February Challenge

New month, new challenge. January was a general success on the Tiddlyompompom Personal Challenge front, now it’s time for February.

I’ve really had to think about this one because February is a month of ‘maybes’. I can make all the plans I want but with BabyBump reaching that ‘I’ll come when I’m ready thank you very much’ stage, there is always a chance that whatever I’ve planned won’t work out.

After a bit of consideration I have decided to make my February Personal Challenge this:

Catch up with book reviews on Carole Finds Her Wings

Specifically, I would like to read and review (and in one case, edit) three books before the end of the month. Normally I’d like to aim for four books in a month (one a week) but allowing for baby and for the fact that one of my chosen books is one I am also proof-reading and editing and therefore I’ll be reading it through way more than once, I have decided to settle on three.

My three books are:

• City Of Hope and Despair by Ian Whates. Read & Review.

• Robert Harding: The Court of Re-Life by Graham D Richards. Read, Review & Edit.

• The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan. Read & Review.

This means I’m going to have to be disciplined with my reading – I have about 10 days per book. Which is oodles of time so long as I don’t spend it faffing on Facebook or watching rubbish cooking programmes I’ve already seen three times over – something I seem to have been doing a lot of recently. I miss reading when I don’t do it and over the last month or so I haven’t done much at all. Partly because I have been so tired I couldn’t focus on the words – something else I intend to change by accepting the fact that I need to slow down. I’m just too fat and wriggly-in-the-middle to cope with ALL the housework, running after Tori and other stuff I used to do every day. I’m going to have to sit down and chill for an hour or so and why not spend it with my nose in a book?

 

Clearly of course my other Personal Challenge is Deliver BabyBump safely and happily into the world – I do hope this happens in February and they don’t faff around until March – partly because I’ll be so huge by then I’ll not be able to move and partly because we already have quite a few early March birthdays in our family, one in early Feb and none in mid/late Feb at all, so it would be nice for a bit of variation.

What’s your Personal Challenge for February? Which NY resolution are you going to actually do? or start? Link up over at Tiddlyompompom’s blog and we can all help each other along – see you there!!

January Challenge – Mission Complete!

You might remember back at the start of the month I took up Tiddlyompompom’s ‘January Challenge’ and set myself the task of packing my maternity bag for hospital by the 31st, ready for BabyBump’s arrival some time in February (due 27th).

Well I’ve done it! See:

Bag for BabyBump, Bag for me.

This time around I have packed towels, a toothbrush and a hairbrush and other little things (like slippers) that I neglected to include last time, when I seemed to forget that I would be there too and only really packed for Baby.

All that’s left to go in is my camera and camcorder and my dressing gown – but they are all still currently in use and will have to be remembered on the day and flung in at the end. I have charged up the spare batteries for the cameras though and packed them.

Now it’s just a waiting game to see when these adorably tiny clothes are going to be filled with a small person – and find out who said small person is – girl or boy and, you never know, we might even agree on a name some time too…

I completed my January Challenge – did you?? Hop on over to Tiddlyompompom’s blog to see how everyone else got on with their challenges!