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- [00:03]
Kelly
Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly. I'm so stupid. Like, I sound so dumb. Like, I'm so obsessed with this random person's bachelorette party. And I think you're the weirdo because you haven't heard about it. Like, do I have nothing else going on in my Life?
- [00:17]
Liz
And Liz, Ms. Rachel's Potty Training Show, 38 minutes. He's not even a Miss Rachel guy. And the guy was hooked.
- [00:27]
Kelly
Your mom time off starts now. Welcome back to the Car bowl podcast with Kelly and Liz. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Halfway through the week,
- [00:41]
Liz
Kel. May. I like, can't with your May schedule.
- [00:45]
Kelly
It's disgusting. I can't with my May schedule. May summer is what, is what the moms call it.
- [00:52]
Liz
This is what it is.
- [00:54]
Kelly
Yeah, it's just a full thing of like, kick us while we're down, you know?
- [00:59]
Liz
Yeah, no, totally. I'm definitely, I'm definitely feeling that. Like, you have bus club. Another club, no sleep.
- [01:04]
Kelly
I know the kid. It's like the kids school. Like, it's really, it's. But it's all really fun stuff, but it's just stuff that I have to be. Have to and want to be fully present for.
- [01:15]
Liz
Yeah.
- [01:15]
Kelly
And this is my kids last full week of school and then next week they have like two days and then it's summer break and I have no plan for George and Hattie this summer other than just hanging out at home with us.
- [01:29]
Liz
Yeah. And you know what I do remember as a child, like, this really was the best time ever. Like the end of the school year. So much. So many fun activities and yeah, if like mom and dad don't show up, I am personally offended.
- [01:44]
Kelly
So, yeah, so no, we're making, we're doing what we can. We're making it work. We're having fun. Today we had mommy makeover at the preschool and, and that's where moms show up bare faced with our makeup. And the preschoolers like, you know, have apple juice and muffins and they give us a makeover and paint our toes and our nails. And I, last year I was there for the fun. You know, I had George last year there. So it was just. George was just being silly and he was being George. Today I have to work. Like I said, like, I have to, I have to work today. Um, and I didn't really have time to like, you know, wipe my makeup off and then start it over. Like, so I kind of went in there with, with kind of a plan, with kind of high expectations for Hattie and luckily it Was Hattie. Like, I don't think when Fred's. I. I will not be able to do this when it's Fred.
- [02:34]
Liz
Fred's gonna take a sharpie to your face.
- [02:36]
Kelly
Totally. But I'm like, hattie likes real world play. Like, she will want to do a good job for me. So I sat down with her. I brought all my real makeup. You know, some other moms would bring, like, their kids play makeup or, like, dollar store stuff. Like, I brought it all. I brought the merit, the dibs, like, the house labs. Like, I brought the good stuff. And I was like, hattie, you have to do mommy's makeup for work today. And she was into that. She was into that. So I would be like, okay, this is concealer. It. I. You know, I made a learning experience. It brightens your eyes. So put three dots under my eyes. This is a sponge. Dab it on there. And I did the eyeliner and the mascara and my eyebrows, but she did everything else.
- [03:15]
Liz
It looks good.
- [03:16]
Kelly
It looks fine. The problem for her is I'm also in my ugly era, you know, for, like, literally.
- [03:21]
Liz
Yeah.
- [03:21]
Kelly
For literally no reason.
- [03:23]
Liz
Yeah.
- [03:24]
Kelly
And I had been avoiding my ugly era for so long, and I thought I had finally cracked it. But the thing about your ugly era is it will always come back to humble you.
- [03:32]
Liz
Yeah. So, yeah, for my favorite Instagrams right now, it's like, me trying to do my makeup postpartum, and they have, like, a man filter on their face. They're, like, applying their makeup, and they're like, yeah, it's just, like, so true.
- [03:49]
Kelly
I'm telling you, it's. It needs to be studied more. The science behind the different ugly areas. And I don't really want to hear that it's my cycle, because I don't really buy that, because I think I've gone shorter times and longer times. I think it's just the way that my face looks some days.
- [04:06]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Okay, well, it lasts weeks.
- [04:08]
Kelly
You know what I mean? It's just really hard.
- [04:10]
Liz
Yeah, no, I get it. I'm halfway through my pregnancy. I get it.
- [04:15]
Kelly
I get it.
- [04:16]
Liz
I get it. Anyway, I have some exciting news.
- [04:19]
Kelly
I know. And I just think we should get right into it because you're really thrilled about how your weekend went.
- [04:24]
Liz
I potty trained James this weekend, and I'm thrilled, and I want to. I want to. I want to tell everyone what I did. But also, like, fully crediting James because he was just, like, ready and he was connecting dots, but there are, like, some tangible takeaways to set myself up for. Success that I want to get into. So James will be three next month. So I'm also not potty training a two year old, mind you. We kind of tried the two and some change, some two and a half and I was not prepared. And like I couldn't communicate with him. Like I can have full sentence conversations with him, which for me has been very helpful in the potty training because we can kind of like come up with a game plan and I can recognize that he's acknowledging. So I'm not like, I'm not a wizard who potty trained a two year old. I know some people do that and that's amazing. Not my experience. What I did to start off that I found to be so helpful was the potty. Well, let me. Step one, I didn't read a book, but what I did do is I searched on Instagram reels potty training. And then I, I watched like 80 reels of people who all read that oh crap book and told me exactly what they did. So I didn't read a book. I just Instagram was my, was my learning and my education and I got, I kind of like. You kind of get the gist of it. Step two, potty content. You know when you like watch one reel too long and then you get inundated with all this same content. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. Like you're no the world's ending because of X, Y and Z, because that's all the content you're absorbing. That's what I did to my son. Books, shows, songs. I'm singing, telling him what I'm doing when I'm going potty. Like all of it is potty content. And I, at first I thought, I wish I would have started this process earlier. But I'm kind of happy that I just like inundated him with it all like within a week. Because he was stoked about the new shows, stoked about the new books. And he actually told me a day or two days early. He's like, hey, I want to try and go, you know, poop on the potty. And like, I wasn't even prepared to start, but I was like, well, I kind of was prepared, but we weren't going to start. So I was like, okay, let's do it. Because I just like shoved all of this content down his throat. Like his FBI agent Ms. Rachel's potty training show. 38 minutes. He's not even a Ms. Rachel guy. And the guy was hooked. Absolutely hooked. I don't know what Is. I don't know what it is about that.
- [07:09]
Kelly
Ms. Rachel does good work. Ms. Rachel does good work.
- [07:11]
Liz
Oh. In her. Her potty episode, they clearly, like, hired a production studio to do it. It's. It's very well done. Very, very well done. Couldn't Recommend Enough. Loved Ms. Rachel Show. Love Daniel Tiger's song. Just gonna say that. Okay, step three. I was so nervous for potty training, so I was like, I have to prepare myself as much as I can. Like, how much stuff I can get. Like, I was just so nervous to do this. I was like, how can I be as prepared as possible for this hectic weekend? So juice, like, always have juice boxes on hand because, like, you want them
- [07:51]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
to pee a lot.
