A Very Dorfy Sunday: Finding Time to Read Part 2

This is my second attempt at answering the question, "How do you find so much time to read?"

I think the takeaway from this particular day is that audio-books are the friend of readers. I download mine from Nashville Public Library. I pay a $50 a year membership since I do not live in Davidson County, but it is worth it. There are a ton of  audio-book options. After all, Nashville has one of the best public library systems in the country! I have an MP3 player devoted solely to audio-books - as do Brian and the oldest Dorfling.

Here is a typical Dorf Sunday. Reading time is highlighted. May it amuse you or make you feel better about your typical Sunday - or both:)

6:55 - up - meds- yoga- dress Jude
7:16-7:28 - Listen to Half Broke Horses while getting dressed and helping child button dress shirt. 
7:28 - Eat breakfast -  rush around to put items belonging to church friend in bag.  Find all items and realize friend is camping and will not be at church. Help Beck update his Book Book
7:40 - Everyone/thing is ready for church with 20 minutes to spare! Victory in Jesus! Shall reward myself by sitting with a cup of coffee and The Power of Habit.
7:58 Blissful reading time ends when tickle fight results in young Dorfling plummeting off porch.
8:04 Leave for church. Four minutes late. Service, Sunday school
11:23 Leave church - have gained additional 3rd grader. Make lunch (with leftovers from Blessed Saints Mom and MIL 😇), clean off table so can eat in fashion researchers say will result in Harvard Law for Dorflings (or perhaps just decrease chance of juvenile delinquency, violent crime, fratricide, etc. ). Eat lunch. Dorfling politely requests that I, "Show my friend how loud you can burp, Mom!" I do as asked - moments of Dorfling pride in me being rare.
12:28 Brian (who is super-human mega-dad) takes all three boys to park, I work on weekly menu/shopping list.
12:46 Finish menu, shopping list. Decide will be better human if nap. Embarrassed to write second blog in which I nap as worry it makes me seem slovenly. Then decide am too tired to care.
1:44 Boys back from park, nap over. Eat cake but feel sufficient feelings of guilt to burn at least 1/2 cake calories. Pick up living room in zombie-like state. Find TMNT samurai sword and pretend to slay the demons of housekeeping while making epic sword swishing sounds.
2:32 Leave for funeral. Listen to Half Broke Horses in Car (4 minute stop at gas station to fill mysteriously empty tank)
3:05 Arrive at funeral 5 minutes late (not meant as disrespectful as had to stop for gas and then was stopped by train with possibly illegally high number of cars- still, excuses. Will likely be late to own funeral. Plan accordingly.)  Funeral has gone beyond standing room only to spill into parking lot - no parking available even in grass. Overwhelmed with embarrassment at epic failure as human - keep driving.
3:09 Leave for grocery store. Listen to Half Broke Horses. 
3:25 Grocery store.
4:16 Done shopping (spent 1/2 paycheck - stupid healthy food). Head to Walgreens. Half Broke Horses on audio, paused for 2 minute stop to drop off rx. 
4:31 Home. Put away groceries. Have Uno tournament with oldest Dorfling. Do puzzle with youngest Dorfling. Help oldest Dorfling spend birthday money on Amazon (books - hurrah - parent win!) Prep dinner, clean up from dinner prep.
6:48 Brian drops off boys for sleepover at grandparents. Read Power of Habit while he is gone. 
6:53  Husband home. Supper and movie with husband.

Total reading time: 1 hour 36 minutes

Finding Time to Read: Part 1

How Does Malinda Read So Much? Saturday Edition.

How do you find the time to read so much? I get asked this question a lot. Much like the frequently asked question, “What was it like to grow up in Africa?” – I don’t know. I don’t know what it was like to grow up in Africa because I was doing it, not studying it and because I didn’t grow up anywhere else – so what would I compare it to?  Reading is similar – I just do it and I can’t really tell why I read more/less than others because I don’t know exactly what their day-to-day lives are like.

So, when a friend asked me to write a blog about how I find time to read, I decided I would track myself on three types of days – a normal Saturday, a normal Sunday, and two normal work days. Then I will just share my day with you and you can decide what I do that may or may not work for you.  (Or you can decide that I read because I just don’t have much going on in my life – which has been suggested to me, to my face, by some of the people who want to know how I read so much. If that’s your conclusion, please just don’t tell me. It hurts my feelings.)

