If you are part of the book blogger world, then you know that this Saturday is Dewey’s semi-annual 24-hour readathon. For the first time in a long time, I am able to participate, and the thought of doing nothing but reading for the day has me more than just a little excited. In the past, I tended to be the type of person who made no plans for the day. My goal was always to read as much as possible and have fun. This time around, however, I feel the urge to put some plans down and actually prepare. I still want to have fun and read as much as possible, but I want to be organized about it as well. So, here is my first-ever attempt at planning for the readathon.
House Prep:
I can only relax when my house is clean and organized. Thankfully, I am taking a much-needed mental health day on Friday. Plus, the kids are off on Friday and also have an early dismissal on Thursday. This means that we have a lot of time to clean the house to my specifications and do the weekly chores and errands before Saturday. This also means two whole days of relaxation this weekend. Yay!
Food Prep:
Actually, this one I have well in hand. I hit the grocery store on Monday like normal and picked up a few must-haves at that point in time. Since then, I have started planning meals for next week and made specific plans for Saturday meals. I don’t even eat while I read – unless I’m reading on my iPad – but everyone has so much fun planning out what they are going to eat during readathons that I knew I had to get in on the action.
- Chips and French onion dip – My all-time favorite snack no matter how cliched it is
- Hummus and vegetables – For when the guilt of eating too many chips gets to me
- Triple chocolate brownies – Because if I am eating chips and dip, I am chasing it with a deliciously rich and gooey brownie
- Coffee – 24 hours requires coffee
- Water – I don’t drink much of anything else these days outside of coffee
- Beer cheese soup – I want something easy to eat, and the thought of this soup hit the right chord with me when planning
- Pizza or whatever the husband is willing to pick up – In case for some reason no one wants soup for dinner, and then Jim gets to choose
- Breakfast burritos – I love a good breakfast burrito and have been dying for a reason to make these; even better is the fact that I can make them on Friday and pop them in the microwave for reheating on Saturday morning
- My secret chicken salad – One of my favorite recipes and it works well as an easy but delicious and fairly light meal
Day Prep:
I would still one day love to read for the full 24 hours. However, with two kids still at home, this still is not possible. Holly has a two-hour dance rehearsal in the middle of the day, and she is also talking about hanging out with her friends at the house. There is college football and a Badger game that will require watching. Therefore, if I can read at least a good 16 hours, I will consider the event a success. I plan to do most of my cheering during the football game. I also plan to take a nap to try to last longer in the wee hours of the night and go for a walk – the perfect opportunity to bring in an audiobook.
Cheer Prep:
Is there such a thing? Like I mentioned earlier, I plan to do most of my cheering while watching football. I’ll hit social media while I am at H’s rehearsals and whenever I am taking a break from reading to prepare snacks and things.
Book Prep:
This is where I get stuck. I honestly dislike preselecting even an entire stack of books for potential reads during the event. I have batted around the idea of getting to some old review copies I never got around to reading prior to the release date. I have thought of catching up on some YA series I have been meaning to read forever. There is another part of me that wants to keep it all light and fun, selecting only my favorite authors. Yet another part of me wants to tackle a tome because when else will I get such a long period of time to read it? In the end, I will do what I always do in this area and just pick whatever calls to me at that moment. So no readathon stack pics for me for now. The beauty of being a supremely eclectic reader means that I could always change my mind.
Post Prep:
I tend not to write posts throughout the day. I will have the first post scheduled on Friday and probably won’t have anything else until Sunday. I also tend to ignore the challenges as well. I want to read and celebrate the community, and writing on my own website accomplishes neither of these two goals.
Family Prep:
Holly already knows about the readathon, as does Connor. I’ve done enough of these for them to know what this means, and I know they will leave me alone the entire day. I would love for them to read with me, but I fear that those days of family participation are long over. I still need to have The Talk with Jim. This will be vital to making sure my plans go off without a hitch. I know this from experience. I will be having The Talk tonight with reminders for the rest of the week. There will be no misunderstandings or social obligations getting in my way this time around!
So, there you have it. That’s what I have in the way of readathon prep for now. I’m sure that as Saturday nears, I will get all sorts of great ideas from others that I will want to incorporate. If not, I think I am still more organized than I have
Comments
- Have a great Readathon!! As usual I can't participate. We're ... by SuziQoregon
- Oooooh. Soup. That reminds me that we have chili. Also I have ... by Bryan G. Robinson
- Sounds like you are ready!! Now more important than books even ... by Amanda
- I love this!! I am going to post my prep post today sometime. I ... by Brandie
- I never plan out my reading because I feel like the minute I ... by Kailana
- I commend you for even attempting the readathon with kids ... by Sarah's Book Shelves
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