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April was another wonderful reading month for me. I completed ten books. Of those ten books, I read eight for Old School April. This readathon was part of an epic nostalgiathon. I finally completed Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley which I had been reading since January to kick off my Year of Christie reading project. I buddy read one book off my 23 Books for 2023, The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Lastly, I read We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix which was the selection for the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club. I enjoyed a variety of genres, discovered four new authors, and revisited a couple of old school favorites.

Old School April Readathon

The Old School April Nostalgiathon was created by Kelsi @ Slime and Slashers. She invited 7 other booktubers, including me, along with one Instagrammer to cohost this month-long event with her. It was a blast! In addition to reading prompts, there were movie prompts and bonus activity prompts. There were nine reading prompts for inspiration, and I used one book for two prompts.

  • Read a Goosebumps or Book that fits AYAOTD vibes (Night of the Living Dummy 2 by R.L. Stine)
  • Read any 80s Horror Book (The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker)
  • Read an Animal Attack Book (The Werewolf of Fever Swamp by R.L. Stine)
  • Read a Book with Old Technology on Cover or in Story (The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene)
  • Mood Read  (The X-Files: Earth Children Are Weird by Jason Rekulak)
  • Read a Fear Street, Point Horror, or Christopher Pike Book (Double Date by R.L. Stine)
  • Read a Book with Magic or Cursed Objects (The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker)
  • Read any 90s Horror Book (The Unexpected Guest adapted by Charles Osborne)
  • Read a Book by Female Author or with Female Protagonist (We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix)

I really enjoyed reading the picture book featuring young Mulder and Scully. This book is my first written by Jason Rekulak and illustrated by Kim Smith. The story was fun and the illustrations were well-done. I would love to purchase more picture books in this series featuring other nostalgic characters. The Goosebumps books and my first Fear Street book were entertaining. I loved revisiting The Secret of the Old Clock and The Hellbound Heart. Both stories are terrific! Nancy Drew is extremely nostalgic for me. I loved reading her mysteries in middle school. The Helbound Heart is not for the faint of heart with its body horror and sadistic Cenobites, but a classic for horror fans and fans of Clive Barker. I substituted The Unexpected Guest for the 90s horror prompt. This book is my first Agatha Christie story for the year. It was originally written by Agatha Christie as a play and later adapted as a novel by Charles Osborne. This book is the first I have read by him. I rather enjoyed it and would have loved to have seen the play performed on the stage. Of course, I did not guess the murderer. Christie is so clever!

We Sold Our Souls was the April book club selection for the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club, and it was a rockin’ good time. Kris Pulaski, lead guitarist for a heavy metal band, is close to making the big time with her bandmates when the lead singer, Terry Hunt, sells them out for fame and a solo career. Kris is the only member of the band who is not on board with signing Hunt’s plan for the future of their band. After no options and reluctantly signing a questionable contract, her music career and relationships with her bandmates cease, leaving her alone, broke, and extremely bitter. Years pass, but she is still bitter. While driving home early one morning from her dead-end job, she spots a billboard of Terry Hunt advertising his upcoming epic concert and decides to reclaim her music and her life. I enjoyed this story with its heavy metal references, a well-developed protagonist, and off-putting creatures amid a social commentary about capitalism and conspiracy theories.

Year of Christie

Many thanks to my friend Rita for recommending Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman to me at the end of 2022. I knew next to nothing about Agatha Christie’s personal life or career and have only read a handful of her mystery novels. Lucy Worsley wrote a fantastic biography that included plenty of photos of Agatha Christie and the cast of characters that impacted her life. I liked the way Worsley formatted the book and gave examples of where Christie’s life made its way into her fictional stories. Agatha Christie was a fascinating woman and a wonderful writer who lived an interesting life. I look forward to reading more of her mysteries this year. 5 stars!

Buddy Read

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was an AMAZING read for me! It is one of the books on my 23 Books for 2023 list which I buddy read with my friend Mary @ Booking Through Life. We had two wonderful discussions about this terrific book.

Nora Seed’s life is less than ideal. She is extremely unhappy with her current job and nonexistent personal life. After the one bright spot in her life is unexpectedly taken from her, despair completely takes her over, and she ends her life. However, she finds herself inside the Midnight Library, between life and death,

where she is greeted by her childhood school librarian, Mrs. Elm. The books inside this library are the lives that Nora could have lived if she would have chosen them. The Midnight Library is a well-written, captivating story about purpose, choices, success, and second chances. Nora struggles with her purpose in life in regard to her relationships as well as what it means to be successful. I loved how Haig connected elements in the story to growth. Nora Seed, Mrs. Elm, a root life, and “then the tree-the tree that is our life-develops branches” all point to growth and the development of the many lives we live. The fact that Haig chose an elm tree, a symbol with the Underworld in Celtic mythology, to name Mrs. Elm was wonderful to me. She is Nora’s guide and someone who connects her between life and death.

This book made me pause and examine my own life, my choices, as well as my regrets. In our first meeting, Mary and I discussed whether or not we would want to see how our different lives played out or keep our current life. At first, I was all for wanting a sneak peek, but as I read on and experienced Nora’s different lives, I agreed with Mary that our “root life” or our current life is exactly where we need to be. Choosing an alternate life has far-reaching consequences not only for ourselves, but also for others. I think once you make peace with your past and your present circumstances are embraced, your current life then opens up to plenty of possibilities. It is no longer about changing the past, but living in the now and paving the way for your future. 5 stars!

If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in April, please check out my April wrap up video.

May has gotten off to a great start. I completed two books that I carried over from April and have finished three books already for Zombiethon, a month-long readathon/watchathon event that I am hosting on my channel. The Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club chose a zombie selection for May called Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall. It also happens to be the group read for Zombiethon. It is a humorous zombie story. I am also joining the Middle Grade March Book Club, and their May selection is The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill. So much fun stuff to read in May.

Lastly, I have two winners for the Middle Grade March giveaway. Congrats to Kathryn and Katie for winning a copy of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. The books are on backorder, so as soon as I receive them, I will contact you. Thanks for participating. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one’s hand.” ~ Ezra Pound

Happy Zombie Awareness Month, dear reader! I am super excited to celebrate ZOMBIES this year because I am hosting Zombiethon: Zombie Awareness Readathon & Watchathon on my channel, Kat’s Novel Adventures. I have created another Zombie Fun List just for this year. It will include everything related to zombies, such as movies, television shows, books, short stories, articles, cocktails, and clothing. I also created a Discord for my channel which includes the Zombiethon event. I will be hosting live chats, reading sprints, as well as a book giveaway. It promises to be a zomberific good time!

In the past, my books and movies were mood reads or mood watches. This year, I decided to create reading and watchng prompts to guide me in picking out my movies and books. Having prompts this year added a bit of whimsy to the choices I made for this year’s celebration of Zombie Awareness Month.

Zombie Fun List

Movies

Television Shows

I plan to catch up on Fear the Walking Dead with the 8th and final season coming out on May 14th. If I have some extra time in the month, I would also like to watch a few episodes of Kingdom which is currently streaming on Netflix. Kingdom is a South Korean zombie show set in the 16th century.

