Stories Podchats: Happy New Year!

Summary

Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
Episode: Stories Podchats: Happy New Year!
Release Date: January 16, 2025
Hosts: Amanda Weldon, Kelsey Lee, Daniel Hines
Produced by: Starglow Media / Wondery

---

1. Podcast Updates for 2025

As the new year unfolds, the hosts of Stories Podcast share exciting developments aimed at enhancing the listening experience for their audience.

a. Throwback Episodes

Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, the podcast is re-releasing beloved episodes from its extensive catalog. Amanda Weldon mentions,

“We have a ton of episodes that we really, really love and are really proud of... we just want to bring them up fresh on the feed to make them easy for you to see because we're proud of them.”
(04:05)

This initiative allows new listeners to discover classic stories and long-time fans to revisit cherished episodes.

b. Expansion of Content Segments

The podcast is introducing new segments to diversify its offerings:

• Ongoing Classics Segment: Amanda elaborates on their endeavor to bring classic children’s literature to life, citing recent adaptations like The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

  “We are enjoying reading some of those out loud... it has many characters, all of which have different voices.”
  (05:39)

• Increased Episode Frequency: Moving forward, listeners can expect four episodes per week, including:

  • Classic Chapters: Serialized readings of classics such as Alice in Wonderland and upcoming titles like Through the Looking Glass.
  • Pod Chats: Engaging discussions about the podcast’s development and future directions.
  • Sleep Series: Soothing stories aimed at helping children fall asleep.

Daniel Hines adds,

“You'll have the classics, you'll have the novel, you'll have the pod chats, and you'll have the classic short stories... exciting for 2025.”
(07:00)

c. Engaging the Audience

The hosts invite listeners to participate by suggesting classic books for adaptation and series ideas. Kelsey Lee encourages feedback,

“If anybody has opinions... we'd love to hear it.”
(07:00)

Additionally, they emphasize the importance of sharing the podcast with friends to help grow their listener base.

---

2. Personal Updates: Holidays, Pets, and Resolutions

The hosts open up about their personal lives, sharing heartwarming stories from their Christmas celebrations and introducing their beloved pets.

a. Christmas Celebrations

Amanda Weldon describes a relaxed family tradition:

“We like to loaf around. We watch movies or read books... play with whatever new toys we got.”
(07:55)

Kelsey Lee shares her festive meal experience,

“I got stuffed shells... my sister made a humongous tray of stuffed shells, and that was a really big hit.”
(10:18)

Daniel Hines reminisces about Christmas activities, including a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, highlighting exhibits like Georgia O'Keeffe’s studio and Paul Revere’s silver creations.

“It was really fun... we stayed for four hours, could have stayed three days.”
(11:37)

b. Pet Updates

The hosts introduce their pets, offering insights into their personalities and recent experiences.

• Amanda’s Pets:

  • Fred and Ziggy: Longtime companions who, despite aging, remain affectionate.

    “Fred... has some aches and pains, and we started him on a monthly arthritis shot.”
    (20:37)

• Kelsey’s Pets:

  • Chuck Bass: A black betta fish, named after a character from Gossip Girl.
  • Tomato: A Syrian hamster with a penchant for hiding treats.
  • Logan: A 13½-year-old dog who has recently started sharing the bed, seeking more interaction.

    “Logan... stands by my face and waits for his boost into bed.”
    (18:33)

Kelsey also praises Chewy for their exceptional pet food delivery service, sharing,

“They've been so great... it's been a lifesaver for us.”
(19:09)

• Daniel’s Pets:
  • Eevee: A dog resembling the Pokémon character, known for her love of cat food and characteristic farts.
  • Georgie, Yoda, and Babs: Three cats with distinct personalities, including Babs' mischievous behavior leading to vet visits.

    “Babs... loves to shred and eat paper of any kind.”
    (25:37)

Daniel humorously reflects on his transition from being allergic to cats to becoming an avid cat enthusiast.

“I never thought I was a cat guy... but somewhere in my 20s, the allergy tapered off.”
(27:35)

c. New Year Resolutions

The hosts discuss their goals for 2025, focusing on personal growth and productivity.

• Daniel’s Resolution:
  Committing to a disciplined writing schedule,

  “I need to write more... get a slot where I'm doing three hours every day.”
  (28:36)

• Amanda’s Resolution:
  Refining her reading goals to balance quantity with quality,

  “I redesigned my reading goal... focus on both fun and nonfiction books.”
  (35:17)

• Kelsey’s Resolution:
  Focusing on consistent reading habits using the Kindle app and exploring audiobooks.

  “I hope to continue to read more consistently... Maybe I'll dive into audiobooks.”
  (29:33)

Amanda highlights the benefits of audiobooks as a companion during household chores:

“It becomes the soundtrack for creating a livable home.”
(32:13)

---

3. Closing Remarks and Listener Engagement

As the episode wraps up, the hosts reiterate their appreciation for their audience and encourage continued support.

Daniel Hines emphasizes the new schedule and content offerings:

“Four episodes a week instead of just one or maybe two... exciting for the year.”
(35:44)

Amanda Weldon extends her gratitude,

“Thank you. Happy New Year.”
(36:32)

Kelsey Lee adds the final heartfelt wishes,

“Happy New Year.”
(36:34)

Both Amanda and Kelsey echo the sentiments, celebrating the start of a promising year filled with new stories, personal growth, and a strengthened community of listeners.

