I WANT TO BE A DAD ON MOTHER'S DAY

Summary

Summary of "I WANT TO BE A DAD ON MOTHER'S DAY" - The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

Release Date: April 24, 2025
Hosts: Kelly Stumpe and Lizz St. John
Podcast Title: The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

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1. Introduction to the Episode

In this heartfelt episode titled "I WANT TO BE A DAD ON MOTHER'S DAY," hosts Kelly Stumpe and Lizz St. John delve into the intricate balance of motherhood, personal growth, and the evolving dynamics of family life. Combining personal anecdotes with industry insights, the sisters offer listeners an engaging and relatable conversation.

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2. Personal Updates and Adjustments

Quitting Breastfeeding

Lizz opens up about her decision to quit breastfeeding, sharing the emotional journey and personal reflections behind this significant change.

• Lizz (04:08): "I think the emotions will kind of take a long time to process. I think so much of, like, having kids and getting done, and so much of it is, like, you don't always, like, also realize how much you'll miss it or how far you've come from that until later when you see somebody else doing it."

Kelly empathizes with Lizz's emotions, highlighting the universal struggle of savoring the present while anticipating change.

• Kelly (04:27): "You don't know you're in the good old days until you're in."

Spring Challenges

The conversation transitions to the challenges of springtime, particularly the mess and unpredictability it brings.

• Lizz (06:50): "We got so much rain, which means we have so much mud right now... I've found my kids are so messy, so I literally been making them eat their dinners outside because I just, like, can't handle the crumbs on the ground on my kitchen floor."

Kelly adds humor to the situation, emphasizing the logistics of managing family meals outdoors.

• Kelly (06:53): "Perfect. Kind of a house inside."

Podcast Schedule Changes

Kelly and Lizz announce a temporary shift in their podcasting schedule to accommodate summer activities and family time.

• Kelly (07:20): "Winter and spring really screw us up. So we need to put more of our efforts towards filming and getting content while the weather's nice... we are going to go down to one podcast a week for the summer. And I'm sorry, it's going to start in May."

• Lizz (08:28): "It was not an easy decision... but it's one a week. It's going to be a really good one, though."

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3. Navigating Parenting Challenges

Swim Lessons

The hosts discuss the complexities of arranging swim lessons for their children, critiquing the rigidity and cost of traditional programs.

• Lizz (09:03): "Swim lessons could not be more inconvenient, and they just are not going to work for every family."

• Kelly (12:09): "I have no idea if that would still stick with your boys right now if you like, threw them into a pool."

They explore alternative approaches, such as personalized weekly lessons, to better fit their family's schedule and needs.

Holiday Pressures: Easter Experiences

Easter serves as a focal point for discussing the societal pressures and personal struggles during family holidays.

• Lizz (18:19): "Tulip says not being a default just feels freeing."

She shares her experience of simplifying Easter activities to focus on meaningful interactions rather than conforming to traditional expectations.

• Lizz (21:33): "We wrote to our Easter bunny. I sent her a text... she did. And the kids were like, why did she come? And I said, well, because I asked her..."

Kelly echoes the sentiment of resisting societal norms to prioritize family well-being.

• Kelly (26:03): "We are going to be selfish... we are going to be selfish."

Managing Mealtime Expectations

The duo reflects on the unrealistic expectations surrounding family dinners and the resultant guilt when those ideals aren't met.

• Lizz (16:18): "I just want to not be the default parent on Mother's Day."

• Kelly (17:32): "Feeding our children a home-cooked meal... you still feel guilty."

They emphasize the importance of flexibility and self-compassion in parenting roles.

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4. Upcoming Mother's Day Reflections

The conversation shifts to Mother's Day, where both hosts express a desire to redefine their roles and minimize the conventional pressures associated with the holiday.

• Liz (28:31): "I don't need much, though. I don't need the breakfast in bed. I just want to be with my family."

Lizz articulates a wish to avoid the traditional expectations and instead share responsibilities equally with their partners.

• Liz (29:53): "I want to be a dad on Mother's Day."

Kelly supports this perspective, advocating for a more balanced and selfless approach to celebrating motherhood.

• Kelly (29:58): "It feels freeing."

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5. Auto Industry News

New CEO and Product Announcements at RAM

Lizz transitions to industry news, discussing recent developments at RAM following the appointment of their new CEO, Tim Kaginsky.

• Lizz (30:10): "Tim Kaginsky... says Ram is going to announce 25 new product announcements in the next 18 months."

She speculates on the nature of these products, considering the division of Dodge and RAM's manufacturing focus.

Return of RAM’s Midsize Pickup

A highlight of the episode is the news about RAM reintroducing a midsize pickup truck, marking their entry into a competitive segment dominated by models like the Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma.

• Lizz (31:25): "The return of RAM's midsize pickup is worth waiting for... it's going to be just another car in the midsize truck segment now."

Kelly and Lizz share personal anecdotes about their children's (Tyler and Maddie's) fondness for small trucks, adding a relatable touch to the industry update.

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6. Meal Hacks and Parenting

Protein-Rich Meal Preparations

The hosts exchange tips on preparing protein-heavy meals that cater to picky eaters without compromising on nutrition.