- [07:52]
Liz
And then also, like, stupid, simple meals. Like, we're doing carry out. We're doing pizza. I cannot be wasting time cooking dinner or cleaning up too much. Like, I wanted to be near him and on him at all times, so we didn't miss, like, a learning opportunity. So I was like, I'm not gonna make. This is not the weekend for, like, my fabulous meals. This is the weekend for Domino's. Okay? And it's fine. And I also wanted him to eat food that I knew he would eat a lot of again, just so he would continue to do that. And, yeah, I just, like, watched him like a hawk. I do have a nanny for childcare, and she requires, like, a certain amount of hours to meet a week. So I was like, okay, well, if you have to. If you're still going to be working, I'm just going to have you take Sloan out. Or one day, I had Maddie take Sloan out because I just, like, wanted to be so present with James. So I know that's not everyone's experience, but, like, if you can have your husband or grandma or a mother's helper or someone else there to take care of the other children so you can, like, focus fully in on this kid. And, like, again, just like, I did not want to miss learning opportunity. I found that to be incredibly helpful. So he got pee right away. He got poop pretty quick, and now he's, like, doing it full time. I got. I did end up getting him, like, a little toddler potty. Baby Bjorn green high back would highly recommend. He loved it, and I care, and I carry it with me into every room I go to, which will be a habit I have to break, but I'm still counting it as a win. I would say, like, I think obviously, ideally, we would all prefer our child just, like, start on the Regular potty. Because that's, like, one less thing you have to treat. Teach them how to do. But I'm, like, into the motion, like, recognizing the feeling, knowing you have to go. Like, I will handle the rest later. For right now, he's doing it on his green potty, and I bring it outside with us.
- [09:56]
Kelly
Like, I know.
- [09:56]
Liz
I know boys could technically, you know, pull their pants down and go in the backyard. I. We're not doing. Like, he can do that when he's older. Like, I don't care. I wanted him to associate that feeling with always being on his potty, and that's what works for us. He's. He has done again. Crediting him because he did it. He's done amazing. I am so shocked at how well it went, and I'm so thrilled. And I just, like, I needed a win. It's been a rough couple of months for the St. John, so.
- [10:25]
Kelly
No. And like, James. Love James to death. Like, he needed to make something easy on you. And I'm so glad it was this.
- [10:30]
Valerie
I know.
- [10:30]
Liz
Me too.
- [10:31]
Kelly
He just. No offense, not the best eater, not the best sleeper, but, like, he was the best potty trainer.
- [10:37]
Liz
The best potty trainer.
- [10:38]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
So.
- [10:42]
Kelly
So, yeah. I'm very proud of you.
- [10:44]
Liz
Those are some of my. Some people were asking me to share, like, what. Like what we did. And those were a few things that I didn't see through my Instagram education. Maybe it's a Neo crap book. I don't know.
- [10:53]
Kelly
No, I like the idea. So let me just say, like, I spoke on this last episode, like, Fred has really been struggling, and we've been working on it for months. I think whatever. He's starting OT therapy. We've taken him to the chiropractor, but I have not tried the pot. Taking the potty with us as, like, a constant reminder. So I'm gonna try that. And if I'm being honest, we. I've kind of taken about 30 days off because, like, we just weren't having success. And I was like, okay, maybe he's
- [11:21]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
not ready, but I'm feeling.
- [11:22]
Valerie
Re.
- [11:22]
Kelly
Inspired by you. So I think I'm going to reattempt starting Thursday.
- [11:27]
Liz
And I think. I think that's. I think you should. And I also just think that you have to go. I mean, of course, before they're ready. Like, you put them on the potty. Like, you kind of talk about the potty so they're not, like, scared. Like, you just got to be like, all right, we're doing it. And like, balls to the Walls, you know, that's. That's how. That was the approach I took, and it was successful. I'm like, James is my only focus this weekend. So.
- [11:51]
Kelly
Yeah, no, I'm very inspired by you. I'm really proud of you.
- [11:53]
Liz
Thank you.
- [11:54]
Kelly
So let's see some potty training content. You kind of need to, like, give back to the community that served you so well.
- [11:58]
Liz
I know. And so I've been thinking about what I'm going to post for that. But, yeah, I'm thrilled. And now Sloan's like, potty, potty. Now she's talking about it, and I'm like, oh, my gosh, this is so exciting. And I'm like, let's see. 5. At that time of the recording of, like, not changing a diaper. And I'm like, wow, this is, like, so nice.
- [12:21]
Kelly
If I could get down to one in diapers, I would be thrilled. And, you know, Freddie used to use those expensive diapers for his eczema. So I'm kind of tired of. Those are a dollar fifty a pop.
- [12:30]
Valerie
Yeah.
- [12:30]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Not fun.
- [12:31]
Kelly
No, not fun. Maybe they're a dollar a pop, but still too much. Yeah, they're not 22 cents.
- [12:36]
Liz
Yeah.
- [12:37]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
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- [14:28]
Liz
What I also love about Blueland is
- [14:29]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
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- [14:35]
Liz
I've used their sprays.
- [14:37]
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- [15:07]
Kelly
carpool well that's so exciting. I had didn't do anything productive in that sense but I had the most amazing Mother's Day weekend. My husband just like really knocked it out of the park.
- [15:21]
Liz
Oh.
- [15:22]
Kelly
And we are not, we're not gift people and normally we've just kind of like let Mother's Day and Father's Day. Like of course like oh, happy Mother's Day. But like we kind of like let it eb and flow. Like he very much kind of went above and beyond for me this year. Like it was actually so lovely and we weren't going to really be spending Mother's Day. Mother's Day. We had his niece's baptism so we were going to kind of be more like with his family and like his mom and like the baby being baptized. So Saturday he was kind of like what do you want to do today? And I was like I want you to do a bunch of chores and then I want to like do take an everything shower and bake a Texas she cake and I want you to watch the kids. And he's like okay. And he did all of that. He did all my, all my honeydews watched Libby. I made my first Texas sheet cake. Amazing, stunning, difficult recipe. But I crushed it. And then we went to mom and dad's house, and on the way there, Tyler was like, let's. He's like, I want you just to tell me, like, your favorite part about being a mom, and then I'll tell you what I love about you being a mom. Like, he was being so sweet to me.
- [16:20]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Oh, my gosh.
- [16:21]
Kelly
I know.
- [16:22]
Liz
I love him.
- [16:22]
Kelly
And he's like, I'm sorry I didn't get you anything. And I'm like, no, you got me, like, you gave me, like, the best day ever. Like, so then we went to my dad's house. I made dinner. Everyone told me how good dinner was, which is my favorite activity. Like, my favorite hobby is being. Is cooking and then being complimented on it. And everyone loves my dinner. Tyler cleaned the whole kitchen at mom and dad's house, while me and mom sat out on the patio and just, like, hung out, gossiped, drank some wine. Like, so fun. And then I got the kids and jammies, went back home, and then we transferred the kids directly from the car to the bed. And then I read my book, and I looked at Tyler at the end of the day, and I'm like, I'm gonna be honest with you. Like, if I. This was my last day on earth. Like, this is exactly how I would spend it.
- [17:01]
Liz
I'm so happy to hear that.
- [17:03]
Kelly
Yeah. Like, it was the perfect day. He woke up and got me a coffee. Then they did all my chores. Then I. I mean, it was just, like, it was everything I wanted to do, and I was with everybody without being on, which is my favorite type of parenting.
