Family Challenges

Last September our family did a Technology Detox. We shared the same goal, the same vision, the same plan, and the same frustrations. I enjoyed us all working together to better our family. I found it rewarding and enlightening to be united in purpose and action.

So for 2016 our family is implementing the idea of a different family focus and a family challenge each month.

The focus will be an overarching theme such as a virtue, quality, or life skill and the challenge will be the specific task to complete. The challenge should stretch us and make us sacrifice, but not be so bad that we all hate our lives and each other.

Here is our yearly outline:

JANUARY

Family Focus: Finances

Family Challenge: Do not go out to eat in the month of January

The goal here is to save money.  So we cannot go to a restaurant and spend our own money. This caveat means we can use gift cards if we have them.

I have a list of things to do in January to support our family focus as well.

• Transfer kids’ savings account to new bank.
• Pay off credit card.
• Establish an emergency fund, Christmas fund, and travel fund.
• Open new savings account.
• Get bacon business up and running.

FEBRUARY (Tentatively)

Family Focus: Kindness

Family Challenge: Perform a random act of kindness each day

And that’s as far as I’ve gotten.

Haha.

I know better than to plan a year out anymore. Interests change. Needs change. Lives change. Priorities change. Ambitions change. Also, short bursts of focus work much better for my motherhood-induced ADD. This plan allows us to take one month at a time and see what our family is up for that particular month.

Despite my lack of commitment, I have thought about some areas of focus that I am interested in for our family:

-Preparedness

-Gratitude

-Fitness

-Health

-Service

-Family Scripture Study

-Organization

-Technology (we will do this one again next September)

Family challenges can come in all shapes and sizes and all levels of difficulty. Here are some potential options that I am considering:

-Update our 72 hour kits.

-Run a marathon (26 miles in one month)

-No sugar (Or maybe only sugar on the weekends?)

-Read scriptures.

-Clear out 1000 items out of the house.

You get the idea.

I will strongly encourage certain areas of focus, but I would like the kids’ to have major input on the challenges. They have to buy into them or it’s not fun. If they have some say and ownership in the challenge and its parameters, the month is more rewarding for everyone. And they have some really good ideas sometimes, so I like to listen to what they have to say. The focus and challenges will be decided during Family Council.

I’d love to hear if you have any ideas for the focus and/or the challenges or if your family wants to participate too. Just remember, if you need to find me, I’ll be in my kitchen cooking.