Have a Sweet Weekend.

This is exactly my strategy with the places I love, for very good reasons. Humans are not trustworthy where respect for nature is concerned.

I wish I had the vision and talent to pull this off! But I do have a suggested soundtrack for you while you trim and press: https://somafm.com/player24/station/spacestation

I was there on Friday! Woke up at 4:30 to be in line before 6. It is a religious obligation every summer and I too get teary every time.

Love this idea of recommending music to each other to ”soundtrack” our projects!! Here’s some music that I would try, look up futurism or retro futurism music about space! Albums like: Music Out of the Moon, or Ultra-Lounge, Volume 3: Space-Capades

Anni… “Ultra-Lounge, Volume 3: Space-Capades”! My husband and I listened to the Ultra-Lounge series all of the time when we were first married in the 90’s! It was such fun.

This is such an intense look to visualize! I can just picture all those precise, glamorous-yet-floppy Danes now and it’s delightful.

I went to Copenhagen years ago and I remember thinking “none else could pull off that look” and it sounds like nothing has changed. Love it!

Mandy, would love to hear what you did and what you enjoyed! My husband is talking about a Milwaukee trip to catch a Brewers game, and would love to pair a Doors County trip along with it!

Best of luck, Cassie! “You Belong Here” is the first book I ever read to my daughter, and she’s seven now and we still read it. I know the words by heart. It’s so beautiful, and I love thinking of you reading it to your sweet baby one day!

I read this comment a couple of times and I’m not sure I understand. Are you asking if people undergoing IVF should be hopeful?

Hey Cece, not sure if this is the narrative you’re after, but my story is the opposite: I had great chances with ivf, had the opportunity for multiple transfers with excellent quality embryos and… no miracle baby. It absolutely shattered me, after trying and saving up for seven years. But that’s it now. I am learning to write a new story for myself and it is really hard.

Check out Walloon Lake & Charlevoix! They’re pretty close to Petoskey, too. It’s been a couple of years, but we used to go up every year, and stayed either in and around Charlevoix, Boyne, or Petoskey.

I love this so much, especially “Nothing matched”. Beautiful!

Yus indeedy.

Inspiration runs deep. I’ve heard of the concept from Brene Brown, who structured part of her book “Daring Greatly” around it. And apparently, she took inspiration from Teddy Roosevelt!

This is an extremely important question!

Hi Karen, thank you so much for your note! we have thought about this a lot as a team, and we’re having an ongoing conversation with our contacts at Substack. we will keep you posted on how things move forward. that you so much xoxo

Yes! Ready for this trend to die

LOVE this stuff! I somehow managed to buy it 50% off the first time but I still plan to buy it again full price ($50–but look for sites that sell it at a discount)! Also the smell is amazing.

Do you color your hair? I am always worried about using it in color-treated hair. Would love to hear from a *real* person on this issue.

You may enjoy a scalp brush. It’s a small hand-held thing held in one’s palm. You apply shampoo first and then brush your scalp back and forth in SMALL amounts like an inch or two. You are not brushing through your hai? Then rinse. My hair stays cleaner several days longer (ymmv) after using this little thingy. Here’s what it looks like. Seriously don’t pay a lot for it. I got mine at a dollar store. If you have a sensitive scalp, find one that has bendy bristles. https://www.ulta.com/p/tamera-scalp-shampoo-massage-brush-pimprod2052180?sku=2643151

My plantar fasciitis took a couple extreme steps to resolve. Always wearing supportive shoes in the house (like, buying the running insoles I wear in my sneakers for my house shoes), bringing awareness to how I was holding my feet while sitting (turns out I hold a ton of tension in my feet – it’s a covert stim that I was able to reduce with awareness and intentional care for my rest and nourishment needs), and NO MORE FLIPFLOPS. I wore them for decades, and abstaining was so much harder than I thought and I rebelled against this for years longer than I needed to. But my feet thrived under the new practices. Good luck.

Hear me out- my podiatrist said wear Crocs in the house. I started and my pain disappeared. Inside the house only- no more bare feet!

I had plantar fasciitis and went to a physical therapist and not a podiatrist. I wanted to strength my feet, not rely on shoes or insoles. You’re made to walk around barefoot, and I wasn’t going to ever lose that. Proud to say my PF is gone. I’m flipping and flopping, running and enjoying being barefoot as much as possible.

I like Vamp, by Stephanie Wood, she’s an Australian journalist who shares a really interesting and eclectic selection. I like her writing and it always gives me such a lot to think about, that I’ve paid to subscribe, but you don’t need to read most of it.