---

Notable Quotes

• Amanda Weldon:
  “We have a ton of episodes that we really, really love and are really proud of... we just want to bring them up fresh on the feed.”
  (04:05)

• Daniel Hines:
  “You should just know. It's like, writing is... it's a job. It's a skill you get to practice.”
  (28:56)

• Kelsey Lee:
  “I hope to continue to read more consistently... Maybe I'll dive into audiobooks.”
  (29:33)

---

Conclusion

The Stories Podcast team is gearing up for a vibrant 2025, enriched with classic literature, engaging discussions, and an expanded content schedule. Their personal anecdotes and heartfelt resolutions resonate with listeners, fostering a sense of community and shared growth. As they continue to deliver enchanting stories for children of all ages, the hosts remain committed to inspiring imagination and fostering a love for reading within families.

---

Transcript

[Daniel Hines]

Hello.

[Amanda Weldon]

Welcome to Stories Podcasts. I'm your host, Amanda Weldon.

[Kelsey Lee]

And I'm your other host, Kelsey Lee.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, and I'm your third host for today, Daniel Hines.

[Amanda Weldon]

Hey, we have Stories Podcast merch, [e-mail] shop. We're also on Cameo for all of your personalized video message needs. And don't forget to follow us on Instagram Stories Podcast. If you send us a drawing of your favorite scene or character, we'll share it on our Feedback. Now, here's a word from our sponsors do you want to set your kids up for success in the new year? Is your child struggling with a specific subject and in need of extra help, or are they maybe way ahead and ready for more challenging material? Make 2025 your family's best academic year yet with IXL Learning IXL Learning is an online learning program that enriches your homeschool curriculum. It offers practice in math, English language arts, science and social studies while adapting to each child, meeting them where they are. Plus, IXL encourages students to be curious and empowers them to choose how to learn. It's the perfect supplement to your homeschool curriculum. IXL offers interactive practice problems, educational games, lessons, and video tutorials for every topic you're teaching at home. Everything on IXL is organized by grade, subject, topic and subtopic, making it easy to find activities for the exact skills you're covering. It'll save you so much time. Not only that, but your kids will love IXL's positive feedback. Awards and educational games make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and Stories podcast listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com dragon Visit ixl.com dragon to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. This episode of Stories podcast is brought to you by Squarespace. Squarespace is the all in one website platform for entrepreneurs to stand out and succeed online. Whether you're just launching a new venture or managing a successful business, Squarespace makes it easy to create a beautiful website, engage with your audience, and sell anything from products to content to time, all in one place, all on your terms. Squarespace makes it easy to build a beautiful website with Design Intelligence, a cutting edge AI technology to unlock your strongest creative potential. Design Intelligence empowers anyone to build a beautiful, more personalized website tailored to your unique needs so your site can really reflect your brand and create a specific digital signature to use throughout your entire online presence. Plus, Squarespace has integrated SEO tools Every Squarespace website is optimized so you show up more often to more people in global search engine results. Head to squarespace.com for a free trial. And when you're Ready to launch www.squarespace.com dragon to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com dragon for 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Hi, Dan. Where's Brock Rackets today?

[Kelsey Lee]

Or Wiz Quizzly?

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, I don't know. Brock Rackets is out today. Wiz Quizzly's out. I think you guys are stuck with just me, Dan. I write the stories around here and I am sometimes on the POD chats. Sorry that I can't have somebody more exciting for you.

[Kelsey Lee]

You know what, it's good to have you because it's been a while.

[Amanda Weldon]

I know it's some nice variety.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. So we just wanted to jump on here. We're recording this shortly after the new year. We just kind of wanted to give you guys an update on what we've been up to, what the show's been up to, what we have planned for this next year, and see kind of what, what you'd be interested in hearing more of at home. So I don't know. I think we're starting with the new week. You might have noticed some changes, the first being the throwbacks. Amanda, tell them about the throwbacks.

[Amanda Weldon]

Well, Stories podcast has been recording new episodes since. For 10 years now. We just had our 10 year anniversary. 10 years.

[Kelsey Lee]

Wow.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes.

[Kelsey Lee]

Big double digits.

[Amanda Weldon]

I know. So as a result, we have a ton of episodes that we really, really love and are really proud of, but that we released a long time ago. And so we thought it would be really fun to start releasing some of those again so that people can hear this work that we've been doing that we're just really, really proud of.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. And to go back through just because some of those older ones I think are some. Some of our best stuff is back there, you know, like the early Dog Kings and some other stuff we really love.

[Kelsey Lee]

Well, it's good because we have so many new listeners and they aren't familiar with our old catalog and it's great to introduce them to the things that our longtime listeners already love.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, we know it's hard to like scroll all the way down and so we just want to bring them up fresh on the feed to make them easy for you to see because we're proud of them.

