I am writing up a post to share how I did on my goals for 2012 went and I am of course thinking about my goals for 2013. Part of my new goals will be the resolution to do more for others in 2013 both locally and globally and to be better about setting an example in this regard for my kids. It’s all part of Raising Kids Who Care. I am sure that with the holidays now almost behind us many are feeling quite fortunate for what we have and we want to find ways to help others throughout the upcoming year. I plan to post regularly all year long about initiatives and causes that are worthwhile to support with our time and resources.

On this last day of 2012 I want to share the World Food Programme and the work they do. They work to help with hunger after the devastation brought by hurricanes, drought, and armed conflict. My life has never been touched by any of these things but even if they did I have certain advantages that would help me and my family through obstacles like this just because I live in the country I do. Many others around the globe are not so fortunate and when faced with disasters like these their very lives hang in the balance and the World Food Programme saves lives. Donations made at this moment in time provide life-saving food for refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, families facing the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in Haiti, and mothers struggling to feed their children due to drought in Somalia.

Donations are tax deductible of course and the work they do is hugely important. There are several ways we can get involved and support this work. If you keep a list of charitable organizations to support throughout the year I hope you will add this one.

Have a wonderful New Year!

This post was written as a member of the Global Team of 200 a group of mom bloggers banding together to work for social good.

I actually bought my ticket for the BlogHer 2012 conference in New York City months ago but I never announced it here. It’s not earth shattering news or anything. Then I figured that maybe I should make a little announcement just in case any readers or other bloggy friends were going so that we could arrange to meet in person. This is all part of my New Year’s Resolution to have more fun. It was a total blast to go visit Detroit earlier this year and meet up with dozens of other bloggers. In New York there will be a pool of thousands of bloggers to meet, chat up, and attend parties with. Plus, it’s the Big Apple. What could be more fun?

Well, actually I am not sure because it will be my first BlogHer but I am pretty sure it will be  blast. I made a deal with myself that I would not do any business trips or blog conferences until my kids were older. That way it wouldn’t be extremely hard on them or anyone that I enlisted to help care for them. It made me sad to pass on opportunities to travel (which I LOVE) and be more sociable with bloggers and brands but the mom part of mom blogger had to come first. Anyway I started blogging when my middle child was a newborn and now my youngest just hit lucky number six last month. It’s time to get out there and have a bit of fun.

If you are going please leave a comment on this post. I would love to know who to look out for! I would also love to hear any tips you have if you have been before.

I am also looking for a sponsor or sponsors… maybe. I say maybe because I am pretty picky about who I work with, what with all the greenwashing that goes on, but I know there has to be a potential fit out there somewhere and I am willing to chat about partnerships.

Hope to see you there!

When I attended the Auto Show in Detroit last week I met lots of interesting business people and bloggers that is a large part of why it was so much fun. As I was standing in line to get into the Ford press conference I met Jonathan Marshall of Parks By Nature and we chatted for quite awhile about the company and their mobile apps. I just got a smart phone a couple months ago and my main reason for upgrading was to have access to apps that would make it easier to geocache and explore our city and state parks. Parks By Nature offers an app close to my heart, though sadly they do not have one for my state just yet. Even so, I wanted to recommend it for anyone who lives in a state where they have an app and also so you can keep an eye out for your state to become available, if they don’t have it yet.

Basically, it is a mobile tour guide of your state parks. It has maps of the trails and campgrounds, weather info, event info, and lots more. You can make reservations and plan your visit using the app as well as use it to navigate if you get a little lost. From what I can tell it is very well done (ie user friendly) and very attractive to the eye as well. The rep that I met was also very excited and passionate about what they do and how it can benefit families.

If it is one of your New Year’s goals to get out and do some local exploring or take a Staycation in your own state check out Parks By Nature and @PocketRanger on Twitter. Enjoy!

I don’t typically make New Year’s resolutions but I am feeling rather inspired for 2012. I had two goals for 2011 that I set for myself on March 1st (does that count?) to really concentrate on fitness and exercise and to also make more time for me. I guess I just decided that I needed to allow myself to be more than a mom now that my kids are getting older. I blew those goals out of the water and since I am feeling pretty empowered by those successes I think it is time to set some more goals. No time like the present right?

January is named after the Roman god Janus, god of doorways and thus January is the door to the year. Janus had two faces, one to see the past and one to see the future. Likewise we can reflect back on the previous year, learn from our failures and successes, and look to the future with exuberance.  This is the month we spend looking inside ourselves to set a path for the year and prepare for our journey with focus.

My goals for 2011 are still very much in effect. I will keep on hitting the gym and exercising. I will also keep carving out time for me. But I have some other goals too.