• Lizz (35:02): "I just pan or sautéed some chicken... stick with me here. Took a slice of pepper jack cheese, melted it in the microwave..."

Kelly shares her experience with similar meal preparations, emphasizing the importance of balancing nutrition with children's preferences.

• Kelly (36:07): "I'm eating so much chicken, which is such good protein."

They discuss strategies to make meals appealing to children while ensuring they receive adequate protein intake.

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7. Final Thoughts and Conclusion

As the episode draws to a close, Kelly and Lizz reiterate the importance of prioritizing family needs over societal expectations. They encourage listeners to embrace their unique family dynamics and make choices that foster happiness and well-being.

• Kelly (26:03): "We are going to be selfish."

• Lizz (38:22): "So that's what I have, Liz. And that's all I have to be honest."

The hosts wrap up by expressing gratitude to their listeners and hinting at more engaging content in future episodes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Lizz (04:08): "I think a lot of it is, like, you don't always realize how much you'll miss it until later..."
• Kelly (07:20): "We are going to go down to one podcast a week for the summer."
• Lizz (16:18): "I just want to not be the default parent on Mother's Day."
• Kelly (17:32): "You still feel guilty."
• Lizz (21:33): "We wrote to our Easter bunny. I sent her a text..."
• Kelly (26:03): "We are going to be selfish."

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Conclusion

In "I WANT TO BE A DAD ON MOTHER'S DAY," Kelly and Lizz offer a candid and empathetic exploration of motherhood, parenting challenges, and the pursuit of personal happiness within family life. Through honest dialogue and relatable experiences, they provide listeners with valuable insights and encouragement to navigate the complexities of modern parenting with grace and self-compassion.

Transcript

[Kelly]

Today's episode is brought to you by Quints. So I am going on vacation in about a month and I'm so excited, but I have nothing to wear. And something about me is when I order, like a clothing haul, I'm only ordering from one place. So wherever I order from, I need to be able to get a little bit of everything, which is why I love quints. They have dresses, they have shirts, they have pants, they have travel accessories, they have stuff for kids, they have stuff for your husband. They have stuff, something for everyone. And all their stuff is high quality at a fair price. By partnering directly with top factories, Quince cuts out the cost of the middleman and passes the savings on to you. We're talking about lightweight European styles from $30, washable silk tops and comfy lounge sets. And Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices in premium fabrics. Fabrics and finishes. I have never been disappointed by something that I have bought from Quince. So for your next trip, treat yourself to the luxe upgrades you deserve from quince. Go to quince.com carpool for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U I N C E Doc. Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly.

[Liz]

And I just think I'm gonna take a beat and be like, what? Doesn't need to look like that. Like, the expectation to all have to eat dinner sitting down together at the same time. I'd like to, like, kind of peel back the layers on that because it just. It's not working for us.

[Kelly]

And, Liz, you're gonna see the kids and see them when they're fun and when they're eating the candy, we have to deal with the terrorist who won't go to bed. You don't have to do that. We do. So we are going to be selfish.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Your mom. Time off starts now.

[Liz]

Welcome back to the Carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Hey, Liz.

[Kelly]

Hey, Kelly.

[Liz]

It's one of those weeks where hours in the day could use more, could use more.

[Kelly]

I sit in front of my computer all day and somehow I never get a singular task completed.

[Liz]

Well, we do get tasks completed. It's just like when the list is a mile long and when you. That's how I complain about our problems. We're just like, for two seconds, like, when you have a business like ours, the blinds are so blurred on, like, what's business and like, what's personal, you know, it just sometimes feels hard to keep up with.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But all to say, you won't catch me complaining.

[Kelly]

No, for sure. I would never complain about my situation. I'm not one for complaining, especially on this podcast.

[Liz]

So I'm no one for complaining, especially on this podcast. I've just kind of had. I think I'm having just kind of an emotional week. I'm quitting breastfeeding this week.

[Kelly]

Oh, wow. Okay. Normally I'd be like, why are you sad about that? But it's your. This is your last.

[Liz]

I have never. And this is just me. And I want to say this in case you feel the same way. I've never been that into breastfeeding in the sense where I do it because it's convenient and it was, you know, the benefits of breast milk. Like, I just. I just do it. But I'm not the person who, like, I never got, like, that, like, serotonin high or, like, look at my babies. Like, I just thought that never did anything for me. No. Not to say that I don't. Didn't enjoy any aspect of it. But, like, I guess I'm just saying, like, I get the same thing from feeding my baby a bottle as I do breastfeeding them. Like, I like to feed my babies. I like. I think they look so cute, look so comfy. They're getting their bellies full. But just, like, either one does it for me. So I typically quit. I think this is actually one of the longer times that I breastfeed. I do have one thing that I've done, though, for all four kids. I take a video of them breastfeeding, like, when I'm about to quit, just so, like, I have, like, one video of them doing it, like, so I. I could go back and, like, tell you, like, one of the last feeds that all my kids have had. I took Libby's last night. Oh, wow. And, yeah, my goal is to quit before we go to the Kentucky Derby officially, but I'll probably, like, be quitting, like, yeah.

[Kelly]

Soon.

[Liz]

And I'm okay with it.

[Kelly]

I think.