[Daniel Hines]

So you'll see some throwbacks episode. There are ones that we are especially proud of. Ones that are. Yeah, kind of buried and we want to expose to the new listeners. And every Friday you'll still be getting. Every Friday you'll still be getting a new episode like you always have. Nothing's changing on the story front. Stories by me and occasionally guests, all narrated by Amanda. You get the Sleep series with Kelsey still. She reads stories very soft and quiet to help you fall asleep. And then we're also adding a ongoing, ongoing classics segment, if you want to talk about that, Amanda.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, yeah. Well, there's just all these great works of classic literature for children that we really wanted to share with our audience, and I'm enjoying reading some of those out loud. We did the Wonderful wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum this past year. And then this just recently, we just started doing Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which has many, many characters, all of which have different voices. So it's been very fun to work on that for everybody. So that's.

[Daniel Hines]

Can I hear your White Rabbit voice? Because I know that's an early one, right? You must have that.

[Kelsey Lee]

No, you'll have to tune in to hear it.

[Amanda Weldon]

You'll have to tune in to hear it.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah, I didn't mean to put you on the spot. She prepares a lot for her voices. I shouldn't have put her on the spot. Anyway, so every Wednesday you'll be getting a chapter of a classic. Right now we're doing Alice in Wonderland up next. We're not sure. There's a lot of longer classics stuff we can't do in one episode, stuff that needs to be weekly. So we did wizard of Oz and that's on the Starglow Premium. And then after that, we're doing Alice, and that will be on the public feed every Wednesday for you to listen to. So kind of a chapter or two a week, depending on how long the chapters are. And then after that, we have a bunch of classics. There's stuff like the Secret Garden or the Little Princess, Princess and the Goblin. There's some old Jack London stuff like White Fang and the like. Like, there's a lot of stuff we could do. And if anybody has opinions. Yeah, we'd love to hear it.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, we would love to hear. I think we would love to hear what people are really interested in. There's a lot of books out there that we could choose to do. And so whatever you would like to hear best, you should definitely let us know. Maybe we can post like a short list somewhere so people can look at it, of things that we are in consideration.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. So all this to say most weeks from now on, you'll be getting four episodes a week instead of just one or maybe two, because you'll have the classics, you'll have the novel, you'll have the pod chats, and you'll have the classic short stories. The new ones every week. So just up in the game for you guys. Exciting for 2025. Yeah. Just a new pace and more stuff for you.

[Amanda Weldon]

Cool.

[Daniel Hines]

All right. So that's sort of all the housekeeping I had. Now. I just wanted to talk to you guys about. About your New Year's, your career, holidays. We all celebrate Christmas. You guys have a good Christmas. I haven't talked to you.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, our Christmas. I will talk about my Christmas. Our Christmas was very nice this year. We have a tradition in our family of not doing anything very arduous or, you know, labor intensive. So you loaf around. Just.

[Daniel Hines]

You loaf around?

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, we just like. We like, loaf around. We like. We.

[Daniel Hines]

That's the best.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. We watch movies or read books or. And then eat snacks pretty much just all day and play with whatever new toys we got. And. And this year is very fun because my daughter is a little over a year. She's a year and some months, and. And so she didn't know anything about, like, Santa or any of that kind of stuff, but she really did love ripping the wrapping paper off of everything. And that was a good time. That was something.

[Daniel Hines]

What was her favorite present?

[Amanda Weldon]

My brother, her uncle, got her. So Birdie, that's my baby, she really loves sticks or, like, anything that's, like, magic wand type shape. And so my brother got her just. It's one of those, you know, those, like, rod toys that, like, when you turn it, it makes that, like. Like a weird noise. Yeah.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

Y. We got her one of those. And that was, like. It was a really big hit. He.

[Kelsey Lee]

I kind of want one now.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, it was a good. It was good.

[Daniel Hines]

I could use one of those for my own. My own winter mood, you know, Lack of vitamin D I could use.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. So that was. That was. That was our Christmas. It was very nice.

[Kelsey Lee]

Do you guys do a. A special Christmas meal?

[Amanda Weldon]

No, just literally like. Like cheese and crackers and, I don't know, cookies. Like, just like whatever is around. And it's snacks. Yeah, snacks. Yes. How was your Christmas?

[Daniel Hines]

We had a good Christmas. Oh. My daughter. My daughter Grace. She's 15 now. Wow. Really shooting up.

[Amanda Weldon]

When.

[Daniel Hines]

Again, when we started the show, she was five. We started it for her. She was the first listener and now she is old. Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

Taller than me. It's very tall.

[Kelsey Lee]

Just. Just about taller than me. We're the same height.

[Daniel Hines]

So we had our Christmas. We. Yeah, we do stuff with the tree, with the parents. We. We see Kelsey the night before. My sister Kelsey here, that's me, we do Christmas Eve together and we have a big family party on my mom's side. Everybody comes and everybody brings, like a very cheap gift. And we do like a 30 person Yankee swap, which is so fun. Makes everybody, you know, a big potluck kind of thing. And that's great. And then Christmas morning, my parents came over.

[Kelsey Lee]

But this year. Wait, pause. This year, on Christmas Eve, mom said, what do you want for dinner? And I said, me, I get to pick? And she said, yes. And I said, you know what? I want stuffed shells because they're so good and they're not like, hard to make, but they're kind of time consuming and I don't like to make them myself. And you can buy the frozen ones and they're pretty good, but they're not the same. And she made humongo tray of stuffed shells.

[Daniel Hines]

All right. And kids, if you're listening, if you haven't heard of stuffed shells, it's not a real shell. It's like a pot. It's a piece of spaghetti shaped like a shell. And you stuff it with usually like ricotta cheese. But it's not like she's not eating clams or whatever.

