Our Hottest Takes & Hills We Would Die On

Summary

Always Here – Episode Summary

Podcast: Always Here

Hosts: Abby Howard & Addie (Abby) Howard
Episode: Our Hottest Takes & Hills We Would Die On
Release Date: June 19, 2026
Summary by: [AI Expert Summarizer]

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Episode Overview

In this lively and relatable episode, sister-in-laws Abby and Addie Howard embrace high spirits as they dive into heartfelt (and hilarious) life updates, debate their ultimate “hills to die on” (strong opinions, mostly on silly things), and read listeners’ own hot takes on everything from brownies to babysitting. Along the way, they swap parenting hacks, meal planning tips, reflections on relationship culture, and book club reactions—plus plenty of memories and memorable one-liners. The energy is playful and warm, full of laughs and life’s little realness.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life & Family Updates (02:06–10:04)

• Hickeys & Public Embarrassment: Addie calls out Abby for a lingering hickey that’s made her “a hermit”. Abby jokes, “I can’t show my face online. I’m not gonna show the Internet my hickey.” (02:20)
• Strange Donation Rules: Addie shares a bizarre story about being deemed “too young” to donate to a charity doing a dollar-a-day program for only those 28 and older (03:28).
• Watch Tan Lines & Body Quirks: Joking about her wild watch tan line, Addie says, “It actually makes my wrist skinnier where my watch is.” (05:54)
• Health/Body Talk: Addie celebrates (somewhat tongue-in-cheek) a “first solid one in a long time” after pregnancy/digestion struggles (06:51).
• Abby’s Hope: Excitement over converting a backyard shed into a home office, balancing work/family, and Abby’s husband’s DIY prowess (09:22).
• Potty Training Adventures: The woes and wins of toddler toilet training—adding levity to the grind of early parenthood (10:54).

2. Parenting Realities (13:14–14:00)

• Weaning: Abby recently stopped nursing her baby, feeling both emotional and free. “You’re free too,” Addie rejoices (13:33).
• Grocery Store Hack: Addie reflects on the marathon task of taking both kids to Costco—and the survival tactics that follow.

3. Meal Planning Masterclass with Addie (19:39–26:05)

• Simple, Strategic Meal Planning: Addie’s routine: brainstorm 4 dinners per week, log favorite recipes in a running list (complete with links and side notes), order groceries accordingly, and plan leftovers for lunches. “I want this to be the least creative experience of my life.” (20:30)
• Bulk Shopping Lessons: “If I get my kids snacks [from Costco/Sam’s] as soon as I buy it in bulk — they don’t like it anymore.” (53:11)
• Grocery Delivery Evangelist: Addie is passionate about pre-ordering groceries: “I would die on that hill. Get your groceries delivered.” (29:30)
• Meal Plan “Hills”: Addie and Abby both discuss how meal planning reduces daily decision fatigue and allows for spontaneous hosting.

4. Hills We Would Die On — Listener Edition (29:36–49:04)

Transition: “Strong opinions on dumb things.” (30:04)

The hosts read and react to listeners’ “hills”—funny, random, and sometimes divisive:

• Don’t Sag Your Pants: “Free your hands!” (35:32)
• Always Put Your Shopping Cart Back: “I get guilty if I even consider not putting it back. I just must.” (36:19)
• Apple Maps vs. Google Maps: “Apple Maps is better than Google Maps. Period.” (37:05)
• Matcha Hate: “Matcha is not good, no matter how much extras you put with it. It’s just gross!” (37:11)
• Chai Tea: The hosts learn “chai” means tea, so “chai tea” is redundant (37:57).
• Brownie Preferences: Debates between underbaked vs. fully cooked, and memories of eating raw brownie batter out of the fridge (40:22).
• Natural Hair Color: “Everyone looks better with their natural hair color.”
• Sleeping Naked: Too sweaty for the hosts, plus “my skin’s touching” and “if I get up at night...I’m not comfortable that way.” (44:12)
• Texting “K”: Is sending “K” aggressive? “Any K, period, is aggressive. Yeah, that’s fight. You’re fighting.” (46:06)
• Making Beds: Should the pillowcase opening face the inside of the bed? Should you even make your bed?
• Socks in Bed / Wet Socks: A hotly contested topic.
• Bullying Siblings (For Character!): “My sisters are very mean to me and it’s for my benefit sometimes.” (49:35)
  • Context: Host clarify they do not advocate general bullying—strictly loving sibling “humble checks”.

5. Abby & Addie’s Own “Hills” (50:31–66:53)

• Costco Does NOT Save You Money: “Costco does not save you money...I will never say I go there because I feel like I’m saving anything.” (50:42)
• Amazon Alexa = Privacy Nightmare: Abby refuses to allow Alexa (or similar assistants) in their home: “That thing’s recording you ALL the time.” (53:35)
• Bring Back Actual Dating: Strong encouragement for young people to go on dates instead of endless texting: “I want it to be romantic again. They need to put a little skin in the game and face rejection.” (59:30)
  • Memorable moment: Abby recalls how she asked a boy to homecoming, who then said no, and she “became resilient.”
• Fish & Chips Test: “If fish and chips is on a menu, you’re not allowed to order it—unless it’s at a fish & chips specific spot.” (61:00)
• Newborn Clothing: “Newborns can only wear pajamas. That’s my new rule. I’m dying on that one for my third.” (63:12)
• Q-tips Are for Ears: Abby and Addie both ignore official warnings and use Q-tips after showers: “They’ll be going in my ears. I will not allow my children to see...” (64:58)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Strong opinions on dumb things!” — Abby (30:04)

“I want this to be the least creative experience of my life. I want it to just be, like, follow the directions, turn on music, and then just get it done.” — Addie, on meal planning (20:30)

“If I get my kids snacks there [Costco/Sam’s], as soon as I buy it in bulk, they don’t like it anymore.” — Addie (53:11)

“I think your siblings should…keep you in check. Keep you humble.” — Abby (49:52)

“Bring back dating. … It just feels clear to be like, hey, let’s go on a date. And, yeah, it’s scary. And that’s why you should do it.” — Addie (59:08)

“Get your groceries delivered. I would die on that hill.” — Addie (29:30)

“Fish and chips? Not at a restaurant that isn’t a fish and chips place. It’s the adult version of chicken strips.” — Abby (61:42)

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Book Club Review: Yesteryear by Claire Burke (69:16–75:49)

Quick Take:

• The book divided opinions (both among hosts and general readers).
• Scoring: 4–4.5 stars from the group, with caveats.
• Engaging, well written, “hated and loved” main character; ending tied it together.
• “If you’re in a book slump, this is gonna get you out.” (70:23)
• Not recommended for everyone; language/adult themes, best for 20s/30s women familiar with influencer culture.

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Listener Questions & Lightning Round (76:12–85:14)

Favorite Chores:
Caller loves laundry; Abby hates dishes; Addie doesn’t mind dishes, but dislikes putting away laundry. Both agree a small satisfaction comes from small cleaning rituals.

Babysitter Qualities:

• Availability is crucial, but also value initiative, proactivity, and being hands-on with kids
• “I love when a babysitter wants to do activities, sends pictures, and asks about screen time rules.” (82:52)

Missing the Midwest:

• Summer nostalgia: corn, ice cream, friendliness, sports culture.
• Both happy to visit but feel content in Arizona.

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Useful Timestamps — For Quick Reference

• 02:06 — Heart & humor: hickey saga, donation mishap, watch tan lines.
• 06:39 — Digestive woes & mom health wins.
• 09:22 — Hope: backyard office & home reno
• 19:39 — Meal planning deep dive
• 29:36 — Hills we’d die on: listener editions
• 50:31 — Abby & Addie’s “hills to die on”
• 69:16 — Book Club: “Yesteryear” review
• 76:12 — Listener questions: babysitters, Midwest, house chores

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Overall Tone & Takeaway

“Always Here” delivers an upbeat blend of honest sisterly banter—mixing gentle life lessons, self-deprecating humor, and the nitty-gritty of parenting, marriage, and modern friendships. The tone is cozy, candid, and a little bit chaotic, making listeners feel like part of the family.

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For More

• Full “hill to die on” discussion continues on the Patreon.
• Book club continues next episode with Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera.
• Featured recipes: Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts (Addie) and Half Baked Harvest Crinkle Top Brownies (Abby).

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“Remember: we’re always here.”

Transcript

[Abby Howard]

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[Addie]

Keep you in check, keep you humble.

[Abby Howard]

Amazon. Alexa. Yeah, it's not allowed anywhere near a home. That thing's recording you all the time.

[Addie]

We have that in our house. We have a Google home.

[Abby Howard]

So I'm not gonna ever come over again.

[Addie]

Need to bring dating back.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, we should have, like, the boy cousins practice dating with their. No.

[Addie]

Abigail, that's the perfect person to not ask on a date.

[Abby Howard]

We're gonna start crying crazy rumors. Alyssa, the us has never been to the moon. That's.

[Addie]

Alyssa. That's a conspiracy.

[Abby Howard]

That's a conspiracy.

[Addie]

That's a different.

[Abby Howard]

Welcome back to Always Here.

[Addie]

We're your hosts, Abby Howard and Abby Howard.

[Abby Howard]

How you doing?

[Addie]

We are really just having a great day today.

[Abby Howard]

Our energies are high.

[Addie]

Everyone looks great.

[Caller 1]

Great.

[Addie]

Everyone's feeling great.

[Abby Howard]

We are. You came in with the compliments, and I'm living on a prayer over here.

[Addie]

That's amazing.

[Caller 1]

Feeling it.

[Addie]

I'm feeling it.

[Abby Howard]

Not living on a prayer. That's not the right term, but you know what I mean.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Good.

[Caller 2]

Totally.

[Addie]

It works well.

[Abby Howard]

We share the hope and the heart with heart and humor. So let's share our hopes and our hearts and our life. Updates.

[Addie]

Well, a little update is that you still have your hickey a week later.

[Abby Howard]

See it?

[Addie]

I noticed it. The story time at the library today.

[Abby Howard]

Let me tell you something. This has been my hard.

[Addie]

That's your heart.

[Abby Howard]

I've been a hermit. I can't show my face online. I'm not gonna show the Internet my hickey. See it?

[Addie]

Let's see.

[Abby Howard]

I'm just gonna show the Patreon YouTube Spotify. Apple Podcast.

[Addie]

That's when I noticed it. At storytime. I was like, you're at a library with the hicks. This is a good place to notice that.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, just out to play, you know, with all the children's. Yeah, the hickey. Yeah, it's fading. Thankfully, Caleb feels really bad about it. Rightly so.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I mean, I said, don't ever play me like that again.

[Addie]

It would be funny if it lasted, like, at most an hour a day. No, no. Okay, maybe an hour.

[Abby Howard]

An hour. It lasts a long time.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I'm like, I can't FaceTime my parents. Because I'm like, stop. You know what I mean? I can't go on Instagram stories. I can't go to the library without people looking at me like, oh, that's crazy.

[Addie]

Really quickly, I got you for getting out there even with your hick.

[Abby Howard]

I know. Just so tacky.

[Addie]

You know, that guy at the library thought I was older than I was. As you were leaving.

[Abby Howard]

The guy in the tent or the old man?

[Addie]

The guy under the tent. We went through this whole thing. I was gonna make a donation, and

[Abby Howard]

then he clocked your wrong age. And you said, no, no.

[Addie]

He was like, sorry, I was giving all my information. We get to my birthday, and he goes, oh, so you're not 28 or older. What an odd age.

[Abby Howard]

You had to be 28 to donate.

[Addie]

To donate with how they donate because their charity is uses. Like, they try to figure out their budget. And the way they do it, it's a dollar a day until you, like, stop it. But so then it's really hard for them to figure, I guess, people under 28. So he's like, you can go online and donate.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, wow.

[Addie]

Isn't that a weird policy?

[Abby Howard]

That's really. I've never heard of such a thing.

[Addie]

And then he's like. He felt kind of bad. He's like, oh, I thought since you have. And he's like, pointed to my kids. And I was like, no, it's okay. Trust me. Way worse things have been said.

[Abby Howard]

Well, you are 27, right?

[Addie]

Yeah, I'm 27. Okay. O. But I was like, you still don't want my dollar a day, Right? Well, so I gotta go now to save the children.

[Abby Howard]

Well, that's sweet. You're still gonna do it.

[Addie]

Ouch. Yeah. Keep me accountable. Gosh. But I was like, I got through all that. And he's like, ah, you're not over 28.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, you like, you want me to lie? I'll just change it on the form.

[Addie]

I was like, sure. No, I'm confused.

[Abby Howard]

That's really weird.

[Addie]

Yeah, it was weird. Yeah, he felt bad.

[Abby Howard]

It's okay. Can you tell me what time it is?

[Addie]

Only we think this is funny. Oh, let's see.

[Abby Howard]

Whoa, you got a hickey. I got a hickey. You gotta watch like that.

[Addie]

Literally, it's charging right now. And then I was like, oh, I should have just. It looks like it's still on.

[Abby Howard]

It does.

[Addie]

I think I could have some people fooled.

[Abby Howard]

I wasn't gonna say anything. I was like, I have to say something.

[Addie]

That's not great.

[Abby Howard]

So. Yeah, you just keep us on track for this episode.

[Addie]

I'll let you know when.

[Abby Howard]

Four o'.

[Addie]

Clock.

[Abby Howard]

If you're not watching this, Abby has the craziest watch tan line. And so she did draw four o' clock on her watch. So she can always tell the time.

[Caller 2]

It really translates over camera. Great.

[Addie]

Great. You guys, that's. What's crazy is that that's my skin tone. My real God given skin tone.

