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- [00:01]
A
Today's episode is brought to you by Quince. Cooler days call for layers that last. And Quince is my go to for quality essentials that feel cozy, look refined and won't blow your budget. The greatest compliment that I can receive is when I buy something and my younger sisters see it and I influence them to go and buy it. I have influenced out all my sisters on the quince 100 organic cotton cropped cardigan. Comes in a variety of colors. It's $50. It's incredibly comfortable, it's incredibly cute. The buttons are a statement. I have it in speckled beige and I wear it all the time. I just always find myself just like throwing it on instead of a sweatshirt. It just kind of like is a slightly more elevated look. Can't recommend it enough. And because Quints partners directly with top tier ethical factories and cuts out the middleman, they deliver, they deliver luxury quality pieces at half the price of similar brands. So that's why you see on their website their stuff is way more affordable and they show you like what it would have cost. Quince is just the kind of wardrobe upgrade that feels smart, stylish and effortless. And Quince has really become a one stop shop for me, for everything. Did you know they have kids clothes? I started buying my kids clothes from there and they are also great. So find your fall staples at quince. Go to quince.com carpool for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. The that's Q-U-I-N c e.com carpool for three to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quinn.com carpool welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly.
- [01:43]
B
And there was lightning outside when we were supposed to walk out for like school pickup. And they were like, okay, there's lightning. Like what should we do? And they were like, oh, just send Kelly out because lighting strikes the tallest.
- [01:54]
A
And Liz, the one critique she had for me was that when I walked in, I was kind. I was really tall and looming and intimidating. Your mom time off starts now.
- [02:09]
B
Welcome back to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz.
- [02:12]
A
Hey Liz. Hey Kel.
- [02:14]
B
Happy Wednesday everybody.
- [02:19]
A
Still like so not used to this recording schedule, but I think it's gonna be okay.
- [02:23]
B
I don't love it. Well, it's, I don't know, I love Friday. I don't like Wednesday, but the Tuesday was the problem. You know what I mean?
- [02:29]
A
No, I know.
- [02:30]
B
It was so. It is what it is. We will prevail. We Will get through it. It's just, like, so hard because, like, Dancing with the Stars has already happened, but I haven't seen it because it's only Monday when I'm recording. Like, I just don't know who. I'm such a different person between Monday through Wednesday. It's, like, hard to forecast.
- [02:45]
A
Yeah. No, I know. Here's like, my biggest thing as I'm watching, like, all the Dancing with the Stars recaps, which, actually, first of all, you know what Grayson told me? She said, now I understand why boys like to watch sports highlights. Because the way that I have gone and watched.
- [03:00]
B
Yeah, sure.
- [03:01]
A
The Dancing with the Stars, like, highlights. I'm obsessed. Here's my question. How do you not, like, fall in love when you're dancing with some of these dancers? Like, how is Dylan not, like, in love? And maybe I think she's probably a professional. And now. Now I get why all the dancers are, like, married and dating. Because, like, how can you dance with someone like that and not literally fall in love?
- [03:32]
B
See, to me, it's like, just such a fairy tale land because, like, I could never move like that. Like, I'm just not. I have no rhythm. I'm not a good dancer, so it feels so irrelevant to me.
- [03:41]
A
Mm.
- [03:43]
B
Like, I could literally never. And my husband's actually a good dancer. Mm. Which is sad for him. We're just, like.
- [03:53]
A
I don't think. I don't think we could have ever been dancers.
- [03:57]
B
Here's the thing. I'm not. I don't have great rhythm, and I'm also not light on my feet. Like.
- [04:01]
A
No. I'm quite heavy on my feet, actually.
- [04:06]
B
Like, I'm nothing good.
- [04:09]
A
Yeah.
- [04:10]
B
To be a girl who can just, like, effortlessly, like, dance or, like, you know, those, like, movies where the girl, like, shakes her head like this, and, like, a guy looks at her at the bar, like, never. My story, if I'm getting checked out, it's when I'm sad.
- [04:23]
A
Yeah.
- [04:24]
B
And then I stand up, and they're like, she's a giraffe.
- [04:26]
A
They're like, never mind.
- [04:28]
B
So tough.
- [04:30]
A
Well, it's not really that tough because, you know, you're happily married and have been with the same guy since you were 17, but.
- [04:36]
B
Yeah. But in, like, my fantasies of just, like, I was. I could. It's not my fantasies, but, like, I could never be Daniela.
- [04:41]
A
You know, who is so just cute and, like, has rhythm and is a good dancer, and we just, like, would never be her in a million years is Sabrina Carpenter. Did you see her? Her performance on snl, actually.
- [04:54]
B
That's so funny you say that, because I got home Saturday night from a little event, which I'm gonna recap with you guys, and Tyler was passed out, but, like, I was still kind of just, like, on a high, you know, I was just like, oh, I'm not ready for bed. So I turn on the tv, and it's like, Saturday night lives on. And I'm like, what clicked on Saturday Night Live? Tried to watch it. Sorry. Horrible show.
- [05:12]
A
Yeah, it's not. It's like.
- [05:15]
B
Like, I can't believe how unfunny the skits were. Like, it was. It's not even like it was a bad joke. It's like, was that supposed to be a joke? And it's not. It's like, it's just such an uninteresting show. So, no, I didn't see. I've seen clips, and I can see how, like, the best clips make it to social media, and that's all you need to know about Saturday Night Live. Yeah, I very much tried to, like, sit there and watch it. I. It was horrible.
