Keeping a household running smoothly is not an easy task. There are many dates to remember, meals to plan, chores to complete and information to remember. How do we do it all? Everyone develops their own system but it is not always easy, or pretty either. We have just discovered a really FUN new way for you to keep it all together and get your family in on the planning too. It’s the FUNctional Family system by Erin Condren!
ACRYLIC DRY ERASE CLIPBOARD BASE
It all starts with the Acrylic clipboard base. It serves as the main home base for all the organization and planning sections. The clipboard has sections for your family contact information for the kids or babysitters, emergency numbers, and a blank spot for quick notes like when you will be home or a place to write yourself a reminder. On the bottom there are spaces to plan dinners for the week so that the whole family can see what is on the menu! This takes the “What’s for dinner, Mom?” question right off the table.
Want to see an explanation of the system in action? Check out this video of Erin Condren herself, explaining how to use it!
The Functional Family System
CHORE CHART / WEEKLY SCHEDULE PAD
The workhorse of the FUNctional Family system is the Chore Chart or the Schedule Pad! Choose whichever fits best for your family. If you have younger babies, you may prefer the schedule pad to write in play dates, doctors appointments and the like. If you have older children you might get even more use out of the Chore Chart, to organize their responsibilities and help teach them accountability! They can easily reference the chart and work toward weekly rewards.
MAGNETIC LINED LIST PAD
The Lined List pad is perfect for the family to jot down items needed from the store. You may have your own list, but having this out and available for the family to use together makes it much easier for you to know if one of the kids needs poster board for a project next week! It is also a great place to write down your list of things to do around the house – your own personal chore chart.
REWARD CARDS
A fun additional item you can add into the system are the Reward Cards. If you like using chores to help your kids work up to rewards at the end of the week, this is a really fun system to use! Write the name of the reward on their personalized name card and as they complete their chores for the day their card gets a check mark. At the end of the week they can turn in their card for the designated reward! Money, a sleepover, a pizza night with Mom? Be creative! As Erin Condren likes to say with her family, “Let’s get it done so we can have some fun!”.
The FUNctional Family systems are customizable in true Erin Condren fashion. Choose from adorable patterns and colors, add your family name, and even a photo to make it even more special and fun to use. Creating a personalized system will make your family more engaged with the process and more likely to participate! How would the FUNctional Family help organize your family?
Photo Credits: Erin Condren
