How about riding down a huge water slide in this?

Does the idea of popping one of these into their mouth make their nose wrinkle in disgust?

If so, I can relate.  My kids were scared of all of those things and more.  So last summer we began a new tradition – our annual Fear Factor Challenge.  It was inspired by a clever ‘try new foods’ program at my kids’ school.  Each month they provided a new food for the kids to sample at lunch.  Anyone brave enough to try it signed their names on a poster and got to shout out ‘Fear is Not a Factor for Me!’ in the lunchroom.

My kids were pretty picky eaters so I decided to try it at home as well.  It worked beautifully.  Any new food they tried (without complaining) earned them a point.  Once they earned 10 points, they got to choose the next Sunday’s dinner and dessert.  Totally simple and effective – I loved it.

After a month or so, I started realizing that the fear factor concept could help out in other areas too.  Anytime my kids were nervous to try something new I would give it a fear factor point value and offer it to them like a money job.  For example, jumping off the dock at the lake was worth 3 points for my son.  Riding the big roller coaster at our local amusement park was worth 5 for my oldest daughter.  Instead of earning custom meals, they’d save up their fear factor points to earn prizes – like a trip to the gas station for a treat or a Redbox movie.

Honestly, I was amazed at how differently my kids approached new things.  They looked at everything like a challenge to be conquered rather than an insurmountable obstacle.  They jumped in lakes, rode scary rides, ate terrible-looking veggies, you name it and they tried it.  They were still nervous, of course, and they didn’t conquer everything (my son swears that no amount of points will get him down the big water slide) but they liked it because they were in control.  I didn’t have to persuade or plead – I just offered the points and let them work out whether or not it was worth it.

Most of the time, it was.  Consequently, I’ve got quite a few video clips of last summer’s adventures where my kids are triumphantly shouting “Fear is not a factor for ME!”

We generally kept track of the points in our heads or on the big board but I thought it might be fun to make an actual chart this year.  It’s nothing fancy, but if you’ve got kiddo that’s a little hesitant to sleep with the door closed, try out the high dive, or ride a bike down the big hill, this chart may be just the thing you need.  You can find the free printable below.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Download: Fear Factor Scorecard

Laundry Tackling Tip 1: Set a Schedule and Stick to It

Lots of Moms subscribe to the ‘do a load of laundry every day’ method but not me.  If fact, my project-minded personality finds this idea kind of depressing.  I like to be able to look at the empty baskets on laundry day and relish in the thought that I don’t have touch them for another week.  That being said, I also have seven people’s clothes, sheets, and towels to launder so doing it all on one day is out (my 12 year-old Kenmore dryer just can’t take that kind of stress).

At our house I tackle different laundry on different days and keep track of it on my iPhone calendar and Mom Game Plan chart.  On Monday I wash and fold parent laundry, Tuesday and Saturday I do kid laundry, and every other Wednesday I do linens.  Each of these groups of laundry has it’s own basket around the house so I don’t have to pre-sort anything – I just grab the basket and head to the laundry room. By keeping things separate during the washing phase I’m able to streamline the sorting/folding phase later which saves me tons of time over the course of the week.

Want to read another great solution for simpler sorting?  Check out this great post from OrgJunkie.  I thought it was brilliant!  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Here are the links to the rest of the series…

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 2: Get the Right Equipment

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 3: Incentivize to Minimize

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 4: Hang Out Outside the Closet

Tackling Laundry Mini-Tip 5: What You Give is What You Get

So for this week’s Talk to Me Tuesday post I’m asking for your FHE input.  What strategies do you use to keep your family on track?  What websites or resources do you use to plan fun and easy family home evenings?  What’s your family’s favorite way to spend a Monday night?  As always, tor those of you who comment, thanks – in advance – for passing it on.

As a side note, although I’m not the best source for advice on staying on top of Family Home Evenings, I can show you how to make a quick and easy chart to keep track of everyone’s FHE jobs.  I made this one a few months ago with a small dry erase board and the leftovers from my Family Big Board project.   The entire project cost me about $10 and only took about 15 minutes to make.  If you’re in the market for a new FHE board, you might want to give this one a shot.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I gave each of my kids a ‘stash box’ a few years ago to help them be a little more responsible with their stuff. A few weeks ago we started a new stash box ritual to help keep the toys in check.  We call it the Stash Box Challenge.

I bought a cheap digital watch from WalMart and set the alarm to ring at 5:30 each night. When the alarms sounds, we stop whatever we’re doing and the kids go get their empty stash boxes from their rooms. They line them up on the fireplace and then we start the hunt. We walk through each of the common rooms (i.e. living room, kitchen, hallways, bathrooms, mud room, etc.) and search for random objects that don’t belong. As we find things, we add them to that person’s stash box. For example, if Emily kicked her shoes off and forgot to put them in the shoe caddy they go in her box. If Jack dumped his backpack on the floor instead of hanging it on the hook, it goes in his box.

Once we’ve searched all the rooms, the kids dump their boxes and tally up their scores.  While I add their score to our simple fridge scorecard (you can find the file download below) they take their boxes to their rooms and put everything away. We tally points all week on our chart and then announce the winner (and award the prize) at Family Home Evening on Monday night.

The first week’s scores were pretty pathetic. My oldest daughter had a grand total of 58 items. My youngest won the $1 prize with 24 items. However, each week, the scores get a little lower.  As an added benefit, the kids seem to need my involvement less and less each week.  As soon as they hear the alarm, they grab their boxes and start searching for toys…hoping to catch one of their siblings off guard.  Generally, I just function as the referee and they do all the pick up.

It’s a simple system, but it has made a big difference in how my kids take care of their toys and how our house looks by the end of the day.  I figure that’s a win, win in any Mom’s book.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

I bought an inexpensive book of sticker sheets at Target and cut each page into thirds. I printed and laminated each of the kids names and then taped it all into my kitchen cupboard (easy access is key). They each set a goal for what reward they’re working for and we jot it down on a post-it and stick it up next to their stickers.

My kids have come up with all kinds of rewards. Anything from having 2 friends over at once to a trip to the video store is fair game.

They earn stickers by doing anything on their own that I happen to notice, like cleaning their room or eating a least favorite food. Generally the stickers end up on their shirt so they can show them off to their siblings, but it doesn’t really matter to me…as long as their not on my furniture.

I also use the stickers to break bad habits. For example, when my first grader refused to write her name in lower case letters, I would put a sticker on each paper she brought home with the correct lettering.
When the sticker sheet is empty, they get their reward and a new sticker sheet goes up. It’s a simple system, but it seems to work perfectly for our family. For about $5 I’ve got a 6-month supply of stickers and a chart-free fridge. It’s tough to beat that. Just thought I’d pass it on.

Each day, one of the kids is the assigned to be the Busy Bee. They are the little decision maker for the day. They choose everything from what movie to watch at quiet time to who gets scrubbed in the tub first. When the kids are fighting, the busy bee gets to be the ref and decide who should win.

I know it sounds simplistic, but it has saved me from so many hassles. Now instead of running to me to solve problems, the kids try to work it out on their own. They know that I’ll just tell them to ask the busy bee. It’s been almost 18 months since I made this chart and it’s still one of my favorites. Just thought I’d pass it on.  You can find the free file download below.