Have a Lovely Weekend.

Yes, I screenshot and saved that idea too! My baby is 4months, so this year it has been the Year of Sleep, by default.. but will start planning soon too!

oh that’s wonderful!! it was SO warm and sunny on our first day!

What state? I have central California recommendations for this (Shaver Lake, Pinecrest Lake, or Twain Harte)!

This describes a bunch of different communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin…Minnesota may be easier to fly into if you’re coming via plane.

Any state! I live in California but am willing to travel for the ideal place.

How funny to see my little town of Twain Harte mentioned on here! BLL, are you local? I’d love to meet up with a fellow COJ reader. Betsie, if you do come to Twain Harte (a sweet little town with everything you mentioned plus mini golf!), make sure you get a rental with lake access as TH lake is a private lake. Alternatively, hit me up and I’ll pull some strings!

I am a Californian with family in MN (who has a cabin at a lake), and I can highly recommend visiting MN in summer. There are lake house rentals (unfortunately no recommendation) and lots of small towns. Our family’s place is near Osakis and Alexandria, and it’s beautifully green with small towns, lakes etc. Good luck! You fly into Minneapolis / St. Paul and rent a car and then drive for a few hours. Our kids love it there, there are thunderstorms (something we don’t have in CA), beautiful sunsets, s’mores, and lots of mosquitoes. If you visit MN in summer, don’t miss out on the Twin Cities, which are really cool: the Mill Museum, the Mississippi locks and Minnehaha Falls and a lot more to see there. Very different from CA but not less beautiful. And Owamni, a very tasty native American restaurant with view over the Mississippi.

Check out Door County, Wisconsin. It may not be the level of quiet you want but it’s ticks the other boxes pretty well.

MAINE <3

Lake Laura! West Virginia area! Go! lol. Have so much fun 🤩. Low key style lol.

Kennebunkport, Maine! or South Portland or Camden xoxo and also, northern Michigan — like Fishtown/Leland xoxo

Ontario cottage country is full of spots like this. We’ve got two weeks of the swim, dock, hammock, canoe, paddle board, puzzle, ice cream life coming up as soon as school ends, can’t wait!

Florencia – I’m in the Bay Area, but spent many a summer at Twain Harte growing up! You are lucky to live there full time! What a great spot.

Hi Betsie – check out a cabin called The Minne Stuga, it’s on the north shore of Lake Superior near the town of Grand Marais. I haven’t been there but I learned about it on the now-inactive blog called The Faux Martha. She and her husband renovated this cabin and it looks really wonderful. https://www.theminnestuga.com/

There are a gazillion little lake towns like that in Upstate NY. For starters, check out Old Forge, NY. It has some touristy stuff (janky old waterpark), but also has many pluses that are unusual to find in one place up here. Clean lakes, great hiking, good food, giant pancakes, a LGBTQ owned cocktail bar, kayak rentals, etc. You can even go river rafting. There are bike rentals and a lovely trail system! https://www.inletny.com/files/inlet/pages/Hiking/inline_pdfs/TOBIE%20Trail.pdf If you find a place to stay out of the main town, it’s pretty peaceful.

Park Rapids, MN!!! Find a lakeside cabin in the area. Lake Itasca (starting point of the Mississippi), town within biking distance, depending where you stay. There is an old-timey soda shop and lots of cute little gift shops.

Caseville and Port Austin, Michigan are right on Lake Huron in the Thumb.

I can’t believe Twain Harte was mentioned! I grew up going to Twain Harte at my family’s cabin and it was magical. The cabin was sold, but I took my kids and their cousin there to rented cabins several times when they were little. They still talk about it and want to go back as teenagers

Bridgton, Maine we got it alllllll here (plus a bookstore, a local movie theater, pizza shop, Mexican/sushi restaurant, antique and curiosity shops – the list goes on… might be hard to find a place to book at this point in time. It’s a popular year-round destination. If you visit you’ll know why! 😊

@Stacia Bridgeton has stolen my heart! The bookstore AND library. Beth’s coffee. The lakes at every corner. We almost decided to pass this year as there are other things going on and couldn’t do it. Will be there in August!