Books, Short Stories, and Articles

As for short stories, I plan to read “Eat Me” by Robert R. McCammon which is included in a collection of zombie stories titled Zombies: Encounters with the Hungry Dead edited by John Skipp. My article to read this month is “Do Zombies Feel Pain? Exploring Sensory Neuropathy” which was posted on 17 February 2023 by Luke W. Boyd. You can find this article as well as plenty of other articles and information related to zombies on the Zombie Research Society website.

As always, I am delighted to be celebrating zombies throughout the month of May. If time permits, I will sprinkle a zombie post here or there throughout the month. Of course, dear reader, you are invited to participate in all the zombie shenanigans I have planned for Zombiethon. Who do zombies avoid eating, and why? Clowns, because they taste funny! Happiness!

“A non-frightening zombie is a lame zombie.” ~ Scott M. Gimple

March was a MARVELOUS reading month for me. I read six short stories for The Week of Weird Readathon and completed eight books. Of those eight books, I read five for Middle Grade March. Both readathons were new reading adventures for me. I read quite a few new authors and discovered new middle-grade favorites. In addition, I completed The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson which I had been buddy reading with my sister Rachel since January. I completed Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam which I had been reading since January while also participating in Vanderkam’s Tranquility by Tuesday Challenge. Lastly, I finished Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier which was the January/February selection for the FOMO Book Club.

The Week of Weird Readathon

I have been wanting to read more short stories ever since devouring three collections by Joe Hill back in the spring of 2020. These collections are Strange Weather, Full Throttle, and 20th Century Ghosts. For those of you who do not know, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. He is a fantastic writer, and his books and short stories are wonderful! I sprinkle short stories into my reading life sparingly, so when The Week of Weird Readathon was announced by Crystal @ fiberartsy and Jason @ Jason’s Weird Reads, I was excited to add a few of them on my March TBR. There were five reading prompts for inspiration. I read a few of the stories and listened to a couple on the podcast, Levar Burton Reads.

  • Old Weird: Read a weird fiction story or book published between 1910s – 1970s.
  • New Weird: Read a weird fiction story or book published between 1980s to the present.
  • Out of This World: Read a weird fiction story or book featuring science fiction elements.
  • The Dark: Read a weird fiction story or book featuring supernatural or horror elements.
  • Flora and Fauna: Read a weird fiction story featuring nature.

For Old Weird, I listened to Levar Burton read “Childfinder” by Octavia Butler. This story was my introduction to Butler’s work. It is about a rogue telepath that defies the establishment to protect telepathic children who have not yet tapped into their abilities. It was a good story; however, I felt like it was the prologue to something bigger. 3.5 stars

For New Weird, I read “Afterlife” by Stephen King. Anyone who has followed me for some time knows that Stephen King is my absolute favorite author, so it should be no surprise that one of his short stories made this list. Bill, an investment banker, dies and ends up in a purgatorial waiting room of sorts. He meets Mr. Harris and is given the opportunity (again, because he has been there before) to choose between two doors. Bill can choose to relive his past life with no previous memories or choose finality of existence. It is an interesting dilemma, and I was surprised by Bill’s decision. 4 stars

For Out of This World, I listened to Levar Burton read “I Was a Teenage Space Jockey” by Stephen Graham Jones. This story was my introduction to Jones’s work. Two 6th grade Native American boys spend Halloween evening in a video arcade and have a surreal experience while playing Galaga. I loved this nostalgic story centered around these two characters. 5 stars

For The Dark, I listened to Levar Burton read “The Story We Used to Tell” by Shirley Jackson. This story was my introduction to Jackson’s work. Katherine visits her friend Y at her late husband’s family mansion. During the visit, they come upon a creepy painting in one of the bedrooms that disburbs both women. The next day Y goes missing and is later discovered inside the off-putting painting by Katherine. This story was incredibly dark and eerie, and I loved the goosebumps it gave me. 5 stars

For Flora and Fauna, I listened to Levar Burton read “Cricket” by Kenneth Yu. This story was my introduction to Yu’s work. (I thought I had listened to another story of his, but that story, “The Paper Menagerie” was actually written by Ken Lui. HA!) Richard and his family were tasked with caring for his mother until her death. He held a grudge against his siblings for this arrangement, perceiving it more as a burden then a blessing. After the elderly matriarch’s death, a talking cricket mysteriously appears, dispensing wisdom to Richard and his wife Lucy. This unexpected guest intrigues Lucy, entertains the couple’s young son, but angers Richard. Lots of great messages in this short story. 4 stars

I read an additional story that could pretty much fulfill all of the reading prompts except New Weird, and it was “Colour Out of Space” by H.P. Lovecraft. An alien entity comes to earth and lands near a farm where it destroys the family who owns the farm as well as anything living in direct proximity of the farm. This descriptive story is scary, ominous, and exudes dread. If you read this short story, dear reader, make sure to check out the movie with Nick Cage afterwards. It was a terrific film adaptation. 5 stars

Middle Grade March

The Middle Grade March Readathon on BookTube was hosted by four lovely ladies, Krista @ Books and Jams, Amanda @ The Curly Reader, Katie @ Life Between Words, Jenna @ Jenna Reads n Writes (Instagram). As you know, dear reader, I enjoy reading children’s literature, and I read some fabulous middle-grade books throughout the month of March. There were five reading prompts for inspiration plus a group read, A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga.

  • An award winner, but not Newbery (The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen)
  • A Sci-fi/Dystopian book (A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga)
  • Sky or Sea on the cover (Odder by Katherine Applegate)
  • Book with a neurodiverse character (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling)
  • Book published in the last year (Odder by Katherine Applegate)

Even though I enjoyed everything I read for Middle Grade March, my absolute favorite story was Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. It was heartfelt, humorous, and had wonderfully written characters. I fell in love with the spunky main character Aven Green. Dear reader, if you want to hear more about my thoughts on any of the books I read during Middle Grade March, please check out my Middle Grade March wrap up video. It also includes my thoughts on Vacancy by K.R. Alexander which was my March book club selection for the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club. I also hosted my first book giveaway on my channel. Since I loved Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus so much, I gave away 6 copies to readers who expressed interest. I have 3 more copies to give away, so if you are interested, dear reader, please leave me a comment on this blog post, and I will enter you into a drawing. Giveaway ends on Sunday, May 7th at 11:59 PM.

FOMO Book Club

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier was the January/February book club selection for the FOMO Book Club. This online book club is run by three brilliant British booktubers, Alice @ Alice and the Giant Bookshelf, Gemma @ Gem of Books, and Jack @ Spread Book Joy. I must confess that Jaimaca Inn is my first Daphne du Maurier story, and I was not disappointed by this classic tale. Jamaica Inn gives off gothic vibes with its suspenseful atmosphere, gloomy and dark setting, and mysterious characters, including Jamaica Inn.