- [05:44]
A
I've never been able to sit there and watch it. I do really like Saturday Night Live clips, like, when they're funny. But, like, it was on, like, a streaming service, and I was like, oh, what if I just watch all Saturday Night Live? Couldn't get through, like, a single episode. Now there. There are, like, some people on that show that I like, and there's a new girl, Veronica, who I follow on Instagram, and I love her, and I'm, like, really waiting for her, like, comedy to come out. But, no, it's really. I think that's, like, for every five bad skits they have, they have one really good one, and that one gets circulated, and that's. I only need to see the highlights.
- [06:19]
B
No, but it's, like, it's not. It's like, the whole skit's bad. Like, they should have scrapped the whole thing and left it on the. The writer's floor. Like, and it's so interesting because now, like, how many people. Like, there's so many entertaining videos and people on social media now that it's just insane that, like, you can't translate that to, like, any sort of, like, long form. I mean, it's like, just. They're horrible. I was, like, really mad about the whole thing.
- [06:44]
A
Yeah. Well, anyway, Sabrina Carpenter's performance, I only saw clips of it online, and she's just like. You know, she always wears, like, lingerie, essentially, when she performs. She just wore. She Was, like, in a bedroom. Like, her microphone was a hairbrush. And she was just, like, in a T shirt and underwear. Which, like, isn't that scandalous for Sabrina? Carmen? Actually, it was, like, quite modest for her, if you think about it. And it was just so cute. It was giving me all of, like, the 2000s nostalgia that I was after. And it was just, like, really cute. And I liked it.
- [07:13]
B
Yeah. No, couldn't be us. Like, if you ever stood next to her, Elizabeth, like, you'd be scary. She's so petite.
- [07:19]
A
I know.
- [07:21]
B
So it's hard when you're not petite.
- [07:24]
A
No.
- [07:25]
B
Anyway, the thing about me is, like, people don't realize this about me. Like, I don't like being tall. And I know that's, like, not a good thing to say. Like, I know you should like. And I, of course, like, love the skin I'm in. Like, sure, X, Y and Z, A, B and C. But I'm telling you, I don't love being tall.
- [07:40]
A
Like, if, yeah, I, like.
- [07:43]
B
Could get a genie, I would ask to be five' eight.
- [07:46]
A
That of all the things asked for, where would it fall?
- [07:52]
B
What do you mean?
- [07:53]
A
Like, you would really. You would really ask to be five' eight? Do you think it would make your life easier?
- [07:58]
B
I think I'd be able to, yeah. I think it'd be my life easier. But, yeah, I guess you're right. I guess it's all worked out.
- [08:03]
A
That's fine.
- [08:04]
B
I'm just so self conscious about it, so. I don't know. I'm allowed to be self conscious. We all have our things.
- [08:10]
A
No, you're not.
- [08:12]
B
Okay?
- [08:13]
A
You have to. You're not allowed to. You're fine. You're beautiful.
- [08:16]
B
You're right.
- [08:18]
A
So.
- [08:18]
B
And you know what? You know what else I was thinking? I'm gonna have tall daughters. I just better shut up and get over it. It's exactly because my girls are gonna.
- [08:27]
A
Probably be my height and they're probably going to be self conscious about it. And you're gonna say you're beautiful just the way you are.
- [08:33]
B
And so I better just learn. So you're right. I'm changing my mind, actually. I love it.
- [08:37]
A
It's amazing. You know what? No, actually, being tall is, like, the craziest. One of the craziest stories I have about being tall is when I was in high school, we had to do these, like, interviews in front of the class. And they picked, like, three girls that had to come in and do, like, a mock interview with the president of our school or the dean or whoever the Principal. I don't know who she was. I don't remember what her title was, but she was the scariest. She was the scariest woman. She would hide underneath the stairs and jump out with a ruler and measure your skirt.
- [09:10]
B
It was the dean. What was her name?
- [09:13]
A
Like, Wendy or something like that. Anyway, so she came in and did. Picked three students that had to do an interview for a job in front of the entire class, which is, like, so annoying and scary and like, interviews are already nerve wracking. Talking to freaking dean. Wendy was so scary and annoying. And guess who gets picked up? Me. So I have to, like, walk out of the room. She has my resume. She's like, running the class through my resume and like, what I'm applying for. And then I walk in, I deliver an incredible interview, and then she goes and critiques on all the things that you did wrong in the interview in front of the class. Again, obviously I'm a little scarred from this experience.
- [09:57]
B
What does this have to do with your height?
- [09:59]
A
I'm getting there. The one critique she had for me was that when I walked in, I was kind. I was really tall and looming and intimidating. Like, what do you want me to do about that? That my critique was I was too tall.
- [10:20]
B
You should have reported that. Well, I'm fired up about that.
- [10:27]
A
It was like something along those lines. Like, I don't remember exactly what she said, but I remember just walking out and being like, okay, so the one critique you had on my interview is something I cannot change. And that I was too, like, sorry, you are so short.
- [10:39]
B
That sounds like your problem that you were intimidated by me.
- [10:43]
A
I. How old am I? I'm 16. Okay.
- [10:49]
B
My saddest tall story started when I was. I was like, in the third grade. And the thing is, Liz doesn't like. Liz was. Liz had growth spurts. I was born tall.
- [11:01]
A
Yeah.
- [11:02]
B
I was always tall. And you guys know, like, I was so tall in the third grade. I was the tallest in my class. Like, the boys were nowhere close because they are later bloomers. And there was lightning outside when we were supposed to walk out for, like, school pickup. And they were like, okay, there's lightning. Like, what should we do? And they were like, oh, just send Kelly out because lightning strikes the tallest. No. And like, I remember the person who said it to me.
