All the planners + another great movie

My 2022 planner line-up, a rom com that made me cry, and a shameless podcast episode

Hey y’all,

You asked for the nerdiness, so now I’m going to bring it. It’s planner time! I also have another great movie for you in the romantic movie marathon and a podcast full of my shameless recs. But first, let’s plan for 2022…

Planners

If you’ve followed me for any amount of time, you know I love a paper planner. For the last few years, I’ve mostly stuck with a system that was working for me, only tweaking here and there. But over the last few months, I had started to get an itch. Parts of my trusty system weren’t working anymore with how my job has changed—mainly, the daily planner format. I also wasn’t as excited (*gasp*) about the stickers and decorating part.

I was going through the motions, but not really getting the benefit I used to get from the planners I was using—or the fun. I was craving something cleaner, simpler, functional but still beautiful. So, I decided to blow up my system and start fresh to see what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to replace or ditch altogether, which meant a lot of research.

In the end, I fell in love with the products of Cloth & Paper. The designs were minimalist and functional but also gorgeous and modern. The paper is also thick and not slick, which I love. I chose the horizontal weekly format in happy planner classic size (but they come in many different sizes), so that allows me to use my Happy Planner discs and and covers/dividers that I already had.

I also bought inserts for the last few months of this year to try them out and I’ve been using them since September and I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. I’m a complete convert. I have also spent way too much money with the add ons and extra inserts you can get with C&P. They have a subscription box, too. It’s dangerous. You’ve been warned.

I also put everything in a Happy Planner cover that looks like it was made for it.

The weekly layout is really working for me and I’m still using a few stickers but keeping the crafty elements light so I can lean into the functional elements. Here’s what a page ends up looking like when I’m done with it. (The black marks were added for privacy. I’m not using Sharpies in my planner lol.)

In addition to the Cloth & Paper weekly, I also will continue using Powersheets and my kanban board (using Sarra Cannon’s HB90 system) for big picture goal planning, both of which I’ve been using for a few years and are continuing to work for me.

Powersheets

kanban board using Sarra Cannon’s HB90 system

Yes, I know that probably doesn’t seem streamlined, but for me, it definitely is, lol. I’d love to hear what planners you’re going to be using in 2022. Let me know in the comments!

Now, on to movie night…

This week for the romantic movie marathon, I watched Definitely, Maybe, a 2008 rom com that I somehow had never seen. I think I missed it because I had a baby at the end of 2007 and what little free time I had in 2008 probably was dedicated to getting some sleep.

Romantic Movie Marathon Review

Title: Definitely, Maybe

Release date: February 14, 2008

Where to Watch: I watched it on Peacock streaming (free with ads that were only played before the movie started), but you can also rent it from other streaming services like Amazon Prime Video

Starring: Ryan Reynolds (William), Abigail Breslin (his daughter Maya), and the three women he’s dated in his life Elizabeth Banks (Emily), Isla Fisher (April), and Rachel Weisz (Summer)

Official description from Peacock: At his young daughter's urging, a man on the cusp of divorce reminisces about his past girlfriends and has her guess which one became her mother. 

My description: William (played by Ryan Reynolds in his romantic comedy prime) telling his daughter How I Met Your Mother style, the story of three important women he’s dated so that she can guess which one is her mother. His daughter is hoping it will reconnect her parents by reminding him why they got married. We flash back to 1992, 1994, and 1997 and see how his story with each of these three women unfolded.

My Review 

1.     Is it actually a romance?

Yes, definitely…maybe. See what I did there? ;) It is a traditional romance in the sense that there is a happy ending and it’s very swoon-worthy. The non-traditional part is that there are three women and you see his story with each of them. So you probably couldn’t get away with that setup in a romance novel.

2.     Romantic tropes 

I can’t give the list of all of these because it would involve spoilers, but I can safely say the trope of second chance romance is there.

3.     Sweet or steamy?

It’s PG-13 and he’s telling the story to his daughter so he has to creatively edit some parts. So sweet but not sacchrine.

4.     Swoonworthy love interest?

Yes. Ryan Reynolds is a total cinnamon roll hero in this one.

5.     Would I want to be friends with the main character?

I could see hanging out with at least two of the three women in the movie. Plus, I’d totally hang with his daughter.

6.     Does it show its age?

The flashbacks were all in the 90s so it has a retro feel because of that but no, I think the movie holds up.

7.     Would I rewatch? Definitely

8.     Favorite moments: The grand gesture in this one made me press my hands over my heart. I won’t spoil what it is because it will giveaway who the love of his life is, but all the heart eyes.

9.     Thoughts: I can’t believe I’ve never watched this movie, you guys. It was so, so good. I loved it and cried actual happy tears with a big ass grin on my face. I also loved that they had a few twists that kept me on my toes. I’ll definitely watch this one again. The whole experience made me excited that I’m embarking on this marathon. I’d forgotten how happy a romantic movie can make me.

10. Rating: 4.75 out of 5 (I’m giving gut reactions on my star ratings, rating the movie right after I turn it off so that I don’t overthink/overanalyze. So these ratings will be all about how the movie made me feel.)

Podcast

This week on the podcast, we’re getting shameless! We’re chatting about reader shame and then Dawn and I are giving our favorite shameless recs. (Expect dark erotic romance from me and big sexy aliens from Dawn! ;) )

That’s all I’ve got for you this week! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Remember you can click to comment if you have something you’d like to share!

Roni

*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.