Happy New Year!

2015 – That’s a big number. I’ll take the 15 and present you with 15 wonderful ways to start this New Year.

1. Celebrate health. Get a grip on your exercise and eating plans and stick with them. You are a model for your children. Choose nutrition and balance.

2. Play. Your children are truly excellent at this. Learn from them. Play inside and out.

3. Read every day. Read to children, with children, in front of children and by yourself. If your children are literate they will succeed in life. If they are not, they will not.

4. Relax. This is hard to do but essential. Relax, even if your version is to just slow down a little.

5. Clean. Just start with a drawer. Pick a kitchen drawer, dresser drawer or bathroom vanity drawer. Get your children to pick and go through drawers with you. Kids love this. It is quick success and you will feel empowered to go after the linen closet next.

6. Sort. Don’t just reshuffle the closet shoes and boots. If you put matches together, you will discover not every one has a match. Kids love a treasure hunt.

7. Donate. Donate the closet shoes and boots that no longer fit. Help your children go through toys, clothes, books and household items that can find new homes with new families.

8. Sing anything and everything. Play music. Make up songs with your kids. This is lots of fun.

9. Dance to those new tunes. This is even more fun.

10. Visit family and friends you have been thinking about. Help your children understand that the world requires warm and personal contact with people we love.

11. Plan. Years go by very quickly.

12. Create. Rearrange space, ask your children to paint with you then frame that beautiful picture for your wall. Create a new recipe with your kids, rules to a new game, a poem, a story…

13. Volunteer. You are more valuable than you think – so are your children. Share your talents, time and resources. You are needed.

14. Discover something wonderful about yourself and each person you love. Every day is new.

15. Say “I love you” at least 2015 times this year.

There, that’s 15. Now you find 2,000 more wonderful ways to bring this New Year to the family you love.

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”

Brad Paisley

Wishing you a happy, healthy and hope filled New Year! Kate