LOW LIFT LUXURY OR OVERCONSUMPTION?

Summary

Detailed Summary of "LOW LIFT LUXURY OR OVERCONSUMPTION?" Episode of The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

In the episode titled "LOW LIFT LUXURY OR OVERCONSUMPTION?" released on October 17, 2024, hosts Kelly Stumpe and Lizz St. John navigate a variety of topics ranging from personal family updates and practical parenting tips to philosophical insights and current auto industry news. This episode offers a blend of lighthearted conversation, meaningful discussions, and useful advice for busy parents.

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1. Personal Updates and Family Life [02:25 - 08:31]

The episode kicks off with Kelly and Liz sharing recent happenings in their families. Liz reveals that her son, George, has broken his clavicle:

“Where's your clavicle? Here?” – Liz [02:30]

Despite the injury, they opt for a sling instead of a cast, finding it more manageable for a five-year-old. Transitioning to holiday preparations, they discuss decorating their new home with spray-painted pumpkins, giving their residence a landmark status in the neighborhood. This move is intended to create a memorable and festive environment for both family and friends.

Kelly also shares excitement about their recent family photos and the upcoming Christmas card season. Both hosts emphasize the importance of creating coordinated and aesthetically pleasing holiday memories with their children:

“If you have a certain theme, if you have a certain color that you sort of went for that year, make the frame match the card. It’s so much fun.” – Kelly [08:22]

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2. Christmas Card Preparation and Tips [05:02 - 08:31]

Kelly and Liz delve into their strategies for preparing Christmas cards. Liz explains her method of selecting four distinct color themes (navy, burgundy, olive, and pink) and coordinating their children's outfits accordingly:

“We're going to have four outfits that smack.” – Liz [21:08]

They offer practical tips for listeners:

• Start Fresh: “It's fine if you don't have the previous years. Who cares? Just frame this.” – Liz [07:40]
• Utilize Saved Orders: “Depending on where you've ordered cards in the past, they save your cards and then you can order them.” – Kelly [07:47]

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3. Philosophy: Comparison is the Thief of Joy [26:39 - 29:15]

Introducing a new segment, Liz discusses the well-known philosophy that “Comparison is the thief of joy,” expanding on its deeper implications:

“When you compare, you're normally comparing... their worst quality to the other person's best quality.” – Liz [27:00]

Kelly adds to the conversation by highlighting how our brains are naturally self-focused:

“Our brain is just thinking about ourselves and seeing things through our lens.” – Kelly [28:20]

This segment encourages listeners to recognize the pitfalls of comparison and to focus on their unique strengths and circumstances.

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4. Digital Detox and Social Media Management [29:15 - 32:26]

Kelly shares her decision to stop using Reddit due to its negative impact on her mental well-being:

“Ignorance is bliss. So I'm no longer looking at it.” – Kelly [29:15]

Both hosts discuss maintaining a positive online community within their "Carpool" Facebook group, emphasizing the importance of moderating negative comments to preserve a supportive environment. They humorously recount a misunderstanding where a member mistook the group for a ride-sharing service:

“We have the Carpool Facebook group... someone was like, need a ride from here to here and left his phone number.” – Kelly [32:06]

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5. Last Three Transactions: Recent Purchases [32:26 - 38:57]

In the "Last Three Transactions" segment, Kelly and Liz reveal their latest expenditures:

• Kelly:

  • Tony's Box with Spider-Man characters for her son.
  • Silicone yogurt pouches for meal prepping.
  • Floor-length gowns tailored to her six-foot frame.

  “The way that my bank account is being subtracted from freaking Stony Hill yogurt pouches. It's ridiculous.” – Kelly [34:29]

• Liz:

  • A mermaid claw machine for her daughter's birthday.
  • A costly stool sample kit ($340) to investigate her son Fred’s severe eczema, highlighting frustrations with insurance limitations.

  “Insurance doesn't cover it because they don't actually want us to get healthy.” – Liz [38:35]

These purchases reflect their roles as proactive and resourceful parents managing both everyday needs and unexpected challenges.

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6. Industry News: Automotive Insights [41:32 - 45:16]

Kelly and Liz discuss notable happenings in the automotive industry:

• Mark Zuckerberg's Porsche Minivan Conversion:

  • Liz critiques the aesthetic and safety concerns of converting a Porsche SUV into a minivan.

    “It looks like a soccer,” – Liz [42:15]

• Kia Carnival Hybrid Release:

  • They highlight the introduction of hybrid models in minivans, noting that Kia is now offering hybrids in three out of four minivan models. Liz expresses excitement about this eco-friendly development.

    “With the Kia Carnival hybrid... three out of the four minivans are a hybrid.” – Liz [43:57]

The discussion touches on how regulatory changes and market demands are influencing automakers’ strategies towards hybrid and electric vehicles.

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7. Ditch the Drive Thru: Smash Burger Tacos Recipe [45:16 - 52:05]

Kelly introduces the "Ditch the Drive Thru" segment with a straightforward recipe for Smash Burger Tacos:

Ingredients:

• Gluten-free tortillas (e.g., Siete almond flour tortillas)
• Ground beef
• Cheese
• Toppings: pickles, ketchup, Trader Joe’s fry sauce, onions, tomatoes

Instructions:

1. Smash the ground beef thinly onto one side of the tortilla.
2. Cook on a skillet for 3-4 minutes per side.
3. Add cheese while cooking on the second side to melt.
4. Top with desired ingredients and fold the tortilla.

Kelly emphasizes the simplicity and speed of the recipe, making it ideal for busy families:

“It takes no time at all. It's so good.” – Kelly [46:58]

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8. New Recipe Generator Tool [47:35 - 49:38]

Liz announces a new feature on their website: a Recipe Generator aimed at helping busy parents find easy and diverse dinner ideas. They encourage listeners to try the tool and provide feedback:

“If you see something that's like not working out, like, let us know.” – Liz [49:38]

This tool is designed to alleviate the stress of meal planning by offering randomized recipe suggestions tailored to user preferences.

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9. Health and Meal Planning Strategies [50:11 - 56:26]

Kelly and Liz share their approaches to meal planning and maintaining a healthy diet:

• Liz: Emphasizes high-protein meals and efficient meal prepping by stocking up on ground beef and other meats. She highlights the benefits of having a well-stocked freezer:

  “It's made meal planning so much easier because I’m just going through what we have.” – Liz [51:08]

• Kelly: Discusses incorporating ground beef into various meals to save time and reduce grocery costs. She mentions her experience with the versatility of meat and experimenting with adding nutrient-dense organs like liver to ground beef for additional health benefits:

  “Ground beef is such a versatile meat.” – Kelly [52:22]

Both hosts advocate for bulk purchasing and strategic meal prepping as effective ways to manage household expenses and ensure nutritious meals for their families.

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10. Closing Remarks [56:11 - 56:26]

Kelly and Liz wrap up the episode by thanking listeners and encouraging them to subscribe for future episodes. They reinforce the community aspect of their podcast, inviting more parents to join their "car" for shared experiences and support:

“If you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody you know there's room in the car for everyone.” – Liz [56:26]

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Notable Quotes:

• Liz on comparison and insecurity:

  “When you compare, you're normally comparing... their worst quality to the other person's best quality.” – Liz [27:00]

• Kelly on digital detox:

  “Ignorance is bliss. So I'm no longer looking at it.” – Kelly [29:15]

• Liz on stocking the freezer:

  “I felt so secure and, like, so... she used the word like rich, but, like, not in, like, a vanity kind of way.” – Liz [54:26]

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Conclusion:

This episode of The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz offers a rich tapestry of conversations that resonate with millennial parents navigating family life, personal growth, and consumer choices. From practical meal planning tips and philosophical musings to insightful industry news, Kelly and Liz provide valuable content that is both engaging and informative. Their candid discussions and supportive banter create an inviting atmosphere, making listeners feel like part of their extended family.