- [11:30]
A
What's their name? Let's blast.
- [11:31]
B
I'm not say their name. I'm not say their name. I'm not say their name. But, like, if they ever, like, came across my desk in like a. I oh, hey, cuz, guess what?
- [11:41]
A
Oh, hey.
- [11:41]
B
Me and my wife were expecting. I bet you are. Oh, I bet you. Oh, you want to know what car you should buy? Lightning strikes first. Lightning doesn't. Forget lightning. After the lightning, you get the thunder.
- [11:53]
A
Thunder.
- [11:54]
B
Yeah. And I would ignore that message. Yeah, that's what they're saying. Like, that theory of, like, we all remember, like, the people who are mean to us in grade school or mean to us in high school. You've got to be careful. And I will tell my kids that you never know who you're gonna need a favor from. And people all the time will message me all the time in my past life and ask me for, like, interesting free stuff.
- [12:22]
A
That'S kind of crazy interesting.
- [12:24]
B
Which, like, I'm happy to help, because, you know what? One thing on me is. I'm gonna leave you with a good taste in your mouth. Yeah, that was a weird way to say that. But, like.
- [12:30]
A
Yeah, I don't really know what you're saying. I don't know.
- [12:32]
B
I'm gonna be. I'm gonna rise above, which isn't hard to do because I'm so tall.
- [12:38]
A
Always, always rising above. Yeah, Another. Oh, wait, this one. More like traumatizing tall story while we're on it. We had to do cotillion, which was, like, where you learned about, like, manners and, like, like, very basic ballroom dancing steps, I guess. I don't know. Obviously, you're doing this when you're in middle school. So I'm, like, seventh, eighth grade. I've bloomed. I grew seven inches in one year. Sounds impossible. Wasn't.
- [13:05]
B
Gosh, that was so traumatizing.
- [13:07]
A
All the guys, a, are either just, like, short kings or also haven't hit their gross war. Like, there were two guys that were taller than me in my class, and one of them was my cousin. So, like, you know, whatever. So this guy was so short, and I. You, like, get paired up and you, like, move around, which is so weird that we had to do this. Anyway, this guy's so short. I'm so tall. Also probably had to wear, like, a heel. They probably made girls wear little heels for it. And we were doing spins, and the guy raised his hand. Doesn't talk to me. He raised his hand and goes, this isn't gonna work out. Okay, I'm gonna spin you, buddy.
- [13:47]
B
So, oh, my gosh. I'm here. And here's what I want you guys to know. Like, I will also have tall sons as well, Elizabeth. I will make them seek the tall girl out. I'll Say you go ask the tall girl to dance right now. I don't care if you don't like her or not. Like you're. We're not doing this. She needs her moment. Gosh, it's so sad.
- [14:05]
A
Yeah. So it's not easy. It's not as easy as it looks. But I know it was just like.
- [14:09]
B
So hard to tell us, like people.
- [14:11]
A
Would be like, you girls are so tall.
- [14:12]
B
Because people will say, people will like throw the tall world out there or like, and they would never say it about like you being short. Like you're huge.
- [14:22]
A
Yeah, you're so tall. I know. I feel bad because when I see someone who's taller than me, that's like my first instinct to be like, wow, you're so tall. But I also know how annoying that can sometimes. It actually doesn't bother me but at all. But like I do think it can bother some people. And so then I'm like. But I'm like, I'm sorry. That's the first thing I noticed.
- [14:38]
B
Sorry.
- [14:40]
A
Okay. Anyway, so we're tall. What else do we have to talk about? I went to a sourdough party this past weekend.
- [14:46]
B
Well, that's what I'm talking about. We had, it was just a party filled weekend. I went to a girl's fall party on Saturday and I had his birthday on Sunday and I had some really key takeaways from both.
- [14:56]
A
Okay, well, let's hear them.
- [14:58]
B
Well, do you want to go first for your sourdough party?
- [15:00]
A
Yeah.
- [15:01]
B
Because we kind of like you kind of left us hanging. You shared a little snippets on your ig.
- [15:04]
A
I shared some snippets. I didn't really know what to expect. She, she did give us a pretty good idea of what to expect. She said she's going to have sourdough to try. She's going to have wine to drink. And she said to bring a bowl but. And she said she was going to be giving us all of our starter. What I didn't know is she was going to be full blown like cooking channel showing us all the steps of sourdough. She had like sourdough is a process. It's like a day long process. So she had every single step like ready like the foresight that she had to have to plan this party. She also had 18. She was keeping 18 starters alone alive for 10 days to give to us. So it was just like such a labor of love. So we get there and it's like the first hours like socialize, have some wine, drinks, eat Some bread. Her bread was incredible. And then she like walked us through like what sourdough is and how you make it. And she had this station set up and she like had a loaf ready to be baked. So before we started our process of forming our loaves, she showed us how you put it in the oven and then she put in the oven and anyway then we go through the process, we're making bread, we're making, we're getting our sourdough starters like ready. And then by the time the party's over, she pulls out the bread that we all that she started at the beginning. She's like, and this is what you end up with. Like, it was so inspiring. It was amazing. It was honestly for me unattainable to ever put, put a party together like that. But it was inspiring and it was just a lot of fun.
- [16:35]
B
She should do that well.
- [16:37]
A
And someone messaged me I would pay.
- [16:39]
B
Big money, be like I want to have this sourdough party. I would pay a big money for that.
- [16:43]
A
I someone DM'd me and was like, I love this so much. I feel like we get women like don't get to get together enough to like share these skills.