We stayed in this two bedroom cabin in Northern Michigan a couple years ago and it was delightful. There is creek in the backyard and a firepit for Smores. If you are interested in hiking and kayaking, beautiful Ludington is about an hour’s drive away. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/581845064071922291?source_impression_id=p3_1750695990_P3v4LfGLe_4OQU03

Look into the Finger Lakes region between Syracuse and Rochester in upstate NY – Skaneateles, Canandaigua, Penn Yann are all lovely towns.

Having raised 2 15 yo daughters, I can tell you that someday one will tell you, “remember that time you took us all to ____, just for me, but I was a total brat and made you cry that time in the ice cream shop because I got too hungry?” And then they’ll laugh like it was grand. And then they’ll say quietly “sorry mom. Thanks for trying so hard.”

I remember being that 15 year old. I am now 52. And, I have apologized to my mom many times!

oh gosh, so many! cirque du soleil is always fun and it’s special to see it under the OG big top. i like wandering around old montreal and mont royal, especially on the trails. for shopping i like mile end best. there’s a wacky shop called jeans, jeans, jeans which has cheap jeans and the people who work there have the best taste. just put yourself in their hands. trust me. you will be glad! there are excellent montreal-based designers with store fronts. jennifer glasgow, katrin le blond. i’m forgetting some others. bota spa is a spa on a boat. the food scene in montreal is tops. poutine of course. and bagels: st. viateur and fairmount are the best spots and conveniently next door to each other. go right when they open for the most delicious bagels on the planet. (i won’t say which one i prefer because i don’t want to start a fight! it’s worth doing your own taste test) for restaurants: le mousso, toqué, vin papillon, damas, buillon bilk, Larry’s, Majestique, Garde Manger, Bar Waverly, Sparrow… it’s been a minute since I was in montreal so some of these might not exist anymore. the culture scene is strong in montreal so you should check if there are concerts or art exhibits or plays. and jean talon market! bon voyage!

Oh yes. For restaurants, Vin Mon Lapin is very special. Pumpui for unbelievable Thai, Elena for pizza, and Rhubarbe for some of the greatest pastries you will ever have. Jean Talon Market is excellent for wandering around slowly. It is worthwhile to walk around the Mile End/Pleateau for shopping and cafes and terrasses in the street where you can grab a drink as you feel like it. Montreal is the best city in North America, I think. Enjoy it.

To add to the (excellent!) list below, I love Atelier b https://atelier-b.ca/ in mile end, expensive but lovely locally made clothes and other things.

Cafe chez Tete for Lebanese is a must!! Rent Bixi bikes to get around and see the city, you won’t regret it.

Also planning a trip to Montreal. Any recs on what neighborhood to stay in or hotels/airbnb recs?

Bagels bagels bagels. Eat all the bagels. Then airmail me some. I am in California and sadly deprived of real Montreal bagels.

Poutine at La Banquise and Portuguese chicken at Ma poule mouillée. De froment et de sève for pastries. If you are an NFL fan, check out Le pain dans les voiles owned by Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff. Jean Talon market, of course. Nouilles de Lan Zhou in Chinatown, Sammi & Soupe Dumpling – (Chinatown).

Thank you everyone! I ate all the bagels and made it to Jeans, Jeans, Jeans (which I would not have found without you.)

Agree – a much older friend said Vaseline and old socks was her tip and that really helped.. for pennies per use.

Was 100% going to say the same thing!

Speaking of cheaper options that really work. My face gets super dry in the winter. I was getting a facial last January and she told me to use aquaphor at night. Game changer! I was spending so much on serums and lotions. Not needed. And my skin didn’t break out. I think it improved a bit.

Quince!

Pact has good ones that go on sale, or find a brand you like investment-wise and search on poshmark, if you have time!

eBay – look for vintage J. Jill or Talbot’s linen pants.

