Y’all, the snacking game around the Fieleke house has always been quite impressive. And now that summer is here, we’ve reached a whole new level of snacking strong. My kids would prefer to have exactly 64 snacks a day. Not kidding. These memes are totally on point…

About 2 days into summer break I was about to lose my ever loving mind.

In all seriousness, I’ve realized lately that I no longer have tiny babies who need served day and night. We are making a strong effort to start to give our kids age appropriate responsibilities. Not only does this allow me to not jump up immediately every time they ask for a drink, “No, I will not get you milk but you are welcome to pour yourself a glass of milk as long as you make sure to put it away and clean up any messes.” Obviously, we still get Micah milk, or better yet, the girls help too! But I am also loving the way they are learning that being a part of a family means helping with chores, serving each other, and putting others before ourselves.

The solution: we are rocking two charts this summer. The girls have a daily chore chart for the first time ever. If they get 100% of their chores done that week, they will get the pre-agreed-upon reward on Sunday. So far rewards have included Mommy and Daddy dates with kiddos and sitting on stools instead of chairs at dinner time (I have no idea why this is so appealing to them!)

Don’t mind the wiggly stool in this video, we have since found a better option : )

But the chart that has forever changed my life for the better is this – our snack chart!

Here’s the deal. Each kid is allowed three snacks a day. The pictures are some ideas of good snacks but they have the freedom to choose a giant marshmallow or a handful of chocolate chips if they want. I don’t like those choices, but personal responsibility is the name of the game. After they have had their three snacks, they are allowed fruits and vegetables without limit. Other than that, the only option is eating whats on the table at  meal time.

   Day 1 they had gobbled down their three snacks by about noon. What followed was 8 hours of utter starvation and choking down carrot sticks begrudgingly. Now the big girls, at least, have learned to spread out their snacks and fill the gaps with yummy fruits and veggies. (Lets be real, Micah gets all the snacks because he’s cute and snuggly and two. Also he adores fruits and veggies so its not really an issue with him.) And I have had to listen to exactly zero whining from the girls about snacks for almost 2 weeks.

Y’all, I’m grateful you take the time to read our blog. And I want you to have the summer of every mom’s dreams. So here is the free download for your very own snack charts:

Snack Chart

Enjoy, friends! And happy snacking!