Fall Into Reading Wrap Up

Wow! How is it another reading challenge is over?!

I started with a diverse list of 8 fiction and non-fiction. I made a dent but didn't finish as well as I had hoped. Unfortunately, the siren song of an e-book reader swayed me away from the hard-copy straight and narrow. LOL

I completed my fiction choices: Lost Hero and Safe From the Sea. I enjoyed both immensely. I also got a fiction wish list granted from paperbackswap.com and also read Redeeming Love.

As for my nonfiction, I couldn't get my hands on a copy of the Carl D. And, when I realized what an enormous door stop Plain, Honest Men was, I turned it right back in to the librarian. LOL I have a minor in American history and have taught it at the secondary level but that book (really, I DID try) was worse than textbook I read in college. LOL

I'm in the middle of One Thousand Gifts but never got a chance to start the Tim Challies book. And, I never got to either parenting book despite the fact I OWN them both and they sit on the living room shelves staring at me the last 3 months!

The upside of this whole story? I got a new little Android tablet with a Kindle AND Nook app! Woo-hoo! I read seven books on it since the challenge started...I did a review here and here plus read two more.

So, to crunch the numbers...I started with a wish list of eight and, while I didn't finish all of the original eight, my final count of completed books was ten (and a half if you count "One Thousand Gifts"! )

Thank you, Katrina, for hosting. Count me for another round in the spring. And, merry Christmas everyone!

An unscheduled day

Most Sunday nights or Monday mornings, you would find me at my desk coordinating my week, checking upcoming events, glancing at my Google calendar, the kids' school calendar, (at this time of year) our family Advent calendar, and my housework program.

I coordinate all my tasks, to-do's, housework, events, reading, and craftiness onto one page that I follow through the week.

Blame my darn ADD but this is the only way I've consistently ever got anything done.

My ADD causes me unending anxiety...did I forget something, will I forget a crucial piece of paper, did I check this site or the bank accounts before heading out for grocery shopping, did I pay the bills, how long has it been since I cleaned the toilet, is it one of the kids' turn for treats? And, on and on and on.

Now, working on lowering my stress and anxiety has become more of a concrete thing since I've also been working on losing weight ESPECIALLY since I tend to be an emotional and "fidgety" eater...and I spend a lot of time emotional and fidgety with all this anxiety. LOL

Back to today...

I had put everything on hold this weekend because we had family visiting this weekend. Short of cooking for all of us, there were no to-do's and only visiting.

They didn't leave 'til this (Monday) morning. I put the kids on the bus, went and had breakfast with my parents before they headed back to the Detroit area, do my daily walk for the day, and, found that when I was done, it was about time for the kids' lunch hours so I stuck around for an extra 30 minutes and ate with them.

With no to-do list.

Arrived home to get a couple loads of laundry done, some dishes done, some computer work done, and *suddenly* it was time to wake up DaHubby (who had been sleeping all day due to being on a night shift schedule this week) and get ready to feed the kids when they got off the bus.

No checking off completed to-do's yet.

We ate together. More dishes. More laundry. Double-checking homework and book bags. Got DaHubs off to work.

Yet, still no to-do list had been made.

Now, I sit here with DaHubs gone at work and the kids in bed 15 minutes ago and when I sit down to finally make up my to-do list, it occurs to me: this was probably the best, most enjoyable day I've had in a really long time.

I think I'm going to start deliberately planning for an intentional "no to-do list day" regularly. My ADD-addled, control-freak-list-maker brain seems to benefit from a little free-flowing, free-thinking, free-to-respond time.