I got a cute pair from Gap Factory of all places, in a leopard print. I sized down per reviews and am glad I did- linen tends to grow. I’m 5’3″ and they come to my ankle bone. They are described as mid-rise but I can pull them up to my natural waist and cinch and they fit great that way, too. They come in a million colors and are on sale! https://www.gapfactory.com/browse/product.do?pid=744898061&vid=1&tid=gfpl000038&kwid=1&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=17969471966&gbraid=0AAAAAD_AT8tDvc9Cpqce3Ng0o2lorth8f&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjdTCBhCLARIsAEu8bpICC0XKvgCSabkdJYKhEGKrWRZUOjyOpbtVUw0BL3o4Aublfx5fvcUaAoa0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

*adding to my comment to say I am 5’3″ and bought the petite length and they hit at my ankle bone :)

These are a dream: https://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=681446022&vid=1&pcid=5475&nav=meganav%3AWomen%3AWomen%27s+Bottoms%3APants#pdp-page-content Good luck!

I have ordered 4 pairs now. She makes them custom if you send your measurements and will adjust the length. They wash up so soft! https://www.etsy.com/listing/756871755/linen-culottes-with-raw-edge-and-high?ref=user_profile&bes=1&frs=1&pro=1

I’ll second the Poshmark suggestion and would keep an eye out for Eileen Fisher ones, which tend to be very forgiving even with an elastic waist.

Uniqlo! Or a more expensive pair, Aritzia!

Oh I appreciate you saying something.

Thank you for letting us know Julia, this has been removed.

Jenny, there was an episode of the (gorgeous) This is Love podcast recently that spoke to the Guardian staff that set these dates up, and some of the blind daters. I think you’d really enjoy it!

I love that column, especially reading the occasional installments where the two people *really* hit it off. 😍

Get it girl

Can you link the bikini? I’ve ten years on you, but now I want one too!

It’s also on Netflix if you have that service.

I hope your Under the Tuscan Sun trip goes well. (And I also hope the inciting incident was not the same as hers in the movie.)

KC, not sure where in Cornwall you are heading but are also going to Cornwall next week and about a week and this is our Google map for the area. I tried to include details for each starred place (why it was recommended, who recommended it). Small note: You’ll see a few places outside of Cornwall – this was my where are we going this summer in the UK trip planning, then narrowed it down once I realized 90% of the pins kept falling in Cornwall. UK 2025 · Karine https://maps.app.goo.gl/dXC1NEhiSioL8vVu6?g_st=i

Thank you, Anne – I feel very seen! And what a dreamy list. xo

Have you ever seen the Mary Englebreit “Books fall open, you fall in.” images? T

Looking for all the advice in this regard. Recently married and while I only shaved a few times a week (um, once, and very rarely in winter pants season), I find myself shaving much more often now. I see women wearing shorts on planes—how do they do it? I’m prickly the same day I shave—as soon as I get chilled. Shorts on a plane is an impossibility. My husband (lovingly) calls me “the cactus.”

I just assume that everyone else’s legs look so smooth because I’m not wearing my glasses and I can’t see anything, and I hope to god that everyone else is in a similar deficit when it comes to looking at my legs! (Please be true, please be true…)

My guess is that the secret is waxing. That, or they have the magical hair type that grows back incredibly slowly. Definitely not within my budget or phenotype.

I am still awaiting reimbursement from Cup of Jo for influencing me to laser off my leg hair. Except that it was the greatest decision I’ve made in as long as I can remember, so actually… thank you Cup of Jo!

An old fashioned safety razor is the key for me. The kind you have to put actual razor blades into. Mine is from Hanni and I love it. Shave lasts 3-4 days for me, and is smoother and closer and less irritating to my skin than anything else I’ve tried. For what it’s worth my leg hair is fairly light and fine, so ymmv if you have darker or thicker hair, but it might be worth a shot! Bonus: more environmentally friendly than most razors on the market.

lol prickly! I am also in your situation. I usually just embrace my furry legs in the baby pool. I also bought a glass file thing (I have one from nood but they’re all over) which has separated hair removal from showering for me lol. You can do it dry, so you can do it really fast right before a leg-baring outing.

I think some women are just naturally not very hairy and don’t have to shave their legs often! The only reason my legs are now smooth is laser hair removal, the best thing I ever spent too much money on

Okay this question but about bikini lines! I have (and love!) a full bush, but I do not love the side situation that grows further down my legs with every year I am on this earth. So many people I see at the pool are in high cut bathing suits and everything is smooth, smooth, smooth – what is the secret?! In past lives I waxed and sugared, but still it was never as smooth as I see out there in world. Please help a gal out!!