- [16:56]
B
Uh huh.
- [16:57]
A
And it was so fun and like I got to meet a lot of new girls and talk about bread and like I literally like I baked a loaf this morning. Like it was just really well done.
- [17:09]
B
That's so well done. No, I love a skills sharing party.
- [17:13]
A
Yeah.
- [17:14]
B
A party that I am trying to have. Which if anyone has any leads in St. Louis, let me know. But I want to have a. This is gonna sound kind of lame when I say it and then I'm gonna explain. I wanna have a hair braiding party but I want to bring in a professional hair braider and I want her to teach us how to do our girls hair. So I want you, I wanna like, I wanna invite all my mom friends who have like a four to six year old daughter.
- [17:37]
A
Yeah.
- [17:38]
B
And it's like bring your daughter. Like I'll have like tablets for the kids, like watch a movie and we'll do their hair and we'll have this braider girl teach us how to do their hair.
- [17:46]
A
That's a good idea.
- [17:47]
B
They do this at Sweet and Sassy's which is like that place that I told you I took Hattie to.
- [17:51]
A
Yeah.
- [17:52]
B
And I called and because they do lessons there and I called actually I had my assistant call because I don't like to do that kind of stuff. I had Matney call and I was like See if you can get this girl to, like, see if I can just pay for a private lesson. But I want it at my house because I can't drive all the way there.
- [18:04]
A
Yeah.
- [18:04]
B
And they said they wouldn't do it. Really? Yeah, they said, like, no, we only offer lessons in house. And I'm like, I know, but can you just, like, slip me the girl who does its number? And does she want to do this on the weekend? Because I don't want to go there Wednesday at 6pm that doesn't work for me. It's not the vibe I'm looking for.
- [18:18]
A
No, that's a good idea. It feels like you need to, like, find a hairstylist.
- [18:23]
B
Wouldn't it just be like a fun little party?
- [18:25]
A
No, it's a really good idea.
- [18:26]
B
Skills.
- [18:27]
A
I have seen parties where they're like, in a salon, but it's like dads and daughters, and they teach dads how to, like, do their daughter's hair.
- [18:34]
B
Oh, that's cute.
- [18:35]
A
Which is really cute. And also I could benefit from that.
- [18:38]
B
So anyway, I like a skills sharing party.
- [18:43]
A
I agree.
- [18:44]
B
So I went to a little fall girls party on Saturday night with one of my high school friends.
- [18:50]
A
Okay.
- [18:51]
B
And I was super impressed with the party.
- [18:55]
A
Okay, let's hear about it.
- [18:57]
B
So, you know, she sent a cute little canva invitation. It was just like, you know, like a little fall party. She had great cocktails. She had a fall sangria obsessed. She also had, like, a full bar. You know, you could like. She had a bunch of different liquors out, a bunch of different mixers out, which was just, like, fun. Like, you just pull out what you have, and then, like, people want to make a drink, they can make a drink. But then she had all these different, like, fall rim situations going on. So instead of, like, it being lime, it was caramel or simple syrup. Oh. And then so like, you rimmed your glass, and then she had, like, sprinkles or she had cinnamon sugar. So I did a caramel rim with cinnamon sugar. The fall sangria.
- [19:38]
A
Oh, that sounds nice. It was.
- [19:41]
B
I had two glasses. I wasn't driving.
- [19:43]
A
Sounds great.
- [19:45]
B
It was so fun. Then of course, there was like, you know, they had like, all the. Everyone brought an app. You forget about cream cheese and pepper jelly with wheat thins. Oh, why are we forgetting about that?
- [19:56]
A
You do forget about it.
- [19:57]
B
It's excellent is what it is.
- [19:59]
A
Yeah.
- [20:00]
B
I did have a bit of an anchovy scare because I. Someone made meatballs, like, homemade meatballs. And I literally went to take took a bite and I said, what if they put Worcestershire in this? Because I used to put worshire on my meatballs. So I spit it out and I had to ask them what they did. They didn't put it in there. But I need to be thinking, I need to be sharper. Yeah, I need to be sharper. Luckily, I had my epis, but, like, that was honestly kind of scary. I was like, oh, my gosh. Yeah, stick to the pepper. That's what I get for trying to get some protein in. Should have stuck to the pepper jelly.
- [20:27]
A
Yeah, that's safe.
- [20:29]
B
But then the other fun thing that they had was in her garage, she had tables set up and she had crafts. So you could paint a pumpkin. You could also, like, tie a ribbon around it. You could paint candlesticks with, like, candy corn or, like, little ghosts. Or she just printed out, like, Halloween coloring pages and had, like, colored pencils. And then we all, like, sat in the garage with our false angrias. And. And it was a group of girls who, like, I. I didn't know every. Some people I was meeting for the first time, and the act of, like, coloring while also conversing, it made me a better conversationalist. Like, I was kind of busy with my hands. We were doing something. We weren't just all, like, sitting around.
- [21:04]
A
Yeah.
- [21:04]
B
And it was a 10 out of 10 experience. 10 out of 10 party.
- [21:08]
A
That sounds really fun. So it was just like, because it's fall, we're going to have a party.
- [21:12]
B
Yeah.
- [21:14]
A
I love it. And then you had had his birthday.
- [21:16]
B
Party, and then we had his birthday party, which was just hacks on hacks.
- [21:20]
A
I thought, well, you shared a lot of them.
- [21:24]
B
I shared a lot on my IG, basically, Walmart cupcakes, Amazon cake toppers, 10 out of 10 situation. Ordering Jimmy John's 10 out of 10 situation.