[Kelsey Lee]

I don't eat seafood.

[Daniel Hines]

No, I just. I just want to. I feel like if I was little and I heard stuffed shells, I'd be like, oh, clams for sure.

[Kelsey Lee]

It's like a ravioli, but in a different shape.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Kelsey Lee]

With more.

[Daniel Hines]

That's most of Italian food.

[Kelsey Lee]

So good.

[Daniel Hines]

So good. Totally. I think I've actually been getting into gnocchi lately. Those little potato ones.

[Kelsey Lee]

No hard times.

[Daniel Hines]

I like gnocchi, but it was great. And I got. I got my daughter some stuff and one of the things I got her was a ticket to the mfa. And we did that yesterday, which is.

[Kelsey Lee]

The Museum of Fine Arts.

[Daniel Hines]

Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Yep. There, where we live. And we went. And it was the last weekend for the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibit. They had a ton of Georgia O'Keeffe there.

[Kelsey Lee]

So beautiful.

[Daniel Hines]

So beautiful. We saw a ton of that. They actually had her. They had lifted a chunk of her actual studio from the southwest United States and put it in the museum. So it was her tables. It was like an artist with a painting. Mid Dunn. It was all these pastels that she had, like, handmade herself. Like, I guess artists, like, make their own colors. You know, shaving and grinding, combining and. Yeah, just a lot of Georgia O'Keeffe, like, her actual workspace. It was cool. And then they had the American exhibit. I'm big into American history lately. I've been reading a lot of. Just stuff about the Revolutionary War and stuff like that. Just a couple books that got me into it. So I love the America section. I got to see some very cool silver made by Paul Revere himself.

[Kelsey Lee]

Wow.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Kelsey Lee]

I did not know that he was.

[Daniel Hines]

He did the midnight Ride. You know, one if by land, two if by sea. You guys probably know him from school, but he also was a silversmith in Boston, and he made beautiful silver. Well, everything. Bowls, plates. It's funny, at the time, America was just getting into chocolate, and England was just getting into chocolate, because we had. We didn't know about chocolate for a super long time. And I'm talking off top of my head here, so don't know. This isn't a history lesson exactly, but basically, we got chocolate from Mexico, and then it became immensely popular. Obviously, everybody loves chocolate. And, like, the fashion at the time was you'd have a big silver, almost like a teapot, and you'd melt the chocolate inside of it, and you'd have truly, like, a cup of hot, melted chocolate.

[Amanda Weldon]

Wow.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah, it looked good.

[Amanda Weldon]

It sounds delicious.

[Kelsey Lee]

Chocolate arrived in 1641, right?

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. When we got to the New World and had contact with Mexico, because that's where the cocoa is.

[Amanda Weldon]

Thanks.

[Kelsey Lee]

And the first American chocolate house was in Boston in 1682. But by 1773, cocoa beans were a major American colony import.

[Amanda Weldon]

Thank you.

[Kelsey Lee]

That's just knowledge I have off the top of my head, guys.

[Daniel Hines]

So, yeah, we have a lot of fun at the museum. We always have a lot of fun at the museum. And it's one of those things. We stayed for, like, four hours, and we probably could have stayed for three days if you want to see absolutely everything. But, you know, it's. Yeah, it's great. And, you know, I'd recommend checking out the museums around you. I've got you what you got, but if you got any kind of MFA or fine Arts or. I like pop museums. I love the Met in New York is probably my favorite because I love the medieval exhibition they have there. Anyway, that's what we did. And then on New Year's, I hung out with our producer, Andrew Martin, and his family and some friends. And, yeah, it was all good.

[Kelsey Lee]

My Christmas was. Well, I spent Christmas Eve with Dan, like he said, which was great because I had the stuffed shells, perfect 10. And then Christmas Day, we do a lovely, you know, quiet Christmas. We cooked dinner for my husband's family this year, which was really lovely. And I love to cook. And everything went well, which I should cook. Know that sometimes it doesn't go well and sometimes it does. What did you cook? We had a beef tenderloin.

[Daniel Hines]

Ooh. I also made a beef tenderloin. It's the best Christmas roast once a year tenderloin there.

[Kelsey Lee]

People do love ham for Christmas, which I understand. I don't. Actually. I don't understand. I don't like ham, but I know it's a popular choice. But I don't like ham, which was very pleasant. And I got some new sneakers, which were great. And a coat that I really love. That is a pullover coat with a hood, like an old. Like a. Like a windbreaker.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, cool.

[Kelsey Lee]

Yeah. And it's great because we walk a lot with our dog, who needs a lot of walks, and it's nice and cozy and I like that it has a hood. And I got some Lego sets, too, actually. Really cute. I got a dog Lego set.

[Amanda Weldon]

Cool.

[Kelsey Lee]

And some flower Lego sets. Yeah. And it was nice.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, that sounds good.

[Daniel Hines]

What'd you got, New Year's. You guys doing anything fun for New Year's?

[Amanda Weldon]

We saw. We saw more family. Yeah, we just. We went over to, like, Mark's side of the family's. His brother in law or brother and sister in law.

[Daniel Hines]

Did Birdie stay up till midnight?