I’m 41 and I haven’t shaved regularly since college. It was all perspective anyway. My now-ex never cared and I thought it was realistic for my boys to see that grown women have hair on their bodies and can remove it, or not. We go to the river, the lake – I go to the sauna – I wear skirts and dresses, I rarely think about my leg hair. Enjoy your summer, your kids, and your amazing body and remember that other moms are probably looking at you thinking “gosh, she’s 45 and amazing!”

It’s all about the investment in laser. Did it years ago and have never looked back. After trying everything, that was the only way I was able to get that smooth skin your reference on legs, bikini line, under arms…

I shower everyday and shave most days. I also am not terribly hairy, and i don’t use shaving cream, so it takes about 2 minutes tops to shave my pits, legs and bikini line. Waxing gives me horrible horrible horrible in grown hairs, so shaving it is!

Ugh I have the same problem. Plus my skin is so pale and hair is so dark that even when I do occasionally have a close shave, you can STILL see the hair UNDER my skin. We live at the beach and it’s way too much logistics to try to be shaved before all the beach trips. I just assume (and hope) that everyone is looking at my super cute 3 year old having the time of his life at the beach and not at my legs. I’m also too pregnant to care about leg hair this summer so there’s that too 😅

My guess is either shaving daily or waxing. I stopped shaving a few years ago because I just felt like I was either having to shave every other day, or I was just prickly. Also, knees. I wax my legs about once a month, the hair grows back softer so I’m never prickly. It’s very easy to do yourself! I bought a Gigi wax warmer and the Gigi blue hard wax and some little wood tongue depressors to smear the wax around. Lots of tutorials online. I do my under arms too.

I have this same question and have actually submitted it to Jo and team a few times, ha! Out of desperation, I ordered an IPL device and I’m two weeks into my routine with it. Won’t know for a few more weeks of using it if it’s actually working or not!

S, when I say that laser hair removal on my inner thighs transformed my life, I am not joking. I have a LOT of dark thick hair. Putting on any swimsuit involved an arduous and expensive shaving process that didn’t last very long and really inflamed my skin. But a few sessions of laser and my thighs are REMARKABLY TRANSFORMED. Smooth, hairless, and no more painful ingrown hairs. After just a few sessions I became a person who could throw on a swimsuit at the drop of a hat and it was worth every. single. penny. Keep in mind that you do not have to follow the salon’s instructions about coming back yearly for touch-ups. I haven’t gone back in 8 years and it’s still as fantastic as ever. The mental load that disappeared was incredible. Best of luck with whatever you try!

True story: Joanna once was raving on this blog about an exfoliating hand-mitt to use in the shower. I was duly influenced, bought it, tried it, and was like “this is no different than shaving.” Then I realized “Oh! People who lasered off their leg hair never shave so never have that smooth post-shave skin!” So I think the hairless legs are thanks to some kind of photon intervention. :)

Genetics, my friend. I have light strawberry blonde colored hair and basically clear arm and leg hairs. Seriously — they’re translucent. So I can easily go two weeks without shaving my legs. On the “con” side of the equation, my eyelashes and eyebrows are equally invisible.

Laserd a few years ago…. Very well worth the money and the never ending trips to the therapy rooms…. But only got 90% of the dark hairs and more like 10% of the fine blonde hair on knees…. If anyone is looking closely enough to notice the hangers on, well, ‘a cat can look at a king’

Hahaha Abby I’m with you :) Even when I’ve just shaved they’re not perfect at all, and it definitely doesn’t happen every day. I sometimes think they might be smoother if I used some kind of scrub or Joanna’s mitt thing but that feels like too much. So I will continue to have good enough legs and see everyone else’s as perfect, since yes I don’t have my glasses on. But we’re in the water, and life is good.