- [21:31]
A
I loved about what you said about the cupcakes and the cake toppers was for Hattie. It was all the fun of decorating the cupcakes without the mess of decorating the cupcakes.
- [21:39]
B
Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, we had the cupcakes and she was like. I was like, now first organize the toppers. Like, put them all in piles. She's like, okay. I said, now you need to take these cupcakes. We need to line them up. Okay. And then she placed them all. Because she doesn't have the attention span to, like, actually decorate a cupcake. She's five.
- [21:53]
A
Yeah.
- [21:54]
B
It was really fun. It was.
- [21:55]
A
I mean, like, if she wanted to do more, like, you could also just, like, get sprinkles and let her do the sprinkles on top.
- [21:59]
B
We could have not had Walmart to the sprinkles for sure.
- [22:02]
A
Yeah.
- [22:02]
B
It was just. Yeah, that was really fun. The face painter was a total hit.
- [22:09]
A
Oh, yeah. She looked.
- [22:10]
B
She was impressive. I didn't know what I was expecting because I just, like, posted in, like, my local, like, Facebook group. Like, any face painter wrecks and someone's like, yeah, I do it. I'm like, okay, sure. Amanda, come on down. She was a professional. She had a kit with. She had like a. Like a chest that had legs on it. She had a whole thing. She had an entire menu. They were full faced and every face had raz daz to it. So, like, if you got the unicorn, you got the 3D horn. If you got this, if you got flowers, you got gems in the middle.
- [22:38]
A
Yeah.
- [22:39]
B
Like, if it was more than just like. This wasn't like a tiger on the cheek situation. This was. Oh, you want a tiger? It's a full fledged. It's a full face.
- [22:45]
A
Yeah.
- [22:45]
B
She had a blending sponge.
- [22:47]
A
Oh, okay.
- [22:47]
B
She knew it was.
- [22:48]
A
That should be the first question you ask before you hire. Do you. What are your tools? Do you have a blending sponge?
- [22:54]
B
I know. I thought it was a good value. I ended up giving her $90 because. Or $100 because I just felt like she deserved it. Like, she was just. She did a really great job. She got everyone in. I'll say. The only thing I didn't, like, love about the vibe of it was I was kind of thinking, like, kids would play and then, like, they would, like, pop in when she was available.
- [23:10]
A
Yeah.
- [23:10]
B
Like, kids were just, like, waiting in line. So, like, some kids are waiting in line for, like, 15 minutes to get their faces painted.
- [23:14]
A
Okay.
- [23:15]
B
And I was kind of having trouble, like, what to do with them while they were doing that, but overall, it was fun. Ships and sailors didn't really work out, but they were like. The kids were so young and, like, no one really wanted to play and had, you know, I think I just wanted to, like, yell into her megaphone.
- [23:27]
A
Yeah.
- [23:29]
B
So. But yeah, it was a good party.
- [23:32]
A
Fun. Today's episode is brought to you by Clean Simple Eats. Our obsession for Clean Simple Eats is so real. We love Clean Simple Eats because their protein powder is always grass fed with no seed oils or artificial ingredients. It's third parties test tested non GMO and gluten free. Each serving has 20 grams of protein. The protein powder is incredibly creamy and smooth with no chalky texture found like most protein powders. I use the vanilla protein powder all the time. I will add into my pancakes or into my oatmeal. It is so good and they have a ton of flavors and honestly every flavor I've I've tried is really great. I just find the vanilla to be like the most versatile. But I also really love the birthday cake one as well. Honestly, if you are curious about the flavors I would recommend getting the variety pack because then you just can try all of them. So if you do want to try Clean Simple Eats you can visit cleansimpleats.com and use code CARPOOL10 at checkout for 10% off your order. That's clean simple eats.com code CARPOOL10 for 10% off your order. The link is also in the show notes Today's episode is brought to you by Caraway. Caraway is famous for their iconic cookware set. However they do have a lot of other kitchen sets that I've been using and I've been loving. I've talked about the mini duos I really like and I also recently got their 14 piece knife and utensil set which is first of all just like beautiful. All of their storage stuff is so convenient and well made. Like my new utensil set literally stopped Kelly in her tracks. It has all wooden spoons which I've been trying to make this the swap to more wide wood and less like plasticky stuff. And the knives are top tier. I didn't realize that apparently all my knives that I had been using are just like garbage because these are, I mean can cut, can slice so much better. They're such good quality. I'm a really big fan. I'm, I'm, I'm very very excited about it. Caraway's cookware set though is a favorite for a reason. It can save you up to $190 versus buying all the items individually. Plus if you visit carawayhome.com the carpool you can take an additional off your next purchase. This deal is exclusive for our listeners, so visit carawayhome.com the carpool or use code the Carpool at checkout. Caraway Non Toxic Cookware Made Modern Today's episode is brought to you by Skylight. Between kids, practices, games, carpools, travel weekends, and the endless shuffle of cleats, bats and water bottles, do you ever feel like your toughest opponent is your own schedule? Skylight Calendar is here to keep your family working like a team. Skyl Calendar is a wi fi connected digital display that showcases your family schedule with clarity, color and brilliance in either a 10, 15 or 27 inch HD touchscreen. This all in one smart calendar syncs seamlessly with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, Team Snap, Game Changer and more, giving you customizable views of daily, weekly or monthly planning for for sports parents, it's like having an assistant coach. The good one who always remembers the snacks isn't on top of and is on top of everything. Your happiness is Skylight's happiness. So if in four months you're not 100% thrilled with your purchase, you can return it for a full refund, no questions asked. Right now Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their for their 15 inch calendars by going to my skylight.com carpool. Go to my skylight.com Carpool for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That's M Y S K Y L I g h t.com carpool well Kel, I found some advice questions and we actually had two recently that were like Christmas gift related and I do think we kind of need to start thinking about this and talking about this because I want to be really smart this year about my Christmas gifts. We've just been talking a lot about kids toys and it does feel like this is the time to like start thinking about it. So that way when Black Friday and the sales roll around, we're not buying something just because it's on sale. Like let's be smart girls about it.
