot were put on the fridge with their name and the number clue it was.

With a toilet brush and cleaner too, scrub the inside of 3 toilets so there's no sign of 

number one or two.

With some cleaning wipes and a good scrubbing hand, clean the outside of 3 toilets until they're the cleanest in all the land.

With a sponge, a cleaning toothbrush and 409 spray, clean mom and dad's bathroom sinks so they look more white than gray.

With a sponge, a cleaning toothbrush and 409 spray, clean the kids bathroom sinks so they look more white than gray.

Splattered with water and toothpaste and germs galore, all the bathroom counters and faucets need to be scrubbed to the core.

Using a rag and window cleaner, scrub the mirrors in two bathrooms.

With a rag and Windex clean the mirrors in mom and dad's bathroom.

Fold 15 pieces of laundry and put them in the correct piles.

Find 10 things to put away, where they belong!

Write someone a nice note and put it on their pillow.

Do your dishwasher duty, then go give mom or dad 5 bear hugs!

Collect the dirty clothes from all the bedrooms and bring to laundry room

Sort the the dirty clothes in laundry room into darks, colors and whites.

Clean under your bed, tidy the floor around your bed,

Jump on your bed, then make your bed.

Do a secret act of kindness for someone and try not to get caught!

Vacuum the piano room and the upstairs hallway.

Vacuum the rugs by the front door and the carpet in front family room.

Use the new shop vac to vacuum in front and around the wood stove.

Clean off the kitchen table and wipe it clean.

Here are some tips for placing the clues so you can keep everything in order:

-For each child put the clues in the order you want them to be done; fold them in half.

-On one side right the child's name and the # clue it is, on the opposite side right down where you will be placing the clue i.e. the first clue will be in their envelope, so the 2nd clue should be placed where they will be when they finish the first task.

A Much Needed Updated, (according to my mother anyway).

Gosney Family Updates:

-On Gage's first day of preschool, Mason asked him if he wanted to wear underwear since preschooler's don't wear diapers, and he's been potty trained ever since. I didn't even know he was wearing underwear until 1/2 way through the day!

-After receiving 2 feet of snow this week, I learned that our snow blower has a reverse mode, but not until after spending an hour plowing our driveway.

-We are living more harmoniously with the "thieving" deer that infest our yard now that apple season is over.

-We lost 2 chickens to raccoon's, then Gabe remedied the situation with some traps.

-We learned that Tucker and Hayden are not squeamish when it comes to skinning and tanning a raccoon.

-We now know that we need to feed our chickens our food scraps before it gets dark, otherwise the deer jump into their run and help themselves.

-I will be getting Mason an address book for Christmas since he comes home from school with 2-3 new friend's phone numbers every week and insists on calling them all by himself to set up play dates.

-I am learning to be more patient with my "type 4" preschooler (for those who are familiar with The Child Whisperer or Dressing Your Truth".  If he wants to do something by himself, which is nearly everything, I can't interrupt or interfere or he has to start all over, which causes much lamenting on my part if we are trying to get out the door in a hurry. Once he even put his pj's back on after I had "helped" him get dressed, and he climbed back into bed to start over "the right way".

-One of the positive aspects of Gage's type 4 energy is that I can tell him something we are going to do later in the day, or even the week, and he is content knowing that it will happen at some point.  Where as Mason can't be told anything unless it's happening at that very moment, otherwise he spends all his time complaining and asking, "is it time now?"

-Hayden's current obsession is origami. He brought home a book from the school library that has easy things kids can make and he spent hours at the table showing his brothers all the fun things they can make.  Now our table and piano are covered with paper viking hats and fortune tellers.

-Last week Hayden's obsession was dressing like the 4th Doctor from "Doctor Who", who apparently wears an ascot and a 12 foot scarf.  So Hayden made himself an ascot from scrap material I had and connected 2 scarves together to achieve the look he was going for.  Luckily I had found a vest and dress coat at D.I. to help complete the ensemble. Hayden wore that outfit to school everyday last week!

-Brianna and I went on a girl date last night and saw the new Hunger Game's movie, "Catching Fire".  If you are fans of the book, you won't be disappointed!  With 5 boys in the house, we have try to get out a few times a month to have girl time and maintain our sanity : )

-Tucker still hopes to aspire to be a Hobo some day, but for now is content with staying home with us and finds much joy in getting a rise out of Mason, any way he can.  Tucker also has a "type 4" energy and likes to be his own authority on everything.  This causes issues at school because if he doesn't respect a teacher, he dismisses their authority and lives by his own rules.  Tucker usually holds the title of Drama Queen in our home, because if he needs to do something that he isn't keen on, such as unloading the silverware in the dishwasher, then everything is horrible and his life ruined.  I have shared the following story with some, but not all, so here it is... but if you need to use the bathroom, please do so before continuing.  I promised someone, who will remain unnamed, that I would give advance warning next time, after the Hobo Post had an overwhelming effect on their bladder.

A few months ago, Tucker was complaining about some chores he didn't want to do and was whining about how unfair his life was. I reiterated that in our family we all work together to help out and that we all need to do our part.  Unswayed by my comment, he continued with his complaining and was trying to make his case as to why he shouldn't have to do any jobs. Now this is a common occurrence with Tucker and he will often spend more time and energy trying NOT to do something, rather then put in the 10 minutes it would take to just do it. But he was more determined then usual to make a point, so he told me that he hated his life and was going to kill himself. (Tucker likes get a rise out of people and doesn't hold back when he wants to get a reaction).  I stayed composed and replied, "I'm sorry you feel that way. We would really miss you."  This was not the response he was hoping for and he stormed off. A few minutes later he returned, now holding out his pocket knife and even more determined to make his point, "I mean it Mom, I'm going to kill myself!"  I replied matter-of-factly, "Well I'm really sorry to hear that, but if you have to do it, please do it in the bathtub so I don't have to clean up the mess."