Book Order Bonus

I don't know about the rest of you, but I cringe every time my children bring home book orders. Don't get me wrong, I'm a book lover to the Nth degree, I just hate thinking about how much money to let them have, what "junk" books they are going to wish for, and whether I want to store those books they are ordering instead of just renting them from the library. Usually I shove the papers aside and say, "Let's ask Daddy", which almost never happens and then the day they are due the children sob and whine and put on big pouts and I: a) give in and order them something, or b) say no and feel guilt. Both options are not the best, so I decided to try something new.

The idea hatched when I was having a particularly frustrating day. You see, I'd been struggling with the Chickies and their messy rooms for some time now. It seemed there was no way to consistently get them to tidy up before school. So, I made them a deal. If the Chickies keep their rooms clean between book orders (with a few "forgiveness" days for when we are rushed or someone is sick), when book orders come home they get to choose something.

My friends, a miracle happened after that commitment! The Chickies have kept their rooms tidy for a full month now, the rooms only take moments to clean because they are cleaned everyday, and when they brought home their book orders I was more than happy to comply! It was a HUGE win-win for all of us...and I'm not as worried about those "extra" books lying around, because I know they won't be "lying around", they'll be tucked into someone's book shelf! Yay! Hope it works for you too!