What are you up to this weekend? We’ve had a busy week around here, and we are very much looking forward to collapsing with takeout pizza and catching up on Abbott Elementary tonight. When we’re rested and refreshed we’ll be ready for our Saturday outdoor adventures.
It’s been a great week on the blog. I posted about my daughter’s first job on Monday, and told you a little bit about my first job as well. The comments are incredible! Thanks for making this community such a wonderful place to be.
My favorite finds from around the web:
- Judy Blume Documentary in the Works at Amazon, Imagine Entertainment. Intriguing development.
- I don’t often cook from Instagram recipes, but our newest team member Baylee raved about this stuffed shells recipe so I made it immediately. I told my kids it tasted like my childhood—my mom used to make a similar recipe all the time.
- How to Write a Book Without Having to Write a Book: What Burnout Taught Me About Process. Julia Whelan shares the process of writing her next book Thank You For Listening (out August 2).
- Tried and true beauty and skincare products I never want to be without. I enjoy trying new products occasionally but what I’m REALLY interested in is products with staying power.
- Nicolas Cage Can Explain It All. I didn’t know I wanted to read a profile of Nicolas Cage but I wanted to read this profile.
- We just finished this Michael Storrings puzzle, which was 1000x harder than I anticipated. This Italian cityscape puzzle is up next!
- The Unsung Women of the Betty Crocker Test Kitchens. I had no idea about Betty Crocker’s origin story.
- Author Brandon Sanderson backs every single publishing project on Kickstarter. Pretty great to see.
- The Virtues of Silence in a Time of Tragedy. “Our increasing real-time access to the terrors of the world has come with the expectation that we engage with them: name them, denounce them, show how they affect us. We have learned to perform our grief in the public arena.”
- I haven’t used a meditation app in forever but I’m thinking of starting Headspace again—especially because we already have a family subscription my daughter uses. If you use it, please tell me about your experience in comments!
- After recommending Griffin & Sabine on WSIRN episode 324: Gems across all genres, I discovered the author Nick Bantock has an Etsy shop where you can purchase prints and originals from the books.
- The sport with the funny name that’s sweeping America. Have you played?
Don’t miss these posts:
- 8 calming nonfiction books to read when you’re stressed. These titles will help you slow down, breathe deep, and take a well-deserved reading break.
- My 8 favorite spring-to-summer transition pieces. These are some of the favorite pieces I rely on to gracefully carry me from spring into summer, no matter the weather.
Have a great weekend!
26 comments
Wow! What an intriguing Etsy shop by that author. I’ve never read his work, but his art is intriguing. Very Guillermo del Toro-esque. Thanks for sharing!
I do not recommend Headspace. I’ve been a subscriber since the start of the pandemic. The content is geared to 18-35-year-olds. I never see anyone who looks like me (mid-fifties female) or who has similar reasons for meditating (college/high school age kids which causes different kinds of stress). I have canceled my subscription and will search for another meditation app.
I love Headspace! Been using it for over 2 years, every single day. Great offerings of different courses directed at particular feelings or situations meditation can help with, as well as room for more advanced meditations. I will never delete this app.
If you like Nick Bantok’s art, he has a deck of meditation/archetype cards called The Archeo.
https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738764405. (Full disclosure – I work for the publisher and we had a great time working with him and creating this product.). It’s also on Amazon, etc.
I just bought them…gorgeous! Thanks
My ex-husband (at the time 53) introduced me to Headspace and I’ve been a subscriber ever since. I love that there’s a different 10 min morning meditation each day – I do the 5 deep breaths exercise then the 10 min daily meditation. If I have time I listen to the Wake Up as well. I find all 3 of these are always relevant to me. As I’ve become more comfortable with the process, I sometimes do the Pro mediations (less guidance/talking) and really enjoy those too, and I’ve used the SOS ones in moments of acute stress. There are a lot of other options that I haven’t even had the occasion/time to look into yet!
Griffin and Sabine!! What a wonderful reminder of this gorgeous series. I remember them from my college job in an upscale bookstore. I really wanted to buy them then, but they weren’t in the budget (even with the employee discount). I think I may do my 19 year old self a favor and purchase them now!