[Liz]

I think the emotions will kind of take a long time to process. I think so much of, like, having kids and getting done, and so much of it is, like, you don't always, like, also realize how much you'll miss it or how far you've come from that until later when you see somebody else doing it.

[Kelly]

So, yeah, you don't know you're in the good old days until you're in. Except everyone tells us we're in the good old days right now. And so I really, really try soak it in. But there's Only so much you can soak in. You're like, yeah, I'm soaking it in. Okay. And soaking it in. In the moment. I get sad instead of enjoying it because everyone's like, you're gonna miss it. And then I get sad instead of enjoying them.

[Liz]

Totally, totally. You know, it's just the train's gonna keep on chugging. You can't control it. And anyway, I'm excited, though, to close that chapter.

[Kelly]

Yeah. My life. Yeah.

[Liz]

And, yeah, Libby's like, just. She's great. She's such an easy baby. She's such a good eater. So I'm feeling like she's not going to care at all, honestly. She spits up breast milk worse than formula. So I'm kind. I mean, Libby's a spitter. She's a happy spitter. Fred was the same way. Like, just constantly vomits. Not like the Sloan of it all, but she's constantly spitting out.

[Kelly]

You know, Sloan is an unhappy vomiter, which is what we don't want. Like, a happy spitter is fine. Yeah. You are ending your breastfeeding journey. Congrats. I have no end in sight, so that's fun.

[Liz]

Sorry.

[Kelly]

That's okay. That's okay. It's been good. It's been a. I just love. There have been many times in my life where I have just done things that I never thought I would be able to do. And I talked about this a little bit before, and I just really see this. Like, when I get to the end of that journey, I'm gonna be like, that was something I thought that. That hard thing that I did that I didn't think I was going to be able to do. And it grew me and it stretched me, and, you know, I will be better for it.

[Liz]

Totally. So you'll be better for it. I think you're gonna feel really good when you get to the other side of this. But anyway, yeah. Besides that, spring has sprung over here. We got so much rain, which means we have so much mud right now, you forget that about spring really sneaks up on you like that, all the mud. And I just believe in raising pretty feral children. It's just kind of like my parenting style. I just like them to go outside. And the problem is I like my house to be clean. So I have found my kids are so messy, so I literally been making them eat their dinners outside because I just, like, can't handle the crumbs on the ground on my kitchen floor.

[Kelly]

Perfect. Kind of a house inside.

[Liz]

Who's inside? I'm going to make Your plate. And I'm going to. We. We have, like, a table out there. It's like, go eat outside. I'm not. You're not? Smacks.

[Kelly]

Eat outside. I'd like to eat outside. Picnic.

[Liz]

Yeah, but it's just been, you know, the constant mud and allergies. Allergies are really bad. Fred, unfortunately, has bad allergies. They make his eczema kind of flare up. It's a bit of a to do, but. Yeah.

[Kelly]

Well, it's getting nicer and with it getting nicer and something about being car viewers is. It's really only in Missouri, I should say the summer and the fall is in the spring, kind of really not the spring, but the summer and the fall is like, really our time that we have to film a lot of tours while the weather is nice and consistent. Winter and spring really screws us up. So we have a little bit housekeeping here at the carpool podcast, since we need to put more of our efforts towards filming and getting content while the weather's nice. And also, Kelly's kids won't be in school, so also Kelly spending more time with her kids. Most important of it all, we are going to go down to one podcast a week for the summer. And I'm sorry, it's going to start in May.

[Liz]

It was not an easy decision, but to Elizabeth's point, you know, we, I, whatever, we live further away now. We just kind of have to prioritize and. Yeah, it's one a week. It's going to be a really good one, though.

[Kelly]

Yeah, we'll have a lot to say. Sometimes it's hard to get on the mic when we, like, just talk, and it's like, what do we talk about? And then we feel like maybe the podcast isn't as good. And so we're thinking one episode a week is going to allow us to get all of the car content that everyone wants and produce a banging show once a week.

[Liz]

So that's the summer schedule.

[Kelly]

Summer schedule.

[Liz]

It is so quickly approaching. I mean, at the time of this recording, like, my kids, they have 30 days left of school, like, which is just.

[Kelly]

It so crazy that you're a school mom.

[Liz]

Like, so crazy. I'm a school mom. No, that was. I mean, I could write a dissertation on, like, then what the. What the flap we're supposed to do with, like, the summer camps of it all is just crazy. But I'm excited. I found a really cool, like, summer school program that my kids are going to for a couple of weeks. I just think they'll have fun. Like, they'll just have more fun. And number one is my kids have to learn how to swim really well this summer. So, like, that we are locked and loaded on the swim lessons naptime. Kitchen was talking about this on her stories, and it did just kind of really resonate with me. Like, teaching kids to swim is so hard. Swim lessons could not be more inconvenient, and they just are not going to work for every family. And I just think, I just like when. I like when people keep in mind context that families just go through so many different types of realities and things. And I'm gonna give two examples because I think this is, like, an important topic to discuss. But nowadam Kitchen was saying, like, you know, everyone loves the isr. Well, I looked into isr. Isr, which is like, the emergency swimming would mean I would have to take my four kids to a pool for Monday through Friday for six weeks straight, every day, same time. And, like, that is just not something that, like, is conducive. I mean, that just simply cannot work with our schedule. Like, I just. I cannot get there. I cannot do. I just. It's not going to happen. They're also incredibly expensive. They're just not going to be attainable for some families. And there's just like, all this pressure. Like, if that, like, that's how you do it, like, that's the best thing to do. And the best thing to do is like, the thing that works for your family. You know, it's like, we can't isr. It's just like, it's not going to work. It's simply just not going to happen. So we're doing like, some other swim lesson approaches and, like, it's gonna be fine.

