The one with all the links

"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." - Anne Shirley

Isn't New Year's Day like, the ULTIMATE fresh day?  I love it!  Yesterday my husband asked me if I wanted ice cream - I told him "Of course not! Today is, like, International Dieters Day, or something!" and then I caved and ate the ice cream. (Yum.)

I have been excited about Tracy & crew's Working Mom Resolution link-up over at her place since I heard about it, but then I developed a nasty case of resolution block. 

So I'm slightly late to the party.

I like to have a theme to my resolutions and this year it is:  RELATIONSHIPS

So, I kind of suck at relationships.  There are a number of factors that contribute to this:  an autoimmune disease with its unpleasant and sudden flare-ups, and all my acronyms:  OCD, SAD, GAD, & MDD (that's Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder & Major Depressive Disorder for the uninitiated) - and while I vasciliate between being comforted by and trying to rise above my numerous disorders - I have decided that this year I am going to find ways to nurture relationships despite being crazy myself.

I think all these things contribute to my undying love of social media.  Social Media is perfect for folks like me, who can't go into most social situations without a stiff drink (or 2 glasses of wine) first - it's all on my terms, I can do it in my PJ pants, and I can edit what I say to my heart's content!  Perf!  So, naturally, most of my resolutions are social media based.

Before I can tackle any of that, I have to look at what other factors are holding me back.  Work-wise, I need to work smarter.  I've got "work hard for long hours" down.  But in hindsight I see numerous times where I could have delegated, or formed a committee, or just plain asked for some help and the result would not have been compromised. (Yeah, I'm a control freak.  OCD, remember?)  So this year, I need to harness my RELATIONSHIPS at work to get the assistance I need.  Less hours and less stress might mean that I can actually focus on these other plans in a real way, and not continue my current pattern which is: work, zumba (sometimes), shower, pass out on couch.  And y'all?  I got a lot of favors I can call in.  A lot.

I also have to work on my RELATIONSHIP with myself.  I need to take better care of me, and in a fun way - I need to deep condition my hair.  I need to paint my nails and wear new earrings.  I need to spend 5 minutes with my mascara wand in the morning because longish lashes make me feel like a million bucks.  And I need to make better food choices.  My goal is to log in at myfitnesspal daily, and track according to my goals.  I also will be walking the Cap10K in April!

Working on my RELATIONSHIP with God is a given - I've joined the #shereadstruth movement and am LOVING their devotionals & the community that is out there! 

Ok - now onto the social stuff:

Here's a secret:  I don't love Facebook like I used to.  I was honored to participate in Darling Magazine's Beauty Revolution on 1/1/2013:  a bunch of us ladies made our profile picture one of us without makeup in an effort to quell the jealousy and comparision that happens so often on the facebook.  Here's mine:
  

So, I resolve to not be on facebook quite so much, and, when I am, to participate in communities more - Mama's Comfort Camp comes to mind... :)

I do, however, adore Twitter.  I want to increase my followers to 700, because that means that I am engaging more folks.  (I'm at 611 right now...hint...hint...if you are a real person, I follow back! @tiffanykummer)

I also want to increase my presence on G+ - I love it when I'm in there, but that is so rare!  Now that the blog and the profile are linked, I really hope that motivates me to get over there more.

And then there is the blog.  Ay, caramba.  This year I would love to develop an actual following.  Right now, 2 people subscribe to my blog, and I have a whopping 13 likes on facebook. That is sodapressing.  To fix the blog, I have joined BloggyMoms "1 year to a better blog" - which should make me a better blogger, I've set up reminders for Monday Listicles (my fave link-up) and will be reading and commenting on a heckuvalot more blogs in 2013.  Phew!

I also plan on cultivating some IRL RELATIONSHIPs too - I'd love to meet up with some local Austin tweeps, and I am joining a monthly bookclub!  Boo-yah!

So, that's that, and I'm both tired and energized just thinking about it all!  Cheers to 2013, y'all!  Make it GREAT!

TK