Transcript

[Kelly]

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[Liz]

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[Kelly]

Welcome to the Carrefool podcast with Kelly.

[Liz]

I don't care what my daughter wears to school. I don't care what we wear to a playdate. I don't unless it's a holiday or something. I'm getting a photo for I don't care.

[Kelly]

And Liz, I'm blindsided every year by football season because football season comes and then guess what is happening on it feels like every freaking night of the week. Oh, Friday night football. Oh, Saturday night football. Oh, Monday night football. Your mom time off Start starts now.

[Liz]

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

[Kelly]

Hey, Kyle. How are you?

[Liz]

Oh, I'm doing really good. I'm excited to be back on the mic yet again. I'm feeling much more like myself today, you know, and the thing is this time will do that to you.

[Kelly]

It's so true. And it really depends on like how much sleep you got the night before and like, you know, if your newborn is cooperating with you or not. And just like all the things. But you've kind of had like an eventful last 24 hours actually.

[Liz]

Yeah, George broke his clavicle, which I didn't even know that what that meant which one?

[Kelly]

Where's your clavicle? Here?

[Liz]

Yonder? Yeah, it's like right out there. And it's so funny because have you seen that trend on social media where it's like there's no more kids in cast. Like which you know what? True. I haven't been looking for kids in cast. I will start.

[Kelly]

I haven't really been like in you know, grade school. So I don't, I don't know. Yeah.

[Liz]

But so anyway, now George isn't, he's not even in a cast. Which is like if you're going to do this, like give us a cast. We're in a sling. Which the sling is the most annoying thing to put a five year old. And I almost like want to put a cast on him so he just understands he can't move it as much.

[Kelly]

Yeah, totally.

[Liz]

We actually, we go to the orthopedic doctor tomorrow so maybe they'll like have a different. Like we are literally, we're fresh from the ER as, as of this recording. But it's okay.

[Kelly]

Yeah, but like other than like a broken clavicle, how, how are the Stumpies doing?

[Liz]

Oh, besides that, you know, we're good. We're settling into fall. We. I'm basically like, I'm. I'm teetering the line between Macy Blackwell and Ballerina Farm.

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

You know, I don't know if you saw but we like spray painted a pumpkin and that, that was giving Macy, but with a ballerina twist.

[Kelly]

The Stumpies have never decorated the exterior of their home for a holiday ever. Once.

[Liz]

Ever. Once. But here's the deal. Our new house, without giving like too many details, we're the location of our house is very much in a landmark kind of vibe. Like our neighbors, the people we hang out with, like pass our house. So I'm telling Tyler like we're a landmark now. People are going to look to us.

[Kelly]

It's like when you're, when you're a kid and maybe you're driving to like a your like a regular holiday place where you go on vacation, like a lake or something and it's like, oh, there's the house that always has that out front. Or like there's the, there's the scary house there. Or even just in your neighborhood, like who is always doing the most. Like there's that house. There's that house. There's the Stumpies. Yeah.

[Liz]

And I wanted to give that to my kids to get to myself. And the thing about my husband, he's very motivated by attention. So this gives him interesting. Yeah. I know we have that in common. So, like, you know, he's getting attention from the neighbors. Like, the kids like it. So we already have really, really big plans to take said hay bale and we're going to attempt a turkey and then we're going to. We think we can do the turkey strategically enough to then turn it into a Rudolph down the road. So we're like in this hay. So, like, you can expect some content next couple of months from the car mom.

[Kelly]

Some hay bale content, some pig content, chicken content. You're just. You're really becoming a full blown homesteader and it's really inspiring.

[Liz]

Thank you. I'm doing my version of it. Yeah, I'm. I'm kind of going on the.

[Kelly]

And I.

[Liz]

And I think we ebb and flow in our homesteading journeys because it's very much the season of my life. I'm in because I'm truly home a lot. So if you're home, you might as well stead, you know.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

When I get back out to the dealership world, I'm sure this, the site, the setting will slow down. But, yeah, I'm happy where I'm at. But. What about you? How are you?

[Kelly]

Been good. We just had our family photos done, which was so much fun. So much more fun to do family newborn photos with a toddler.

[Liz]

Totally.

[Kelly]

Because it's like the newborn photo, like James's newborn photos. I don't. This sounds terrible. I don't really feel anything towards them because that's not James, in my opinion. You know, like j. The James I know now is James. Like, he was just this like, potato. Didn't even look like himself. Like a newborn does not look like themselves. So it was really fun. Now we got like our family of four. Got some really good pics of Sloan. She was really cooperating and some really, really precious ones. Love toddler James.

[Liz]

So, yeah, toddler looking cute. I'm most excited because we also got family photos as well. And I'm very excited for Christmas card.

[Kelly]

Season because, oh my gosh, I am so excited for Christmas card season. I'm like, I literally. Kelly, I almost went on minted to like, start making mine today.

[Liz]

So if you don't know, Elizabeth, my mom, the queen has this great tradition where she's framed all of our Christmas cards throughout the years. So it's so fun. Every holiday she'd pull out all of her frames and you can see all of your previous Christmas cards. You know, it's always the joke, like, oh, these were the good old days. Before Sydney and Grayson came along. Like, it's funny. We make the same jokes every year. So I started doing it the year we got married. I've been married since seven years. I'm gonna have seven. No, we're going on eight. I'm gonna have eight frames. This is so exciting.

[Kelly]

No, it's huge. It's so exciting. And it's such a good holiday decor. I mean, for someone who doesn't like to do holiday decor unless it's a hay bale, this is like. It's like hay bales and picture frames is, like, kind of where the stumpies end.

[Liz]

I don't know.

[Kelly]

And it's a lot of fun. It's a fun tradition. And, like, you always have an extra Christmas card. You never. You're never able to order the exact right amount. So make sure you have one for yourself.

[Liz]

Here's two hacks. First of all, one, you can start this this year. It's fine if you don't have the previous years. Who cares? Just frame this.

[Kelly]

Who cares? Just start.

[Liz]

Also, depending on where you've ordered cards in the past, they save your cards and then you can order them.

[Kelly]

Okay, yeah, that's a good idea.

[Liz]

Now I don't know if they'll send you one, so you might have to do like a 10 minimum. And then. That sounds crazy, but things to consider. But yes, I'm very excited to start working on my Christmas card. And then I like to pick out a frame that, like, goes with the card. Like, yes, this is my favorite thing.

[Kelly]

Yeah. The frames themselves, as a collective don't go together. The frame goes with the card. If you have a certain theme, if you have a certain color that you sort of went for that year, make the frame match the card. It's so much fun. I can't wait. I'm so ready to order my cards. But yeah, I'm holding off.

[Liz]

And I will have a minted code.

[Kelly]

Because I was going to say, aren't you going to have a minted code?

[Liz]

They did reach out and they normally actually give me a pretty good code. So, like, I think it's normally 20%. So be watching for that.