[Abby Howard]

Really? I've never looked at you and thought that you were so fair. Well, I mean, it's always more jarring when you're.

[Addie]

I have worn this for that watch

[Abby Howard]

for a long time.

[Addie]

Over three years.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

So it hasn't seen the light of day for a long time.

[Abby Howard]

Perfect. The rest of our bodies are going to be wrinkled and then all of our watches are just.

[Addie]

We're gonna have actually makes my wrist skinnier where my watch is.

[Abby Howard]

Why?

[Addie]

Don't know. But it indents.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, interesting.

[Addie]

Do you kind of see that?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, actually. Are you wearing it too tight?

[Addie]

I remember this happened to my grandpa.

[Abby Howard]

Maybe you're just.

[Addie]

It's a phenomena.

[Abby Howard]

That is a thing with older people.

[Addie]

It's happening to me already. Only 27. I can't even donate to save the Children.

[Abby Howard]

But you got the watch indents.

[Addie]

You got the watch indents. Yeah, that happened to my grandpa.

[Abby Howard]

Weird.

[Addie]

I mean, I sleep in it too.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, you should take that. That's interesting.

[Addie]

I'm gonna wear it.

[Abby Howard]

I just sleep and then wake up.

[Addie]

I'm never gonna take it off. I'm gonna wear it the rest of my life.

[Abby Howard]

Well, Garmin picked a good.

[Addie]

I know. Ambassador, I know. It's been a minute. We can renew.

[Abby Howard]

Come on, Garmin. Come on, Garmin. Well, do you have a hope to share?

[Addie]

I have a hope to share. Oh, yeah. I would only say this on this platform. Like we said.

[Abby Howard]

What?

[Addie]

Because my hard last time was about my.

[Abby Howard]

Your bms.

[Addie]

Yeah. First solid one in a long time. Yesterday I'm clapping For that. We've returned this morning, unfortunately. But I'm, like, thinking it's just a fluke. And we're like, okay, yeah, we're gonna

[Abby Howard]

get over the hill. You know what? It's always two steps forward, one step back.

[Addie]

Right, Right. And then we'll get to a third step forward. And, yeah. I'm like, maybe we're turning a leaf.

[Abby Howard]

Yes, we're turning a leaf.

[Addie]

That was really wearing on me. Was really wearing on me.

[Abby Howard]

That's. I mean, that's big. When every day and with pregnancy and

[Addie]

been actually dehydrated for about two months, right?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. Do you feel better?

[Addie]

I think so.

[Abby Howard]

Good.

[Addie]

My stomach doesn't hurt. Like, I was. It wasn't. Like that was just happening. Like, I had a stomachache for, like, two months straight. Like, it was off and on.

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

But, like, right every day. Right.

[Abby Howard]

Of course.

[Addie]

I hate stomach aches.

[Caller 2]

See, I'm wondering if this sugar is helping. I don't know why, but maybe.

[Abby Howard]

Did you say jizz?

[Caller 2]

Cheers. Cheers.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, cheers.

[Caller 1]

I heard.

[Abby Howard]

Did you hear what I hear?

[Caller 2]

No, I heard cheers.

[Addie]

I'm surprised you were so surprised at the thumb. See? Clip it and then we're gonna post it.

[Caller 2]

This is the third episode in a

[Addie]

row at this point. Caleb didn't want Abby saying jizz clip, but it was fine for the full episode. Yeah, I think there's a difference.

[Abby Howard]

I, too, was like, well, maybe.

[Caller 2]

Right. I saw a comment on. It was. I think it was the page. No, it probably wasn't the Patreon, because it was an ad. Someone commented on YouTube and was like, I want to know why Abigail was laughing so hard reading the Better Help ad.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, you know why?

[Caller 2]

Was it bush when she said Bush, or was it something

[Addie]

I asked?

[Caller 2]

I was trying to get her off camera.

[Addie]

We're so immature.

[Abby Howard]

I don't know if it was Bush or. I started laughing during our ad reads one time. Cause we had a bunch of them. And I realized. I looked in the monitor and we kept going this with our hands. It looks so stupid. And I looked over, I was like,

[Addie]

oh, my God, we lose all our sponsors.

[Abby Howard]

They're like, stop it with the rainbows.

[Addie]

We love cozy Earth and, you know, ads.

[Abby Howard]

And I just couldn't stop laughing about it. So I don't know if there was Bush or him.

[Addie]

Yeah, I mean, if you accidentally say bush and you don't mean to, that's a funny one.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, my gosh, we're in such a mood today.

[Addie]

I love drawing. Okay, what's your hope?

[Abby Howard]

My hope is that Caleb has been working on her shed. Oh my gosh. It's so exciting. So we have in our backyard, it's off of our bedroom, sliding door, a shed that's actually bigger square footage than our bedroom.

[Addie]

It's really big.

[Abby Howard]

It's a massive shed. But the people who lived in the house before didn't finish it. And so it had just like insulation hanging out of the ceiling and a couple drywall boards here and there. And Caleb is, has gone in.

[Addie]

He's.

[Abby Howard]

He's really done a good job. Right? Yeah. And all of his free time.

[Addie]

It's gotta be so hot.

[Abby Howard]

It does have an AC unit in it.

[Addie]

Oh, okay. That's right.

[Abby Howard]

But it is hot because it wasn't insulated. So you know, it was just basically like blowing nothing. But now it feels way better in there and it's gonna become our like our little home office.

[Addie]

That's so nice.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. And he's. And it's got like built in storage up top. So I'm really excited because now I do have some margin. The day we have a babysitter come a couple times a week in the afternoon during naps.

[Addie]

And so I would like to go to the office.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I'm like, let me go to the office. My bedroom, 10ft away. You know what I mean? It's just like a little weird. So it's nice to have a little separate of a space where I can go out and. And still clothes. Yeah. Still be at home. Exactly. So exciting. Super excited about it.

[Addie]

Really going to document it so we can see. See the process.

[Abby Howard]

Well, I told Caleb too, because he's like, should I make some more content? I'm like, yes.

[Caller 2]

Oh.

[Abby Howard]

So I saw the TikTok or the

[Caller 2]

video you posted today.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you.

[Caller 2]

Good. Like it's all looking good.

[Abby Howard]

Thanks. I didn't know. I wonder how I was doing. I checked that performance while we're here.

[Caller 1]

Performance.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

That's my hope.

[Addie]

That's exciting.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. We had a big weekend. We. It's probably my heart too. But Vivian had her first fever, but it was nothing. She was fine. It was just a couple days of bad fever. And then we did her. During that I was like, you know what? My child is ill. So this is the perfect time to potty train.

[Addie]

My brain would go there too though. He's like, we have to be home.

[Abby Howard]

There were so many DMS I got from women that are like, why do. This is like a universal mom experience. It's like, well, I'm locked in the house so might as well Just do the hard things I didn't want to do when I had free time. And so, you know, you just kind of, like, tack on the hard things. And it was good. I think potty training has been going good. It'll be an ongoing process, but Overall, I think CJ's done well.

[Addie]

Okay. I feel like you guys talked a lot about potty training with CJ for so long that I thought it was happening before.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

I thought he was potty training.

[Abby Howard]

He's been going on the, like here and there, but I personally just didn't want to commit. And then when we were in Tahoe and I saw how easy it was with Griffin, I was like, I just need to rip the band aid. This seems great. Yeah.

[Addie]

I felt you're going to the bathroom on the toilet for a long time. No, I know.

[Abby Howard]

But in my head, I couldn't justify. I'm like, what do you mean? When you're out in public, it's like, too take your kid to the bathroom, you know, that felt like more of an inconvenience. And then I saw it. I was like, no, it's amazing.

[Addie]

Yeah. It has its pros and cons. Sure, sure, sure, sure.

[Abby Howard]

But so do diapers.

[Addie]

I think boys are easy as far as, like, there's an emergency.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

It's easier to make arrangements.

[Abby Howard]

Totally. I also got panicked. One time I was at a public bathroom, and I was like, cj, let's go try to use the bathroom. Because he asked. So I was like, sure. And I looked at that toilet, and I looked at him, and I said, just. You're going in your diaper. Sorry, buddy. I didn't understand how that works in a public bathroom.

[Addie]

Oh, yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Because the toilet was massive. Oh, yeah.

[Addie]

They go wide.

[Abby Howard]

I didn't want him to touch it. Up hole.

[Addie]

Augie has been going standing up.

[Abby Howard]

What a man.

[Addie]

He's too. Wait, I just thought about that right now. He goes standing up.

[Caller 1]

That's hilarious.

[Addie]

It barely reaches. I mean, this is getting too far, but yeah, that's crazy.

[Caller 2]

Great.

[Addie]

I guess he's just that one. Yeah. You say that. I'm like, oh, yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I mean, that's impressive.

[Addie]

I mean, if he has screw number two, I do have to lift him, right?

[Caller 1]

Of course.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's hilarious. I love that. That just is, like, so on brand for him. I love it.

[Caller 1]

I love it.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

He was like, yeah, that's funny. I didn't even think about that. Yeah. Big weekend for you. I'm glad, Viv.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, I also stopped nursing I'm like, maybe that's what you smart.

[Caller 2]

That's where it is. You smart.

[Addie]

I'm back.

[Abby Howard]

I literally feel like that

[Addie]

three days

[Abby Howard]

ago, I just decided, you know, she's been. She was just kind of protesting. So I'm like, why am I holding on? You're free too.

[Addie]

You're free too.

[Abby Howard]

So I'm just going through the rest of. I haven't touched any of my freezer stash. So we'll use that until it's out and then we'll be done with the breast milk.

[Addie]

She's getting older, so, yeah, she's eight

[Abby Howard]

and a half months. She's starting to eat a lot of solids, so I feel like we're at a good spot.

[Addie]

You crushed that.

[Caller 2]

Thanks.

[Addie]

Thank you to Shopify for sponsoring this portion of today's episode.

[Abby Howard]

Starting something new isn't just hard, it's terrifying. There's so much work that goes into this thing that you're not entirely sure will work out. And it could be hard to make that leap of faith. But it also helps when you have a partner like Shopify on your side to help.

[Addie]

Shopify is the commerce platform behind millions of businesses around the world.

[Abby Howard]

I actually use Shopify for five years with my clothing business. And having a business that we started from scratch to grow was really, really cool and really fun. And Shopify was so user friendly. The learning curve on it was really low and I just loved how customizable it was.

[Addie]

Seriously, I feel like with Shopify, it's one of those where the competitors can't even compete on.

[Abby Howard]

They really didn't.

[Addie]

I'm not even going to name other ones because they really have set the standard in this area. Their templates are amazing. They're super user friendly. Tackle all those important tasks in one place, from inventory to payments to analytics and more. No need to save multiple websites or try to figure out what platform is hosting the specific tool that you need. Everything is all in one place, making your life life easier and your business operations much smoother.

[Abby Howard]

They had so many plugins too connected to Shopify. So if you felt like something was missing in the actual Shopify EcoSphere, they had plugins that were really easy just to add to your store. Just felt like they had everything.

[Addie]

It's time to turn those what ifs and two with Shopify today. Sign up for your $1 per month trial [e-mail] Abby. Go to shopify.com Abby. That's shopify.com Abby. My heart is so hard.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, no.

[Addie]

Had to wait. You're never gonna guess what's it gonna be. We talked about this before. I had to wait four hours. I got a ding die. Fun Mr.

[Abby Howard]

Kid. Oh, the agony, the crumbling tummy. I was so hungry and that was

[Addie]

my only option for nourishment.

[Caller 2]

Did you get a snack?

[Abby Howard]

Did you get a first dinner?

[Addie]

Yeah, I ate really weird that whole day and I also think that's why I had a solid poo.

[Abby Howard]

Perfect.

[Addie]

I ate terrible that whole day. Like, I'm not even kidding. I just ate.

[Abby Howard]

No veggies, no greens, no fruit, nothing.

[Addie]

Yeah, a lot of Puppy Chow chips, a bagel waffle. Like, I mean, I just ate like all day long. So I was like, I'm fine to like. And I don't. I'm not really a snacker.

[Caller 1]

Right.

[Addie]

So it was just. I felt super weird.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

So I was like, yeah, I can wait until 10 o' clock to eat dinner.

[Caller 1]

Worse.

[Abby Howard]

The rules are out the door today.

[Addie]

No, we got there at 4.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

It's been open for a couple months at least. And it was just. I mean, we went on a Saturday. What are we gonna.

[Caller 1]

Sure.

[Addie]

People were like, well, you need to. Well, if you don't want to wait, you need to go Tuesday at 10:30am like, just when I want a bunch of dumplings.

[Abby Howard]

Right, exactly. Want some chili oil? You want some chocolate mochi dumplings at 10am of course, so.

[Addie]

And apparently it's like pretty difficult to make reservations, but there's a hack to it.

[Abby Howard]

Well take you to do it two weeks out because Caleb was gonna do it two weeks out, but he didn't get it. I don't know if he tried that

[Addie]

hard, but I think it comes out at midnight.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, that's what I heard.

[Addie]

So I'm gonna try to do that again because it was amazing.

[Abby Howard]

It was worth the wait.

[Addie]

Yeah, it was worth the wait.

[Abby Howard]

Oh my gosh. No, it's great news.

[Addie]

It was worth the wait for like my first time. I have been one other time. But like, it was worth the wait for like that experience.

[Abby Howard]

Experience.

[Addie]

At specific time, we didn't. I, like, Matt was with the kids. Like, if. Obviously if we had the kids, I probably wouldn't be taking them to the entire funk anyway.

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

So, like, it's just the circumstances. I was like, if we're gonna do it, it would be now.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And so it was fun. It's at a mall, so you can just go shopping.