This year I resolve to…

Have More Fun

I was bemoaning the fact that I didn’t take many photos in 2011 but honestly we didn’t do much photo worthy stuff. I had grand plans but I let it all fall apart when life got busy. We had a big illness (ie cancer) within the extended family and my husband worked tons of overtime. The only thing even remotely close to a vacation for us was a day trip to the Hocking Hills. I also turned down several fun business travel opportunities because I felt my kids were still a wee bit too young for me to be away (been doing that for years). This year needs to be different. We will take a real vacation and I will make sure my family fun plans actually make it out of the planning stage. I will also travel for business and leave my kids in the reliable hands of my husband. For that to happen it would help if I…

Make More Money

I have a confession. I don’t work all that hard. I worked my arse off for several years when I was just starting my home business and ever since I hit a certain point in my income I have been happy to coast along doing the bare minimum. Yes, technically I earn more with each passing year but imagine what I could earn if I actually put some effort into it. I like to tell myself we don’t NEED more money but my husband has worked a little too much overtime for that to be true. I need to step up and earn the money I know I can make. If it turns out we don’t actually need the money, we can spend it on wants… like the aforementioned FUN. I hear DisneyWorld calling my name. Or we can send it along to our emergency savings and/or IRAs.

In order to make more money I think I need to buckle down and…

Get More Organized

I am sooo badly organized it is tragic and it has to change if I want to earn more money and remember all the fun events coming up that I want my family to take part in. I am sick of dropping the ball on opportunities because the pitches get lost in my email inbox or I just plain forget about a fun event in our hometown. I also need to spend less time on Facebook playing games and reading blog posts in my RSS feed that will not advance my goals. It would help if I knew exactly what I needed to be doing and make sure that was done BEFORE play time.

These 3 goals or resolutions are enough for now I think since my 2011 goals are still in effect… make time for me and also for exercise and fitness. To kick things off I am armed with a To-Do list that I print (on recycled household paper) each day. Each evening I brainstorm and figure out what needs done from blogging to cleaning the toilet. I keep it at no more than 15 things and I try to get everything checked off by the end of the evening. I also have a daily planner on my desk where I can write down all the fun family stuff I saw in the paper or online, even months out, so I will remember them. Above my desk I have a white board calendar with appointments, bill due dates, and work deadlines.

Also helpful are these 3 books. I hope to write more about them soon…

Organize Now!: A Week-by-Week Guide to Simplify Your Space and Your Life

Organize Now! 12 Month Home & Activity Planner

Organize Now! Your Money, Business & Career: A Week-by-Week Guide to Reach Your Goals

I also accepted a business travel opportunity in late 2011 and I leave in a few days. Woot! Plus I bought a ticket to BlogHer12 and reserved my hotel room in NYC for later this year. This year is going to be awesome. I just know it!

What have you resolved to do for 2012?

This morning I hit the gym for the first time of 2012. Not only did I feel like the energizer bunny (thanks to paleo/primal foods!) I wore some new athletic shoes thanks to the fine people at PlanetShoes. Last month they sent me a pair of the “new” New Balance shoes, called NewSky. I already have some New Balance minimalist shoes in black and pink, though not this version and I love them so I was excited to try NewSky. I absolutely adore the blue/grey coloring (I was getting sick of pink) and these shoes come in wide width so they are way more comfortable than my other ones. Yes, those are my pasty white legs in the photo above. I don’t usually wear shorts in the snow but I haven’t done any laundry since the week before Christmas. I got some pretty strange looks at the gym today, LOL. Shorts and a parka isn’t a good combo?

Anyway, NewSky shoes are special because they are a much greener version of the classic shoe. They are minimalist and uber lightweight, which is important to me. You also know as you lace them up that the material they are made of is different. 95% of the upper section is made of recycled P.E.T, also known as recycled plastic bottles. Cool beans! I often hesitate to buy products that make the same claim because who wants to sleep on a pillow filled with plastic bottle filling or wear a shirt made of plastic bottles, but shoes are perfect. I always wear socks with them so they don’t come in contact with skin and athletic shoes typically wear out so fast that it is reassuring to know they are made from recycled materials. Also in order to make a shoe with so much recycled material they had to completely redesign it and that meant reduced waste overall. All of the inner materials you see in typical shoes like foam and reinforcer materials are not there. This makes the material very soft and pliable, not stiff. It is evident in putting on the shoe since you need to mold it your foot and then lace it up. This makes NewSky very different from other shoes but I personally think this it is rather awesome. The fit feels custom and perfect, like I am not even wearing shoes.

Cool fact: Each pair of NewSky shoes uses 8 20 ounce plastic bottles.

I first wore these on a quick two mile hike earlier this week. They were comfortable from the get-go and I never got a hint of a blister despite them being brand new. I can’t say the same of my other New Balance shoes. Today I wore them to the gym. I had to take them off before I jumped in the pool of course but afterwards I did some weight training and they performed well. I think these will be prefect for colder days when I can’t wear Vibram Five Fingers as I normally do.

Love the fit, love the comfort, and I love that they are made from recycled materials. They get an A+ from me! If you are interested NewSky shoes come in the blue/grey you see above as well as pink and a yellow/green combo. They also have NewSky shoes for men.

Contest Closed! The winner is Debbie Clauer, congrats!