It's that time. Time to sit back and reflect on the last year and figure out what we want to do the same and what we want to do differently for the next year. Personally, 2012 was a great year for me. I got back into tattooing, moved 2000 miles so Hubby and I could finally be the couple and family we knew we could be, was on HuffPost Live, entertained a blog audience that grows bigger every single day, quit smoking, started finding my spiritual side again, got my first negative comment on a blog post and started writing my book. Overall, I'm happy as hell with how 2012 went, and am motivated to make 2013 even better.
Which means now I release my ginormous resolution list to everyone out there who wants to read it, so I am held accountable. Yes, I make a list this big every year. Why? Is it because I enjoy failure or running myself ragged to keep up with every goal I've set for myself?
Nope. It's because only 8% of all people who make resolutions actually succeed at them. If I make 1 resolution, chances are (according to statistics), I won't succeed at it. If I make 20 though, I'll succeed at a few of them. That, and, I'm an overachiever. Seriously. That side of me is bad. Up there with my competitive side. And my 'I like a challenge' side. So, with the 3 of those combined, I always end up with a million goals for the new year.
So, without further ado, here we go. In no particular order...
Tatted Mom's 2013 New Year's Resolutions
~Blog
I'm going to entertain my readers more. I've been honing my ninja skills when it comes to blogging for a while now, performing experiments on different posting styles and frequencies, and am slowly figuring out what my readers want and what I want. Y'all are going to get my humor, truthfulness when it comes to motherhood and my craziness, but I'll be doing more of it. I also want to throw in helpful recipes, household tips and practices and maybe even some pinterest-esque home decor projects or crafts. I'll be putting all of me into Inklings- every aspect of who I am, and let me tell you, I'm a hell of a lot of things. Be prepared for controlled randomness. Yep, that's me.
Social media goddess. I'm great with facebook. I post pictures, status updates, links to funny pictures and articles. Facebook is my bitch. But twitter, pinterest and now Google + end up falling to the wayside. I want to utilize all of my social media outlets in 2013 to not only give my readers many ways to enjoy my zaniness, but to ensure that I'm making the most of how I share myself with the world.
Get my informational articles out there. I already have a column over at Parent Society, and have had articles features on Mamapedia and BlogHer, but I'm ready to expand. Get my butt to writing more, posting what I know my readers would like on my blog, and submitting the less-personality driven articles to various parenting and writing websites. I've always had a goal to have a paid writing gig for either Babble, Huffington Post Parents or Nick Mom, and all of those goals remain. Fingers crossed, 2013 is my year for that.
~Finish my book & get it published. I'm not talking e-published (though that will be after the regular publishing). I want a book, with my name on the front, written by me, to hold in my hands, in 2013. I've been working on it for months now; time to get it finished and get it out there!
~Spirituality
Meditate more. I love meditating. Problem is, I don't do it enough. Time to amp that up and make it a regular part of my daily routine.
Become more in tune with myself and my surroundings. Years ago I owned a new age store. I was so fulfilled, spiritually, when I owned that store. Then it closed and I lost a part of who I was. I've been working on finding that side of me, and it's been amazing. But I'm still not there. My sister gave me the most awesome Zombie Tarot Deck for Christmas, and I'm going to study that, read my books on herbs and natural healing again; become one with myself and my environment. I'm finally ready for it.
Spread happiness. Part of my spirituality was always being an optimist and sharing that optimism with the people around me. Time to put that into overdrive and take control of the wheel again.
~Health
Food and drink- healthy in. I've been reading about how an acidic diet can lead to sickness, cancer, fatigue, weight gain and so much more. Slowly, I've been reducing the acidic foods in my diet and increasing the alkaline foods. I will continue this in 2013, along with going vegetarian for 1-2 days a week and drinking fresh juices and smoothies on a daily basis. While my goal overall is to just get my body healthy and working the best it can, I'd like to lose 2 sizes in the process. I could equate this with about 15-20 pounds, but if the pants fit and the scale stays a little high because I'm turning fat into muscle, I'm completely happy with that. I will drink more water, and cut down to 1-2 cups of coffee a day. I'm not giving up my Moscato, though, sorry.
Exercise regularly. I'm not much for huffing and puffing through a run or workout routine. I'm more of a pilates and yoga type of gal, so that's what I want to stick to. Of course, in order to reach my goal of losing 2 pants sizes, I'll have to incorporate some cardio. I need to find something that interests me and that I'll stick to. That's the hard part. But once the cardio is done, I'll enjoy myself with a yoga or pilates routine.