[Kelly]

You know, we didn't do isr.

[Liz]

We didn't do isr.

[Kelly]

And we were all excellent swimmers.

[Liz]

No, I was an excellent summer. I was like, third in the state in backstroke when I was like, seven years old. So watch out.

[Kelly]

Yeah, watch out for me.

[Liz]

I was also, like, half the length of the pool, so that helped. But it's like, so dull and awkward.

[Kelly]

Well, it's interesting. I like that because I asked someone who had her boys do those swim lessons when they were very young. And, you know, they did the thing where they throw them in with their clothes on and they were able to roll on their back. And now they're toddlers and they don't really swim very frequently. Or it's like winter happens, you don't go to the pool. And I was like, are you Confident that that would still stick with your boys right now if you like, threw them into a pool. And she's like, I have no idea.

[Liz]

Right. And I'm not saying. I think like, also people who do it, they decide to do it because it was right for them, works for their schedule and. Yeah, I mean, it's safety for sure. I get all of that. Like, we are. We are going to have, like, we are going to have a pool this summer. And like, I'm already incredibly stressed about it. And we have so many safety precautions. Like, we're putting into place, like a hard cover. Like alarms on all the doors, gates around the pool. Like, it's going to be. I'm. I'm honestly not that it's gonna be four knocks around the pool. It's four knocks.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I'm not that worried about. And our kids don't even, like, whatever. But I don't know. Yeah, just interesting. Like, trying to navigate.

[Kelly]

So what are you guys doing?

[Liz]

We're doing rinky dink weekly swim lessons. Like, I couldn't even get someone to show I wanted. I kind of was thinking about doing like a one week intensive because George and Hattie are close. Like, I just. I also. I need to. I don't know how to teach him how to swim again. I'm a good swimmer and I. Tyler and I. Like, someone's always in the pool with the kids. Like, someone could be working on things. I just don't know how to teach a freaking kid to swim. I could honestly watch a YouTube video about it.

[Kelly]

Where's this course? Who's gonna put out the online course.

[Liz]

Liabilities I think would prevent that.

[Kelly]

But I just gotta teach a parent how to. Yeah, okay.

[Liz]

Yeah, but I'm like, no, no. I went. I found a company that. Whatever. They're coming to my house for 12 weeks. One time. One time a week.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

That's what we're doing.

[Kelly]

All right, well, keep us posted.

[Liz]

But it's just interesting, you know, just like the different realities that some people are. I think some people kind of forget that. Why do you always flip that binky at me when we're recording? Well, Elizabeth is always playing with this blue.

[Kelly]

This blue bink. No, my desk.

[Liz]

You have a binky at your desk?

[Kelly]

Oh, I don't know. I just. Sloan was never really a binky kid. And I just have this one here and I don't know what to do with it.

[Liz]

Well, anyways, all to say, I'm also really working on. We're kind of like in a really big Transition from the winter to the summer, or, you know, spring is, like, just. I feel like spring doesn't really exist in Missouri. It's just, like, it's winter, and then it's summer. And I can already tell, like, this year in my house feels so different than even last summer when we were here, because the kids are just at different ages. Now we have Libby, and, like, I've got to get this house rearranged a little bit, because what we're doing now, like, things are just not working. Things are in the wrong spots. And I'm really going to try to focus on like, making kind of, like, what we talked about, like, little swaps to make the house just better function.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Just function better. Like, the swimsuits have got to be in a different spot, because I can already tell you, like, I don't want to pack a swimsuit, but, like, the way, like, it would to me. 10 minutes to pack a swimsuit back, and I got to be able to pack a swimsuit back at a moment's notice. Like, the garage we've got to work on.

[Kelly]

Mm.

[Liz]

Mainly it's the garage. Like, I just had to be more set up to be outside a lot this summer with the kids.

[Kelly]

Mm.

[Liz]

And one thing that we did that was, I think, smart. When we went to that JBF sale, I got a lot of outdoor accessories for Libby. Like, I got a lawn chair thing for her to sit in. We got a bouncer. We got a rocker, and, like, things that can stay outside and in the garage. So I feel like if you have a young baby this summer, hit up a Goodwill Once upon a child Facebook Marketplace and just get, like, things to put kids in outside. Because we all talk about, like, the things inside, but, like, you can go pick up one of those jumpers for, like, dollars on Facebook Marketplace. They're cheap.

[Kelly]

Yeah. Or, like, go pick one up jumper thing that's put in your garage. Mm.

[Liz]

That's, I think, going to just. I think that's, like, just key. I mean, like, I need to keep a quilt in the garage so I can just like, pull it out quickly.

[Kelly]

Yep. You almost did two of everything.