Despite her naïveté and lack of good judgement on occasion, I really liked the protagonist, Mary Yellin. She is young and inexperienced; however, I admire her sagacity, determination, and courage. After the death of her mother, Mary leaves her home in Helford to live with her Aunt Patience, her mother’s sister, and Uncle Joss at Jamaica Inn. Soon after her arrival, she is disheartened to learn that Aunt Patience has married an unsavory man, and Jamaica Inn has unpleasant secrets. This novel is considered romantic suspense, but it is my kind of romance. While I was not too surprised by Mary’s decision at the end of the novel, I did enjoy all of the twists and turns, the mystery surrounding Jamaica Inn, and Daphne du Maurier’s storytelling. 4 stars for Jamaica Inn!

Buddy Read

Back in January, my sister Rachel and I started the personal development book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (Caring): A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson. Yes, I covered up the expletive so as not to offend anyone; and, yes my sister laughed at me and pointed out it is just a word. Personally, I do not think it was necessary for Manson to use this word to effectively get his information out to his readers. However, he probably would not give a f*ck what I think anyway.

Once I got passed the cuss word in the title and the first chapter, laden with foul language and crude examples, I actually learned some valuable information that I could apply to my own life. There were quite a few takeaways from this book, but a few that really resonated with me included: happiness comes about through problem-solving, there is value in suffering, distinguishing between good and bad values, failure is a way forward, and the “do something” principle. I personally like how instead of looking for motivation to inspire action, you can take action to inspire motivation. Manson states, “If you lack motivation to make an important change in your life, do something – anything, really – and then harness the reaction to that action as a way to begin motivating yourself.” This self-improvement book earned a solid 3.5 stars.

23 for 2023 List

Tranquility by Tuesday: 9 Ways to Calm the Chaos and Make Time for What Matters by Laura Vanderkam is #20 on my 23 for 2023 List. I was not planning to read Vanderkam’s book until the summer; however, she hosted a Tranquility by

Tuesday Challenge in January, and it became the perfect time to dive in and get reaquainted with a few of the rules to see if they could help calm the chaos in my own life. My plan is to write a separate post specifically about my overall thoughts about this book and my experience with participating in the challenge. As I have mentioned in a previous post, I was excited to read Tranquility by Tuesday because I was one of the 150 participants in her time study to gather the data for this book. A couple of the rules had become habits or modified habits during the original time study, but most of them had fallen by the wayside and were forgotten. However, after reading the book (which I thought was fantastic) and completing the challenge (which I thought was eye-opening and fun), I am excited about how most of these rules can become effective habits in my life over time if I intentionally put them into practice. 5 stars for this personal development gem.

As you can see, I had a productive month of reading, dear reader. If you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in March, please check out my March wrap up video.

My sister and I are taking a break in between now and June. Rachel is an actuary and started her busy season at work at the end of March, and I have commitments in April with Old School April and in May with Zombiethon. I have been reading a bunch in April. I finally got around to reading The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club chose a rockin’ selection by Grady Hendrix. And, I finally finished reading Agatha Christie: An Elusive Woman by Lucy Worsley. Hopefully (always hopeful), I will be writing a post soon about what I read in April. Lots of terrific reads to share with you!

Lastly, do not forget about my book giveaway. Leave me a comment on this blog post if you are interested in a chance to win a copy of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling. Giveaway ends on Sunday, May 7th at 11:59 PM. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.” ~ Vera Nazarian

The rule focused on for Week 9 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was effortful before effortless. The purpose of this rule is to mindfully think about how you spend your leisure time. Laura Vanderkam created this rule to encourage having effortful fun before having effortless fun. In addition, Laura stated in an email to participants of the challenge, “When you do effortful fun before effortless, you’ll get to do both.”

So, what exactly is effortful fun? According to Laura, effortful fun is “fun that requires some planning, coordination, or mindfulness.” Examples of effortful fun are reading, putting together a puzzle, playing board games with friends or family, or scrapbooking.

So, what exactly is effortless fun? Social media and screen time fall into the category of effortless fun.

Anyone who falls down the rabbit hole of spending too much time scrolling on social media, may want to implement Laura’s rule and check out Catherine Price’s book, How To Break Up with Your Phone. I learned about Catherine Price and this book on the Happiness Lab podcast where she was interviewed by Dr. Laurie Santos. Listening to her story and the reason for writing this book inspired me to read it. The book includes Price’s 30-day challenge that can help people develop a new relationship with their phone. It works!

Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #9 that Laura sent us on Friday, 17 March and made a plan for the week.

  • What are your favorite sorts of effortful fun – that is, fun that requires some planning, coordination, or mindfulness? Reading, scrapbooking, putting puzzles together, content creation (blog and YouTube channel), hanging out with friends and family (and fur babies), and discussing books are my favorite sorts of effortful fun.
  • What leisure activities do you typically do at night in the hours before bed or during downtime on weekends? Read, watch television, watch YouTube videos (booktubers), edit my own YouTube videos
  • How much time, in minutes, do you estimate you spend on social media on a typical weekday? What about on weekends? When do these minutes happen? Weekdays (about 150 minutes M-F); Weekend (about 60 minutes); mainly happen in the morning or early evening
  • How much time, in minutes, do you estimate you spend on TV or other video entertainment on a typical weekday? How about on weekends? (about 30-60 minutes – YouTube per day); (about 120-240 minutes of television on the weekends); I mainly watch television with my hubby on Friday and Saturday evenings; I also tend to watch YouTube videos while eating breakfast or lunch; and sometimes, I listen to a video while unloading/loading dishes or folding laundry.
  • Today, choose one form of “effortful” fun to do before screen time. What will this be? Reading
  • What challenges might you encounter in doing effortful fun before effortless fun? No challenges; reading is my favorite choice for effortful fun
  • What needs to happen to ensure you spend time on this effortful fun activity first? Always have a book handy and schedule it

RESULTS

Throughout this week, I chose effortful fun before effortless fun. I pretty much have done this rule off and on since I participated in the original time study back in the spring of 2021. I am really proud with how well I did this week with all of the Tranquility by Tuesday rules.

