My First Ever New Year’s Resolution and A New Family Tradition 

Well.. For those who’ve read my writings and followed me for a while will know that I’m not the type for New Year’s resolutions. I find it a little corny as many I know who make them, ended up losing it within the 1st quarter of the year.

I believe in goals with a slightly flexible time frame that turns into journeys. I can make them any time I want, any month of the year and execute them as I see fit. I have been making goals since I could remember having memories. Literally as a little girl. One of my earliest memory of my goal was wanting to be on stage and winning a story telling competition. I did it at 6 yrs old.

Somehow since turning 40, my heart has had a little change. Maybe I’m getting soft? Wanting to join the crowd rather than beating my own path? I don’t know. Anyhow I thought 2016 would be a great year nonetheless. I feel it ‘in my bones’ that my life’s success will just keep on riding and so.. Why the heck not make a resolution list for the fun of it.

This year we had a quiet New Year’s Eve dinner compared to years past. We didn’t feel like going out partying and the people we were supposed to join up with had a last minute urgent issue to attend to. Eschewing hiring a babysitter for the night, we decided to organise a restaurant style menu, the husband and I, and just cuddle on the sofa all 6 of us while ringing in the new year. We made steamed lobster tails with lemon and herb butter sauce (my 1st time and I have to say, I did a good job! 😉) and pan fried then oven roasted Gressingham duck breasts with my special thick orange sauce. For the parents, there was also duck liver on the side. Served with simple pan steamed tenderstems of broccolis.

The eldest daughter wanted beef so she got Beef Wellington.

Steamed Lobster Tails with Herb Lemon Butter Sauce

Gressingham Duck Breast with Orange Sauce

It was during our (quite late) dinner that I hit upon my resolution idea and wanted to rope the family in on it as an impromptu ‘game’. This was after all the fun of popping the poppers and playing with all the crackers games.

When I first asked everyone my question, the girls groaned thinking their mummy is being so naff. I persevered anyway and told them they have a few minutes to think about it as we enjoyed our delicious meal.

My questions were:

1. What do you want to achieve physically this year? Something you can see as a success?
2. What do you want to do more off this year? Something that isn’t as tangible as producing results but will make you or society better for it. 
3. What do you want the family to achieve this year? A family goal. 

I guess everything new needs a little getting used to so I told everyone it has to come from the heart and laugh at their answer if they want to. I turned to the husband and winked at him, “Since you’re the man of the house, you have the honour of going first!”

His answers were:

1. To lose some weight and get back his fitness level to be healthier as he prepares to enter his 50th year in a couple of short years. 
2. To play more of his drum kit as it makes him happy plus it’s a workout and acts as an encouragement for the kids musically. 
3. To play more boisterous games with the younger ones as they seem to have boundless energy resulting in hyper noises even when they seem tired. 

Our 3 active younger ones

I absolutely loved hearing his goals and how fast he got into the swing of things. Or my ‘silly dinner game’ as they first thought.

So now it’s my turn to share with them. And with all my readers and followers as it may be the case here:

1. To seriously get my book finished and published by the early second half of the year. (The idea to write a book has been brewing for years and I had a few titles in mind. I couldn’t make up my mind until certain coincidences convinced me that this idea is IT) 
2. To get back into being a volunteer for the (lonely) elderlies. I have always believed in doing charitable work and being a volunteer. 2015 was spent volunteering for abused immigrant/domestic workers. When I first moved to England in 2004, my first volunteer work was with “Friends of The Elderly”. I was a home visitor, I would read their newspapers, do some clean up and then spent time just chatting to them and making them laugh. I loved my late grandmother very much and feel close to her when I’m around the elderly. 
3. I want to spend more time travelling with the kids and hubby this year. Even if it’s just to say Liverpool or ‘crossing the border’ into Wales. As it is, we have already planned travels for Feb, March and April. Travelling opens up our horizons, relaxes the mind somehow, and teaches us to be tolerant and patient in some ways. And in the Krogh’s family case, we seem to make friends every time we travel. 

Where will your journey take you?

We also heard our 2 eldest girls 3 goals. Now we know what they really want to and how we can help them achieve it. It was very interesting to hear how different those 2 girls goals were yet the family ones were similar. So now I’ve put it out there. You can grill me, ask me, share with me.

My son and I on a journey. Where will yours lead to?

My question for you, would you try this game with your own family? If you do, I’d love to hear from you and what your children’s answer will be. And maybe even yours too! 🙂