Dear Friends,

Do you reward yourself and your family for a job well done? Part of the FlyLady system is to use rewards, and on Saturday, we have Family Fun Day. This is a great way to reward everyone with a fun activity on a regular basis.

If you have been remiss in rewarding your family, you can change that today. Plan something fun to do tomorrow as a family. Positive reinforcement works. Some of you are already thinking that I don’t know how your week has gone. Your kids did not do well with routines. They whined about their schoolwork. They did not get along with their siblings. You don’t think they deserve to be rewarded.

Look deep. Think of one good thing each person has done this week. Then, I want you to tell them what they did well this week. I do not want you to dwell on the negatives right now. The goal is for them to feel like they accomplished something good.

Many times, I talk to ladies who tell me they had a hard week. They did not complete their list. They are down on themselves. I redirect the questions I ask to help them discover the good things that they accomplished. By the time they get to the end of their list, they feel better. They have a positive outlook. They are ready to meet the next week with a new sense of purpose.

Children need routines, and they need your praise. Try to “catch” them doing something good. Then, tell them how proud you are of them, and thank them for a job well done.

If you think back to a time that you used negative reinforcements, it was harder to motivate your children to do what you need them to do. They feel inferior. They don’t want to try because they feel defeated.

You may need to offer constructive criticism to your children about their schoolwork or how they are doing with their routines, use a positive reinforcement followed by a constructive criticism. End it with another positive reinforcement. They need to know that you see the good things.

You can change how you motivate your family to do a good job on their routines and in working together as a family with positive reinforcements. Make Family Fun Day a weekly event for your family.

Today’s Zone Mission is to sweep and mop the kitchen.

Your Home Blessing for today is to empty the trash, sweep, and mop.

My menu plan for Friday is takeout.

Have a wonderful weekend