Happy New Year

Traditionally people celebrate the New Year by making Resolutions: “This year I’m going to lose weight!” or, “This year I’m going to stop smoking!” or you fill in the blank. We all have areas in our life we want to change and most of us start our New Year Resolution with the intent of accomplishing our resolve but never seem to accomplish the goal.

Years ago I stopped setting myself up to fail and I made one New Year Resolution I have kept, and will manage to keep for the rest of my life. I vowed to heaven and earth, “I will NEVER make another New Years Resolution!”

I’m happy to report, I’ve kept that vow and have felt liberated for so long it makes my head spin.

This isn’t to say there aren’t things in my life I don’t want to correct about myself. There are plenty, but I’ve come to the realization that I’m not perfect, nor will I ever be. And accepting that makes life easier.

One of the things I hope to accomplish this coming year is to convince my children reading is fun. Their are a lot of recourses I’ve found on the web that have helped me begin mastering this goal, and because it is computer related my kids think it’s cool.

One of the best sites we like is Storyline Online. Each book comes with comprehension-boosting activities. For example, right now The Polar Express is read by Lou Diamond Phillips, a wonderful Hollywood actor many of you remember from La Bamba, Young Guns and Young Guns II. Your children can listen to the story, discuss their favorite part, and write a poem about the holiday.

For your beginning reader, they can get help sounding out words and listen to, or read, stories and play the learning games that go along with them at Starfall.

No matter what your goal is for the coming year simply do your best to accomplish it and give yourself points for having tried. Don’t beat yourself up if you fail. Winning in anything is beginning and the old saying, “Try, try again,” is the key to success.