[Kelly]

Yeah, definitely. Okay, Kel. Well, we have an episode to get to. We have big dumps. We have. We're going to do last three transactions because the day of recording it is Amazon prime day. And I did just place an order. So I will be sharing. And we're going to have a Ditch the drive thru that I have just been, like, dragging Kelly along for. I keep hinting at It. And I'm so. She's on the edge of her seat. I just ate it. I just ate it for lunch. I'd like, eat it off camera so she couldn't tell what I was eating. And we're going to have industry news.

[Liz]

I would like to start a new segment too.

[Kelly]

What?

[Liz]

It kind of goes with last. Last three transactions. I don't have a name for it yet, but there is an item that I want to purchase that I need to know as, as a community, is if. Is it a low lift luxury or is it over consumption?

[Kelly]

Totally.

[Liz]

Isn't that always the balance?

[Kelly]

Totally. You want to know. You want to know who thinks that they're a low lift luxury but is over consumption?

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Any fridge organization video you've ever seen.

[Liz]

Mm.

[Kelly]

What is up with the taking little jars and putting your orange juice in these little jars and then taking your deli meat out of a plastic bag to then put it in a plastic container. That's aesthetically pleasing. Like, what is up with that?

[Liz]

I won't spend money on deli meat accessories. That's just like, I've drawn my line in the sand.

[Kelly]

That's over. Yeah.

[Liz]

I'm not doing that.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Here's the one I'm considering.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

I don't want you. I don't want a gut reaction. I want you to think for a second.

[Kelly]

I'm.

[Liz]

I'm going to think a towel warmer.

[Kelly]

I think it could be a. I think it could be a low lift luxury.

[Liz]

Here's the thing.

[Kelly]

It's giving. It's giving a heating pad on your bed up. Before you get in it, you plug.

[Liz]

It into your wall and you like, stick your bath towels in it. Before you get in the shower. Before know your kids are getting into the bath. And then you can open up. It looks like a little laundry basket kind of. Then you open it up and your towels and warm. I have a very oversized bathroom, like, at my new house. Like, my bathroom has, like, a good spot for it, I'm saying. So I don't think it would take up a lot of room. Like, I wouldn't lose the space. I'm in, like, my baby era. Like, I don't enjoy pulling Libby out of the bath and giving her a cold towel. And I would just put it in the dryer. But, like, the dryer is. That's not really feasible when, like, the dryer's over there and I'm trying to be in the bathroom giving a baby a bath. And I'm not going to, like, make giving a Bath a two person job so Tyler can go and get the towel out of the dryer. That's crazy.

[Kelly]

No, I mean, it sounds like it could be around.

[Liz]

I might put it on my Christmas list. I'm.

[Kelly]

How much is it?

[Liz]

That's a good question. I don't even know. Let's see.

[Kelly]

We'll see if it's on sale for prime day.

[Liz]

But is okay. It's a hundred dollars you can save. That's a 20 coupon.

[Kelly]

So it's $80.

[Liz]

Yeah. How long does it take to warm, though? That's.

[Kelly]

How long does it take to warm?

[Liz]

I don't know, Cal, 25 minutes? See, that's tough because. Oh.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah. You're not think. But like, what does 10 minutes get you?

[Liz]

You can set a timer though.

[Kelly]

How hot is it at 10 minutes? Yeah, I don't know. But like for me, when I'm getting in the shower, I throw my towel like over the shower so I can dry off in the shower. I'm. What I really hate to do is open my shower door, let all the cold air in to then go like walk over to my towel warmer to grab my towel, you know?

[Liz]

Okay, well, we'll just kick that down the road. But I'd love some feedback on towel warmers. Okay, let's just get started. We have so many things to get to on our dumps.

[Kelly]

Okay, but before we get to our dumps, today's episode is brought to you by.

[Liz]

Today's episode is brought to you by. Our friends, Clean Simple Eats. You guys, Clean Simple Eats has the best protein powders I have ever had. Talk about a variety of flavors. I'm the kind of person who, don't get me wrong, like, I like a protein shake, but I can't just have like a plain vanilla every day. I need something fun, dare I say seasonal. And Clean Simple Eats is the perfect thing for that. Their protein powder is always grass fed with no seed oils or artificial ingredients. It's third party tested, non GMO and gluten free. Each serving has 20 grams of protein. They got this new like pumpkin variety and I've been making like a faux pumpkin spice protein latte with it and it is delicious. If you don't want like such a traditional protein powder variety, you have to try their clear protein drinks. Obsessed. It drinks like an energy drink, but it has 20 grams of protein instead. I am so obsessed with them. I have one almost every afternoon. Visit clean simpleeats.com and use code CARPOOL10 at checkout for 10% off your order that's clean. Simpleeats.com code CARPOOL10 for 10% off. Your order link is also in the.

[Kelly]

Show notes and today's episode is also brought to you by Rocket Money. How much do you think you're paying in subscriptions every month? The answer is probably more than you think. Over 74% of people have subscriptions they've forgotten about. I definitely did like the time that I forgot that I was paying for a clothing subscription service and paid more than $100 a month for multiple months. But thanks to Rocket Money, I'm no longer wasting money on the ones that I forgot about. Rocket Money is a personal finance app that finds and cancels your unwanted subscriptions, monitors your spending, and helps lower your bills so that you can grow your savings. With Rocket Money, I have full control over my subscriptions and a clear view of my expenses. I love how I can see my my spending from month to month so I can see if I've spent more this month from the previous month. They also notify me when major purchases have been made. Rocket Money has over 5 million users and has saved a total of $500 million in cancel subscriptions, saving members up to $740 a year when using all of the apps features. So stop wasting your money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to rocket money.com carpool that's rocket money.com/car pool. Rocket money.com carpool okay Kel, here's what I have.

[Liz]

How many are we doing? Because we're not going to get through our whole document.

[Kelly]

I know. I just. I need to take a look at what I want to talk about. Oh, you know what? This is a little bit. I just have to get. I have to say one really quick because it's kind of time sensitive and I kind of. This is more of like a September thing. The football season Surprise. If you're not a sports girl. Like I'm not. I am always shocked. Oh, and your husband's not a sports guy. Okay, so this is a non sports girl married to a sports guy. I'm always take. I'm blindsided every year by football season because football season comes and then guess what is happening on it feels like every freaking night of the week. Oh, Friday night football. Oh, Saturday night football. Oh, Monday night Football, Sunday games. Your your entire. It's always. There's always a football game to be on and always a football game to be watching and always a football game for your husband to maybe take a nap to And I'm just always taken by surprise. And I think I'm really still getting used to it, because the first year Maddie and I dated, it was Covid, or maybe we missed football season, or it was Covid, so there was no sports. So I was like, whoa, we'll just, like, watch reality TV or whatever I want to watch. And then the second year that we dated, he was deployed for a year, so I missed that round of football season. And it's just. It always takes me by surprise. And I just feel like there's probably a lot of people who would agree.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

I guess I didn't really think that through when I was going to bring that up to you, that, like, Tyler doesn't watch football, so maybe you don't have a lot to say about it, but I feel like you have, like, the hunting season surprise, perhaps.

[Liz]

Yeah, no, I. And I'm. I'm a football fan, so I've been keeping up with my Detroit Lions, first of all.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah, I'll name one player.

[Liz]

Okay. Now I have a homework assignment. Yeah.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

Well, I feel for you.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I mean, it's.

[Kelly]

It's just an observation.

[Liz]

I mean, to me, if we're keeping score, if you're a football fan. Wife versus a hunting wife. I am winning this battle because my husband's not around, and you're just sitting on the couch. So.