LOL. YES.

oh it’s different! we already did a Parenting in Sweden post on Cup of Jo: https://cupofjo.com/2015/10/05/parenting-in-sweden/ I wanted to interview my long-time inspiration, Jen Mankins, about her particular life in Sweden, especially because she’s always been so into bright, pattern-happy design, often with textiles and furnishings by Swedish designers. I thought it was so interesting that she said she had an identity crisis when she moved to Stockholm because she was like, everyone loves Josef frank, how can I be different now?

Different or not -came here to say the same. My husband just lost his job so now we have to pare back on our expenses everywhere we can, esp as a special needs family. What a bummer.

IIRC, Joanna has stated in the past that you can write to her for a complimentary subscription; they give away a certain number.

Sending you a hug! Pregnancy loss is so very hard. <3

Summer – I so hope you’ll have your little one soon to read the book to as well. Sending you so much love and hope <3

Same boat here, same reaction! Sending hugs your way.

IVF is so brutal. Sending you strength in your journey!!

Summer it is okay to grieve dreams. It took my husband and I two year to conceive only to find out our daughter had a rare genetic disorder which only gave her a 4% chance of making it to birth. I had a stillbirth at 28 weeks (which unfortunately, the US doesn’t understand how to handle). But! But! we now have a five year old daughter. She is perfection. Sometimes, for whatever reason, our timelines don’t work out. And it’s okay to be sad. Sending you love.

No kidding on this, especially on brick or cobblestone streets .

I wore flat navy blue traditional Old Navy flip flops for decades from April into December. I loved them. Then the same side flip flop thong started to break after a few months wear. Went through multiple pair that did this until I finally gave up. Have still not found a replacement. :(

^ This!

We already had flip flops with heels, in the early 2000s. They are the least practical shoes ever, a recipe for shredded feet. Also, as someone who lives on the California coast, I find the idea that Copenhagen could be the origin of flip flops “for fashion” utterly hilarious. Copenhagen has real winter. Come to a place where it’s 60 degrees all year if you want to see flip flops worn worn with every outfit!

Lolll amen

Adding to the flip flop discourse. The absolute best simple rubber flip flops I’ve ever had are by a brand called Feelz Good. Kind of a nerdy name; I couldn’t care less bc they are so comfortable and last forever. I’ve never even had a break-in period with mine. You can get them at Whole Foods, but if you’re doing your best not to buy from Bezos, you can just order directly from their website. They’re pretty true to size; whole sizes only. I normally wear a 6.5; in Feelz Goods I get a 6.

@PNW Grateful, have you tried flip flops by Reef, Havainas, or Olukai? I’ve had good experiences with all of these brands being long-lasting. Also can’t personally vouch, but I’ve heard Crocs makes comfy flip flops.

I highly recommend Archie flip flops which actually provide arch support. I have sciatica and these have worked splendidly for me.

haha – I live in flip flops all summer but NOT with a heel good lord. I have probably a dozen pairs in various solids and fun prints but again – all flat flat flat.

We spent two weeks in Denmark this summer, for many similar reasons. As Americans, we were a very rare sight outside of Copenhagen! The over tourism situation is sad, because I’d love to show my kids places I’ve loved visiting, like Barcelona. But right now is clearly not the time for that trip. We LOVED Scandinavia, and would love to see more of it!

Clemence could you share how you went about planning a stay in an actual home in Sweden? This sounds so intriguing.

Your Sweden stay sounds so good – Watercolor museum? Yes please! What was it like?

Erin, can you tell me more about your Denmark trip please? My kids are 5 and 6and am contemplating it as a destination for my kids’ first international trip.

A friend is about to start her 5th and this made me tear up—it’s been such a hard road and I just want this for her so badly! I hope someday I’ll get to buy her that book.

Me too!! 6 rounds, one embryo – now I’m nursing my 5 week old baby girl!

Right On !!!

probably because it’s almost sold out! we got our tickets a few months ago and DEFINITELY didn’t pay that much.

LOL, we had them too!

Haha, I had the table and chairs and also that exact blue Crayola pencil cup.

Seriously…Baby Lucy and Baby Joanna…and your little sammies. Adorbs

Ha! I don’t imagine it’s the same kind of investment, but there’s a lovely, small orchestra in my area that pays tribute to a handful of non-classical artists. I don’t have much of a budget for any kind of live entertainment these days, but for my best friend’s Christmas gift last year, I bought us a couple tickets to their Leonard Cohen night – a favorite of both of ours’. It wasn’t a jam-packed audience, but we still managed to sit next to a lady who alternated between audibly singing along – to a wordless performance – and turning around to get my companion’s attention. I won’t fault her taste – Cohen’s lyrics are poetry and my bestie *is* a great looking kid – but really?? Really?? Perhaps I’ll need a re-do as well.

