Reading Goals for 2012

I love to read. I always have. Books are my most favorite thing to collect.  I buy more books than I think I will ever be able read. It's an obsession. So in order to justify all of the books I've purchased and all of the books that I want to purchase I have decided to make a reading goal for myself for the year.  I plan to read at least one book a month, maybe 2 if I can find the time.  My plan is to alternate between fiction books and spiritual growth books.  I was lucky enough to win a Kindle Fire at Mr.G's work Christmas party last month (I never win anything.....ever). It is the most awesome thing I have ever seen! I already have about 20 book samples on it and have purchased a few that I want to read right away. It even let me move over my books from my old Kindle.  I can even access my magazine subscriptions on it. Reading just got a whole lot easier. And because this device is so awesome I have been really good about reading every night this month and am almost done with this months book.  I am currently reading this book and I absolutely love it.  I can't wait to get to the next one and I'm not even done with this one yet.  I'm looking forward to the movie version which comes out in March.

source

Here are some of the other books I plan on reading this year.  What are you reading?  

source

source

source

source

source

Having some quiet time

Even though we are on vacation I still think it's important to have a little quiet time during the day. After a busy morning we came back to our trailer so Ian could take a nap and we could have dinner before heading back out again. While I was making dinner Isabella sat at the table to read her book. She wasn't all that excited about it but after a few minutes she was deep into her book and laughing out loud at the funny parts. I think I'll join her tomorrow and make some quiet time for myself.

Summer Reading Mini Album Part 1

To say I have been working on my scrapbooking is an understatement.  I’ve been up to my elbows in patterned paper, chipboard and glue dots.  It’s been fun to get into all of my supplies and get creative.  Last night I decided to work on a mini album for myself.  I’m sure you remember this post when I highlighted some mini albums that I wanted to do this summer.  I’m sure you also remember this post when I listed all the books I wanted to read this summer. So it was only appropriate that the first mini album I made would be one that I would use to journal all the books I’m going to read this summer.  I’m so happy with how it turned out that I'm going to make one for Isabella to.  I already have some super cute paper set aside for it.  I’m thinking I can get to it tonight and hopefully have it completed by tomorrow.  Tonight is a dance night so I won’t have as much uninterrupted time to get it done.  I will post it as soon as it’s done.

Summer Reading List

Here are some books I want to read over the summer. I have some personal spiritual growth books, parenting books, and a couple of just for fun books on my list. I'm sure I will add to it as I get recommendations from friends and fellow bloggers about this summers must reads.  What are you reading?

source 

( I read this book about 6 years ago but it's one of those books you can read again and again)

source

(This will be a  reread for me. I read it after Isabella was born and I should have read it after Ian was born but

life got busy and I didn't. So I am going to do it now) 

source

source

source

source

source

source

From Picture Books to Chapter Books

I was feeling a little better today so I thought I would tackle Isabella's room. She had laundry piled high that needed to be put away and a bookcase that was in dire need of attention.  Books were falling out of every shelf and stacked to the high heavens on the top shelf.  As I began to go through her books I realized that it had been a long time since any of those picture books had been read.  She hasn't shown any interest in Dora or Little Quack for some time.  She hasn't asked about Harry the Dirty Dog or why those Five Monkeys keep jumping on the bed.  No, she no longer chooses a picture book from her shelf at night for a bedtime story.  She spends most of her time reading chapter books.  Books about that rambunctious Junie B. Jones or that pesty Ramona Quimby.  She loves reading about Ralph Mouse and his awesome motorcyle and we've collected books about the fairies of Pixie Hollow. When we do have time for a bedtime story we now take turms reading pages from said chapter books.  The same books I read as a child. The same books I cherished and loved and could read over and over.  Now I get to read them again and share them with my sweet girl.  She loves being read to and I truly believe it's because I was still teaching kindergarten when she was growing in my belly and I read to my students every day. As I read to them she was also able to hear the words and enjoy those stories.  She loved books as a toddler and would sit in my lap and let me read to her over and over the same stories.  She would also make me read to her when she was in the bathtub.  She also likes to enjoy a good read while she takes care of her business on the toilet (don't tell her I shared that with you, she would kill me).  Books are always gifts around here for birthdays, Christmas and Easter.  She gets excited for each new book and it quickly becomes her favorite.  I'm thrilled she loves books as much as I do. I can't wait until she comes home today and sees all of her books lined up and ready for her to choose as her next read.  Here are some pics of some of our favorite books.

January Goals

So I'm a little late posting my January goals but that doesn't mean that I haven't been working on them.  So here they are:

•  Exercise 3x per week (okay so I am going to admit that I am already failing this goal but it really has been too cold to get out there and run, I promise to do better the rest of the month)
• Read 1 book (I love reading so this is an easy goal to accomplish, right now I'm reading this)
• Try 1 new recipe (this should be easy to do too, I love cookbooks so I'm sure I can find something great to try)
• Work on my Project Life Album (just need to make sure I take lots of photos, get them printed and and put them in my album which is already assembled, it's the easiest scrapbook album ever)
• Blog 3x per week (again big FAIL so far but I promise to do better)

I will keep you posted as I progress on these goals. Putting them out there in blogland keeps me accountable to make sure I work on accomplishing them. There is no greater feeling than being able to cross something off of your list.  So there they are, in black and white for the whole world to see. Okay, so maybe the whole world doesn't read my blog but I know that at least a handful of people will see them and keep me accountable.

I hope you all have set some small goals for yourself to accomplish this month or even big ones that you will be working on all year.