- [17:16]
Liz
I agree. I totally agree. Charlotte asked me because we went to Mother's Day brunch and with mom and dad and Craig and Charlotte, and Charlotte was like, what's your ideal Mother's Day? And I'm like, it is totally dependent on how my children are acting, because I would love to spend Mother's Day with my children when they're in a good mood and not, you know, having throwing tantrums left and right. And that was. That was kind of my experience on Mother's Day. But, like, I don't. I don't want to be secluded away at a hotel by myself. Like, I want to be with everyone. I just don't want to be fully on.
- [17:51]
Kelly
Like, you want to be the default parent, right? Yeah.
- [17:54]
Liz
Yeah, totally.
- [17:57]
Kelly
So, yeah. It was just, like, seriously so wonderful. And I did such. I have a new hack for everyone.
- [18:03]
Liz
Okay.
- [18:05]
Kelly
And I did share this on my Instagram, so you have already seen it. But one of my other sister in laws, Danielle, my sister in laws, are always like, they are. They're kind of hard to explain in, in a good way, but they're just. They're really like high achieving parents. Like, they're really great moms. And like, they're really. Some of them, I would say a lot of the time I find them very inspirational because I'm like, they're crushing it. And some of them are like, one of them has older kids, so we have like different lives, but I can still like take nuggets from them. And the other day we were at, we were celebrating my mother in law's birthday and we were like eating the meal and then there was like some like, there was like a turkey baking in the oven. And we were not at Danielle's house, we were at Trina's house. And I was like, oh, Trina, like, do you have something in your oven? And Danielle's like, oh, that's my turkey. I just like brought it here to bake. That's going to be my meal prep for the week. And I'm like, you brought like. She knew the oven was going to be on. That's where she was going to be. What does it matter? Yeah, she's got to feed her family.
- [19:07]
Liz
Sister's house, so it's not weird.
- [19:08]
Kelly
It's your sister's house. So she brought a marinated turkey breast. We were having pork and she's putting it in the oven. And I was like, you couldn't do that for. You couldn't just like do that at anybody's house? Put it over your sister's house, like, whatever. Yeah, I'm like, that is like, so smart though, because, like, that's where you were going to be on that Sunday afternoon when you would have been doing your meal prep. So we were going to mom and dad's house and I was making steak salads. But so I was thinking to myself, I'm like, well, dad's gonna have the grill on. And I have a big thing of chicken breast that I was gonna make tomorrow. What if I just brought the chicken breasts and had dad grill them for me?
- [19:40]
Liz
And dad would love nothing more than to just continue to stand in front of the grill and like, do that.
- [19:44]
Kelly
No, exactly. So I brought eight huge chicken breasts, marinated, and dad grilled them for me. And that's what we're eating this week.
- [19:54]
Liz
Yeah, that was such a good hack.
- [19:56]
Kelly
And it's just like, just like a way to think about things. And Danielle also was like, yeah, sometimes I'll take my crock pot to work.
- [20:03]
Valerie
Yeah.
- [20:04]
Kelly
She's like, if I have to, like, stir something or, like, add something in, I mean, she's trying to feed her family. She's a working mom trying to feed her family. I'm inspired.
- [20:10]
Liz
I'm inspired too.
- [20:13]
Kelly
Plug it in for her office and then take it home.
- [20:17]
Liz
Good. Check on it.
- [20:20]
Kelly
You check on it. You stir it when you need to, and then your family has a home cooked meal when you get home.
- [20:25]
Liz
Wow, that's like, next level.
- [20:27]
Kelly
No, that's next level. But I was just kind of inspired. So. Yeah, it really changed my life. And now I have, like, amazing chicken. And Tyler was. Tyler had the chicken last night. He's like, this chicken is so good. And I don't know if this was, like, just our experience growing up, but if the best way to do grilled chicken breasts is to marinate them in a cheap bottle of Italian dressing, the cheaper the better. Like, don't pay more than $3 a bottle and then just put the entire bottle in the chicken breast.
- [20:52]
Liz
It's so good. It's so.
- [20:54]
Kelly
There's no right. It's so juicy and good.
- [20:57]
Liz
Also, I like to smash them. I like flat. I like flat breasts.
- [21:01]
Kelly
Oh, I cut them in half.
- [21:02]
Liz
Okay.
- [21:03]
Kelly
Yeah. No, I like a thin breast. Yeah, for sure. For sure. So we did that. And now I feel like. So home begins with love. Because she's always talking about prepping your protein.
- [21:12]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
You're so.
- [21:13]
Liz
Home begins with love. Begins with love.
- [21:16]
Kelly
And tonight we're gonna have Caesar salads. Chicken Caesar salads. And then tomorrow I feel like the chicken's gonna be feeling, like, a little more sad because this will be day four of the chicken. I'm gonna do fried rice on the Blackstone.
- [21:30]
Liz
Yeah. Because at that point, you gotta douse it in, like, sauce.
- [21:32]
Kelly
Yeah.
- [21:33]
Liz
You gotta disguise it in a big way.
- [21:34]
Kelly
No, this is like, the last day of, like, just eating chicken as chicken with a sauce. And then. Then we've got to get a little bit more creative.
- [21:41]
Liz
Yeah.
- [21:41]
Kelly
But I'm pretty excited about it. Okay. Fabulous. Yeah. And that was kind of my weekend. We finished that frontier show. So good. What do you know about the frontiers?
- [21:53]
Valerie
Not much.
- [21:54]
Kelly
I know. So crazy.
- [21:56]
Liz
Not as much as I probably should.
- [21:57]
Kelly
And, like, what's fun about the frontiers is, like, we. Missouri was a frontier. Like, we were frontiered.
- [22:02]
Liz
Yeah. Like. Yeah, like, Missouri's talked about a lot. Like, it's kind of a.
- [22:06]
Kelly
No, Missouri was pretty integral, for sure.
- [22:09]
Liz
And that. That always feels good to feel like you're You're a part of history in a lot of ways.
- [22:13]
Kelly
So we finished that. I started my book Theo of Golden, and I also started yesteryear. That's right. I'm reading two books at once.
- [22:19]
Liz
I started yesteryear. I'm probably. I don't know, I'm very early in it, and all I can think about is this is just, like, directly talking about Ballerina Farm.
- [22:28]
Kelly
I know, I know.
- [22:30]
Liz
It's, like, almost too much. It was like she had to intentionally make her a brunette, so it wasn't like, this is so Ballerina far.
- [22:38]
Kelly
Well, and I won't really stand for Ballerina Farm slander. And my first impression, I'm gonna see the book through, but I do feel like it's a little slanderous.
- [22:48]
Liz
I'm very curious to get to the part of the book where she does travel back to the past and see if she thrives or not, because I don't. Yeah. Like, at the end of the day, like, these, they're. They are talking about, like, it is a business and, like, yeah, it is. Like, why is that a bad thing, though? I don't know. I. I do feel it's a little bit slanderous, but I'm hoping that she ends up being, like, a hero.
- [23:11]
Kelly
Yeah.
- [23:12]
Liz
But we'll see.
- [23:14]
Kelly
Speaking of Ballerina Farms, I deleted Tick Tock again, and I think it's for good this time.
- [23:23]
Liz
Okay, now I kind of know why you deleted it, but was it just as a consumer or was it also
- [23:29]
Kelly
as a poster and it was just as a consumer.
- [23:31]
Liz
Okay. Because you had finally made it. You finally started getting into the creator fund, didn't you?
