I also want to pitch a new business book. Right now I’m leaning towards a blogging book for work-at-home moms. The goal this month is to get the proposal researched and written. I’m hoping to pitch to Adams Media, which bought my last book, but want to be ready to send to other publishers as well.

In terms of my monthly challenges, this month is to write down everything I eat every day. Last month I was supposed to exercise every day (22 out of 28 days successful), but I still ate a lot. Cold and snow make me do that. I should have been a bear. So this month I hope to get more control over the food intake by keeping track. It does make you stop and think before you eat.  Do I really want to add that 300 calorie candy bar to the list?

This month’s book selection is Persuasion by Jane Austin, which I’ve read last week. I’ll be posting a little something about that and February’s book (The Great Gatsby) shortly.

And of course on top of it all is all the other things I need to get done each week such as articles, blogs, book promotion, teleseminars, etc. And because I’m already behind, I should probably get to it.

In January my goal was to not go back to bed when my kids got on the bus for school.  This challenge only counted on school days, which makes it seem like its not such a challenge at all since the kids only had 17 days of school in January. Until I figured that out, I thought I’d done pretty well. I did have one day in which I lounged on the couch until 8 a.m. and the last day (Friday) I couldn’t get up until 8:30. But all other days I was at my desk by 7:30 am.

Getting up before 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. feels like a real chore to me. But I have to admit that getting to work by 7:30 and being done by 1 p.m. was pretty great. I had time for lunch and a nap. I even had time to run errands. I really like that. But at 7:00 a.m. I’d don’t like it more than I like sleep.

So the question is…do I stick with the early to rise and early to nap or do I go back to my later to rise and no nap?

I think that’s true for me. Its too easy to life live the same each day. To do something different, I need to know what I need to do and figure out how I’m going to fit it in my life. One thing I’ve tried is getting new planner. But its not to keep my calendars. Instead its filled with notebook paper and divided into sections for each of my blogs and other projects. One reason I struggle with writing and working on projects is that when I have time to sit work on them, I don’t know what to say or do. But throughout the day I think of great blog ideas or scenes for my book or other project tasks. With this planner, I’m able to jot them down and refer to them later. I’ve also found the recorder feature on phone so I can give myself a voice message. But I’m not sure if I’ll remember to refer to it as easy as checking my planner.

So how am I doing on my goals?  I haven’t been perfect, but I haven’t given up on them either.

Goal 1: Blog more – I haven’t blogged as much as I planned, but I’ve blogged much more than I had been.

Goal 2: Get on national TV – I still haven’t been on national TV, but I did do an interview with an AP reporter (I’m working my way up).

Goal 3: Finish mystery novel – I’ve made real progress there! Its not done, but my goal is to have the completed draft by the end of this month.

Goal 4: 12 30 Day Challenges – My first challenge – don’t go back to be when the kids go to school- has been my biggest challenge. I’ve had at least 2 mornings in which I nearly gave up on that one. While I laid on the couch a little longer than I should have, I’ve been at my desk and working by 7:45 each workday so far.

Goal 5 : Read one classic a month. I’ve already read Push, which isn’t a classic, but surely must be literature. I’ve picked up Jane Eyre, a book full of works by Poe, and the first Poirot mystery by Agatha Christie. I’ll finish one of them by the end of the month.

Miscellaneous – These are the goals set every year and the ones that I usually don’t achieve to any great effect. I haven’t lost weight, but I have made a little more money.  As far as the weight goes, its very hard for me in the winter because I don’t get out much and want comfort food to keep me warm. But I did order a copy of Turbo Jam just so I could get a new workout option that might be fun.

I really enjoy it when I’m interviewed by energetic hosts who work to make the segment interesting and informative and best yet fun. I hope that they find me to be an energetic, informative and fun guest…even if I’m in my pj’s.

Starbucks only offers free wi-fi to card holders who keep money on their card. I shop there enough that its not too much of a hassle. The hassle is that you have to register and log-in every time you go online there.

So imagine my joy when I learned that Barnes and Noble now offers free wi-fi with no hassles. Just choose the wi-fi option, click “agree to terms” and you’re off and surfing! No registering? No logging in.

I believe the generosity has to do with Barnes and Noble online book service. You can download its eReader (for free) on to your laptop or various smartphones. Barnes and Noble has learned what many online marketers know… if you give some stuff away for free (wi-fi and eReader), people will buy (ebooks, coffee).

To be honest, I haven’t tried the Barnes and Noble ebooks yet, but I probably will eventually.  I do spend a lot their on traditional books and coffee. And I’ll be back for more now that it offers free wi-fi.

This weekend I was interviewed by the Charlottesville NBC29 news reporter Liz Nagy about working at home and my new book. The clip aired Sunday night at 6 and 11, and again Monday morning. When I walked into the gym this morning to teach my class, I got an ovation (not a standing one, but it was the gym and people were conserving their energy!). It was a bit embarrassing, but a whole lot of fun too!

I enjoyed the interview and hope to do more . Oprah hasn’t called yet, but there’s time.