Goals, Anyone?

I have never been one for New Year's Resolutions. This year, however, I have a few things in mind.

1. Continue to get back into my profession. If I could get a writing or editing job every other month, it would help me stay sharp. So far I have quarterly work heading my way from a non-profit in Washington, D.C. and a local Christian author emailing her latest Bible study for review by the end of January. The tricky part: switching back and forth from AP Style (newspapers, magazines and public relations) to Chicago Manual of Style (book publishing). It fries my brain.
2. Lose those last seven pounds. It's not much, but I could do without the slight muffin top leftover from my last pregnancy. (I still use the rubber band trick for two pairs of jeans.) Eating well isn't hard for me. But eating well alone never helps me lose weight. I have to exercise.
3. Use my crock pot more. Someone put a bug in my ear this week about Crock Pot Freezer Cooking. You assemble an entire meal in a gallon zip lock bag - meat, vegetables, spices, sauce - then shake it up and throw it in the freezer. On the day you plan to eat it, you simply let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes then throw it in the crock pot on high for four hours. We are starting with Orange-Beef Stew, Cranberry Chicken and a "Healthy Mama" Barbecue Chicken. This is the website that got me started.
4. Build up my craft supplies. I keep all of our art "stuff" in a single cupboard in my kitchen. We have stickers, paint, coloring books and chalk. I want to add stamps, construction paper, glue sticks and fun shaped sponges for sponge painting.
5. Watch more movies. This means I will have to stop collapsing in bed after the kids go to sleep. This week I have already managed to stay up late enough to watch the final Harry Potter (woah!) and Invictus (meh.). And one afternoon I squeezed in One Fine Day with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer. Clooney at his finest. And by finest, I mean most handsome.