[Kelly]

No, I would. I would disagree because he can watch a toddler, and my toddler can watch football with him.

[Liz]

I know. So that's what I'm saying. So I'm.

[Kelly]

What? I'm winning.

[Liz]

Yeah. I have it worse. I'm.

[Kelly]

Oh, you have it worse? Yeah, but no one. No one has it worse than women whose husbands like to golf.

[Liz]

No, I think I do.

[Kelly]

You think golfing is worse than hunting? They're gone, like, eight hours every day on a Saturday.

[Liz]

You know what? I don't know. I don't know.

[Kelly]

I'll take. I'll take my football.

[Liz]

I'll take my football, and I'll take my hunting one. I'm Okay. I like him to go out and stretch his legs a little bit.

[Kelly]

You know, it's good for them to have hobbies, I think.

[Liz]

As long as you come back refreshed, and I tell them, don't come back until you're refreshed. Respectfully, don't come back. Oh, I never get to go out to the woods. I just told you to go to the woods. But when you come back from the woods, say, wow, you're so great for letting me go.

[Kelly]

To the woods now. How can I serve you? Let me take those kids off your hands for you.

[Liz]

Yeah. Okay. Let's move on to something on my dump, if that's okay. Okay.

[Kelly]

Please. Wow.

[Liz]

So many things to get to.

[Kelly]

I know just, like, where to start.

[Liz]

I think this is, like, mainly your stuff on here, too, kind of.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

A little bit of a 4Kids update.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

It has been a very interesting transition, and I'm definitely kind of coming out of, I think, the worst of it and kind of getting my bearings, getting a level of acceptance. But let me tell you one thing that I have just accepted. It's flown out the window. I have no more headspace for it. And that is my children's clothing. And I say that in a sense where my kids are. Well, my kids are clothed. I don't care what my daughter wears to school. I don't care what we wear to a play date. I don't. Unless it's a holiday or something. I'm getting a photo for. I don't care anymore.

[Kelly]

Short socks, T shirt, shoes.

[Liz]

We were going to, like, a fall party, and this was, like, a casual party in our friend's backyard. Like, we were doing a hay wagon ride. Like, it was casual. Old me would have probably gotten all of the kids, like, a festive Halloween shirt that somehow semi coordinated because we're being festive. New me kids get dressed.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Hattie had on a Nike. A pink Nike shirt and green pants. Didn't match, didn't care.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

The stumpies are here.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So. And that. That was a really big thing for me to let go of. But I'm also, you know, power to Hattie because she got herself dressed. So she's a helpful one now.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So who am I? I don't. She's dressed.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I also, I. I also think, like, the chore to get yourself dressed postpartum is so hard, too, that it's like when. When you go in your closet and everything fits again, then you can go in, you can put together an outfit quickly, and then maybe you'll have more headspace to help the kids have a semi coordinated outfit. But, like, right now, it's really, really hard for you to even get dressed yourself.

[Liz]

Yeah. So now going into the holiday season, because I'm not going to let my kids show up like ragamuffins to church or to, like, a holiday party. Like, we're going to have. We're going to have some moments. We're very much going to be the family of, like, hey, who are those People, I don't even recognize them because that's the jump scare between when I'm trying versus when I'm not trying. And I do, like, a coordinating outfit moment. And I think it's fun and I think the picture is nice and, you know, then I frame it or whatever. So I am starting to source my kids coordinating outfits. Let me be clear. We're going to have four. Four for the season. A navy variety, like a burgundy variety, an olive variety, and then the girls in pink. The boys and like a grays are a white. And so I went through all of their clothes and I said, oh, this works for Fred's navy outfit. Oh, here's something for Hattie's red outfit. And I filled in the gaps with other outfits, and we have four outfits that smack.

[Kelly]

Okay, that's great. That's a total hack.

[Liz]

I like that. I just picked the colors and I went through and like, for the girls outfits, because I don't buy the girls a ton of pink stuff, but I wanted them to have a pink moment. But I then I want the boys to, like, semi go together. So stay tuned for my just. And I'm taking a picture in my phone. What? Oh, we have to go to church today. Oh, we have a so and so. Let me which of our four. It's a four outfit cycle.

[Kelly]

Yeah. That's very smart.

[Liz]

Thanks.

[Kelly]

I'm proud of you.

[Liz]

That counts. Holidays. So, like, Thanksgiving will choose one. Christmas will choose. I'm not doing. I might do an extra Christmas outfit, but I'm not for Thanksgiving. And, you know, we're the kind of fans family who goes to three Thanksgiving still.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So navy, green, red.

[Kelly]

You have to go to three.

[Liz]

Ours and then Tyler's mom's side. Tyler's dad's side.

[Kelly]

Oh.

[Liz]

And I'm grateful for it. I don't mind. I don't mind. I like a lot. I like extended families. Tyler's extended families still get together.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And I mean, Tyler's great grandma has literally. She's one of my favorite humans in the world. I think she. We're all. I think we've hit 50 on great grandchildren. And we all go to her house.

[Kelly]

Crazy.

[Liz]

We all go to her house.

[Kelly]

Insane.

[Liz]

It's so interesting because it's like Thanksgiving, so you're like, how do we all fit in our house? She. I'm telling you, it's always like a unseasonably warm day. God just does that to her. We always spend it outside. It's crazy.

[Kelly]

That's amazing. What a blessing. Okay. I Want to talk about something that's a very like karma a spooky Halloween season adjacent and I just thought it was cool and I just. If anyone has one of these near them, there's a car wash brand called Tommy's Express and in October they do the Tunnel of Terror and they have a haunted car wash. So I mean you can. They have locations all throughout the country. But the Tunnel of Terror jump scares it. Workers are dressed up in scary Halloween costumes. They say it's not for kids, it's a little scary. And when you go through the car wash, it's like a haunted house. Isn't that cool?

[Liz]

I mean I don't do spooky scary things like that, but it's so cool for the people who do. That's a good, It's a good idea.

[Kelly]

We so is Tunnel of Terror family friendly while we build our car wash to be inviting and funnel of Tunnel of Terror may not be suitable for young children who scare easily. Jump scares drop dressed up team members and spooky music work together to create a wonderfully scary ride through the wash.

[Liz]

Would you do it?

[Kelly]

No, because I don't like scary things and I, I honestly sometimes get a little spooked in the car wash. Like without a jump scare. Like I don't think I need, I don't think I need that. But I just saw that and I was like that. That's cool.

[Liz]

Okay. That's so cool.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Okay. Next thing on my dump, the Kia Carnival is a good looking minivan. They've been catching my eyes on the road and you know, I ebb and flow with cars. You know, some days I'm all about you. Some days I'm not like I'm hot and cold, you know, but I am kind of in my Kia Carnival era. It is just, it's a good looking minivan. It just is.

[Kelly]

It's definitely the best looking minivan.

[Liz]

It's a sharp looking car. Here's what it's doing for me though. I don't really. I like my Ford Expedition because I like how it functions and I like driving a big car. Vanity wise, I don't have any. I don't care if what the car looks like. Let me. That's not, that's not true. I care more about how the car functions than what the car looks like. Like I, I'm not above driving a minivan. I chose the Expedition for other reasons. To me, the Kia Carnival though, it's, it just, it gives Suburban Expedition Kia Carnival. Like I just feel like all three of those cars are doing the same. You just look like a soccer. Now, the other minivans, I get that they're not as attractive. I just think it's good looking. I've been seeing it lately in white. It look, it's looking sharp. They've got a nice blue out there. I'm into it. I'm just into it. Just a moment.

