I’m not sure if this was a TikTok trend because I don’t have TikTok, but I first heard about a monthly R.E.P.O.R.T. from Ella Henry’s Substack, Gut Feelings.
R is for Reading
If you’ve been keeping up with this blog for a while, you know that I got back into reading (here’s how) during the pandemic. I actually haven’t watched any movies on the 12 plane rides I’ve been on this year. On my flight back to LA after Thanksgiving, I started What Happened To You?, a book addressing childhood trauma that is co-authored by Oprah. It’s one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read in the past couple of years. My book review will be included in my upcoming yearly book review post (see past posts here).
E is for eating
Protein pancakes! I’ve never been a pancake person, waffles will always reign supreme in my book, but I don’t have space for a waffle maker. I’ve been really into the latest health trend, which is trying to eat 0.8g-1g of protein per pound of body weight. I eat mostly vegetarian at home, so I’ve been trying to incorporate protein powder into more of my meals. I use this recipe from Ambitious Kitchen that includes Greek yogurt. I don’t use any of the extracts or sugar, but then add a scoop or 2 of protein powder and plenty of chocolate chips. Instead of maple syrup, I’ll top them with more Greek yogurt, frozen berries, cinnamon, and chia seeds.
P is for prioritizing
I’ve been really enjoying my daily walks before work. The internet says seeing sunlight in the morning is good for regulating your circadian rhythm, and I need all the help that I can get for my sleep. Sometimes I’ll schedule walks at 7:15-7:30 am with friends that live nearby. When I’m on my own, I try to do a 30 to 60-minute walk. Listening to podcasts like The Skinny Confidential makes the time fly by! You can find a playlist of my favorite episodes that I’ve listened to this year on Spotify here.
O is for obsessing over
Why has it taken me 27 years to use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser??? I’ve always thought the commercials where women fall in love with Mr. Clean are silly, but now I get it, he’s hot. I’m sure the chemicals are toxic or whatever, but I cannot believe how easy it was to clean my kitchen and bathroom!! It will be a Costco purchase, I can’t wait to have 30 of these.
R is for recommending
I recently started following a bunch of the individual city and tourism Instagram accounts in LA county like @cityofbevhills, @dtsantamonica, and @marinadelrey_ca. They’ve hired some good social media managers who post about new restaurants and current events so I can fill up my weekends with some lively things! Highly recommend following these kinds of local accounts to keep up with your community!
T is for treating
Ok so I treated myself a lot this Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Way more than I expected to. One of the last impulse purchases was an annual New York Times Games subscription. I try to do the Wordle daily, but I’ve never had a subscription before, and it was only $20 for the year. Now I have access to the full NY Times crossword and can play all the game archives. I think it’s a win. Feel free to add me as a friend @livelybylaura!
RECOMMENDED READING
Is ClassPass Worth the Money?
26 Lessons From 26
10 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Running
