#Nonfiction2014: A Year Without Reading Fiction

So, after my last post about not making any New Year's resolutions, I actually do have one.

But theses pictures have nothing to do with it.

They are from a snow day a few weeks back.

We had a lot of fun.

I just though they were cute, so I posted them.

Okay, back to the topic: my New Year's resolution.

Now, here's the thing.  The only reason I have a resolution is because it is an adventure I want to try for a year.  It's not a lifestyle change that needs to happen.  I'm calling those my goals.  This is a resolution because it is finite and not 100% needed.

My resolution for the new year is spend 2014 reading nonfiction works. 

I love to read.  And when I read, I read happy, romantic things.  If it's sad or tragic or there's no love in the air, then I really don't read it.  That is a very true confession.

I try to act smart and hide my simple reading ways.  I have a masters degree and had to read various scholarly books for that.  However, in the 2 1/2 years since then, I have gorged my mind on fun, fanciful fiction.

(Okay, there was a parenting book here or there, but that's about it.)

So, why give up the fiction tales that I love so much?  Because I am not just a book reader, I am a book binger.  When it comes to reading, it is feast or famine.  I read nonstop when I can.  Sometimes to the point of trying to ignore responsibilities.  Also, as soon as I finish one book, I run straight into another mindless, silly plot.  That  means at times I'll read whatever the library has available that fits my criteria mentioned above.  Plus, even though I like romance, I'm not a big fan of the smut.  And lately, I have found - and read - some real smut simply because I just wanted a "fun" read.  Not cool, Stephanie Jane.  Not cool.

So I'm turning my mind away from the junk food and looking to feast my brain on more significant works.  I also tend to take my time as I read through these, rather than rushing through fiction.  I'm going to try biographies, because those seem inspiring.  Books on history sound intriguing because I like knowing random facts about where we come from (especially ones involving numbers that I can turn into word problems. It's an evil teacher thing...) Some parenting and potty training books are probably in my future, too.  Let's face it, I need all the help I can get on that front.  And hopefully some theological/philosophical books too.  Why?  Because my faith is still in the growing stage, meaning there is more for me to know than I already do.

I asked for ideas via facebook a couple days ago.  Here are some of the ideas I have so far:

• Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand 
• Seven by Jen Hatmaker
• The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
• The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

If you have ideas you would like to suggest, send them my way.  Some of you reading this are nice enough to be my friend even though we are very different people.  If you think of a book that is outside of the normal "me," you might send the title my way.  I kind of enjoy reading about things from someone's perspective other than my own.  

I plan to write about my year of nonfiction on my blog.  I'll use #nonfiction2014 as my hashtag when I do updates via social media.  I'm also on Goodreads if you want to follow along there. I'll log what I have read/am reading on my Nonfiction2014 shelf. 

Here's to a new adventure for 2014!

Sincerely,

Stephanie

Preparing for 2014

(Did you forget that I have a blog?  I think I did for a while.  Oops!)

I never think about New Year's resolutions until after Christmas festivities.

First, let me say that a resolution always makes me nervous.  Something I have to commit to for a whole year?  What if I don't like it?  Then I'm either 1) miserable or 2) a quitter.  Hmm...  Neither of those give me the "happy" vibe.  Plus, I don't like resolutions like "dieting" or "working out."  I feel like those are things I should do every year.  And I usually gain more weight on the years that "dieting" is my resolution -- go figure that out for me, please.

So, here's what I'm thinking.  I'm going for 2014 Goals.

Goal #1: Slow down a bit.
I teach and with that comes a whole host of responsibilities.  I haven't done well with making time for things other than teaching.  Well, teaching and my family.  Granted, when I have a husband and son this adorable, why wouldn't I take time for them?

So, my typical day is that I get home at 5 and put E to bed around 7:30 and then I work again until 9 or 10 at night.  On the weekends I usually work while Emmitt is napping and again when he is already asleep for the night. That doesn't leave much time for anything else. My first goal is slow down a bit and make time for more than just work -- to make time for my husband, my son, my friends and family.

Goal #2:  Rebuild friendships.
I want to go on more dates with my husband.  I want to have more weekend trips to visit friends out of town.  I want to meet up with the girls for coffee or (don't tell my husband) shopping.  Due to being so busy this past semester, I haven't been a very proactive friend.  Friendships aren't going to last forever if I don't make time for them.

Goal #3: Make time for me.
Little things to big things, I need to make more time for me.  Working during every spare moment doesn't help me be the best mom or wife I can be.  It leads to stress which my family doesn't need. Whether it's making an appointment at the salon or finding time to go the gym, I need to make a little more time for me.  Guilt about being away from Emmitt has kept from making a lot of choices since I started back to work in July (5 weeks earlier than expected).  I'm not talking extravagant. I'm talking things that motivate me (like a Zumba class at the gym) or help me unwind (such as a beauty appointment). Or even things that help me to just enjoy the pace of everyday life -- blogging, for example.

So, those are my goals.  After all that, I do actually have a New Year's resolution, but I'll save that for a different post.

Thanks for reading!
~Stephanie, the Rookie Mom