family focus 2012

For 2012, my family and I are embarking on new territories by way of structured chance.  At the beginning of each month, we'll draw a focus theme out of a hat (or bowl or cupped hands; whatever).  For that month, this theme/activity/challenge will be our family focus.  I put together 12 things we either haven't done together as a family or are new to most or all of us.  It seemed like a fun way to stay connected and grow and learn together in a year that some spook-theorists claim will be our last on earth!

There isn't a formula for all of these, though I have some fun ideas for some.  We left off music, hiking, movies, travel, sports, and other things that already have our family interest in a big way.

We're starting the year with "Family Book Club."  We've met to discuss what books we're reading and what we enjoy about these books and reading in general.  And we have an assignment for our next meeting: bring a passage from your selected reading and share it with the group; tell why you like the passage as well as what you take from it.

Here are the other 11 monthly focuses we'll be taking on in 2012:
* Fashion and Style (Didn't I say we're venturing into new territories?)
* Survival / Emergency (My husband will no doubt be a big help with this one.)
* Facing Fears (Should be interesting!)
* Outdoor Adventures (Because we all love the outdoors already, this should be a way to enjoy them in new or less explored ways... kayaking, camping, gardening?)
* Food / Cooking (My son always wants to help in the kitchen and because I'm not a big fan, I always manage to wiggle out of anything that prolongs the task of cooking.  Maybe I'll be inspired!)
* Art (This will specifically focus on the arts we don't participate in or experience, namely drawing, painting and sculpting.)
* Family 5K (There are some specifics here.  We walked/jogged our first 5K as a family this past summer in Del Mar, CA. but the challenge here would be to choose a 5K and then focus on training to RUN it.)
* New Places (Not so much just new cities, but also the many places we've not been to as a family in our own city.  This could include restaurants, shops, museums, parks, etc.)
* New Sports (We love our baseball and football around here.  Ideally, we'll try some new things -- tennis, anyone? -- and maybe find a new love or two.)
* Website, Blogging, Networking (Like it or not, it's the future's wave and we'll possibly create a family site for documenting our life, like monthly family focus time!)
* The Beatles (While this is a music theme, I decided it's an outright shame that ALL FOUR of us have somehow managed to get this far in life with little to no knowledge about the Fab Four.  And we call ourselves music fans!)

I've heard from a number of friends that our long family road trips have been inspiring!  Perhaps this little at-home way to adventure can encourage you to seek out new paths for you and your loved ones in 2012.