[Kelly]

Wait. Just the way that some of the new cars, and I can't even think of, like, which one off the top of my head, but I have been noticing, like, some of the new cars that get redesigned when they come out and they kind of have that more rounded feature. Sometimes I'm like, it kind of looks like IKEA Carnival, which is not to say like, it kind of looks like a minivan, but I do think that, like, Some of these SUVs sometimes are kind of copying that similar style. And so I. Which makes me think that I don't think that the Kia Carnival stands out so much like a minivan because kind of some of the SUVs are going in that direction.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Again, I don't even know which one on the top of my head. I just know that recently I've been like, that kind of looks like a cute carnival to me.

[Liz]

Well, I think if you look at something like the Honda Pilot or the Toyota Grand Highlander, they have, it's like that raised a front end a little bit. That has. Yeah, I mean, it's. It's similar body lines.

[Kelly]

Yeah, it's similar body lines.

[Liz]

But I would agree. I almost think the Carnival looks more like the pilot than it does in Odyssey.

[Kelly]

Right. You know? Yes, I agree. Just like I would agree that's something.

[Liz]

That'S been on my mind.

[Kelly]

Okay, Well, I. Do you want to talk about anything else on your dump, or do you feel like we can save other stuff for later podcasts?

[Liz]

No, I think I have something. You know, this has kind of been all, like, light and fluffy. I think I have something a little more serious I could chat about. Just. Just. Just to give the podcast some depth.

[Kelly]

Is it a yes? What was that other segment?

[Liz]

Fast lane philosophy.

[Kelly]

Fast Lane philosophy.

[Liz]

It is a fast lane philosophy and it's a quote that we've heard a lot. But then I want to build on that quote.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

Based on another quote that I heard.

[Kelly]

Okay. A lot of quotes.

[Liz]

None of this can be sorted. It can be cited. Cited. But none of it's me. None of it's my original thought.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

Comparison is the thief of joy. Now, we've heard that before, right? And it's really important to make sure we're not comparing ourselves. But sometimes when you just say that, it's like, okay, well, no dip, but how do I stop comparing myself or comparing my marriage, my kids, my body, my whatever. And I heard a quote, a different quote about comparison. And it goes, when you compare, you're normally comparing, like let's say you're comparing your husband to someone else's husband. You're normally comparing their worst quality to the other person's best quality. And that's where, that's where I think you can kind of shut your mind off to be like, okay, that's not fair. Let's compare best quality to worst quality the other way around and see who comes out ahead.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So I just think it's like, same thing with your kids. If you're out and you see one of your different kid on the playground and they have coordinating outfits and your kids don't. Well, you're comparing like, you know, the worst thing about you or what, whatever. Maybe not the worst thing. You're comparing like a low point.

[Kelly]

You're comparing an insecurity as well.

[Liz]

Yeah, an insecurity to their security. So and so just. That was just kind of a refreshing way to think about how you can stop comparing when you realize that it's not, it's not apples to apples, it's apples to oranges. And you want to make sure if you're going to compare, at least compare apples to apples, I think.

[Kelly]

And you just, you just literally never know what. And you never, you're never going to know what their insecurity is or what their worst thing is because that's literally not how our brain is made to function. Our brain is like, think about, do you ever have those moments where you cringe still thinking about that embarrassing thing that you did?

[Liz]

100%.

[Kelly]

Now think of one thing, one embarrassing moment that anyone that you know has ever had. You literally can't come up with it because you're not thinking about it. So that means no one's thinking about your embarrassing moment. Only you are, and only you're stuck on it. And I mean, obviously that's just how we're built to made like we're just thinking about ourselves and seeing things through our lens. So it's not even. You can't even begin to see something through someone else's lens or to fully understand someone else's life.

[Liz]

Well said. So anyway, try. Comparison is the thief of joy. And I do believe that.

[Kelly]

Well, speaking of thieves of joy, I just Want to come on here and announce that I no longer look at Reddit ever since or. I don't even remember what it was. There was like. There was like a time where there was just, like, I was reading it a lot and it made me feel. And I know that people who are right on the Reddit page listen to the podcast because they say, unless reads the Reddit page, guess what? I'm not reading it anymore. So go ahead and do your talking. It made me feel so bad. I would just, like, sit there and, like, be thinking about it and it would. I would be having a great day, and then, like, something that some stranger on the Internet said about me would pop into my head and it would make me feel so down about myself. And, like, this is killing my vibe. This is stealing my joy. Why do I look at this? Who. Who cares? And I'm so much happier. Ignorance is bliss. So I'm no longer looking at it. I don't, I. I don't care what you have to say on Reddit, so just know that. Go ahead, dear. Typing. I'm not looking at it.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

If I do. That is like, such a area that's like, me faltering. That is me faltering on something that I am, like, that's. It's almost like a guilty pleasure in the sense, but it's. Then it might feel, like, terrible about myself. So I don't even know. Anyway, I'm not doing it anymore.

[Liz]

No, I'm very happy to hear that you're done with the Reddit pages. You know, I think that people who write about other people on Internet are like, whatever. I think that's crazy to, like, make an account personally. But, you know, if you're gonna cyber bully. Thanks for like, not doing it to someone's DMs. I guess. Like, if you need a place to be crazy and toxic, at least keep it on Reddit. Like, don't freshly postpartum sisters DMs, because then you will have to answer to me.

[Kelly]

I appreciate that they're not in my DMs, and I also appreciate that it's not in the carpool Facebook group. Like, if you try to say something bad on the carpool Facebook group, it's deleted immediately. Like, it is such a positive white.

[Liz]

Well, it does not get deleted because, I mean, I'm fine with.

[Kelly]

I don't know, I don't delete it. The moderators do. Like, it's.

[Liz]

The people moderator doesn't delete it. Like, the people end up deleting It.

[Kelly]

Oh, the people who post it doesn't.

[Liz]

I was like, I'm fine with a little bit of not controversial. Like, people can share. I want it to be an honest place. I don't need it to be like, I don't want the carbohydrates page turn to like rose colored glasses. Like, we're not self aware enough to hear, hey, I didn't like how that came off. People can have a different opinion.

[Kelly]

People can have a different opinion. But if you're going to write the things that people are writing on Reddit, like, Liz has an annoying complainy voice. The carpool crew isn't going to stand for that on Facebook. That's just not a critique that anyone's willing to, I don't know, someone go.

[Liz]

Test it out and see what happens.

[Kelly]

Okay, can we just say that I. Then I'll have to leave the carpal Facebook group if that's what it becomes. I'm trying to protect my space and protect my headspace.

[Liz]

Protect your piece comparison.

[Kelly]

Speaking of the car, speaking of the carpool Facebook group, did you see that guy who thought it was like a Facebook group to find rides to carpool in?

[Liz]

Yeah, we have. The Facebook groups are not to, like, Air Majority Laundry.

[Kelly]

But I. We're.

[Liz]

Me and Erica are on it now. We're having calls. Like, the groups are now properly moderated.

[Kelly]

No, I know. I just thought it was hilarious. Like, I had never seen that come through. Someone was like, need a ride from here to here and left his phone number. All the comments were like, not that kind of carpool group, dude.

[Liz]

Good idea for a group, though.