My now 35-year-old son was extremely yappy too. I was pushing him up a hill in a stroller and he was contentedly chatting away. He made an observation and asked “Right Mommy?”. When out of breath me didn’t answer, he started repeating “Right Mommy? Right Mommy?”. When I finally got to the top and got my wind back, I told him he acted like a Chatty Cathy doll. He considered that, and then replied “I”m more of a Chatty Carl”!!

Also not to offer medical advice- but my doctor said to take B6 when I was feeling nauseous during my *third* pregnancy and it helped so much, I couldn’t believe no one told me that until my 3rd!! Worth looking into. Hope you’re feeling better soon! For tonight I would just pamper yourself with your happy foods (for me I could always tolerate a lollipop or potato chips), a nice shower, and a romcom!!

I’ve been through 9 months of morning sickness twice and get situational depression every time! Get a little movement, like yoga or walking or even weightlifting when you can handle it, sometimes that helps. Otherwise I really enjoyed binging through Dept Q on Netflix! A post-morning-sickness you exists in the future! This will feel like forever but it won’t actually last that long.

British Pottery Showdown on either HBO or the Roku channel! It’s soothing, lovely, ceramics (probably) won’t make you dizzy, and it’s nice to be immersed in a world where a floral patterned mug makes a judge cry. Also on YouTube-Taskmaster, another British show where comedians have to perform funny tasks and get judged on their performances. I’ve laughed til I cried. All 19 seasons are available, you don’t have to watch them in order-seasons 2, 7, 13, and 19 are my favorites.

Zofran could help you do all the activities you had planned and more! It saved my sanity during 1st trimester morning sickness in two pregnancies. https://parentdata.org/qa-zofran-morning-sickness/

Last summer I got a stomach bug that lasted five days. Ended up in urgent care finally for an IV. So not the same, but similar. I binged this triology on audiobook, laying in bed, drifting in and out, puking, in pain…this book series kept me sane. Hang in there! https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-marvellous-light-freya-marske/15877672?ean=9781250831798&next=t

I rewatched the entire series of Gilmore Girls during my first pregnancy and it was a highlight. I highly recommend a show you know you enjoy that has a LOT of seasons and rewatching. As an additional upside: a lot of shows get progressively worse as they go on, but at the same time it’s taking you progressively closer to your baby!

Movement. Make a list of things you’re excited to do once you’re not nauseous. Fill a paper bag with grapefruit peels and huff it everyone time you feel ill. Call a friend who will listen to you complain about how much it sucks. You got this!

I have a chronic illness that has led to so much time at home recently so here we go: Audiobooks and podcasts galore Simple crafts like coloring or latch hook if I’m up for it. I also often grab children’s craft kits to keep at home Sitting on the porch to people and dog and bird watch FaceTime or calling a pal At home spa—facemask, bath if you have one, nice hot shower (put a chair in there to make it easier!) Puzzles if you’re up for it Takeout from your favorite spot (pho is my go to for nausea days) Send some snail mail Also get some stuff to make home cozy if you’re gonna be inside it for a while. I’ve added a star projector to my room, have crafts galore for various levels of what I can handle, soft blankets all over, easy to grab snacks, chargers in every room, a giant floor pillow to change up nap locations.

Cat, if it helps, I’m right there with you! It’s been so much worse than I’ve expected, and has been pretty isolating. The bright spot for me during these never-ending weeks has been watching The Wire with my husband. When we’re feeling fancy, we order in sushi (for him) and I get crispy rice with avocado, and miso soup. I have not been able to tolerate much food but, when I can, this combo HITS.

Fellow first trimester reader here. Oooof I feel you buddy. This is my second pregnancy and I’ve found that lots of little meals help me manage nausea, and I’ve had friends/family who have had great success with the B6-Unisom combo – it’s worth asking your OB or Midwife about! As far as fun activities – – Ice cream and peppermint tea on the couch while watching Fleabag – Prenatal yoga class – Chocolate croissant while browsing names on Nameberry – falling asleep while listening to your favorite book read to you – finding somewhere to take a swim while the weather is still nice – doing whatever the hell you want because growing a whole entire human is hard work and you deserve love and relaxation right now!

