“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” – Oprah Winfrey… Ok, it’s that time again. Time to say goodbye to the old year, and turn to look ahead to the new year. The world didn’t end, even though Snooki AND Kim Kardashian got pregnant, the Mayans predicted it, and Twinkie went bankrupt. Nope, we’re all still here, and if you’re anything like me, you’re probably excited for a fresh start, new possibilities, new adventures. So, I wanted to share a little bit of my plans for 2013 with you. Feel free to be wildly inspired…. Lol.

New Year’s Resolution #1 – Be more awesome than last year. Lofty goal? Indeed. And it’s funny, because my “Blogging Resolutions” for last year also started with being more awesome, lol. When I go back and look at that post – 10 Blogging Goals for 2012: Starting with Be More Awesome – I’m super proud to say that I pretty much nailed them. Sure – some are still a work in progress, and I’m still working on building better routines into my daily life, since the new work-from-home lifestyle has been a HUGE adjustment. But in 2012 I built my blogging and freelance business into a real career, that allows me to work from home and spend my days with Abby. {Well, spend my days typing away for hours while a 2 year-old prances plastic dinosaurs across my keyboard. Not glamorous, but it’s much better than being away at an office all day!} I hit almost all of my major goals. And I can’t wait to see what I can accomplish in this new year!!

New Year’s Resolution #2 is a little bit less ambitious – Just remember to get the stinkin’ year right!! Lol. Thank goodness it’s not too hard to add a little loopy tail onto the bottom of a 2, and make it look like a weird, drunken 3. So I should be ok. Thank goodness no one writes checks anymore – remember how you’d CONSTANTLY mess that up all month in January?? Writing all of your checks in the past? {And then secretly hoping no one would be able to cash them because they were so old…. } So, this year I resolve to realize what year it is, from day 1.

New Year’s Resolution #3: Sticky note swagger. Yes – In this new year, I’m going to work on getting my swag on, every day. I mean this in a few different ways – One, I need to bust out of “Frump-Mom” territory. I recently ran into a really good friend of mine, who’s mid-pregnancy, super tired, still working full time, you know how it goes. And she looked awesome – cute outfit, fully accesorized, great hair. Me? I had a mess of a bun, sweat pants in public, and I’m not even sure that my shoes matched. Abby was just as bad – wild, no-brush hair, and a messy face. Yes, it was a last-minute Walmart run while she was sick. But still. I used to do fashion merchandising in retail stores, and was somewhat stylish. I used to have really good hair – I swear. So it’s time to get back to that. AND – it’s time to feel this way when it comes to blogging and business too. I’m definitely one of those chicks that have a hard time being firm, asking for what I want, insisting on what I know I deserve. I’m turning that swag on EVERY morning from now on. Oh yeah.

New Year’s Resolution #4: Lose the rest of this damn toddler weight. Yes, I called it baby weight for a year. Everyone said, “It takes 9 months to put it on, it’ll take another 9 months to take it off. Don’t stress it.” Then it became, “It’s ok – it takes everyone about a year. That first birthday, you’ll be back in your old jeans again – no worries.” Now, they’ve probably given up, lol. I can’t call it “baby weight” when she’s 2 1/2. It’s now “toddler weight” which is not as socially acceptable. So, after I eat every single deliciously fattening after-Christmas morsel in my home, I’m starting fresh tomorrow morning and WILL lose this weight. {I’m doing a weight loss challenge too – and will be posting a photo of my weigh-in’s once a week. EEK! But watch for it. Tomorrow morning is post numero uno. Ghad.}

New Year’s Resolution #5: Promote what you love instead of bashing what you hate. Oh maaaahn. I could go on about this for quite awhile. Whether it comes to religion, to politics, to society, to guns, to motherhood, to what people wear, to whatever – In life, this is the resolution I’d love to share with everyone, and hope more people pick up on. When you talk about your God, whoever He or She may be, do you think people listen when you’re supporting people, doing good works, spreading positivity? Or when you’re telling gays they’re going to hell, that kids are shot in school because we don’t teach your specific religious beliefs there, or whatever else it is that you want to be negative about? Your beliefs are yours. But remember that if you want support for them – In ANY part of life, on ANY topic – the way to go is by being positive and giving people a reason to feel good. Not telling a portion of people why they suck. No fun.

In closing – here’s a thank you for listening to my goals, and not laughing at them. Most New Year’s Resolutions are easily forgotten in those first sober moments of the new year… Or at best, work as a “To-Do list for the first week of January” – lol. But, I’m a list maker. A goal checker. A get it done-er. I’m super excited to have had my business goals posted on this site, for last year, which help keep me accountable – and that I accomplished almost all of it. So, watch soon for more specific goals coming from me soon – to again, keep me accountable.

Share your New Year’s Resolutions with me in our Facebook community – Funny, sarcastic, serious, emotional, all of ‘em. I want to hear your realistic plans, and overly ambitious dreams. I don’t have mine all written down yet, so I’d love to be inspired by you guys too!!

Happy New Year’s! Be safe, drive safe, don’t say “I love you man” too many times tonight, and may the person you kiss at midnight – spouse, significant other, or random stranger – have nice breath and be non-regret-inducing tomorrow morning!

Cheers to 2013 – to the fresh start, new adventures, exciting and unexpected changes!