Cate & Ty Break It Down: "Merry Flu Season"

PodcastOne | December 24, 2025
Hosts: Tyler & Catelynn Baltierra

Overview

In this candid and festive episode, Tyler and Catelynn (“Cate & Ty”) get real about navigating flu season chaos in a household with kids during the holidays. The conversation turns to Christmas traditions, the emotional labor in families—especially around stocking stuffers—and the pressures (and joys) of parenting today. With relatable parenting struggles, laughter, and heart, they share stories of vomit mishaps, holiday highs and lows, and the realities of marriage, technology boundaries, and memories of their early days together.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Baltierra House Under “Flu Attack”

• Sick Kids Roulette:
  • December has been “constant sick kids” in the Baltierra home; from projectile vomiting to late-night bedding emergencies.
  • Raya’s all-night vomit marathon and Veda’s dramatic chocolate-milk explosion on the new white fluffy couch are recounted vividly.
  • “Doesn't it look better after I brush the couch?” (Catelynn, 04:16)
  • Tyler jokes about the absurdity of brushing a 2025 couch like it’s a furred animal.
• Holiday Stress and Cleaning Rituals:
  • With Christmas days away, Cate is furiously disinfecting playrooms hoping to prevent further contagion.
  • “I literally like doused the…couch…with Lysol.” (Catelynn, 06:33)

2. Family Traditions & Warmth Amidst the Mayhem

• Welcoming Family:
  • Tyler’s mom flies in for Christmas—a tradition he cherishes given his childhood lacking extended family visits.
  • The kids are “all about” their grandma's arrival (06:06–06:23).
• Cookie Parties & Pajama Gifts:
  • Cate looks forward to the tradition of a friend bringing kids over for a day of cookie baking and decoration.
  • Tyler’s mom gives new pajamas to the kids every Christmas Eve.
  • “I always love those sugar cookies.” (Tyler, 07:18)

3. The Stocking Stuffer Dilemma: Emotional Labor Exposed

• The Unseen Work of Moms at Christmas:
  • The couple dives into a debate Tyler’s seen online—why do so many moms fill their own stockings or get skipped entirely?
  • He’s shocked reading stories of women filling their stockings for over a decade, “My mind is blown.” (Tyler, 09:03)
  • “I filled mine up for 12 years, and then eventually…I said it until her son said something.” (Catelynn quoting a comment, 09:09)
• Tyler’s Plea to Husbands/Dads:
  • “Get your fucking shit together. Fill your wife’s stocking. Fill the mother of your child’s stocking. It’s not rocket science.” (Tyler, 14:33, 15:55)
  • Cate reflects on feeling “blessed” that Tyler always fills her stocking, but is saddened for moms who are overlooked.
• Memorable Rant:
  • “Do you magically think dishes get done?...All these Christmas beautiful things…No, motherfucker, it’s your wife.” (Tyler, 15:33)
  • “Put a coal in his stocking… and all the kids go, ‘Dad, what did you do?’” (Tyler, 17:01)
• Listener Callout:
  • Both hosts ask listeners to message in about their own stocking experiences.
  • Cate: “I think that’s sad…doing all the things, and then they just get pushed to the side.” (16:16)

4. Elf on the Shelf: Holiday Magic or Added Stress?

• Doubling Down on Elves:
  • The couple accidentally commit to two elves this year for Veda—more chaos but double the magic (19:23).
• The Emotional Toll & Funny Stories:
  • Cate describes her creative setups: from candy cane scavenger hunts to the infamous “elf pooped in the toilet” trick.
  • Veda’s strong reactions—“I don’t like this. I hate this!”—to the bathroom elf mishap (21:47) lead Tyler to “clean up the mess.”
  • Cate and Ty riff on how elaborate elf shenanigans have become since 2005—crediting “Carol” with the origin of the modern Elf on the Shelf (23:10).
• Parent Frustration & Reflection:
  • “Why did we add this fucking stress on top of the most stressful time of the year?” (Tyler, 22:46)
  • Despite complaints, they agree the kids’ joy makes it worth it.

