Ellie's new job

Last year Ellie went to camp with her friend O at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch and loved it. After she got home last year we told her that she wouldn't be able to go every year since it is rather expensive. Well this year O is going to camp again so Ellie, of course, wants to go too. Instead of going to the overnight camp, she is going to the day camp that focuses on horses. O loves horses. Ellie wants to go too but knows that I'm not forking over the dough for her to go. She's got to make the money herself. She has thought of selling friendship bracelets to the neighbors, shoveling their driveways (I vetoed that one since she hasn't yet proven herself on our driveway), and doing extra chores around the house.

She'd pretty much given up hope that she would be able to raise enough money to go until Dan came up with a great idea!! Dan asked me what things around the house I'd most like help with, and I told him washing the dishes and doing laundry. So we proposed to Ellie that we would pay her to wash all of the non-dishwasher dishes and do all the laundry (including folding and putting away) until mid-July when the camp is. She will get paid $10 per week if she does these chores with a good attitude, does them to my specifications and doesn't let her schoolwork suffer.

When we told her what our plan was, we told her that she needed to think about it overnight as it was a big commitment and we didn't want her to take it lightly. And she would still need to come up with some of the money on her own.

At first when Dan brought up the idea that we pay her for doing chores, I wasn't too keen on it. I didn't really like giving up $40 a month to give to her, but I quickly saw the value of not having to do the dishes or the laundry--my two least favorite chores.

The next morning Ellie said that she wanted to accept the challenge and promptly went and folded three loads of laundry that still needed to be folded from the previous week. (Have I mentioned how much I hate laundry?)

This is only the first week and time will tell if she follows through all the way to the end. But so far it is working out well. Her schoolwork hasn't suffered and she's been doing it with a good attitude. She's actually been quite cute. She will frequently ask me to come look at whatever she has washed or folded to make sure that she is doing it right. "I just don't want it to come out of my pay, Mom (if she doesn't do it right)," she often says.

The big adjustment will be when I have to go back to doing those chores. I just may have to try to hire her again!!