- [23:36]
Kelly
Yeah, I made $283.
- [23:38]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Wow.
- [23:39]
Kelly
So we'll have to kiss that. Well, maybe they'll pay that out still. But here's my problem with TikTok as it stands. And this will just be. And I can't totally. I feel like I can't eloquently explain why I feel so different than Instagram,
- [23:51]
Liz
but it just is.
- [23:53]
Kelly
And I'm just going to assume that it's like, I'm just. I just feel like I have. God has given me discernment to know to get off TikTok and stay on Instagram. Okay. Because I don't feel any icky way about Instagram. I mean, I get days where I'm a little burnt out or days where I find myself comparing myself to other people, but I never leave Instagram feeling so horrible as I would be on Tick Tock. I think the problem with Tick Tock is a couple of things. One, it's still more like anyone's platform. Like people are just creating tick. The average person would create a Tick Tock Tick Tock more often than they would just create an Instagram. Like in a way, I think Instagram is still more, I hate to call them like professional influencers, content creators, but people there are more posting with purpose to build something, not just to get views. People on TikTok I think are really just after views or they're trying to become this like overnight success.
- [24:40]
Liz
Well, I think Tick Tock's a little bit shameless because you're not like people on Instagram. Like they've, they've had their Instagram for so many years. They have like all these photos. Like it's their personal thing. It's like your Facebook page in a lot of ways. The new Facebook page.
- [24:55]
Kelly
Yeah, that's interesting.
- [24:56]
Liz
Your name and your family is so tied to an Instagram. You could say like, give me a random number and you're like raven xx7123 and then you can post whatever you want.
- [25:05]
Kelly
Yeah. And I think that when people just post to get views, they will exaggerate, manipulate, stretch and straight out lie.
- [25:15]
Valerie
Yeah.
- [25:15]
Kelly
To make their video more interesting. And I didn't like that because I felt like I was seeing really exaggerated things about like what were happening in the world and like specifically about this like hantavirus, which like I'm not even going to talk about because I just, I can't do this again. But people were like, people were scaring me, honestly. And then like I would read like a news article, I'm like, okay, well they, they totally exaggerated that story. Like of course it still sound, of course still tragic, but like they're totally exaggerating. Or I would just see like horrible things about stories and I would try to like not watch it, I would try to scroll on. But like at some point you're only human and you watch it anyway or you don't realize what you're watching until it's too late. And then also like a really big trend on Tick Tock is I guess if you make your videos a minute long, then you're eligible for the creator fund and then you get money. So what people will do is they will make really sad videos being like, if you can just stay for a minute and interact with this page, like I can get my child this life saving cancer treatment. And it's like, okay, great, now I have to take that on. And then you and like they were happening to Me all the time. Like, it was like almost every other time I scroll Tick Tock, I would see a video of someone who's terminally ill. I have to watch this video or they're not going to get their treatment. And I'm sorry. Like, at the end of the day, that just weighs on you. And I already get a lot of that in my DMs. And I help as often as I feel called to and can. But, like, I just can't see these videos on a Tuesday when I'm cooking dinner for my kids.
- [26:49]
Liz
Well, I mean, that's me.
- [26:50]
Kelly
I probably shouldn't have been scrolling anyway. But okay, then it's before bed or then it's like I'm trying to relax and like, watch or like, get some content ideas. And it was just seeing sad videos, exaggerated videos, rage baiting videos. Like, people will also make videos just to make people mad, just to get more views.
- [27:06]
Liz
Yeah.
- [27:07]
Kelly
And I just didn't like what it was doing to me mentally.
- [27:11]
Liz
Yeah. And it's like the ones about, like, watching for a minute so I can get X, Y and Z. It's like, okay, well then you feel bad if you don't watch it.
- [27:19]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
It.
- [27:19]
Liz
Then you do watch it. You also feel like then you're sad and then because you watched it, you're gonna get fed more of those. Like, it's an endless vicious cycle.
- [27:29]
Kelly
And it's okay. Like, we're just not designed. I really believe, like, we're just not designed to take on the problems of. And it's not even. Like, here's the thing, here's why I feel different on Instagram. Because if someone I followed on Instagram posted that video, I can take that on because I like that person. I follow that person. I like, there's influencers who, like, I want to know their struggles because I. Maybe it's like a weird parasocial relationship, but, like, I do care about them. Just like, I think people care about us. Like, so I'm okay with that. But when it's a random person, I don't know them. I don't even know if they're telling the truth.
- [28:03]
Liz
Yeah, I know. Yeah, you don't know.
- [28:06]
Kelly
And then I was also like, look, listening back to our episode when I was talking about that girl's bachelorette party, and you're like, I haven't heard about it. And then like, when I was re listening, I'm like, I'm so stupid. Like, I sound so dumb. Like, I'm so sort of this random person's bachelorette party. And I think you're the weirdo because you haven't heard about it. Like, do I have nothing else going on in my life?
- [28:25]
Liz
Yeah.
- [28:26]
Kelly
And the answer is I do. Hey, let me clear. The answer is I do.
- [28:29]
Liz
The answer is you do. Yeah.
- [28:31]
Kelly
So just for all those reasons. And I'm sorry. Like, I just also don't think. I know some people feel like they have their community on TikTok. I just think I love my community on my other platforms, and I just don't need that platform.
- [28:46]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Okay.
- [28:48]
Kelly
As at least a. Yeah. A consumer of the Tick Tock content. I don't like it. I won't. Don't want my kids on that app, so I need to just, like, not be on it.
- [28:55]
Liz
Okay. Well, thank you for announcing your exit. I think you made the right call.
- [29:04]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Yeah.
- [29:04]
Liz
I think you just need to, like, listen to. Yeah. The Internet's, like, such a crazy. Such a crazy place. Yeah.
- [29:13]
Valerie
And, you know, I love it and
- [29:14]
Kelly
I hate it, but I do love it.
- [29:16]
Liz
I know. Speaking of sick kids, how do you. Have you heard about the Danny Go stuff? Yeah. So sad.
- [29:23]
Kelly
So sad.
- [29:26]
Liz
I love Danny Go.
- [29:28]
Kelly
I know. I love Danny Go.
- [29:30]
Liz
They seem like really good people.
- [29:33]
Kelly
Okay, I'm sorry. I can't talk about that right now.
- [29:34]
Liz
Okay. I'm sorry. It just kind of reminded me of it.
- [29:37]
Kelly
No, I know, but. No, but that is. But, like, you know what I'm saying? That's a story. I can take on that emotional burden a little bit because I love Danny Go. Like, so I can take. Yeah, I can take that on. And I don't believe, Like, I'm not of the mindset of, like, it can only be the people in your backyard who you care about, because, like, well, the Internet has given us access to more people, and some of my closest friends are on the Internet, and I don't see them very often.
- [29:59]
Liz
Yeah.
- [30:00]
Kelly
But, like, I do care about them.
- [30:03]
Liz
All right, let's just back up because I saw something on Instagram that I want to talk about. We're going to totally change the subject.
- [30:13]
Kelly
Let's do that.
- [30:14]
Liz
I saw this Instagram. I actually think you liked it as well. And it was a guy. He, like, sold his car because he wanted no technology in his car. He's like, the technology has gotten out of hand. So he had crank windows. He did have Apple CarPlay, but he showed a tiny screen and, like, he had all buttons like it. He went down to the bare bones of technology, which I kind of loved. I'm curious to know if you could only have five tech features in your car. What would the five be?
