Liz (2:30)

Yeah.

Kelly (2:31)

And I have, I have a three Nager here. Fred, just say hello for a second. Just come on, say hi.

Liz (2:36)

Hi, Fred. This is Fred.

Kelly (2:39)

How old are, how old are you? Three.

Liz (2:43)

He's three. And for those, since you can't see it, he is holding up the number three.

Kelly (2:51)

He's kind of going through it like he. Normally, Fred is like the most happiest, luckiest, like just super easy guy. And he turned three in January and he. I would not have described Fred as like a terrible twos. I will have described him as a teenager. Like, just.

Liz (3:08)

He's like, almost.

Kelly (3:09)

It's a light switch.

Liz (3:10)

No, it's a light switch. Is actually like, really, Fred, now. I love you so much. But it's a little bit annoying because, like, James was a full blown terrible twos and now. And just Fred was the sweetest and now like James is getting sweet and like Fred's a 3 danger. And so now they're like still arguing and it's like, can you guys just be on the same page?

Kelly (3:29)

Yeah. I'm hoping that this. I don't know. And I mean, his speech has gotten a lot better. Like we did, we did a little speech therapy for him and he really like connected some dots and I think there's a level of like, now that he can communicate and he knows that he can communicate. He like, doesn't understand how words don't get him exactly what he wants. I think like, that's a level of it. He's also home now instead of like the other kids were at daycare at this age. So maybe I'm just seeing more of that. That could be so sweet. It's like. And I'm always just like trying to. When he's sweet, he's so sweet. And when he's sour, he's so sour.

Liz (4:09)

It's like, I know the ups and

Kelly (4:11)

the downs of Fred Stumpy on a daily basis. It's just, it's a lot.

Liz (4:15)

No. And I, and I don't think that's unique to Fred Stumpy. Like, I just think that's how they are like this age.

Kelly (4:22)

So it's so funny because, like, I had boy, girl, boy, girl, and I. George and Hattie are the same distance apart as Fred and Libby. So my biggest gap is between Hattie and Fred. So I have Bigs and littles and Tyler and I always talk about, like, how blessed are we that we basically get to experience it all twice. Like a sweet brother, sister relationship twice. Well, the other day I took Fred and Libby to Aldi and I was like, this is not George and Hattie. This is. What is this? Yeah, like, these two. Libby is trying to jump out of the shopping cart and Fred is running around the store. And George and Hattie would have just sat there and enjoyed being out of the house.

Liz (5:05)

Yeah.

Kelly (5:06)

Fred and Libby, not good enough for that.

Liz (5:08)

And it just goes to show that when you have toddlers, if you have a well behaved toddler, it's not because you're a good parent. Like, no. And it is. And it is because you're a good parent. But so much of it is luck. And like, I say this, if Sloan would have been my first child, I would have been like, oh, my gosh, parenting is so easy. I am so good at this. Like, everyone else is a sucker. Like, I'm an amazing parent, naturally.

Kelly (5:35)

Yeah.

Liz (5:36)

Because she's so easy. And James was what has been hard at, like, every. He's given me every barrier. And I just. There's so much to their personality. I mean, you raised. You had the identical. Like, you're a better mom than you were when you had George and Hattie. Because, you know, it should be easier. You should be better. And there's so much to it. That's just their personality and, like, nothing you can control.

Kelly (6:01)

No, it's kind of like. It's kind of like my previous experience is making it worse. Like, it's making it harder on me because I'm like, wait, this isn't right. Like, this is not. But yeah, they are also so much. I don't know, Fred and Libby, it's just gonna be. It's just gonna be fun because they're gonna be. They're gonna have a totally different relationship that George and Hattie. And it's just so fun to, like, have my kids grouped like that naturally. It's the bigs and the littles. And I told Tyler it's the boys and the girls. It's the middles and the bookends. Like, we just have all these fun little. And it is fun. I mean, for us. For as challenging as Fred is some days, it's so fun to see his personality. And, like, Fred has so much personality. Like, he is going to be. He. I can't believe. And I feel like maybe some of you guys have kids like this. Like, the sense of humor that Fred has. Like, before Fred could talk when Fred could say three words. He was still making a joke. Like, if we were to ask Fred what his name was, he would say dada and start laughing like he got humor before he got speech. It's like just very. It's just very interesting. So he is so funny. And no one makes me laugh more than Fred in this house, but he's a little wild right now.

Liz (7:16)

So anyway, Fred's in the house, so if you hear anything, it's Fred. It's Fred. Thank you for joining us, Fred. We're happy to have you.

Kelly (7:24)

And I do have, like, our nanny is here, but would you rather hear, like, Fred playing Legos in the background or would you rather hear Fred screaming upstairs? Because he's not allowed to be in here. So it's kind of like a choose your. Like, choose. Choose your background noise. At this point, I'm choosing the Legos in the podcast studio.

Liz (7:39)

The classic. You have not mastered the sneak away in the way that I have with the nanny. We have a nanny too.

Kelly (7:47)

No.

Liz (7:48)

And you just have to. If you're a work from home and you have a nanny, you just simply have to find an opportunity, sneak away, and then hide in a room until things have settled down.

Kelly (8:00)

Yeah, no. My house is just gonna set up differently. Like, I don't have an upstairs. I don't have an office. I'm just kind of like everywhere all at once.

