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- [00:01]
A
Today's episode is brought to you by Quince. Fall is in full swing and it's the perfect time to refresh your wardrobe with pieces that feel as good as they look. Luckily, Quince makes it easy to look polished, save warm, and save big without compromising on quality. Quince has all the elevated essentials for fall. Think 100% Mongolian cashmere from $50 washable silk tops and skirts and perfectly tailored denim, all at prices that feel too good to be true. I currently own two of the Mongolian cashmere tees. They come in a ton of colors and it's the perfect lightweight tee for that transition period where it's still a little hot to be in a full sweater, but you're kind of ready for the fall wardrobe and fall looks. Keep it classy and cozy this fall with long lasting staples from quince. Go to quince.com carpool for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com carpool to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com carpool.
- [01:05]
B
Welcome to the Carpool podcast with Kelly. You know the tips, like, you know, it doesn't have to be a meal. Like, just have everyone over for coffee. It's like, okay, give me a tangible takeaway. Like, that's such an. I'm sorry, that's such an obvious. And maybe you guys are like, oh, I never thought of that. Like, I want the playbook.
- [01:20]
A
And Liz, when you're in this rut of two under two raising kids and it's just like, go to work, raise kids. Like, that's all you have to talk about. You need new things. Your mom time off starts now.
- [01:34]
B
Welcome back to the Carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. And Liz has cuter headphones than me. Where are my headphones?
- [01:43]
A
They are here. I have them. I just need to hand them off to you.
- [01:47]
B
I don't know if you've noticed, but like, we're girls who clip podcasts now. Yeah, I'll kind of rave kind of rave reviews.
- [01:54]
A
Although my audio last week was so bad that I didn't want to. I didn't post like any of the clips because I couldn't listen to it.
- [02:02]
B
I know. Podcasting is such an art and it is. It's just like there's constantly like, it's one thing to have something interesting to talk about, it's another thing to take that into a media form that people enjoy. And it's just not as easy as you think. And the equipment itself, so complicated. So anyway, I need. I have, like, these little earbuds on. Like, I know, like, I'm an amateur guest, not like, I'm a professional podcaster.
- [02:28]
A
I know. We're working on, like, it's my podcast and you're just a guest. We're working. Here's the thing. We were like, let's. Let's not wait. Like, let's not wait until we have everything perfect. Like, let's just do it and see what happens, and we will refine as we go.
- [02:44]
B
Progress over. Perfection is kind of how we've brought always perfection. It's kind of how we have always ran our business. It's like we're just girls figuring it out.
- [02:52]
A
Yeah, we are.
- [02:53]
B
But anyway, today's a super extra special, exciting episode of the carpool podcast because I'm finally ready to share all my hosting tips.
- [03:01]
A
Kelly has her notebook prepped. This is the save for later. Save for when you're hosting. I mean, listen to it now because we're gonna talk about other stuff, but, like, bookmark it and when you are.
- [03:14]
B
Ready to look at the note.
- [03:15]
A
Oh, my gosh.
- [03:16]
B
Ample, ample notes.
- [03:18]
A
You have so many notes. I can't wait to hear it. Before we get into that, how was your weekend?
- [03:25]
B
Well, my weekend was all hosting because we had Libby's first birthday party, which you did not attend because you were out of town. So that's. I'll save it for that. How was your weekend?
- [03:36]
A
My weekend was great. So I was out of town. It was really nice to just like, get some change of scenery, some. Just one on one time with just my family. Like, I think I. My family meaning, like my kids and my husband. I don't think I really realized how badly I needed that. Like, we're just always living in someone else's space that I just, like, needed me and my family to be on, like, our own train. So we went to Terre Haute, Indiana, because I don't really talk about Maddie's military involvement because honestly, I don't know how interested anyone is. I don't fully understand it. And also, he's gone like 25% of the time, so I don't love that. Telling the Internet when my husband is and or is not home. So that's why. But he is in the reserves, and he was like the commanding officer basically in charge of this unit in Indiana. And he's been doing that for the past two years. But in order for him to do his, like, get his next promotion, which I think is oh, God. Just like, I'm so nervous. Talk about military stuff, because. What do I sound like, an idiot? I think it's lieutenant colonel. He's a major right now. He has to get, like, a military master's degree. So good news for me. He is getting a military master's degree. He'll be gone one week in a month, but he has his summers off, which previously, for the past several years, he's been gone one weekend a month and, like, two to three weeks during, like, one stint of the year. And so this is going to be a lot less of a commitment, and it will be so nice for me. So we're all very happy for me.
- [05:10]
B
Yeah. But this weekend, you got to go kind of, like, see your man in his.
- [05:13]
A
Oh, so then. Yes. So that's. So that. That's why we went to Terre Haute. There was the. It was a change of command cerem, which was so fun. I just. Like, in another world, I would love another lifetime. I would love to live on a military base. Like, here's what I like about it. There's just guys in uniform everywhere, which is just so cute.
- [05:33]
B
I'm sure that's exactly how they want it to be described, too. Like, first of all, they're darling. They're.
- [05:38]
A
They're darling. They're so cute. They have their little last name. It's so cute when they're in their, like, nice uniform. You can kind of, like, judge everyone. Not judge, but, like, you can see everyone's ranks. You're like, oh. Like, that's what it's. It's like they walk around with their resume. There's something nice about, like, pulling up to this, like, gated area and, like, having to say who you are. And there's just, like, this guy with a gun, and you're like, okay, so now I feel safe. Like, that makes me feel safe going into this place. And it's just. The vibes are just good. I like a military base. So he had the change of command ceremony. It was really sweet. He gave command over to one of his best friends and also the best man in his wedding. On my wedding. Our wedding, which is kind of unique. That doesn't really happen. It just happened to work out that way. And it was just cute and sweet. And I. I, like, wish that everyone could have the opportunity to see some sort of military ceremony because it's just lovely.
