Happy 2014!!!

Happy 2014!!  Whether you stayed up til midnight or partied hard till the wee hours of 9:00 PM, you've made it to a new year!  New Year's Day can be a hard day (especially if you are trying to get through it on very little sleep), but it is a good day to reflect and remember what has passed and to look forward to what is to come.

January is named for the Roman god, Janus; the god of beginnings and transistions.  He is usually pictured with two heads: one looking back into the past and one looking forward into the future.  The month that starts our calendar is a good time for doing both of those things and what better day than today!

When I was a kid, I remember my mom having us kids write out predictions for the future on or around the New Year.  I actually remember writing them a few more times than I remember going back to read them, so there may still be a few envelopes out there somewhere.  Mom??

I think Ken and I may have done something similar a few times, but not in a very organized way and not so recently that the kids remember it.  This year we are going to take an idea from Janus and reflect over the year that has just passed and make some predictions for the year (and years) to come.  I have an accordian-style file box I can put these in to save them for next year, when we can get them out and read over all of it.  I know it seems like such an out-dated way to do it (especially since I am a blogger and regular type things out on a computer) but there's just something special about actual handwriting on real paper that I want to preserve for this project.

If you care to try something similar with your family, here are some questions to get you started:

For the year that just passed:

What skills have you learned or feats have you accomplished this year?

What is something you are especially proud of yourself for this year?

What was your favorite trip or vacation this year?

Are there sad memories you want to reflect on?

What is the funniest thing that happened to our family this year?

For the next year, or five or ten years in the future:

(For each of the future sets of questions, I would recommend starting by helpng the kids figure out how old they will be that year.)

What do you hope to learn by the end {2014}?

Where will you be in school/college/work life?

Where do you think you will be living?

Are there any major family changes you expect in {2014}?

What new inventions do you predict will be common in {2014}?

Do you have any special ways to ring in the new year?