BRING BACK THE VW BUG

Summary

Episode Summary: BRING BACK THE VW BUG
The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz
Release Date: March 6, 2025

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In the BRING BACK THE VW BUG episode of The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz, hosts Kelly Stumpe and Lizz St. John journey through a blend of nostalgic automotive discussions, heartfelt parenting anecdotes, and lighthearted sisterly banter. This episode masterfully intertwines their expertise in the auto industry with personal stories, creating an engaging narrative that resonates with both car enthusiasts and parents alike.

1. Childhood Memories and Imaginary Siblings [01:05 - 03:05]

The episode opens with Kelly and Lizz delving into their childhood antics, reminiscing about playing in their backyard and creating imaginary older brothers to add a touch of drama to their lives.

• Kelly [02:01]:
  “No, honestly, I don't know if this is my earliest memory, but I have such a distinct memory...where you and I were playing in our backyard.”

• Lizz [02:43]:
  “I don't have a brother. What are brothers?”

They humorously explore why they invented mean imaginary siblings, attributing it to a need for added excitement in a trauma-free upbringing.

2. Upcoming Vacation Plans [05:29 - 06:21]

Shifting gears from nostalgia to future plans, Kelly and Lizz share their excitement about an upcoming family vacation to Arizona. They discuss traveling with grandparents and the practicalities of bringing along vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV and Hyundai Santa Fe.

• Lizz [05:29]:
  “We're going to AZ. It's going to be a blast. Tyler's parents are going with us and they're very helpful.”

• Kelly [06:21]:
  “And dad's like, well, it wasn’t selling. So he's like, well, I guess I'll just ship it to Arizona.”

3. Discontinued Cars and Their Potential Revivals [06:44 - 12:09]

A central theme of the episode revolves around beloved car models that have been discontinued. Kelly and Lizz passionately advocate for the return of iconic vehicles, especially in electric formats.

• Lizz [06:44]:
  “The Hummer was such a moment. The Hummer walked so the Bronco could run.”

• Kelly [07:09]:
  “It was just a total gas guzzler, wasn't it? The environment... that's why she kind of got the boot.”

They discuss the Ford Excursion and the Volkswagen Beetle, highlighting their cultural significance and potential in the modern EV market.

• Lizz [10:13]:
  “But I would love to see the Beetle, and I predict the Beetle will come back in an electric version.”

• Kelly [10:47]:
  “I drove one as a demo. Loved it.”

4. Parenting Challenges: Sleep Training and Criticisms [14:07 - 21:32]

The conversation takes a deeper turn as Kelly opens up about her struggles with sleep training her children. She addresses the pervasive criticisms and societal pressures parents face regarding sleep practices.

• Kelly [14:07]:
  “I just really don't think that I thrive in motherhood surrounding sleep. My kids are never good nappers...I just don't think that I thrive in motherhood surrounding sleep.”

• Lizz [16:55]:
  “Being a parent is showing up every single day and pouring into your kids.”

They emphasize the importance of trusting one's instincts and focusing on consistent, daily care over isolated parenting decisions.

5. Lessons from Their Father: Asking Questions and Staying Focused [26:44 - 32:34]

Kelly and Lizz share impactful stories from their father, who owns a Volkswagen dealership. These anecdotes underscore valuable life lessons such as the importance of curiosity and maintaining focus in business.

• Lizz [26:44]:
  “Do you want to hear the story or the lesson I've learned from this?”

• Kelly [26:57]:
  “Don’t be afraid to ask questions... Always be learning.”

• Lizz [28:29]:
  “Stick to what you know. Stick to your business. Stay focused.”

These stories highlight their father's humility and dedication, serving as guiding principles for Kelly and Lizz in both their personal and professional lives.

6. Teaching Their Children Through Storytelling [32:34 - 37:45]

The hosts discuss the significance of sharing personal stories with their children to impart lessons and create lasting memories. They believe that real-life stories resonate more deeply with kids compared to generic advice.

• Kelly [30:32]:
  “Here's what happened today...they just know what's gonna stick with them.”

• Lizz [31:10]:
  “Maybe tell them about our imaginary world.”

They advocate for narrative-driven teaching, where experiences are shared in the form of relatable stories.

7. Random Fact: Left-Handedness [37:45 - 40:02]

Injecting a bit of fun into the episode, Kelly presents a random fact about left-handedness, sparking a playful discussion about their children's handedness and its implications.

• Kelly [37:53]:
  “About 90% of the population is right-handed. The remaining 10% are either left-handed or some degree of ambidextrous.”

• Lizz [39:12]:
  “Tyler thinks he's ambidextrous. And Fred seems to be left-handed dominant.”

8. Mud Kitchen Project for Their Kids [35:00 - 38:15]

Kelly and Lizz share their plans to set up a mud kitchen for their children, George and Hattie. They discuss the challenges of finding durable, commercial-grade equipment and brainstorm creative ideas to enhance their kids' imaginative play.

• Lizz [35:19]:
  “I am ready to get a mud kitchen... I want an industrial grade commercial kitchen.”

• Kelly [36:00]:
  “There's no hay bales to be painting...it's like his summer thing.”

9. Cooking Adventures and Family Dynamics [42:07 - 45:58]

The episode concludes with the sisters sharing amusing stories about their cooking endeavors and family interactions, highlighting the balance between their professional interests and personal lives.

• Kelly [42:07]:
  “What am I making for dinner tonight that I'm really excited about? A chicken bacon ranch bowl.”

• Lizz [45:20]:
  “I'm trying to get Tyler to gain a little weight...added some salt and butter for you.”

Notable Quotes:

• Kelly [02:01]:
  “I have such a distinct memory...playing in our backyard.”

• Lizz [06:44]:
  “The Hummer was such a moment. The Hummer walked so the Bronco could run.”

• Lizz [10:13]:
  “I would love to see the Beetle, and I predict the Beetle will come back in an electric version.”

• Lizz [26:44]:
  “Do you want to hear the story or the lesson I've learned from this?”

