I know I’m a little late for doing a ‘2014 in review post’ and, truth is, I nearly let this one languish in the drafts folder. However a bigger part of me wanted to acknowledge what we managed to achieve… and those things we didn’t… in order to put a line under the exercise and move on.

This made me a little hesitant about making big family goals for this year – in the same way, at least. As such, we haven’t sat down together like we did last time, and I’m not sure that we will. However, I have been thinking about this a fair bit and as the kids have returned to school today it seems like a fitting time to post about how I think we did – and my own family goals for 2015.

Okay, so this is the original 2014 post and here are those goals:

1. Make the biggest Chocolate Chip Cookie

Yes, we made the biggest chocolate chip cook we could – fitting that whopper almost across an entire pizza tray. Did it work? Nope – it was too big and didn’t cook evenly, so the middle was doughy and the outside was burned. But we did it!

2. Go on a Ride We’ve Not Been On

As the year progressed, this goal wasn’t looking like it was going to be accomplished. As a family, anyway. And this was when it really started to hit me that things are really going to keep on changing as the kids get older and more independent. The kids went on rides while at their Cub Scout Cuboree and on school camps. So they did it on their own! Hooray for them!

Then I thought about it a bit more and remembered, “Hang on, I took them to Funfields last January!” So it had already been ticked off. But I kind of liked thinking they’d done it themselves.

3. Visit 10 Suburbs We’d Not Visited Before

This is another goal where, on the face of it, I was thinking was a big fail. It was originally put down as an excuse to get out and see more of Melbourne and that did happen – a bit – when we went to Elwood, or we took the kids to Bounce for the first time etc. But not up to 10 suburbs. Then I looked at it a little differently – we explored a lot of the Central Coast and Newcastle area and they are full of suburbs – like Norah Head, which I fell in love with. So in fact we smashed that goal.

I’ll add, I think I preferred what we ended up doing more instead – getting to know our local area much more intimately through geocaching. It’s so much fun.

5. Try a New Cuisine

Hmmm… well, apart from the famed Paleo Cafe in Newcastle (which I’m sure doesn’t technically even count!), I don’t think we tried anything new, sadly.

6. Take Turns Cooking

I’m happy to report the kids stepped up to this one – as you can see in the photos above! (Adam was responsible for the Simple Cooking Channel Neapolitan Icecream Cake.) They were more interested in sweets and breakfasts – for obvious reasons – but it’s a start! Keira made dahl with me the other night, so I’m going to keep working on it!

And that’s 2014 wrapped up!

What’s next?

Karen’s 2015 Family Goals

1. Reduce Screen Time

The kids are going to get a rude shock when they get home this afternoon to find their iPads packed away. Then I’ll gently remind them that that’s what I did last year, too. We introduced a ‘no iPads’ policy from Mon-Fri, however I did allow television. This year I think I’ll even pull that back. Just yesterday, after I’d gotten fed up about something, I turned off the television as punishment and not thirty seconds later Keira said, “I’m bored.” Gah!!

Boredom isn’t a ‘bad’ thing at all! It fosters creativity! Go read a book!

These are all the things I say, and get massive ‘side-eye’ in return. (Riley is quite happy to pick up a book, most of the time.)

I’ve never been one of those kinds of mothers who sets up exercises or structured play activities to keep kids entertained (yawn), but if that’s what it takes to start them off… then maybe I’ll have to suck it up and do it.

Homework is a different matter, and I was surprised at how much Keira was starting to hop onto the internet by the end of last year to do bits and pieces, so I’ll have to factor that in as well.

2. Be More Vigilant About The Kids’ Dental Health

Riley will undergo dental surgery in a couple of weeks time (right before going overseas… what is it with that kid and travel/hospitals?!) He will have a GA to deal with a couple of issues in one go, including an extraction of a problem tooth that *should* stay in his head until he’s at least 12. Apparently its relatively common for baby teeth to ‘go bad’ quickly… and that’s what’s happened here, on a deep filling that isn’t playing nice with the nerve.

As I got this news less than 24 hours ago, I’m still upset and rattled about it. This was the kid I bragged about as having great teeth, with perfect brushing technique. I said as much to the dentist, who nodded sympathetically.

“Yes, but everyone is different. Saliva composition is very important, and that’s genetic. That’s why some people with atrocious dental hygiene are lucky whereas others who are more fastidious end up with lots of holes.”

(She did imply, though, that his sugar intake needs watching.)

We’ve swapped to electric toothbrushes, and I can see a difference already. I’m still coming up with ideas. I remember dad being fanatical about dental care when my sister and I were kids and he was of that generation who are proud to be able to hold onto their teeth. While I appreciated his efforts, I didn’t quite want to be *that* kind of parent, but the irony is I might have to be (and I am minus one adult tooth myself).

They’re the two major ones and, honestly, at this point, they’re the only two I’m really interested in pursuing. If you have advice about either, I’m all ears and if you have any family goals for yourself or your family I’d love to hear them. x