Saturday Breakdown:

Book time: 88 minutes

Types of reading: Listening to audio book, reading to child, reading to self

Book time indicated by highlights

Helpful reading tip: I listen to audiobooks as well as reading paper books. I get all of my audiobooks from the Nashville Public Library. Since their selection is so much better than the local Linebaugh system, I pay $50 a year for an out of county library card.  

My Saturday:

               6 AM – wake up when DH’s alarm goes off for UMC men’s breakfast. Have stupid migraine aura,

take meds, go back to bed.

8 AM – after third time sleep is interrupted by Dorfling, get up, eat, discipline child. Find cake

recipe for celebration lunch. Clean off counter, gather ingredients. Dorflings help make cake – I prevent fratricide (am humanitarian hero). Clean up cake mess. Put oil treatment on hair as takes same time to soak in as pound cake helps to make (useful, life skills information).

9:40 AM – Spend 30 minutes writing in “daily” journal (daily is intent – not reality – must back track to Thursday). Dorfling: “Take off your apron, Mom. What’s in your hair, Mom. What are you writing, Mom. Seriously, take off your apron now, Mom.” Dorflings have actual, physical fight on my back while I am writing. Husband home, quick kiss, husband gone again to phone store. Find snacks for “starving” children.  

10:13 AM Make coffee, refill pill holder (am old lady). Prevent fratricide over broken toy. Go online and order super glue for broken toy along with vitamins/allergy meds. Change sheets while helpful child rolls around on bed. Work on putting away laundry from one of three baskets of clean-but-not-dealt-with clothing.

10:48 AM Remove cake from oven, shower, husband home. Have 5 minute adult conversation with husband while children bang on bathroom door yelling, “Dad! Dad!” Ask child to shower approximately 6 times, ask husband to make biscuits, flip cake, help child with headphone issue (am brilliant tech guru).

11:12-11:27 Listen to audiobook of Half Broke Horses while getting dressed (with breaks to discipline children).

11:27 Find cake glaze recipe, make cake glaze. Husband is making biscuits so, adult conversation!! Hurray! Strip sheets from Dorfling’s bed. Cannot find clean sheets to put on bed – while looking for them, forget what I am doing. Stand in the middle of the kitchen saying, “Why am I here?” Refill laundry soap dispenser and bathroom soap. Look at DH and realize we have accidentally put on each other’s shirts.

12:02 Leave for own child’s birthday celebration 2 minutes after it is scheduled to begin.  Blargh. (Am world’s worst time manager).

1:57 Leave in-laws house with my parents. Install thrilled, adorable Dorfling’s new curtains and bedding – take pictures for social media to brag about amazing Super Grandmother. Put away left overs sent home by Mom and MIL (praised be their names). Go through mail – foist off giant Arbor Day envelope on DH as is overwhelming. Work on laundry. Magnanimous children offer to allow 30 minute nap before taking them on promised errand running excursion.

3:15 Up from nap. Kids ask to finish watching cartoon before leaving for errands. Clean large fish tank. Work on laundry. Get in car. Give mini seminar on toy etiquette.

3:44 Shoes store. Blargh – boy shoes so expensive! Dorfling cheerfully agrees to buy shoes on sale for $50.  See girl mom buying two pairs of shoes for her daughter for $20 total. Suppress urge to slap her. Successful suppression! Nominate self for Nobel Peace Prize. Book store. Dorfling spends birthday money. (On books! Heart is melted in big puddle of motherly love.)

5:00 Leave bookstore at exact time am supposed to be arriving at in-laws. Full of shame as text mil of lateness for second time in same day.

5:15 Leave in-laws with 15 minutes to make it across town for dinner with church friends– still wearing t-shirt and Crocs. Not outfit had planned to wear.

5:27  Argh! Cannot make it across town in time. Text friends to say am ridiculous, late running, nonsense type person.

7:58 Leave dinner with amazing-type friends for in-laws’ house.

8:28 Home. Bedtime prep. Check social media to see comments on Super Grandmother.

8:45 -9:15 Read Horrid Henry to Dorfling until he falls asleep (sweet little angel baby)

9:15-9:58 Read The Power of Habit

Total Reading Time: 88 minutes