• Kelly [26:57]:
  “Don’t be afraid to ask questions... Always be learning.”

• Kelly [30:32]:
  “Here's what happened today...they just know what's gonna stick with them.”

Conclusion:

In this episode, Kelly and Lizz seamlessly blend their passion for automobiles with their experiences as parents, offering listeners a rich tapestry of discussions that are both informative and deeply personal. From advocating for the revival of classic cars to navigating the complexities of modern parenting, The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz delivers an episode filled with laughter, insight, and heartfelt moments. Whether you're a car enthusiast or a parent seeking relatable stories, this episode has something for everyone.

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Note: Advertisements and promotional segments were omitted to focus solely on the episode's core content.

Transcript

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[Liz]

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[Kelly]

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[Liz]

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[Kelly]

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[Kelly]

Welcome to the Carpool podcast with Kelly.

[Liz]

Where is the Volkswagen Bug? Why did she ever leave? And like Volkswagen people were doing punch buggies like it was such a cultural. We were all part of it.

[Kelly]

And Liz, I need my handheld. I need to be able to text someone to confirm that I am not doing something so horribly wrong. And I just really don't think that I thrive in motherhood surrounding sleep. Your mom time off Start now.

[Liz]

Welcome back to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly and Liz. Hey Liz.

[Kelly]

Hey Kel. How are you?

[Liz]

Well, I'm good. I don't think I've spoke well, I guess I have spoken on the last episode, but I am like going to Arizona soon. Yeah, family vacay. I think I told you. Like I saw that this reel that one time when it was like like 90 of children's earliest memories are on vacation. What is your earliest memory and was it on vacation?

[Kelly]

No, honestly, I don't know if this is my earliest memory, but I have such a distinct memory and I don't know how old we are, but it feels like one of my earliest where you and I were playing in our backyard. Do you remember that really big tree in our backyard at our old house? And we had imaginary friends. Except our imaginary friends were imaginary older brothers and for some reason we each had a different. Like we weren't related. Like I had an imaginary older brother and you had an imaginary older brother but they were like mean to us.

[Liz]

What was that about?

[Kelly]

I don't know.

[Liz]

Like what weird trauma were we were we like made our imaginary friends were our enemies.

[Kelly]

I Think it was the lack of trauma in our life, and we were trying to, like, create, like, we needed some drama. We're like, there's. It's just me and my sister. We're best friends. We have, you know, we're fed, we're well rested. Like, we have no trauma. So let's create these imaginary older brothers that are gonna, like, beat up on us.

[Liz]

You. Oh, when you always want the sibling combo. You don't have, like, how badly did I want an older brother growing up?

[Kelly]

Well, and now that we both have oldest sons, I have, like, no idea what the older brother. And our. Our husbands are younger brothers as well. We don't know what the older brother dynamic is supposed to look like.

[Liz]

And I'm so excited for the George and Fred of it all, because our brother didn't have a brother. Tyler didn't have a brother.

[Kelly]

I don't have a brother.

[Liz]

What are brothers?

[Kelly]

What are. I don't know what a brother relationship is supposed to look like.

[Liz]

Yeah, I'm. My kids, like, literally, they. They're going to have to make up some sort of imaginary friends for trauma too, because the fact that they each have a brother and each have a sister, they're so blessed.

[Kelly]

Mm.

[Liz]

I mean, that's a winner. Winner, chicken dinner.

[Kelly]

What do you think is your earliest memory?

[Liz]

I remember a lot at our preschool. Did you go to the same preschool as me?

[Kelly]

I don't know. Probably Salem. I don't remember.

[Liz]

I remember a lot at preschool. I remember it was the first time. This is like, this is just an early memory, but there was a kid who was allergic to peanuts, and mom packed me a peanut butter and jelly every day. So, like, I couldn't sit at the peanut free table. And, like, the peanut free table was, like, the table to be at. And I was. I remember being like, I wish I had turkey. And I remember this one mom. Mom. This one mom used to cut this kid's apple. So cool. I need to call mom and see if she remembers this, because I'd always be like, mom, please cut the apple. Like Tiffany's mom.

[Kelly]

Oh, so you do have trauma, though.

[Liz]

No, for sure.

[Kelly]

No. Like, because you were at the peanut free, you couldn't set the peanut free table.

[Liz]

I couldn't.

[Kelly]

Your apple was taught like a nerd.

[Liz]

And this girl, like, her mom would cut her, like, cut her apple and, like, put it back together. And I think, like, she must have, like, a rubber banded or something. And then Tiffany would just, like, squeeze it and, like, her apple slices would come out.

[Kelly]

That's cool.

[Liz]

It was super innovative. And I led like, you know, I was like this loser with like peanut butter and like a pouch. Like an applesauce. Not even pouches, like just a regular applesauce. Like a whole apple. Can you imagine being in preschool and having to have a whole ass apple?

[Kelly]

Oh my gosh. You just cussed.

[Liz]

Yeah, I did.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

You know, so I remember that. I do remember a lot of vacations, though.

[Kelly]

I remember a lot of vacations. Yeah.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

So anyway, stumpies are going on vacation.

[Liz]

We're going to az. It's going to be a blast. Tyler's parents are going with us and they're very helpful.

[Kelly]

Love, love it when grandparents go with you on vacation.

[Liz]

Yeah. To quote my mother in law, she goes, I want to be your babysitter, Vi t and I want you to just have fun. Like, that's a Barb Stompy quote right there.

[Kelly]

Barb is Barb the babysitting baddie.

[Liz]

Baddie. So anyway, I'm excited. So that's where. That's where we'll be. You know, we'll be in the Santa Fe, so we'll be creating some content. And so also the. So there's also a car. So our parents have a, have a place there that. So they also have a car there. And the car that they have there is a GMC Hummer ev, which is like so random. I'm pretty sure it was like, it was like a trade in at the BMW store.

[Kelly]

And dad's like, well, it like wasn't selling.