- [30:44]
Kelly
Oh, I think this is very easy for me. Okay, let's hear Power tailgate, obviously, the keyless entry. Like, I could never imagine doing, like, a key in an ignition Again. Heated seats, backup camera, and probably apple carplay. I'm fine with that. Like, that's all I need.
- [31:08]
Liz
I was gonna say. Okay, so, what, like, no cameras? Like, blind spot cameras?
- [31:14]
Kelly
Well, you only give me five, Elizabeth.
- [31:16]
Liz
I know, but so you would take heated seats over, like, blind spot cameras?
- [31:20]
Kelly
Yeah, I can. I know how to check my blind spot. I do like front sensors, but maybe I do, like, front.
- [31:26]
Liz
My five. I would definitely include front sensors. Apple carplay, power tailgate. I don't know. I feel. I feel like I could. I could do a key in the ignition.
- [31:38]
Valerie
I don't know.
- [31:38]
Liz
If I sometimes lose my keys, that might be kind of convenient.
- [31:41]
Kelly
But what about, like, unlocking the car?
- [31:44]
Liz
Well, I don't. Yeah, I want to unlock the car with the. But with the button.
- [31:48]
Kelly
No, I don't.
- [31:49]
Liz
I don't want to stick a key in the thing. But, like, I don't need it to unlock when I get close.
- [31:53]
Kelly
No, I need it to unlock by just being in my purse. I can't be digging through my purse.
- [31:57]
Liz
Okay, I'm gonna say apple carplay, front scissors. Backup camera. I'm gonna go blind spot camera. I like. I love the cameras. I'm so reliant on them now.
- [32:13]
Kelly
Yeah, you're a camera girl.
- [32:14]
Liz
And I'm gonna go. I want to be. I don't want to do crank windows.
- [32:21]
Kelly
Oh, I didn't know power windows or too.
- [32:23]
Liz
It's all of them. It's everything. So now, like, I don't need. I don't need power seats, like, in the front. Like, I can adjust that myself. That's fine, Liz.
- [32:31]
Kelly
Power seats doesn't count.
- [32:33]
Liz
Yeah, Kelly, it all counts. I'm trying to make this hard.
- [32:38]
Kelly
Oh, my gosh. Okay,
- [32:44]
Liz
this is going. You're going bare bones. You're going back to the basics.
- [32:47]
Kelly
Yeah, well, I don't want to, for the record, okay? Unlike this man, that's, like, not a desire that God has put on my heart. I like my. I like my tech.
- [32:56]
Liz
Yeah.
- [32:57]
Kelly
I'm dying to get an update on my car. I haven't gotten anything yet. I'm supposed to, like, get a VIN number, and, like, then I can start tracking it.
- [33:03]
Liz
So exciting.
- [33:04]
Kelly
It's like, don't they know they have the car?
- [33:05]
Liz
Mom's car?
- [33:06]
Kelly
Like, respectfully, can you not move me up the line a bit. Cal.
- [33:10]
Liz
No. What? You're just a regular person.
- [33:14]
Kelly
I know.
- [33:16]
Liz
You're. You're not even on Tick Tock. Maybe if you had a Tick Tock. Because they would care.
- [33:21]
Kelly
I'm just an ins.
- [33:22]
Liz
Your Instagram YouTuber.
- [33:24]
Kelly
I'm just an Instagram YouTube podcast sitter. Speaking of all those things, you know what else I am? An event planner. And the auto show is in a month. Ladies. Who's coming? Me. The answer better be most of you. I really want you guys to come. I really need you guys to show up for this event. Please. I'm gonna be there. It's gonna be so fun. We go all out. We go.
- [33:47]
Liz
I can't wait. I can't wait.
- [33:49]
Kelly
Do you know what you're gonna wear? No, I'm like, so. Oh, my gosh. You see that cute girl who made me that. Who, like, wants to style me and she put my face on outfits?
- [33:57]
Valerie
Yeah.
- [33:58]
Kelly
Obsessed.
- [33:59]
Valerie
Yeah.
- [34:00]
Liz
I should ask her what I should wear to you.
- [34:02]
Kelly
Well, the problem is. The problem with is, is I just don't know. I couldn't even give someone a direction. I don't even know how fancy I want to get for the auto show. You guys wear anything? Like, you can wear athletic shorts. You can wear a sundress. You can wear jean shorts. Like, you guys wear whatever you want. But, like, what should I wear,
- [34:20]
Liz
right? I don't know. I think you're gonna figure it out. I think it's harder to figure out what I'm gonna wear.
- [34:26]
Kelly
I disagree. I think you could just, like, wear a dress.
- [34:30]
Liz
Feel like you could just wear a dress.
- [34:32]
Kelly
I think I could too, but I just feel like I also could have options. Like, I have, like, a blue linen set. I'm wondering, except, is linen. I mean. I mean, this with my whole chest. Is linen cute? Or, like, is it only cute until, like, you sit down and then it's wrinkly and then you're just walking around wrinkled?
- [34:47]
Liz
No, I think that's true, but I'm not sure you're gonna be sitting much. So it could be the perfect opportunity
- [34:52]
Kelly
to wear a linen set.
- [34:53]
Liz
But if you're gonna be taking photos of people, it's like, no one wants you to be wrinkly. What if you do sit down?
- [35:00]
Kelly
Well, I just won't. I guess I could kneel.
- [35:03]
Liz
I guess you could just like eating a sandwich. Yeah, you could lay flat, but then your back's gonna be wrinkled. I don't know.
- [35:12]
Kelly
Well, do I just take off my pants then before I eat?
- [35:15]
Liz
Please don't okay.
- [35:17]
Kelly
Well, Liz, here's the exciting thing about today's episode. I'm actually hopping off, and you're actually hopping on to an interview.
- [35:23]
Liz
I am. Yes.
- [35:25]
Kelly
I have another obligation, and because it's may sember, to be honest with you, but we have an interview with Valerie from Catch a Ride, which is our charitable partner at the auto show. And, you guys, this organization is insane. Like, this is the perfect organization for us. And I'm obsessed with what they're doing, obsessed with their mission, and I'm so happy that we get to help fundraise at the auto show for them. So you're gonna want to listen and you're gonna want to support Liz through this interview.
- [35:56]
Liz
Yeah. Because normally Kelly kind of, like, spearheads these interviews, but what do you have to do? What do you have to do?
- [36:03]
Kelly
We're planning graduation.
- [36:05]
Liz
She used to go playing kindergarten graduation. So,
- [36:11]
Kelly
Yeah, kindergarten graduation is kind of, like, a big deal.
- [36:13]
Liz
No, for sure.
- [36:14]
Kelly
No, I'm just saying, like, at the school, like, I just. I'm very. Because I feel. I don't think everyone does a kindergarten graduation. I just can't believe George is graduating kindergarten. I can't believe how he's going to kindergarten. I can't believe I don't have a baby. I'm starting to feel, I'm gonna be honest, a little irrelevant. And I'm totally okay with that. But it is just a weird feeling. Like I've just been the one with the baby or the one pregnant for so long. And the other day I had a friend asked me, like, oh, which formula is good? And I'm like, oh, I've been out of the game, like, a year. Like, I have no idea anymore. I have no idea. I can't give you that advice.