FWIW, I wear leggings virtually every day. Well, not every day, especially in the summer when I wear white cotton and khakis quite frequently. Also, not talking about tight, shiny spandex yoga pants; rather, cotton based with a slight bit of stretch……anyhow, I used to shave my legs often, but with leggings, I don’t even own a razor anymore. Literally — no more shaving. Leggings (dark only, light shows lumps and bumps) work well for me, they look sleek especially with boots, are affordable and COMFY. And no more shaving for the win.

as someone with PCOS who struggled with my body hair my whole life (dark and coarse on very pale skin, seemingly started growing back the minute I shaved)– laser hair removal was the best thing I ever ever did. For my self esteem. Probably wouldn’t have worked so well if I also didn’t start addressing the hormonal imbalance from the outside in with lifestyle changes, herbs, and supplements. Being on the Pill, sprinolactone, and all of the stuff doctors automatically put you on did NOTHING for me or my symptoms. I had to research and seek out specialists on my own. So hard and isolating! So much info out there on PCOS is incredibly basic, surface level, and unhelpful. And so few doctors know how to do more about it than prescribe the Pill.

.S. – same boat here! I gave up on high-cut swimsuits years ago. Double whammy of not having success and then also red bumps. I was doing swim shorts but this year I found a swimdress at Old Navy and I love it. I use my husband’s electric trimmer to keep anything visible super short, and then the swimsuit provides coverage when out of the water. If I could turn back time, for any 25-year olds reading, I’d strongly consider more permanent removal but at 44 it’s not in the cards.

This is hilarious!! I had to scroll back to look at the photo again and laughed out loud when I saw the stems!! As I get ready for my first pool outing with my baby today…and am looking at my cute shaggy legs that have not been waxed or shaved since she’s been born! Solidarity!

I used the at-home Braun IPL hair remover, and it worked great. (This type of treatment only works if there is high contrast, like in my case, pale skin and dark hair.) I used it on my legs and bikini area; I maaaaybe have to do a quick shaving pass in a couple of stubborn regrowth spots every 1-2 weeks. Otherwise, totally smooth.

I am very fair with dark hair and was self-conscious about my visible (to me) hair stubble for most of my life to the point I avoided wearing skirts and shorts. A few years ago in my fifties, I decided enough is enough and bought a home IPL hair removal device. My legs (and pits) are finally smooth and stubble free.

I finally invested in laser hair removal in my mid-30s, after considering it for about ten years (a large part of my hesitation was that I wanted to be able to participate in a resurgence of female hairiness if/when that ever happens haha!). My husband never cared whether I shaved or not, so this was more for public perception and my own preference. I still have a little bit of very fine/thin hair, but am more or less smooth. No shaving, no in-growns, no stubble. I kept my bush, but lasered my inner thighs so nothing shows outside of a swimsuit. I even asked for my big toes to be lasered when getting my legs done!

I shave once a week! I got cactus legs! It’s just not worth the work IMO lol. And I’d rather invest in some stocks than make recurring and painful investments like lasering my hair to make other people feel better when they look at me.

This YouTube video should be mandatory for all women who choose to shave: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKY-AfVyGc It’s a video from a derm I follow on instagram.

Totally get that, Lucia! But I definitely did laser for me and not for anyone else. I wish I could be ok with abundant thick dark hair that grew literally halfway to my knees. But I’ve never seen anyone rock that look in public, anywhere, for the past 50 years I’ve spent on this earth. So I don’t think I’m alone in preferring to have smooth inner thighs that don’t rub together and cause relentless, painful, inflamed ingrown hairs. I promise it can be about much more than appearing pleasing to others. xo

Laser hair removal gal here. I did it for me. Nobody else. Shaving my course, thick hair was a painful, long process for me each time I wanted to swim or wear a dress. So, I finally invested in laser hair removal. Not only was shaving a chore, I hated my legs touching each other when I could feel the prickly hair grow back. Traveling is easier. Life is easier. Wearing shorts and dresses and skirts and swimsuits is easier. I’d also get really bad razor burn on the bikini line. That was even with exfoliating and using a brand new razor. It sucked. So yes, it was 100% for me.