[Liz]

It like wasn't selling. So he's like, well, I guess I'll just ship it to Arizona. So like, that's at Arizona. So we'll have the GMC Hummer EV and the Hyundai Santa Fe. But I was thinking about the Hummer. And I was thinking about like a topic that we've never discussed, which I would like to discuss with you is cars that they stopped making and cars I want them to bring back.

[Kelly]

Mm.

[Liz]

So a Hummer. The Hummer was such, it was such a moment. The Hummer walked so the Bronco could run. And that's what I want to say about that.

[Kelly]

It was just a total gas guzzler, wasn't it? Like, environment, like it wasn't environmentally friendly. And that's why she kind of got the boot.

[Liz]

That's why she got the boot. Yeah. So it was also like just like kind of during a bad time because, like, I'm pretty sure like they went around. They went away during like 2008, which is like the economy kind of crashed. I also just don't think they were very reliable. Yeah, this says in 2009, GM went bankrupt.

[Kelly]

Okay. Yeah. So that sounds about the time it.

[Liz]

Was large, expensive, and extremely thirsty for gas. I just think it's like the juxtaposition of them. Them bringing the Hummer nameplate back on an ev. That's kind of stupid when you kind of, like, boil it down to what it's intended for.

[Kelly]

Huh?

[Liz]

Like, it's this giant ev.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But remember, they can't give you. But remember, General Motors can't give you a hybrid Suburban. So just remember that. They can't even give you a hybrid Traverse.

[Kelly]

No. And it. There seems to be this comeback into the EV world. I mean, look at the buzz.

[Liz]

Look at the buzz.

[Kelly]

It's giving Hummer ev.

[Liz]

And look at the Scout. Like, so they're bringing these cars back, and they're bringing them back as EVs, which I find interesting. And I'll never forget, like, that conversation we had with that guy from Kia when. And it's kind of like we were talking about the last episode with Carvana, too. It's like, you pay so much money for this name and this. You market this name so much. Like, it probably makes more sense for them just to bring back a car with a name than it does for them to come out with a new car.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

But anyway, another car. I would love for them to bring her back. I don't even know if you're gonna know what this car is. It's a Ford.

[Kelly]

Okay. I'm gonna Google it.

[Liz]

It's the Ford Excursion.

[Kelly]

Ford.

[Liz]

People had Ford Excursions.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah.

[Liz]

Yes. And there's, like, this AI image going around, like, of the Ford Excursion making a comeback for 2025. But, like, that's not. That's not. I have not heard anything officially. And it's just like.

[Kelly]

It's kind of.

[Liz]

It's like AIs found, like, the car market now. They're, like, making fake cars.

[Kelly]

Yeah. Here's the thing. I'm looking at, like, a Ford Excursion looks like it was in the 2000, early 2000s. I want them to bring it back. Bring it back in EV, but, like, make it look like a 2005. Like, all the buttons, the wood. I want the shifter to be, like, by the steering wheel. Like, I want it to look like. I want it to look like it's fresh out of 2004.

[Liz]

Really?

[Kelly]

But it's an EV. Yeah.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

I think that's something different. No one's doing that okay. Everyone's going sleek. I think it would be interesting. Anyway.

[Liz]

I have one more car.

[Kelly]

Oh, okay. Sorry, Go ahead.

[Liz]

I have one more car and I want to make a prediction here live on the podcast. I don't think the Excursion will come back, to be honest with you. I don't. I don't think the Hummer will come back in any more of a capacity than it will come back. Where is the Volkswagen Bug?

[Kelly]

Yeah, totally. Why did she ever leave?

[Liz]

Why did she ever leave in, like, Volkswagen, people were doing punch buggies. Like, it was such a cultural. It was a cultural. We were all part of it. We were all doing punch buggy. We were all doing that. And then they took it away. And I think they. And if there was ever a car to come back as an ev, I do feel as though it could be the Bug.

[Kelly]

I totally agree. When did it.

[Liz]

So let me tell you, when did.

[Kelly]

They start making it?

[Liz]

Here's the history. So the first One was in 1938. It was sold in the United States from 1950 to 1979. It was redesigned in 98. It was then again redesigned in 2011 and it was done in 2019.

[Kelly]

I loved it. I drove one as a demo. Loved it.

[Liz]

I drove one as a demo.

[Kelly]

I also think that Volkswagen has really cornered the market on having cutesy tootsie cars. And because they have the buzz. Cutesy Tootsie. The Beetle. Cutesy tootsie. No one else can, like, come out with something like that except for Volkswagen. And maybe if we, since we are seeing the buzz, maybe, maybe that's on the horizon for them, I think it would be a good move.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

You know, don't make a ton.

[Liz]

It's also called the Beetle and like Bug is like, it's not called. It's called the Volkswagen Beetle.

[Kelly]

Just so everyone knows it is the Beetle. Um, I don't know.

[Liz]

I'm just like, precious. I'm just like, where is it? Could it come back?

[Kelly]

Would love to see it.

[Liz]

I would love to see the Beetle and I, I predict the Beetle will come back in an electric version. I really do believe that knowing the.

[Kelly]

Knowing the car companies, it's going to be the electric Beetle for off roading on Proto. That's what it's going to be.

[Liz]

Can you imagine?

[Kelly]

Can you imagine?

[Liz]

Anyway, just like, things to think about because I was, I was, I was. I loved that segment. We did that one time when it was like, is it real and is it fake? And we had like the Lincoln Mark and the GMC Jimmy, that was just Like a fun time to be alive. So anyway, I'll. I'm going to. I'm going to do a little more digging and figure out what the deal with the Beetle is.

[Kelly]

Okay, Well, I think that you have done all the digging to do. Right. Because I don't think that there's any new news on that. But I will be so excited for when they're still bring it back.

[Liz]

If you could own any vintage car, which vintage car would you own?

[Kelly]

Oh, gosh, I don't know.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

I don't know. I don't know enough about vintage cars.

