Read-A-Thon Update: Hour 11 & 12

I am so confused on the hours now.  Time seems to be moving so fast!

 

What's new:

• Sydney finally joined us!  She slept so much she still feels tired!  She managed, however, to complete The Little Prince and read with me for a bit from The Witches of Worm.
• Randi completed Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
• I entered another mini challenge with Nomad Reader.  This was a fun one!  It required going to Google Maps and placing a pin on the map where our current book's setting happens to take place.  The Master Puppeteer takes place in Feudal Osaka, Japan (12c. 19c.)  I didn't notice any other pins in that area on the map.
• I also entered a Mini Challenge for Reading is Fundamental.  Although I missed the deadline, I thought this one was worthy whether I'm up for a prize or not.  I chose to spend some time reading with my 9-year old daughter.  I always love the chance to spend time reading together.  So this was a no-brainer.  We are reading The Witches of Worm.  It is a rather frightening, eerie tale, but we enjoy it nonetheless!  Reading with our kids is important!

Number of books read since started: still only partial of 2 books!  I will finish one soon.
Pages read since last update: 41 pgs
Running total of pages since started: 174 pgs
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour 15 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since started: 5 hours 30 minutes
Mini-challenges completed:  6
Other participants visited:  Reading with Tequila (A blog title after my own heart)

Prize you've won: Zip.  Zilcha.  Nada.  I'm loving the read-a-thon regardless!

What I've eaten/drank: Clementines and some water.

What I've been doing when not reading:

• talking to my girls
• showing Sydney my blog and how to become my follower
• talking about Witches of Worm with Sydney 
• seeing off Randy and Randi as they go off on a fabric/design hunt for Randi's puppet costume

Read-A-Thon Update: Hour 9

I can't believe I am on Hour 9.  I haven't finished one book yet!  I picked out 15.  Hmmmm....wonder how close I'll get to finishing all 15!  HA! 

I feel like I'm reading slower than normal today because I made the mistake of only getting about 3 hours sleep.  When husband works graveyards, I don't sleep well.  Which is strange for me, because throughout my family I am known as a "coma sleeper."

I'm a little tired.
Just a wee bit. 
Hard. To. Read. FAST!!! 

It's one of those times when you can read an entire paragraph, or page, or chapter, and have no recollection of what you just read because your mind is muddied with other thoughts or lazy daydreams.  Randi knows what I mean.  We chatted about it as we read together, legs sprawled out on the couch.

Randi woke up about 11-ish and began reading beside me. 
Here's what she's working on:
New Moon & Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.
As of this update she is also feeling extremely tired, but is doing the best she can.  As of this update, she hasn't finished either book.  According to Randi, she is almost finished with New Moon but can't seem to get past a rather slow-moving part at this time.

Sydney just woke up!  Boy what tired kids!  We went to bed WAY too late.  She is on her computer right now probably watching silly youtube videos and trying to wake up before she cracks open her first book.  I wonder which one it'll be...

My update:
Still working on Wicked and The Master Puppeteer. 

I am thoroughly enjoying The Master Puppeteer.  This book was recommended to me by my daughter, who just read it for her 7th Grade Language Arts class and liked it enough to pass it on.  She has helped me understand the class system of feudal Japan (12c. - 19c.) to better understand the setting for this book.  What a smart girl!  I am continually in awe of her brilliance!

Wicked isn't at all what I thought it would be but I love the character of Elphaba, more popularly known as The Wicked Witch of the West.  Can't wait to see how the story unfolds further.  With that, I better get back to my reading.

Title of books read since last update: Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson

Number of books read since started: parts of 2
Pages read since last update: 45 pgs
Running total of pages since started: 133 pgs
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour 20 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since started: 4 hours 15 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 4
Other participants visited: none since last update
Prize you've won: 0
What I've eaten/drank: 2 cups of coffee! 1/2 turkey,salami and cheese whole wheat sandwich with some pretzels 
What I've been doing when not reading:

• Talking to Randi
• watching, with fascination, my husband sew as he works on a costume for a puppet my daughter is making for a school project
• fixing food to eat for Randi and me 
• eating and drinking coffee
• updating blog (this seems to take most of my time)
• posting Read-A-Thon on Facebook status
• relaxing in my bed chatting with Randi between sentences read

Read-A-Thon Hour 5: Mini Challenge and Update

At Linus's Blanket, we are asked to find mention of food in the books we are reading.