I’m enjoying the meditation offerings that are part of the Apple Fitness app. 5, 10 and 20 minutes and lots of choices.
I use the sleep casts on Headspace every single night. My favorites are Rainday Antiques, Sleeper Mountain and Evening Tide. Absolutely love the app!
That Nick Cage profile was so fascinating! I LOVED National Treasure growing up, but my coming-of-age years were during his so-called downfall. I never knew he made so many movies, or what an interesting character his is. Glad to see things are going better for him now, and I’m excited for the new movie. Thanks for sharing!
Love pickleball! I started playing last fall and it’s so fun.
I’ve used both Headspace and Smiling Mind and found them to be beneficial. I think which works best for you will depend on where you are in your meditation journey.
I bought the Michael Storrings cherry blossom puzzle after seeing you mention it on your blog. And yes, it was hard! It’s a beautiful puzzle and very challenging – especially when all you have left is a ton of nearly identical pink pieces! Our next one up is the Michael Storrings four season dog park puzzle.
I just started using Headspace in the past week for the sleep resources. I really really love the Wind Down sequences to help me fully relax before falling asleep, especially because you can customize the length and voice. I’m still on the free trial but will absolutely subscribe when it’s over.
I saw a comment above that said they thought Headspace wasn’t geared for people over 35. I’m 48 and I love it. I’m sorry that person doesn’t like it. I don’t always use it daily but I do enjoy it. It is the only thing I’ve used for mediation so I don’t have anything to compare it to. One of my favorite things are the sleep stories. My favorite is the Cat Marina. Since you already have a subscription definitely check it out.
We played pickleball in elementary school PE in the 90’s! I live near where it was invented (in Washington state) so it was pretty well known here. It’s pretty fun to have something from my area get so big!
I’m from Washington, too, and grew up playing pickleball. My hometown put in some tennis courts and pickleball courts on top of our water reservoir to keep people from swimming in it. My aunt and uncle also had a court in their backyard and I remember plenty of family reunions with my highly competitive relatives playing…the pictures of everyone in their 80’s athletic gear are priceless!
I was a Headspace subscriber for a few years, and found myself using it less and less over the past few months. A colleague recommended The Shine a few weeks back, and I really love the meditations, as well as the interactive platform, that supports regular check-ins & opportunities to be present in your emotions / feelings / experiences.
We just started playing pickleball and love it. Great but not super strenuous exercise AND a wonderful way to meet people.
Loved the article by Julia Whelan. I have her book newest book as an ARC, I just moved it to the top of my list to read.
I’ve been doing mindfulness meditation for years to treat anxiety after participating in a mindfulness-based stress reduction group (a program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn). I really enjoyed Headspace but now I regularly use the Calm app. It’s a subscription-based app similar to Headspace and in addition to a library of meditations, it also offers “Sleep Stories” to help with insomnia. (A recent sleep story favorite of mine is “Crossing Ireland By Train” narrated by Cillian Murphy.)
I love the Calm app! It’s the only app I pay for. The sleep stories and soundscapes help me fall asleep (or back to sleep) so much, and have for several years. I started using the sleep stories during a time of high anxiety and grief and couldn’t give the app up now! There are so many voices and styles to choose from! Plus the Daily Calm and other meditations are excellent, when I get to using them.
I am in the 50+ age group, and I really enjoy Headspace. It is easy to use, especially with Alexa, and it makes my life better when I use it regularly.
I’ve used Headspace in the past and enjoyed it. Calm is another good one. My favorite right now is called Oak. Something I really got into is breathwork, and Oak has excellent breathing meditations.
I recently went back to using Headspace and I love the improvements they’ve put in. They have a Daily “schedule” and I’ve found that I want to go back to check off some of the daily actions.
My employer subscribes to the Calm App as part of a workplace wellness initiative. It is an amazing resource. I find myself listening to the music or soundscapes while I read. They also have daily meditations, sleep stories, master classes on various topics, etc. It’s a great fringe benefit. I have Griffin and Sabine (all the books) on my shelf since long ago. I have always loved epistolary fiction.