REFLECTION

  • Think back over the past week. What sorts of “effortful” fun did you make time for? Reading, content creation, dinner at my mother-in-law’s house, book discussions
  • When did you choose to make time for this effortful fun? I make time to read whenever I can, especially in the morning while drinking my coffee or right before bed; content creation is done throughout the day, sometimes in the evening; dinner at my mother-in-law’s house is on Friday evenings, book discussions in the evenings (evenings vary).
  • What effects did you see in your life from making time for effortful fun? Positive effects; experience more reading; experience more joy
  • What challenges did you face while trying to do effortful fun before effortless fun? After posting a book review on Instagram or something on FB, I sometimes linger and scroll for a few minutes.
  • How did you address these challenges? I did not really address it; limited amount of time scrolling, and I no longer do it right before bed.
  • If you modified this rule, how did you do so? n/a
  • How likely are you to continue to do effortful fun before effortless fun? Very likely; since I have done this rule off and on since I participated in the original time study back in the spring of 2021. I like this rule. Good reminder that time is a limited resource, so choose how you spend it wisely.
  • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Yes, finally! I got an A++! I was in bed every night by 10:30, except Monday. I stayed up until 10:50, reading The Voyage of the Frog. On five of the seven nights, I read before going to sleep. On Friday night, I wrote a book review, and on Saturday night, Barry and I watched multiple episodes of Wednesday before going to sleep.
  • Plan on Friday? Yes, after dinner on Friday evening
  • Move by 3 p.m.? Yes, walked all four days in my backyard
  • Do your chosen activity three times per week? I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) all 7 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes, 2 times this week, for the #Outside23in23 Challenge. On Tuesday, I walked for 10 minutes, then played with dogs in the backyard for 15 minutes. On Wednesday, I walked for 15 minutes earlier in the day, then read for 20 minutes outside later that afternoon.
  • Create a back-up slot? Yes, I had two back-up slots on Saturday morning and Monday evening. I used Saturday morning for chores since I planned on Friday evening; and, Monday evening for helping Claire with a school assignment (we were supposed to meet on Sunday afternoon, but she had to reschedule).
  • Have one big adventure and one little adventure? YES, two of each. My two big adventures were attending Romeo and Juliet and dinner afterwards with my hubby, Andrew, his girlfriend Meagan (precious), and our friend Helen AND attending Andrew’s ceremony and dinner for being inducted into an International Honor Society for Foreign Languages and Literature (accepted for French). For my little adventures, on Saturday morning, my friend Shanna and I took a quick trip to the Friends of the Library store AND on Wednesday night, I attended the Middle Grade March livestream (one hour).
  • Take one night for you? Yes, actually two nights. On Sunday night, Rachel and I discussed chapter 8 of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck. On Thursday night, I attended my weekly improv class (Level 4).
  • Batch the little things? Yes! I was much more effective this week. From 10:15am – 12:10pm, I completed financial tasks, placed a coffee order on Big Cat Coffee, did some digital decluttering, and created an email for my mother-in-law to access her MYChart medical information.

Well, that is a wrap on the Tranquility by Tuesday Challenge, dear reader. I will eventually share my overall thoughts about the book and the challenge as well as which rules I plan to keep incorporating in my life. It was wonderful to see how Laura Vandrekam turned all of the time study data into Tranquility by Tuesday. I am happy that I was a part of the time study as well as the book. Happiness!

“Leisure time is too precious to be totally leisurely about leisure.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

Note: Photo at the top by Pixabay on Pexels.com.

I have been wanting to write this wrap up post about everything I read in February for some time, dear reader. February was a much better reading month than January. I completed 12 books, and I owe a bunch of thanks to the creation of my very first month-long readathon, Folklore February, where I read folktales, fairytales, and fables.

FolkLore February Readathon

I read eight books and watched one movie for this readathon. Reading beautifully illustrated picture books added a layer of whimsy to my folkloric experience. Additionally, I read “Snow-White and Rose-Red” from my Brothers Grimm collection (Flame Tree Publishing) in anticipation of reading Snow & Rose.

I highly recommend watching Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. It is a perfectly blended musical, dark fantasy, and stop-animation film with all the feels. I loved it even though it made me cry like a baby.

In addition to reading and watching a movie, I hosted (for the very first time) reading SPRINTS on my YouTube channel. Sprints are a wonderful way to engage with your community of followers while completing reading goals or productivity tasks. I hosted three times throughout the month and had a blast. Kelsi joined me as a co-host which made it an even more enjoyable experience.

  • Read a Folktale. (Stone Soup by Marcia Brown)
  • Read a Fairy Tale by Hans Christian Andersen. (The Snow Queen adapted and illustrated by Richard Hess)
  • Read a Fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm. (Rapunzel adapted by Barbara Rogasky and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman)
  • Read a Fable. (The Hare and the Tortoise illustrated by Brian Wildsmith)
  • MOOD READ or WATCH (Snow & Rose by Emily Windfield Martin)
  • Read or Watch a Retelling of a folktale, fairytale, or fable. (The Cajun Little Red Riding Hood by Berthe Amoss)
  • Read a Fractured Fairy Tale. (The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! by Brian Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith)
  • Read a Folktale from a country other than your own. (The Mitten adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett)
  • Watch a screen adaptation of your favorite folktale, fairy tale, or fable. (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio)

Even though I enjoyed everything I read for Folklore February, my absolute favorite story was Snow & Rose. It was fantastic, and I actually enjoyed it more than the original fairy tale written by the Brothers Grimm. Dear reader, if you want to hear more about my thoughts on any of the books I read during Folklore February, please check out my Folklore February wrap up video.

Other February Readathons

In addition to Folklore February, I participated in a weekend readathon, GarbAugust 1.5: Wasted Weekend, hosted by Olly at CriminOlly. This readathon was a fun event where you read something trashy. I chose a book I picked up at a recent library sale called Politically Correct Bedtime Stories: Modern Tales for Our Life & Times by James Finn Garner. They are modern retellings of classic fairy tales. The stories were short, sweet (and not so sweet) as well as entertaining. It was a 3-star read for me.

I participated in a week-long reading event, the Little House Readathon, hosted by Elizabeth at LizziefayeLovesBooks. This readathon was wonderful because I revisited a childhood favorite, The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved reading the Little House on the Prairie series as a child. The Long Winter is the 6th book in the series and was the group read for this event. The story is about the horrendous winter the Ingalls family and their neighbors of De Smet had to endure from October-April of 1880-1881. I gave it 5 stars!

Cozy Cottage Book Club

At the beginning of February, I finally finished Stardust by Neil Gaiman. It was the January selection for the Cozy Cottage Book Club. I did not finish the book in time but still attended the online meeting and had a splendid time. Stardust is a beautifully written fairy tale for adults. It has romance, magic, fantastical creatures, and villianous characters set both in the village of Wall and the beautiful and dark world of Faerie. I was captivated by the whimsical world as well as the well-developed and likeable characters. 5 stars for a magical journey!

Chills, Thrills, & Kills Book Club

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay was our February book club selection. It is a psychological horror novel about a family of three vacationing at a cabin in an isolated wooded area. All is well until four strangers unexpectedly show up at the cabin with an ominous message that is not well-received, leading to brutal and heartbreaking consequences. I had high expectations going into this novel which was my introduction to Paul Tremblay’s work. Unfortunately, I finished reading this novel with more questions than answers.

It was an okay but not exceptional read for me, thus earning a 3.5 star rating. I am eager to see the film adaptation, Knock at the Cabin, since I have been told the film is less ambiguous than the novel. I already put the film on my Halloween Movie Marathon list. Dear reader, if you want to hear more about my thoughts on this book or the other books I read in February, please check out my February wrap up video.

As you can tell, dear reader, I had an marvelous month of reading in February. My book club selection for March was Vacancy by K.R. Alexander. I read several middle-grade books for Middle Grade March, and I finished my first book for the FOMO Book Club. Stay tuned because I will be posting a wrap up of what I read in March. I will also be sharing my epic plans I have for April. To see my current book reviews or books I have read in the past, follow me on Goodreads at Katherine Loyacano. Happiness!

