Before I flew west a few weeks ago to teen sit my granddaughter, I set healthy goals: cut carbs, lose two pounds, climb stairs five times an hour, and walk an hour a day in their hilly green neighborhood during fifty-degree weather.

I’d been unsuccessful at home with the above activities and thought, surely, with no need to clean drawers or downsize closets, in other words, no distractions, I would be a glowing runway model by the time I got back home to snowy frigid Chicago. At my daughter-in-law’s request, I’d even given her a grocery list–including apples, melons, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt–to help me achieve my goals.

Enter a trip to Costco and the rainy season of the Pacific Northwest.

One quick Costco trip, and I had one dozen banana chocolate chip muffins. Big ones—probably six-hundred calories apiece. Mix in the rainy season, and you have a yummy recipe to add to a comfy seat on the couch while you sip tea and savor the Greek yogurt drizzled over a warmed-up, banana chocolate chip muffin.

From there on, my goals deteriorated. I rationalized that I don’t have a Costco membership at home, so should enjoy the muffins. Likewise, I don’t have that much rain in the winter at home, so I should glue myself to the couch and watch the rain soak the grass.

So, side tracking my goals was absolutely no problem. Plus, of course, having my fun and energetic teenager drop by to ask, “Is there anything I can get for you, Grandma?”

Could there be any better week of muffins and rain than when it is sprinkled with the love and thoughtfulness of a granddaughter?

I think not. Even if I have to reset my goals.