[Liz]

Well, I hate. I know. I hate to say that.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But also maybe reach out. I was thinking about this because I was actually gonna text a friend who, like, I know who has a baby who's older than Libby, but I know they're not done having babies. So, like, I know sister still has her jumper.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Maybe, like, text a friend, be like, hey, are you not using that right now? Could I Borrow it and like you know, maybe don't like leave your levers out in the rain but just think about there's another place in your spot where you could put it.

[Kelly]

I mean if someone texted me that and I didn't have to go store my jumper in the basement, I'm not using it like for sure.

[Liz]

I know, I know.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

It's just. And it's. I also just really have to learn to like kind of let go of and this is really hard for me. I was kind of talking this on my stories last night and yeah it's just like there's so much expectations I think on what like dinner time is supposed to look like for your family. And I just wanted to take a beat and be like. But doesn't need to look like that. Like the expectation to all have to eat dinner sitting down together at the same time. I'd like to like kind of peel back the layers on that because it just. It's not working for us.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I also don't want to feel guilty because it didn't happen like that.

[Kelly]

That's how I feel. I. I am with you. I see all the time. It's like the best thing. And okay maybe it is. Maybe it is the best thing. But like I also want to you know, not feel guilty when I couldn't get it together. And like whatever James is eating outside or at a cable and Maddie it doesn't eat until 9pm like it just. Life happens.

[Liz]

Life happens. I think it is important to make sure you ha. Like are getting. I just always like to ask myself like whenever you do something you're giving something else up. So it's been beautiful weather. It's lighter at longer. Well Libby goes to bed at 6:30.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And Fred's hungry at 5.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So George and how you want to play outside till 7. So like what am I really trying to accomplish? Am I trying to bring everybody in while I'm feeding Libby? But then like when Libby's done then I'm trying to load about 6:30 and then like the big's want to eat. Like it's just not. It's not working.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And I'm just simply done feeling bad for it not working. Like I'm just going to do. I just think feeding children, making dinner and feeding children is such. I mean dinner time it is the highest. It's my cortisol is the highest around dinner time by far. What's to me it's the worst hours of the day.

[Kelly]

What's crazy about just the Internet and the things like that that we all see. And oh, the best way to do it is this way and we're not doing it that way. Us feeding our children, we still feel guilty in some way when we are feeding our children a home cooked meal. And because it didn't happen in the one way that someone on a podcast, on a video clip that you saw one time that you've never seen before, said, this is the best way and this is why. And they had videos and there's. You see, no science to back it up. But it sounds nice. You're feeling guilty.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Because you gave you. But you gave your child a home cooked meal, more food that they could ever need, and you still feel guilt. And that's what's crazy about being a good parent.

[Liz]

I really just think whether it's swim lessons or a home cooked meal or like, whatever you like, just focus on what's working for your family. I do agree. If we didn't see it all the time, we wouldn't feel this way. Like, see what everyone else is doing. Oh, anyway, I also wanted to talk to you about Easter, actually. I just think it's. Now is the time to get out our holiday notes or any like, spring notes in general. Like, I, I was talking to a friend about this. I think Easter, you know, as a, as a Christian Catholic woman, like, it's amazing. Like, Jesus rose from the dead. Like, defeated death, died for my sins. Like, I'm obsessed. It's my favorite holiday. But what we've done to the holiday is not conducive to families. So you're telling me I have to get my kids up, hype them up on sugar, put them in their nicest clothes, take them to church and then go run in grass?

[Kelly]

Yeah. What's. Yeah, it's a tough. Well, we need Easter.

[Liz]

It needs to have more fourth of July vibes, you know, like, can we just do like a. Like, we should be egg hunting on the 4th of July in a backyard barbecue. We should not be doing it in our Sunday B.

[Kelly]

Best at a brunch. Yeah.

[Liz]

So what? I don't know what happened there. And it's also never nice weather. It's never like, it's rarely like the best day. The weather's so unpredictable.

[Kelly]

No, it's very unpredictable. I. My Easter was. I'm a little bit salty about my Easter. We. Maddie and I just really have to learn the right, the appropriate times to leave a function with. With kids. We. We ended up staying at his Easter for his family's Easter for just like too long time just like got away from us. It was like 6:00 and James fell asleep in the car. So that was a recipe for absolute disaster. He still needed a bath.

[Liz]

Absolute disaster because. Because he was in the grass. The egg hunt.

[Kelly]

And he didn't go to bed until. Because he was in the grass of the academy and he didn't go to bed until like 9, 39, 45. Like it. And we were exhausted. It's just fam. I. I'm so torn because on. I feel like families with young kids, they find themselves running around to multiple Easters and it's like, it's hard for us. Like, we pack up the car, but like, we're going to everyone's. We're going to multiple places. But also, like, I don't want to host because I have young kids. So I just don't really know what the best solution is. But, man, holidays are hard. And then I feel bad because we went to church in the morning and then we went to multiple Easters. And by the end of the day, it was just like, we didn't really reflect on what this day means outside of church, which church was stressful because we were in the cry room with, you know, screaming kids. So it's tough.

[Liz]

So here's. Here's my. Can I read some of my notes, please? Also, I would say this is like this. What I'm gonna say is not. Is rated PG13 in the sense where it's like little ears probably shouldn't listen to this. Oh, so. But I'll try to keep it.