Julie, your comment resonated with me! I don’t think I’m a candidate for laser, my leg hair is decidedly blond. But it’s also coarse, thick, grows fast, and leaves absolutely wicked ingrown hairs EVEN IF I LET IT GROW. Like, wtf folks. I have narrow hips and athletic hiker thighs and sensitive skin. Trust me when I say, it’s really not about what others think of me, it’s about actual pain. I would spend pretty much any amount on laser to never have another ingrown. But since that isn’t possible – I use an acid, a face and treatment on my upper legs and butt (because my cheeks are just as bad with teeny fine baby hairs) every time I shower. I exfoliate like crazy. I try not to pick. Islayer on very rich moisturing cream. And I swear it’s so much better. I’m so grateful someone recommended the chemical exfoliant to me last year.

I am with “Evenings Free”! I think that by not shaving constantly, by not feeling mortified to step out with less than perfectly smooth legs etc, we give other women permission to let go of that ridiculous notion that women need to be perfectly smooth all of the time. I work with youth, and it was some of these young women/late teens who are wearing skirts without shaving their legs that has given me courage. At first it was odd, but the more females who don’t shave, the more normal and no big deal it seems. So thank you to all of you who are ok with furry legs and pits! Haha! You’ve freed me up to enjoy my life, even when I don’t have time to shave. Bless your hearts!

Another recommendation for at-home IPL if you have high contrast between skin tone and hair (lighter skin, darker hair). It has been life-changing for me. I used to never feel like I could be spontaneous about a swimsuit situation, and I got uncomfortable stubble so so fast after shaving. Now I only have to shave a couple of times a summer and that is only because I have never been super consistent about using the IPL every two weeks from the start. I have a Philips Lumea. But also – yay for normalizing a bit of hair here and there on women. I have two sons followed by a daughter, and it was so weird for me noticing her get hairy armpits and trying to figure out how to navigate that – not wanting her to get teased but also not wanting to be the one to put these weird (and misogynistic) societal expectations on her that women should be hair-free like toddlers all through their lives. (I never offered shaving as an option to my sons when they got hairy armpits, so why should she be any different? We also live in Sweden where we really strive to not push children into fulfilling stereotypical gender expectations.) She was talking about it herself once and I casually said that if she wanted to shave it off, she could, and that it’s up to each person at any point. She now shaves it sometimes and sometimes doesn’t and I hope that nobody has made her feel any way about it yet. In this way – the world is slowly getting better.

They don’t really even last ten wears. They get weird fast- and I am a very clean person. I swear by bag balm and wool socks, year round. For years I suffered from deep cracks and fissures on my heals from the dry heat. This has saved my soles and maybe even a small bit of my soul- walking on hurting feet is hard!

I couldn’t finish it. The old fashioned speaking pace and acting styles were just not good for me, lol. I’m sure it was great in it’s day. The new one was fine.

I can’t reply to Sanaia, but her thinking that the original Four Seasons was old fashioned has sent me spinning. It was made in 1981. I think I’m going to need a minute for my Gen X mind to cope.

Right?!?!

My heart stopped for a few seconds! Phew.

Absolutely right. Yes!

Now I’m a little wary of seeing The Materialists. Everyone seems to either hate it or be disappointed by it. I’d love to know if anyone likes it.

I just saw it last night and did not like it at all! Definitely not what I would call a romcom! More of a romantic drama and the characters had no backstory that made you root for any of them despite the movie feeling like it was much too long!

I thought the movie was witty and the dialog intelligent. Loved Dakota and her outfits too.

I loved it!!! I don’t see many movies in the theatre, and loved the experience of watching it with others. It felt quiet and elegant like Past Lives, I don’t think the intention was for it to be romantic or comedic…rather a meditation of sorts on the business/economy of love? If that makes sense? Not sure if that’s helpful. The filmmaking itself was gorgeous and I appreciated the care in every shot.

Everyone in the theater literally laughed at the “big reveal” – IYKYK – so cringe!

I also hated it and was bored at the same time. The characters annoyed me and then I was over them. I did enjoy my snacks and my friend was with me who also hated the movie so we bonded over our mutual hatred and stuck it out to the end which….was underwhelming and also annoying but still boring. :)

I too was disappointed! It felt like it had some interesting things it wanted to say at the start but it just did not stick the landing at all. Also the chemistry was lacking between all the characters.