a peek inside the fishbowl

Do you know what this is? Take a guess.

Read the rest of this entry »

I don’t really make New Year’s resolutions any more. Mostly because I think we set ourselves up for failure when we make big promises to ourselves without taking into consideration all those little things that need to be solved first. For example, if your goal is to lose 20lbs in 2014, wouldn’t it be better to resolve to eat breakfast every morning? Or take the dog for a longer walk three times a week? But that is neither here nor there because I’m not making resolutions! :)

Although I don’t think New Year’s is a good time for me to make resolutions, I do think it’s a good time to reassess what’s working (or not) in my life. One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is this blog.

One of the best things I did this past year was hire someone to do a major upgrade under the hood. I can’t tell you what a relief it is to have everything upgraded and backed up and finally running properly.  It was causing me more stress than I even realized. (Thank you Lynn!)

These are the blog-related things I’ve decided to focus upon in 2014:

• I will remember why I started blogging in the first place. I write so I can remember. I write because I love it. I write because it is who I am and I can’t NOT write.
• I will be myself, and stay true to myself, in this place that I have carved out for myself. This is my space, and I will be better at accepting that the blog has to change and grow as I do.
• I will remember that my loyalties and priorities lie with myself and my family first. If I want this to be the kind of space that works for me, I need to make myself happy. If it’s not making me happy, it’s a drain.
• I will never have an editorial calendar for the blog, because they suck.
• I will never force myself to write if I have nothing to write about. I will do my best to keep the vessel full.

Bloggers: what do you want to do in 2014? Network more often? Update your LinkedIn page? Get a professional head shot taken? (All good things to do by the way!)

I’d be interested in hearing whether other social media peeps are assessing or re-adjusting this time of year too!

Merry Christmas!

Just for the record, the eldest woke up the earliest today. The rest of us are pretty tired. Piper has been very confuzzled.

8:00 a.m. – the stockings are already unwrapped, and we await company.

9:00 a.m. – THE UNWRAPPING

10:00 a.m. – brunch in the making

11:00 a.m. – toy testing

12 noon – the turkey is going in

1:00 p.m. – Piper wanted to show me the toy she got for Christmas

2:00 p.m. – Ongoing food prep

3:00 p.m. – a short break, with beer

4:00 p.m. – Self-portrait with potato

5:00 p.m.- Getting ready for dinner!

6:00 p.m. – IS THE TURKEY READY YET?!!

7:00 p.m. Part of dessert, which was molten chocolate lava cakes. Yummy!

8:00 p.m. – The contents of our Christmas crackers. Very fun!

9:00 p.m. – Last one! Enjoying our gifts while watching Miracle on 34th Street.