[Amanda Weldon]

Birdie did not stay up till midnight. No, she's a baby.

[Daniel Hines]

Did she wake up at midnight and cry or when the lemonade.

[Amanda Weldon]

No, she did not. She did not. She went to bed as though it were any other day. And we told her before she went to sleep that we would see her next year, knowing that she does not speak enough English to know what we are talking about. And then. And then. But we. We were awake at midnight just. Just briefly to be like, oh, it's the new year. And then that was it. And then we went back to sleep and it was fine.

[Kelsey Lee]

Um, I, like so many around us, were. Was very sick through. Oh, through the holiday and through the vacation. Um, I know that has been a theme. Families with children or who spend time with children. So that really wiped through our house. A stomach bug, if you will. So on New Year's, I was asleep all day and all night.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes. Well, that's good.

[Kelsey Lee]

Happens.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Daniel Hines]

All right. The other thing I wanted to give is a just a New Year's pet update. How I wanted to update everybody's pets because I've got some new ones. I know you guys have some old boys that are doing good. I wanted to run through some pets. I think Kelsey got a new pet recently as well.

[Kelsey Lee]

Yeah, I did get. Well, Sienna got new pets. She got a fish this summer, a black betta fish named Chuck. He is. His name is actually Chuck. Chuck Bass. Oh, is his full name. We did just finish rewatching from Gossip Girl, a character from Gossip Girl. We did just rewatch the whole show like as we got the fish and that was a good, a good choice. And he's really sweet and he just like eats food and lounges around his tank. And then a couple months later, she got a hamster. She had a hamster who sadly passed earlier this year after two and a half great long years, which is a long lifespan for a hamster.

[Daniel Hines]

Rest in peace Radish.

[Kelsey Lee]

So she rest in peace Radish. So she grieved and decided it was time for a new hamster. So we have a long haired Syrian hamster named Tomato.

[Amanda Weldon]

Very cute.

[Kelsey Lee]

And he's really, really cute. He doesn't love being held as much as Radish did, but he will come sprinting to the door of the cage whenever you go in there because he wants the treat, but he wants to be picked up and given the treat and then he immediately wants to go back into his home to go hide it for later. He doesn't want to hang out with you. Yeah. Radish would like hang out in your hand. But Tom's more interested in making sure his food gets hidden the way he wants it to.

[Daniel Hines]

And how's Logan, your dog?

[Kelsey Lee]

I have a beautiful dog named Logan. He's 13 and a half years old. He's doing good. He's an old boy, so he's a little achy, you know. Now he's needing a boost to get up onto our bed. He's also decided he won't. Yeah, he won't climb those. We. He has decided this year that he no longer will sleep in his own bed.

[Daniel Hines]

And now she's in your bed now.

[Kelsey Lee]

Every single night. Which was not something that we had. Which that had not been happening. He. He was a good. He would like cuddle in our bed and then he'd say like, good night. Go in my own bed. Now he's like, stands by my face like and waits for his boost into bed. And I'll say, go to bed. Go to bed. And he just, like. He's like, yeah, I'm waiting for you to, like, pick me up. And, like, pick me up. So that's new. Um, we've also started using not an ad Chewy for all of our pet food delivery, and I am just so impressed by their customer service. It's been so amazing. And again, like, not. They're not a sponsor of us, as far as I know.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, they should be chewing.

[Kelsey Lee]

They should be chewy. Hit us up, because I love you and thank you so much for, like, Logan had to go on some prescription foods. When your dog gets older, sometimes they need, like, more vitamins or whatever, and. But he hasn't liked a lot of them. And they're like, yep, send it back. We'll send you a new one. Like, super easy, super great. And I just really appreciate it because it's. It's, you know, stressful. Like your dog watching your dog, like, not want to eat.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, it's hard.

[Kelsey Lee]

So they've been so great. So that's been a win for us this year.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Kelsey Lee]

Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

Awesome.

[Daniel Hines]

How about you, Amanda? You got a couple old boys, Fred and Ziggy.

[Amanda Weldon]

Fred and Ziggy, who have been around since before this podcast began and remain with us. Still are. They're doing okay. They're old. They are sure old. And, yeah, they are no longer able to hear all the time when I come into the house.

[Kelsey Lee]

Same. Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

They. They do not bark when I arrive. And the other day, I got all the way upstairs, and because I live on the. We live on, like, the second floor of a house. I got all the way up the stairs and all the way up to Fred, and then I pet him, and then he turned around and looked at me like, whoa, like, you're here.

[Daniel Hines]

Jumped.

[Amanda Weldon]

Because he did not. He did not perceive me prior to that.

[Daniel Hines]

He's great.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes. So they are great. They are also. So Fred especially has also got some aches and pains, and we started him on a monthly arthritis shot.

[Kelsey Lee]

Which one?

[Amanda Weldon]

The Librella. That one.

[Kelsey Lee]

Logan takes that, too. And wait, can I say. I know you're talking about your pet, but can I say something about this shot too? Because there has been a teeny bit of buzz that maybe decreases appetite in dogs, and there's a couple of things that they're like, oh, just be on the lookout. So we skipped a month for Logan because I'm like, oh, let me just see. Cause he hasn't been eating super well, and it makes a hum. Huge difference. Like, it's been so good. We're gonna get him right back on it, is what I'm saying. It's like the month without it.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh. When he took him off it, he was really sorry.