[Kelly]

No, it is a good idea. Well, kind of, Kind of sketchy, though.

[Liz]

Well, you know, if you're a man, you can, like, get in the car with strangers and you'll be okay.

[Kelly]

That's true. Okay. Okay, Are you ready for our last three transactions where we reveal our recent bank account subtractions?

[Liz]

I am. I really am. Okay, you want to kick it off or do you want me to?

[Kelly]

Yeah, no, I will. I just ordered. It's gonna be a Christmas gift. A Tony's Box on Prime Day. It was on sale. Major sale.

[Liz]

Which starter kit did you get?

[Kelly]

Well, there were only a few that were on sale. Sale. So it was like a Spider man one that was like, literally, that was the cheapest one on Amazon. It was like a hundred dollars for the box and four characters, whereas all the other ones were like 150 plus if I wanted to pick a certain, like, character combo. So I just figured Spider man feels Fine. And I'll just order some other ones.

[Liz]

I think he's gonna love it. Fred, all my kids have loved the Tony's box. I think it's actually a really, really great toy.

[Kelly]

Okay. So the. The little characters, though. I was looking on Amazon. They're kind of expensive. How. How many songs are.

[Liz]

That's why I feel like you shouldn't have done the. Just. So as four Spider man characters.

[Kelly]

It had no. It has like mar. Like Marvel characters. It has.

[Liz]

Okay, well, that's good.

[Kelly]

It has four Spider man characters, like a little dog. And the box. And it was a hundred dollars. Everything else that also came with four characters. Dr. Seuss, whatever. 150 plus the box.

[Liz]

So, like, you would have come out by the time you go buy a different variety of characters?

[Kelly]

No, I don't think so. Well, then I. But then I'll have Spider man and the other ones.

[Liz]

Yeah, but in. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Kelly]

He might like. I mean, he'll. He might like the Spider man ones. I don't know. I like Spider man.

[Liz]

They're about like 30 minutes. 30 to 60 minutes. 30 to 45 minutes worth of content.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

Yeah. Fred is very much into the Tony boxes and we have two because George and Hattie had them. But I did buy Fred on Prime Day a Thomas the Train one as like a little, like, stocking stuffer.

[Kelly]

Cute.

[Liz]

That's one of mine.

[Kelly]

Okay, well, here is me being a mother of two, a mother to a toddler, and just really having high expectations for myself. The way that my bank account is being subtracted from freaking Stony Hill yogurt pouches. Stony Field, Stony Hill. Whatever it is. Yogurt pouches. It's ridiculous. I ordered silicone pouches. Yeah. That I'm going to fill with yogurt and smoothies. He loves smoothies. So that's what. That's. That's one of my recent ones. I don't know if I'm going to stick to it. I don't know if I will just revert to the convenience, but it's like $7 for four pouches of yogurt.

[Liz]

I think that. I think you'll. I think you'll enjoy. And even if you don't do it, even if you still buy the Stony Hill sometimes just fill. Okay. Then you can still get a few that you don't.

[Kelly]

Or like, God forbid, the day that I not stocked on them and he wants yogurt, like, I will be so screwed. So it will just be good to have them. And I'm already meal prepping anyway. So, like, I'm just gonna kind of add it to my meal prep routine. Like, it comes in a pack of four of these silicone patches. I'm gonna pack four up.

[Liz]

You're gonna have it. Stack it.

[Kelly]

Yeah, habit. Stack it.

[Liz]

All right. I ordered Hattie something for her birthday.

[Kelly]

You're so excited about this one.

[Liz]

Well, you were excited too when you saw it on my Amazon. Yeah, it's a claw machine. It's a mermaid claw machine with like mini stuffed animals in it. It's freaking cool is what it is.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I think she's gonna die.

[Kelly]

I think she's gonna love it.

[Liz]

A mermaid claw machine. George is honestly going to be so jealous.

[Kelly]

Well, he can play with it.

[Liz]

Yeah, I know. But then George is going to ruin it because he's gonna put like fishing lures in it.

[Kelly]

Yeah, for sure. For sure. Hey, what. What arm did his. Is he is in a sling. His right or left? His left thing. So he'll be. He'll be able to use his right hand. So maybe that will prevent him from using it too much.

[Liz]

Yeah, no. Okay, next. Last.

[Kelly]

I mean, does my freaking medical bill for my birth count? Because that was a bank account subtraction.

[Liz]

If you would like it to.

[Kelly]

It wasn't really. It didn't really feel like a transaction though. No. I also. The Amazon prime deals feel very good on like the kids stuff. Like that's kind of what I'm getting. Yeah. So I got him this farm animal busy book, busy board book. So, you know, like one page has these little felt characters that come out and then one page you can put the apples on the tree and one page you can tie a shoe. It's just like a little like busy, busy book. Something for church.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Share all these. I know. I feel like they're like kind of like lame. They're not lame. I just. I don't know, maybe everyone's just subtracting. So these aren't gonna like, be that hard hitting.

[Kelly]

I'm trying to think if there was anything better that I've recently bought. No, sorry.

[Liz]

It's okay. I bought some. I'm trying to think. What have I been buying? I have to go to my Amazon account.

[Kelly]

I just placed an order for some Marine Corps ball dresses.

[Liz]

That'll be exciting.

[Kelly]

Which is always the bane of my existence to find a floor length gown for my six foot frame. So I have to order about seven of them and pray that one is long enough.

[Liz]

Oh, I. This is a. This was a big one. I had to order a stool sample For Fred, like a stool sample kit. Insurance doesn't cover it because they don't actually want us to get healthy. They just want us to be medicated. And Fred. I'm trying to find something to help with Fred's eczema that's not, like, intense steroids. So I'm doing a stool sample, and it was $340.

[Kelly]

It was $340?

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Oh, my gosh.

[Liz]

The root cause of, like, what the eczema is. And insurance doesn't cover it because, again, they don't want you to get better.

[Kelly]

No, it's crazy.

[Liz]

I'm kind of on my conspiracy grind. I'm just a little. I'm a little upset that I feel like I'm trying to find, like, eczema is an autoimmune disease, so that means something's triggering it, something's causing it, and no one seems to want to help me find out what it is. No, I haven't really talked about it yet, but we are currently on, like, week two of trying to cut out gluten to see if that improves it because his eczema is really bad. Like, it's really bad. And it's like, there's risk of, like, in some parts, like, the. He'll get, like, a little staph infection because he's scratching it.

[Kelly]

And that's very serious.

[Liz]

No, it's very serious. So then we have to go on the steroid cream to treat that. The steroid antibiotic cream that, like, we. Like, we've been to the dermatologist, so, like, we have stuff that works, but the steroid cream, over time, like, has side effects, and it's changing the pigment of his skin. And you're only allowed to be on it for a week. And then you have to be off. You're supposed to be off of it for then two weeks. I mean, it's a cluster. Like, if you've ever dealt with eczema, like, severe eczema, I don't really have to talk about it on Instagram because it's just. It's too much, like, filter through the d. Whatever. I just. It's also not that interesting, probably, but no, it sucks. Like, we're so hopefully we get some answers on, like, if there could be something going on. I think it's a little soon to tell if the cutting out the gluten will help because it's all about, like, seeing, like, when the next flare up comes. But yeah, I mean, we've tried everything. We do, like, dead sea salt baths. I'm on this, like, zinc cream. We have this, like, diaper cream that we're supposed to put on the spots. Apple cider vinegar, bleach. Like, we've tried. I've tried everything and it sucks. So stool sample.