[Kelly]

So now's your time.

[Liz]

Well, I'll try to keep it in code too. You'll probably be fine. So we wrote to our. We were. I wrote to the Easter bunny. I sent her a text. I have her number. And I said, hey, we gotta. We gotta make the early church service to get to brunch in time. What? Could you stop by on Saturday morning instead? And she did. And you know, the kids were like, why did she come? And I said, well, because I asked her because we have to go to church so early in the morning. And that seemed to be the end of it. That's so Saturday morning we woke up chilling and they used to running headcount. The string was amazing. I did very. I don't know if anyone saw my. I post my baskets on Instagram, but like, I did very minimal candy. Like, we did a chocolate bunny. I think that was the only candy I. Oh, and a little lollipop. Chocolate bunny. Little lollipop and then I asked these everyone just to bring, like, Tony's, like, things that they need. But, like, when it's all together, it's fun. So, like, the boys got hats, how he got a new headband. They all got pajamas. They got a Tony's. And then they had, like, one. I think that was all they got. Oh, they got new toothbrushes and band aids and, like, that was it. That was it. Now, the other items that have made their ways into my home, the month of April that are Easter related, it's like, where is all this crap coming from? I think one of the worst things, the only thing worse than candy and the eggs are these little toys in the eggs. I'm not into these little toys in the eggs.

[Kelly]

It's just.

[Liz]

I feel like I just threw away things that they got that day. You know what I mean?

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Now. So anyway, I liked. I liked the minimal candy. I liked the things that they needed. Like, it was. It still had a lot of good magic to me, as always. It always sneaks up on you. I didn't have the appropriate. We got home from Easter, what are we having for dinner? Meal.

[Kelly]

We had chicken nuggets. Yeah, I forgot about that.

[Liz]

And we have to start forecasting that better. Like, I just completely forgot about that.

[Kelly]

And.

[Liz]

But then I got to thinking, like, while I'm here, like, what would I even want right now? Like, what do I want to eat?

[Kelly]

Yeah. I'm not gonna lie. Chicken. Chicken nuggets kind of hit because. Yeah, James. James is not a very good eater. All day. Oh, don't Pawpaw gives him a donut. Oh, you want this? This strudel? Okay, you have that. He just ate sugar all day. And I was like, I need honestly, something that's going to ground this kid. And chicken and bread and ketchup sounded like it was the appropriate move. And it was. And he crushed it. I've never seen him.

[Liz]

And he crushed it because you're. You're either starving, you're probably. You're probably not starving, but you're malnourished that day. So, like, whatever you can get in. So, yeah, even if it's just having chicken nuggets in a bag salad. Like, I just. I should have been more prepared for an easy dinner. But the thing is, the note that I made is, like, what I wouldn't want is to have, like, a freezer meal that I'm pulling out. Like, no, that. That is. Maybe that's like a Christmas thing or like a winter thing. Like, I couldn't be caught dead in a casserole on Easter evening after having brunch all day. So, like, something light and fresh for dinner is on my notes.

[Kelly]

Yes.

[Liz]

I think that was important. Yeah, Those were, like, my main notes. Other things are, like, won't apply to a mass market. But I'm telling you, if you can write to your bunny and that they come the day before, like, that's fine. Because then we woke up on Sunday and it was fine. Yeah, we hadn't. Oh, I. That's. That's another thing I wrote down is I need a protein heavy breakfast prior to church. Yeah, I had cinnamon rolls. That was so stupid. What was I thinking? What was I thinking?

[Kelly]

Yeah, I did a pancake bake and.

[Liz]

Holiday, and you want it to be fun and special and it's easy.

[Kelly]

And then that's what we're gonna go. We're just gonna go eat. That's what we're gonna brunch all day.

[Liz]

I also, when we went to our aunt's house, I told George and Hattie, I mean, it's so fun. I said, I. They were good in church. I said, you guys are really good in church today. And when we get to Aunt Susie's, you can have whatever you want. You don't even have to ask me. I think I thought it was good for me to test them a little bit. Like, what do they know their limits? And they actually did. And I was very. So I was very proud of them. Maybe George, but how do you. How do you wouldn't tell me either way, but I felt like they knew their limits.

[Kelly]

And that's a good responsibility thing for sure. I love.

[Liz]

Those are my main Easter notes.

[Kelly]

I second all of that. And again, just. I like all the holidays. Anytime Maddie and I have to hit both our family and his family, like, we are wiped. We're exhausted, and we're like. We just. We don't even enjoy it. And that's, like, really sad. Oh, so we are just, like, moving forward. We're being selfish. We're the one with the. We are the ones with the young kids. We are the ones who have to pay the price. You get to see the kids and see them when they're fun and when they're eating the candy, we have to deal with the terrorist who won't go to bed. You don't have to do that. We do. So we are going to be selfish.