[Kelsey Lee]

Huge difference. Just like, you can just tell that he's not as comfortable. So that's been a lifesaver for us too. The librella. Librella.

[Amanda Weldon]

Whatever. He's only done. He's only done two months so far. Two shots. And. And I was hoping for, like. Cause he was, like, not wanting to do the stairs and not wanting to do, like, a lot of things, like. And he would just, like, whimper on the couch instead of, like, jumping off the couch and like, that. I was hoping for, like, a massive change with the shot. Like, I was hoping that it was going to be like, he's back to normal, like, back to his youthful self. And it's not quite like that, but he is, like, more comfortable. He can sleep better. He still will. Like, he'll do the stairs with me. He will not do them with. With Mark because he knows Mark will just carry him. But, like, I will just. I'll constrain him. Yes. Yeah. Um, but he's. He's, like, willing to do, like, longer walks now. He's definitely like. And he's. I think also they said, like, up to three months is kind of like, you'll see the full scope of it, so I'm looking forward to the next one. But yeah, he's. It's definitely helpful and it makes me wish that it existed when our. My family dog growing up. I wish he had been able to. To have it too, because I think it would have made a big difference for him. But. But yeah, but I mean, they're still. They're still kicking around my dogs. They are in many ways still very much the same. Fred is, like, weirdly aloof a lot of the time, but then also will just, like, sit down in the center of the floor when everyone is, like, playing and, like, just want to be in the middle of it. But also, like, not want to, like, I don't know, cuddle with you, actually. Like, he's like a silly. I don't know, he's funny. And then. And then Ziggy, my Chihuahua, just.

[Daniel Hines]

Inspiration for Pickles, you know?

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. Inspiration for Pickles is still. Yeah, he's in spirit still, just the same, even though he can't really, like, see anymore. But he is very. He's just like us, like, kind of mean now that he can't see as well.

[Daniel Hines]

Does he bite? Does he bite? More or less.

[Amanda Weldon]

He. It's not the biting, but the barking is more frequent. He just will, like, sort of be like, hey, hey, I'm over here. And, like, also, like, I don't know who you are, big, shadowy figure. But, like, I will bark at you, and then it'll be like, dude, it's me. Like, I'm like, he likes me the best. And then he'll. And then. But only when he can, like, smell me, he'll be like, oh, okay. Like, he's just more alert, I think, in many ways. But, yeah, but he. Both of them are very tolerant of the baby, which is nice because she's, like, grabbier with them. Like, interested in them but not understanding that, like, oh, they can feel it when you just want to grab a handful of their body. They don't love that. But they both just sort of roll her off and are like, whatever, and it's fine. They're not mean or anything. So it's good.

[Daniel Hines]

We had a lot of additions this year.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, tell us a lot.

[Daniel Hines]

Well, I live with my girlfriend, and we recently got a new house, you know, a few years back. And I had a dog, Eevee. Still have her. She's great. She looks like the Pokemon Eevee, but tubby. And unfortunately, she's only gotten tubbier because we now have three cats. And anytime there's any cat food left out, Evie will go find it and eat it. And then she will fart the worst cat food farts you have ever smelled in your life.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, gross.

[Daniel Hines]

Like, there's a reason you don't feed dogs tuna. And I've discovered it.

[Kelsey Lee]

Ew.

[Amanda Weldon]

Ew.

[Daniel Hines]

It's gross. But she's a sweetheart. She's doing good. Other than the farts. And the cats are Georgie, who's a girl, and she's like a little tortoiseshell kind of mix cat with some, like, orange and blue in her. Very pretty. And then Yoda is a. She looks kind of like a Russian blue, but she's not. She's a rescue. She's not. Definitely not any kind of purebred, but she's got that look to her. And she is also very aloof. She won't. She only comes when she wants food and, like, other cats, like, howl and stuff. But Yoda is this weird. Instead she just looks dead at you and does one meow. Like, a perfect, like, sound effect. Like, she says meow, like, perfectly. That's her only thing. She looks at you, says one meow, and then you have to follow her to whatever she wants. She's a very nice lady. And then the new one is Babs, short for Barbara Gordon, AKA Batgirl. And she's just a small black cat we got this year, and she's kind of nuts. And it's good, though, because she keeps the other cats busy. She's been a great addition. Only thing is, she loves to shred and eat paper of any kind. So we've lost a lot of. We've lost some good books to the.

[Amanda Weldon]

Cause, but, oh, so sad.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. Also a lot of mail and bills and receipts, but, you know, she's kind of growing out of that a little bit, so she's been great. I'll send pictures of the cats to the Instagram. Maybe you guys can post your dogs, too.

[Amanda Weldon]

Sure.

[Daniel Hines]

And maybe the hamster, if you can get a good pick.

[Kelsey Lee]

If he's so photogenic.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, with the long hair, he must be.

[Kelsey Lee]

He's beautiful.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, it's another thing. The first week we had Babs, they're indoor cats, but we have a pretty big basement, and half of it's like, you can go to the bulkhead, and where the bulkhead is. It isn't super finished. Like, that's its own little room of the basement where the bulkhead and all the gross basement stuff is the sump pump and all that.