“Reading is a discount ticket to everywhere.”  ~ Mary Schmich

The rule focused on for Week 8 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was batch the little things. The purpose of this rule is to carve out some time in your schedule to complete little tasks all at once. This time is not meant for daily routines or completing major chores or projects. Instead, it is a small window of time (30-90 minutes) where you could pay a bill, write a message in a birthday card, schedule a doctor’s appointment, or place an online order for coffee. There is no right or wrong way to use this rule; however, key elements to eventually turning this rule into a habit is to keep a running list of tasks and to set aside time to complete them.

Laura Vanderkam calls her running list of small tasks (not urgent) a Friday “punch list.” She allows her small tasks to accumulate over the week and works on them at a designated time on Friday. Gretchen Rubin wrote about a similar “power hour” in her book Better Than Before: Mastering the Habit of Our Everyday Lives. She used her designated time to tackle small one-time tasks that she kept postponing. Her list did not include recurring tasks or tasks with deadlines.

Laura believes “this rule creates two important effects: it forces prioritization, and it keeps little tasks from always being an option (pages 195-196).” In Tranquility by Tuesday, Laura also includes a six-step process to turn this rule into a habit to waste less time.

    Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #8 that Laura sent us on Friday, 10 March and made a plan for the week.

    • Think back over the past twenty-four hours. What “small tasks” have made it onto your daily to-do list? What about “small tasks” that you completed as soon as you thought of them, even if you were working on something else at the time? Honestly, I have not been keeping a daily to-do list for a few weeks now. I usually make a note in my planner, write it on a post-it note, or try (HA HA!) to rely on my memory. I have not written anything down in the past twenty-four hours. Sometimes, I will stop and complete a “small task” while working on something else; generally it is a task that takes maybe a minute ot two.
    • How much time, in minutes, do you estimate you spent on these tasks last week? About 180 minutes between two days
    • When could you schedule a time at work each day, or each week, to tackle small work tasks (and any personal tasks that have to happen during business hours)? a Wednesday or Friday morning would be ideal; realistically, right now it is wherever I have a block of time close to the deadline of the task
    • When could you schedule a weekly chore window – perhaps on the weekend or in the evening – to tackle small personal tasks? Saturday or Sunday morning; Monday or Wednesday evening
    • What might prevent you from batching the little tasks in your life? other tasks that are more important or have a more pressing deadline
    • How could you deal with these challenges? right now, I basically squeeze in chunks of time, here or there, to get these little tasks done; I could schedule it with a back-up slot in the event I do not finish or something comes up that needs my attention

    RESULTS

    I completed small tasks this week; however, I did not batch them together. I pretty much fit them in between other scheduled projects. I can see the benefit of this rule. I am still struggling with getting to sleep on time; however, there were two nights this week that resulted in me getting home later than usual. I did well with the rest of the rules. Progress!

    REFLECTION

    • Think back over the past week. What times did you designate for little tasks during your workdays? For this particular week to incorporate this rule, I scheduled Batch the Little Things on Tuesday (mid-day). However, I spent 25 minutes on Monday evening writing a message in a b-day card and addressing the envelope, so I could mail it that evening before going to Books-A-Million ; on Tuesday before lunch, I worked about 15 minutes on a financial task; on Wednesday morning, I spent 45 minutes ordering concert tickets (Stevie Nicks and The Cure)
    • What windows did you designate for household tasks and chores? I designated my household chores on Monday and Wednesday evenings.
    • What effect did you see in your life from batching the little things? Unfortunately, since I did not adhere to this rule in the way it should be implemented, I did not experience the desired effect of spending my time more efficiently.
    • What challenges did you face in trying to batch the little things? My main challenge is the lack of organization currently in my life. I AM OVEREXTENDING MYSELF. I let other activities come first, so then I was squeezing these tasks in last minute; trying to rely on my memory to write the b-day card in a timely manner failed.
    • How did you address these challenges? I did not address them while living it; however, I have a game plan for the future if I implement this rule the way it is intended to work. Make a list of the small tasks with deadline if applicable; schedule the little tasks; honor the time alloted to batch the little things. We shall see if I do better next week.
    • If you modified this rule, how did you do so? I modified this rule by squeezing in small tasks in between other activities or projects.
    • How likely are you to continue batching the little things in your life? I want to say very likely, but until I shed some commitments and get myself organized, I may be a little hit or miss with this rule. I love the concept.
    • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Not really; I went to sleep three nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; two of the early nights (Monday & Tuesday) I read before going to sleep. On Thursday night, I had improv class, got home, showered, and went to sleep. On Friday and Sunday evenings, I attended events where I got home late, so after showering, I went to sleep. I worked on content before bed on Wednesday evening. While I did read before going to sleep on Saturday night, I was having some technical issues with my vlog (music) prior to getting into bed. Even though I did not consistently observe my bedtime, I did NO scrolling before going to sleep any night during this week.
    • Plan on Friday? Not on Friday, but on Saturday morning
    • Move by 3 p.m.? Yes, four times; On three days, I walked outside in my backyard. On Tuesday, I took Tooty for a 45-minute walk around my subdivision.
    • Do your chosen activity three times per week? I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) 6 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes, 4 times this week, for the #Outside23in23 Challenge. On Wednesday, I was out earlier in the day to walk and play with Luna in the backyard, and later that evening, Barry and I took both dogs for a 45-minute walk around the subdivision.
    • Create a back-up slot? Yes, I had four back-up slots on Friday evening, Saturday morning, Wednesday afternoon, and Thursday morning/afternoon. I used Friday evening for a big adventure; Saturday morning for planning; Wednesday afternoon for editing my Folklore February video; Thursday morning to upload Folklore February video, and Thursday afternoon for another big adventure.
    • Have one big adventure and one little adventure? YES, two of each. My two big adventures were attending dinner and the play, Sound of Music, with my friend Sue on Friday night AND on Thursday afternoon, hanging out with my friend Michelle (lunch/coffee/conversation) before going to improv class. For my little adventures, on Sunday, my mother-in-law took my hubby, Andrew, and me to lunch at Walk-on’s in Hammond to celebrate my hubby’s b-day with cake at her house afterwards AND on Wednesday night, I attended the Middle Grade March livestream (one hour).
    • Take one night for you? Yes, actually two nights. On Sunday night, I performed at the Level 3 Improv Showcase at the The Actor’s Apothecary in New Orleans. On Thursday night, I attended my weekly improv class (Level 4).

    Only one more rule to go, dear reader! Rule #9 is all about effortful fun before effortless fun. This rule also focuses on wasting less time. As always, I am up for the challenge of trying a new rule along with maintaining the other ones. It will be interesting to see which rules stick once I complete the Tranquility by Tuesday Challenge. Happiness!

    “Tasks expand to fill the available space. When we give them less time, they take less time.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

    Note: Photo at the top is by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com.