I’m so sorry :( Like someone else mentioned, I took zofran through my entire pregnancy and it didn’t do away with my nausea but it prevented me from vomiting for the most part. If you’re quite sick, it’s certainly worth looking into.

I love this community so much! Thank you for so many wonderful ideas (and feel free to keep them coming, seems like a few of us are in need)! I will say that I’ve been doing the unisom+B6 combo and it has helped so much! So have lots of little snacks and microwave soups. Today was the first day that even those tricks couldn’t quell my symptoms, hence the evening unraveling and my sense of doom and gloom. Thank you all again for the delightful and loving tips!

My midwives always recommended protein for the nausea. Any protein you can get down. Charmed, the series, got me through a long spell of being stuck on a couch. Or, Suits. BBC’s Pride & Prejudice. Re All the Zofran recs….. honestly, Zofran makes me so constipated I’d rather be vomiting.

Oh, friends. This was me. I had terrible nausea with my daughter that all the meds kept barely at a simmer but didn’t actually prevent. I could barely eat. For one whole month I ate scrambled eggs and toast every night and the next month I could only manage chicken and green beans. It was depressing and felt interminable. It did improve a lot in the 3rd. My small joys or little aids were: mid day naps, Frasier (I’m glad I didn’t know Kelsey grammers politics, it was my comfort show), croissants any time I wanted one, and lollipops. Sometimes those nausea acupressure bracelets helped a little. Sucking ice. But ugh. It sucked. And then, it was over, and I had a beautiful healthy baby who is 3.5 and hilarious and I barely remember what it was like. A friend told me I would be alone in my body again one day and I found that helpful to remind myself of. Hang in there ♥️

Hang in there! It can be horrible but it has an end date, whether trimester or full pregnancy. I watched the Good Place during my HG pregnancy while slooowly eating frozen berries and yogurt. And had to go to bed early because my nausea was actually worse at night. Right now I am also loving Good Hang for podcasts and Park Avenue is an easy fun read that would also be good on audio book! Wishing you all the best!

I’m now 24 weeks in my first pregnancy and the first trimester was so awful! Things got better when I started taking the unisom+B6 combo. Good advice I got was to suck on ice chips, hold a plastic bag of ice in my lap, or dunk my hands in ice water! The sensation seemed to distract my body from the nausea. I listened to a lot of audio books on Libby and that could often distract me enough to doze off but wasn’t overstimulating like TV often was. I’ve listened to a lot of Agatha Christie short novels because they are cozy and the right length and complexity to distract me!

I feel for you – I was sick for the whole nine months with my first (who is now a 6’4″ 24 year old paramedic). Zofran for the win! Also anything lemon or ginger. I actually lost weight in those first months. I kept crackers on my night table and got a little something in my stomach before my feet even hit the floor in the morning. Sometimes it helped, sometimes it didn’t. We all feel for you! I love the Plain English podcast by Derek Thompson, Culture Study by Anne Helen Petersen, The New Yorker Fiction podcast is great – authors read other short stories and discuss them. Be there in Five is super fun too – it’s like listening in on a conversation with friends. The host, Kate Kennedy is a hoot. Sending hugs.

Cat. Have your doctor prescribe you zofran. It’s amazing. Not tv shows and walking. Just get the meds. They are easy and melt under your tongue.

Two things: 1. This too shall pass–consider this your permission to do whatever it takes to get through it. If it is eating your weight in goldfish and olives and watching YouTube on your phone, in the bathtub, while puking into the bathroom trashcan (hypothetically speaking, I have never done this)–then DO IT! My husband had to tell me this one million times and physically remove our toddler from the house for me to take him seriously. Just–survive. It’s ok to just survive. 2. Make the people come to you! I found that being in the company of friends was the most effective way to feel less sick. Ask them to come sit on your porch and make you laugh. They want to help! They see how miserable you are and they are dying to help. Even if you feel silly, if there’s something you think you would enjoy–ask. I bet you’ll be surprised. Also, when you inevitably need to hurl midway through the hang–ask if they will stay! The best hangs are during that post puke euphoria! ;) Lol! (I love my patient family and friends!!! <3 thanks guys xoxo)

Ask your doctor for nausea meds – there’s no point in suffering!

No advice for activities, but Preggie Pops SAVED me my first pregnancy. Non-Stop! So much so that all of my male co-workers ordered their own for nausea! Did they work for the second pregnancy? Of course not….. but it’s something I always recommend to newly pregnant mamas. Good luck mama!

oh my gosh, I love this!!

Love this too! My tiny yapper is about to start high school and is all-in on Debate and Model UN.