Hello from the beach! This edition of The Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T. is a little longer than usual. It feels nice to have a little extra time to write. I hope you’ll take the time to read all the articles linked in the “Recommending” section of this report and support other writers on Substack with a comment or a share!
R - Reading
On Monday I finished listening to Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young and Errands & Espionage by Sam Tschida on my Kindle. I’ve officially surpassed 50 books for the year. I’ve been on a romance kick, especially on audiobook, so I checked out Night Shift by Annie Crown and The Irish Goodbye by Amy Ewing from my library. I also started reading my physical copy of Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer Tuesday night before bed.
E - Eating
In an effort to save money in the “eating out” category of our budget, this week for lunch I made buffalo grilled chicken wraps and had veggie sticks with cottage cheese for my snacks. I’m also on a strawberry rhubarb pie kick and have been looking forward to my sweet treat before bed.
P - Playing
I’ve been playing around with different hairstyles since I chopped my hair. I may be having some regrets but it will grow back. I’m trying out this Sun Bum Air Dry Cream on days we go to the pool to protect my hair and color.
O - Obsessing over
The Lisa Says Gah Picnic Alfresco collection. I rented a few pieces from Nuuly this month to pack for the beach. My 5-year-old is “not so sure” about it but I think it’s fun and a summer vacay is the perfect place to try out something new. The brand is size inclusive which is important to me.
R - Recommending
I read so many substack newsletters this week that I can’t stop thinking about so I want to share a few notable posts with you:
Bookmarked with Michelle Martin featured on Downtime by Alisha Ramos. I think most of us will recognize her from Bookstagram but Michelle’s photography has a dreamy quality and I adore her documentary approach to weddings.
Maria from Ten Dollar Latte wrote about how she cut her screen time in half following the Guardian newsletter series. I’ve been waiting for her results and appreciated how she categorized apps when considering where to focus her attention. I’m going to try her tip for putting social media apps on her iPad only to make sure time spent on those sites is intentional.
Now that school is out for summer, I revisited Sarah’s newsletter (How) Can we read? Preventing summer slide. My Nana reminded me to have my 5-year-old read road signs on the way to the beach to practice her reading skills and I think that fits in perfectly into Sarah’s recommendation to expand our idea of what ELA is.
The Wonder of a Rainy Morning in Yokosuka by my friend Sarah reminded me how beautiful the Japanese worship of nature is. I’m looking forward to reading more vignettes of her travels in Japan with her husband.
Hunter opened up about why she stopped writing on Substack and it’s a good reminder to slow your scroll.
I’ve always admired my friend Karla’s writing and her Massage Meditations is no exception. I’m taking it as my sign to finally treat myself to a professional massage.
T - Treating myself to
A week at the beach with my extended family! My sister-in-law turns 40 this week and I’m happy to celebrate this milestone with her.
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It’s officially summer break for my kiddos. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Elsewhere on the Internet: Goodreads / Storygraph / Pinterest
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie reminds me of childhood summers. Yum!
Ooh strawberry rhubarb pie 🥧 🤤