[Amanda Weldon]

The bulkhead is a bulkhead.

[Daniel Hines]

It's one of those doors that's, like, on the side of your house that you open and walk downstairs into the basement.

[Amanda Weldon]

You might have in the ground, almost kind of.

[Kelsey Lee]

People don't know.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah, they're common in. They're common in places where they have basements. East Coast, Anyway, so sometimes animals will get through there, and that's why it's its own separate room. But Babs came up one day, and Sarah thought she had a mouse, and she screamed and Bab dropped it. And I'm like, oh, I'll go pick it up, you know? And I went to go, and the thing rolled over and its big leathery wings spread out. No, caught in the back.

[Amanda Weldon]

It was a bad. It's a bad girl. She's a bad girl. Ew.

[Daniel Hines]

But it looked like it had maybe been dead for a long time and she had just found it. I don't know. There's no way to tell. I wasn't exactly sure. But anyway, so we had to go to the vet and get all rabies shots, and that was very fun.

[Amanda Weldon]

Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, that's terrible. I'm so sorry.

[Daniel Hines]

Cats don't like the vet. They don't like getting shots.

[Amanda Weldon]

Neither do dogs.

[Daniel Hines]

Dogs don't. Evie will go. And Evie's afraid of the vet. Like, I'll have to kind of usher her in, and then she'll, like, hide under my legs.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Daniel Hines]

The cats will, like, run and hide and climb and fight.

[Amanda Weldon]

Like, oh, okay, that's worse. That's worse.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. But they're great. They're all sweet girls, and I love them all very much. I never thought I was a cat guy because I was allergic when I was younger, but somewhere in my 20s, the allergy tapered off, and now I'm fine.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, I've been. I've been surprised at how much you've enjoyed the cats. You send a lot of pictures of them. You're, like, quite proud of the cats, which I. Yeah, they're nice.

[Daniel Hines]

Just like some weird little guys in your house doing their own thing. Yeah, they're less like dogs because, like, dog Evie's always within, like, five feet of me. Like, I can look, and she's always somewhere next to me. But the cats, I, like, walk around the house, and they're doing. They're, like, well past one in the hall, and it's on its own little errand, you know, and it's good business, you know, it's fine.

[Amanda Weldon]

That's funny.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. So the cats are good? Everything's good here.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah.

[Daniel Hines]

What else do you guys. How about you? Have any New Year's resolutions? I know we kind of go through them every. Nobody's got anything crazy, but personally, I want to. I'm already writing a lot, but I need to write more. I want to be a little more disciplined about how much I write. I want to, like, get a slot where I'm doing, like, three hours every day. The same. The same three hours every day. I think it'd be good for me.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, I think it'd be really good. No, I think that that's. I think that setting routines is really exciting and also really hard and. But. Yeah, but making structure and also, like, carving out time to do things that are important to you. I think is. Is easier said than done, but, like, making it really, like, a thing that, like, this is the three hours that I do.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah.

[Amanda Weldon]

This activity that I love, but, like, that sometimes gets, you know, deprioritized or whatever.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. Well, I mean, it's like. And anybody listening? Anybody? If kids. If you want to be writers, you're trying to write, it's just. You should just know. It's like, writing is. You know, it can be hard sometimes. Every time you sit down, you're not going to want to do it. And sometimes you'll have an idea and you'll get three paragraphs in so fast, and then you'll hit a wall and just know that you're not alone. Writing, it's work, you know, it's a job. It's. It's a skill you get to practice. And I'm still practicing. And yeah, I hope. I hope to get better this year with some kind of dedicated, dedicated practice time and really push out a lot of just great content for you guys. I'm hoping.

[Kelsey Lee]

I hope you get better this year, too. I'm just kidding. I am hoping to continue to read more. Read consistently. I love to read. And between. I have the Kindle app on my phone, which isn't for everyone reading on a phone, but I love it because I can read wherever I am. So if I'm. Yeah, it's. It's. I just love it. So it's just like wherever you are. So if you're like, if I'm in line at the grocery store, like, I will read and it's just convenient. I have not dipped my toe much into the audiobook world, so maybe that's something I'll do this year.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, there's a ton of audiobooks. I don't. I hate to, like, name drop. No, like an app, but like, there. I. So I'm an Audible member and I get. You get one credit a month. And then I had exhausted my supply of credits and I was like, I didn't want to buy another one. And then I was on Spotify for something else, and I saw that I have a premium membership on Spotify and they have so many audiobooks.

[Daniel Hines]

Oh, they have a ton of audiobooks now. Yeah.

[Kelsey Lee]

If you're. If you're like, I'm a premium.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. And so it's. And it's like the new ones, it's not like, just like, you know, it's not like books that you've ever heard of. It's like, it's like all of the new bestsellers. Like, I love an audiobook for a celebrity memoir because they usually read them themselves. And I think that that's really very fun. So a lot of the audiobooks that I listen to are like, you know, Paul Scheer, like, telling funny jokes about his childhood even though it was scary or whatever.

[Kelsey Lee]

Oh, my God, you're right. They have, like, they have every sample.

[Amanda Weldon]

No, no, no. They have. You can listen to a sample.

[Daniel Hines]

If they have the sample, they have the full book.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. But included in A premium membership. And so I listened to a bunch of things in there that I had been having on my, like, wish list on audible and. But, like, hadn't used a credit for yet.