- [06:39]
B
Totally.
- [06:39]
A
They, like, rehearse so many times before. It's just.
- [06:43]
B
No, like, it's so cute.
- [06:45]
A
I know it was seeing it because all the Guys were bummed that Maddie's leaving, and it was. They gave him a gift. And I'm like, this is like the last day of summer camp.
- [06:57]
B
Yeah, no, it's like, it's. It's like only a small, and I don't know how small, but like a percentage of the population, like, is so involved in it. I feel like the rest of us who just like, aren't in the military space, like, we don't really understand the inner workings, the ins and outs. No.
- [07:11]
A
You have no idea. Like.
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B
No, I have. I agree.
- [07:13]
A
This is a very small military base. Like, it is one building. But some bases, like the big ones on the coasts, there's entire towns within the base. So it's all gated. There are certain entrances that are all like, armed or you have to like, use your badge or say your name or whatever. And then there's towns, there's fast food restaurants, there's stores all within these bases. I think it's awesome.
- [07:39]
B
It's so interesting.
- [07:40]
A
There's housing and like, Maddie. Maddie would love. He has like, these dreams that one day we will. He'll like, go back on active duty and we'll go live in Germany on a base, which I'm like, not opposed to because, like, what a cool life experience.
- [07:56]
B
Totally.
- [07:57]
A
I'm just, I. I don't think I could like, be a military. Like, I love. I'm very homebody, so I like that he's in the reserves and like, we have control over where we live and I don't have to move every time he gets assigned somewhere. But I would like to have like, that small taste of it and do it like one time.
- [08:15]
B
Sure.
- [08:15]
A
Just for fun.
- [08:17]
B
Well, I'm so glad you guys to get away for the weekend. I'm so glad you and your kids could see Maddie in his element. You took some really great pictures. That'll be like, you know those are pictures of dad doing dad things.
- [08:26]
A
Yeah. Like, so proud of dad.
- [08:29]
B
So proud of dad. Yeah. So while you were off doing that, we were having a birthday party and it just so happened. Elizabeth and I, like, we're have the girls birthdays together and then I had to travel and then Liz had to travel. So, like, it just didn't work out. Our stars did not align in that capacity. But that's okay. We'll do another conjoined birthday with them.
- [08:50]
A
They have the rest of their lives.
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B
Totally.
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A
The first birthday. I am so underwhelmed by a first birthday.
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B
My birthday banner didn't even get in.
- [08:59]
A
You'll be happy to know. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
- [09:01]
B
Which is so sad.
- [09:02]
A
That is sad.
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B
I know. But, you know, it's handmade, so it is what it is.
- [09:06]
A
Yeah. So it takes some time.
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B
It takes some time. But anyway, so, yes. Today's episode, I wanted to talk about the hosting tips that I've learned over the summer. Now I feel like there's a big difference between hosting a party and just hosting, like, one or two families over. And I by no means think I'm, like, a party hosting expert. Like, I'm happy to, like, share some of those tips, but, like, the hosting, the. The direction I want to take more is just like, how to start, like, hosting one family in your home at a time. Because that's what we did a lot this past summer. Really, like, since we've moved in, we've gotten in a good habit of it, but especially this summer, like, it was probably once, if not twice a week we were hosting somebody in our home.
- [09:49]
A
Love it. And your house, really? I go to Kelly's house randomly once a week, so it's not like she's picking up or cleaning up for me. Your house, really consistently, even with four kids, stays in a very. Stays very nice. I don't know how you do that.
- [10:05]
B
We really pride ourselves on that.
- [10:06]
A
Yeah, it always, You're. You really always look like. With the exception of your basement, obviously, because, like, don't go into anyone's basement. You guys always look like you're ready. You could host someone at any moment.
- [10:18]
B
First of all, that's like, the highest compliment you could give me because we really do work hard at that. Tyler just really feels like he likes us to be, like, an hour away from being able to host, and that is. That is a part of it that I'm going to kind of dive into today because a lot of the hosting that I feel like we do is very last minute because I. When you have, you know, four small kids, like, I don't really know who I'm going to be on Saturday. So, like, I'm not, like, looking to, like, overly commit. I mean, of course, sometimes, like, we have something on the calendar, but a lot of the times and a lot of the hostings we had is it's like that morning, you know, texting the family, being like, hey, do you guys have dinner plans? Do you want to come over? And then us, like, being able to, you know, get it, get it together. But I'll start by saying, like, I think hosting is. I think it's very important for a lot of reasons. One, I think that it's kind of becoming a loss, a lost. Art 2 I think now more than ever it is so important to prioritize your in person relationships. Yeah, we all need to get offline. I think that's like pretty obvious right now, like in, in, in a major way. And we really need to kind of get back in tune with like what is your reality and what is not your reality and your reality is not what things that are happening. And this is obviously coming from someone who lives their life on social media. But that almost feels different because like I am very organically and authentically like sharing my life, sharing things about cars. It almost feels different than just like, I mean it's called doom scrolling for a reason. Yeah, like people are doom scrolling too much. And even if you don't realize it, like you are. So anyway, I think that it's important to just stay in tune with your reality. I also think it's very important to build a strong community. I mean, I think family is also. Family is obviously something that's very important to me, but I like to go a level further and I think like community is also very important. And that community can be, you know, people in your neighborhood who you go to church with, who your kids go to school with. Like, I find community to be important. I also feel like if you don't think you have a good community or you don't think, you know, you wish your church was more this, you wish your kids school was more this, instead of always trying to search for that, start building it. I also think that's important.
