For a while now I have been contemplating starting a series of monthly challenges – to try something new or practise a habit consistently over a month, for its own benefit, and to blog about it (to get back into the blogging habit). Today I saw an ad for Open Family Australia's 21 Challenge, where individuals or groups can undertake a 21-day challenge to raise money to support homeless youth. I don't normally participate in big fundraising events like this (though I support my friends who do), but as I'd already been thinking about doing a monthly challenge, why not sign on to a cause that I support? In addition, doing a 21-day challenge in June will help me ease into a series of whole-month challenges, if I do follow up on that idea.

Here are some of the challenges I had been considering; if you think any of these are particularly great or terrible, please say so in the comments. I will decide on the challenge and set up a fundraising page on 21 May. The final decision is up to me but I am interested in what others think.

• Talk to a stranger every day
• Draw something every day
• Adopt a vegan diet
• Do not travel on public transport or in cars [which means walking or cycling in cold, wet, and windy June – not something I would like, but it would make me appreciate some of the conditions homeless people face]

If you want to suggest a different challenge, note that I already live without a car or a television, I don't eat meat, and I hardly ever wear makeup, so some of the ideas at http://21challenge.com.au/inspiration are pointless for me. Note also that I make my living from the internet, so I can't realistically give that up.

One of my current web development clients is my mother, Ida Chionh, and I think it's been quite an educational process for both of us as we find ourselves in a client-freelancer relationship instead of (well, in addition to) a mother-daughter one.

Today Mum is launching her new website, A Wok on the Wild Side, an exploration of her passion for food, travel, and the arts. Both my parents have been dedicated home cooks for as long as I can remember, and Mum started reviewing restaurants in Melbourne in the early 1980s, when sweet and sour pork and butter chicken were still strange and exotic dishes. Mum has a lot of stories and knowledge to share about food and cooking, and I'm pleased to provide her with another platform for her to share her experiences.

A Wok on the Wild Side
http://www.awokonthewildside.com/