- [36:47]
Liz
I know Cal you. And this is why we have sisters in the shoot, to keep the car mom and the baby Rex relevant.
- [36:57]
Kelly
Totally.
- [36:58]
Liz
I did just buy my new car seat for baby number three.
- [37:03]
Kelly
I know. I'm so excited. It's the first thing you bought for baby number three.
- [37:05]
Liz
It's the first thing I bought. It's making her feel really real. Obviously, I feel her, but, like, just the thought of having three. Very real. I got the joy mitt latch. I'm so excited to have a baseless infancy.
- [37:18]
Kelly
Totally.
- [37:19]
Liz
I don't think it basically weren't around, like, weren't really a thing. I feel like when I had James. Otherwise, I feel like I would have started with this.
- [37:26]
Kelly
No. If I'm in non baseless infancy, respectfully, I'm shaking In my boots. I don't know why you would use anything else.
- [37:33]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Right.
- [37:33]
Kelly
And I'm still going to talk about. Oh, like Liz, it's so good.
- [37:37]
Liz
Everyone says I got this for my third and it's changed my life. And I'm so stoked. Like, why would you have a base and have to put it in? Like, then you gotta buy multiple bases.
- [37:48]
Kelly
No, that's what I'm saying. It's like I am a baseless infancy. Just Stan, like, I tell you, I don't use anything. I would. I only used. I switched between. I used the evenflow shift a little bit with Libby to try that out.
- [38:01]
Valerie
I.
- [38:01]
Kelly
That's just like, not. That's a personal preference. I don't like a stroller car seat combo. It's my personal preference. Not for me. And then I switched between the nuna urban and the dormant latch exclusively with Libby. Mm. Baby. She wrote in a new Araba or a nuna pipa for a little bit.
- [38:14]
Liz
But baseless are bust and you know, they're. And more brands are coming out with them. Someone DM me and they're like, why didn't you. Can I just ask why you didn't go with the Graco Baseless? And I was like, I don't. The joy is just like the one that came to mind. I don't. I didn't really have an answer. I kind of need to ask Sam. I guess she would know which one.
- [38:31]
Kelly
Sam would know. I know. Like, I'm kind of the same. I don't really know because I like. I think the driving's a little cheaper, but I think the Graco one's good. What's it called? The Go Max, maybe.
- [38:40]
Liz
I don't know. Sam doesn't recommend that one a lot, though.
- [38:43]
Kelly
Yeah, no, it is a good one. It is. And I think that one maybe has more compatibility if I. I don't know. I'm talking about. I don't want to say that we need to ask Sam.
- [38:49]
Liz
Okay.
- [38:50]
Kelly
But anyway, so I'm gonna run. I'm gonna let Liz take on the interview. But my dish, the drive thru is how can you borderline inappropriately meal prep
- [39:01]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
this weekend at someone else's home?
- [39:04]
Kelly
Home possibilities are kind of. Possibilities are kind of endless.
- [39:10]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
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- [41:10]
Liz
bunch of pictures and videos that it
- [41:12]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
will go through so we can always look back on the sweet memories we've made over the years. With the Skylight Calendar, you'll be able to manage events, chores and grocery lists while assigning colors for each of your family members and eliminating excuses for not
- [41:23]
Liz
knowing what they needed to do.
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- [41:52]
Liz
carpool I'm excited to intro or reintroduce Valerie from Catch A Ride. This is your second time on the podcast. Welcome back to the carpool.
- [42:02]
Valerie
Well, thank you so much for having me, Liz. It's a pleasure to be here.
- [42:05]
Liz
We wanted to have you back on because Catch A Ride got a rebrand. And also we are partnering with you guys as our charitable partner for the auto show, which is coming up. And we're super excited. We've got a couple different ways we're going to fundraise and all the proceeds are going to go to Catch A Ride. And it is just such a cool organization and it's so perfectly fitting for the car mom team. So could you just tell everyone who doesn't know a little bit more about what Catch A Ride does? And can you also explain what transportation and security really looks like in everyday life?
- [42:44]
Valerie
Absolutely, yes. And thank you so much for having us. We're so excited. So the Catcher Eye Network is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to addressing transportation barriers. And one in five Americans struggle with transportation insecurity. It's one of those barriers that's hidden in plain sight. And it actually impacts families more than food insecurity and housing insecurity. And so it's kind of one of those pieces where it's like connected to everything, but almost just one of those challenges that you're like, oh yeah, I guess that is an issue such as doesn't matter how great the doctors are if you can't get there. It doesn't matter how affordable the food pantry or getting to those low cost food options if you can't get there. You know, all those challenges that show up that impact the kinds of jobs you can have, which doctors you can pick, you know, how far you can walk is really a determining factor. Or you can use the bus. But that's not an option for everybody, especially any mom that's trying to get a stroller on a bus that doesn't have a lift or things like that. So what transportation insecurity really means is that so and it can manifest differently. So let's say it's a two parent household, but it's a one one vehicle. There's one vehicle for the household. So mom may have the car at the doctor, that means dad can't get to work. Or it may be that it's a single parent household and the budget doesn't allow for funding to pay for car, car insurance, things like that it can mean you live on a bus stop or you live within the ability to get to a bus stop, but the bus doesn't go where you need to go or you run into. It takes three hours just to get to work, let alone five. Dropping off a kid at daycare and then going to work. So transportation and security really looks differently depending on whether you're in a rural area or you're in an urban area. But at the end of the day, it means you can't get to where you need to go to get groceries, get to work, get to medical care, things like that. And so we have a huge priority in addressing infant mortality and maternal health. And so we are so passionate about this partnership with the auto show and the.
- [45:02]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
The.
- [45:03]
Valerie
The Carpool Car mom podcast. Just so excited to, like, highlight how this work kind of comes together, you know, and we're.
- [45:11]
Liz
Kelly and I talk about cars all the time. And it's crazy because it. Until we met you, it never really crossed our mind. Like, transportation insecurity is something that people struggle with because our. Our entire life is thinking about people buying cars. We don't always think about the people who can't afford their transportation and what that actually looks like. So you've been at CatcherRide for how long now?
- [45:35]
Valerie
Eight years. So I'm actually the founder. So this organization was actually started with some of the money from selling my kids stuff. And so the journey of motherhood is rooted in entrepreneurship here.
- [45:54]
Liz
So. So you've been in it for eight years. What are some misconceptions that people have about individuals who need transportation support?