- [27:53]
B
Yeah.
- [27:54]
A
Okay. But this one is like about like in laws and Christmas gifts which is always so interesting and I actually have some really I, I, I have strong opinions on this. Okay. This comes from Jen. Hey Kelly and Liz. I wanted to write in with an advice question. Oh but first wanted to thank you for the podcast. It's really my favorite podcast. I feel like I'm catching up with friends while I listen to banter. Thank you.
- [28:15]
B
That's so that honestly that's so kind.
- [28:17]
A
That's the greatest compliment we could ever receive. Okay, so the advice how do you navigate Christmas gifts with a large family? My husband said of the family now has nine kids slash babies. My husband is one of three boys and now has three kids, us included, all under the age of seven. I don't mind buying something for my nieces and nephews if it's on the smaller side and it's useful to them. Books, some clothes, etc but gifting and receiving so many toys feels overwhelming. I'm not super close with my sisters in law and they both live in another state near the near the parents and our family is the only one out of state. What is a reasonable plan for gifts for nieces and nephews? How would you discuss it with your in laws? So I guess like my first question is like are you travel? Like are you in person for Christmas? Yes, certainly. Because that might kind of change my approach to this. I think we can like all agree like the amount of gifts that kids get are ridiculous and dumb and we need to reel it back. Not only for us to not have so many gifts. Like the kids do not need to learn that they should be receiving 10 gifts from like everyone in their family. Like that's just not reality. And I just feel like we're setting them up for I don't I disappointment when they grow up. And like they don't always get showered with gifts all the time because that's not reality. So what we do in our family, and we've talked about this on the sun trip side, is the only people who give you a gift are grandparents and then your godparents. So we're Catholic. So you have we. And other, I mean I think other religions do like baptism in godparents. But like Kelly is Sloan's godmother. So like Kelly will get Sloan a Christmas gift. Sydney Grayson and Craig will not. I'm not expecting it. Only Kelly is. So that way when they come over for Christmas they get like two to three gifts at mom and dad's house. And I like that.
- [30:22]
B
Agreed. I that I like that too. I think buying for everyone is ridiculous. It's so expensive and it's so wasteful and it's over even more. So like to me the worst part about it is how actually overwhelming it is for the child.
- [30:40]
A
Yes.
- [30:40]
B
To then like have to give those reactions and like even if they act like they like it, it's overwhelming for them if you don't do like the godparents thing. I think what's fun about having a lot of cousins is I would take it off the aunt and uncle's plate and I would do a cousin's secret Santa and what we do on the stumpy side because same thing, like my kids just get so many gifts. We like our kids to do something fun with their cousins. So we draw names but instead of a toy, we do a book exchange which I think is really cute. So then like I'll buy. So I mean I'll buy four books for Tyler's family side. But like last year I had, you know, my 12 year old niece and I got her like a Taylor Swift. Like through the eras outfit, like coffee table book. And then I got like my nephew, he's really into pigs. I got him like a pigology book. So it was like. And someone got George like a reptile book. So it was fun because you're getting like that kid an interesting book without doing a toy. Yeah, I'm very much, I'm very much a less is more kind of person.
- [31:43]
A
I like that approach. I don't even think like it ha. I don't think that one has to be books. Like I do think if you like the toys, if you want your kids to get certain toys, if toys are like kind of non negotiable for other people in your family, you can do the same concept and just do toys. And then Kelly like she said she was buying four instead of ten presents.
- [32:00]
B
Yeah, but just like, and it's from the kids. Like then you're like, you're just kind of like passing that on. Yeah, I mean I'm still kind of feeling like I'm figuring out like my strategy as now I like, you know, I have four kids and my, I'm just kind of like figuring out what's, what works, what doesn't. But yeah, you just don't need. I also just like really live in a world where like my kids just, I buy my kids toys or I find toys at a resale shop or Facebook marketplace. It's like they're getting toys throughout the year and I think that's okay too. I don't think there needs to be like, why am I just going to give them a thousand toys on Christmas and their birthdays? It's like, hey, I found the Paw Patrol tower. So like it's a random Tuesday after school. I picked this up on Facebook marketplace. Like surprise. Like it's just a surprise. So then like I feel like it kind of takes some pressure off of my Christmas and birthdays because it's like, yeah, we get, we get toys throughout the year sometimes. And that's not to say I do it all the time, but I'm just not like saving things for like the other day I went to a resale shop with my sister in laws and I found like Power Rangers, like they're like 12 inch Power Ranger dolls. Like they're, it's a, it was a good find. They don't make toys like that anymore. Now they're like six inches and the arm breaks off and I found six of them and I was going to save them for Fred for Christmas but I was like, yeah, I'm Just gonna give it to him. And like the kids have had non stop play with it. Maybe I should have saved, maybe I shouldn't have. I don't know.
- [33:27]
A
But then had you saved them for Christmas, he's not gonna want to play with those. He's gonna want to pay for a play with something else that you got him because you're gonna get him more than just that. And so now they're just like really enjoying those right now.