[Kelly]

Stool sample is next. I can't believe how much it was. That's crazy.

[Liz]

I know, I know.

[Kelly]

But, you know, just, it's that question of, like, when is it a conspiracy theory and when is it just, like, a good question, you know?

[Liz]

I don't know, but I'm sure they'll talk about it on Reddit.

[Kelly]

We'll never know.

[Liz]

I'm just kidding. This episode is brought to you by United Airlines. When you want to make the most of your vacation, book with United. They're an airline that cares about your travels as much as you do. United is transforming the flying experience with Bluetooth connectivity, screens, power at every seat, and bigger overhead bins to help fit everyone's bag. And with their app, you can skip the bag check line, get live updates and more. Change the way you fly. Book your next trip [e-mail] youm can.

[Kelly]

Get the most important meal of the day any time of day. I'm Talking about the $5 big deal breakfast meal from Jack in the Box, available all day and all night. A breakfast Jack with a freshly cracked egg, a hash brown, and French toast sticks for five bucks sounds good. For breakfast, lunch and dinner at Jack. Every bite's a big deal. Order Jack's five dollar Big Deal breakfast meal now.

[Liz]

Okay, Liz, are you ready for industry news where I spill the hot tea going on in the auto industry?

[Kelly]

Sure am.

[Liz]

Well, just the thing on everybody's lips is that Mark Zuckerberg made a Porsche SUV into a minivan.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Honestly, I don't think it looks very good. Do you see the pictures?

[Kelly]

I've seen the pictures.

[Liz]

It looks like. And also, how are you not going to give us an interior pick?

[Kelly]

I was gonna say, are there any interior picks? Or just.

[Liz]

And also, I don't understand logistically, has it been crash tested? Like, did they, like, they add airbags?

[Kelly]

Because, like, if you're gonna.

[Liz]

So you basically added a third row and you didn't crash test it because you're not gonna build one to crash test it and then give them another one? I assume not.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

That's what you gotta realize about all of those. Like, custom, like, west coast customs or like, even, like, those conversion bands. Like, they're cool and they're clickbaity. But it's a very hard thing for me to chat about. As a. Because okay. Like limos too. Like I don't know. I mean you hate to be a buzzkill. I'm not saying never gonna like ride in a limo because hello, I would never turn down that op. But just kind of interesting.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I don't think it looks that good. I also think it's like you are incredibly famous and incredibly wealthy and now you want your wife driving a. The only car on the road that's going to look like this. Everyone, anyone who sees is like, oh there's Mark Zuckerberg wife.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Sketchy. She wouldn't want that.

[Liz]

She could have just got a Kia Carnival.

[Kelly]

She could literally that color that they got it in. It's like Kia's making those dropping that color left and right.

[Liz]

Totally. So that's basically been the big story.

[Kelly]

Well and then the Kia Carnival hybrid came out or first drive event we just sent nurse shands to. Looks great.

[Liz]

Yeah. Yeah, I'm excited. What's, what's interesting and exciting now about the Kia Carnival getting released as a hybrid is now three out of the four minivans are a hybrid.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Just cool. But zero of the full size. Well that's not true. The Sequoia is the only like and it's like a half ass hybrid to be honest with you. Yeah. Is none of the full size are hybrids which is interesting. And very few of the mid size are even hybrids. So it's like why them? It's like interesting to see them attack the minivan market. First it's trucks, minivans. And again trucks were a D I guess and trucks weren't even hybrids. They all did electric and now they're starting to realize, oh maybe we should.

[Kelly]

Have focused on the hybrids.

[Liz]

Interesting. I don't know.

[Kelly]

Interesting.

[Liz]

It's really going to be. And I not to like make it political at all, but it's going to be interesting to see post election which direction everybody goes when. Because you got to remember like they do things to make money. Let me. Let's be clear. These automakers are doing things to make money first and foremost. And. Or they're following the laws that they have to the regulations they have to. And then they're trying to get all of the government tax credits as possible. So that's why some of them are like oh no, we're going to do it. Oh no, we're only going to build them here because they want the tax breaks, not because they want to save the world. And maybe some of them want to save the world. But I just, I think that if the tax breaks and tax credits go the other way, we're going to see some pivoting.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So just remember that.

[Kelly]

Yeah. Okay. Is that all your industry news?

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Okay. We're giving a lot.

[Liz]

Even chatting for a while.

[Kelly]

Well, now it is time for Ditch the drive thru where we give you an easier dinner recipe to mix it up to get you out of your dinner. I have been making smash burger tacos. Oh, it's so easy. It is. Takes no time at all. So good. Okay, let me walk you through. I don't have a black zone, so I just do it on, like a pan in my. On my stove. Take a tortilla. I have been using the siete almond flour tortillas. Gluten free shout out Cal. I just think that those that. I've just really been enjoying the flavor profile of those. The first time I made them. I also used carb balance and I liked the siete almond flour ones better. Take some ground beef and you just smash the ground beef onto one side of the tortilla. Smash it so it's like flat, like a very thin layer of ground beef. Toss it on your skillet that's been heating up three to four minutes. Let it cook on that one side, flip it, and then while it's kind of sitting on the other side, I've been putting the cheese on it and just like letting it kind of melt for like, I don't know, 30 seconds. Pull it off the heat, top it with whatever you want. I've been doing pickles, ketchup, and Trader Joe's. Like fry sauce or secret sauce or whatever it is. You can make your own fry sauce. You can do onions, you can do tomatoes. Do whatever you want. Fold it up, eat it. It's so good. It's incredible.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

It's such an easy. It's such an e. It takes no time. I've made it for lunch the last two days, which I really feel like that is the telltale sign of an easy meal, is if I will make it for lunch while I'm at home. And it's so good. It's so easy. You could do it on your Blackstone Kelly. I mean, the kids would love it. You should only do a few at a time because it is a quick process. Like you're flipping them like they're only on there for three minutes and then you're pulling everything off. So it's delicious.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

You should try it. I think it's probably as good as the toppings that you have are to be Honest with you. So, like, I would definitely recommend the Trader Joe's fry sauce or making your own fry sauce and then like a good pickle.

[Liz]

Yum. Sounds delicious. My dish, the drive thru is going to be super lame by comparison.

[Kelly]

Well, you're not supposed to bring.

[Liz]

I'm going to bring one anyway because it's related. Before I, Before I bring mine, I want to give a shout out to our new recipe Generator found on thecarmom.com I know off launch, you know, it's the kind of thing where we worked on it for like six months and then I got so tired of it that I was like, yeah, it's out. I don't know. I'm done with this. I'm onto the next project.

[Kelly]

Like, I literally didn't even know it was done. And I found out on your stories. Like, I found out on your stories.

[Liz]

Well, I got the final and it took. I worked on it with a girl who works for a Stephanie. Shout out Stephanie, if you're listening. And she's like, the biggest hurdle was just trying to explain like a man, like, why. Because that's who is the developer, like, why we wanted to do this. And they're like, I don't get it. Like, what's the purpose of this? It's like the purpose is to take away our. To give us back some headspace.

[Kelly]

Yeah, literally.

[Liz]

So anyway, we got the final one back and, you know, how do you.

[Kelly]

Find it on the website?

[Liz]

Okay, so you can go to. That's a really good question actually. Let me pull up my website so I can take you there.

[Kelly]

Shoddy. I can take you there.

[Liz]

Okay, so if you click on the podcast.

