This year, Mrs. Happy Families and I have decided that our family is going to have a theme. It's something like a creed to live by. It's a principle - a value - that will be a guide throughout our activities and decisions in 2012.

In previous years we've done something similar. Our previous themes and guiding principles have included choosing an attitude of gratitude, finding ways to give service both in and out of our family, developing respect for one another, our belongings, and our community and environment, and showing kindness. Each has been successful, and has hopefully made us better people, and a stronger family.

This year, we've chosen the theme, "I can do hard things."

We want our children to develop persistence, fortitude, resilience, and a 'never-give-up' attitude.

Once a week, we'll be sitting down and talking about inspiring people who have done hard things. We'll talk about what made it hard, how they pushed through it, and what happened because of it. And we'll assess the hard things we're doing in our own lives to see if we're measuring up to our new standard.

Each of the children will take turns sharing their personal stories and the stories of people who have done hard things, gleaned from their own research - kind of like mini-projects to keep them thinking about it.

Have you had family themes before? Do you have one for 2012? What will your family's focus be for the next 12 months? How can you turn it into something that will inspire your family to learn, be better, and be more united?