“Fruit & Veggie Tales” have gotten us onto a yellow brick road, asking some really good questions: When are we starting? Where are we starting from? Why do it at all?

Now: where are we going? And: how do we get there?

Let’s take this edition from easy to hard.

We already have a general goal: Increase my kids’ fruit and vegetable intake. From there, we can make it SMART. Specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, timely.

• 500grams of fruits and veggies daily by the end of January for my 8 year old.
• 600grams for my 11 year old.
• 700grams for my 13 year old.

It is specific, measurable, possible, and it has an end date. Plus they are VERY concerned about age order. Great. We can work with that!

…but are the kids on board? Now it gets a little harder. Do they care if we fail to meet the deadline? Nope. Do they care about the fact that I worked out a definition of Health and wrote it on the wall? Ha! NOPE. Are they concerned about preventing chronic disease so they can live to their fullest potential? Big ol’ nope!

So, how do we get them to care?!

I would posit: ask them! Get them involved by letting them make choices. Ask good questions, let them answer, then hold them to it:

• How many grams do you want to start with? Let’s write it down!
• Have you ever used our kitchen scale before? Let’s try it!
• What fruit do you want to eat this week? Let’s add it to the grocery list!
• What is your least favorite vegetable? We won’t have it for 2 whole weeks!
• What veggie would you like to have instead? Sure, eat that for all your grams!
• Let’s go to the store and pick out something new to try! Eh, sure, that one…
• Yes, you can now use the scale on your own!
• What fruit would you like to have before you eat those crackers?
• How many colors can you get onto one dinner plate?
• Can you eat a fruit or veggie with each meal today? How about a 5 day streak?
• Think you can eat more of these than Dad?? Everybody wins!
• Would you like to use a real knife to help cut veggies for dinner?! (Hold breath)
• How about cutting fruit for dessert while you’re at it? Yes, with Cool Whip!

(Spoiler alert: these work for us adults as well!)

I hear the kids getting off the bus now – wish me luck!