Happy New Year!

...To Everyone!

New Year's has always been a special time for me, so I thought I'd share a picture of our New Year's breakfast table.


My mother, although American, was raised in Japan, so we keep the tradition of eating Omochi for good luck at the start of the year. Granted, we use January 1 rather than the start of the Japanese lunar calendar. I don't think of it so much as good luck as I do getting the new year off to the right start.

Omochi are cakes made out of rice flour. When you bake them, they puff up, making a crunchy, gooey breakfast treat. They are served with a syrup made from sugar and soy sauce, nori (sea weed), and oranges or clementines. We also enjoy the annual treat of different Japanese snack crackers and a special Oolong tea that we were given as a wedding gift (or hot chocolate for the short people).


New Year's is a time of fresh starts. I don't make resolutions, but I do like to set some general goals for myself. Here's what I'm looking forward to this coming year:

• I want to get back into the habit of being more active. In Israel, we walked everywhere; but we didn't really have that option when we returned to the States. It's time to start walking again and exercising.
• Likewise, I need to stop overeating. I was in a good routine with food for a while, but I lost it.
• In a few months, we will start doing some "preschool" stuff with DS E. He has the desire and the smarts, he just needs a little more maturity to be ready.
• I would also like to get into a habit of staying on top of filing this year.
• Most important, though, I'm setting the goal of being less cross.
  

What are your goals for the new year?