[Kelsey Lee]

My God, you're right. Look, I know the books I'm, like, currently reading.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah, they're all there.

[Daniel Hines]

And yeah, this is for parents, too, if you have a Spotify Premium. Like, I'm looking now, like, a ton of the old Gary Paulson stuff is on here. Some are for free, some are premium. But, like, Hatchet and the rifle and the tracker, all his, like, really great kind of Kid against nature books. I think all you guys would love those. I'd recommend those to anybody. But, yeah, search Spotify. They did add a ton of great audiobooks. And I'm also a big. I like to read. And then I read until I have to do a chore or drive, and then I put the audiobook on, and it usually starts at the same page about. And then I listen while I'm doing the chore, and then I go back to reading when I'm done. And it's. It's just a really great way to do it. And I have really got into audiobooks. Yeah, it's nice.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. I am a big. I do not, like. I do not like chores. I don't like to do cleaning, or I don't like. I don't like the stuff you have to do. Like, I hate that I have to do laundry constantly. It's just, like, I don't like it. It is not for me, except for that it is because I want to wear clean clothes. So it becomes a part of, you know, all those things you have to do all the time that are just, like, boring because we have to do them all the time. But, like, also, if we. We aren't doing them, it's, like, bad. I am. I listen to audiobooks. I listen to podcasts during that time. And that is, like, the only way that I will, like, actually do it. If it's just, like, I have to be having some kind of fun and, like, distracting myself from, like, the dishes, you know, Like, I. And then it's. Yeah. So it becomes, like, the. The soundtrack for creating a livable home. So. Which is good.

[Kelsey Lee]

I mean, I recognize it's very important.

[Daniel Hines]

And the narrators, of course, won't be as good as Amanda, but you know, who is Right.

[Amanda Weldon]

But don't worry, because we are doing all of these classic novels, so I'll be out there, too.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. And if you guys have any classics you want Amanda to do, please send them in. If you have any series or episodes you want us to do, send an email. We're doing this whole new content thing for the new year, trying to bring you guys more of what you'd like. So we'd love to hear from you what, what you'd like. Also, they're really changing the way they count podcasts, so if you could just share the show with, like, one friend. If everybody shared the show with one friend, that would go a long way for us, and we'd really appreciate it.

[Amanda Weldon]

So. I also have a reading goal for 2025, and I have. For the last two years, I have been setting goals for myself about how many, like, the number of books that I want to read in the year. And this because there was a period of time, as a. As a kid, I was a big reader all the time, always reading books. And then I think it was somewhere around, like, grad school, I stopped reading. So for pleasure, because I was like, oh, there's all this, like, these books and things that I should be reading for work or, like, you know, to be learning more. And then I stopped reading, like, fun books. And so then I didn't read as much at all. And then I've gotten back into it in the last couple of years of just, like, reading all the time because I've been setting goals of, like, the number of books that I want to read. And so. But then I found myself this last year, I, like, met the goal of the books that I. The number of books that I wanted to read. But during the year, there were all of these. There were books that I wanted to read that were, like, nonfiction or, like, harder was, like, my perception that they would, like, take me longer to read. And I didn't want to prioritize them because I wanted to, like, make the reading goal. So this year, I have redesigned my reading goal, and now the overall total of books is lower. I am only expected to read, like, you know, 15 less than I did this past year. But I have a list of 12 nonfiction books that I already own because I buy books, even though I should just take them out from the library. But I have them in my house already, and I want to read them, but I kept not reading them this past year. So I'm going to read them this coming year, and I have a list, and I'm going to get through those books at minimum, and I'm very excited to do it.

[Kelsey Lee]

That's a really nice goal.

[Amanda Weldon]

Thank you. I love it. I'm going to learn so many things. And I can still read silly, you know, mysteries or romance novels or whatever it is that are like. I can still read them. They're fun. But I also have enough room that I don't feel like I have to, like, just prioritize reading books. I can get through quickly. I can also read hard books and learn things, and it'll be great.

[Kelsey Lee]

It's quality over quantity.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yes, exactly. I'm very excited. Yes.

[Daniel Hines]

Yeah. So those are our resolutions. That's kind of what we're up to. So the big takeaways for you guys is that one, we love you. Two, we're very glad you're listening. And three, we got these new. This new schedule coming. You have four episodes a week. You got the classic, starting with Alice in Wonderland. And then if you guys like that, we'll do through the Looking Glass. And then beyond that, we've got so many to choose from. And you'll have the new episodes every Friday, like always. Your Dog Kings, your Don McPwns. We got some more. Max. Good names for you. I know people have been asking, and I promise, promise we will finish the Wilderwood this year. We had all kinds of big stuff coming up and. Yeah, we're just excited for the year, so just keep the channel going. And please tell your friends, too. It really helps us when you share with other parents.

[Amanda Weldon]

Yeah. Thank you. Happy New Year.

[Kelsey Lee]

Thank you. Happy New Year.

[Daniel Hines]

Happy New Year. Who's that? Are we good?

[Amanda Weldon]

Thanks for listening. I don't know.

[Kelsey Lee]

Happy New Year.

[Amanda Weldon]

Good job.

[Kelsey Lee]

It.