[Abby Howard]

So fun.

[Addie]

But honestly, I got really tired of walking around. So then we just sat for like pretzels.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Food Was amazing.

[Abby Howard]

Okay, what was the best thing? What'd you eat?

[Addie]

The chocolate. Those things should not taste that good.

[Abby Howard]

Really?

[Addie]

A dumpling with chocolate? It's so good. You have to get this sea salt. Like, what is it? Whipped cream? Like, oh, it's unbelievably good. It should not be that good. It is actually so good. I saw a video pop up after that because I like your phones. Literally know everything about you.

[Abby Howard]

Absolutely.

[Addie]

It was like when you go to Din Tai Fung for the first time and you're the most dramatic person in the world. And she's eating it, and she's like, oh, my. And she starts crying. And then I was like, I feel that, though. Like, angels start singing, and it's amazing.

[Caller 1]

Wow.

[Addie]

No, obviously the best things are, like, the cucumber salad. The green beans are actually really good, but I like their xiaolongbao.

[Abby Howard]

I think that sounded good.

[Addie]

Okay, thanks. Yeah, we got everything, though this. The sesame noodles I feel like are underrated. They were really good.

[Abby Howard]

Someone, I think it was our friend Maddie. She got the beef, and it was a beef dish that looked insane.

[Addie]

Oh, the black pepper beef.

[Abby Howard]

That was it.

[Addie]

I want to get that. I didn't get it. That time looked so good. It's really stressful to order there. You get a paper and you have to just go and fill it out. And I was like, I'd be lost.

[Abby Howard]

It is.

[Caller 2]

Especially without Blake. I'd be like, what do I like?

[Caller 1]

No, no.

[Addie]

I had to do a Google.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. Kind of got to go in with a plan. Maybe going with a plan.

[Addie]

For sure.

[Abby Howard]

Going.

[Addie]

We also have that mango ice.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, the shaved ice.

[Addie]

So good too. And I don't, like, necessarily love mango or shaved ice.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, it's like, whatever was really good.

[Addie]

Oh, yeah. They have, like, a bunch of the wontons. The shrimp and pork wontons were so good. All that was just really good. You have to, like a little spicy. I feel like some of the things. A lot of things have, like, a little spice, but nothing crazy.

[Abby Howard]

Okay.

[Addie]

It was really good.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, my gosh. I can't wait to go.

[Addie]

We need to go.

[Abby Howard]

This is for your granny trip.

[Addie]

Yes.

[Abby Howard]

This was a bucket list.

[Addie]

It was a bucket list.

[Abby Howard]

You knocked it off, Cha Cha. You're crushing that list.

[Addie]

Crushing that list. Yeah, it was restful. It was good. Yeah. I mean, not exactly restful. We stay up till 3am and then we. I know. I was like, I'm crazy.

[Abby Howard]

Y' all are nuts.

[Addie]

That's not granny.

[Abby Howard]

Like, so many sleepovers lately. You're like, let's just live it up. Live it up.

[Addie]

Well, I have this freedom.

[Abby Howard]

Love it. Well, we thought it'd be fun to, you know. You're talking about what you ate for dinner. If Abby would share her meal planning process. Did you put. Did you do this?

[Addie]

Well, I didn't. I'm just gonna riff it.

[Abby Howard]

Okay.

[Caller 1]

Riff.

[Addie]

This is what I do.

[Caller 2]

We did time taking notes.

[Abby Howard]

We did talk about this on Always Hungry. Maybe last episode or the episode before that. We want to know your meal planning process, so please enlighten the people.

[Addie]

It's not crazy at all, but, you know, here.

[Abby Howard]

I don't want it to be crazy, or I will not do it.

[Addie]

I'm going to preface this by saying there's probably an app for this that makes this so much better and easier. No, but I've literally done this for years, you guys. Actually, I have stamps for this. I just use it in my notes app in my phone. Okay, look, it's penned, and it's this week's recipes. Look how many I have to scroll down to find.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, what do you mean? Wait, what do you mean? I'm so confused. This is all this week's recipes?

[Addie]

No, no, no.

[Caller 2]

That's like, she's been adding them every single week.

[Addie]

Oh, I add to it every week.

[Abby Howard]

So what is it? What does each bullet point say? Okay, so just the title of the recipe?

[Addie]

Yeah, just the title of the recipe with the sides I'm gonna have with it. Oh, okay. So here's what I do. This is nothing crazy, but it has really helped me, like, be strategic about grocery ordering. I feel like. And also, I don't want. I'm the type of person, like, you kind of like to freestyle in the kitchen. I want this to be the least creative experience of my life. Like, I want it to just be, like, follow the directions, turn on music, and then just get it done. And I enjoy it. I enjoy it, like, it being like that.

[Abby Howard]

Gotcha.

[Addie]

So what I do is I. When I'm about to, like, order groceries, I'll think of four dinners. I have to have at least four dinners in mind that I'm shopping for when I order groceries.

[Abby Howard]

Why do you pick four?

[Addie]

Because usually one night out of the week, we're not eating at home.

[Abby Howard]

So then do you do, like, your weekends and your group when you have people over for dinners as a separate thing?

[Addie]

No, because. Oh, I used to. I used to just shop for that that day, but now I've been able to, like, put it in here too, because I'm like, okay, this one of these will fall on a Sunday.

[Abby Howard]

Okay.

[Addie]

And then I'll just get extra. Okay. We have family dinner on Sunday, so I have to buy more for that. But I honestly just make whatever I was gonna make, but just get a double portion. Okay. So then. So I think of four dinners I want to have, and it's really nice because it's all in the same note. The reason I keep these all is if I can go back. I'm like, I don't really know what I want. I, like, go back and I'll look. Oh, shrimp tortellini. That was pretty good. I haven't made that in a while. Go back down. And then I add that for this week. It's kind of weird, but so I have four dinners, and then I think four is just better because sometimes if you do all seven, something's gonna go bad. I feel like it gets by the

[Abby Howard]

end of the week.

[Addie]

Yeah, we have leftovers sometimes, and we eat leftovers.

[Abby Howard]

And so how many portions do you normally cook a night? 2. 4.

[Addie]

What do you mean?

[Abby Howard]

Like, how many servings do you cook a night for dinner?

[Addie]

It's probably like four to six. Okay. Kind of just depending on what it is. But then I'll put what it is. And then I put the sides too, because otherwise I feel like I get confused. Like, I'm like, what do I have for sides? But they're all really simple. Like, this makes it really easy for me. So then, like, tonight, I'm literally like, okay, I. Steak, mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. So then I can just go. And also, I don't necessarily have to do it in that order. I'm like, oh, tonight? Like, I didn't thaw that. So I'll just have this one tonight, but I'll remember the thaw the next day. So I come up with those four, and then those are the first things I place in my grocery order for the week. So then I have that all done, and then I order things for breakfast and then snacks, and then randoms I just add to my Walmart delivery throughout the week. So we ran out of dish soap. I'll just add it to my cart, and then I just will. Once I check out, it'll all go through. But sometimes that does bite me in the butt, and random things just show up. And I'm like, oh, I already got that. But, yeah, that just makes it so I don't feel like I have to go to the grocery store every day. And I'm not also just having to make another decision at the end of the day when everyone's already hungry and we're, like, trying to figure out what to do.

[Abby Howard]

So does your list have the links to the recipes?

[Addie]

Yeah, so.

[Abby Howard]

So it's like spinach tortellini linked to the recipe.

[Addie]

Yes.

[Abby Howard]

Okay.

[Addie]

And so, like, this one has, like, the. I actually tried one from our Patreon this past week.

[Abby Howard]

Which one?

[Addie]

It was quick and healthy. Sloppy Joe's.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And I love sloppy joe. Matt doesn't like him, so I, like. I prepped it, and I was like, I'm thinking. And we're gonna have sloppy joes this week. And he's like, that's fine. Like, he'll eat them, but. And he ate too. He, like, loved it.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And so then I can just tap on that link and. And then go to it.

[Abby Howard]

Fun.

[Addie]

But then some of them don't require a link. If I'm like, okay, we're grilling steak tonight, like, I just have steak.

[Abby Howard]

You know how to make mashed potatoes?

[Caller 2]

Yes.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, totally.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. That's helpful. I actually love the idea of a running list of all your stuff, because then, yeah, if you're feeling, I don't know, like, you're good. Sometimes I get repetitive with my meals or.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And I'm like, oh, we did just have that two weeks ago. You can go back and look. But then also, I feel like sometimes if I, like, am using something for my freezer, I, like, forget about it. But then I'm like, oh, I forgot that we have that in the freezer. I'm gonna make that and do that.

[Caller 2]

What day of the week do you buy your groceries?

[Addie]

It's not always the same, but I feel like usually it falls on, like, the beginning of the week.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. On, like, a Sunday or Monday.

[Addie]

Usually Monday. Yeah. But sometimes I am bad and I just, like, order. Like, I'll place a random order throughout the week to kind of. And then if I do that, I still have to make sure. Like, how many dinners do I have left? I always have to have four on deck. I do not know why, but, like, that's. That's how we do it.

[Abby Howard]

I think I just need to start because, Caleb, I mean, I feel like I'm at a point now where I'm like, I want to invite people over again for dinners and stuff. There was a season this past season where I was like, no, I can't feed my family. I can't even think about feeding our family.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

But now I'm like, I want to invite people over Again, but sometimes I get stuck where I'm like, I don't have enough food, so I have to go and get separate meals to, like, make for a crowd.

[Addie]

That was my other thing. You. I see what you're meaning.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

It's always enough for us to have us and then at least another meal, like, for lunch the next day. Usually we're eating it for two days, and that means it's enough for. It's us and another family.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, okay. So you're cooking with the idea of having leftovers.

[Addie]

Yes. And every day, I. Yeah, every day I cook four leftovers. So we eat it for lunch. And if you don't have leftovers, then I literally just eat out.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Cause I'm like, I don't cook lunch.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, we're not gonna do lunch.

[Addie]

Yeah. Or if we have factor or something.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, for sure.

[Addie]

But that way I can always have people over too. Cause then that's why I'm like, why don't you just. Because I already have all the food for everyone to stay. But nothing goes to waste. Because if not, we'll just eat it for lunch the next day.

[Abby Howard]

That makes sense. Yes. Okay. That's a really good tip.

[Addie]

Thank you, guys.

[Abby Howard]

That's enlightening.

[Addie]

Is it groundbreaking? No, but I mean, a little.

[Caller 2]

I like the running list, too, of, like, inspiration.

[Addie]

It feels so satisfying to check it off for some reason. And I'm like, tink. So, like, right now, I only have two existing that I can do, so I'll probably have to play as a grocery order. But I also really do believe in ordering your groceries, especially as, like, a mom with littles. Because taking my kids to the grocery store is. I don't understand how people do it.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I've been loving.

[Addie]

We always end up with marshmallows, chocolate chips, candy, gum.

[Caller 2]

Depends on the age. Right now, I like taking Brielle because it's an outing. Totally out of the house, and she can't pick anything. Totally.

[Abby Howard]

I feel like with one, I loved it.

[Caller 2]

Like, I can't even imagine.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, well, it's just like, with the little things. Like, I had to go to UPS to drop something off, and I was

[Addie]

like, loading the loading.

[Abby Howard]

I don't want to take the kids out of two car seats just to run in for one second. No, I can't leave them in here. But when I had just cj, I was like, oh, an outing.

[Addie]

So I feel like, especially when they can both walk around, like, I'm like, I'm going to lose one of y'.

[Abby Howard]

All Totally. Totally.

[Addie]

I took them to Costco last week, and I actually. The whole time, I was like, I am so proud of you. You stayed in the cart the whole time. They fill up the whole cart.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, totally.

[Addie]

But I'm like, don't get out. We'll put all the groceries in bottom.

[Caller 2]

They probably loved it. They probably loved Costco.

[Addie]

They had a lot of samples. And I literally. And I was so quick. I had a list. I was like, we are not dilly dallying. And. And it's also harder for them to be like, I want to get that. Like, at Costco. It's like, on these huge pallets.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

But Costco doesn't do. They do do delivery, but they charge way more. And I'm like, I don't want to pay that.

[Abby Howard]

I know.

[Addie]

And some. Not a lot is on there. Like, I feel like I don't. I also started just buying my meat from Costco.

[Caller 2]

Go.

[Abby Howard]

The meat from Sam's is really good. I feel like buying it in bulk does make a lot of sense. Meat and fruit are, like, the main things. I'm like, that makes so much sense. I knew it was an issue with cj. I was like, I need to probably shake some things up. I said, what are your favorite places? He said, the gym and Sam's Club

[Addie]

A. I was like, you know what?

[Abby Howard]

I need to probably. We need to go hang out with your friends.

[Addie]

Let's go to the library. We go hang out.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, we need to go hang out with people.

[Addie]

Oh, that was sweet.

[Abby Howard]

It's really cute. The gym is. You go, we going to Sam's Club Mama. Like, how do we go? How are we going?

[Caller 2]

I think the gym is Brielle's favorite place. She, like, falls into the arms of the child care workers.

[Abby Howard]

At this point, I'm like, yeah, I'm happy with that. Totally. You're like, go play and have fun with other children.

[Caller 2]

Well, good.

[Addie]

Yeah, that's what I do. Oh, I was gonna say delivery is so nice because it. I don't think it, like, they charge at least on Walmart, what the groceries cost in the store. You just tip your.

[Abby Howard]

Instead of Instacart, where they used to jack up the price on the groceries.

[Caller 2]

Aldi doesn't do that. Aldi ups their prices.