Liz (8:07)

Well, actually, this is. We're kind of like going so out of order, but once we're talking about nannies, we. I did have a child care advice question and I wanted to answer this question because I wanted to give, like, our two cents. But then also I think that this would be such a good conversation in the carpool Facebook group because I think there's probably a lot of opinions and I'm kind of curious on everyone's situation. So this comes from Jen. I'm needing some advice on how to find a sitter or good and. Or good childcare. I have three kids and have been a stay at home mom forever. But I'm dabbling in a new career, mostly from home. How did you find your nanny, Liz? What about date night setters? What does that normally cost? I'm only needing two to three days for my youngest who. For my youngest two, who will be one in three. The grandmas aren't around much in no village to be found, so I have no clue where to start. So here's what I know. Number one, I found my nanny on care.com. i think I got. I think there's A lot of good nannies on care.com. i also think I got like, incredibly lucky. She is wonderful and we, we love her. My advice for finding a nanny on care.com is like, always check the references first because literally the reason I went with this girl was because I called her reference and she gave like the most glowing review of her.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (9:23)

Yeah.

Liz (9:23)

So definitely always call the reference. And I originally thought when I hired my nanny I would, I wanted someone like older than me, like maybe like more of like a grandma age. Someone who's been through it because my kids were really young at the time and the 15 months age gap is just hard. So I almost hired like a 60 year old woman, but then she like ghosted me. And so then I was back to square one and found my nanny who's young, she's in her 20s, and I didn't realize how much. For me, that just really works well because she's like on the playground with my kids. Like she's crawling through tunnels with my kids. Like she, it's such a physical and active job and to have someone who is young has been beneficial for me. I, I never ended up hiring someone who was older, but I am happy that I hired a young girl and like, we just connect. Like, she's just like having another sister. What do you like date night sitters normally cost? I think you're like, you're in the 20 to 25 an hour range. Yeah, is my experience.

Kelly (10:33)

I do 20.

Liz (10:35)

Yeah. So I mean, you can like ask them. Like that's what I would, that's what I would expect. I think you can also kind of depend on how old they are and what their experience is.

Kelly (10:44)

And I think like, what like they're expected to do there. Like when we do date nights, like, I try to make sure, unless it's like a longer event, like if it's just like a true date night. Like, I try to make sure kids are fed, baths are done, and like we just like leave a little later in the night because like, I think that's chaotic to ask someone to do like baths and dinner by themselves with your four kids. So I try to be like, you know, like, let's say they come at like, let's say we leave at 6. I just do, you know, dinner's done, kitchen's cleaned, baths are done, let them watch tv and then they go to bed in two hours. Like just, just try to survive.

Liz (11:17)

Okay, that's a good hack. I kind of do the opposite. And I say if I'm leaving at 6, come here at 4:30 so I can go upstairs and get ready and like, you can play with shirts.

Kelly (11:26)

No, sure. And I might. Sometimes I do that. But then like. But then it's like, okay, you're just. I'm gonna get ready and then I'm gonna help you do these things. And we're not gonna leave the house until half and dinner are done, or at least until you're in a good spot.

Liz (11:37)

Yeah, that's a good point. And then the other thing, this is not my experience, but I have had friends who do this because she said she only needs child care two to three days a week. There are things called nanny shares where you share a nanny with another family. So if they only need a nanny two to three days a week and you do two, you kind of do. Like, you get her these days and him or her. And they get him or her these days. That is a thing. And that's effective for some people. So anyway, that's like just my experience and I know that there's a lot of opinions around child care, so I think we should move this over the carpool group because I would love to know, like, what people's hourly rates are and just like what your experiences are with finding a child care and all that.

Kelly (12:23)

Well, and I'd like it to be done in a very positive manner because being in a little mouthy and I'm just letting you know I have a zero tolerance policy. Mouthiness.

Liz (12:31)

Yeah, we're all. We're all just trying to figure it out. Guys, come on.

Kelly (12:35)

I will tell you that my nanny experience is a little bit different because I actually have an au pair, which I've never talked about, Only because. And honestly, we've recorded a podcast and then I made. I like went back and deleted it because I just, like, I don't know, I just feel like who takes care of my kids is literally no one's business. It's.

Liz (12:57)

It's a private. It's a private thing. Yeah, you don't need.

Kelly (13:00)

But we have had our au pair for over a year, and she is absolutely the best thing in the world. She is a total member of our family. If you don't know what an au pair is, it's like a. It's someone from a different country. So ours, I just. I really just don't want to give a lot of details. I don't know why I feel weird about it, but ours is from a Latin country and she's in her 20s. She is unbelievable. She lives with us. So, like, that's Kind of like what an A does. So there's someone who lives in a different country. They come here, they go to school. And then we, of course, pay her. Like, we of course pay her for the child care, but then you also, like, get the exchange of, like, I pay for her food, we got her a car, we pay for her phone, and she lives with us. And it's like, just like having, like, a college student live with you who, like, literally becomes part of your family. And it's been, like, such an amazing program for us. I like the flexibility of it. I like that it's like, hey, because I. I live far away, and I work a flexible schedule, so it just. I work a flexible schedule, but also a demanding schedule. So it just, like, made sense to be like, hey, like, I need two hours in the evening now. Okay, now I'll. I'll take this kid to do that or whatever. So it's worked really well for us. People, like, really want to know more about it. Like, maybe I'll consider talking about it. But it's. It's an incredible program when it's done right. I think it can also be the program that can get done really badly. And I think sometimes girls can get taken advantage of and families can have bad matches. Our experience has been. I mean, she extended for an entire year. The. The program's two years.

Liz (14:35)

No, she's lovely. She, like, spends Christmas with us. Like, she's literally. I mean, she's a part of the Stumpy family also, but she's also, like, very much kind of a part of the greater Sunshirt family.

Kelly (14:45)

And I would say, like, if you're like, oh, I should consider that. Absolutely. Do not consider it unless you're going to make them a member of your family, because, like, it is not. They. They are not employees. Like, they need to be treated as. I mean, they're so far from all. Any of their family.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (14:59)

You are?

Liz (15:00)

Yeah. Like, you're literally, like, response like, you're fully responsible for this.