[Liz]

I totally agree. Last thing I had just to keep this, like, car related. So first of all, I loved your reel of, like, cleaning it out. After Easter, like, so important. Like, if you still have Easter eggs in your car, like, come on, you got this. Go get a trash bag. Take care of it. You can do it. I believe in you. I. I knew we were going to kind of have that kind of day. You know, everyone's just getting stuff, and then people are taking off a shoe and just, you. You want to be prepared. I also really struggle sometimes. I don't know if everyone else is like this, but, like, we're in our best getups, and my car was gross. It's like, I can't get in a dress, my beautiful dress in this car. Like, that's kind of how I felt. So I. On Saturday night, I dug as deep as I could, and I got myself to the garage and just gave my car a good wipe down, and I got my car empty and as clean as I could with just, like, the things in my garage. And then I went inside, got a basket, like a tote bat, like a cube organizer basket. And I just threw it in the trunk, and I'm like, crap's just going in here. So. Oh, they got this egg. It's in the basket. It's in the basket. And then when we got home, I just. Like, we were. When we were loading the car to leave, it was. Don't think it was like, a big basket. Like, it's more the size of a laundry basket. Throwing things in there. Like, so when we're loading up the car, things aren't going to the backseat door to honey, because I'm not digging there. Everything's going in this basket, and I'm bringing the basket inside.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Right there.

[Kelly]

Hackity do da. So speaking of just thinking about holidays and being selfish and doing things that we want to do, I kind of want to talk about Mother's Day, because that's kind of right around the corner.

[Liz]

Sure.

[Kelly]

What are your Mother's Day vibes?

[Liz]

I'm still very much whatever mom wants to do as. Like, I don't. It doesn't really feel like my holiday yet. To be honest. To be 100% honest with you, I don't need. I don't need much, though. I don't need the breakfast in bed. I don't need. I just want to be with my family.

[Kelly]

Well, that's the thing for me is, like, if it's my day as a mother, what I want to do is go hang out with my mother, right? And my family. My. My. My. My old family, my son Trip family. I want to hang out with my siblings. I want to hang out with my parents, and I want my husb kids to be there with me. Normally, we do a brunch, and I love.

[Liz]

We know we never get to brunch. We never brunch. We talked about this last time.

[Kelly]

I love a brunch buffet. It's not happening this year. Like, the place that we go is, like, closed for renovation. So I don't know really know what we're gonna do.

[Liz]

But if I'm being honest, all I want is to go hang out with our family, both my mom and my siblings, and I want my kids to be there. But the second my kids need something, I want them to go to their dad. Like, I want to be a dad on Mother's Day.

[Kelly]

I want to be a dad on Mother's Day.

[Liz]

I want to be like, I'm there, like, if you need me. Like, if. Like, if you need me, I'm there. Like, I'm not there. I'm not. I'm not the default. I just want to not be the default parent on Mother's Day. That's what I want. I want to be the parent, just not the default one.

[Kelly]

Stephen saying not being a default just. It feels freeing.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

And I have a very helpful husband, and even so, he's very great.

[Liz]

He's amazing. But.

[Kelly]

But also, you go. You feel like. I don't think Tyler has thought about, like, the kids Easter.

[Liz]

One time, literally, I was like, hey, this morning's coming tonight. He's like, well, did we get baskets? And I'm like, yeah. And, like, why aren't they excited about it? Like, he didn't even, like, look in the baskets. I'm like, don't you care? Like, I kind of crushed it.

[Kelly]

I know.

[Liz]

Crazy. But yeah, I'll let you know my Mother's Day notes. I'm still trying to get him. I'm getting my Mother's Day bearings.

[Kelly]

I would like to start a Mother's.

[Liz]

Day tradition, but I just don't have one.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I don't know. I don't know either.

[Liz]

Well, I've got some good industry news if you just want to get to getting.

[Kelly]

Yeah, let's get to industry news, where you share the hot tea going on the auto industry.

[Liz]

Okay, so this is kind of like a crazy story. So this is from car dealership guy news. So the CEO of RAM is this guy named Tim Kaginsky or something along kun since Kaise Kuniskis. Do you misspell it? K U N I s K I s Kinsky Kuniski.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

Anyway, he is the new CEO. He's been there four months. Okay. He says in the next 18 month, Ram is going to announce 25. Have 25 new product announcements. What? For reference, Ram only makes trucks right now because like Dodge and Ram separated. I think Dodge is only making like the Charger right now. Kind of crazy. So you're like, what are like, what's a product? Well, what's the product? It doesn't really say. It doesn't really say. It just says 25 new product announcements. So I could see that being like the 1500 in this trim level. This and that trim level, like a heavy duty with this color. Like I don't think it's going to be all of these things. But then this was interesting. Then another story came out like literally six hours ago and it says the return of rams midsize pickup is worth waiting for. So I'm like, here's a new product announcement. So like a mid sized pickup truck would be like a Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Chevy Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier. Well, Dodge now has one. It. Well, they had one, it was called the Dakota. And I guess they're bringing it back which is going to be just another car in the midsize truck segment now. Teller calls them small trucks. Tyler loves small trucks. When I met him, he drove a red Ford Ranger and it was like his entire personality.

[Kelly]

Yeah. Maddie had one of those. I think it was a rain. He's gonna be so upset when he hears that I don't know what the car is because he talks about it all the time. Anytime he sees like a small truck like that, he's like, that was my favorite car I ever had.

[Liz]

I'm just like, I think you were just like young and like had a truck. Like, you know, whatever.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I think, hey, Taylor, I think your Ford F250.