- [12:23]
A
Be the change you want to see in the world.
- [12:24]
B
It's important. It's a little convicting. And I'm saying this, I am very blessed because we have amazing friends, live in an amazing area. In a way, it's been very easy for us to do this, but I think that we're also really trying to pour back into our community, church and school and just be a part of it and bring more people into it. So I just think there's a level of it that's those two things are very important. I also think, you know, when Tyler and I, I mean, Tyler and I's path to getting this house, as a lot of you guys know, was not linear. It was filled with a lot of unknown. Like, I shed a lot of tears over it, like, which sounds silly, but I just never thought we were going to get out of our starter house. I never thought we'd find a place like this. And I think part of it, like it's Felt like such a gift. And it feels like a gift that I want to give back to people because there is so much. It's such a beautiful communal house. Like, there's so much. Like, there's so much communal areas in the house. Like, obviously, you guys know we're short on bedrooms. We're not short on communal living spaces. And I want it to be like a house that everyone can enjoy, that my kids can enjoy, that my kids. Friends can enjoy. And it's just like, we have the space. Like, we're like, we're just. We have the space. So come over. So. And I just think gathering with people is. It's so important. And I just can't believe the amount of people who just don't regularly see other. I just think it's really important. And there's. I could go more and more on it, but I feel like you're all gonna have your own reasons for hosting. And even if it's not something that you enjoy, I would challenge and convict you to be like, I think it's something you need to learn to enjoy. Cause I think it's important to be with other people, you know, for your family.
- [14:06]
A
I think it's good for your family. I think it's good for you. I think it's good for your marriage. Like, you know, I. When Maddie and I finally like, do something new, we're seeing other people, then it's like a new memory. It's new things to talk about. Like when you're in this rut of two under two, raising kids, and it's just like, go to work, raise kids. Like, that's all you have to talk about. Yeah, you need new things. You need to make new memories. Like, you need to stress yourself.
- [14:28]
B
New stories of other people.
- [14:29]
A
Like, find stories.
- [14:30]
B
Totally. I. I couldn't agree more. I mean, there's. There's not a downside to it other than, like. And Tyler is even way more. Tyler is such an extrovert. Like, it definitely takes more out of me socially, but it's just, it's. There's just. There's more benefits to it. And the more I've done it, the more I've started to enjoy it. Now, again, I'm not, like, I'm not an etiquette expert. I'm not. I wouldn't even. I'm not a party throwing expert. I'm not any of those things. I just want to. And like, you know, my takeaways, they are going to be so tangible because I've tried to find, like, other Hosting podcasts, and there's such a. I'm sorry, they're so, like, watered down. Like, you know, the tips. Like, you know, it doesn't have to be a meal. Like, just have everyone over for coffee. It's like, okay, give me a tangible takeaway. Like, that's such an. I'm sorry, that's such an obvious idea. And maybe you guys are like, oh, I never thought of that. Like, I want the playbook. So, like, that's why I'm going to give you Kelly's playbook to hosting. And that. That's what you're getting today. And I'm saying it's going to be. There's. I probably could have, like, organized my outline more, but that's not what you get. You get as they came to me.
- [15:31]
A
Okay, let's hear it.
- [15:32]
B
Okay, so first things first. When you're thinking about, like. And again, I can't. I'm not ready to do, like, a whole birthday party thing, like, hosting 20 people. That takes it out of me. I'm saying, like, how to just have, like, one to two families over. Okay. That's what this is about. So firstly, if you're like, this sounds like something I want to do, but, like, so awkward. Like, how do you break the ice? I think it's really good to, like, text. Like, text them the plan that you're doing. So don't just send the text or just do the phone call of like, hey, do you guys want to come over for dinner on Saturday?
- [16:00]
A
But.
- [16:00]
B
But instead you could be like, hey, do you guys want to come over and watch the Lions game on Sunday? Or, like, I mean, because, you know, first of all, like, there we go again with football. Like, obsessed always. Or it's like, hey, do you want a. Guys want to come over? Or I. I also, like, kind of saying what you're eating. So, for example, I wrote down. Like, you could say, I wrote down the example. Hey, do you guys want to come over? Oh, wait, no. Hey, do you guys want to come over and grill pork chops and let the kids swim?
- [16:31]
A
Yeah.
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B
Or it's like, hey, we're gonna grill pork chops and let the kids swim. Do you. Are you guys free? So you're saying, like, we're gonna do this. Like, here's what's on the menu. Here's the activity.
- [16:38]
A
Yeah.