[Addie]

Yeah, no, I think. I think. I'm pretty sure that it's the same price. And then if you get the annual thing, then you don't have to pay for delivery every time. And they have discounts on that. Even. You just have to tip your driver. And I think there's like a. No, I think they cover the service fee, too, if you get the membership.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, that's nice.

[Addie]

So you just have to spend $25, which I'm like, groceries? Yeah. One item is $25 sometimes. Like, totally. So, yeah. Then I don't get a bunch of random stuff. Now a bunch of random stuff does end up in my pantry that I can't quite explain.

[Abby Howard]

But don't look in there. Don't look in there. I've been really into drive up lately.

[Addie]

Oh, yeah, that's great, too. That is crazy.

[Abby Howard]

Well, you would die on that hill.

[Addie]

Actually, one of the. I started getting into territory that I was like, oh, I was going to talk about this later when we talk about our hills that we die on.

[Abby Howard]

Okay.

[Addie]

But I would die on that hill.

[Abby Howard]

You would die on that hill.

[Addie]

Get your groceries delivered.

[Abby Howard]

Well, that brings us to our next segment. What is that? Segues, you guys.

[Addie]

What a segue.

[Abby Howard]

What a segue. This was a Ask Abby's Question last episode or the episode before. And we thought it was really fun. And we didn't really. It was hard to think on the spot. So we're like, let's give us some more time to think on what the hills that we would die on are. And we thought it'd be a fun full segment for you guys. So that's what we're doing today. The what? The hills that we would die on. And we asked you guys first, what are some of the hills that you guys would die?

[Addie]

I'm excited to read these, dude.

[Abby Howard]

Should we explain what that means? You think people got it?

[Addie]

I want to hear your definition.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. It's like, strong opinions on dumb things.

[Addie]

Okay. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. Okay. That's good. Thank you.

[Addie]

That's really good.

[Abby Howard]

An unnecessary strong opinion.

[Addie]

Have you ever tried to describe a board game, like the rules of a game to someone? I feel so dumb. I did that last. I did that at Granny weekend. I was like, you know, so you're trying to guess. No, but you can't. And then I was like, this is the same. I'm the same way with definitions of words. I'm like, I just. Sometimes when my kids ask me what things mean, I'm like, I know.

[Abby Howard]

I'm like, oh, let's let me take Daddy. That one.

[Addie]

Yeah. So you did a great job with that one.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you.

[Addie]

Very simple.

[Abby Howard]

I appreciate that. Yeah. The board game thing, I'm just thinking about that. Normally when people start to describe it, I'm like, let's just play it.

[Caller 2]

Yes. Me?

[Abby Howard]

Just explain it to me. Oh, my God.

[Caller 2]

Honestly, when Blake is ever explaining anything like a game, I'm like, he was trying to explain a card game to everyone, and no one wanted to play. First off, no one wanted to play.

[Addie]

Was I there?

[Caller 2]

Yes.

[Addie]

Did I want to play?

[Caller 2]

No.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, dang.

[Caller 2]

Well, because it was a new game. You were exhausted. I don't, like, didn't like it because it was too many rules. And Blake's like, guys, please. And he's explaining him, like, the more

[Addie]

you talk, the more they don't want to.

[Abby Howard]

What?

[Caller 2]

Oh, my gosh.

[Abby Howard]

That's funny.

[Caller 2]

I used to get on table. I'd be like, talk more in, like, settings. And then he does. And I'm like, you're talking.

[Addie]

You're talking too much.

[Caller 2]

Like, you're.

[Addie]

That's so funny.

[Caller 2]

Just say what you want after listen. So I'm like, I can.

[Abby Howard]

That's so funny. Like, the social cushion. Coaching is a real thing.

[Addie]

No, I know, Matt. Literally, what did I do this time?

[Abby Howard]

Caleb's like, do I do this to you? And I'm like, no. But I mean, perfect, I don't think. But, you know. But if you needed any tips, I have.

[Addie]

Some people don't like that.

[Abby Howard]

Like, do you want a tip? Usually I'm like, do you want some feedback? That was a little great, that one.

[Addie]

It's nice to do it in the car.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I'm like, dad, jokes are funnier when they're filtered. Usually.

[Addie]

Let's just, like, try to frame it as a poop sandwich.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, literally. Thank you to Cash App for sponsoring this portion of today's episode.

[Addie]

Matt was giving the kids a bath the other night. I just hear him say, hey, stay after me. Don't spend more money than you make. I was like, okay. Dave Ramsey in the bath. That's great.

[Abby Howard]

My dad was really big on saving. I mean, kind of the same thing. Save more than you spend. He would always say that. And that brings in Cash App. Cash App now offers managed accounts for kids ages 6 to 12 that grow with them all the way to adulthood, all with no subscription fees. Because building money and habits should not cost extra.

[Addie]

The account runs through you, so you're not just watching from the sidelines. You're actually in it with them. Every time money comes in or goes out, it's a chance to talk about it together. You can set spending limits, and you can lock or unlock the Cash App, Visa card, anytime, all from your own app, automate their allowances, and track the flow of money in and out together. Kids can start building real saving habits early by earning interest on savings.

[Abby Howard]

Wow, that's cool. So when you're explaining the difference between spending now versus saving for later, they can actually see their money grow. Your kids savings habits and history carry forward every step of the way. From a parent managed account at 6 to 18, account at 13 to a full account at 18, they get real life practice with money and you're right there with them through every stage.

[Addie]

If you're ready to start teaching money habits without adding more stress to your plate, download Cash App and set up a managed account for your child today. For a limited time, new Cash App customers who are parents can use our exclusive referral code Family10 to earn $10. Download Cash App enter the referral code in your profile, send $5 to a friend within 14 days and you will receive $10. Terms apply.

[Abby Howard]

Cash App is a financial services platform, not a bank. Banking services provided by Cash App's bank partners Prepaid debit cards issued by Sutton bank member FDIC Cash Out Visa debit flex cards issued by Sutton bank member FDIC the Bank Corp bank and a Pursuant to a license from Visa USA Inc. See terms and conditions for the Sutton Prepaid card, Sutton Debit Flex Card and Bank Corp. Debit flex card savings and offers provided by Cash Up A Block Inc. Brand parents and legal guardians can open a managed Account for kids 6 to 12. Visit Cash App legal podcast for full disclosures. Okay, so your hills they hills they were going to die on. Do you want to start us off?

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Cambria Cambria says don't sag your pants. Hate when men do that.

[Abby Howard]

I honestly, I respect it because I don't know how you make it work.

[Caller 2]

What's the appeal?

[Abby Howard]

I don't. I'm not appealed and I don't like it. But I respect, I respect the commitment.

[Addie]

The high schoolers now I'm even girls like we're really low, low pants. I wouldn't say they're sagging. Well actually sometimes they are very low.

[Abby Howard]

Do you guys remember faints on your gram Pants looking like a food?

[Addie]

That was a rule in our high school. You could not sag your pants.

[Abby Howard]

Really?

[Addie]

Understandably we you shouldn't be showing your underwear.

[Abby Howard]

Well, some people show their whole butts. That was like a thing in our high school. It was like full butt out and then you like you hold your pants in the front and I was like, honestly, I just respect the commitment to that.

[Addie]

You're telling me people are walking around with crack?

[Abby Howard]

No, I mean they have underwear on men. Not Women, Men.

[Addie]

Full butts.

[Abby Howard]

Full butts out, though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Full butts are rule. Yes.

[Addie]

Like boxers.

[Abby Howard]

Yes.

[Addie]

Yeah, yeah. That happened for sure.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, for sure. Yeah.

[Addie]

And you have to hold them in the front.

[Abby Howard]

In the front.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I like. I respect.

[Caller 1]

That's the.

[Abby Howard]

Commit to the bit. But no, I also agree. Don't say it. Free your hands. Yeah, free your hands.

[Addie]

Hands free.

[Caller 1]

Pants.

[Addie]

They make them.

[Abby Howard]

Celia said that was a mom joke. That was a mom joke. But I laughed.

[Addie]

Thank you.

[Abby Howard]

Not out of pity, out of laughter.

[Addie]

Thank you.

[Abby Howard]

Celia said, properly fueling my body instead of trying to shrink it. Yes.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Eating is fun.

[Addie]

You're around people that love. You're in good company.

[Abby Howard]

You're in good company. A.

[Addie]

This.

[Abby Howard]

What's that name? A libido.

[Addie]

Says success is not about money.

[Abby Howard]

I don't know if that's how you say it.

[Addie]

Did you just say libido?

[Abby Howard]

That's why I started laughing.

[Addie]

Okay. Yes. That's a good one.

[Abby Howard]

Alyssa said, always put your shopping cart back, and that's true. I feel sick.

[Addie]

That does bother me.

[Abby Howard]

I get guilty if I even think consider not putting it back. I'm like, I just must.

[Addie]

With kiss. It's so tempting.

[Abby Howard]

I know. I don't want to get that far from my car. That's good.

[Addie]

That's why I always park near them.

[Abby Howard]

Yes, same. That's a hack. That's a hack.

[Addie]

Know what I also hate, though, is in parking lots, if someone leaves litters their drink, but specifically if it's sitting upright, like they literally took the time to set it down. Yeah.

[Caller 2]

They let it.

[Abby Howard]

Set it up nicely.

[Addie]

That intentional littering is even more sick. Sick and disgusting.

[Abby Howard]

It's lawlessness.

[Addie]

I like. I see it sitting up. I'm like, kick it over.

[Abby Howard]

Anarchy. Kick it over.

[Addie]

This one is by Susan. Apple Maps is better than Google Maps. Period. Period.

[Abby Howard]

Period.

[Addie]

Don't even need to say anymore.

[Abby Howard]

It's just you don't ever send me a Google Google link.

[Addie]

I'm not downloading the app.

[Abby Howard]

I'm not downloading it. Lillian said Matcha is not good no matter how much extras you put with it. It's just gross, guys. Thank you, Lillian. I agree.

[Addie]

This room, there's no way Addie likes Matcha. It's like grass.

[Caller 2]

No, it. If you tell me it has tea. Anything to do with that, I'm like, I like tea. Oh, I don't.

[Abby Howard]

I don't like matcha or matcha.

[Addie]

I like grass.

[Caller 2]

Matcha and chai are not the same thing.

[Abby Howard]

You said nothing. I'm Just kidding. No, chai is sugar and matcha is grass.

[Caller 2]

Did you know chai means tea?

[Addie]

Chai?

[Abby Howard]

Oh, there is. I just thought it was, like, a bag blend.

[Addie]

No. You're kidding me, right?

[Abby Howard]

Chai tea. I guess I thought it was tea,

[Caller 2]

but every time I ordered the word chai is tea.

[Addie]

People don't like it when people say chai tea. Because you're saying.

[Caller 2]

Because chai means tea, but it is

[Addie]

a type of tea, so I feel like that's why people.

[Abby Howard]

It's news to me.

[Addie]

Thank you.

[Caller 2]

I learned from Love island you can't say chai.

[Addie]

I watched my first episode of Love island this past weekend. That was my hard. I'm just kidding.

[Caller 2]

We debriefed yesterday.

[Addie]

No, I felt really relevant, though, and I was able to tell Addie that I knew people's names and I, like, knew the drama.

[Caller 2]

She had a good episode to watch.

[Addie]

Okay.

[Caller 2]

She just watched the most recent.

[Abby Howard]

That was a good episode. She didn't like it?

[Caller 2]

No, no. It was like a good. Where she kind of can understand things that are happening.

[Addie]

I wish the challenges were actual challenges. That was the thing I was, like, excited about.

[Caller 2]

Yeah. That was a stupid.

[Addie]

I was so confused.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

They don't have real challenges working on the table.

[Caller 2]

Just pick who you want to make

[Addie]

out with and make out with someone

[Caller 2]

that's someone to put them in the slime. Kiss someone back there.

[Addie]

It felt like the patriarchy.

[Abby Howard]

Coming back to that.

[Addie]

I knew it was coming back to that.

[Abby Howard]

Don't get me started.

[Addie]

No, I was entertained the whole time. I will say that. But I will not be tuning in again.

[Abby Howard]

Perfect.

[Addie]

For a while. Unless I'm with my friends. I'll watch it with my friends.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I'll watch anything with my friends.

[Addie]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

No, I won't.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Addie]

Says watching 10 kids is easier than one. Okay, that's. I was gonna say two is easier than one.

[Abby Howard]

I was gonna say probably because you check out a little bit with 10. You're like. They're entertained.

[Addie]

Let me know if something.

[Abby Howard]

Let me know if that happens. Guys. 10.

[Addie]

Is it extreme jump?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. What?

[Caller 2]

9.

[Abby Howard]

Context.

[Caller 2]

Not easier than 1, but 10.

[Addie]

I think 9 might be a little bit harder than 1. I think 2 is easier than 1.

[Abby Howard]

I don't think that. Yes, I would agree. Okay. Alyssa, the US has never been to the moon. That's.

[Addie]

Alyssa, that's a conspiracy. That's a conspiracy.

[Abby Howard]

That's a different. I have heard that conspiracy, though.

[Addie]

Yeah, well, I've heard about it intentionally. L says all brownies should be slightly under baked. Addie or the brownie?

[Caller 2]

I don't agree.

[Addie]

Both brownies.

[Abby Howard]

I actually like a fully cooked brownie.

[Caller 2]

I do like a fully cooked. Just get a fully cooked, like, fudgy brownie. You're good.

[Abby Howard]

That's really true, Addy. I don't like an undercooked brownie.

[Caller 2]

No, no.

[Abby Howard]

Cook it, cook it.

[Caller 2]

I like brownie batter.

[Abby Howard]

Same.

[Caller 2]

But if I'm. If I'm cooking it, I want. I want it.

