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

With my fourth baby, I finally found a better option in the car care aisle of Sam’s Club – a mega-pack of microfiber cleaning towels.  Initially I bought them for  house cleaning purposes (I was trying to break my addiction to paper towels).  Then one day, desperate for something to catch the spit up, I grabbed one of these towels from the closet.  Much to my surprise it worked like a charm.  It soaked up the spit up like a sponge and consequently kept the mess off my baby and my shirt.  I’ve been hooked ever since.

With this baby, I prepared early by sewing a bunch of burp cloths before the baby was born.  I’m sorry I don’t have step-by-step photos of the process.  I made all 20 burp cloths in the middle of the night and couldn’t get decent lighting for the pictures.  Luckily they’re pretty easy to make (I’m talking 3 minutes each) so you shouldn’t need much instruction.

1. Buy a big pack of towels (I paid around $10 for 20 towels).  I pre-washed my towels because they shrink a little the first time you dry them but you could probably skip this step if you’re in a hurry.
2. The towels usually come in large, thin squares.  Fold the square in half to form a long rectangle (the fabric is the same on both sides so don’t worry about right-sides together).
3. Next, stitch a straight line down the long side (opposite the fold you just created).  Now flip your towel inside-out to hide the seam.  Your towel should be like a tube at this point; lay it flat so the seam is centered on the back.
4. Stitch the top of the tube and the bottom of the tube closed.  Now stitch a straight line down the center of the towel for stability (you don’t need to measure or pin, just eyeball it).

That’s it.  Now just whip out 19 more and you’ll be armed with excellent baby protection.  I know they’re not the prettiest things you’ve ever seen but they’re super-soft, inexpensive, and totally functional.  Trust me, when it comes to protecting your clothes from spit-up (and everything else that spurts out of your little bundle of joy) they’re a mothering must-have.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Want more great baby advice?  Check out all the fabulous comments from this past MeckMom post.

“Mama Pike” draws her ideas from 32 years of marriage, four grown children, a son-in-law, daughter-in-law and five grandchildren. Her LDS faith, passion for family, youthful nature and familiarity with adversity make her insights both fun and inspiring.  A professional graphic designer, Ellen Marie adds artistic flair to the look and feel of her blog. She has been featured on the Murphy in the Morning Radio Show (1075kzl) as “Mama Pike” with her tips for overwhelmed families.

This week she offers great insight into building self-esteem through family support in her post “Is It Just Me?“.  If you’re looking for tips on boosting your child’s confidence you’ll definitely want to check this post out.  For suggestions on this or dozens of other family-building topics just hop on over to Mama Pike’s blog by clicking this link.

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Not one to give up easily, I decided to create my own game.  I took inspiration from the cards I liked and then racked my brain to come up with more questions.  In the end I had 100 clean, laughter-inducing, conversation-provoking questions that were perfect for my girls’ weekend.

On the night of the party I passed around the questions and had each friend draw three – one to answer themselves, one to ask to anyone in the group, and one to put back.  We started the game around 8 pm and we were still playing it at 3:30 am.  The ladies loved it!  We laughed about prom dress descriptions, commiserated about house-cleaning woes, and shared stories about our lives that would never have come up in regular conversation.  It was exactly what I was hoping for.

A few months later, I created several more sets to use at a Relief Society (a LDS womens’ group) dinner.  I placed a set at each table and had the women play while they ate.  The effect was fantastic.  Women of all ages and backgrounds were able to laugh and relax together.

After the dinner, several of the women asked me where they could buy their own copy of the game.  That’s when I decided to make it official and add ChatterBox (titled after the nickname of my oldest daughter – who has been a fountain of questions from the time she could speak) to the MeckMom Etsy store.

As of today, you can purchase both the boxed set (handmade by me) or a printable set (to be handmade by you) in my Etsy shop.  The sets come with my original 100 questions but if you’d like to customize your set by adding a few questions of your own, just let me know and I’ll add them in for you.

I know I’m a bit biased, but I really do love this game.  If you’ve got a mom, sister, or good friend on your Christmas list this year, I highly recommend giving this game a try.  It would make a perfect gift!  Or better yet, buy one for yourself and share the fun at your next baby shower, girls night, or women’s meeting.  I’ve even used them at visiting teaching appointments and presidency meetings.  You just can’t go wrong when you get women talking.

I’m planning to create more sets in the future –  a group date set for teens is in the works and a family reunion set will be coming soon.  I may even create a supplement pack (25 more questions) for the Women’s Edition since it’s been so popular.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

Remember, if you want to win your own boxed set of ChatterBox you still have a few days to enter the “Best of MeckMom – Chatterbox Giveaway”.  Just comment on your favorite MeckMom idea on last week’s Talk To Me Tuesday post to enter.  The deadline is Tuesday night (Nov 10th) at midnight CST.  Thanks everyone, for your support.  I hope you enjoy ChatterBox as much as I have.  Just thought I’d pass it on.