- [16:39]
B
Do you guys want to join? And I think that that gives you. It makes it feel a little less out of the blue, a little less random, and it gives you guys, like, what you're doing. What you're eating? Yeah, I like to try because of course, like, they're probably gonna say yes or they're gonna say no. And you know, you can try to reschedule, um, when it comes to like asking what they can bring, in my experience, I mean everyone's gonna have, you know, different budgets, they want, that they want to throw at this. And of course you can do anything. Like you guys can split, split the pizza bill, you can do whatever. I though just like to tell my guests, I normally tell them to just bring a dessert if they can. And I like that because then they're just taking like ownership over that entire portion of the evening. Because if like I know what the menu is going to be, like if I'm going to grill pork chops or if I'm going to do a fish fry or like do hibachi or whatever my meals are, which I have a list of my go to meals as well. It's like they're trying to figure out like what to place in that. It's like bring dessert and like you can do the most, you can do the least, like bring like get pre made cookies, bring popsicles, like it doesn't matter, like you're just doing dessert. So that's what I was just kind of like to offload to them. Okay, so then I think when it comes to like getting the house ready, I. First of all, I do make the kids get involved because I want the kids to know, like, we're hosting as a family, like we're having people over as a family. Like this isn't. And we also are only normally inviting people over who have kids. And normally kids, my kids age, so it's like, hey, our friends are coming over. We're gonna tidy up the house. Here's what we're gonna do. The kids start in the basement by cleaning up their toys. Our basement is where we keep. We have a atrium ranch. So our basement is very light. It's a walkout, there's a ton of windows. So we do keep the majority of our toys in the basement. That's where the kids start. I just like to prioritize. You can't clean the whole house. And also like, I'm not going to do that every single time. Like, it is what it is. But I like to prioritize where they're walking in. So like most people enter our house through our garage. So I do like to make sure that like my locker area in my garage like isn't completely destroyed. Like that the shoes are put away. That the garage is clean, that the trash is out of the garage. Because that's just, like. That's, like, the first vibe. And, like, we're not hanging out in the garage. Like, that's also, like, a good return on my investment because, like, they're going to walk into my garage, and then no one's going to go there again. So, like, the garage is going to stay clean.
- [18:47]
A
Yeah.
- [18:48]
B
And that's just like, a good, like, first, like, oh, okay. So I prioritize that, of course. Make sure the bathroom is always clean, clean stocked. Like toilet paper, napkins, maybe light a candle. Like, the bathroom's clean.
- [19:01]
A
Yeah, that's an easy one.
- [19:03]
B
That's an easy one. But, like, one that you could forget. Like, don't be so obsessed with the kitchen that, like, then your bathroom's disgusting because, like, they're gonna go to the bathroom for sure. And then, of course, like, making sure the kitchen's in a decent spot and then tidying, like, the area we're gonna be hanging out in. Also, like, depending on which this kind of goes into, like, you know, the meal I'm making that night, but depending, like, on the area that we're. I'm going to be doing the cooking is where I try to, like, set up where we're going to be hanging out. Like, I do try to think ahead of time, like, where I think we're going to be and, like, kind of prioritize that area. So, like, for example, this past weekend, we got one more fish fry in for the summer, which I was so excited about. So we had one family over. We did a fish fry. But, like, instead of, like, making it, like, hey, you guys are gonna be inside or you're gonna be down at the pool? I'm gonna be up here frying. It's like, we brought lawn chairs outside by where the fryer is. And then I set up cones. Like, I got those colorful cones that I have, and George had a football, and, like, the kids were playing there, and we were all, like, in one area. So I really tried to, like, kind of designate it. Whereas, like, if, let's say I was, you know, doing something on the Blackstone, I might have people set up in the sunroom because I want to, like, be kind of where the action is. And I think people. People want that, you know?
- [20:09]
A
Yeah.
- [20:12]
B
Okay, so let me see now what I have. Okay, so first of all, again, this is something that I'm trying to like. The way that just works for us is I kind of like to be ready to go At a moment's notice because it's very, it always happens. Also like Sundays we get home from church and the teller's like, let's have someone over. I'm like, okay, fine. Well, it's like I don't want to go to the store. Like I have all these whatever. So here are things that I always have on hand that I think you can either bring if you get invited somewhere or like you can throw together a meal with these. And I mean always have these on hand. First of all, juice boxes or drink mixes. Classic. I like to bring the kid drinks.
- [20:48]
A
You never know what if people are.
- [20:50]
B
Gonna have thought about that 100 and like, I think when you get invited somewhere, I think it's such an easy thing to like take off the host plate without like, you know, interrupting like the vibe of their meal. Because again, I don't want to. Like if they're making this, like, I wanna, I just wanna be helpful. So like, I think I love having juice boxes because like then something easy for the kids. And I mean, we have boxes of them in our storage room, like because they're shelf stable. So like buy a ton of juice boxes, keep them down there. Like my kids don't get juice boxes on a regular basis. They get them when we're hosting or if we're going somewhere. Canned or frozen green beans. Now I think this is a really important. Canned green beans or frozen doesn't matter. I think green beans are like, they're a safe vegetable. Everyone likes them. They're so easy to make. Like if they're frozen, you saute them. If they're. Can you like put them in the stove? Like, couldn't be easier. And like then you have like your easy veggie. Like so easy.
- [21:36]
A
Yeah.
- [21:37]
B
Mac and cheese, of course. Like have a couple boxes of Mac and cheese. Because right now if I'm having someone over, we have canned green beans and Mac and cheese. Like I'm also not claiming to be the most amazing meal, but I'm claiming like, yeah, I mean, come over and we'll just feed our kids together. Yeah, I like having frozen cookies in my freezer. I use the wild grain ones, they're amazing. But then like I can always make a dessert or I think ice cream. Specific tip on ice cream is, you know, have vanilla ice cream, have fix ins. Like who doesn't love it? And like fixins are so shelf stable. So like buy a big old tub of vanilla ice cream, have M&M's, sprinkles, whipped cream, chocolates or whatever. Like what have whatever you have. And the key is to, like, making ice cream Sundays fun and easy. Is you get the glass. The little half glass chinat cups. You know, I'm a chinat. Stand, like, one thing on me. It's like, we're using chinatte, but the half clear glasses make the perfect ice cream cups. I don't like the styrofoam bowls. Like, also, like, bowls feel like you can't. They're not as versatile, like, to keep in your paperwares. Like, you know, like, Like.