Kelly (15:04)

I almost, like, when it first. When we first got her, I told Tyler, I was like, okay, this is actually not helpful, because now I feel like I have a fifth child because I'm, like, so worried about her all the time. I know it was like, what's she doing? But the program that we went through, they. They do a good job of, like, helping the girls, like, connect with each other. So, like, she has a lot of friends. Like, she actually has. Like, if she's not working, she's gone. Like, she's with her Friends.

Liz (15:30)

Yeah.

Kelly (15:30)

But it's just been really. It's been really fun.

Liz (15:32)

Yeah, she's wonderful. So that's a little bit.

Kelly (15:35)

Wow. I, like, didn't expect to, like, share that. And I'm probably. I'm totally over the year. Like, I know it's, like, not that big of a deal. Like, I know it's not that big deal.

Liz (15:42)

I'm even hesitant to. I was, like, I was hesitant to share. I don't really like talking about my nanny either, because I just don't like people knowing about my childcare situation because no one's.

Additional Guest or Secondary Sponsor Voice (15:53)

It's private.

Liz (15:53)

Like, whatever.

Kelly (15:54)

And also, have you guys seen the Internet? It's the worst.

Liz (15:56)

Yeah, exactly.

Kelly (15:57)

I'm really sassy at the Internet today. I'm not sassy at the carpoolers, but I'm sassy at some people on the Internet. I'm over it.

Liz (16:03)

Me too. I'm so over people. People just, like, shaming people at every corner. Like, I'm so over.

Kelly (16:10)

Like, here's what I'm really over. I'm just gonna, like, speak my truth for a second. Okay. I'm so over private accounts telling people how to use their platforms. You have a platform. So, like, if there's a time, and I mean this with my whole chest, if there's a topic that you're super passionate about, go public on Instagram, go public on Tick Tock, and you start making content around that specific issue. Like, if you're that passionate about it, then why don't you do. And, like, prior accounts with no followers go viral all day? So, like, if there's something that's seriously on your heart and on your mind, it's something that you want to raise awareness for or show your perspective on it. Just because you don't have any followers doesn't mean people aren't going to see it. And that's my. That's my real truth.

Liz (16:46)

Yeah, I. I am with you.

Kelly (16:50)

We're getting sassy. Sassy.

Liz (16:51)

I know.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (16:52)

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Additional Guest or Secondary Sponsor Voice (18:25)

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Liz (19:58)

totally go in a, like, kind of reverse, get back into the lane we were going down because I totally, like, jumped into an advice question. Like, we're so random today. No, Something that I wanted to share mostly because I. Again, carpool Facebook group sound off. Because I have, like, no idea what I'm gonna name this baby.

Kelly (20:21)

I ask her every time I talk, call her on the phone. I'm like, so we're at the baby names.

Liz (20:24)

You need to stop asking me because you are stressing me out. These, I have no idea. And I don't know, but I wanted to share the name. Kind of like the vibes that I like, because I like very, very, very few names. And I. And I feel like I've heard all of the names and nothing is sticking with me. So Sloan. I always knew I wanted a daughter named Sloan. Like, there was no question about it.

Kelly (20:53)

I could.

Liz (20:54)

It could have been the number one most popular name in the world. You could have. Anyone could have looked at me and been like, sloan. What is. That would not have mattered at all. My heart was so set on it. And I still love the name. I do not feel that way. Yeah, about. I mean, there's names that I really love. Like, maybe Maddie's vetoed, but I do not have that attachment. So that's why I'm even afraid to tell you names, because I'm so not confident in it that I can't even, like, say it, because I don't. I. I don't know. So anyway, I want to get.

Kelly (21:28)

Before you show your names. Here's what I'll say.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (21:30)

Okay.

Kelly (21:31)

And I've told you this. I'm the same way. It was always George. It was always Harriet slash Hattie. Like, those were always my two names. I never felt as confident with Fred and Libby ever.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (21:44)

Okay.

Liz (21:45)

So I might just not get there.

Kelly (21:47)

You just might not get there. Like, I think it's. And I felt so weird about, like, using my backup name because our. My backup name for George was Henry. But then I felt so weird about, like, using my second favorite name. And, like, my backup name for Hattie was Virginia Ginny. I just. I don't know. I felt weird about using, like, my second favorite name, so I was like, no, I need to come up with new names. Like, so something totally new.

Liz (22:12)

Yeah.

Kelly (22:12)

So I was even more sure about Fred. I literally was Libby. I mean, I guess I'm sure about it now, but, like, I mean, I just kind of made it up, and mom was kind of the same way. Like, it was always, like, Kelly, Elizabeth, Craig. Those were set. Sydney and Grace. Like, you just kind of.

Liz (22:32)

Yeah, they could have gone.

Kelly (22:34)

It could go so many directions.

Liz (22:36)

So I just. I know.

Kelly (22:37)

And I'm wondering if other people feel that way, like, normalize. Not normalize. Naming a kid with a name that you still weren't 100 sure about and just kind of moving on with your life.

Liz (22:47)

Yeah, I moved on. Yeah. So here's what I like. It's like, all of this is, like, subject to, like, change. Like, again, I. I could. I have no idea what we're gonna name this baby, but I have found that I tend to like more, like, masculine names for girls. Like, I don't like very girly names. So, like, beautiful. Like, I would say, like, beautiful, popular names is like, Amelia, Ava, Emma, Olivia, Everly. Like, Evelyn. Like, I don't like those. I don't know. Those don't like the kind of, like, the. Some of those were kind of like grandma chic. But, like, I don't really like the grandma chic names, and I don't like very, like, feminine names. I don't know. Like, Sloan is not, I would say, is a more masculine name.