[Liz]

Yeah, I don't really either. I guess I would just like, if I could. I mean, I think like an old Bronco would be really cool. That just sounds so basic.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I don't know. I'd have to. I'd have to think on that. You can't. You can't spring that on me. Anyway, while you are on vacation, I'm just kind of gonna. I guess I get a vacation too, you know, like. But what I'm doing this week is I'm sleep training, so it's not really a vacation. And I sleep. Did sleep training with James. I use. People ask me all the time who I use. I use Molly. Oh, gosh, I can never. I don't know how to say her last name. Molly Tart. Doug Tartaglia. Molly T, A R, T A G L, I A. And I. I did sleep training with James and I loved it and it was very effective. And now I feel like I'm actually in an even worse spot with Sloan and I. What I need is I need someone to hold my hand. I need my handheld. I need to be able to text someone to confirm that I am not doing something so horribly wrong. And I just really don't think that I thrive in motherhood surrounding sleep. Like, my kids are never good nappers. I don't understand sleep. Like, I just. I'm. I thrive in other areas. Sleep is where I just totally fail. So that's what I'm doing. And I just think it's so interesting. It really bothers me when I see people, you know, on the Internet and they're like, well, if you sleep train your children, then they're going to be forever scarred and they feel separation from you. And also. But you shouldn't co sleep because if you co sleep, then you're going to do X, Y and Z. And if you do this and that. And it's so much about what we're doing when they're like infants and how if we let them cry in their crib, that's going to emotionally scar them for the rest of their lives. And it's like why aren't we talking about everything that we're doing from like their first memory onward? Like it's so, and I'm sure it's the content. I'm being fed because it's so. I'm so like infant heavy because that's where I'm at in life. But like what, whether or not you choose to let your child cry in their crib or not, I'm no doctor, I don't think that that is going to be what gives them trauma or not. And I just don't think we spend enough time talking about everything, every other decision that parents are making every single day to love and take care of their children and ensure their safety and their well being and their comfort. And it's like, well, if you only your kid cried out, you're the worst.

[Liz]

Well, and like there's so much, sometimes I think in the parenting space there's not enough accountability on the things that are, that are more important. Like it's so much accountability on, you know, doing the most when they're young and when they're babies. And there's all these like it's, there's all these talks about like what's the safest, what's the best and then there's just like less of an appetite for it I guess like when the kids get older or it's more taboo to talk about. Like, I mean I can't tell you how many times even I hear like these, these super safe sleep people are like, whoever are these like are all about this in the baby stage. And then like they're sometimes, sometimes. And I'm not the same ones like you know, flipping their two year old forward facing and it's like then like that like so it's like so it's like you sometimes so people just have different hot buttons and But I, I agree with you. I think that it's, I think being a parent is showing up every single day and pouring into your kids.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And it's not just like the couple months are teaching them to sleep train. Like are you. Yeah. I mean are you also like scrolling your phone when your toddler when your 4 year old asks you a question every time?

[Kelly]

Right.

[Liz]

Is that like the same sense of, of abandonment?

[Kelly]

Right, exactly. Because say what you will about me deciding to sleep train my child, you have no idea. The love and care and comfort and other areas that I'M checking in on them to make sure that they feel nothing but love and comfort. And people just love to see things as black and white in the baby space. And it's. And I think that. I think the reason there's not so much of an appetite in, like, the older areas, because there is a lot more of a gray area, because children develop differently at different ages. And, you know, toddlers, there's kind of more unpredictable. So I think people try and, like, control the baby space, but babies are unpredictable. People's environments and their parenthood and them, as people are unpredictable. So you just. You can't. You can't put everything in this black and white space.

[Liz]

Totally. And I also think it just goes back to centering yourselves. Like, on my story today, I was trying to make the point which most people are, like, understanding, but I was trying to. I had a consultation.

[Kelly]

Just.

[Liz]

I'm summarize it real quick. I had a consultation, and. And the mom was like, well, I need to throw SUV because, you know, sometimes I have to take other kids home from soccer. And, like, this girl, I could tell, like, she was. She was. It just everything felt like it was stretched. Like, her budget was being stretched. Everything was being stretched. And I'm like, do you need to take those kids home from soccer? Or can you just tell the mom you can't. You don't have a big enough car? And I'm just, like, trying to make the point that, like, sometimes, like, you can just. You can say no to these kinds of things. And the people were just like, this would never work. Like, my kids couldn't do. It's like, okay, that's your kids, though. Like, I'm just. I'm just asking you to, like, try to, like, I'm. I'm actually telling you to center yourself in what I'm saying. And if it doesn't apply to you, then I'm telling you to let that go. But to some people, like, they need to center themselves in that and say, oh, that does apply to me. And that is a different way to think of this. And I'm gonna run with that. Yeah, it's just. It's just hard. And it's almost like the new version. Like, I feel like, you know, in the olden days. By the old days, I mean, like, the 90s or whatever. 90s, 70s through 90s. Even earlier, like, moms couldn't talk about how hard it was because, like, it just was very taboo to talk about that. And now it's like we're on the opposite End of the spectrum where, like, you're supposed to talk about how hard it is all the time and also do it to, like, this level of excellence because, like, here is what you're supposed to do. And, like, I just feel like the other moms, like, didn't know what they were supposed to do. Everyone was just kind of winging it. And I feel like now we don't wing it or. And by winging, I even mean, like, trust our guts as moms enough because we're so into, like, all of this information being fed to us.

[Kelly]

I think that that is so true. Yeah.

[Liz]

It's, like, very profound, what I just said.

[Kelly]

It's very profound. You are not trusting our instincts because we're relying too heavily on Google.

[Liz]

Yeah. Instead of just. And everyone's always like, trust your mom gut. Trust your mom gut. And, like, one thing about my mom got. She's never failed me. And I think that just also kind of comes with, like, the confidence of. Of being a new mom or the confidence of, like, being a mom of multiple K. You also just realize the crap that doesn't matter. I mean, so much stuff just doesn't matter. And there's so many things that, like, it's so funny when new moms ask me, so when do you start doing this? And I'm literally like, no, I have no idea.

[Kelly]

Yeah, no.

[Liz]

Or like, have you done this four times? You're like, yeah, just kind of. You just figured it out.