    The rule focused on for Week 7 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was take one night for you. The purpose of this rule is to take some time off from family and work commitments each week to explore doing something that is worthwhile and fun. Think of it as a date night (or day) with yourself. This rule is a habit I developed many years ago (while teaching 2nd grade at HGCS) after reading Take Time for Your Life by Cheryl Richardson. I was burnt out; I felt like all I did with my time was work and take care of everyone else except me. Richardson suggested in her book to make some time each week for yourself, and that is exactly what I started doing at that point in my life. The activities I have chosen over the years have changed based on the opportunities that were available at the time; however, making time strictly for yourself is important and makes life more enjoyable. Additionally, the chosen activity does not have to take a huge amount of time; however, ideally it would be nice to do the activity on a regular day/night to have that time to look forward to each week.

    Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #7 that Laura sent us on Friday, 03 March and made a plan for the week.

    • Do you have any recurring fun-for-you commitments outside of work and family? (Examples might include a book club, choir rehearsals, or a weekly golf game.) YES! I attend an improv class on Thursday night from 6:00-8:00 p.m. I also run the Chills, Thrills, and Kills Book Club with my friend Kelsi, and we meet with our members on a Tuesday night once per month. I also buddy read books with my sister Rachel, and we generally meet one night per week to discuss the chapter(s) that were assigned for the week.
    • If you don’t already have a weekly fun-for-you commitment, what would you do with one night off (or an equivalent amount of weekend time) per week? n/a
    • If you are not currently taking a night just for you, what would you need to do to make this happen? If you are currently doing this, how have you created the space? I treat my one night for me as an appointment and put it on my calendar.
    • What might prevent you from taking one night off? At this point in my life, I really do not have anything that will prevent me from attending my improv class or book club meetings. Occasionally, another commitment with my family may come up at the same time as my activity. For example, my husband got a free night stay at a hotel, so we went to Orange Beach and left on a Thursday which meant I missed my weekly improv class. Spending time with my hubby is equally important, so I do not mind those type of conflicts. My sister and I adjust our schedules if either one of us have a confict. As for my book club, we either reschedule, or I miss that month’s meeting.
    • How can you address these challenges? Thankfully, I have a thoughtful and supportive spouse and helpful children who will step up if something should crop up that is not a family commitment or an emergency type situation.

    RESULTS

    As I have already mentioned, this rule was easy to implement. For this week, I did have an unexpected big adventure replace one of the nights that I take for myself. I also did fairly well with the other 6 rules. Giving myself a bedtime is still my weekly challenge. I do not see this changing until I can get a bit more organized overall.

    REFLECTION

    • Did you take a few hours off from work and family responsibilities this week? What did you do with this time? YES! I met with my sister to discuss Chapter 7 of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck on Sunday evening at 7 p.m.
    • If you didn’t take one night (or another block of time) just for you during the past week, do you have an idea for what you might do with a night off in upcoming weeks? n/a
    • What effects did you see from taking a few hours for your interests? Positive effects galore! Meeting with my sister weekly strengthens our relationship. After we discuss the assigned chapter, we usually talk about other stuff like our upcoming trip to Sicily.
    • What challenges did you face while trying to take some time for your interests? I would not say this was really a challenge, but more of a choice to not take time for my weekly interest. I chose not to attend my Thursday night improv class because I wanted to attend the opening of Andrew’s Juried Student Exhibition at SLU. He had two photography projects selected for this exhibition. I am so proud of him and wanted to be at the opening to show support for him and for a few other students I know who had exhibits on display as well.
    • How did you address these challenges? n/a
    • Did you modify this strategy? If so, how? I replaced one of my nights for me with a big adventure. My night was still meaningful, fun, and something I wanted to do with my designated night.
    • How likely are you to continue taking one night for you? VERY likely because it is important to me
    • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Not really, but better than last week; I went to sleep two nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; both of those nights I read before going to sleep. One night, I climbed into bed at 10:40 p.m. I worked on content, and then had to wait for my software to update; otherwise, I would have made it to bed on time. There were three nights that I made it to bed at 11:15 p.m., 11:05 p.m. and 11:20 p.m.; All three nights, I spent some time completing chores, taking my shower, and then went to sleep. The latest night was 11:50 p.m.; I was editing my vlog before turning in for the night. Even though I did not consistently observe my bedtime, I did NO scrolling before going to sleep any night during this week. I am wondering if I should adjust my bedtime.
    • Plan on Friday? Not on Friday, but on Sunday morning.
    • Move by 3 p.m.? Yes, three times; On all three days, I walked outside in my backyard.
    • Do your chosen activity three times per week? I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) 4 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes, 3 times this week, for the #Outside23in23 Challenge. 
    • Create a back up slot? Yes, I had two back-up slots on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. I used Wednesday for a little adventure and Thursday morning to film an extra video.
    • Have one big adventure and one little adventure? YES, two of them each. My two big adventures were attending Kaitlyn and Marc’s wedding on Saturday night AND on Thursday night, attending Andrew’s Juried Student Exhibition at SLU’s Art Gallery; then, attending dinner with friends afterwards. For my little adventures, I got a pedicure on Saturday morning, AND on Wednesday night, Barry made it to Hammond, so we went to have a quick dinner at Chipotle (my first time eating at this restaurant).

    With completing Rule #7, I finished Part 2 of Tranquility by Tuesday, dear reader. Rules 4-7 are meant to “make good things happen.” I will continue striving to implement all of these rules plus the first three. I am also looking forward to the third part of the book as well as the final two rules which are focusing on wasting less time. I am ALL for using my time wisely. Happiness!

    “Committing to fun means the fun happens.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

    The rule focused on for Week 6 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was one big adventure, one little adventure. The purpose of this rule is to plan to have one big adventure and one little adventure in your week. According to Laura, “Big adventures require a few hours-something that might fit on a weekend day. A little adventure could take just an hour or so, as long as it’s something out of the ordinary.” The beauty of adding adventures to a weekly schedule provides some excitement to a normally routine-oriented week.

    Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #6 that Laura sent us on Friday, 24 February and made a plan for the week.

    • What “big adventures” (taking a few hours) would you like to try in the next month? List at least three. Attend my niece’s wedding; attend Romeo and Juliet at the Columbia and dinner afterwards; attend International Honor Society Event with Andrew; go see my friend Shanna perform in her first play; go book shopping at Friends of the Library store
    • What “little adventures” (taking about an hour) would you like to try in the next month? List at least three. Get a pedicure; take a walk around Southeastern campus; have lunch with my friend Sue; have coffee with my friend Tweety; attend an online book-related event for an hour
    • Think about this past week. Did you have any adventures, big or little? What were they? Big Adventure-Apply for passport and lunch with hubby and Daddy on Friday; Little Adventure-Sushi lunch with myself on Thursday after my dentist appointment
    • Now look ahead to next week. What big adventure would you like to have next week? When could you experience this big adventure? Shopping tomorrow (Saturday) with hubby for dress and shoes for my niece’s upcoming wedding
    • What little adventure would you like to have next week? When could you experience this little adventure? I’d like to meet up with my friend Jeff at the bowling alley close to my house. His son bowls for his school and has a game on Wednesday afternoon.
    • What obstacles might keep you from having these adventures? I can’t foresee any obstacles that would prevent me from going shopping. If Jeff can’t make his son’s game or something comes up with my mother-in-law or my children, we won’t get to visit.
    • How can you address these challenges? If I couldn’t go shopping on Saturday for some unforeseen reason, I could use a back-up slot to go during the week. Jeff and I would just have to check our calendars to see if there is another time we could connect if we can’t on Wednesday.