- [22:42]
A
Because also harder to hold. Like, if I'm eating an ice cream, like, think about the shape of an ice cream bowl at an ice cream shop. Like, it's not like that Styrofoam bowl shape.
- [22:50]
B
It's not a styrofoam bowl shape. I also just don't like those in general. Maybe China has, like, some. But even if I was having friends over for chili, like, I'm just gonna get the real bowls out because, like, who wants a flimsy bowl to put something hot in? Yeah, no, it's like the cups you're just gonna use more because, like, then they can also, like, be like, if you're having a party, like, they're also at the bar. So love china half glasses with a plastic spoon. Ice cream. You have the fixins. Like, you have an ice cream sundae bar. Like, could not. Could not be an easier dessert. You didn't have to bake anything. Who doesn't love it? Like, fan favorite. And then, of course, chips and salsa. Always an important thing to have on hand. Now, a lot of the hosting we've done this summer, I haven't really prioritized an appetizer. Just, like, not that I'm just kind of like, let's just. Let's eat. Like, come over to eat dinner if it's like, a party. Sure. Maybe I'll, like, prioritize apps more, but I'm just kind of, like, getting right into the meal. I really like to have the meal done when people get here, and I like that.
- [23:42]
A
I personally like an appetizer.
- [23:44]
B
Sure.
- [23:45]
A
You didn't have one at someone's party and it. And I did miss it.
- [23:49]
B
Okay, that's like. No, that's like, a really good note.
- [23:51]
A
Yeah, I do think an appetizer is important.
- [23:54]
B
Okay, that's a good note.
- [23:55]
A
You know, and it's. It's chips. Like, it's. It's.
- [23:58]
B
No, that's what I said. Chips and chips and salsa on hand. I'm saying I haven't Been prioritizing it a ton of. But maybe I should circle back to that.
- [24:04]
A
I think you could.
- [24:07]
B
Okay. I also think, like, when it comes to thinking of the meal, you know, it's kind of our, our, it's kind of our kiss ass approach. Keep it super simple. Add sass. Isn't that what we said?
- [24:26]
A
Sassy sauce.
- [24:27]
B
Add a sassy sauce or just add super sass. Keep it super simple with super sass. So it's just like pick one star of the dish and then just like let everything else fall into place. If I'm having you over for dinner with your family, with your kids, like, this is not, there's, this isn't the Thanksgiving dinner. This is, we're doing a protein, a veggie and a starch. Like, that's all I'm doing. And we have ice cream sundaes. Like, it's not this big. And you know, maybe an appetizer. Maybe an appetizer.
- [24:54]
A
You should probably add an appetizer.
- [24:56]
B
So, like, I'm doing, like, let's say I'm going to do pork chops, green beans, Mac and cheese. Like, sorry. Like, that's the meal. Now the pork chops are going to be fabulous. Let me tell you something right now. The pork chops are going to be amazing. Or you know, if I'm going to do. Sometimes I like to do a protein, a veggie, a salad, and then I'll do rolls as my starch. Because, like, starch, I mean, I think the starch part can get a little bit hard because it's like, are you always in the mood for, you know, rice or pasta or whatever? So I think like, rolls are always a really good one. So like yesterday for Libby's birthday, we had fried chicken, green beans, salad, garlic bread. And that was no app. People talked about it and that was the meal. So I find that like the hardest part of hosting people is coming up with the protein.
- [25:44]
A
Yeah.
- [25:45]
B
And that's also like the last, like, never. I wouldn't, like, I would say etiquette is like, never invite someone to your house and then ask them to bring the protein. Like the main. Like that would be crazy.
- [25:52]
A
Yeah, no, that's crazy.
- [25:53]
B
That would be a crazy thing to do. So here. So I think that if you don't want to make it, depending on how many people you have over, if you don't want to make the protein, like catering the protein, honestly, it's not that it's, it's not that much more expensive than just buying the protein. If you really like, come out to it. So, like, for example, for Libby's birthday, we ordered fried chicken from Walmart. I ordered it for 20 people and it was $60 and I got 63 pieces. So it was less than a dollar a piece. Or it was about a dollar a piece. But like, that was for 20 people. So like, if you're having, you know, your family, another family over, like, you could get fried chicken from Walmart for like 12 bucks.
- [26:29]
A
Yeah.
- [26:30]
B
So like, yeah, like you don't like, just go to the, go to the fried chicken counter, like, or just order it.
- [26:34]
A
You also talk a lot about getting bulk pork from a barbecue spot.
- [26:44]
B
Sure. Or ribs or whatever. I mean, pork is also like, pork butts couldn't. Are the easiest thing ever. Like, you put it in the crock pot with a can of Dr. Pepper and you have pulled pork. But if it's last minute, call your barbecue joint up and say, can I have two pounds of pulled pork?
- [26:56]
A
Yeah.