[Kelly]

I was like, oh, well, every stage. And I'm just sounding like a broken record, but it's like, every stage is so short, but, like, in the moment, it feels like it's all that you have going on. And you're like, I will never forget that James started rolling at this time because this is the biggest, most monumental thing to ever happen to me. And then it's gone in a blip. And now he's doing something else. And I couldn't tell you when he started rolling. I'm, like, scrolling through my photos to try and figure out when he started rolling to compare to Sloan, and I have no idea.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

But so much of it. I've had a lot of my friends send me their, like, registries to review and some stuff. I'm like, you genuinely, like, you don't need this. Or, like, this is a waste of money, or this is on. This is, you know, just unsafe or whatever. Some stuff. I'm like, I know they're not going to use that, but they just need to learn that for themselves, and maybe they will I mean, who am I to say just because I didn't, that doesn't mean that they won't. So there's so much of it that I want to be helpful to new moms when they ask me stuff, but I'm also like, you just kind of have to go on the journey for yourself.

[Liz]

Yeah, I agree because, and I, I felt that way like when you would ask me certain things because, like, it's just whatever your comfort level is. And I just do think we all have different, different things.

[Kelly]

Totally. Today's episode is brought to you by Clean Simple Eats. It's no secret that we love Clean Simple Eats. I have one of their products daily. Between their protein powders, their collagen powder, their hydration powder, their canned drinks, their kids protein, someone in my family is eating Clean Simple Eats on a daily basis. And we love Clean Simple Eats because their protein powder is grass fed with no seed oils or artificial ingredients. It's third party tested, non GMO and gluten free and each serving has 20 grams of protein. It's so hard to get your protein in every day, so having it in my oatmeal or in my smoothie or in a shake has really helped me meet my goals. So you can visit cleansimpleats.com and use code CARPOOL10 at checkout for 10% off your order. That's cleansimpleats.com code CARPOOL10 for 10% off your order. The link is in the show notes. Today's episode is brought to you by Every Plate. Guys, I'll be honest, I have not been mixing it up to get me out of my dinner rut. I am in such a dinner rut. I'm making the same stuff, I'm buying the same stuff in the grocery store. I've just really been uninspired. Which is why I'm really excited to have found Every Plate. Every Plate is a meal delivery service that allows you to choose from 27 delicious and affordable recipes each week. And then they deliver all the ingredients and the recipe to your door. And then you get to make a delicious meal for your family that changes it up from what you've been used to. Every Plate can help you dish up better habits with delicious, easy recipes delivered to your door, including New Calorie Smart Carb Smart and Protein smart options. So skip the store and enjoy wholesome homemade meals that cost less than groceries. Start with 50 off your first box with code CARPOOL50@every plate.com podcast Every Plate Offer valid with auto renewing subscription that's code. Carpool 50. You don't wake up dreaming of McDonald's fries. You wake up dreaming of McDonald's hash browns. McDonald's breakfast comes from first.

[Liz]

Speaking of, like, just. This is something I wanted to talk about today. But speaking of, you know, things that stick with your kids, I called dad today because I think sometimes as a parent, you don't. You don't know what's going to stick with your kids. Right.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And like, you, You. You never know. The scary part about raising children is you never know, like, what's going to be the memory. Like, I don't know if mom would feel very good. Like, mom probably, like, did a lot of great food things for me. And I'm pissed about the apple.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So, like, that's gotta hurt a little bit, you know? And so it's like, so, are George and Hattie gonna grow up? Like, I made all these meals and, like, is George gonna be mad because he remembers the one time I put cheese on a sandwich?

[Kelly]

Right. You know what I mean? Probably. Probably.

[Liz]

But I was thinking about. Our dad's a really good businessman. Like, that's. I mean, that's no secret. Like, I. Dad, I look up to him in business so much. And there's been, like, a couple of situations where dad has told me stories. And I think he was just telling me stories just, just, just for fun. But, like, the lessons I have learned for these two stories I apply to my business. Like, I think about them almost daily. And I told that I was like, I don't even know what these stories are, but, like, I refer to them daily in my life. And I just, like, want you to know that I'm going to tell you. I'm going to tell you, but I think also, just like, telling your kids, I think with kids. And what I'm going to try to do more of is it's the story, and it's the lesson that's in the story. It's not just the lesson. Okay.

[Kelly]

It's what? It's a parable. It's a parable, if you will.

[Liz]

It's a parable. Okay, so the first one is, do you want to hear the story or do you want to hear the lesson I've learned from this? Do you want to hear the story or the lesson I've learned from the story?

[Kelly]

First I want to hear the story, and then I want to. I want to try and see if I know the lesson you learned. Okay.

[Liz]

So dad tells this story about him being at a Volkswagen meeting. So our dad Owns a Volkswagen dealership.

[Kelly]

Oh, I know the story.

[Liz]

Okay, you know the story. And they were around this, like, it was. Like, it was a room full of dealers, and they were saying, like, you know, Volkswagen's tagline is das auto. I might have told the story before, but I'm gonna tell it again. They're tagline is das auto. And, like, you know, they. They say, like, oh, you know, daz auto. Like, it's German, whatever. And my dad raises his hand. He goes, what does das mean? And, like, everyone in the room laughs at him because it's like, you own a Volkswagen. It's das. Like, you don't know what das.

[Kelly]

You don't know what das auto means.

[Liz]

And my dad's like, no, it doesn't mean.

[Kelly]

It means he, like, asked. He, like, asked the other guys, like, oh, what do you know what it means? What does it mean? Yeah, like, no one knew.

[Liz]

No one knew. Like, none of the dealers actually knew what das auto meant. So it means the. The car. Das auto means the car in Germany. So that's the story. So what's my lesson that I've learned?

[Kelly]

The lesson is, is to not be afraid to ask questions and to, like, yeah, don't be afraid to ask questions. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. And you're always, like, always be learning. Don't let the fear of someone else thinking something about you prevent you from getting the answers or learning.

[Liz]

Exactly.