[Addie]

Addie used to have brownie batter in her dorm fridge.

[Caller 2]

Just.

[Addie]

Just the batter.

[Caller 2]

That's my hill. That I remember. My hill. I would die.

[Abby Howard]

I will eat raw dough.

[Caller 2]

Raw dough.

[Abby Howard]

With a spoon or did you dip stuff in it?

[Caller 2]

No, with a spoon.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I. Yeah, I have some things like that that I eat with spoons. I love that.

[Caller 2]

Eat the whole box, not in one sitting, but, like, just put it. Keep it in the fridge after I've mixed it all together.

[Addie]

Is that egg?

[Caller 2]

Is that flour? Truly not.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. The egg is. That's kind of gross because the egg white's just kind of like.

[Addie]

You put the egg in it too.

[Caller 2]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Caller 1]

Shoot.

[Addie]

I would have been easy.

[Abby Howard]

You make it.

[Addie]

That would have been easy.

[Abby Howard]

To just take that out, microwave that.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, I didn't think about that.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. College is such a fun, fun, unique time. I would say brownies from scratch. I love making the half baked harvest crinkle top brownies. That's going to be my recipe later. So just be aware. I'm going to repeat myself. But when you make them from scratch, it really. It's like, I didn't want to know how much. It's literally like two full sticks of butter melted with a full bag of chocolate chips and then full cup of sugar and you're just, like, looking at it.

[Addie]

That's like making cookies, though.

[Abby Howard]

It's so much fun.

[Addie]

Our cookie recipe has two sticks of butter. Yeah. But I just.

[Abby Howard]

In my mind, I'm like, oh, it takes me a while to eat 12 cookies.

[Addie]

Oh, you can eat brownies.

[Abby Howard]

But I could pound a half pound of brownies. Oh, my God.

[Caller 2]

I can eat brownies so fast.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, it's. But it's worth it.

[Addie]

Okay, sorry. Worth it. Kendall says mint and chocolate don't go together.

[Abby Howard]

Sorry, Kendall, you're wrong.

[Addie]

Try to tell our husbands that. Try to tell my kids that.

[Abby Howard]

Love mint ice cream. Elias Panton. I didn't say that.

[Addie]

Right.

[Abby Howard]

But everyone looks better with their natural hair color.

[Addie]

No, I'm about to get my hair colored on Friday.

[Abby Howard]

I probably look better with my natural hair color. But I'm just not ready to commit.

[Caller 2]

I kind of agree, but it's not something I die on.

[Abby Howard]

I think that would be nothing myself.

[Addie]

For me.

[Abby Howard]

I think your natural hair color, but like enhanced a little, you know, like. Yes. Put some dimension.

[Addie]

Kenzie says waking up before kids is not always best for mom's mental health.

[Caller 1]

Sure.

[Addie]

I don't wake up before my kids,

[Caller 2]

so I personally disagree.

[Abby Howard]

You think I make it a point

[Caller 2]

to wake up before Braille and drink my coffee?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Seven if your kid's waking up before.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, I wake up at 6:30. Sorry. She woke up. I had to wake her up at 7:45 today to go to a doctor's appointment. She's also sick, so. Yeah, she also took a two and a half hour nap and I had to wake her up. So she's sick.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah,

[Addie]

she needs that.

[Abby Howard]

I'd rather have a can. Ainsley said, I'd rather have a whole convo. Voice memos back and forth than a phone call. That is. No, that's a strong opinion.

[Caller 2]

I feel like a lot of people would say that.

[Addie]

No. Voicemail stress me out because I'm like, some kid's gonna come up to me and start talking and I have one shot. I know you can save them. I always forget to save them.

[Abby Howard]

You don't have one shot if you don't save them.

[Caller 2]

Some people have their settings that disappears after two minutes.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, shoot.

[Addie]

I can control that in my settings.

[Caller 2]

Yeah. For you. Sending voice memos to other people, you can change your personal.

[Abby Howard]

I didn't know they disappeared.

[Addie]

I really disappear.

[Caller 2]

I also don't listen to voice memos ever.

[Abby Howard]

You just want the transcript?

[Caller 2]

I read the transcript every single time.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. Oh, I do personally like sending them better, especially if it's long. I try not to. Unless I'm gonna respond with something long, but. And I usually give them a warning. I'm like this. Sorry.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Usually if it's like something we're talking on a subject, it's not like details for things. Yeah, we're getting deep.

[Abby Howard]

Yes.

[Addie]

Ella says tiny spoons make desserts taste better. I agree. Ella, I need to slow down.

[Abby Howard]

That's probably good. Really good. Yeah. I don't like using a big spoon because that makes me a little sad. I'm like, it's gonna go way faster. No, I will be taking a big bite. This girl Ilya said sleeping naked. I can't do that. Too sweaty. But you would think sleeping naked be less sweaty. But it's actually more sweaty.

[Addie]

Well, it's just getting on Your sheets instead of your pajamas. You're right.

[Abby Howard]

So I just feel it more.

[Addie]

Well, there's so many reasons why I can't sleep.

[Abby Howard]

Make it. No, but also my skin's touching. Like, if my shorts are too short and my legs are touching at night, it's just wet. So, like, don't want that.

[Caller 2]

I don't want to be exposed. Like, I can't. I can't have anything exposed. I have to have blanket covered. I just don't like to have exposed. Even if I don't have. I don't like my cheeks out. Even if I'm not. Not wearing pants.

[Abby Howard]

I also do always think about the worst. I'm like, what happens if there's something bad today?

[Addie]

Tonight I'm naked. I'm also. Yeah, I'm getting up a lot in the night, too. Not a lot, but every night I get up pretty much.

[Abby Howard]

Well, yeah, you're peeing a lot with that.

[Addie]

And also for my kids.

[Abby Howard]

Oh.

[Addie]

So I'm like, if I just came in there fully naked, throw on a robe, I could do that, but I just don't. I'm not comfortable that way.

[Caller 1]

Sure, sure.

[Addie]

No matter what job you do, it's the people that you work with that matters the most. This is what Steven's Stephen daughter says.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I think that's a good hill.

[Addie]

Yeah, for sure.

[Abby Howard]

Good opinion. Caitlyn said, ranch on pizza. Delicious.

[Addie]

Hello.

[Abby Howard]

I know you're from the Midwest.

[Addie]

Katie says, unreal. M M's stuffed in raspberries is an elite, sweet treat. Katie, that sounds good.

[Abby Howard]

That sounds amazing.

[Addie]

I used to put chocolate chips in raspberries.

[Abby Howard]

I never thought to do that.

[Addie]

I saw someone did it and I did, and I was like, amazing.

[Abby Howard]

Love that. Love that.

[Addie]

Oh, this one says it's. Or Sarika Anders says texting K is aggressive.

[Abby Howard]

It is aggressive.

[Addie]

I fear that I do that.

[Caller 2]

Can we talk about the different types of okays and what they mean?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, okay.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

K, no, period, I think is okay. Capitalized lowercase Lowercase is aggressive. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Addie]

Lowercase K, period is aggressive.

[Abby Howard]

Any K, period, is aggressive. Yeah, that's fight. You're fighting. Okay. Just. Okay, fine, fine. Okay. Joyful.

[Addie]

Really? I never type that.

[Caller 2]

I do.

[Abby Howard]

I do type that.

[Caller 2]

I only type that.

[Addie]

Why?

[Abby Howard]

If I text okay, just like O and a K, I'm in the middle of something.

[Caller 2]

I don't think I've ever done that ever. Like send.

[Abby Howard]

I didn't either. Until children never do.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Addie]

That's what I do always.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. No, I would never just send a k. Actually, never a K. I would agree. The Emily said the opening of a pillowcase goes towards the interior of the bed when making it. Oh, that's what. I never thought of that.

[Addie]

I always do the opposite.

[Abby Howard]

I just do hubage comes.

[Caller 2]

I do that. Then you don't see the seam on the outside.

[Abby Howard]

See that?

[Caller 2]

I don't do it every time, but that's how I would do it if I was thinking about it.

[Addie]

Oh, wait a minute. Mine doesn't have a seam. It zips.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, that's cool. This is the difference between type 8 people and, like, myself.

[Addie]

Okay, let's be real. Like, I want to make my bed.

[Abby Howard]

I made my bed.

[Addie]

I don't make the bed.

[Abby Howard]

See, I'm like, making the bed is enough. But then there's people that are like, I want to make the bed. And it look beautiful. I think mine looks good, but it's not the best made bed ever.

[Addie]

We never make our bed.

[Abby Howard]

I have, and I can't go back. But I also live in a small room, so if our bed's not made, you can't walk in there.

[Addie]

She's not in our room during the day.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, that's true.

[Addie]

So I'm like, why would I make that? Sure. Just to unmake it every day.

[Abby Howard]

It's kind of funny. Molly said, when you turn 29, you've already completed year 29, and you are beginning year 30. That's a funny hill to die on, actually. I don't understand.

[Caller 2]

I get it. When you turn one, you've completed one full year, and so you're starting your second year of life.

[Abby Howard]

So she's saying, I'm not starting year 30. I've already been 30.

[Caller 2]

Yeah, you've done your full 30 years.

[Addie]

So you're already 30, even though you're 29.

[Caller 2]

So you're starting 30 years in one day.

[Abby Howard]

I rebuke that. I'm sorry I wasn't mentally prepared last year for the.

[Addie]

This is funny. I don't like it.

[Abby Howard]

I don't like it.

[Addie]

Anika says guys day out of their league more often than girls do. For sure. That is. I thought that was a given.

[Abby Howard]

Wait, Molly. This is another conspiracy. Molly said Elvis Presley is still alive. And I. I'm not. I'm not denying that. I mean, I am. But there's this pastor in Arkansas that people believe is Elvis Presley. I didn't know that he went to his Elvis's daughter's funeral. Why would he be there? And he sounds like him when he sings. Kind of looks like him, too.

[Addie]

That's all I needed to know.

[Abby Howard]

I watched like one hour on Tick Tock and I was like, I'm convinced.

[Addie]

An hour.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I think I did one night.

[Addie]

You really just sent that? This one says socks in bed are criminal. Jaina says that?

[Abby Howard]

No, I go through seasons. Right. I used to wear.

[Caller 2]

What about Cassidy? That says wet socks aren't that bad.

[Abby Howard]

Wet socks aren't that bad, Kate. That's crazy.

[Addie]

My socks are very bad.

[Abby Howard]

That's really bad. That's fun. These are fun. Love that.

[Addie]

These are good ones.

[Abby Howard]

The public shame one I did mention was bring back public shame. People need to be held accountable.

[Addie]

We have, but we did.

[Abby Howard]

It's called cancel culture. Yeah, I. I more so like a little. A little bit of maybe, like bullying a little. We're not within the family

[Addie]

area.

[Abby Howard]

Your siblings family or friends or.

[Caller 2]

No. Can you bully?

[Abby Howard]

I think your siblings should.

[Addie]

Like, when you're little, it can only be your siblings.

[Abby Howard]

It can only be your siblings. And I think only your siblings should bully you.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

But I think, like, my sisters are very mean to me and it's for my benefit sometimes. You know what I mean?

[Addie]

It's a good place to thicken your skin. It is in the safety of your own home.

[Abby Howard]

In the safety of your own home

[Addie]

with people that supervision actually love you.

[Abby Howard]

Exactly.

[Addie]

And yeah, I mean, you need some

[Abby Howard]

people to tell you when you're being crazy. And it needs to be your siblings.

[Addie]

Keep you in check. Keep you humble.

[Abby Howard]

Keep you humble.

[Addie]

Keep you humble. And then you don't. Yeah, yeah. Put your foot in your mouth. And more high stakes environments.

[Abby Howard]

I would agree. I would agree.

[Addie]

I agree.

[Abby Howard]

We've talked about this before. We talked about this before.

[Addie]

Let's not get quoted as saying bring back bully. No, no, that's not what I meant. That is not the record.

[Abby Howard]

Do not let the record say that Christian killed Bully.

[Addie]

Bully. Let's feed that off.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, there's.

[Caller 1]

Let's.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you for the context in that one.

[Addie]

Yeah, of course.

[Abby Howard]

There's a lot of context. Hold it.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

Well, let's talk about our hills that we. That we die on.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Addie]

My first one we already kind of talked about, but I didn't say my opinion on it. My first hill that I will die on is that Costco doesn't save you money.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I think that's probably true.

[Addie]

Costco does not save you money. We. I shop at Costco. I enjoy shopping at Costco. I will never say that I go there because I'm feel like I'm saving anything.

[Abby Howard]

No shopping there I do think it saves time. I'm. When I go and I get my Costco, like, my Sam's Club stuff, I'm not having to go to the store as often.

[Addie]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

Because.

[Addie]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Abby Howard]

For them. For them. For the main things. Yeah. Like, if I had to go to the store and buy those Oikos yogurts for how often we eat them, that would just be wasteful.

[Addie]

Wasteful. You could just buy that quantity there.

[Abby Howard]

But it's more. I think that is more expensive. Maybe. Maybe I disagree with you.

[Addie]

See, it's just. I feel like they do a lot to make you feel like you're saving money. Right. Because it's very stripped back. It's not like they don't have the floors done, the ceiling done. Everything's in pallets, like.

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

You are doing a lot of extra steps yourself. You feel like you're cutting costs, but then your bill is always so high,

[Caller 2]

I think you just end up eating more.

[Addie]

You just end up eating more.

[Caller 2]

Like, if you. Like, if you got Costco meat. If I ended up getting steak at Costco, I'm gonna eat all that steak in a week or two rather than being buying one thing of steak every week and it lasting my family for four weeks.

[Abby Howard]

You're not rationing as much.

