Let's start the new year right

One minute to midnight

One minute to go

One minute to say goodbye

Before we say hello

Let's start the new year right

Twelve o'clock tonight

When they dim the light 

Let's begin

Kissing the old year out

Kissing the new year in

Let's watch the old year die

With a fond goodbye

And our hopes as high as a kite

How can our love go wrong

If we start the new year right?

                                                                                                                             

                                                                                             [Irving Berlin, Holiday Inn 1942]

I love this song by Irving Berlin - it's the perfect blend of new year hopefulness and melancholy. And I love this picture by Daisy - it's us celebrating the arrival of 2012. With a cat. I suspect Hello Kitty.

Today would have been my mum's birthday. She passed away three years ago, and so I begin the new year thinking of her. Writing Adventures at Home has seen me through a couple of years of tough evenings. This is when I've missed my mum the most because it's when I've had time to myself. It's still comforting to talk about my family here because my mum always loved to know about the brilliant things her grandchildren said, made, did and played. So, even three years on, I guess I'm still just keeping her posted really.

With the children back at school today I have been trying to 'start the new year right' by de-Christmassing the house, and embarking on yet another toy audit - integrating all those new Santa-brought items into our home. I have been quite brave; boxing up and putting out of sight some of the pre-school books and toys that suddenly seem so out of place - including some lovely things bought for the children by my mum. 

I realise, with a tinge of sadness, how my children have changed from toddlers to sophisticated school kids since Grandma died but I am delighted to see they are beginning 2012 with absolute expertise in play. They are still so creative and spontaneous, so amazingly imaginative and energetic; they really do take my breath away sometimes. They still want to make, do, sing, dance, pretend and create and, quite newly, to draw, write and read - and do so with infectious enthusiasm. Long may it continue.

So here's to a brand new year of Adventures at Home. We certainly haven't run out of them yet and so, as I said in my very first post, this blog will be a record of them all. I do hope you will continue to follow our adventures.

I dedicate this first post of the new year to my wonderful mum - Grandma. Thinking of her today and every day.