“To grow yourself, you must know yourself.”
~John C. Maxwell

Goal #1: Increase my kids’ fruit and vegetable intake.
(AKA: The Fruit & Veggie Tales)

What is the first word that came to your mind when you read that goal? Was DAUNTING on that list? I mean, haven’t we all been trying to do this since our Littles started trying solid food? Heck, haven’t we been trying to do this ourselves?!

I would suggest that most times it doesn’t work because we begin at the end.

“XYZ is working for Jane, I’ll do that too.” OR “OK. #800 grams starts tomorrow.”

Maybe Jane is a glorious picture of health. Truly someone to emulate! #lifegoals. But she didn’t start there…

Maybe 800 grams of fruits and veggies is ideal. But that is the END of the story.

Which brings us to your Most Powerful Tool for Change: YOU.

You’ve had the power all along, Dorothy!!

What are your current habits? Routines? Behaviors surrounding this goal? THAT, my friends, is where to start. And the good news is, you have that information! All you need to do is slow down and notice.

Throughout the entirety of Week 1 of this goal, I have simply been…noticing. I have not changed ONE thing about our lives. But I have learned a TON about our current situation, and let me tell you: it is bleak. An average day looks like:

• Breakfast: cold cereal and milk, 1 egg.
• Lunch: jelly sandwich, fruit cup, venison jerky, cottage cheese/yogurt.
• Snack: cut up apple or grapes, goldfish.
• Dinner: at least 3 bites of each item on the plate (no exceptions, no making something else, no special requests!) This usually means exactly 3 bites of veggies.

So, now we have the beginning…instead of the end! Every step we take should start right there.

Starting point: 1 cup of fruits and veggies daily, if we’re being generous.

Next up: where should this yellow brick road take us?