- [33:40]
B
Yeah. So I. Yeah, that's kind of my overall approach though. It's like I'm not just something I'm trying to not make Christmas special because I am, but like, no, I'm not. I just don't like when Christmas is all about like the toys. And I guess I'm not like depriving my children throughout the years. Throughout the year. Like, I'm just whatever. We're just buying like little things here or there or they have their birthday money and like they go by. I don't know.
- [34:01]
A
Yeah. So my advice on like the in law situation though, like, obviously always put it on your husband, make him do the talking. For sure. And I think you just have to like, say it like, hey, I think we should do Secret Santa amongst the kids. They're just kind of a lot that way they can feel like they're buying something for their cousin and they can be more involved. I think that sounds more fun. And if someone says no, actually, I want you to buy all my five kids each their own present. Like, okay, then you have to make them say that. Then you have to make them say that. If that's how they.
- [34:29]
B
That would be that you have to make them say that.
- [34:31]
A
Crazy. Yeah.
- [34:32]
B
Yeah, that would be an insane thing to say.
- [34:34]
A
Okay, this was the other one which I feel like we kind of answered, but I'm going to read it in case you have anything else you want to add. I'm writing into looking for advice on Christmas gifts for kids. I always seem to to overthink and over buy for my children who are four, two, and three months. Do you have a certain way you've follow you've purchased gifts or a certain routine you follow when it comes to buying your kids gifts? Would love your intel.
- [35:00]
B
Yeah, I feel like I kind of answered that.
- [35:02]
A
Yeah, I feel like you kind of answered that.
- [35:03]
B
I mean this year, like I'm telling you, I just go, I go, I go slim on Christmas and every time I share like my kids Christmas hauls or like what Santa brought my kids, I always get, I guess the compliment of like, wow. Like, thank you for not being an influencer. That shows, like, mountains of presence. It's like, yeah, obviously.
- [35:23]
A
Yeah.
- [35:24]
B
Like, I'm telling you, it's. We're slim. We're getting, like, maybe four presents, a kid. And, like, one of those is, like, probably like, a lame pair of shoes or like, a coat. Like, that's all I'm doing. Yeah, that's all I'm doing.
- [35:36]
A
Yeah.
- [35:38]
B
And I think that's enough.
- [35:43]
A
I think so, too. I think so, too.
- [35:47]
B
Another thing. So we. This is, like, so random, but just before we move on. So Liz and I were in Iowa last week. Des Moines. Shout Out. Had fun.
- [35:55]
A
Oh, yeah, we had so much fun.
- [35:56]
B
We spoke at a great conference, Women Leading Change. And honestly, with great exposure for the podcast, like, if you're new from the Des Moines conference. Thank you for listening.
- [36:06]
A
Joining in.
- [36:09]
B
One of the questions, though, this is like, this is one of the questions. This is going to be really niche. But I, I liked my answer and I wanted to share it here for anyone who wants to hear it. Maybe. But one of the questions we got was like, what, what it was about? It was like, what's one tool that you utilize as a working mind to make your life easier?
- [36:26]
A
Oh, yeah.
- [36:28]
B
And that was an audience question. So, like, I didn't have a prepared answer. And so I just said the first thing that I literally do. And it's having a virtual assistant to do some more of my personal things or things I don't like. And of course, I have a virtual assistant for, like, the car mom in, like, the business. And, like, she helps run my email inbox, my calendar. But the more I've gotten a good relationship with her and the more I've given myself permission to offload the things that I'm not good at and I don't enjoy. I've been using Matney for. And I feel like a lot of working moms who maybe have a lot on their plate and they're trying to juggle it all. I think you guys would be shocked how affordable and worth it a virtual assistant can be. And they can help with things outside of just your work. And we love. You know who I'm talking about, Kate, my bff. My bff, Kate, who helps moms become virtual assistants. But just as a mom who uses a virtual assistant, I can't recommend it enough. And I know, I like, I understand that this isn't going to be for everyone, but I read the book the Four Hour Work Week, which, if you've never read it, I'll just summarize it for you here. But it's basically the idea of, like, hey, get an assistant to help you do some of your work and work less. And, like, is your boss really going to care if some, if, like, your assistant's answering your emails or if you're answering your emails and then you're seeming more productive and whatever? Like, that's kind of like the premise of the book. It's like, what can you outsource in your life to work less, basically? And so I like the model of the virtual assistant because it's. She bills me hourly. Like, we have a minimum because she's a great assistant and she wanted, like, guaranteed hours, but, like, you don't have to do that and she can help me with anything. So there was a lot of things in my life that took a lot of brain power and emotional energy from me and mental energy from me that I held onto for a very long time. And I think, like, as, as a mom, there's things that I feel like I should do because it's like, I'm the mom. I should do that. An example being like, ordering pictures, like, ordering Hattie's cupcakes, placing the Jimmy John's order. Those are all things that I hate to do. Like, I don't, I, I don't, I don't want to sit there and call Walmart and order the cupcakes and, like, have to do the brain power of how many to get in what color? Like, it's just. That's not.
- [38:46]
A
For some people. For some people are like, okay, but I like doing, like, I like doing that. So you like doing that. Kelly doesn't like doing that. That's not where you like to, like, you're such a good mom. Like, that does not make, make you a good or a bad mom. It's just like something you either like doing or you don't like doing.
- [39:01]
B
Or like, what?
- [39:03]
A
What? As long as the cupcakes get there, then you win.
