Goooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllll.

I think it's inevitable to start off a new year with some sort of goal setting. Whether they're actually resolutions or flights of fancy, we all would like to think that the first day of the first month of the new year offers a clean slate.

I myself am not immune to this and in fact am a part of a goal setting group. When I found out I was pregnant with Monkey, I joined an amazing Facebook group filled with amazing women who were due around the same time. One of its off shoots was a group devoted strictly to motivating whomever joined to do their best, set goals in place and encourage each other when there were highs and lows. Recently, we've been talking about what we want to accomplish in this next year and admittedly, at first, I struggled.

Since having Monkey, I feel like a complete idiot most of the time. Mommy brain is, for lack of a better term, a bitch. I forget things, repeat myself, get sidetracked easily, all things that would've drive my pre-pregnancy self crazy. I suppose this is one of God's ways of pointing and laughing and still teaching me a lesson. Thanks for that.

I was able to finally put down some ideas and I thought I'd share them here. Putting your goals in writing is half the battle. It doesn't mean you'll actually achieve them, but you do have a higher chance.

1) Run away. Run every chance I get. Run here. Run there. Just run. I'm never so truly centered as when I am running. I even found some mommy friends to do virtual runs with me since I work weekends and will most likely be out this racing season.

2) Cook. I did not realize how cathartic cooking is for me until a few weeks ago when I was able to cook every day of the week. It was almost zen like. My soul feels better when I get to feed my family. Watching Monkey wolf down home cooking was extremely rewarding. Plus I need fodder for my Friday food posts.

3) It's all about me...when it comes to my blog. For so long I tried to figure out how to make my blog become this mega hit, with guest posts from the likes of Gwyneth and any Food Network star. And it felt as fake as it was. So now I blog with my original intent: just to write. I've loved writing since I was a little girl. One of the first jobs I ever said I wanted was a journalist. Sadly, you have to do a lot of writing in college to become a journalist and ironically, I hate formal writing. I can do it and do it well, I just don't want to. So wah.

There are probably other goals that I'm forgetting like saving more and spending less. Those have more do with my family and feel a little too personal to put out there. But these three are just about me and what I need for myself, which I'm learning is just as valuable as the wife-me or the mom-me. The me-me is the one that makes sure all the other me's are functioning on a somewhat human level. The me-me thinks I need more coffee.

How about you? What are your goals for you-you? Who's climbing Mt Everest this year or painting the next Sistine Chapel?