Pride & Prejudice and Companion Novels

My favorite novel of all time is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I have the Penguin Classics edition from when I was in college. The pages are starting to fall out I’ve cracked the book open so many times. So of course with all the recent down time of late I re-read it for the year. I typically read it once per year in the fall, but I got a head start in 2020. Maybe I’ll read it again in the fall.

In addition to reading my all time favorite book, I have also read several companion books that I have really enjoyed!! Nothing compares to the original but the trio of books by Pamela Aidan that look at the story from Mister Darcy’s perspective are a real treat. The books follow the storyline closely and even use some of the dialogue of the original, but have several sub-stories also that keep it new and fresh.

I received another fun companion book for Christmas 🎄 that is a trio of Christmas stories that imagine three new endings for volume 1 of Pride and Prejudice. They all create a swift and happy ending for Elizabeth and Darcy and are fun but miss a lot of the deeper learning and development from the second two volumes of the novel.

I am currently re-reading a novel by Charlie Lovett titled First Impressions that bounces back and forth between an imagined story about Jane Austen at the time she was writing Pride and Prejudice and a modern day mystery surrounding the authenticity of the classic novel. It’s a fun read that I’d highly recommend to any Austen lovers. He has several other books that follow the same style but use other classic works as their basis.

Just thought I’d share my reading selections with you all in this slower pace time we are currently living in. I hope you enjoy!!

I’m Home More Yet Busier Than Ever

Home School & Work

Today marks day 8 since the schools in our district closed due to COVID-19 and we have been attempting to social distance as much as possible as a family. I’ve been recording daily video journals…. as well as telecommuting 3 days per week (our office has taken additional sanitizing measures as well as distancing measures to keep us working longer) and also homeschooling our 3rd grader the 3 days I’m home while I work. If we as parents thought being a dual working household while raising kids was hard, we will be elated when that norm returns. Working a full 8 hour day while also educating a 3rd grader is the most draining and yet rewarding thing I’ve undertaken.

Social Distancing Video Journal – Week 1

Check out the video above for a tiny glimpse into our lives.

Things that occupy my time while stuck at home:

• Lesson planning
• Starting a garden
• Relearning the flute
• Learning the violin
• Practicing Piano & Guitar
• Making up games to play as a family – so far multiplication madness basketball 🏀 is a hit
• Going for walks
• Riding bikes
• Workouts in the garage
• Reading
• Writing
• Puzzles
• And yes of course some TV

It is amazing how much life has slowed down and yet how full it still is!!!

Building a Bullet Journal

2020 is my third year to use a Bullet Journal as my day to day planner. I have been through several versions and am finally very happy with my current set-up. I use a binder style journal so that I have the option to move and/or remove pages as needed. I got mine at Michael’s, but there are many versions online also that would work just as well. I also use tabs to divide my journal into manageable sections.

Tab 1 – Projects

My projects tab has projects that should be completed within the year, but our of significant duration. It includes things like:

1. My 2020 Garden Plan
2. De-Cluttering
3. Non-Scale Victory Journey 2020
4. Simplified wardrobes
5. 2020 Activity Gifts > Stuff
6. My Name Change

Tab 2 – To Do Lists

This section isn’t strictly “To Do” Lists, but lists of things I want to check off. It includes things like:

1. 2020 Resolutions
2. House Projects
3. My Seasonal Bucket Lists
4. Go-See-Do List
5. Morning Treats
6. My Weekly Blogging Schedule

Tab 3 – Monthly/Weekly Calendars

This tab has a tab for each month that has a monthly calendar and then the weekly calendars for that month behind it. It also has a spot for my main goals for that month. The monthly calendar I use for major events and holiday. The weekly calendars I use for the day to day schedule/activities as well as meal tracking, water consumption tracking, Daily To Do lists and monthly goal tracking. After the month is complete, I move it to a different binder that sits on my bookshelf as my journal is quite full and this helps keep it manageable.

Tab 4 – Notes/Lists/Tracking

This tab is for things I want to track or note down. They aren’t really a project or a To Do List to check off. It’s a bit of a catch-all for stuff I want to remember that doesn’t fit into any other tab. It includes things like:

1. Simple Cleaning Schedule
2. Household Products Used
3. Vehicle Emergency Packs
4. House/Vehicle Maintenance Trackers
5. Knitting Patterns I Create
6. Self-Care Lists
7. Camping Trips 2020
8. Kayaking Trips 2020
9. Road Trips 2020
10. My Work Week Capsule Wardrobe – 2 months of outfits

Tab 5 – Training/Exercise

Most of my exercise centers around BMX racing; however, I still use this section to track my short term and long term training goals for the year. Read more about it on my post Make Time For Training/Exercising With A Full Life.

Tab 6 – Long Term

My long term goals (greater than one year in length) are tracked in this section. It includes things like:

1. My bucket list
2. Books to read
3. National parks to visit
4. Visiting all 7 continents
5. Riding at every Bmx track in the US
6. Retirement accounts
7. 10 year plan

Back Flap – Finances

I ran out of room in the binder, so I added a pre-made budget book at the back to track my finances. I don’t like the pre-filled categories so I covered them with paper and made it my own!

Make Time For Training/Exercising With A Full Life

This year two of my resolutions were:

I want to train like this again

*Have Fun Riding My Bike

*Feel Comfortable In My Own Skin

A big part of making both of those a reality is regular exercise so that I feel more agile and strong. Four years ago, I was training for BMX racing 5-6 days per week for well over an hour per day, and riding the best I ever have in my whole life…..but then life gave me a hard hit when I dislocated and broke my elbow weeks before the national finals. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t devastated and have never really recovered from it (both physically and mentally). But, this is the year I leave that in the past and move forward!!

My life is quite different these days. I recently got married and my husband has an 8 year old who lives with us half-time. I work at a high stress job that leaves me feeling tired and drained at the end of every day. It would be really easy to say, “I don’t have the time or energy to exercise.” In reality I need that outlet now more than ever, so I MAKE the time.

Scheduling Training/Exercise Into My Days:

*I keep a section in my Bullet Journal specifically for BMX Training/Exercise.

My Bullet Journal Training Sections

*At the start of the year I wrote down all of the major BMX events that were scheduled in my region and my husband and I decided which ones fit into the family schedule. THIS GIVES ME MINI GOALS throughout the year.

The 2020 BMX Season

*I promised myself I would attend the national finals in November no matter where I sit in the standings, so I also have a MAJOR END GOAL!

*My journal is set up to track towards my MINI GOALS. I make a rough plan each weekend of what my training will look like over the next week keeping in mind other commitments and activities. If I workout 5 times per week (and yes fun things like hikes count too) then I get a sticker. Amazing how the rewards from childhood still work on me!

My First Mini Goal – National in April

I have been exercising between 30 and 45 minutes versus the 90 minutes I used to do, but as the BMX racing season starts to heat up and I start to get back into better shape, I can always increase my workouts as needed.

How To Make Time for Training/Exercise:

1. Make a rough plan that extends 6 months to 1 year in the future
2. Write down the plan
3. Set MINI GOALS to keep you motivated in the short term
4. Set a LONGER TERM GOAL to have something to aim toward
5. Track your progress toward your MINI GOALS
6. Allow for adjustments based on MINI GOALS as you go