- [26:56]
B
And they're like, yeah, it'll be ready in 15 minutes. You're like, okay, perfect. Now all I have to do is like, pull out, pull these sides out. I've done. You know, I think ribs are a good thing to get catered. So I would, I would. And I, I like having kind of my go to's. And of course, like, if I'm doing ribs, like, that takes more of a. I have to call a couple days ahead. But yeah, to your point, like, if you're hosting one family, you can call the barbecue place and get chicken win. You can get whatever. And I. Yeah, of course there's a cost to it, but like, it's about the same cost as making it yourself. I mean, it really is. And in all the ways that I've priced it out. But you know, you could also do. One thing we love to do is I love grilling. And I think grilling is great if your husband grills. My husband doesn't, so this is kind of irrelevant to me. But that's a good thing for, like him to go out and do. Or like someone can be grilling while you can be like finishing the rest of the stuff. I also love, obviously, like a freezer or a casserole or freezer meal and something like a baked ziti. Like you make those in your freezer. Creamy chicken enchiladas. It doesn't have to be always super fancy, but that is why I like to preface what you're having before they come.
- [27:59]
A
Well, it doesn't always have to be fancy, but it also doesn't always Just have to be burgers or pizza.
- [28:04]
B
Like, I appreciate totally.
- [28:06]
A
Grilling burgers is. Takes the exact amount of work as grilling pork chops. Like, just do pork chops. Everyone wants their kids to eat a healthy meal. Like, anyway.
- [28:15]
B
Yeah.
- [28:15]
A
It's like, you don't. I just feel like we're so drawn to naturally doing something that we wouldn't just do for dinner on a regular night when we have people over. And I don't know why we don't do that. Like, why not just serve spaghetti?
- [28:26]
B
What if you just had spaghetti? And I think. I think it takes the pressure off of it. If you're like, hey, I'm making spaghetti tonight. Like, I'm making spaghetti and garlic bread. If you guys want to bring the kids over, just like, okay, Kelly's making spaghetti.
- [28:36]
A
No. Exactly what to expect. And then you. Then you know that you're like, okay, they know I'm having spaghetti. They know we're having pork chops. Like, I'm not thinking, like, gosh, is this gonna be good enough? Are they gonna. Are they gonna think this is totally. Like, are they gonna be the meal? Like, they said yes to what. Exactly what you said you're making.
- [28:52]
B
I know, and I can't tell you how just, like, even that simple step has really kind of changed how I feel.
- [28:56]
A
Yeah.
- [28:56]
B
About throwing it out there to people, you know, and it just. It makes me feel more casual. It's like, hey, my family's already doing this. Does your family want to join? And they're like, oh, sure, what can I bring? It's like, can you bring a dessert and then you're just done? Or can you bring juice boxes for the kids? Yeah, like, love that. I also think chili and soup are, like, such good ones. And, like, I would encourage anyone to maybe this fall, you know, you could say, hey, you know, I'm making chili tonight if you want to watch the game. Like, what a great tax. What a great welcoming tax. Like, you're setting the table for them when it's a game too. You're also, like, giving them an end time. You know, it's like, here's what you're coming over for. And I just think that's great.
- [29:30]
A
Of course I have. I have a tip. So we had. When we were in Terre Haute, we. We watched. We stayed in an Airbnb, and we had some of the other officers over to watch football game, and we did order pizza because, you know, whatever. We were staying in Airbnb, and I was like, how many pizzas do I need? For four kids, two women and then five men. Ask Chachi pt. Oh, he told me exactly how much to order. And then I told the guys. I was like, this is what Chachi BT is telling me to order. And they said, add another pizza. So I did. And guess what? We have one pizza left over.
- [30:10]
B
Okay. That is such a fun fact. That's a very good idea. Yeah, that's a very good idea. I'm going to take that. I need to take that. And then of course, like, I think it is fun to have, you know, some bigger, like if you want to host, like more like. And you know, we all of our friends also have big families. Like, if I take some of our friends, like, it's easily. If I text two families, like, now I'm up to 15 people. Like, so it does kind of escalate pretty quickly.
- [30:36]
A
Yeah.
- [30:38]
B
But I think like the fish fry or grilling have been so fun. I mean, I'm not in my smoking area yet, but you know, I will get there next summer. Like, I've already thought about it. I can't say enough good things about the fish fryer. Like, it's just, it's so fun. It's so active. Like, you're around the fryer.
- [30:52]
A
Today's episode is brought to you by Clean Simple Eats. I eat Clean Simple Eats in some form or fashion every single day. I love their canned drinks, the canned energy drinks, you know, I am a huge fan of and are really getting me through and Sloan's current sleep regression. So thank you so much, Clean Simple Eats. But I'm also loving their new protein soda. They had launched it like a month ago and then it got out of stock so quickly and now it's back. So definitely go check to see if it's still in stock because it's so good. It's like their canned protein drinks except it has carbonation and I need carbonation in my canned drinks. So I love it. And it's also great because it has 20 grams of protein in a can. And Clean Simple Eats and their protein powders always grass fed with no seed oils or artificial ingredients. Third party tested. It's non gmo, it's gluten free, it's delicious and I can't recommend it enough. So if you want to try Clean Simple Eats, you can Visit Clean Simple Eats.com and use code CARPOOL10 at checkout for 10% off your order. That's Clean Simple Eats.com code CARPOOL10 for 10% off your order. The link is also in the show.