Kelly (23:38)

I would agree. I would agree. Like, you don't really like when they end in, like, an I. Yeah, I

Liz (23:42)

don't really like a vowel ending necessarily. So.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (23:46)

But.

Liz (23:46)

But May. But maybe. But, like, I like Sophia. So, like. But I don't like Emma and Olivia.

Kelly (23:50)

Sophia is the girliest name I've ever heard in my life.

Liz (23:53)

I know, but. But I. But actually, I only kind of like it. Like, I don't like Sophia. I like Sophie, but anyway.

Kelly (24:00)

And Sophie more masculine. I'm following. I'm following. I think I'm following.

Liz (24:04)

So here are some names that I have liked that have gotten vetoed by my husband just so you can get a vibe of my. My number one most liked name is Gwen. Oh, yeah.

Kelly (24:16)

That's so masculine. Okay, I get. I get the vibe now.

Liz (24:18)

It reads. It ends with an N. It reads very Sloan. Maddie said no to Gwen for the most crazy reason. He goes, I. I just feel like it is too. He goes, I just feel like it is too traditionally Welsh that it would be like, I'm naming my son Hans. And I'm like, I understand the Hans example. I think you're so crazy to say that for the Gwen. Yeah.

Kelly (24:42)

Your husband. See, it's.

Liz (24:44)

He knows too much.

Kelly (24:45)

I know he knows too much. Like, it. He's almost worse than, like. Like, you know, the. The trope that. Or not even the trope, but, like, the fact, like, school teachers sometimes have a really hard time naming their kids because, like, they've just had bad students who. They're like, I could never. Maddie's that way about, like, history and, like, genealogy. Like, I couldn't tell you the origin of the name Gwen for a million dollars. Like, I have no idea.

Liz (25:07)

I was like, I didn't even know it was Welsh. Like, okay, also, what is Welsh? Scottish.

Kelly (25:12)

Question.

Liz (25:13)

Wales.

Kelly (25:14)

I don't know.

Liz (25:15)

Right. Don't know. Anyway, that one got vetoed. But I do love that name. Cameron. Maddie. Maddie doesn't really love. While I like masculine names, Maddie doesn't really like traditionally boy names for girls.

Kelly (25:32)

I like Cameron.

Liz (25:33)

I like Cameron. I like Ryan. Like, I like those types of. Oh, that's so funny. We know brothers named Cameron and Ryan. I just really happen to like both those names for girls. Okay. Daphne.

Kelly (25:50)

I don't like that.

Liz (25:51)

Blair.

Kelly (25:52)

Love Blair. Obsessed with Blair, I think finally put it back on the list.

Liz (25:57)

Maddie says he can't do it because of Gossip Girl, and I'm like, why? Have you seen Gossip Girl?

Kelly (26:05)

Blair is one of. Blair is a great character.

Liz (26:07)

I know, I know. He needs to re. Watch it. Maybe he'll sing a different tune.

Kelly (26:11)

Maybe you should, Liz. Maybe you should re. Watch it.

Liz (26:14)

Well, you know, that's what we did leading up to Sloan, because I named her Sloan after the character in Entourage. We rewatched Entourage, and we, like, fell in love with the character all over again. Okay. Margot just. Everyone loves Margot.

Kelly (26:30)

Yeah, that's a good one.

Liz (26:30)

And this is, like, a total wild card. But Cleo, I like Cleo.

Kelly (26:35)

Okay. I get the vibe.

Liz (26:38)

Yeah. So do with that.

Kelly (26:42)

What about Edith? Or is that too grandma chic?

Liz (26:45)

That's too grandma chic.

Kelly (26:46)

Okay, here's a girl. Here's a boy name that I like for a girl a lot. Okay, what about Spencer?

Liz (26:52)

I don't like Spencer.

Kelly (26:55)

Okay, let me think for me again.

Liz (26:58)

Like, that's gonna read. Like, that's going to read to boy.

Kelly (27:02)

For Maddie.

Liz (27:03)

For Maddie. He doesn't. He doesn't like that.

Kelly (27:06)

What about Maddie?

Liz (27:08)

Now?

Additional Guest or Secondary Sponsor Voice (27:08)

He did.

Liz (27:09)

He does like Madeline. But I think, like, having two Maddies is annoying.

Kelly (27:14)

Yeah, I think it's kind of annoying too. But there's also. But I like. You could just call her.

Liz (27:20)

Yeah, it's just like. Yeah, Maybe that's fine. See, I'm. I don't know. So anyway, take all of that information. My kids names are James and Sloan, which is kind of like preppy, so I kind of like the theme. My, my. The one name that we have in our back pocket is another boy, and that kind of follows the same trend.

Kelly (27:40)

Are you open to like, are you open to like another S. Another J name?

Liz (27:45)

Yeah, I don't care.

Kelly (27:45)

That doesn't bother you? Okay.

Liz (27:49)

No.

Kelly (27:49)

It has to work with the middle name Kelly, right?

Liz (27:51)

No. Nope, does not. That is. Kelly just keeps throwing that out there, thinking it's just gonna stick.

Kelly (27:59)

Have you thought of just the Name Kelly? Kelly St. John. It's kind of darling.

Liz (28:03)

Honestly. Kelly. No, it ends with a vowel.

Kelly (28:10)

Yeah, no, it's just crazy because, like, I named my daughter Elizabeth. But yeah, it's.

Liz (28:13)

Yeah, but yeah, after our grandmother. And you've never once called her. You've never once called her Elizabeth in your life.

Kelly (28:24)

That's not true. When I go to the doctor, I say I have Elizabeth stomp here.

Liz (28:33)

So anyway, if anyone has any good baby names, let me know.

Kelly (28:39)

I'm really anxious to see what the carpoolers come up with.