- [46:03]
Valerie
Yeah, a lot of times people will say, oh, well, they just need to get a car. Why don't they just get a car? Not realizing, you know, some of these families are living on literally $800 a month, and they're trying to pay for a house out of that, pay for groceries out of that, cover all the things that their kids need, and there's just not enough money. Another common misconcept is, well, why can't they just take the bus? Not realizing that if they did take the bus, or when they do take the bus, it's three to four hours each way. Especially as a mom, by the time you would get your kid to daycare or your kid to school or your kid to daycare and to school and then to work. I remember when I was working at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, we did a study of these mothers who were working in the hotel industry as house cleaning house the apartments and cleaning the rooms. And these mothers would sometimes leave their house at 4:30, 5:00 clock in the morning and they would then take the first kid to daycare and then the next kid to school, and then the next kid to school. And so it was 9 o' clock by the time that they actually got to work. And then they would have to leave at 3:00 or 2:30 in order to be able to do that journey backwards. And then if the bus was running late, you know, daycare, in many cases they charge you by the minute if you're not there to pick up your kid on time. And so here are these families that are living on, you know, very modest incomes who that every minute they're late means another thing that they can't put in their grocery cart that they absolutely need. And so the cost of that time is really big. And they actually have a, a term for it. They call it time poverty. And so when it comes to moms getting access to transportation, the affordability, the rising cost of car insurance, the cost of gas, everything is, is really tough to, to make ends meet. Or if you live in a community that has transit, to get your family to where you need to go can be also a barrier, also can change like the kind of jobs you can get. So I remember talking to one mom and she's like, I got a job offer at a place, it's about 20 minutes from my house. It'll pay me almost $50,000 a year and I'll get health insurance, but I cannot get there. There is no bus route that goes there. I don't have any friends that work at the plant. So what am I doing? I'm working $16 an hour making fast food because that's the only kind of job I can get a ride to. And you think about the difference that that makes for her family, you know, and health, you know, it's a game changer. And so, you know, the common misperception is just like, oh, you know, why didn't you just get a ride with your friend? Or why can't you just save up money for it, you know, or these moms are lazy and they're not doing enough. And it's just the reality of the economics of trying to raise a family, of trying to put food on the table and getting the, to the job that's going to help you get, get to that next part in your life where you're not struggling. Transportation is the game changer.
- [49:12]
Liz
Totally. I mean, it's already, it's already hard enough to do everything as a working mom or a mom in general. And then imagine you don't have your car. Like I cannot imagine like that 4, 30 examples makes me a little bit emotional.
- [49:28]
Valerie
Kids, right? Like that's the thing we're talking about the mom, but the, these kids, you know, they're waking up, spending two hours on the bus. My son had really bad motion sickness growing up, so we'd put him in his car seat and he had like a 10 minute trip to the, to the daycare and he would get car sick every single time. And so you can imagine putting these kids on buses and then on top of it, they don't get home till 8 o' clock at night. The, you know, they're exhausted, there's no time to do homework, you know, all those things.
- [49:58]
Liz
So how does catch a ride actually connect people with rides to solve some of these issues you're telling me about?
- [50:04]
Valerie
Yeah, so we do two different things. So one is we partner with organizations like wic, where these are county organizations that help women get access to healthy food to get resources for formula for their babies. And these WIC offices are able to fund rides to help them get to the their groceries and sometimes get to job interviews, things like that. We also partner with universities, healthcare facilities, insurance companies, and sometimes just referrals through word of mouth. And then we write grants to like the Michigan Medicine, Southeast Michigan Perinatal Health Improvement Coalition. We're working in Texas and other states where there's grants that can help these moms get to and from where they need to go. And then donors are a huge part of that story. So when there isn't a grant program available or the grant is over and that mom is still like 38 weeks pregnant with a high risk pregnancy, you know, the funds are over, we can't spend after the grant deadline. But that mom still has to deliver that baby and she still has a heart condition. Right. And so how do we help that mom? And so the resources from these donations actually at the auto show are going to be transformative for a lot of mom's lives and their babies.
- [51:23]
Liz
What is there like a story from someone that you've helped that like has really stuck with you? I know that like, I think we can all like, like can't imagine like from the mom's perspective. But what, what's, what's something that you have seen in your eight years that's like really stuck with you?
- [51:39]
Valerie
Yeah. So my second child, my daughter was born and spent nine days in the nicu and it was some of the Hardest days of my life as a mom. To see your job, your daughter hooked up to all these tubes and all these things, and you're sleep deprived, you're sore, but you literally are numb. You can't feel anything because your heart is in front of you, hooked up to all of these wires. And I'm going to tear up thinking about this. There is a mom who, she had her baby. The baby was in the nicu and they sent her home, and she couldn't afford to get to the NICU to see her baby, and she couldn't stay at the hospital. And she was able to use our program to take 22 trips to go see her baby in the NICU to make sure she was okay and to bring her home. And so I think that that, to me, is a mom who sat there and what that experience would be like because, you know, she couldn't stay. She had to go back to work or she was going to lose her job. Right? And so that, like, do I work and. Or do. Do I. Do I go to work and keep my income so when my baby comes home, I have an income to feed our family? Or do I basically camp out on the park bench in front of the hospital so I can go in and see my baby? And so I think that, you know, having been literally in that situation, and I can't even imagine what that would have been like if I had to go to work. My husband had to go to work. He's a teacher. And maternal. Paternal care isn't the same, or paternal maternity leave isn't the same. So he had to go to work. He was also in grad school, and he had a teacher who wouldn't let him take off time to be with me. And I just remember just sitting there, like, monitoring every nurse coming in and all that thing. And to think that these moms. And that's the thing. There were empty rooms with these babies in them where there was no family there watching because they had to go to work or they were going to lose their jobs, or they could not stay because there was no money to pay for the hotel room because they were 300 miles from home because of what their baby was going through. And so I think when I look at my time, the fact that, you know, it's not only can I get to the prenatal appointments and can I get to the postnatal appointments, but can mom be there to see her child in the NICU and make sure she's okay? And the fact that our organization was able to Help. That mom just really is like validates like my purpose as a human here on earth.
- [54:25]
Sponsor/Ad Reader
Absolutely.
- [54:26]
Liz
Why do you think that transportation insecurity is more overlooked than like home, like home insecurity or food insecurity?
- [54:36]
Valerie
Yeah. So a lot of times, and I think with it's really just becoming invoked. So we're like 30 or 40 years behind the social care network that we've done in this country. So like we're synonymous with like Habitat for Humanity or Feed America. Right. These are organizations that have been around, but when it comes to transportation and security, there was all this kind of perception that, well, you had the bus or the bus would come. And the reality is the way that cities are sprawling and the way that rural communities are changing the buses and all things for all people. And in my case, there ain't no bus. And so it really is taking. You know, we are one of the only organizations in the United States and even globally doing this, where we are saying transportation insecurity is a problem in this country. It impacts millions of homes. And we want to change that story. We want to create more resources for families to get these rides. And we partner with small businesses, a lot of women owned businesses. We partner with Uber, we partner with innovative tech companies like via and volunteer drivers, you name it. So I think we are all about promoting the bus. We, we love when the bus is an option, use the bus. But there's a lot of folks, the bus doesn't work or the, the route to the job doesn't, the time doesn't, doesn't add up. And so, you know, we're just always excited when we can make that ride happen. Or you know, for these moms who were like, for example, the mom who was, before she learned about our program, she was trying to ride a bike. And, and can you imagine riding a bike two days postpartum?
- [56:22]
Liz
No.
- [56:22]
Valerie
Like, no. The trauma and then, and then. Yeah, so, so like we are all about active mobility. We are all about the bus. Even riding the bus two days postpartum. Like all the parts and the pieces are not ready for those kind of shocks.
- [56:39]
Liz
No, you should be, you should be in bed. Like, you should be sitting down.
- [56:42]
Valerie
Yes, exactly.
- [56:44]
Liz
So, okay, so you get, you can get the grand second help and then your, your don't donations help you connect people with a ride? If someone wanted to donate, like what's. Is there like a number amount? Like does a hundred dollars get. Give someone. Right. Does $50 get someone a ride? Like what, what does that mean? What is, what is donating to catch a ride look like. And how is it like actually directly going to say the mom who needs to go visit her baby in the NICU?
