Household Organization

For the past three days, I have been sorting and organizing every single thing I could get my hands on. I have more storage bins of every shape and size than the damned Container Store and a label maker to make it just a bit more anal-retentive looking. It's a sickness, really. Not quite OCD, but very, very strange. So - after shifting things around, switching up storage bins and moving furniture around, I just *had* to run out and buy more shelving so all of the storage bins could be arranged properly. As this startling feeling of satifaction took over my senses, it finally occurred to me that I was staring lovingly at a wall of metal shelves holding assorted plastic boxes with perfectly centered labels. THREE DAYS. THREE FREAKING DAYS. ***ONE*** ROOM.

We've also streamlined our "good behavior system" here, too. We've done the responsibility charts and lots of other token economy systems, but we always get lazy in filling them out, keeping track, etc. This time, each boy has a glass jar that they've decorated with stickers. They start each day with 20 coins/counters/chips. For each infraction, they give us one of their coins. At bedtime, we tally up what's left and the boys color in their score on a poster-sized bar chart. If they don't lose any coins during the day, they get a special treat (as this is a RARE event). The have to achieve certain levels to have certain privileges (TV, GameBoy, Playground, etc). If they lose all of their coins before bedtime, they go to bed 1/2 hour early. It's actually working really well for both boys.

Other than that, there's not much going on around here. We're in that summer holding pattern, I guess. No bloodshed, though. :)