[Caller 2]

No, I'm not rationing.

[Addie]

When I have it, it's available.

[Caller 2]

It's available. I'm like, I want steak tonight. We have it. Instead of being like, it's only once a week.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

That's really interesting.

[Addie]

I have started buying my meat from Costco, but I individually wrap it and freeze it.

[Abby Howard]

That's what I do too. Yeah. I make it. I have to save it. So I make last out the week or two. I do think in two areas, it saves me money. Fruit and meat. The fruit at Sam's is way bigger and it lasts so long. But those are the only two areas, really.

[Caller 2]

Gas is good, but just at the right time. You can't wait in that line. Blake did go at 8pm the other day, and it was really quick.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

If you're waiting in line for more than 10 minutes for gas, you're wasting it. You're wasting your gas.

[Addie]

You're not saving time.

[Abby Howard]

Like, that's a lot of time to save three bucks.

[Addie]

Yeah. I will still shop at Costco, and I still do like Costco a lot,

[Abby Howard]

but I. Yeah, we've been marketed too.

[Addie]

I'm definitely having a. Raking up a bill every time.

[Caller 1]

Sure.

[Abby Howard]

For sure.

[Addie]

Hefty bill.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. What stores are we going to just dropping like 300 bucks cash just for.

[Addie]

And it's a crazy place to impulse buy, but I do it like, I feel like I'm like, oh, I'm here because it's kind of novelty. Like, I don't go that often. So I'm like, I gotta get it.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And then this is where you really lose your budget. Friendly. If I get my kids snacks there as soon as I buy it in bulk. This is just the rule. They don't like it anymore.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, interesting.

[Addie]

So then we have all those. I'm not gonna eat. This happened with Bobos. I'll never be burned again.

[Abby Howard]

Bobos.

[Addie]

Poor Bobos.

[Abby Howard]

All the Bobos happened to CJ too. He didn't like him after. He loved them.

[Addie]

Once you get him in. Once you get them in bulk, they hold. They will hate them.

[Caller 2]

Totally.

[Abby Howard]

So my first one is Amazon Alexa. Yeah, it's not Amazon allowed anywhere near a home. And Caleb had one in college and I made him get rid of it before and we moved in together.

[Addie]

He was like making purchases on that.

[Abby Howard]

No, I just. For some reason, I was like, hey, that thing's recording you all the time. Because always has to be listening. It always has to be listening for. Hey, Alexa. So then that means it's listening to you all the time. And that really freaked me out.

[Addie]

We have that in our house. We have a Google home Mini. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

So I'm not going to ever come over again. I'm just kidding. But I was like, yeah, that's not going to be allowed in our home.

[Addie]

Your phone does that?

[Abby Howard]

No, I have it turned off.

[Addie]

Oh, okay.

[Abby Howard]

I. Every time I get a new tech, I go in and turn off the, like, listening settings. Every app, I make sure that that setting is not on there. I don't know. I'm like a little. Don't listen to me. Not that I have anything to hide.

[Addie]

I'm really like.

[Abby Howard]

But I do like privacy.

[Caller 2]

I mean, Alexa, all of our lights on our lamps are like electronic.

[Abby Howard]

See, that's cool.

[Caller 2]

And so we tell her to turn on the lights in Brielle's room or turn the lights off in their bedroom or.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, that's nice.

[Caller 2]

So that's helpful.

[Abby Howard]

I do miss out on the convenience of things.

[Caller 2]

You do.

[Abby Howard]

But I'm like, ugh, get out.

[Addie]

Unfortunately, I'm resigned to the fact that they're listening to me. I put enough out there anyway. Publicly.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. Honestly save. So I'm like, it's silly that I say I want to be a private, but I just really, really value My privacy. So no Alexa, but more about my beef all day long.

[Addie]

No, I get that. That's valid. I feel like I felt that way at times, but then I was like, man, this thing is really kind of fun. My kids like it too. They're like, hey, Google play. Like, to move it, move it. And Google never knows what they're saying.

[Caller 2]

Blake will bully our Alexa. Like, he's just being him. He, like, says mean things, but she'd get mad.

[Abby Howard]

You just gotta scratch it.

[Caller 2]

She's like. She's like, it's okay, Blake. Like, she, like, got an update recently. And the other day, like, she was just. I don't know what Blake asked. Like, he's like, can you turn my timer off? She goes, yes, of course, Blake. And I'm like, anytime she calls him Blake, I'm like, that's just so weird that she knows it's him. Yeah. First name basis.

[Caller 1]

Get out of here.

[Addie]

You're right. It is kind of.

[Abby Howard]

It's a little.

[Addie]

They know you stinking of AI.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, well, Caleb would be like, hey, my wife. He would talk to Chad and be like, my wife and I are blah, blah, blah, blah. And it would go, oh, that's cool that you and Abby are doing that. And I was like, you didn't tell it my name. I didn't like that.

[Caller 2]

I don't even know who I am.

[Abby Howard]

So there is.

[Addie]

Keep my name out of your mouth.

[Abby Howard]

I think I said it to that.

[Caller 2]

Certainly.

[Abby Howard]

Certainly. Sorry about that, ma'. Am. You can only call me ma' am from now on. Owner, master.

[Addie]

Oh, this is a big hill. I have.

[Abby Howard]

Okay, let's hear it.

[Addie]

We need to bring dating back.

[Abby Howard]

Ooh, fun.

[Addie]

I'm talking about, like, for people that aren't, like, married. Yes. You need to date when you're married. I'm talking about, like, why are you looking at me like that?

[Abby Howard]

Because I'm laughing about my next one.

[Addie]

Okay, hold my thought. What's your next one?

[Abby Howard]

I'm trying to actively. No. Actively listening.

[Addie]

You're literally looking at me like, I just peed my. I just peed he. Dang it. You're literally like. It's like, Matt. Like, Matt's thinking about something that's not what I'm saying. And I'm like, really? Just get off your.

[Caller 2]

Sorry.

[Addie]

I'm going to pee.

[Caller 2]

Matt was talking to Blake yesterday, and he asked him something, and then Blake was, like, finally answering him, and then he looked at Matt, and he's like, he's not paying attention.

[Addie]

Matt was just like, you lost him.

[Caller 2]

You Lost him. You took way too long to answer.

[Addie]

Dang it. It's like, he's so smart, but then when he does that, like, they don't even know that you're, like, really smart because you're just like.

[Caller 2]

Whereas he's like, I wonder what he's thinking about.

[Addie]

No, I literally am just like, what are you thinking right now? Because I know that it's nothing that is happening in this level.

[Abby Howard]

What's on this level? So bring back dating.

[Addie]

Sorry. Bring back dating. Because I, like, hear about girls in, like, high school and college, and no one's. No one's going on dates. What's going on? No one's taking them on dates.

[Caller 2]

I love the idea of you. I was gonna say training your boys up.

[Addie]

Training the boys.

[Abby Howard]

It will be so fun to train the boys.

[Addie]

It'll be fun to train them. I'm like, it'll, like, just ask them on a date. And I also just like the idea of that so much because I feel like now it's become acceptable, for which it's like, it's fine for people to just text a bunch of people. Abigail is so distracted for being.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, we should have, like, the boy cousins practice dating with their.

[Caller 2]

No, Abby, ask Brielle out on a date.

[Abby Howard]

That's weird. No, that's actually weird.

[Addie]

That's the perfect person to not train them.

[Abby Howard]

You can have a practice with your cousins. I was like, we're gonna start crazy rumors. I'm sorry.

[Caller 2]

That.

[Abby Howard]

That's why I was holding back that laugh.

[Addie]

But I also don't think that.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, they're texting a million people.

[Addie]

They're texting a million people. But then that also is considered dating. Sometimes it's like, if you're, like, texting, talking.

[Abby Howard]

They're talking.

[Caller 1]

They're talking.

[Abby Howard]

They're in the talking stage. I remember that from high school.

[Addie]

And. And I'm like, it's just. It feels clear to be like, hey, let's go on a date.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And, yeah, it's scary. And that's why you should do it. Like, that's why you have to take that little bit of a jump.

[Abby Howard]

Right?

[Addie]

I also think that should be just. It's like, if that's the scariest thing you have to do, what a great life. I think it's really going to help your character.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, totally.

[Addie]

I think it'll be great. And I think it's just good for everyone. And it'd be so fun. Like.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And I'm talking about dates, like, outside of homes, they don't need to be expensive, you could do a bunch of free ones. But I'm talking about, like, we went on a lot of fun dates in, like, that season of time. Like, and it was like, I could look forward to it. I was like, on Friday night, we're going to go to Putt Putt or, like, whatever it was, and. Or get ice cream or go on a hike, like, these things. And I think that that made our dating experience super memorable because I'm like, oh, remember that time we did the haunted house? Or remember the time that we did this? And totally, like, now people are like, I don't really know when we technically started dating or when we, like, technically, like. And I'm like, it just. I want it to be romantic again. And also, I think there needs to be something on the line. I think they need to put a little skin in the game and face the possibility of being rejected.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, it's really not that bad. Freshman year of high school, I didn't have a date to homecoming. So I asked the guy, I said, you don't have a date, and I don't have a date. I want to just go together. And he said, no, I don't think so. And I was like,

[Addie]

he's like, I'd rather go alone, Abigail.

[Abby Howard]

He did,

[Addie]

and look what he missed out.

[Abby Howard]

I'm fine. So that's a hardy.

[Addie]

You're better.

[Abby Howard]

Remember, I threw a party and no one came. Same homecoming.

[Addie]

And you know what? This is why you were the resilient, strong, confident woman you are today.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you. It did make me resilient. It also made me never want to throw a party again.

[Addie]

You faced that fear.

[Abby Howard]

I did. I've done many parties. I think that's a really good one, Abby. I love that. And dating is a lost art.

[Addie]

It's a lost art.

[Abby Howard]

It's a lost art. Bring it back. We will die on that hill.

[Addie]

We will die on that hill.

[Abby Howard]

Okay, so my second one is fish and chips. If it's on a. If it's on a menu, you're not allowed to order it.

[Addie]

Why?

[Abby Howard]

My hill, I'm dying on for what?

[Addie]

Okay, okay, I'll get on the hill. But I'm just like.

[Abby Howard]

If you're at a restaurant that has salmon steak pizza, people from the UK

[Addie]

are like, no, I know.

[Abby Howard]

Fish and chips are delicious. If you're at a restaurant that has anything else, you're not allowed to order fish and chips.

[Addie]

Oh, you can only get at a fish and chips restaurant.

[Abby Howard]

Yes. It's too casual to be on. Like, if you're going to Culinary Dropout and you order fish and chips. I'm mad at you. You know what I mean?

[Addie]

Yeah. My dad's definitely done that.

[Abby Howard]

I know. It just feels. It's like the adult version of chicken strips. And I'm like, you just can't do it. You know what I mean?

[Addie]

Why do I not feel that way? Exactly. Really?

[Abby Howard]

I feel like fish and chips are

[Addie]

kind of every time we go to. Because they're not front. Usually they're like potato wed. Like, I

[Abby Howard]

know, but it just bothers me every time we go to a restaurant and Caleb's like, I might get the fish and chips. I said, certainly you're not. Certainly. You're getting something a little bit more exotic.

[Addie]

Are you. Are you comparing it to fish strips or fit.

[Caller 2]

What are they called?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, like, you're gonna get fish sticks. Fish sticks. Not at a restaurant.

[Addie]

The only person I know that eats fish sticks is your son.

[Abby Howard]

I eat so many fish sticks.

[Caller 2]

I'm really good.

[Abby Howard]

And listen, I love a good fish and chip, but it's only at, like, a fish and chip spot.

[Addie]

Okay, I respect this.

[Abby Howard]

Yes.

[Addie]

I respect this.

[Abby Howard]

And it's actually, surprisingly, on a lot of menus, because this is the conversation Caleb and I have often. He's like, I'm gonna get the fish. I go, stop right there.

[Caller 2]

Blake gets it sometimes, too.

[Abby Howard]

Right? Just.

[Addie]

It's not because they like beer. It goes with beer.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, yeah. We're not getting it. And if it's not an Irish restaurant, you're not allowed to order it.

[Addie]

I kind of get that.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you.

[Addie]

Where are we at? We're clocking back in.

[Abby Howard]

We just took a little breather. Abby, what time is it?

[Addie]

4 o'.

[Caller 1]

Clock.

[Abby Howard]

Look at that.

[Addie]

We're making great time.

[Abby Howard]

Making great time.

[Addie]

That is my next hill. And this is, like, not even funny. So I don't even know why I put this one on here. But I guess serious turn. Some of them aren't. It's not serious or not serious. Oh, is that newborns can only wear pajamas. That's my new rule.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, you're dying on that one.

[Addie]

I'm dying on that one for my third. Because I'm like. I was just, like, looking at the clothes and I was like, yeah, you're not gonna wear those until you're three months old. I feel like we're just gonna do jammies, but I get it because it's, like, so exciting. You have your baby. You wanna, like. You just wanna dress them up and do cute things. I just remember trying to Wrestle both of them and that. I'm like, their limbs are so fragile. I'm like, let's just do jammies. Keep it simple.

[Abby Howard]

Zip it up.

[Addie]

They're gonna. They're sleeping all day anyway. They should be in jammies all day. So this baby will not be wearing clothes until they're three months old.

[Abby Howard]

That's funny. I was team get dressed, dress my baby.

[Addie]

Really?

[Abby Howard]

But I also do think weather depends. Weather's hard. I feel like the summertime is hard because the pajamas are long.

[Addie]

You can get jammies that aren't. But. Yeah, you're right.

[Abby Howard]

You know what I mean?

