Did I tell you about my kids? The older one is a picky eater/food critic. No joke. The kid has an insane sense of smell and taste. I hope one day she earns money with the tools that she implements daily to drive me crazy. The other younger one, has always been a good little eater until recently. Now in some effort to assert that he too can drive me up a wall he has become as we say in Portuguese, ´more complicated´. And did I mention he´s an ethical vegetarian?

After a three week vacation, away from my kitchen, with visits from friends and families over the holiday season you can imagine we were all due for a cleanse. Now calma, this does not mean that we will survive on vegetable broth for a week, but rather that we need a fresh start. One with a bit more balance and a heck of a lot less sugar, chemicals and for me alcohol.

We are so lucky to live in a country where produce is beautiful and cheap. That, coupled by the fact that my daughter only enjoys fruit in the liquid form (except for berries…the child loves the only fruit that costs us a fortune) I decided to get us a juicer. I found one. I lie, my neighbor Cynthia found one for less than 60€ that really does the trick. 

The kids love it. Not only are the juices delicious, but they enjoy making them.

About a month ago I was putting away some things in my daughter´s closet. I noticed her handwritten list of New Year´s Resolutions from last year on the inside of the closet door. The first two jumped out at me as they seemed a million years away from the kid I have at home now. The idea that just a year ago she aspired to 1) Swim at least 50m butterfly without getting tired and,  2) Do the same with 100m medley, was astonishing in light of the fact that she now competes and places in the 400IM and in the 800M. This reflection of just how very far she has come made me want to revisit this idea of sitting with the children again and working out where we want to be next year.

I am a firm believer that we can always get better. Age is not a deterrent. My favorite quote from yoga is, `Practice, practice, all is coming.` by Guru Pattabhi Jois. It´s the idea that through repetition and practice we can achieve our goal. My daughter showed me that very explicitly this year. Hard work got her where she is. Hard work coupled by a swim team made up of incredibly supportive adults and children. Hard work + inspiration + support = SUCCESS

Here is my list from last year with comments on if I met my goals.

1. Do yoga 3 times a week….only honestly did once a week, aiming for 2 a week. Adding workout 4 times a week. 
2. Write something in Portuguese every day!…MUST DO THIS AND MORE THIS YEAR! I am adding on that I will only speak to the children in Portuguese. They are very good at catching my errors:)
3. Run at least 1 half marathon this year. Preferably 3;)...Ran a marathon 4:14:14…whooo hooo!
4. Find an excuse to go out dancing at least once a month. ( I am counting on my village friends and my girlfriends in Lisboa to help me out with this one:)…Failed, sad really, but another thing to organize
5. Improve my tennis game so I don’t embarrass myself when I play Sarah, Sophie and Amanda this year at Christmas…better, but still room for improvement:)
6. Be more patient….worth repeating….REPEAT…10 Deep Breathes
7. Do a better job keeping in touch with friends… Beyond FB….Resolving to only check FB on Sundays.
8. Create a gratitude wall….nice idea, how did I forget this? 9. Learn proper swim strokes. And fingers crossed, learn to do a tumble turn….I still need to get a lesson, or two, but at least I have made swimming a regular part of my routine. Thanks Lana for needing me to drive you to swim in the mornings.                                        10. Launch my tutoring business…DONE! Adding…                                                           11. Recommit to kiwigalo.com                                                                                             12. Start the week with a meal plan created and organized on Sunday.                                 13. Try to learn to meditate.

And with that I wish you a very Happy New Year!