[Kelly]

All right, let me follow. Let me go with you.

[Liz]

Wait.

[Kelly]

Oh, ditch the drive thru. Oh, it's at the top.

[Liz]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Yeah, just go to ditch the drive thru and then you can like, you can select multiple of these. So like, you could say like, easy dinner, get random recipe chicken sandwich.

[Kelly]

I'm doing bring to a friend kid fave chicken broccoli casserole.

[Liz]

Yeah, classic. I'm doing crock pot dinner. Pork chops in the crock pot. Okay.

[Kelly]

Anyway, yeah, so fun.

[Liz]

And then if you don't like it, you could just keep hitting get random recipe until you find one that you like. Yeah, I mean, it's. It could be a little buggy. So like, if you see something that's like not working out, like, let us know. Because, you know, if I was running a proper tech company, like, I would have like beta tested this For a while, and then, like, done a big launch. But I'm not. I'm also just a postpartum mom. Four weeks, trying to help other moms.

[Kelly]

So actually, this is the beta test.

[Liz]

We're beta testing as a group.

[Kelly]

We're beta testing together.

[Liz]

Okay. My Ditch the drive thru. So I am very much on my health grind.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Not. Not in, like, a toxic kind of way. Just. I'm really trying to prioritize my protein because I find that I feel better when I eat protein.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And I'm also trying to just eat the protein I like, so I stick to something. And I like meat. I like red meat much better than chicken. Okay. And I think that, like, I can eat. I think I can eat more red meat than what I had been eating and still be very healthy. So I have. And we have a quarter cow in my deep freeze, and we're trying to cycle through it. So I've been very into ground beef bowls, and I kind of got this from Lauren Bostick of the Skinny Confidential, because she's always talking about her ground beef bowls, and it's just not overthinking anything. And this might sound disgusting, but, like, these ingredients, this is gonna sound disgusting. But it was really, really good.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

And very satiating. And filled me up. So I had some ground beef in a bowl. I mixed ground beef and black beans to, like, just make it go a little further. I took that ground beef in black beans, put in some tortillas, gave the kids tacos one night. Okay, cool. I took some of that, put it in a bowl. I added some cottage cheese to give, like, a creamy element, more protein.

[Kelly]

I like cottage cheese. Okay.

[Liz]

And then I added kimchi, which I've been very into. It's good for your gut. Avocado for some nice, healthy fats, along with the cottage cheese and sriracha. So I had this, like, ground. It's kind of like a taco bowl with. With no carbs and cottage cheese. And it was very yummy. And the kimchi is good. If you never had kimchi, it's like.

[Kelly]

I've never had it.

[Liz]

It's fermented cabbage, which, you know, like, I can't stop talking about cabbage these days. But it's very. It's kind of, like, salty. So, like, when you're craving, like, something, like, salty or savory, like, if you have a bite of kimchi out of your fridge, like, it kind of does it for me. I like it.

[Kelly]

Really?

[Liz]

Yeah. I think it's really.

[Kelly]

I need to try it.

[Liz]

I Like it, it's kind of like sauerkraut, but like more like a Asian flavored pie flavor.

[Kelly]

I've been really into the beef as well lately also. I think we're kind of like on the same like health, like breastfeeding and.

[Liz]

We need a lot of stuff like.

[Kelly]

That ground beef is like such a, such a versatile meat. And I just don't always think that she gets the praise that she deserves.

[Liz]

Well, I think she gets turned into tacos a lot and I think you can do more. I think that's why I'm just taking a bowl and just eating it well.

[Kelly]

And I just kind of been. When I don't have the headspace for like what I make for dinner every single night and I'm doing like a grocery pickup, I just will throw ground beef in my cart and not knowing what I'm going to make with it. And that's kind of where I came got the. Not the idea. But yeah, I got the idea for the tacos was because I was like, what can I do with this ground beef that's not tacos. And I do have these tortillas that I have to use up. And I had seen these smashed tacos before. So I just found a recipe online. And I mean when I tell you I've had them three days in a row.

[Liz]

I've had them three days in a row. You are going to love when you get your like your meat and your deep freeze. I can't.

[Kelly]

I know.

[Liz]

I was talking. So if you don't know what I'm talking about. We got a half a pig and a quarter cow from my friend Ashley's husband who's a butcher. So like we call the butcher and like they, they raise these animals like they. I didn't really. She like basically runs a farm to table operation. Like it's kind of cool. And I was talking to tell her, his mom about how much I'm enjoying just like having a stocked freezer of meat. Cause like I go down there and I grab three cuts of meat and that's what we're having for dinner this that week. So I grabbed two things of ground beef. I grabbed some pork sausages and a roast and like those and you know, then I can add chicken and fish like as I want to picking up from the store. But it's just, it's made meal planning so much easier because I'm just going through what we have.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And Teller's mom was like, I never felt like she's like whenever we would like restock our freezer. She's like, I felt so secure and, like, so, like, she used the word like rich, but, like, not in, like, a vanity kind of way. Just in, like, you feel, like. Just feels so good to see your money, like, in a place where that you can feed your family all at once. So totally. I can't recommend it enough. Like, it has totally changed the way I'm grocery shopping. It is. It's an upfront investment, obviously, but we are saving. I cannot wait to look at what I spent on groceries this year versus last year. Even though I know they've gone up, I bet it's a lot lower because I'm not buying so much meat at the grocery store.

[Kelly]

Well, and I was talking to Tyler about it, too, because I also am going through Ashley's husband to get. We're doing a quarter cow and a quarter half a pig. And I was like, tyler, is it really, like, worth it? And he was like, if you use all the meat, yes. But, like, you have to eat all the meat. So, yeah, you can't let this stuff go bad. So, like, yeah, it's going to be, like, an upfront investment, but, like, as long as you use it all, it will be no.

[Liz]

And Tyler's very strict on. He divided all of it. He put just a bunch of. He put it all in milk crates, and then he stacked the milk crates in our deep freezer. And I'm not allowed to go to the next crate until we finish one. So, like, right now, I had a cut of meat in there, and it was pork jowls.

[Kelly]

And I like pork jowls.

[Liz]

I called Gus, and I'm like, the F is a pork jowl. And, like, what am I supposed to do with it? He's like, it cooks just like bacon.

[Kelly]

And I'm like, oh, okay.

[Liz]

And guess what? It wasn't, like, the perfect. Like, it wasn't, like, the cuts were just a little bit more, like, inconsistent as bacon. Like, one was way fattier and one was a meatier. So, like, it wasn't as good, but it tasted just like bacon.

[Kelly]

Crazy.

[Liz]

And I ate pork jowls.

[Kelly]

You know what? I want to. We'll see how my first round of, like, a pit of a cow goes. But I did see this one page that was talking about ground beef and, like, how good, you know, the meat is for you. And they said that you can ask your butcher to put, like, the liver or, like, other healthy organs in your ground beef because the organs are so nutrient dense. Like, I'm just. I'm not at the stage of my life where I'm gonna eat a liver. Just not. But I do. I would be curious to know how it would taste to have it in the ground beef.

[Liz]

Yeah, I don't know.

[Kelly]

So that'll be my next round.

[Liz]

So, anyway, guys, that's the carpool podcast we talked about a lot. And also a little.

[Kelly]

Yeah. So thank you so much for joining us, and we will talk to you next Thursday.

[Liz]

See ya. Thank you for listening to the Carpool.

[Kelly]

Podcast with Kelly and Liz.

[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.