Look better at 32 than I ever have before. I turn 32 in a few weeks, and I always have a goal around my birthday to make sure I'm better off than I was at that time last year. When I turned 31 I was a 1-2 packs a day smoker, size 10, stressed, broke, working mom who had decided to repair her marriage but had a husband 2000 miles away. So many aspects of my life are already better than when I turned 31, but I want to make sure when people look at me, they have no idea I'm 32. This means taking care of my skin, hair and nails in addition to the healthy food and exercise. I'm ready to be a MILF again!
~Money
Coupon with a purpose. With the beginning of 2013 will come a new way of approaching my couponing and deal finding. I want to stock up on necessities for the house so that I don't have to worry about them for a while, but at a fraction of the cost of what they normally run. Think 'Extreme Couponing' on not as much crack. I'm fine spending $5 for that jumbo pack of toilet paper instead of stressing myself to get it down to $3 a pack, and I will buy 3 of the $5 packs, not 27 packs. While I'm stocking up on household necessities, I want to also lower our monthly grocery bill. I know by going vegetarian a few times a week we'll cut down on the meat portion of our bill, but I want to make sure our dollar is going as far as it can.
Freebies and deals galore. I love my free sample sites (look in the right sidebar for many of them- Freefly's is a favorite). Getting little gifts or coupons in the mail each day makes me smile. This year I plan to keep up with the freebies on a regular basis, enter more giveaways, and get things for my family and our home for free or near free. I also want to stock up on gift items for friends' birthdays, or for when the kids need donations for silent auctions or fundraisers at school, or gifts for their teachers at Christmas and the end of the year.
Save for vacations. My kids are 10 and 8, and we have really never gone on vacation. This yecr, Hubby and I are throwing around the idea of heading to Lego Land as a big vacation, and taking small trips to places like Tombstone, the Grand Canyon, the caves around here and more, on a regular basis. The money we save from my couponing and finding deals, we'll put towards a vacation fund, so we can finally get out and do things as a family- create memories. We also no longer want to be paycheck-to-paycheck people, so saving for our future will help relieve some of that stress.
~Hobbies
Be creative. Naturally, I'm an artsy person. I love making things with my hands. I want to make sure I'm crafting or creating art on a regular basis in 2013, which will also help keep me calm and centered. While I want to keep up with my photography, painting and tattooing, I want to expand and try several other creative outlets as well.
Launch an Etsy store. I've had an Etsy account for years now. No items have ever been added to the inventory. In my past I've made all natural bath and beauty items, jewelry, healing pillows, paintings, wood burned crafts and so much more. I need to find my niche, create an inventory, and sell my wares to the world. Not only will this help keep me creatively motivated, it will supplement our income, helping out my resolution above.
~Family & Home
Perfect my role. I'm a stay-at-home mom. My job is to keep the house running smoothly, and to be perfectly honest, I love my job. I love the feeling of a clean house and the sense of accomplishment that comes with knowing I cleaned it. I love the sounds of being completely stuffed that my family makes after eating a meal I cooked. And I love the compliments I get from guests on how our house is decorated or a piece of art I created that hangs on our wall. In 2013 I will continue the routine I created in 2012 of the house cleaning, organizing, decorating and cooking, and be the best stay-at-home mom I can possibly be.
Family first. My family already has Family Game Night, Family Movie Night and weekly family outings, but I want to make sure none of that goes to the wayside in 2013. With my kids the ages they are, it's time to start strengthening the open lines of communication with them and the family bond between us all.
A massive list, I know, but I'm optimistic this year. The list doesn't seem overwhelming to me- it just feels right. I feel that if I stay true to myself and who I truly am deep down inside, that this list will come naturally to me. These won't be resolutions as much as just a way of life for me and my family.
Just prepare yourselves, I warn you now. If I'm planning on truly living my life this year as the person I know I am, then prepare for more randomness, more humor, more matter-of-fact truthfulness about life. I don't plan to hold back this year, so if nothing else, make sure you use the bathroom before clicking on my newest blog post for the day, because I'd hate to be responsible for you wetting yourself from laughing so much...
Okay, that might be cool. Sorry, that's my sadistic side coming out.
Here's to making 2013 the best year ever, full of happiness, accomplishment, Moscato, yoga, reading minds, Lego Land, a size 8 ass, showing my kids how Monopoly is supposed to be played, a book tour, and making readers pee their pants!
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