[Kelly]

And you're like, a lot of people in that room learn something because dad asked the question.

[Liz]

It's just taught me, like, I'm never scared or embarrassed to ask the question. And that really taught me that, because I think my dad is one of the smartest people I know. And that, I mean, you could make an argument like, he should have. Like, that's kind of silly that he didn't know that, but, like, he didn't know that one thing. My dad's also. Dad's also a horrible speller. He's probably worse than me. Doesn't slow him down. And he's just not embarrassed by it. And I loved the fact that my dad wasn't embarrassed to get up to a room full of dealers. My dad did not just own a Volkswagen store. This was not even that long ago. He's owned a store for years and just never thought, what does das auto mean? And he asked, and that's the first story. Second story is when they bought the BMW store, they bought it from, like, some. Some from some different owners, and the owner was like, the previous owner. Was like, oh, you know, like, every year through the business, we buy. We buy, like, really good Cardinals Cardinal baseball tickets. And then, you know, you can, like, resell them. You can give them to customers. Like, you know, but, like, let's. Let's. Let's make, like, make sure you buy those tickets. And dad says, yeah, I'm not in the baseball business. I'm in the car business. What's the lesson?

[Kelly]

Not to. I don't know. What's the lesson?

[Liz]

Like, stick to what you know, Stick to your business, stay focused. Like, this guy wanted, like, to buy the box tickets so, like, he could go, but, like, sometimes he, like, spend all this money through the dealership to buy these tickets. And Dad's like, yeah, that's just, like, not, like, how I make money, how I run business. Like, I buy and sell cars. It's like, stay narrowed down. I think about this two things all the time.

[Kelly]

Well, I also think that there's a lesson there that it's like, just because that's how someone else did it doesn't mean that's how you have to do it.

[Liz]

Yeah, both. But I just think sometimes when I'm now. And I don't think that applies to every aspect. I don't center myself in every part because I also think, like, my content can be a little bit more fluid. But I still think it's like, that's not what my dad knows how to do. Like, dad knows how to do this. Like, that's what he does almost to dad's fault. Because I would say, like, dad doesn't even, like, isn't even, like, that diverse and bit, like, I think other people of dad's level are, like, more diverse in their business. And, like, dad just does cars. Like, there's no side businesses. There's no, like, other investors. Like, it's all about the cars. That's what. Because that's what he's good at. That's what he does. So I love that also.

[Kelly]

Okay, so what are the lessons that your kids are gonna learn?

[Liz]

Well, I don't know. I don't know, but I think. And then, of course, you know, like, attitude is everything. Like, that's like a really big. That was like, a really big point.

[Kelly]

And I think that. I mean, you learned those lessons because he was very much leading by example, and he wasn't even leading by example when we were in the room. But I do think that there is something, like, if you were particularly proud of how you handled a situation and you would like your kids to do the Same thing. Then tell them the story. Like, here's what happened today. You know, the person in front of me couldn't. Couldn't pay for their. Their drink or whatever. So then I, you know, I paid for it because that was the right thing to do. And if, if you, if they just like hear these stories, you don't know what's gonna stick with them. But maybe that's like a real life example instead of just being like, you know, be nice and share your toys.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

It's like, here's what I'm doing and here's something that happened to me today.

[Liz]

Yeah, I agree. I just want to get in a good habit of like always sharing stories with my kids. Oh, I just want to get in a good habit of sharing stories with them because I just think it will stick more. And like, they. To this day, like every night, it's like, you want me to read a book? Or you may tell you a story of when I. When I was a little girl. And they always want to hear a story of when I was a little girl. Like, they're just obsessed and infatuated, like with real life stories with their real life characters. So. Yeah.

[Kelly]

So maybe tonight you can tell them about our imaginary.

[Liz]

Well, I think that might be a little hard. I could see that one going incredibly south.

[Kelly]

You know what would be a good story for you to tell them? I remember this. There was in grade school, there was a girl who was bullied, and no one's. So no one sat at the lunch table with her. Like, she had to be. She was like outcasted from the lunch table. And you went over and sat with her and you were the only one that sat with her.

[Liz]

Did I? Who was it?

[Kelly]

Yeah, I'm not gonna tell you.

[Liz]

Can you text me really fast? Just remember this? No, I don't remember. I mean, it sounds like something I would do because, you know, but no, I don't remember that. I just do I need to think of. Oh, I don't remember that.

[Kelly]

Yeah, she was like outcasted for that day and you went and sat with her.

[Liz]

Wow. I'm so, literally, I'm so brave.

[Kelly]

You, you, you were like, I know how this feels. When I was outcasted from the peanut free table. I won't let the same thing happen to this girl.

[Liz]

I need to think about this. I want to think about the stories that mom has told us because I know I've learned a ton from mom too. I just don't have them as to happen. I was thinking about those dad ones earlier today, which is why I brought it up. But I need to think about the mom ones, too, because, you know, I just.

[Kelly]

I mean, if everyone just needs a good list a re. Listen from mom's most recent episode. Like, I will never forget the story that she told when she was like, I saw Brad Pitt on the tv and, like, him and I were peers at the same time.

[Liz]

And I was a girl on camera. I know.

[Kelly]

She's like, I was supposed to be doing what he's doing. And I'm sitting here drenched in baby vomit and kids all over me, and he's on TV doing what my dream is. And then I realized that I'm doing the most important job. Chills every time.

[Liz]

Okay, cringe. Or not cringe. Should we get mom a photo shoot for her birthday?

[Kelly]

I think 100% we should.

[Liz]

I think we should, like, let her do the photo shoot experience that we did and, like, have her, like, suck it, Brad Pitt.

[Kelly]

You know what I mean? Suck it, Brad Pitt. Yeah. Because you know what? Like, we told our mom, like, the week of that we were doing this photo shoot. Didn't even cross our mind to tell her, to invite her. I had plans that day. I wanted to. I wanted to come and, like, watch it. And we're like, oh, sorry. We, like, didn't even think you'd want to do it. And then after I called her, I'm like, mom, it was so much fun. Like, you should do a photo shoot. You would love it. And she goes, I know. That was supposed to be me. We need to.