Liz (28:41)

Yeah.

Kelly (28:42)

Do you think, like, if you pick a name, can we do like, clues and stuff like we did with our previous pregnancies?

Liz (28:46)

I mean, I don't think I'll do that because I don't. I don't foresee ourselves being confident until we leave the hospital.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (28:53)

Okay.

Kelly (28:55)

Okay, you guys.

Liz (28:57)

Well, that's my baby's update.

Kelly (28:59)

See, I don't have anything. I just like, I don't have that much. I don't have something that exciting going on. Okay, so my. I don't really know what, like, segment category this fits in. Like, is it a fast lane philosophy? Is it a base model luxury? I guess it's a base model luxury. Okay, so I have been loving my aura ring. I've had it since I got it on Black Friday. So I've had it for a couple of months and I really enjoy knowing. Well, I love tracking it for my cycle. First of all, that's really helpful. I love knowing how much I'm sleeping and I really love knowing my steps because I. I've never tracked my steps before. I'm just. I'm not an Apple watch person because I don't like any of the notifications on my. On my watch.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (29:40)

But I.

Kelly (29:41)

So I just, I was relying on like, my phone to tell me how many steps I was taking every day. But I don't always have my phone. So there was a discrepancy. So I've been averaging about 8,000 steps a day, which I was actually surprised it was that high. Some days it's 7,000. Some days it's 8,000. But I really want to try to start getting 10,000 steps a day. And you can, like, change your activity goal in the aura ring to make it like an. You can either do, like, active calories burns, or you can do a step count. So mine's a step count. So, like, if I hit 10,000 steps, I, like, achieved my goal for the day. So it's just. It's very motivating. And, like, I'll get a notification when I'm, like, close to my goal, so I can be like, okay, I just, like, gotta do a little bit more. So it's 8pm I was like, oh, I wonder how many steps I've taken today. Log on. I was. I had taken 9,000 steps. It was a pretty active day for me. And I was like, I really want to get to 10,000. It was 8pm Like, Libby was already asleep. The big kids were settling down, like, finishing up a movie. And I was like, could I just, like, walk around my house for, like, 30 minutes?

Liz (30:41)

Yeah.

Kelly (30:42)

I was like, what if I just walked around my house? So I kind of, like. I mean, I just kind of walked around, but I was also trying to be like. Also, like, I was trying to habit stacks. I was trying to get some stuff done, too. So I would, like, go to my. Like, I was in Hattie's, or I was in the boys room, and I was, like, taking things down the stairs, but I was taking, like, really light loads. So I would, like, constantly have to go up and down. Or I would, like, go to my closet to the laundry room, and I would take, like, one item at a time. Anyway, I walked for 30 minutes, and I got my thousand steps.

Liz (31:09)

That's amazing.

Kelly (31:11)

And sometimes it's, like, just looks like that.

Liz (31:13)

Yeah.

Kelly (31:16)

Oh. I just like to be able to track it. So.

Liz (31:17)

Yeah, I love being able to track. I love being able to track my steps. I haven't done it in a while because for some reason, like, an aura ring or an apple watch, like, makes my finger or my wrist burn. I know Grayson has the same experience. So, like, I don't know. Neither one of us can really wear it. I might put it back on and just, like, wait till it starts to burn again and then take it off. But.

Kelly (31:40)

So I. I don't feel that way at all. Even notice mine anymore.

Liz (31:43)

No, I know. Like, I. I know. Like, I would wear. It's so weird. I thought it was just the apple watch. I'm like, maybe I have like a, like a bad apple watch. Maybe it's like fritzing or something. But then the same thing happened with aura. I just think like a, like a Bluetooth or em giving frequency. Whatever the heck it is, it like mess with me. I don't know. Might have to just like, risk it for a little bit because, like, I love knowing my steps.

Kelly (32:07)

It's so motivating.

Liz (32:08)

I know.

Kelly (32:09)

All to say is I've just been enjoying that I'm ready for the weather to break because I would love to, like, just do some walking outside.

Liz (32:15)

Totally. I think we're all aligned on that.

Kelly (32:18)

And I think I'm gonna sell my peloton.

Liz (32:21)

Yeah.

Kelly (32:22)

And maybe get a treadmill.

Liz (32:23)

I think it's a good call.

Kelly (32:25)

I loved my peloton, but ever since Libby, I don't know, it just hurt.

Liz (32:31)

Why are the seats so small?

Kelly (32:34)

That's the. There's no reason for the seat to be that small.

Liz (32:37)

There's no reason I could get the same amount of.

Kelly (32:40)

I could still be moving my legs at the same pace with a more comfortable saddle.

Liz (32:44)

Yeah. And like, you do have to get used to it. Like I used to cycle like quite a bit and then when I like stopped doing it and got back to it. Like that first time you ride a bike, there's no greater pain. Yeah. Than like the next day after you have done like a 45 minute peloton. Like after not being on it for a while. I don't understand. I don't know why they're so small.

Kelly (33:13)

No. And I know that I like, I think when I ride a bike, I feel like I have to be doing like more of like a hit workout.

Liz (33:20)

Yeah.

Kelly (33:21)

Like, I'm just not like casually like biking, but I would like casually walk on the treadmill.

Liz (33:25)

Yeah. Like, so order your groceries and like,

Kelly (33:28)

maybe, I don't know.

Liz (33:29)

Treadmill. Yeah.

Kelly (33:30)

Yeah. I'm just. It's something. It's something I'm toying around with.

Liz (33:32)

Okay. I like it.

Kelly (33:33)

In the meantime, I'll just walk up and down my stairs in the meantime. That's free.

Liz (33:37)

So true.

Kelly (33:39)

Let's talk about the fact that, like our Merrick series totally went viral. If there was ever a thing to go viral, I'm so happy it was that.