Here are my finds:

In Wicked, Fiyero comes across Elphaba's abode for the first time where food is not a particularly palatable, nor abundant, commodity. 
"She unrolled some dried sausage and some graying bread, and found a couple of oranges and a lemon and put them uncermoniously on the table...'Eat this stuff,' she said at last. 'I'm not hungry. You eat it, go on.'"

In The Master Puppeteer, hunger is Jiro's only motivation. 
"Them Mochida brought in a pot of steaming rice.  He was followed by a boy carrying a covered earthenware cooker from which the smell of fish and vegetables escaped and snaked seductively through the room.

After Jiro jumps in to feass despite his father's disapproval, he feels ashamed for letting his hunger dictate his actions causing shame to his father. 
"Yes, by all rights, Jiro should have choked or at least the food should have turned to dust in his mouth.  Instead, it tasted like a heavenly feast.  He ate rapidly with his head bowed over his bowl so as not to meet his father's gaze, and as soon as it was empty, he allowed Yoshida to fill it again and again."

Update:
Daughter #1 just woke up.  Her first uttered words were, "Are you reading?"  Of course when she finally awakes here I am pounding away on my laptop!   Daughter #2 has yet to wake up...it's 11:00 A.M. here in the PT.  I suppose I should wake her up!

Title of books read since last update:  Wicked by Gregory Maguire and The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson
Number of books read since started: parts of 2
Pages read since last update: 42 pgs
Running total of pages since started: 88 pgs
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 1 hour 10 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since started: 2 hours 55 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: 4
Other participants visited: Blair @ In the Turtle Shell
Kate @ I Just Wanna Sit Here and Read
Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through A World of Books
Rachel @ And The Plot Thickens...
Prize you've won: 0
What I've eaten/drank: Bowl of cheerios and milk.  Water.  No coffee yet!  Imagine that!

Back to reading alongside Randi!

Mini Challenge

From Bart's Bookshelf comes this great Mini Challenge which I had to try. 
It requires readers to make a sentence using only book titles.  I could've spent gobs of time on this, but I chose to do it lickety-split so I can get back to reading!  I will provide an update of my reading next time around.

It's short and sweet, but here's what I came up with:

Dear Diary, please understand me.

Read-A-Thon Hours 1 -3

I got a bit of a late start, beginning 45 minutes into the read-a-thon, so I'm posting a tad later than I wanted, but it's all good.

Mini Challenge Hour 1

Where are you reading from today? I'm reading from my home in Brea, CA.  I am reading on my couch, but will likely move around during the day to keep from getting bored.  I will eventually take my reading outside.

3 Facts About Me:
1.  I have a unique middle name that I love.  I am convinced I am the only one in the world named Beline. 
2.  At one time I owned 13 cats. 
3.  I have never won a trophy in my entire life! 

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hrs?  Fifteen (15).  I am certain I won't get through them all, but I will give it my best shot.

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?  My only goal is to have fun and to try to get through as many books as I can.  I do plan on finishing the two books I started before this read-a-thon began: Wicked and The Master Puppeteer.

If you're a vetaran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?  I'm a first timer.  I look forward to reading other comments on this.

Mini Challenge Hour 2
Hosted by Miss Remmer's Review
The Kickoff Of Champions

In this challenge, we are to discuss what we are surrounding ourselves with as we begin diving into our reading.  I have everything I need in my small abode: my couch, my stack of books, my bed, snacks, and my girls, (who aren't awake yet and I don't have the heart to wake them up so early on a Saturday morning.)  I begin my reading on my cozy couch with a notepad by my side so I can keep running totals of my time, pages, etc.

Reading Update (since Read-a-thon began):

Titile of Books Read: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Number of Books Since Started:  part of 1
Pages Read: 46
Amount of Time Spent Reading: 1 hour 45 minutes
Mini Challenges Completed: 2
Other Participants Visited: Amanda at A Patchwork of Books
Prize You've Won: none yet!

Off to read some more! 



 

24 Hour Read-A-Thon!

What better way to come back to blogging -after almost a whole year hiatus- than with a 24 hour read-a-thon. Yeah, I couldn't think of anything better either!