[Liz]

The humility of Chris. No, like, and mom would say this. Like, it's like, she was supposed to be the famous one. Then she marries dad. That's the famous one. Then she has these kids, and now we're like, the more famous ones. Like, it's disgusting. Like, she needs. I feel so bad.

[Kelly]

Justice for Chris.

[Liz]

Justice for Chris. I know you guys all love her, and she just has instead, like, just been. Everyone's on in her life's cheerleader. I think we should get her a photo shoot.

[Kelly]

Okay. Done.

[Liz]

Okay. We have to have dad go in on it with us.

[Kelly]

No, dad definitely needs going in on it. Really expensive.

[Liz]

Like, really expensive. Yeah, but I think dad would like the photos.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I think dad should get in some of the photos.

[Liz]

No, I think that.

[Kelly]

No, he needs, like. He needs to be in, like, one anyway. Okay, so let's start a gofundme.

[Liz]

Get Chris behind the camera. She would be. She would eat it. She'd eat it up with a Spam.

[Kelly]

Oh, she would eat it up. She would love it. The problem is she would want to do it, like, quarterly.

[Liz]

Well, and you know what? She has those resources. So if she wants.

[Kelly]

If that's so true, like, she.

[Liz]

Then do it quarterly, mom. Do it quarterly.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

The kids are grown. If you want to do a quarterly glam shot, like, go off.

[Kelly]

I'm here for it.

[Liz]

I'm here for it too. So anyway, that's finally last thing I wanted to talk about. Something like, we're working on, me and Tyler, for our kids. Hopefully they remember this as a core memory is I am ready to get a mud kitchen.

[Kelly]

I have been waiting for you to be ready to get a mud kitchen.

[Liz]

Yeah, but. And I was looking them up on Amazon, and they're just not the kelp. I'm thinking, like, commercial mud kitchen. Like, I don't want this little. Like, I want. My kids are rough on things. We simply can't do this. Like, $120 one from, like, the. The plywood from that ships from Amazon. Like, we need industrial grade commercial kitchen. Commercial outdoor kitchen.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So George and Hattie had been asking for a mud kitchen. I don't even know where they got the concept of a mud kitchen, but this is, like, such a good Tyler job. Like, it's just. So this is his creative outlet.

[Kelly]

So there's no hay bales to be painting. So a mud kitchen, that's kind of his summer thing. And I know hay bales to be.

[Liz]

Clean, but I want to hook a hose up to it, and then I'm gonna, like, go to, like, Goodwill and get a bunch of just kitchen crap, you know?

[Kelly]

Well, I was thinking, because I knew you guys, I know that this was gonna be on the cusp, and I am, like, getting ready to purge stuff. Like, do you want me to give you stuff?

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

I'm gonna start seeing no glass, obviously.

[Liz]

But, like, yeah, plastic. Like, whatever. And then I really. I. Did I tell you, like, I really want to do this is so not in my wheelhouse. But honestly, like, if someone wants to do it for me. Side hustle idea. Side hustle idea in the mud kitchen. Then, like, you get flat rocks and you paint food on them. Have you ever seen this?

[Kelly]

I have. So it would be, like, a cracked egg, and it would, like, be painted.

[Liz]

Like an egg, but it's just painted on a rock.

[Kelly]

Mm.

[Liz]

And I think that they use. Yeah, I think that.

[Kelly]

I think that sounds great.

[Liz]

I'd love to, like, live in a world where, like, I do that.

[Kelly]

Is it possible it's not. No, I know you. It's not possible like that. I'm sorry. No. It's so cute. But you would never do it ever.

[Liz]

I know. And you know what? It's just like how dad would never buy Cardinals tickets. Like, I don't need to be painting my kitchen food.

[Kelly]

No, I mean, honestly, the fact that you got your turkey done was like the biggest deal in the world. So I don't think you're going to seek out a flat rock, buy, paint, sit down and paint an orange peel orange half on a rock.

[Liz]

No, I don't think so either.

[Kelly]

But she would pay for it.

[Liz]

I would pay for it. So. Just things to think about. Things to think about.

[Kelly]

Things to think about. Okay. Cal. Well, I was just thinking it's been a minute since we've done a random fact and so I just did like.

[Liz]

Yeah, the.

[Kelly]

I'm feeling curious on Google and I'm like, what can we. What can we learn? And this is about being left handed. Right handed or ambidextrous? Dexterous spell? Ambidextrous.

[Liz]

A M, B I D E X.

[Kelly]

U R S. Kelly, you're so close. I wish everyone could have seen your face. You're trying to sound that out. You're really close. You. You got tripped up at the end.

[Liz]

Well, I always get all the letters right. I just always get them in the right order. But do you see how hard it was for me just to even get that far?

[Kelly]

Ambidextrous is a hard word. A M, B I D E X T R O U, s. Okay, about 90% of the population is right handed. The remaining 10% are either left handed or some degree of ambidextrous. Though people with true ambidexterity, meaning no dominant hand at all, only make up about 1% of the population.

[Liz]

Tyler thinks he's ambidextrous.

[Kelly]

Interesting.

[Liz]

And I guess he. I actually think Tyler was left handed, but I think that he was not, like, maybe like, allowed, like, right with his left hand growing up. Like, I don't really know. I need to, like, get to the bottom of that because he. He writes with his right hand, but he does everything else with his left.

[Kelly]

Interesting. I always think that.

[Liz]

And I think Fred's left handed too, by the way.

[Kelly]

Oh, really?

[Liz]

He. Fred seems to be left handed, dominant.

[Kelly]

It's a good practice to try and do things with your left hand. It just kind of gets your brain working in new ways. Like everyone tonight, if you're. Whatever your dominant hand is, try brushing your teeth with your Non dominant hand. You'll be amazed at how kind of hard it is to brush your teeth with your non dominant hand. And that's my random fact of the day.