Liz (33:47)

I am happy it was that. I was so. I don't know why I was so nervous to post this because it was a four part series so like a. You have to put like your pot committed to four videos and like I'm. We're stretching them out over a number of days. You have to assume people are going to stay hooked. Like I was like, yeah, butterflies in my stomach, nervous to post. And I haven't felt that way in a very long time about posting anything.

Kelly (34:11)

Well, you just don't know like what people's attention spans are anymore. I'm like, people handle a four part series of a two minute long video. Can they handle six minutes of content and not get bored?

Liz (34:19)

Right. I don't apparently. It was so. It was. I thought it was so fun to watch.

Kelly (34:28)

So I want to do another one. You've got to be local to St. Louis. I want to do like a more like 30 to 40k budget. Hit me up. I'm kind of like looking. I'm kind of like on the hunt for that.

Liz (34:42)

Okay. Yeah, I think it was really fun. And I also just like loved again like the story that was told. So it's like Kelly has never. I. When we were recording, I was like, kelly, I've never heard you say to anyone like, oh, I don't want to drive a bus. Okay, well not extended version of a full size SUV is not going to drive so much like a bus. Like maybe that's just been your experience in the past. And I thought that was just like, I know Merrick had a luxury budget so it didn't seem relatable in some ways. But like that anyone can take that.

Kelly (35:13)

Yeah, I do want to go over like one of the controversies or one of like the questions people have is why I suggested the Escalade over the Navigator. And I would like to cover that. I would like to speak on that truth, please. So first of all, of course I talked to her about the middle head restraint. Like, duh. Have you ever watched any of my GM vehicles ever? Like I always, always. I'm pointing out how they don't have the middle head restraint.

Liz (35:32)

What someone said you didn't point out the middle head restraint.

Kelly (35:35)

Yeah.

Liz (35:36)

Oh, because it. We had like hours worth of content and we had to cut it down to two minutes and I didn't.

Kelly (35:42)

The horse has been beat dead. Like I just, I've like said I've told it to Merrick. But like I just feel like I said that enough. But she assured me like that wasn't really a problem with her. If most they're carrying around like two friends and like her two oldest can sit in the front seat. So like it was like that wasn't a concern. Her boys are big. No one's going to be sitting back there in that middle seat. Secondly, she doesn't have car seats. No one's in a car. Car seat. And the drive is really important to her. As we kind of figured out, like, she wanted a luxury car. And there was also just so much, like, context that, like, wasn't able to fit into the series. But I mean, I just want to be clear, like, if you don't need car seats, the Escalade to me is the better buy. I think the Escalade has better tech. I think it looks better, I think it drives better. I think it's a better. If you can use the words value, I will. Like, I think the Escalade is the nicer car. Now, if she was like, I've got three across. I want a luxury full size SUV that I'm like, the Navigator's amazing. There's nothing that I don't like about the Navigator, but, like, when it comes down to just pure aesthetics and not functionality, I think the Escalade's a better car. So that's why I showed her that

Liz (36:47)

one Escalade has such a great name because I'm like, I'm looking up the Navigator and like, yeah, a Navigator is a hundred, $120,000. And when you say navigator, like when you say Escalade, you're like, oh, that's bougie. The Navigator does not have that. Same.

Kelly (37:10)

No.

Liz (37:10)

And I rah, rah, rah, rah to it.

Kelly (37:12)

And I'm telling you, so much of it is like, I can just go off the vibes really well of people.

Liz (37:16)

Yeah.

Kelly (37:17)

And I. It's not really something I could like, teach or learn, but, like, I can't tell you how many times I, like, look at someone and like, I hear some situation and I'm like, I don't know, you're just like giving Atlas. I'm like, you can go look whatever you want, but, like, I really think you're just gonna end up back with an Alice. And they always do.

Liz (37:30)

Yeah, yeah. You know your craft, Kelly.

Kelly (37:34)

Thanks, Elizabeth.

Liz (37:36)

Okay, we have an advice question. Let's make this auto podcast a little bit more auto related. This is advice for an indecisive mom.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (37:46)

Hello.

Liz (37:46)

I'm in desperate need of advice. My husband and I have a two year old and another one on the way. We are currently driving a 2014 Subaru Forester. I love the car and I love that I don't have a car payment. However, from the beginning, we Feel like it's too small. We drive a lot to visit family each year. Anywhere from one hour to six hour road trips. We also bring a dog, a large dog with us every time. Hence the lack of space. Because of this, we have been looking for three row vehicles. I'm someone who likes to keep their cars for as long as humanly possible. I get it very attached to my cars. I'm struggling to pick which vehicle we should go with because I want it to be a responsible buy. We've been seriously considering the Atlas, given it could be three across in the next few years if we end up with a third. I also really loved it when we went for a test drive, but I will miss the loss of trunk space using the Atlas. Um, I keep wondering if the true responsible buy is to jump to a minivan. We don't feel we have the budget for a full size SUV right now. And I also don't really want to drive that big of a vehicle at this point. I listen to your advice all the time, but I think I need it directed to me to make a solid decision. I'm feeling so lost. Any and all help would be wonderful.

Kelly (38:54)

So she has an outback right now.

Liz (38:56)

She has a forester.

Kelly (38:59)

A forester. And she thinks that the Alice has less trunk space.

Liz (39:01)

Well, she said with a third row

Kelly (39:03)

up, but if she got the bench seat, she got the third row down.

Liz (39:07)

Yes.

Kelly (39:09)

And that would solve all of her problems.

Liz (39:10)

Question mark.

Kelly (39:11)

Because she. They said they might do three across. They might not have a third though.