Better still? I am not doing it alone. I have two eager participants (my daughters) to read with! This is my first time joining the twice-a-year event and I am really excited. I remember reading about it last year in April and thinking, next time I will join. October came too fast and my procrastination reared...next time, next time. Now it's April again and as springtime often entices, I feel renewed and ready! We are a merry reading group of three! *cough book nerds we are cough*

The details:
We start reading April 10, 2010 at 5 A.M. PT and read as much as we can for 24 hours. I know for sure my girls will not be staying up to read the whole 24 hours because they need their sleep! I highly doubt I will stay up the whole 24 hours either because, as anyone who knows me can testify, it isn't pretty if I haven't slept! But I'm going to give it my best shot. Here are the books we picked out:

Sydney's Stack

A Fairy Called Hilary by Linda Leopold Strauss

Boy by Roald Dahl

Socks by Beverly Cleary

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keattey Snyder

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More by Roald Dahl
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Randi's Stack

Peter Pan by J.M Barrie

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Ice Fire by Chris D'Lacey
Eleven by Lauren Myracle
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney
Ramona The Brave by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Pixie Tricks (The Whole Series) by Tracey West

My Stack

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl
The Master Puppeteer by Katherine Paterson
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Pleasing the Ghost by Sharon Creech
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech
The Report Card by Andrew Clements
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
What Color is Your Parachute by Richard Nelson Bolles



I know these lists are long, but I wanted to make sure that we each had variety to choose from so we wouldn't get bored. I don't plan on making it through my entire list, but I'd rather have an overabundance to choose from than not enough. Most of my choices are YA titles and I have one nonfiction self-help book for good measure. It's a book I've been wanting to read for a long time so we'll see how much I get through.
For my first read-a-thon I plan on making this as fun as possible which, to me, means flexibility. Here are my parameters, or lack thereof:

I will not force myself to read if I get tired. I will take breaks which include showers, meals, walks, trips to the library (to check out books for my daughter's upcoming historical figure report), naps, Facebook, etc. I will allow myself to flit from book to book if I become bored with one or another. I give myself permission to stop reading a book altogether if I cannot seem to get through. These parameters go for my girls too, as the whole purpose of this is to have fun and see how far we can make it!!

I plan on updating every chance I can during the next 24 hours to inform you of my progress. I can't wait to get started!

Cheers!

Update: Nutrition & Fitness goals

As most of you know, I am not following South Beach anymore. It's not because it doesn't work. It's not because I don't want to lose weight or take care of my body. It's merely because there are too many foods I want to eat that South Beach doesn't allow. Saturday cheat days work for a while, but soon, they turn into everyday cheat days and then before you know it, you are eating whatever you want, whenever you want...which doesn't work if you want to follow South Beach.

It definitely works for those who can turn it into their lifestyle. On South Beach, I lost inches and felt my clothes fitting less snug. I noticed a flatness in my stomach area and my arms seemed to shrink. It is definitely an awesome feeling, one that I wish I could rejoice in right now. Alas, I am back wearing snug clothes and lamenting over chunky arms, abs and thighs. And I know more than ever I need to get back into shape.

While I'm not where I want to be fitness or nutrition-wise, it's not a total loss. Trying South Beach taught me how to eat for long-term health, not just short term dieting. It taught me to include lean proteins, healthy carbs, and the right fats at every meal. I learned how to cook more with vegetables and some creative ways to use fruits. I also learned that 2% (lowfat) dairy does not taste bad and not all products which claim lowfat/nonfat ingredients are necessarily healthier. Many of them contain loads of sugar!

Since going off South Beach, I haven't stuck to eating the way I know I should, and I haven't been consistent with exercise. Since dropping my stringent following of South Beach, I've been eating foods I can do without most of the time. On a positive note, I did start walking 3-6 times per week, alternated with jogging (which is a struggle for me). Yet once the kids got out of school for the summer, I stopped going my 2 mile route and am lucky if I get in 1 mile of walking/jogging.

I want to get back into my 2 mile daily route, add in some weight training, and get back to eating healthier.

My main goal right now is to lose some weight so my clothes shopping trips will not be so depressing. I hope to share my first success in weight loss with you in about 4 weeks. I will try to keep you updated on my daily/weekly progress with eating healthier and amping up my exercise routine.

Here's to a smaller size! ;)