[Liz]

Just like how like, I guess like growing up, it just comes down to like, I wanted. I was just so regular. Because, like, were you jealous of the left handed kids in your class?

[Kelly]

No.

[Liz]

Like the way I wanted glasses of peanut allergy or to be left handed. So freaking bad growing up. And I just had.

[Kelly]

Well, you know what? I had glasses. So maybe that's. Maybe that's.

[Liz]

I know. I was so jealous. I just had like, no, like, corks. I just like, was the. Except I was so tall. Tall. But I just wasn't quirky enough.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I'm still not. Yeah, you're just like so plain.

[Liz]

Except I'm having some vertigo lately. That's kind of my newest.

[Kelly]

Like, maybe that's the way Kelly has been experiencing vertigo symptoms today. And the way that she has. This is our big meeting day, so we've been on a lot, a lot of meetings. And how she's brought it up at every single meeting. Her vertigo, well, so apparent.

[Liz]

So we had the flu, and I think I now have an inner ear infection that's causing some vertigo. So anyway, I'm seeing my doctor, so, like, I'm on it. I'm sure by the time this podcast episode comes out, I'll even be feeling better. But no, I have vertigo.

[Kelly]

Can you spell vertigo?

[Liz]

Yeah, I think I could. I think it's an easy one. V, E, R, T, I, G, O.

[Kelly]

Yeah, he's Googled it a couple of times.

[Liz]

See, like that's supposed to be my thing. Like, I can't spell and now I'm learning how to spell. This sucks. Ah. During the luck.

[Kelly]

During the luck. All right, Cal, well, let's move on from your vertigo because I really can't hear you talk about it anymore.

[Liz]

No, totally. And let's go on a ditch that I've threw. There's no industry news. I'm sorry.

[Kelly]

Oh, there's no industry news. Okay.

[Liz]

There's no industry news. I have vertigo. So I can't, like, be scanning the Internet.

[Kelly]

She can't do anything.

[Liz]

And I thought we talked about. We. We did our car obligation.

[Kelly]

True. Check the box. To be considered an automotive podcast. Well, you know what I'm making for dinner tonight that I'm really excited about?

[Liz]

What?

[Kelly]

A chicken bacon ranch bowl.

[Liz]

We don't talk enough about that flavor profile. Like, the buffalo chicken gets all the love. Chicken bacon ranch. What?

[Kelly]

Chicken bacon ranch okay, is it the.

[Liz]

Midwest in or is this like a universal truth?

[Kelly]

I don't know. I started following Tasty Shreds, which he has like millions of followers, so he doesn't need my shout out. But his whole thing is he wanted to lose weight, but didn't want to lose the taste of the burgers and pizzas and chicken bacon ranches that he was eating. So he has dedicated his entire page to creating the food that he loved, but in a macro friendly way. And it's just, it's totally guy food, honestly. Like, everything is buffalo. Everything is served with a side of Mac and cheese, like pizza, burgers. It's just, it's guy food. And I've honestly been making too much food that only I would like and neglecting my husband too much. So I deter. I decided I was going to make something from Tasty Shreds. And this will be my first attempt at one of his recipes. But let me tell you what is in it because it looks excellent. Tasty Shreds. Tasty Shreds. Okay, so it's a bowl. So it has chicken and then like cubed potatoes, broccoli cheese, and bacon. You, like, put all of that in a bowl. The seasonings is Cajun paprika, ranch seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. And then he has his own like fat free ranch recipe. I'm using the ranch recipe that I already have. And you just, you put it all together and like, don't underestimate the power of just cubing some potatoes and putting that as a base and putting literally any meat over it. Chicken, steak, ground beef.

[Liz]

A potato is an underrated base.

[Kelly]

It's a very.

[Liz]

What's it called again? Shredded. What's his name?

[Kelly]

Tasty Shreds.

[Liz]

Oh, tasty.

[Kelly]

He has, let's see, Tasty Shreds. I, the other day, he has 2.1 million followers.

[Liz]

Oh, so we're peanuts to him. I, the other day was trying to make Tyler or I was making ground beef. And I, I've been liking. I know it's disgusting, but I've been liking my ground beef on a sweet potato with a little butter, honey and sea salt. Like, I think it's good. Whatever I'm discussing, I'm discussing human. I think it's good. But I then I had leftover just ground beef. So I was like, do you want. I was like, tyler, do you want this ground beef?

[Kelly]

He's like, sure.

[Liz]

I'm like, okay. There's no seasoning on it, so I'm gonna add some. I'll add some salt and butter for you. And he's like, okay. So I just added some salt, and I just, like. I chopped up some butter and, like, just put it on top. Like, whole butter, like, but, like, butter. Like butter pads. Yeah, like, four. He was like, this is so disgusting. I can't eat butter like this. I'm like, what do you mean you can't eat butter like this, you freaking weirdo. Like, you want to microwave it so it melts into it? Like, it's just adding. He literally took the butter off, put it on the side, and just ate the beef. He's.

[Kelly]

I know. Like, if I'm making something that I want to eat that requires ground beef, like, I did literally last night, I made bolognese. I just before I added all the tomatoes and sauce and everything in it, I just took out some ground beef, and that's what I gave Maddie for dinner. That's what I mean. I'm neglecting him.

[Liz]

Well, I'm trying to, like, get Tyler to gain a little weight. I'm trying to put some freaking butter on his ground beef. I really have to hide.

[Kelly]

Next time, Kel.

[Liz]

I'm like, tell her. I will take. Like, I'll take a date. Put butter in it, top it with sea. So I'll. I. I just like. But am I just a crazy person for just liking butter?

[Kelly]

No, I think Tyler's a crazy person for not liking it.

[Liz]

I think so too.

[Kelly]

But anyway, I think that's our episode. So, Cal, I hope you have a great trip. We will still have episodes coming out next week, even though Kelly will be gone. We've already recorded. Recorded them, so you're welcome. And that's our episode. So thank you so much for listening to the Carpool podcast, and we'll talk to you next time.

[Liz]

See ya.

[Kelly]

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 everyone. Ra.