5. Parenting in the Tech Age: Tablets, Toys & Boundaries

• No Tablets = More Creativity:
  • Tyler and Cate share their conscious decision to eliminate tablets for the younger kids, resulting in more playroom fun and less screen time drama.
  • “I'd rather have a dirty playroom to pick up every day than to have a clean playroom and a kid locked into [a screen].” (Catelynn, 31:31)
  • Nova, their eldest, only gets limited tablet and projector screen time, with strict parental controls and honest conversations about dopamine and brain health.
• Toy Commercials & Gift Challenges:
  • Tyler notes preteens are harder to buy for—“kids aren’t watching Saturday-morning toy commercials anymore.”
• Learning Responsibility the Hard Way:
  • Nova wants a crested gecko for Christmas; Cate shares how they’re using it to teach personal responsibility (“she lasted five days” with the checklist). (39:31)
  • “She’s a good kid…doesn’t equal responsible.” (Catelynn, 38:18)

6. Reflections on “Early Us” — Relationship & Change

• End-of-Episode Relationship Q&A: (41:00 on)
  • Cate asks: “What’s something we used to do at the beginning of our relationship that you miss the most?”
  • Tyler, without skipping a beat: “We fucked a lot.” (41:15)
  • They laugh over their early “rabbit” days, but agree it’s the freedom of life-before-kids, spontaneity, and the simplicity of young love that they miss most (42:01).
  • “I miss when we could just pick up and go and not have a care in the world.” (Catelynn, 41:57)
  • Tangent: Cate’s joint rolling prowess (“She could give Snoop Dogg a run for her money back in the day.” – Tyler, 43:13).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Vomiting on new couch:
  “...Projectile brown chocolate milk mixed with whatever…all over the white, fluffy, hairy couch…If you have a fluffy couch…I like to know if you have to brush it like an animal…” (Tyler, 03:28)

• On emotional labor and Christmas:
  “It goes to show in a lot of households the moms do everything. They bring the Christmas magic…And again, mom gets left to the side.” (Catelynn, 10:35)

• Tyler’s advice to husbands:
  “Get your fucking shit together. Fill your wife’s stocking. This isn’t rocket science.” (Tyler, 14:33)

• Elf trauma:
  “I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.” (Veda, channelled by Tyler, 21:47)

• Parenting boundaries:
  “I'd rather have a dirty playroom to pick up every day than…a kid locked into a [screen].” (Catelynn, 31:31)

• Relationship nostalgia:
  “I miss when we could just pick up and go and not have a care in the world.” (Catelynn, 41:57)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:50–04:27: Sick kid chaos & couch disaster
• 05:08–06:23: Grandma’s holiday visit
• 07:18–08:01: Christmas cookie discussion
• 08:40–11:00: Stocking stuffer gender divide
• 13:15–14:33: Rant on emotional labor and stocking expectations
• 15:33–16:16: “Dishes don’t do themselves”—women’s unseen Christmas work
• 19:06–24:15: Elf on the Shelf stress, kid reactions, origins
• 29:29–31:31: Kids, tablets, and changing gift-giving culture
• 38:14–39:59: Responsibility talk: Nova’s gecko dream
• 41:00–43:37: Relationship reflection & laughs over “the good old days”
• 43:13: Snoop Dogg comment about joint rolling

Closing Tone

The episode balances chaotic family realities with heartfelt appreciation and wry humor. Cate and Ty model candid discussions about relationship maintenance and the importance of shared labor within family life, all while rolling with the unpredictable punches flu season—and Christmas—bring.

For Listeners

If you want more behind-the-scenes stories, listener questions, or to share your own “stocking stuffer” experiences, Cate & Ty invite you to connect via Instagram, TikTok, or their Facebook fan page.

Merry Christmas, happy flu season, and solidarity to all the parents just trying to survive the holiday magic!