I'm joining Melanie today in her carnival to get us all on track to make the best use of the next 42 days.

Yes, we only have 42 days to shop for that "perfect" gift for all the special someones in our lives!

I thought I'd put a little different twist on mine today.

I have fibromyalgia, and though I think I've maybe mentioned it twice in the two plus years that I've been blogging . . . I thought it might be interesting to see what kind of special gifts you can find for those who suffer from constant pain that won't kill them : )

Just try mentioning the word fibromyalgia in a group of women you spend time with on a regular basis. I guarantee you'll find at least one who either has it or knows someone close to them who does.

So many people consider this a "condition" that is all in your head or a "catch-all" for all the symptoms no one can explain.

I am here to tell you it is real. It is painful. It is robbing tons of women . . . and some men of a fully mobile and fully functional life.

Take a look at some of the links below and see if someone in your life who deals with daily pain can find encouragement and support in one of these gifts. Just the fact that you acknowledge what they have is real and want to help is huge. Go take a look!

• A Fun Tote Bag here.
• Fibromyalgia Aware -- a great magazine chock full of information and encouragement.
• Awareness Items -- to get the word out about fibromyalgia.
• Jewelry -- a pretty bracelet that brings HOPE
• An Abundance of Apparel with a message here.
• Great Holiday Tips . . . whether you have fibromyalgia or not.
• Items to ease the pain

The list of sites and places to find things to help is endless, but I thought these few links might help those of you to be aware of an area you might never have thought of before and bring a smile or a chuckle to the faces of those of you who share my daily pain.

Happy Shopping!! Now, go as quickly as you can over to Melanie's place at Don't Try This at Home to find tons of other gift ideas to stun and delight the ones you love (or those you just have to buy for at the holidays).

Sign up with her Mr. Linky and join in with a list of your own!

Labels: carnival, chilihead, Christmas, encouragement

I'm going to join in with my two cents of what has and hasn't worked over my past 10 or so years of trying to get my children to help around the house.

• We've done it all.
• We've done allowances.
• We've bribed.
• We've cajoled.
• We've tried incentives.
• We've threatened.
• We've even yelled a time or two or three or more.

I am on the crest of something that is currently working for me, so I feel incredibly confident right now . . . just don't hold me to this for posterity because I know not when it will blow up in my face.

I actually came up with this system in the dark at our head-bangin' extremely contemporary evening church service one night a few months ago. We go to XL every week, and I sometimes find myself making lists during the music.

My chore chart came at one such time.

We have three children. For years I've unsuccessfully engaged them in the process of doing chores. I've devised numerous charts, used some, ditched others, and finally unearthed one similar to this one that I paid the same price for at least five years ago.

I decided to have a rotation of responsibilities that cover six days of our week.

Three children=two rotations of the chores each week, leaving Sunday as an "everybody pitches in" kind of day.

They each have three main chores each day, including those from this list:

• Empty dishwasher
• Clean bathroom
• Wash laundry (all laundry in laundry room by Monday a.m.)
  
• Fold laundry
• Put away laundry (Stacked on beds unless your own, then put away in dresser)
  
• Set table
• Clear table
• Sweep (kitchen, dining room, and living room)
• Dust

We tried doing allowance, but the whole idea of giving allowance for living and breathing in our house truly rattled me to my core. So, for basic tasks like making beds, keeping bed rooms tidy, and other livelihood items that allow them to comfortably function in my home -- they earn no money.

On the chore chart above, they get "Commission" for the chores they actually accomplish each day. We tally it through out the week and pay for jobs well done each Saturday. We offer a quarter per chore per day, with each child able to earn a maximum of $4.50 for basic chores per week.

If the chores are forgotten or not done to my satisfaction, a commission is not earned AND the chore gets left open for another sibling to come in and take over the commission for doing the task cheerfully and efficiently.

Fines are also a part of this system. If the child is disrespectful regarding doing an assigned chore or puts off an assigned task, a quarter is fined for each infraction.

We've been tweaking this system for awhile, but what has really sent my spirit soaring is the addition of this to our system. I cannot speak highly enough about Dave Ramsey or the products he's created and marketed. We got in on a great deal for our kids and scored two of these boxed kits for the price of one. They have now taken over our refrigerator, and our children are excited about seeing their money grow!

So, that's my take on the whole idea of chores. I can't wait to see what others have to say on this volatile and crazy subject for parents.

Don't forget to sign up over at Melanie's to join in on the carnival today!

Labels: carnival, chilihead, chores, discipline, parenting