- [31:57]
B
Notes okay, we've had some slight technical difficulties, so I hate to interrupt this mid episode, but I actually lost Wi Fi, so Elizabeth and I had to stop recording. I've since now come to a friend's house who has Wi Fi. Elizabeth now cannot join, so I got to finish this up solo. But that's okay because I was almost done with all my hosting notes. The last thing I wanted to dive into, though, was, like, my must haves, like, things to keep on hand that aren't food related. Because I told you my must have foods. Now I want to tell you, like, my. My paper products, because one thing is, it's like I'm going to be a paper product girl when I'm hosting for a couple reasons. One, I find it so much easier, too. I also really value a quick cleanup when I'm hosting because I don't like the vibes of sitting with dirty dishes, like, at a table. Like, to me, if we're like, having good conversation, like, we want to keep the party going. Like, I want people to relax at my house or feel like they can go to the living room, go to the sunroom, like, leave the kitchen, relax. I'm able to throw everything away. So that's where I just really feel like paper products are the goat. Of course, you don't have to. And we don't. We don't use paper products outside of hosting. Like, we don't use them in our daily life. But for hosting, yeah, I like to use them. I feel so strongly that the chinat plates are so good, especially for adults I have sometimes, which maybe this is weird, maybe it's not, but, like, I'll give the kids a Dixie. Like, sure. But an adult, especially if they're, like, cutting or, you know, put, like, filling a plate, like, they need the sturdiness of a Chinatown. And I just think they're a nice thing to have on hand. They look really good. They. And they just. They honestly just hold up, like, sorry. Like, they work okay. I also like to have plastic forks, knives, and spoons. Not a total deal breaker. Like, I. I find that it's very easy to wash silverware. So if I don't have those, like, we just use the regular silverware. And then for kids who need sippy cups, we do bring out the sippy cups that we have. But I also like to like, if we're having a lot of people, and I don't want to, like, dirty every sippy cup I have. I love to get. You can buy these on Amazon. And I'm Going to link everything, any hosting related thing that I'm talking about, but you can link, you can buy clear cups with clear lids off Amazon. And I love to serve those with like bendy straws by whatever drinks we're doing. Because I think a kid with a straw cup and a lid, like, that's, that's basically the same thing as a sippy cup. So I'm never scared to pull those out. I also just think a clear plastic cup, like for an adult to drink an iced tea out of is like kind of a nice vibe, but it's still plastic. And speaking of drinks, I don't think I mentioned this earlier. I always like to keep like in the fridge, like, you know, some sodas. Tyler will always have some beer. I'll have a couple seltzers on hand. I always bring up a bottle of white wine, like if that's the vibe. And I always offer the white wine. Tyler will always offer a beer. Sometimes I'll do like a signature cocktail. Like again, if I want to be fun or if like we're having a super simple dinner, I think it's fun to be like, hey, I'm making margaritas or hey, I'm making mascot mules. Do you want one? Like, if that's the vibe, I do think that's a fun way to take maybe your more simple meal and make it something exciting. Kind of same thing earlier. You know, you could say, hey, you know, we're grilling burgers if you want to come over. But I'm making margaritas. Like, no, I'm there. Like that's, that's the activity then. So, but anyway, back to drinks though. So but if we're not doing a cocktail, I like to buy a gallon of unsweetened iced tea and a gallon of lemonade. And this is I guess more for a party. Like I'm just having people over. I'd probably just offer water. Maybe I'd make like, I probably would just offer water, maybe iced tea and then have drink boxes for the kids. But for Libby's birthday this past weekend, we did have iced tea, lemonade. And it was awesome because then it's what it is. It's three drinks in one. Like then the kids can have lemonade or adults can have lemonade. You can have an unsweet tea or you can mix them for an Arnold Palmer. Like there's just like it's three drinks in one of just having those two things there. So I really enjoyed that vibe. When you do the clear plastic lids, cups and straws Though I highly suggest leaving a sharpie out so everyone can write their names on the cups because they do start to look alike. And then I also am a big fan of an ice bucket. I just don't like the vibes of like and maybe unfortunately for me, my fridge doesn't have an ice dispenser. It's only in the freezer. And some people are like opening the drawer and like trying to find the ice and it's just not fun. So I do always, even if it's just like a couple of people, I always get my ice bucket out and put it out there with the lids and straws for them to make their own drinks. Okay, next couple of things. These are specific. I always keep them on hand though. I love the parchment papers. Like I'm telling you, if you buy these 12 sheets, if you buy these pre cut parchment paper sleeves, you will be amazed how often you use them in everything in baking cookies. And you know what, it makes for easy cleanup. Because like you bake cookies, you pull them out, you take off the parchment paper and then you can put the pan back in the drawer. Like it makes things so much easier to clean. It's so helpful for grilling because I'll just get one pan dirty. I'll get the pan and then I'll do the parchment paper, put like my meat on it and then I'll go and grill it and then I'll pull the parchment paper off because I don't want like raw meat to touch what, you know, the pan obviously. And then I'm just getting one thing dirty. So I cannot recommend those enough. Those parchment paper sheets are so helpful. I also earlier this summer bought from Costco a giant or several like 9x13 foil pans, like things you would make like casseroles in for your freezer. And I love using those for, for, for prepping the food, for grilling with the food because it's such a nice thing to put them in one of those pans and then you can put those in the oven to keep them warm. So I'm a really big fan of having the food ready before people come. I just find that it allows me to be more present with the, with the guests. And you know, I don't always love the vibe unless the vibe is like we're grilling, we're hanging outside. I don't love looking busy. I love just being there to visit with people. So I love having these 9 by 13s. I will grill, put all the meat in there. I will make A salad. Put it in there. I'll do garlic bread. Put it in there. Like, I just have these 9x13s. They're so easy. And then of course, you can just dispose of them also, which is nice. I won't do that all the time, but they're good to have on hand and I will always do it for the meat. And then I think