    RESULTS

    This rule was not difficult to implement because I tend to have big adventures and little adventures sprinkled throughout my schedule. I am a fan of seasonal fun lists, and I love participating in readathons/watchathons. In this particular week, I had two BIG adventures and two LITTLE adventures. Sadly, I did not do as well with a few of the other rules (mainly Rule #1) because I had an extremely busy week related to my content schedule, tech issues, and a doctor’s appointment with a wait that was WAY too long.

    REFLECTION

    • What big adventure(s) did you experience this week? Two big adventures this week on the same day; On Saturday around noon, I went shopping with Shelly instead of Barry, so we made it a girls’ day. First, we ate a yummy lunch at Albasha. Then, we visited four stores where I bought two dresses and two pairs of shoes, knowing I could return one dress and one pair of shoes after modeling my purchases for Barry. HA! Later, that evening, Barry and I went to Shelly’s house where we hung out with Shelly, her husband, and Helen to celebrate Helen’s new job. Saturday evening was actually a back-up slot for last week’s rule.
    • What little adventure(s) did you experience this week? Two little adventures this week. I attended the FOMO Book Club Meeting online on Sunday morning to discuss Jamaica Inn (which I didn’t get to finish and still reading). I met my friend Jeff at the bowling alley for a short visit while his son was bowling. My friend Shelly came with me and Jeff’s wife came after work. It was fun visiting and catching up. I also attempted to help Jeff with setting up his blog. We were not very successful because of the technology he was using, and it was hard to concentrate in the bowling alley.
    • What effects did you see in your life from doing something out of the ordinary? It definitely enriches my life to add adventures into my schedule. It breaks up the normal routine.
    • What challenges, if any, did you face while implementing this week’s strategy? Did anything make it difficult for you to plan adventures into your life, or to have the adventures you planned? No challenges; I just make sure to block out the time for my adventures as if they are appointments. That mindset helps me keep those adventures since they are on my calendar.
    • How did you address these challenges? n/a
    • If you modified this rule, how did you do so? n/a
    • How likely are you to continue planning big and little adventures into your life? Very likely, considering I have already pretty much been doing this all of my life; I try to make a point of having both weekly ever since I did this study back in the spring of 2021.
    • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? Not really! It was a crazy week for me. I went to sleep three nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; two nights, I climbed into bed at 11:30 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.; Unfortunately, I went to bed at 1:00 a.m. the night I hosted my wrap-up sprints for Folklore February. I had a Book Club meeting I was hosting right before the sprints, so that’s why sprints were scheduled for 8:30 that evening; On Thursday, I went to bed at 2:00 a.m. because of tech issues with my Old School April Announcement video that was due to release on Friday. I had improv class prior to the tech debacle; otherwise, I would not have been up so late. Even though, I did not observe my bedtime as great as I have been, at least I did NO scrolling before going to sleep any night during this week. I worked on book reviews (Goodreads/Instagram)/content two nights, read two nights, and hung out with friends another night (showered once home and went straight to bed). 
    • Plan on Friday? YES, but this week on Saturday morning; I’m getting closer to planning on Friday.
    • Move by 3 p.m.?  Yes, but only two days; Friday-Walked & talked to my hubby for 15 minutesTuesday-Walked 10 minutes around my backyard.
    • Do your chosen activity three times per week? I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) 6 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes only 1 time this week for the #Outside23in23 Challenge. It was Tuesday. I walked before 3 p.m. and later went out for 15 minutes to take photos of two of my books (recently completed) to post on Instagram.
    • Create a back-up slot? Yes, I had two back-up slots on Monday and Wednesday afternoons which I used both afternoons for editing.

    Rule #6: One Big Adventure, One Little Adventure is one of my favorite rules because I love having adventures. Honestly, life is an adventure. There is always something enjoyable to do to make your days feel adventurous. There are only three rules left to implement. Next week’s rule is all about making time (at least one night) for yourself. Happiness!

    “Adventures make life memorable, and memories can make time feel more rich and full.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

    Note: Photo at the top is by Kevin Malik on Pexels.com.

    The rule focused on for Week 5 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was create a back-up slot. The purpose of this rule is to allot some open time in your schedule in case you have to reschedule an activity or work assignment. Laura Vanderkam states in a blog post about this rule, “Whenever something matters to you, designate more times in your schedule than you plan to use.” I really like this rule a great deal because it provides a safety net to ensure important tasks get done, planned personal activities can happen, and it allows for some flexibility if something fun unexpectedly crops up.

    Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #5 that Laura sent us on Friday, 17 February and made a plan for the week.

    • Think back over the past week. Have you had to skip something fun or important because something else came up? What was the priority and what came up? Yes. I had to skip breakfast with two of my friends, so my Daddy and I could take care of getting our passports. I had to apply for my first passport, and he had to renew his passport. We are traveling to Sicily in September. With the amount of time it currently takes to process passports and the amount of time you have to have a passport before traveling to Sicily, we had a short window of opportunity to get this done. In addition, because of the following week’s commitments for both of us and the Mardi Gras holidays, Friday was the only day we could go together to complete this task.
    • Look to the upcoming week. When could you build at least two hours of open space into your life? Identify a primary spot. Identify a secondary spot. primary spot – Thursday in between dentist appointment and improv class; secondary spot – Friday
    • What challenges might keep you from building open space into your life? Right now, none. I’m in a unique postion since I’m not working and can adjust my schedule as needed.
    • How can you address these challenges? n/a
    • If life went perfectly, what would you use your open time for? I’d like to say I would do something fun; however, I would more than likely use the time to complete unfinished chores/tasks or create more content for my YouTube channel or blog. I’d like to read more since I sometimes have trouble finding big chunks of time to read.

    RESULTS

    Honestly, this rule was easy, and I completed it with no issues. Additionally, I successfully completed the other four rules. I really like the flexibility of this rule. If I do not need my back-up slot because life goes perfectly, I like the idea of using the open slots to make progress on tasks that have been simmering on the back burner for awhile. The only drawback I can see with creating a back-up slot is that it could potentially lead to procrastination which I like to do from time to time. HA! However, I have been pretty busy lately that I have not had the opportunity to procrastinate which is a good thing.

