Happy New Year!

I don't think I've ever felt like Calvin, but I wouldn't
want anyone telling me what my goals should be either!

Monday we (my family) filled out our new year's forms.  On these we write down lots of things about ourselves including our favorite movies, and books, and what we accomplished this past year.  We make predictions for a couple of years ahead, and we write down our goals of the year.  When I got to the part about my goals I hesitated.  I had thought, and thought, and finally even decided on a goal, but I was feeling too tired to write it down, so I wrote that my goal was to have enough energy to actually want to accomplish a goal.  I've felt tired lately -- maybe mostly tired of being responsible!  I've had such long to do lists that I am getting tired of to do lists.  A little unstructured vacation time where everyone is healthy, happy, and takes care of themselves, sounds like heaven.  But, I do have a goal or two.

I like to come up with one word goals for the year -- and this year I chose "health".  I wasn't very excited about this idea, but decided that I would like it if I chose different thing related to health to study and work on each month.  Lots of things affect our health, and I am quite excited to learn about some of those things.  This month I made myself do menus and snack ideas because I figured I'd be healthier if we had less "whatever you can find in the fridge" dinners, and less quick junk food snacks.  Now comes the part where I actually have to use the menus -- or it won't make any difference at all.  Wish me luck!

I also have an idea, or goal, for my blog.  I decided that, besides random posts about my family and our activities, I would post stories, or quotes, or ideas that could be talked about at dinner.  I want to be better at talking about important, and interesting ideas at dinner -- but I usually draw a blank and everyone is done eating and gone before I come up with anything.  Maybe I can do better at using the things I write about here to talk about when dinnertime rolls around.  And, if things go really well, we'll be eating delicious, semi-healthy food from my menus, having important conversations, and all smiling like the picture above.  Dream big!

*Calvin and Hobbes Cartoon is from Google docs but was created by Bill Watterson
*The smiling family dinner is from www.thekitchenskinny.com