[Addie]

In the hottie pajamis. But if you're in jammies.

[Caller 2]

I only felt like I had to get her dressed because I had clothes that were that size that I felt like I needed to use. So I would also put her in jammies at night and then put her in a onesie during the day. Like, without the. Yeah, without the legs. But I. I kind of agree. They don't have to.

[Abby Howard]

They don't have to wear clothes.

[Addie]

You don't have to wear clothes. I think a onesie is a good idea, too. That. That counts as pajamas.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. I would agree. I would agree. But, yeah, the little, like, cute outfits, it's too much.

[Addie]

It's too difficult. I remember trying to get them in these suspenders. Both of them.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. Yeah. That's a no. That's. I mean, it's cute, but it's just, like, way too much work.

[Addie]

Way too. I was like, you don't like this. It's sad for you. I'm manipulating all your little limbs into this, and you don't.

[Abby Howard]

We're forcing a round peg in a square hole here.

[Addie]

You don't like it. We're not. We don't need to do it. So I just am telling myself that we're. If we have. If we end up actually going through all of our old clothes, I'm only pulling out the jammies for zero to three months. So. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. I love it. I think that's valid. My third and last one is Q tips. Yeah, they'll be going in my ears. They're gonna be shoved up in there. Not far. Actually, I did go a little too far a couple weeks ago, and I went, ow. Yeah. You know when he, like, hit it. If you're an ent, just ignore you that. Okay. But my eardrum is fine. I'm certain in a couple years, I will go in there and have to get it scraped out. I'm prepared for it.

[Addie]

No, do it after the shower. So it's already wet.

[Abby Howard]

I. Yeah, Yeah. I only do it to get the water out of my ear.

[Addie]

To get the water out of your ears?

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. And I just do it around the outer rim.

[Addie]

Same.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. I'm not like getting up in there to get the wax out. I'm really just trying to keep the water out because I don't like wet ears.

[Addie]

No. Can I tell you? I so agree. And the only time I had issues with earwax is when Matt made me get rid of Q tips. I literally had to go so much earwax on my eardrum, couldn't hear. They had to blast it. That is uncomfortable. It hurts, and it's just a dumb reason to go to the doctor.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, sure.

[Caller 2]

Do you have the same earwax as Blake?

[Addie]

Yes.

[Caller 2]

Oh, my gosh. If he didn't have Q tips, he has to use them every single day. Like.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Caller 2]

Or it is outside of his ear.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Caller 2]

And I think. I think Brielle also said that.

[Abby Howard]

Did you guys get ear infections growing up?

[Addie]

No. I don't know what's with these kids.

[Caller 2]

You did, but I don't think Blake did.

[Abby Howard]

I never did.

[Addie]

Matt and I were just talking about that. We're like, what the heck?

[Caller 2]

My family had, I think, four to six sets of tubes. Like among us, four kids.

[Abby Howard]

Really?

[Caller 2]

My sister had multiple sets. I think I had one set of tubes. Oh, okay.

[Abby Howard]

Interesting.

[Addie]

Wait, do they stay in your ear?

[Abby Howard]

No, they fall out. They fall out Once the. As your kids get older, they stop getting ear infections. And so it's. The anatomy changes and they fall.

[Caller 2]

Amber just explained this because they just fit into there. So when your ear gets bigger, it falls out.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

As your ears grow, they fall out and then you don't have your infections anymore.

[Addie]

What a great method.

[Abby Howard]

Right?

[Addie]

That's crazy. I know that. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I will be using the Q tips on my ears. I will not allow my children to see me put them in my ears. No, but I certainly.

[Addie]

That's a grown up thing.

[Abby Howard]

Every day, after every shower. You best believe I do it.

[Addie]

No, I only do it when I wash my hair. Well, that's the only time my ears are getting wet.

[Abby Howard]

I would say the same.

[Addie]

Yeah. And I look forward to it.

[Abby Howard]

I also get makeup in my ears and I gotta clean that out.

[Addie]

Oh, I need to blend my makeup. That's a good one. I totally agree. Team Q tip.

[Abby Howard]

Dying on that hill.

[Addie]

Dying on that hill and you. We won't hear. We won't be able to hear you.

[Abby Howard]

We won't Be able to hear you if you disagree. That's great. Well, we have a couple more that we'll share on Patreon. Keep that party going there. So we'll pick up on Patreon with her.

[Addie]

Time to get over there.

[Abby Howard]

Time to get over there.

[Caller 1]

It's four o'. Clock.

[Addie]

Thank you to Merit Beauty for sponsoring this portion of today's episode.

[Abby Howard]

Let's just talk about my favorite makeup brand of all time. Seriously, Beauty, let's be honest, okay? If a routine takes longer than five minutes, yeah, it's not happening. That's why Merit Beauty believes great makeup should be effortless. And I really feel like that their products are minimalist. They're clean, they go on easy. Everything is effective.

[Addie]

All their products sit so nicely on the skin. Your skin still looks like you and you still look like you. You just look like a more polished, Alive Awake version. I also love their skin care a lot. I've been using their moisturizers and their cleansers.

[Abby Howard]

Their signature lipsticks right now are my full on obsession. They're so hydrating. I have really dry skin and they just always look so, so beautiful. And their colors are natural. Just your lips but better.

[Addie]

Merit's best sellers are proof that less is more. The flush balm gives you that natural, healthy glow without overdoing it. Then there's the minimalist stick like I was talking about earlier, which works double duty as both a foundation and a concealer so you can get quick coverage without layering on a bunch of products.

[Abby Howard]

No makeup day. No problem. Merit's great skin serum is all you need. It instantly hydrates and plumps for a fresh, dewy look. I wear the skin serum almost every single day. I put it under all my makeup again. It just makes me so glowy and looks so fresh faced. I love it so much, but instantly hydrates and plumps for a fresh, dewy look. It's time for your makeup and skin care to meet the reality of your daily routines with Merit Beauty.

[Addie]

Right now, Merit Beauty is offering our listeners their signature makeup bag with your first [e-mail] that's M E R I T beauty.com to get your free signature makeup bag with your first order. Meritbeauty.com we're doing our book club review

[Abby Howard]

here and we're gonna do the full review on Patreon. So we'll do a long one. But this is like our little our stars rating quick little over cap.

[Addie]

Maybe we won't do any spoilers here.

[Abby Howard]

No spoilers.

[Addie]

Like if you're still interested in reading it? Because I know this book did come out recently.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. We read the book Yesteryear by Caro.

[Caller 2]

Claire.

[Abby Howard]

Claire Burke.

[Addie]

Have your book back. Thank you.

[Abby Howard]

I give this book a four and a half stars.

[Addie]

Same.

[Caller 2]

I give it four.

[Abby Howard]

And here's the thing. All of us hated parts of it and loved it at the same time.

[Caller 2]

It made me mad.

[Addie]

It made Addy mad. It made me laugh. Made you laugh. And I was just deep in thought. Like, I feel like every time I would, like, read the book, I would go back to Matt and be like, okay. And like, I was like, that was a little. And then other times, I'm like, I just can't believe how much I hate this main character. And I still invested.

[Abby Howard]

Right, right.

[Addie]

Like, usually, like, I'm like, if you don't like the main character, then you're kind of like, for me, I'm like, what's the point?

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

No, that was the point.

[Abby Howard]

That was the point.

[Addie]

There was enough hatred to fuel me through the end.

[Abby Howard]

It was so entertaining.

[Addie]

Very entertaining. You could read this book.

[Caller 1]

Book.

[Addie]

Like, you would be. I. I'm very confident you'd be invested from the jump.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And if you're in a book slump, this is gonna get you out of a book.

[Caller 2]

I agree. You got me out.

[Abby Howard]

Pacing of this book was so good. The pacing was good. I thought the writing was brilliant.

[Addie]

Follow. I think she had so many things

[Abby Howard]

that connected and made sense. Like, it was so strategic. I just thought it was really a smart book.

[Caller 2]

Yeah. It was one of my favorite ones we've read for sure.

[Addie]

Really thought provoking. I will say, like, the resolution comes in the last 10%.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And it does. You don't see it coming. And I think that the way it was. I think without the last 10%, I would have a very different opinion of this.

[Abby Howard]

Love the ending.

[Caller 2]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Like, I think that. And apparently the ending was no. 1. Here's the thing. People always hate the ending.

[Abby Howard]

I know.

[Addie]

That's my thing. I'm like, what?

[Caller 2]

They don't want the book to end. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

But that's what you want her to do. Yeah. Right.

[Addie]

I think this ending was very creative, thoughtful. I never would have guessed it. And it tied up every loose end purposefully. And I was like, oh, she knew the ending before when she read, wrote this entire book. Whereas sometimes I feel like with books, I'm like, oh, they scrambled to close all these up. But it's like everything felt so full circle.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And I really appreciate that. And I hope she writes more books

[Abby Howard]

this was a book that I genuinely thought. I was like, I'm going to hate this. I'm probably going to be offended by a lot of it. And I laughed a lot, and I thought it was brilliant. So, I mean, it talks about influencers and Christians. These people are horrible. And I just honestly thought that added to it, like, all the scripture taken out of context. I was like, this just makes sense. Like, it. It made sense. You know what I mean? And so I think you have to read it that way. Now, obviously, people that hate influencers, and

[Caller 2]

they'll probably love Christians.

[Abby Howard]

They'll probably love it and be like,

[Addie]

yeah, they probably kill them more. Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

But I think if you lead it through the lens of, like, this, you know, I don't know. I just wasn't bothered by it. I thought it was actually entertaining read, so I loved it. I just didn't think I was gonna say that about this book.

[Caller 2]

I didn't think you would either.

[Addie]

I feel. I feel defensive for, like, the creators. I do feel like it was specifically targeted.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I will defend Hayden Neilman to the day I die. That's a hill I will die on.

[Addie]

That's a hill I will die.

[Abby Howard]

I will say that again. I said on Patreon. I'm saying it here. I will die on that hill. Y' all misunderstand that girl, because I

[Addie]

feel like if she. Like, I don't think she would possibly enjoy this book.

[Abby Howard]

Like, that would hate this book.

[Addie]

Yeah. So then I just feel like. Like, defensive for that. I don't even know her.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

I don't even follow her closely. I don't even know if I'm. I'm not even sure I follow her, but I obviously know who she is.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Addie]

And I feel like there's a part of me that feels, like, defensive and sad for her because of this book.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. I think just in general, the hate that she gets. Christian, She's Mormon.

[Addie]

Okay. Okay. Yeah. Then they could have made this character Mormon and that would have been.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, they didn't. I think she was almost. I was a little confused. I think she's almost like men and I. Or, like, almost Amish. Like, they called her Amish at Harvard.

[Addie]

They also called her Baptist. And they also called her.

[Abby Howard]

Like, they didn't know. Yeah. They didn't know what she was.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

But she was obviously some very, like.

[Addie]

No.

[Abby Howard]

Very strict sex. Like, she only wore. She never cut her hair and stuff.

[Addie]

Yeah. They said. They also said she was Baptist.

[Abby Howard]

I know, but now I'm confused.

[Addie]

They thought she was everything, like, they didn't know what she was because she

[Abby Howard]

didn't cut her hair. And she was very, like, subdued in her dress. I don't know. I just thought the character was so interesting. Like. Yeah, I just. I thought it was brilliant. That's all I can say. Like, obviously disagree with a lot of it, but I think it was a good read.

[Addie]

I think it was a great read. And I think it was very thought provoking. Very. And I think that. Yeah, like I said, the ending was.

[Abby Howard]

I think the ending was great.

[Addie]

Was great. And I wouldn't recommend it to everybody.

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

I would recommend it to pretty much people that are our age. Like, I think that if I were to recommend it to, like, like my mom's age or my grandma's age, they would be very confused. Yeah, there's a lot of references that are very specific to our age or even high school. I'm like, I don't think that. Oh, they definitely shouldn't be reading this

[Abby Howard]

book now I think about it. No, they shouldn't. No, there's a lot of cussing.

[Addie]

It's an adult.

[Abby Howard]

It's an adult read. Yeah, there's cussing. There's some, like, sex scenes in it.

[Addie]

Sexy scenes.

[Abby Howard]

Not what?

[Addie]

Not sexy.

[Abby Howard]

Not sexy scenes. But it is, like, more open door. But, yeah, I just.

[Addie]

I would say there's a small audience that I would give this one 100 recommendation to. And the other audience, I'd be like, yeah, you're. It's not fine.

[Abby Howard]

You don't have to read this one.

[Addie]

Yeah. And, like, when I think about my grandma reading it, I'm like, that freaks me out.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, she would be rampage.

[Addie]

Yeah, you gotta look through it.

[Abby Howard]

You have to look at it like it's a satire. I feel like I read it as a satire thriller.

[Addie]

I would think about it like a George Orwell.

[Abby Howard]

Who's that?

[Addie]

The guy who wrote, like, there's a lot of, like, political sci fi, like Animal Farm, 1984. Like, this is like a modern day one of those.

[Abby Howard]

Okay, gotcha.

[Addie]

Like, where it's like a. It's like a social commentary in the form of a fiction.

[Abby Howard]

I thought it was gonna be like, Barbie movie. And it wasn't. You know what I mean? I thought it was gonna be like. Like this blaringly obvious, like, christians suck and influencers suck vibe, but I didn't really get that.

[Addie]

Like, you thought that the Barbie movie was like, that.

[Caller 2]

You didn't get that vibe?

[Abby Howard]

No, but, you know, the Barbie movie was just, like, really, obviously, like, girl power.

[Addie]

Yeah, I would Say that if you're a woman in your 20s or 30s that has you. I think you do need some type of familiarity with like trad wife, like lore and maybe something like that.