    REFLECTION

    • When were the back-up slots that you built into your schedule? I actually had fours back-up slots. Tuesday evening (2 hours); Thursday afternoon (4 1/2 hours); Friday (pretty much all day/evening); Saturday evening (4 hours)
    • What effects did you see in your life from building open space into your schedule? First of all, I felt less pressure on Wednesday to edit when I had to end up taking care of some financial stuff and run a few errands. I knew I had a back-up slot to edit (Friday). I was able to help my friend’s daughter Claire with a school assignment on Tuesday evening for one of the two hours which left the other hour for me. Since I did not need to make anything up on Thursday afternoon, I used the time to read Tranquility by Tuesday and work on content for my channel/blog. And, Friday night my open slot was spent with my hubby watching tv; Saturday night I used the open slot to spend with my hubby and friends to celebrate our friend Helen getting a new job. So, I did end up having some fun with the extra time after all.
    • What challenges did you face while implementing this week’s strategy? None!
    • How did you address these challenges? n/a
    • If you needed to modify this rule, how did you do so? n/a
    • How likely are you to continue creating back-up slots in your life? Very likely
    • Did you observe a bedtime this week? YES! I went to sleep five nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; the other two nights, I climbed into bed at 10:35 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.; I continue to improve with getting to bed on time most nights. I did NO scrolling before going to sleep any night during this week. I worked on book reviews (Goodreads/Instagram) one night, read five nights, and hung out with friends another night (late night). Winding down routine is improving!
    • Plan on Friday? YES, but again on Sunday morning. At least I am planning before Monday morning.
    • Move by 3 p.m.? YES! My goal was to move by 3 p.m. at least three days during the week, and I moved 4 times this week. Monday-Walked 10 minutes; Tuesday-Walked & talked to my hubby for 15 minutes (threw toy to Luna periodically); Wednesday-Walked and talked with Simon for 25 minutes (threw toy to Luna periodically); Thursday-Walked Tooty for 15 minutes
    • Do your chosen activity three times? YES for both activities! I read Choose Joy (3-minute devotions) 5 mornings. I got outside for at least 23 minutes 4 times this week for the #Outside23in23 Challenge. Some of the time was when I walked outside to move before 3 p.m. On Tuesday, I actually edited outside from 9:20 a.m. until 12:05 p.m. and did my walk and talk for 15 minutes when my hubby called me. It was a beautiful day, so I took advantage of the change in scenery.

    Participating in this challenge almost feels like it is becoming a habit, dear reader. I am thoroughly enjoying reading Tranquility by Tuesday and having a terrific time trying out these rules a second time around. There are only four rules left to implement. Next week’s rule is all about adventures. You know me, I love adventures. Happiness!

    “Anyone can make a perfect schedule. Time-management masters make resilient schedules.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

    Note: Photo at the top is by Jess Bailey Designs on Pexels.com.

    The rule focused on for Week 4 of the Tranquility by Tuesday challenge was three times a week is a habit. The purpose of this rule is to devote more time to activities that will enrich your life. These activities may be hobbies, spending quality time with others, or developing a spiritual practice. According to Laura Vanderkam, “Anything that happens three times a week has a solid place in our lives.” She also believes that “if you’re already doing something one or two times per week, you can get to three.”

    I am pretty excited about this rule because there are several activities I want to incorporate in my life. Exercise being at the top of my list. For the purposes of this challenge, I am starting small with this rule.

    Before the week started, I pondered the planning questions for Rule #4 that Laura sent us on Friday, 10 February and made a plan for the week.

    • Think of some activities you’d like to do more frequently in your life. Exercise, Blog, Scrapbook, #Outside23in23, Read Choose Joy Devotions
    • Choose one specific activity to focus on for the next week. I actually chose two activities, #Outside23in23 and reading devotions from Choose Joy.
    • When did you last do this activity? I have been doing both activities sporadically since January. We were at the beach, so I walked on the beach, collecting seashells. The last time I read from Choose Joy was on Wednesday, 02/08.
    • Looking forward to this next week, when could this happen? List at least three times. My three times would work best between Monday and Friday.
    • What obstacles might prevent you from doing this activity three times a week? As always, ME. Both activities are easily doable and do not require much effort.
    • How can you address these challenges? I want to combine #Outside23in23 with Move by 3 p.m. I am planning to use this as a transition between tasks, sort of like a brain break. I generally like to read in bed while drinking my morning coffee, so my Choose Joy book will be set on my night stand, so I can read my devotion first before reading something else.

    RESULTS

    I am very excited to share that I not only completed Rule #4 successfully, but I also completed the other three rules for this week. I find I am being more intentional with my time. I am also incorporating the Strategy of Pairing with some activities. For example, if someone calls me, I pop my earpiece in my ear and do a walk and talk. If the weather is nice, I can go outside as well.

    REFLECTION

    • What activity did you choose to focus on three times this week? #Outside23in23 and read devotions from Choose Joy
    • Did you spend more time on your chosen activity this week than in previous weeks? Yes
    • If so, how much more time did you spend on it? I got outside three days and read Choose Joy four days.
    • What was the impact of aiming to do this activity three times per week? Doing both activities brought more joy to my day. Reading the passage from Choose Joy in the morning set the intention for the day and getting outside helped me transition between tasks more smoothly. On Friday, we were at the beach, so I went outside after breakfast and walked the beach, collecting seashells. Then, I sat for a few minutes and enjoyed the sights, sounds, and smells of the beach. It was so relaxing to start my day that way.
    • What challenges, if any, affected your ability to do this activity three times this week? Honestly, I had no challenges. I think in part because both activities were easy to do in the midst of my crazy schedule.
    • How did you address these challenges? n/a
    • Did you need to modify this rule to work for you? No
    • How likely are you to continue doing this activity three times per week? Very likely; as I get more organized with my time and home environment, I will consider implementing this rule with the other activities I want to do more often (exercise, blog, scrapbook). I feel confident that with Daylight Saving Time being just around the corner, I will be incorporating more exercise in my 168 hours.
    • Did you observe a bedtime this past week? YES! I went to sleep four nights by 10:30 p.m. or earlier; the other three nights, I climbed into bed at 10:35 p.m., 10:45 p.m., and 11:15 p.m.; I am doing much better; however, I did scroll on social media for 15 minutes after editing my video the night I went to bed at 11:15 p.m. Thankfully, it was only 15 minutes. Otherwise, I either read (3 nights) or prepared for the next day, having read beforehand.
    • Plan on Friday? YES, kind of! I actually planned on Sunday morning. We were traveling home on Friday, and I proctored the ACT early Saturday morning. I still planned and put it on paper.
    • Move by 3 p.m. most days? YES! My goal was to move by 3 p.m. at least three days during the week. I paired this with #Outside23in23. On Friday morning, I was walking on the beach. On Tuesday (1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.) and Thursday (9:25 a.m. – 9:55 a.m.), I walked Tooty.

    Overall, dear reader, I am excited about my results. I am making more of an effort to incorporate these strategies throughout the week. I have to remind myself that this challenge is NOT about perfection. It is about being more aware of where my time is being spent and being more intentional in how I am spending it. In addition, it is making me more aware of the activities I am doing daily, weekly, monthly. Time tracking along with doing the Tranquility by Tuesday Challenge has also been extremely beneficial. It feels like a daily habit now. Finding success this week with these four rules has been a HUGE happiness boost, and I am looking forward to next week’s rule. Happiness!

    “Things don’t have to happen daily, nor do they have to happen at the same time every day, in order to count in our lives.” ~ Laura Vanderkam

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