[Liz]

Yeah. I think you're the shark you have now is way nicer.

[Kelly]

But okay.

[Liz]

Yeah. But anyway, Tyler like loves little trucks. Like whenever we see a little truck on the road, what does Tyler want? He's always like, that's gonna be for George is gonna have that one. I' matter 10 years. Only 10 years. That's kind of crazy. Anyway.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So we have another small truck coming back.

[Kelly]

Okay. Small trucks don't do anything for me.

[Liz]

Oh really? They do a lot. Well, I'm, I'm telling you, like, if I. I don't have no idea what I'm going to do with kids. But like I would like probably I would like George to have a small truck. So we have Like a little lawn care business or something, you know, but still small. Can't fit a lot of people. I like that. And George will be so old. George will be like the first one to drive since we held him back a year from kindergarten. Like the oldest one in this class.

[Kelly]

That's good. He's very.

[Liz]

That was me. I was in August birthday so I was the oldest. And it's. It's good. It's good.

[Kelly]

Yeah, it's good. You'd rather be the oldest? Yeah, they don't do anything for me. I don't know what it is.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

I drove a Nissan Frontier as a demo in high school and I thought I was a cool truck girl. But no, don't do much for me.

[Liz]

Okay. Well that's what I had for industry news. Are you ready for dish the drive thru?

[Kelly]

Where is do you mean dish drive through or you give an easy in recipe to mix it up to get us out of our dinner.

[Liz]

R I do I really really. I interest really do mean that. So. So I have a current hyper fixation meal.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

And Elizabeth and I went to chick fil a the other day and smaller stay on PCOS just has like the best fast food hacks for just getting in more protein. Like whether you're counting calories or not. I'm. I need to be getting more protein my day. And her, her recipes are very protein heavy. So she's got me on this, this grilled chick fil a club and you know, she takes the bun off. I. I have one. I use a half of the bun because I just like I need a little, I need a little fun in my life. But it's so good. It's like a chick. It's like it's grilled chicken and then they've got pepper jack cheese a to a tomato lettuce. Like it's good. So I started kind of doing like a deconstructed version of that in like a more like a meal preppy kind of way. So I just pan or I like sauteed some chicken. Like I cut it up small which took for. That's the worst part of the whole recipe. And then I cooked it in the pan and then I just put it on a plate. Stick with me here. Took a slice of pepper jack cheese, melted it in the microwave, cut up a tomato, had a little lettuce, bought had bought chick fil a sauce and I had sweet potatoes that I had roasted and I put it all on a plate. So I had like a deconstructed like a Bowl. It was like a deconstructed chick fil. A club bowl.

[Kelly]

Anything. No notes.

[Liz]

No notes. I mean, yeah. And I'm eating so much chicken, which is such good protein.

[Kelly]

Such good protein. I've kind of been doing something similar on just, like, bowls. Maddie's kind of what I would say, a picky eater. He doesn't like onions. He doesn't like tomatoes. He doesn't really like vegetables. Like, the guy is just kind of happy with, like, meat and cheese. And so he's like, Liz, if you just make. Or if you. If I can just have, like, ground beef and cheese, like, I will eat that for every meal. That's what I did when I was a single guy. Like, I would just have Tupperware containers of meat and cheese, and I'm like, I can't do that. Like, I have to do more. It has to be an ordeal. There has to be sides that coincide with the main. Like, that just what. That is what makes a good meal. And that's what makes me a successful mom and wife. And he. That doesn't do anything for him. And it makes it harder for me. And my toddler doesn't eat it. So what did I do last night? I made ground beef. So much ground beef. And I did cheese. And I got these. They're called Wild W I L D E protein chips. And I got them from Sam's. They're excellent. I literally felt like such a frat boy because I had these protein chips with ground beef with cheese. I put some guac on there, and I essentially had, like, these protein heavy nachos, and they were excellent.

[Liz]

So good. It sounds so good. Yeah.

[Kelly]

And I just. I just felt like a frat boy. But it was delicious. And Maddie loved it. He went up for seconds. We have leftovers. Seconds.

[Liz]

And you have leftovers. And that's what it's about. To be honest with you.

[Kelly]

That's what I'm about. Yes.

[Liz]

I think also, like, normalize. Speaking of just, like, ways to make, you know, my life easier this spring and summer, like, don't get me wrong, I need to be able to, like, know that, like, I'm capable of serving my family, like, a delicious dinner with, like, coordinating sides. Like, we sit down and eat it. But maybe that's just more of, like, a November thing for us, you know, Maybe, like, during the summer, it's just like, you know, we just, like, you eat outside. It's like a grazing table. So whenever you're hungry, like, I'll heat you up some dinner. And it's just like because we're outside, it's not like we're doing something that's it's good for kids to be outside. It's like we're doing something bad. It's like they're just sitting in front of the TV and then not sitting at the table like they're outside playing. It's hard to get them to come inside. Who am I to interrupt that?

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

So that's what I got, Liz. And that's all I have to be honest.

[Kelly]

Well, I think that's all I have too. So guys, with that, that is going to be our episode. So I hope you have a fantastic weekend and we will talk to you next week.

[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.