Liz (39:15)

They might not have a third. And then they have their dog that they travel with. So he would be in like, like the, I guess the trunk or the third row.

Kelly (39:22)

Okay, it's a good question. I mean, I think the Atlas is an excellent choice. I think it is. I think it would give you guys a lot more room in the right ways without being too big. I think it's a good value. I think it's a fun driving car. I think you get squishy with the trunk space. I mean, I would, I would say get the bench because the Alice bench is worth getting. Like it's a three across machine. If the third row up, if you want to put the third row up, whether that's to keep the dog or like to take someone else or you're just more comfortable that way. If that's not enough trunk space, I think like, you know, a, a cargo carrier on the top can kind of like fix a lot of those, like once in a while situations. You know, I like to Be really mindful about like not making our decision just based on like the couple times a year you might take a road trip because like you're driving the car every day. That being said though, I don't think a minivan's a bad buy at all. I mean I know people who have, I know people have one kid who drive a minivan for the space, for the drive, for the versatility and the flexibility. So part of me thinks like if you think you might have three, I think you might. And you're gonna also like have this like lifestyle that requires travel and the dog and like kids activities. I think maybe the minivan is the more versatile option. You know the thing with a minivan is like you just go buy a used Honda Odyssey and you just don't worry about the year because they're all the same.

Liz (40:44)

Yeah.

Kelly (40:44)

And that's my advice. Like that's like, you know, I would, to go tell you this, I would set your budget at 25k and see what kind of Odyssey you can get for that and just buy that one.

Liz (40:53)

Yeah.

Kelly (40:54)

You know, whereas like if you're going with Atlas, I would tell you to like probably go 24 or above if you have the budget because 24 is when they changed it. So it's the updated body style that's, that's the year it was qualified to become the IHS top safety pick. The pre owned Atlases don't have the best reliability. So like I think if you go Atlas, which is like definitely the Mrs. SUV I'd recommend, I would like you to be 24 or above. I think if you decide to go minivan, I would probably tell you to go Honda Odyssey and probably just tell you to go back as far as you can find. Low mileage.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (41:21)

Okay.

Liz (41:23)

No, I think, I think that's, I think that's good. Yeah. If you've got to have that, have that, have that third row up all the time and like you need trunk space for trips, then like, I mean even like a minivan, like. Yes, it's going to be like good. It's like it's like deep trunk space but it's, it's still not like it's not like a truck bed. You know, when you have that third row up, like it is deep. But I'm kind of with you on like why like cargo cover or cargo top Cargo. Cargo carriers. It's like kind of a good hack.

Kelly (41:57)

I mean that's like 500 bucks for like a nice one versus like you know, price out. How much? Much More A car with a bigger trunk is.

Liz (42:02)

Right.

Kelly (42:03)

You will need to be thinking about that more.

Liz (42:05)

Yeah.

Kelly (42:05)

And just pack strategically. So like I've been kind of toying around the idea of like possibly getting a new car. Like, I'm just like lightly thinking about it. And I think I have decided that if I do end up getting a new car, like a new Expedition, I don't think I'm going to get the extended wheelbase, which is like kind of.

Liz (42:20)

This is interesting. You told me this the other day, which.

Kelly (42:24)

So I. And this is, you know, this. We also talked about this with Merrick a lot. I think the difference between the short and extended wheelbase is night and day. I think it's a bigger. I, I personally feel like it's a bigger jump from going to like, I think the traverse to the Tahoe feels less big than going from the Tahoe to the Suburban. Like the length that, that adds. It affects the drive so much. It affects the parking so much. It affects if it can fit in your garage. It's. That's when it just feels like a school bus. And I'm just really tired of driving a school bus. And I don't think I need that much trunk space for a couple of reasons.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (43:02)

One,

Kelly (43:05)

I have the Mockingbird stroller, can fit like with. In the regular one, I'm never doing a Costco haul and a stroller, I'm putting them in the carts. Like if we're going somewhere where I'm taking a stroller, that's like the only item I'm taking. I also feel like I just don't need the trunk space. Yeah, no, it's.

Liz (43:26)

It's crazy how. And that's because I think if you had three kids you would say I need the extended. And I think because you have four kids, you're already taking two cars a lot of the time with like, with Tyler's.

Kelly (43:39)

So that's the thing. So we take like, if we go on a road trip outside of like, like a far road trip. Like when we go to the lake though, we take two cars because Holler likes to bring all of his tools. He likes to have his truck and then we have the dog. So we're just kind of like becoming a two car family for road trips.

Liz (43:57)

Yeah.

Kelly (43:58)

And I just think I would really. And I'm. And also like, I like to drive together. I'm also fine to like just drive separately if we have to. Like even just like if we're going down Tyler's parents house and we have to drive separately like whatever like, he's always just.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (44:08)

We're just.

Kelly (44:09)

We're in two cars a lot more ever since we had four kids.

Liz (44:12)

That's what I mean. Like, I think if you had less kids than the extended would actually make sense for you. But because you're already such a big family and you guys have so much stuff, like, you're taking two cars anyway.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (44:22)

Yeah.

Kelly (44:22)

I mean, we are between the dog and the au pair. Like, if we're all going somewhere, like, we're just. We're in two cars. We just are.

Liz (44:28)

Yeah.

Kelly (44:28)

So I'm.

Liz (44:29)

And that's your lifestyle. Like, and this is another reason why the car mom exists. Because you just can't have a blanket statement like, this is the best family car. Because everyone uses their family cars for different. They have different lifestyles. Like, Maddie and I will avoid anything to have to drive separately. That's not to say we won't get there eventually, because we could be, like, in the same space that you guys are in. But I also think there's a lot of families who have four kids. Kids who don't take two cars everywhere.

Sponsor/Ad Voice (44:54)

Yeah.

