Keeping it fun with CrAzY DaY!

In our strife for healthier eating, I have replaced a lot of my daughters favorite foods with more nutritious alternatives.  No more cereal packed with sugar, good-bye to a long time friend of chocolate chip granola bars, see ya later corn dogs, chips, and crackers.  This was hard for them and hard for me to find something they would actually eat to replace those beloved foods.  I had plenty of other options, but the other options didn't satisfy their taste buds.  I soon realized as much as Chris and I cared what they ate...they could care less as long as it tasted good.  My girls are still young, age 6 & 4, and they don't care or understand about long term health, how what we eat now will effect how we feel later.  All they understand is now, and now they are not concerned with their health and well-being.  

As Chris and I have searched for true health, we became very aware of our eating habits and very motivated to change.  But where was the motivation for our daughters?  Now of course, being the great girls they are, they were willing to try new foods, but a lot of complaint and attitude came with it. They needed a reason (besides being healthy) to change.  So here comes the fun part for them.  I gave them a goal...CRAZY DAY!!  This day will be absolutely crazy, hence the name.  It is a day that the girls can eat and do pretty much anything they want (within reason).  So if they want candy for breakfast, to watch TV all day and then ice cream for dinner, then that is what they get.  However, to earn Crazy Day, they must eat anything and everything I put in front of them, without complaint, for the whole month of April!!

Some might look at this as a bribe, but I look at it as a motivator for them.  It gives the girls a goal to work towards, something to achieve and strive for by eating healthier.  For me, if they eat all the healthy food without complaining for a whole month...it is worth one day of debauchery.  Plus within this month they are learning better eating habits, their taste buds are changing, and they are trying a variety of food that they wouldn't even consider before.  

Now, we are half way through the month, and the girls are on fire when it comes to eating healthier.  They are now eating a raw breakfast (and truly enjoying it) and then the rest of their meals and snacks are at least 50% raw...this is a huge improvement.  Not to mention they are trying and eating a lot of foods that they usually turn their nose up at.  The other day at lunch, Mackenzie actually asked for more spinach:) Hooray!  

Sometimes we just need the right motivation to change and try new things.  I wanted the girls' motivation to be fun and something they could really look forward to. However, I also wanted to challenge them.  I mean a whole month is a long time for 2 young girls, but they know they can reach their goal and they have amazed me at how quickly they were willing to change.  

So maybe all you need is the right motivation or goal.  Just don't wait too long because having a fun goal, like Crazy Day, to work towards because you want to, is better than having to change because you have to due to a serious illness. 

Make the change fun and enjoy the process! Here is to Crazy Day!