- [57:10]
Valerie
Yeah, so that, so it's about $16 is an average cost of a ride between rides that are we're paying for bus tickets or volunteer mileage reimbursement or we're paying for a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Like we had a mom who actually had a stroke during labor and so she's now a wheelchair user and navigating, having a newborn. So like, the types of rides that we provide are very broad, but that $17 will cover the ride, the cost of a ride for a mom to get to the doctor. And an average mom needs about 36 rides. If somebody does not have access to transportation, it's those second and third trimester appointments to check in with the doctor. And then it's the four to six months after where it seems like you're bringing in the baby every two weeks, you know, for vaccinations or prenatal postnatal checkups or this baby gaining weight, things like that. And you know, I think that's the thing where, why we like to partner with counties or with WIC offices because there's a statistic out there that 60% of moms who are using Medicaid for their health care do not go to any follow up appointments because the cost of that ride is like, I'm deciding between a bottle of form or a canister of formula and a doctor appointment. I'm going to feed my baby. But there is no extra to go around for these moms. And so being able to get those babies to those postnatal appointments is critical. And sometimes there's other trips that are needed, like going to a baby resource fair at a local nonprofit where the nonprofit's hosting the baby fair, where you can get a free pack and play and all these other resources, but you've got to get there to pick it up. And so a lot of times we'll partner with insurance companies to help fill that gap.
- [59:01]
Liz
What's been the most rewarding part of this journey for you?
- [59:04]
Valerie
Oh, wow. So before I started Catch a Ride, I actually lost everything. I was running a tech startup and, you know, innovation is hard. And so I started this journey. I didn't have a home, I didn't have a job. I lost my life savings. And I really wondered, like, am I doing the right thing? You know, should I go back and work in government or all this stuff? But this little tiny voice in my heart was like, in my faith was really thought, you have to keep going. Like, do not let this be the reason that you stop addressing transportation barriers. And so the most rewarding thing for me is that I'm 42 years old, and I'm living the purpose that I have for my life. And I know, like, this is what God put me on earth to do. And so even through the hard stuff, like, you know, I didn't have a paycheck for eight months, and, you know, trying to figure out, like, what it. How do we make this work? Now we're in a place where, you know, we have a team of 30 people. We're working in six states. We're going to be working in three more before the end of the year. And, you know, we'll help almost 1,000 people so far this year that needed transportation rights not only to prenatal stuff, but also veterans to medical care who didn't have another option, or older adults with cancer who didn't have anybody to help them take them to those trips. So I think it's the most rewarding thing is that I sacrificed a lot, but I listened to that voice and I followed my heart and I followed my calling. And, like, it's. People are really getting the help they need. And I really feel like, you know, in all of that hard work, that it was worth it and that it's just beginning.
- [60:55]
Liz
You know, not a lot of people can say that they believe that they're doing what God is calling them to do, especially when you've gone through hardship and you could have stopped and done something easier. So that's amazing. And, yeah, I wanted to just highlight that what you just said as well, of, like, we are talking a lot
- [61:15]
Valerie
about,
- [61:17]
Liz
like, motherhood and transportation insecurity and motherhood. But Catch a Ride is not just about moms. It's about anyone with transportation insecurity. Obviously, the. The motherhood and the prenatal health and everything is just very near and dear to a lot of our hearts. Okay, two more questions for you. One of them is going to be the ditch the drive through. So before we get to that, if you could leave people with one mesh message about transportation and security, what would it be?
- [61:46]
Valerie
Oh, one message just to ask people, do you need help with. Do you need help getting here? You know, just that sheer, friendly. Like, whether you're going to a book club, you're talking to your friend, you really don't see mobility insecurity. There's a lot of pride that comes with saying, I can't get there. Or saying I don't, you know, so just the fact of somebody even offering goes a long way. So I think if, or to even consider volunteering, the American Heart Association, Disabled American Veterans, Meals on Wheels, all of those programs. So if any mom loves to drive and give back, like, there's a lot of really cool programs out there where mobility and security can be addressed through other needs. So I think it's just one, you know, if you're going somewhere and you have a friend, just offer, hey, should we carpool? Can I give you a ride? Just being that friend out there. But also there's a lot of opportunities to volunteer with our catch your eye network. If you're like in Dallas or Detroit or some other organizations, go to our website, catcheri.org, check it out. But you know, there's just, it's, it's one of those things where people just take it for granted.
- [62:57]
Liz
Totally.
- [62:57]
Valerie
Sometimes that simple offer of support is this means the world and it can be the difference between them being able to afford groceries and not.
- [63:05]
Liz
I'm like actually shocked I made it through listening to all that without crying because I'm like 27 weeks pregnant and so emotional right now. I'm so amazed by the work that you guys are doing and we are seriously so grateful that you are partnering with us for the auto show. We have a couple of fun different activations we are going to do to raise money. We are going to have a closet sale. Kelly, me, my mom, some other St. Louis influencers are going to literally sell our closets. So some stuff, it's gonna be nice stuff, stuff, A lot of stuff with tags because as an influencer you get like sent stuff and we're just gonna have a closet sale. So all of those proceeds will go to catch a ride. We are also going to have like Kelly's trying like anything she can to get it feel like a dinner auction. So we're gonna have some fun dinner auction games at the VIP night, potentially carrying those over to the auto show while supplies last. And we've just got some fun integrations that we're gonna do with catch a ride. Okay, Valerie, tell me what your ditch the drive thru is.
- [64:08]
Valerie
Okay, So I have two teenagers, a 17 year old girl and an 18 year old son who just graduated high school yesterday by the way. So I'm in like the 11th hour of adrenaline here. Well, but the, the family favorite is the merry meat Chicken, one pot pasta, the sun dried tomatoes, parmesan cheese. We use chicken breast. If I'm feeling really Bougie. I'll cook it in a cast iron skillet. Otherwise it's just standard, you know, non stick. But I love to use the protein needle noodles that are made with like chickpeas. So it's like 19 grams of protein plus the chicken breast. So, like, super good. And I just. I grew up on a dairy farm, so I like any kind of cheese or any type of cream. I'm down for. So that is what my family favorite drive, drive through ditch option is.
- [64:59]
Liz
I'm always seeing marry me chicken come up on Pinterest when I'm like, googling something. And there seems to be a lot of ways to make it because I think you can also make it in the crock pot.
- [65:07]
Valerie
Oh, I've not heard of the crock pot version. I will have to check this out.
- [65:11]
Liz
You should check it out because that could make your life even easier than it already is. Like, I've seen you just put it all and then you cook it and then I don't know, I guess you maybe you could maybe make the noodles on the cider or sometimes you can just cook noodles in the crock pot. I don't know.
- [65:26]
Valerie
Yeah, I will have to check that out. But yeah, I like the. The to put it in the pan because then I can crisp both sides of the chicken breast. It kind of almost gives it like this parmesan error, but it's not breaded. It just kind of feels crispy.
- [65:43]
Kelly
Delicious.
- [65:44]
Liz
All right, Valerie, well, thank you so much for joining us again on the Carpool podcast. It was lovely to have you so
- [65:50]
Valerie
much, Liz, for having me. Us, we're so excited.
- [65:53]
Kelly
Thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, tell everybody you know there's room in the car for everyone.