[Abby Howard]

You would need like a level head if you're level headed. Read this book.

[Addie]

Yeah. You're like, it doesn't make me mad. I'm like, well, there were some elements that were like a little bit bristled my hairs.

[Abby Howard]

There were a couple things. I'm like, wow, that was a little far. But the character's crazy. You know what I mean?

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

That's all I gotta say.

[Addie]

Got it.

[Caller 2]

Okay.

[Abby Howard]

Patreon got it all. Patreon got the ear full of it. Ask, ask, ask.

[Caller 2]

Abby.

[Caller 1]

Hi, Abby, Abigail and Addie. I love your podcast and I don't know why. I was just thinking of this question to ask you guys. I'm curious as a fellow Midwest girly, if you guys ever miss the Midwest, the people, maybe foods that you miss or different events, or if you're fine with just visiting and very happy with the move, which I'm sure you are, but I am curious. Love your guys podcast.

[Abby Howard]

Love you guys.

[Caller 1]

Bye.

[Abby Howard]

That's sweet. Thanks for listening. I mean, a Midwest summer is so magical. It really is.

[Addie]

We were just talking about this before. I was eating corn on the cob. I was like, it's just not this.

[Abby Howard]

It's just not the same. The corn on the cob is unbelievable.

[Addie]

The prices here are way bad on corn and it's way worse.

[Abby Howard]

The ice cream here is not as good. Like, I miss my custard ice cream. I miss my emo's pizza for my St. Louis. People miss toast raviolis.

[Addie]

Silver Dollar City, a good casserole.

[Abby Howard]

It's just a lost art here. Honestly, people here don't like sports, miss that. People in the Midwest love the sports.

[Caller 2]

You're with the wrong people.

[Abby Howard]

Well, I know you guys like sports, but none of our friends like sports. Actually, that's actually people in the west don't like sports.

[Caller 2]

Blake's had a hard time finding friends that are like as passionate about sports.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, it's a Midwest thing because what is he going to do?

[Caller 2]

Our car salesman the other day really like sports, so that probably helped him.

[Abby Howard]

There's just so many other things for people to be interested in out here.

[Addie]

You know what I mean?

[Abby Howard]

Not like a dig at the Midwest. I just mean like, like outside sports, like motorsports is a big thing and like trekking and rock climbing and camping, like that's just way more of a thing out here. Than, like, going to a football game.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

It's just different. Like, the culture on sports is so different. And I love. I like the Midwest culture on sports way better. Obviously, the people in the Midwest are so nice.

[Addie]

They're way nicer. Met really nice people. But I'm just saying, like, in general, like, your stranger interactions are going to be much better. Your driving interactions will be much better friendly. They're mean on the road. I got honked at today.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, I'm still. I'm still chuffed it was me, actually. I'm just kidding.

[Addie]

No, they did a triple honk. I was like, okay, the light just turned red.

[Abby Howard]

You'd honk that a lot.

[Addie]

I. I feel like I do, but I also, like, people are honking all the time here. Like, it's because the light was green.

[Abby Howard]

I never get honked at. That's a flex.

[Addie]

Okay. You stay home all the time. You never get out of the house. I'm just kidding.

[Abby Howard]

People are always. Maybe just because I'm more like, I'm also.

[Addie]

I also.

[Abby Howard]

I just match the aggressive every time

[Addie]

I get honked at.

[Abby Howard]

That's true. I'm always like, maybe I just don't hear the honks because I blam my music so loud.

[Addie]

Also, I will say my personality is like, I don't know who they're honking at, but it was probably me. And I'm not the best driver.

[Abby Howard]

That's funny.

[Addie]

So. But to answer your question, I am content visiting.

[Abby Howard]

Same. Yeah, it's perfect.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

I mean, I love Missouri, but I love Arizona. It just suits my, like, lifestyle a little better out here.

[Addie]

Yes. The sun really cannot be beaten.

[Abby Howard]

It can't be meat.

[Caller 1]

Hi, this is Jenna, and this is Izzy, and we're big fans of the show, and we wanted to say you remind us a lot of the moms we babysit for. And after we watch the kids, we sit and hang out for, like, two hours just talking. We feel like we're mentally your age. Yes, but we're 21 and 22, so we want to know what you look for in babysitters.

[Addie]

Thanks.

[Caller 1]

We love you.

[Addie]

What you look for in babysitters? That's such a cute question.

[Abby Howard]

That's the sweetest question ever.

[Addie]

See, when they said they're 21, I'm

[Abby Howard]

like, we're the same age. No, literally, I am 20. Oh, shoot. Oh, my gosh. That's so. That's such a fun question.

[Addie]

To save the children. So I'm about. You're babies.

[Abby Howard]

Oh, my gosh. That's sweet. I'M gonna be so honest. I don't have the luxury of being picky right now.

[Addie]

You're like availability.

[Abby Howard]

But at the babysitters I have that I love. Like we have a girl now who's pretty consistent for us and she is so sweet. I mean I think I just look for someone that like genuinely enjoys hanging out with kids. And like my kids also genuinely enjoy hanging out with someone that's safe. And me too. That criteria obviously that I trust. Like usually there's a lot of recommendations. I'm my friend's niece is our babysitter. Right now we have the luxury of

[Addie]

having a lot of family out here, both of us. But like so I have. There's been very few times honestly that we've had a non family member watch our kids. But the couple times that it has happened. I really appreciate when a babysitter takes like. Like kind of. I was gonna say takes initiative. That's not necessarily the word. I mean like they are like. Or they're like saying oh, we can do this. And like they want to do activities and yeah. And like step in and like are very hands on because I. I'm like, I just know my kids like they're going to. There will be. They have energy.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

They want to play, they want to do. They'll go a bunch of ways. And I like that. Like if they kind of like structure activity, I would love the idea of a sitter like being like, oh, I was thinking we could do this today. Like I would be like, yes, I love that and a concept for them. And obviously you're not gonna do that the whole time.

[Abby Howard]

Right.

[Addie]

But I think it'd be a great idea if you like had like when I would babysit kids, I always love to try to. This depends on the age bake with them because I feel like it was like semi educational. It kept them entertained for a long time and then they got like a little treat afterwards. Like it was a good thing to do. And like an organized activity also feels outside the normal. Like something that I wouldn't necessarily gonna think of. Something that I wouldn't do.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

But yeah, I think I also. It's just an added bonus if you pick up after yourself if you're babysitting. I would always try to do that. My mom.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Taught me to do that when I would baby.

[Abby Howard]

It is a lot does go noticed

[Addie]

and I love when babysitters maybe people have different opinions on this, but text me frequently and send pictures. I really do like that. Like I like I just Want to know that everything's good. And I, like, love. I love an update. Same with our dog. When people watch our dog, I'm like, please send me a picture often. I want to make sure everything.

[Abby Howard]

Make sure everything's good.

[Addie]

Like, everyone's happy. Yeah, he's good. Everything looks taken care of.

[Abby Howard]

I actually really like when my babysitter is, like, personable and wants to talk to me.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

Like, it's not just like, in. Out in business. And like, I try to be conversational, you know, because I'm like, I feel like letting them see your. Your personality and like, I don't know. I. I appreciate that. And timeliness also is important and good. And I also appreciate when my. The babysitter doesn't turn this. I kind of make a point. I'm like, we try not to watch greens, but obviously it's like, oh, yeah, if you have to. But especially with little Littles, I feel like that's. If you ask that, like, hey, what are your boundaries on screen time, I

[Addie]

would go, yeah, have a. That agreed upon before you leave, probably.

[Caller 2]

That's good.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

That's such a sweet question.

[Caller 1]

Hey, guys. Love the podcast. Just finished listening to it while my son naps. And I cleaned the bathroom. Anyways, that got me thinking. I'd love to hear what your worst and favorite household chores are. My worst is deciding what to make for meals, and my favorite is laundry. Can't wait to hear the next one. Thank you.

[Abby Howard]

I feel like that's not. I feel like that's kind of a hot take. Laundry is your favorite chore.

[Addie]

I like laundry.

[Abby Howard]

I hate putting away the laundry. I don't mind cleaning, putting away the laundry and switching it and hang drying stuff. But the putting it away, folding it ain't bad.

[Addie]

Putting it away bad.

[Abby Howard]

My least favorite chore is dishes.

[Addie]

Really?

[Abby Howard]

I hate it. I hate doing the dishwashers.

[Addie]

Don't want to do it.

[Caller 1]

Yeah.

[Addie]

Do I have a robotic vacuum?

[Abby Howard]

No. You want to know what my real police are? Tourists. It's clean the shower. And you know why I never do it? Our shower. Do not walk in there. I don't let people look at it.

[Addie]

Clean it.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah. And the place I get clean is not clean. It is molded well. Also, I'm like, our shower's getting ripped out. And I've been saying that for, like, two years. And my Caleb's gonna rip it out. We're gonna replace it and put a new one in. It's been two years, so eventually, eventually it'll get ripped out. And then I'LL glean it and then I believe it. What's your favorite chore?

[Addie]

I honestly don't mind the dishes because I get to stand in one spot. I don't want to walk around. Like, I just. I put all the dishes in the sink and then all. Well, I put it in the dishwasher, but I do kind of, like, clean them off.

[Abby Howard]

Gotcha.

[Addie]

It's satisfying. You get to see it start to finish. A big difference. Where I was cleaning my floors, I'm like, it's not that big of a difference. It's not satisfying.

[Abby Howard]

You know what I love doing? Dusting. No, I love it. Get that wet rag and let me just flit around the house and just wipe things.

[Addie]

Dust doesn't bother me. That can be in my house.

[Abby Howard]

I just feel so. I'm like, my hair. My house feels so clean. You run a surface, no dust. Ah, it's just so fast.

[Addie]

See, I don't do it.

[Abby Howard]

It's a good type B chore. I used to take the dust foot for duster. Don't use that. Just get, like, a wet rag and dust. I used to just walk around the house, just touch things. Caleb was like, what? What are you doing?

[Addie]

You're like, necessary cleaning.

[Abby Howard]

If you guys want to call and leave a voicemail, the number is 6024-5696-9060-2456, 9690. It's so fun hearing your voices. It's so fun when you call in as friends. And that was really cute.

[Addie]

We should say our book.

[Abby Howard]

Thank you. I should say sweet. That's really sweet.

[Addie]

It was also cute.

[Abby Howard]

It was really cute, but it's cute sometimes. Like belittling.

[Addie]

I don't know. I don't think so.

[Abby Howard]

I didn't mean it that way. No, I don't think it's belittle.

[Addie]

Okay. I like it when people call me cute.

[Abby Howard]

Me, too. I'm like, please call me cute.

[Addie]

Please call me cute.

[Abby Howard]

Our book for next month is Tell me Lies or Listen for the Life. I'm sorry. It was my recommendation. Who's the author?

[Addie]

It's your book.

[Abby Howard]

Okay, hold on.

[Caller 1]

Let me look.

[Abby Howard]

Okay. Amy Tinteria, Listen for the Lie and. Yeah, I can't wait. It's supposed to be fun. My older sister recommended it. She listened to it on audiobook. Said it was a really fun listen. But it's also obviously a good read. And recipes. You have a recipe?

[Addie]

I do. I'm just gonna link my Brussels sprouts recipe. It's one of those things where it's like, it's pretty straightforward. But I'm making them tonight and I do like them and I feel like Brussels sprouts, you could do nothing to them and they'd still be good. But these are just a little bit. A little bit special. They're honey balsamic.

[Abby Howard]

Yum.

[Addie]

Your Brussels sprouts are really good too.

[Abby Howard]

Thanks.

[Addie]

But I'm like, do you make those on a weeknight?

[Abby Howard]

No, I usually just make them for holidays.

[Addie]

I feel like special occasion Brussels sprouts. These are just a good weeknight.

[Abby Howard]

Do I put maple syrup on the ones they normally make?

[Addie]

Yeah, you put, like, bacon on them.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, those are special occasions. I'm not cutting a bacon on a weeknight.

[Addie]

Yeah.

[Abby Howard]

It's just an effort that I'm not. I'm not doing that. No. I might not be doing that. Tastes way better. But slicing that bacon. No. Okay. My recipe is the half baked harvest crinkle top brownies. These are the best from scratch brownies of all time. They're better. You have to make them the day before, let them sit overnight, and then eat them the next day. They are way better the next day because they sit, they get fudgy. I don't know what it is. And I top mine with a little bit of powdered sugar. Unbelievable brownie. Unbelievable brownie.

[Addie]

Amazing.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, don't be. It is, like, a little sad when you're making it. It's that one recipe that I'm like, shoot, I wish I didn't know what went in it. But I still enjoy them just the same.

[Addie]

Just know it's got to follow my. My theory that if it's homemade, it's healthy. Healthy.

[Abby Howard]

Yeah, because it's real sugar, real flour, real butter stuff. If it's homemade, it's healthy. That's right. Well, thank you guys for another great episode. If you could, like, share, Comment subscribe hype on YouTube. Hype us up. Hype us up all the things. And thank you guys for already doing that. We have a review here from Peyton B77. She said, Best podcast, five stars. Hands down, my favorite podcast ever. I listen to it every Friday while I clean my house, and it never fails to put me in a good mood and make me laugh. I love how positive and uplifting the girls are and how it feels like we're just on FaceTime. That's really cool. That's always, like, the hope. I'm like, I hope people just feel like we're chatting on the phone, chatting. So it's cool to hear that. Thank you Peyton for the review.

[Addie]

Yes. Well, better wrap.

[Abby Howard]

Better wrap it up.

[Addie]

Thank you guys so much for listening every single week. And until next time, remember, we're always here.

[Caller 2]

Sam.