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Here I am, nearly 3 weeks since I committed to making a change to our family eating habits and our reward systems in association with SafeFood. It’s about time I updated you all on our progress.

Changes to Reward Systems

This has been a huge success. The kids have thrived on having much more of our attention, rather than having a treat food handed to them. The experience treats mean that we, as parents, have to invest more of our time and ourselves into the kids. Whereas before they were handed a food and the treat time was over when the food was gone, now the rewards last for hours.

Even better than the rewards lasting for ages, the kids are picking up new skills. Saturdays are now set aside to cook together. From peeling fruit and vegetables (my future kitchen helpers in the making), to learning how to cook, and beyond, the change in the household has fostered more discussion around what we are all interested in. I’ve learned an awful lot about our kids in the process.

Less Screen Time

A crazy thing happened the other day, I walked into their bedroom and the two boys were playing with lego on the floor. They were using their imagination and creating stuff together. They weren’t fighting. Actually the reason I walked into their bedroom was because I was concerned because it was so quiet. Proving that actually sometimes it’s okay for you to hear nothing from the kids when they are playing together, who knew?

More Money

There’s more money to spend on other groceries now that I’m not buying so many treats. Plus the treats from Hallowe’en are still in the box in the kitchen. A small miracle if you ask me. The kids have stopped asking for sweet treats really; they’re curious each day about their rewards instead.

Will The Change Last?

Yes the small changes we’ve made have benefited everyone. We are all speaking to one another more with less screentime and the focus is on time spent together first rather than what we are eating.

What Changes Have I Yet To Make?

To be fair the kids have been troupers and actually the changes left to make are to my lifestyle and not theirs. I am trying my best to manage my own portion size more and let’s see what the next few months hold in relation to my overall fitness.

My Personal Health

When I first posted it had been barely 2 weeks since my Grandmother had passed away very soon after my Grandfather. The biggest issue for me was committing to a new programme for the entire family and in truth it was very difficult. There were some days where I just felt like crying, and often did. It was incredibly hard to deal with my grief and such a big change at the same time. It is getting easier to manage and the house has returned to a more even keel.

In the end I did what any sensible person would do. I made an appointment to see my wonderful GP who chatted with me about everything and we came up with a plan for managing my health over the Winter. She also checked me out physically and following blood tests I now have some supplements which may help with elements of my wellbeing.

I’ve made a start, there’s a lot more to do, have you tried making changes yet? I’d love to hear from you.

Disclosure: This blogpost has been sponsored by SafeFood. My words are my own. When they asked me to be involved in the campaign, I personally decided to make a commitment to change, they didn’t ask me to. To find out more about my disclosure policy please click here.