Liz (44:54)

Like, it's just. That's your lifestyle.

Kelly (44:56)

Yeah.

Liz (44:57)

So anyway, Kel, do you have any industry news today?

Kelly (45:02)

Well, that was kind of it.

Liz (45:03)

Okay. No, I think it was a good one. I think it was a good one. Okay, well, are you ready for ditch the drive through where we give you

Kelly (45:14)

an easy dinner recipe to mix it up to get you out of your dinner rut.

Liz (45:18)

Here's what I'm making tonight for dinner. And I have been so into. I love Instagram's new AI search features. It's not that new. It's been up for a while, but I love being able to search family friendly dinners and just so many reels pop up because I have to see it and I want to see how hard it was to me.

Kelly (45:34)

We know you're a visual eater.

Liz (45:36)

Yeah. Kelly, I literally, like, opened my Instagram app today. My entire for you page is just mukbangs. Like, it's just food. Like, I have.

Kelly (45:43)

I would love to see your hand at a mukbang. Like, could you start filming some cal?

Liz (45:47)

I mean, I already feel like I'm really burying my entire soul to the Internet right now. I don't know if I need. They need to, like, see me eating.

Kelly (45:53)

Okay, that's fine. I just. I agree. I like them. I like watching mukbangs.

Liz (45:57)

I'll leave to the professionals. Like, I don't think anyone, like, wants to. Like, I don't know how to do it because they, they do. They get the good cheese pulls like they do the sauce. Like I tried when we had smaller Sam on our podcast, I like tried asking her how she films in her car. Cuz she gets sauce what seems like everywhere. Like, I can only imagine she has like a tarp.

Kelly (46:14)

Yeah, she totally has a tarp.

Liz (46:16)

But like, how is it not making noise? And I was like, how do you do it? And she's like, that's one secret I'll never tell.

Kelly (46:21)

So anyway, I would say like those. It's almost like I would almost just. I would, I would describe them as artists because, like to make food look beautiful and then like, like, like the same way that we make cars look beautiful when we're filming, like they are making the food look beautiful.

Liz (46:41)

My favorite, some of my favorite reels are it's like a regular person eating like a burrito and they just like take a bite of it and it's like a food creator eating a burrito and it's like they pour like three layers of sauce on it and like take the biggest bite.

Kelly (46:54)

Yeah, no, it's artistic.

Liz (46:56)

It is. So anyway, sorry, what am I making for dinner? This is what I found for dinner tonight. I'm kind of taking a spin on burgers and I'm doing like one of those. What do they call it? You take like the dinner rolls and then you cook ground beef and then you put the ground beef on the dinner rolls and then you top it with cheese and then you like bake it in the oven. And it's kind of like a burger bake, but they're not burgers because it's like ground beef on like dinner rolls. So that's what I'm doing. I need to find a fabulous sauce for it, obviously, because I. Whoever made it, fabulous sauce with it. And that's. That's kind of my whole driving point.

Kelly (47:40)

Are you just gonna do like a, like a burger sauce or something?

Liz (47:42)

Yeah, probably just like the Trader Joe's burger sauce, because I have it and

Kelly (47:46)

you know what I like to do sometimes? I've been really into like thinning my sauces out lately because that like, that makes it. Then you're getting it on more of the items. Like you should thin it out with like little pickle juice. So it's like more of like a.

Liz (47:58)

I was thinking about literally my side for me being like just pickles because like how delicious.

Kelly (48:04)

That's so delicious. That sounds so good. What am. Oh, I. Well, I made my chicken tortilla soup. We ate on that for two days. Last night we had muskos. Today I have a chuck roast that it's 10am and I haven't put it in the crock pot yet. So pray for me. I'm probably gonna cook it on high and see if I can get it together for supper tonight.

Liz (48:24)

I talked about that sauce last week, how my pasta sauce that I like to make if I don't want to do marinara is like the vodka. The vodka sauce like heavy cream. And when you make a chuck roast, like day two, your chuck roast, making like a vodka pasta and mixing the meat in there is a delicious combination. That's like such a good way to use day two chuck roast when you don't want, like, a sandwich or whatever else.

Kelly (48:50)

So that's why I think I'm just going to cook it with, like, light seasonings and then we actually might do like a Mexican variety tonight. But I think I'm going to split the chuck roast, you know?

Liz (48:57)

Yeah, no, that's a good idea. Okay, guys. And so that's going to be our episode.

Kelly (49:03)

Yeah, it is.

Liz (49:04)

Oh, also, like, we're recording this not on Friday. So you're not actually eating that tonight for dinner. You're gonna.

Kelly (49:12)

No, I'm going to a fish Friday.

Liz (49:13)

Oh, shoot. We probably should have done a fish friendly or a Lent friendly ditch to drive through.

Kelly (49:20)

Well, I say go to your local Catholic church and support a fish fry.

Liz (49:22)

Or Culver's. We went to Culver's last week.

Kelly (49:25)

Culver's.

Liz (49:25)

Because they have a really good Lenten menu. Like, they add like three different types of fish. It was.

Kelly (49:33)

No, it's unbelievable.

Liz (49:35)

We went to a random culver at like 6:30pm last week. I mean, we had to wait like 30 minutes for our food.

Kelly (49:45)

Yeah. That's crazy.

Liz (49:46)

It's crazy. It was so, so packed. I've never seen a fast food restaurant so packed. So also, you go to Culver's.

Kelly (49:53)

Love that.

Liz (49:53)

So with that, that's your episode.

Kelly (49:55)

That is gonna be our episode. So thank you guys so much. Listen to the carpool podcast. We will see you on Wednesday. Have a fabulous weekend.

Liz (50:00)

Bye.

Kelly (50:01)

Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody. You know, there's room in the car for.