the last favorite product that I highly suggest is to go containers, like the clamshell. To go containers. Again, you can buy these on Amazon. And these are awesome because it's. It makes it so easy for your guests to say yes to taking food home. You know, you always have extra. And I want to send it home with people. Like, I don't want to keep all the leftovers, but instead of being like, oh, do you want to take some home? And then like, it's that so awkward of like, what do I put it in? I won't have to bring your container back. I just get out the clamshells and I'm like, hey, I'm going to. I'm going to put some of this pork in here for you guys to take home. And they're like, okay, great. And it's just like, very easily gets. I am able to share the food, get it out of my house. They get to take home a nice to go container. And I just think that's a nice touch. I'll also always like to do that if I just have like a mom and her kids over and we're eating dinner or maybe her husband's working late or whatever. I would like to send food home for her husband or for her the next day for lunch, the next day, for her husband, the next day. I always try to send some of the leftovers home because I think that's just a nice thing to do. I think that's kind of what I wanted to say about hosting. I've just really enjoyed getting into the spirit, kind of perfecting the art. And it's such. I mean, you know, you can do nothing and it's. You can do the most, you can do the least. I just think, like, the effort's there. I just feel like it was something that I was more intimidated to do. And now the more I've done it, the more I've really enjoyed opening up our home. And, you know, now it's at the point, like, when it's like, my kids are always like, so who's coming over tonight? And I'm like, no one's coming tonight. It's just us tonight. And when you have as many kids as I, it does feel like I'm always hosting something or someone or I'm just hosting my family, and that's work enough. So I feel like a lot of these tips are kind of, you know, good for hosting, good for just bigger families. Sorry. It was kind of all over the place. And now I'm super thrown off because Elizabeth wasn't even here to finish. Oh, I'll say one more thing. When I am thinking about planning the meals, and again, I told you, I keep it very simple. Like, I keep it so simple. Unless the activity is the meal, then maybe I'll sass it up. Like, for example, like, if the activity is, I'm gonna do hibachi. Like, that's the activity. But if the activity is, hey, do you guys want to come over and swim? Like, it's so simple. But I do try to prioritize, like, only using one section of my kitchen at a time. So, like, for example, if I'm doing. If I'm grilling or if I'm doing. If, yeah, if I'm crock potting the meat, then I'm doing the vegetables on the stove and, like, maybe the potatoes in the oven. So, like, I try to just only use one appliance for one thing, because I think that helps me get things ready all at the same time. I find that's, like, one of the hardest parts about hosting is, like, having everything ready to go hot, like, while we can eat it. So I do think that's very helpful. And then also using the 9x13s, turning my oven on the warming mode and just having the food there that you can so easily pull out, I think it's been super helpful. And if you don't know what to start, like, if you were like, okay. If you're like, okay, I like this. But, like, what should be, like, the first thing I make? I think one, like, one of the best, like, most fun, delicious, easy things you can do is do pulled pork nachos. You can buy the pulled pork from your barbecue restaurant, and then you can just get all the fixings. And this is, like, where you can go as big or as small as you want. Like, if you want to make homemade guacamole go off. If you just want to have barbecue sauce, sour cream, and salsa, that's fine. If you want to do a fire roasted corn and chopped onion and cilantro, great. If you want to buy pico de gallo from Walmart, also great. Like, you can really do the most. And I Love. I think people have a lot of fun, like, making their own. Like, I always love doing meals, especially when we're hosting, that people can just make their own because, like, that's. I just think that's so fun. And if they have kids, like, you can make it way more kid friendly. You can make it way sassier, and. And it definitely gives. It's a fun meal. It's a fun, and it's a good meal. Another example of this is I love doing just, like, appetizers. This would be great if you're, like, doing a football game. Like, hey, you want to go and watch the football game? Like, I'm doing just apps. And all you do is, like, buy all the stuff that's, like, cooked and you just air fry it or do it in your oven. So you could buy, like, mozzarella sticks, mini tacos, maybe order some wings and maybe do a veggie tray. And that's, like, such a fun, easy meal to do. So those are my tips. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. I would love to hear, like, any of your super tangible hosting takeaways, and I'd love to encourage you to invite someone into your home as soon as you can. Doesn't matter how big your house is. Like, in a way, the smaller the better, because it keeps people close. And I just think in person, bonding, communication, and relationships are something that we should all be prioritizing right now. I think it's a good example for us to set for our kids, especially as our kids, you know, grow up with screens in social media even more than we did. I don't want it to feel like, oh, I'm talking to my friend, and it's, like, replaced with them on the screen. Like, I want to show to my kids that we really value having people over to our house in person. And, yeah, so that's the episode. I don't know how to wrap this up, but I hope you enjoyed this very special edition of the carpool podcast, Kelly's hosting Edition. Maybe I'll do an update, like, in a couple of months, because I do feel like we're going to kind of slide into fall hosting, which I think is going to feel a lot different than summer hosting because we've spent a lot of time up at the pool or outside or grilling, and I'm excited to see, like, I might try to do, you know, because every Sunday I make a soup when it's colder outside, because I love soups. Like, love soups. So I may try to do, like, Sunday soup hostings and I gotta figure out what I'm gonna do bowl wise. Cause I told you earlier, I don't like those bowls. So I might. I honestly could probably invest in like some better bowls because I think that could be fun. Just like every Sunday we have different people over to have different kind of soup. Okay, I'll think about that. Maybe I'll give you guys an update after soup soup season is over. But anyway, guys, thanks so much for listening to the Carpool podcast and we'll talk to you on Thursday. Thank you for listening to the Carpool.
- [43:43]
A
Podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, just tell everybody.
- [43:51]
B
You know there's room in the car for everyone.