- [39:08]
B
But I held on to those things for, for a very long time. I think just for, like, the societal pressure of, like, I should be that mom. Okay, well, that's. It doesn't, it doesn't matter. And so I'm really, like, letting go of that. And, you know, now when I get the question, like, how. And I get the question a lot when I, when I do interviews. Like, well, how do you balance it all? It's like, well, I really don't. And I'm like, I'm realistic with myself and I'm going to Outsource, like, what I can't handle. So, like, if Matt is going to answer my email inbox or she's going to order cupcakes, it doesn't make a difference to her. She's excellent at both of them. And so now that I've just kind of, like, opened myself up to giving her permission to do that, it's just been. It's been really helpful. And, like, she's so good. Like, for example, she's in my email inbox and, like, when our kids. Our kids got our school pictures back, and I just signed up for the, like, the digital file. Like, I don't need them to, like, print it off. And then I print it off myself. Like, hack. And Matni, like, saw it in my inbox and she sent it to walgreens as an 8 by 10. And she goes, they're ready for you. Like, she just did it without even asking because she knows she did that last year. And then when I was like, hey, I want to order sandwiches for Hattie's birthday, she's like, she pulled up George's birthday party order. She goes, it's gonna be the same as last year with George. Like, yes, Maddie, thank you so much. You're so good at this. Like, I would have never thought to, like, pull up last year's receipt.
- [40:23]
A
Right? You. You don't know where last year's. Last year's receipt is?
- [40:26]
B
I don't know where last year's receipt is. So I'm just saying, like, and you know, you could do two hours a week, you could do eight hours a week, and maybe. I'm sure this is, like, so unrelatable to some people. That's fine. I just wanted to share, like, if you also, if you're ever wondering how I got it all done. Her name's Matni and she's incredible. Shout out, Matni.
- [40:43]
A
Shout out, Mattie. I love Matni. Okay, industry news is not much going on in the industry today, you guys.
- [40:50]
B
It's the slimmest of pickings. Like, I could tell you about how, like, Volkswagen stopped making the Touareg in other countries, even though it's not making in the US years ago. Like, I could tell you about these things. There's nothing interesting happening.
- [41:02]
A
Bummer. But you know what the car mom did just post on YouTube is the BMW vs Mercedes GLS tour.
- [41:10]
B
Oh, that is. What's. That is what's happening in the industry, because I'm trying to do comparison videos. They are such a labor of love.
- [41:17]
A
Yeah. But I think we I have notes. I don't know. I have to. I have to look. I have notes on how I would like us to approach these in the future. I don't think this is, like, our best work as far as a comparison video goes. And they will get better, but Kelly kind of, like, has some hot takes. Like, if you are in the luxury market, I think you should definitely watch that. That tour. So, anyway, we're going to get right into Dish the Drive Thru, where we give you an easy dinner recipe to mix it up to get you out of your dinner rut.
- [41:50]
B
No, we are. And it's still croctober.
- [41:54]
A
Misso love croctober. But I'm like, so ready for November beef.
- [41:59]
B
Yeah, we picked the November beef recipes. Get ready, y'. All. Get ready, y'.
- [42:04]
A
All.
- [42:05]
B
I have not. Like, I need. I've been so in my dinner rut. Like, my family's just been scavenging this week. You know when you just have those weeks when you just scavenge.
- [42:15]
A
Yes. I have been in my dinner rut for. It feels like forever. And this is actually going to be my new micro hobby. Like, this is an area of my motherhood that I feel like I am dropping the ball and I want to improve on. I go to the grocery store or Instacart every other day. It's ridiculous. It's ridiculous. And I never. And I somehow never haven't have anything right. I want to really get to the point of one grocery visit or one instacart a week. One time.
- [42:46]
B
I know. And that one girl I follow on Tick Tock's only going once a month.
- [42:49]
A
I know. And maybe I'll get there. I probably won't get there because, like, I don't know how you do that. But, like, with Sloan. With Sloan having this. This pea milk, this ripple milk, it's like, when you run out of milk, you're not like, oh, shoot, like, let's go to the G gas station and get, like, get another gallon. Like, no, it's like Bad News Bears. Like, you have to go to, like, Target or a grocery store to get this milk, and sometimes they're sold out. So, like, I really want to, like, figure out exactly how many bottles she's going, how many jugs of it she's going through. I want to order them all at the beginning of the week. I want to have all of my meals figured out. Ordered all of my recipes. I saw someone post this on Instagram. Sorry. And then we'll get to the dishes, right, Too. But this Reminded me she used, like, what is, like, meal. Meal service? Like a hellofresh, hello, fresh, something like that. And she's like, what I loved about it is that they had. They sent me all the ingredients, and I had them all, like, packaged up together. So she just took little containers and put all of this. All of the things that go in the refrigerator for her meal. So, like, let's say she's making, like, a stir fry. She. She put the onion, the bell pepper, and the meat and the sauce all in one container and put it in her fridge. So now when she has. When it's stir fry night, she's going. And she's just grabbing the container. It's just, like, a cute way to, like, organize your fridge and.
- [44:11]
B
Yeah.
- [44:11]
A
All together.
- [44:12]
B
That's a good idea.
- [44:13]
A
I like it.
- [44:13]
B
I'll never. I'll never do that, but I like that for some people.
- [44:15]
A
No, it sounds like something I could do, though. But anyway, I am just really going to work hard and be very, very mindful at trying to get down to, like, one grocery visit a week, and then I'll have a better idea of how much I'm spending on my groceries too.
- [44:33]
B
Yeah, I go once a week. I go once a week. But I haven't done, like, a haul. I've just done, like, Target pickups the last week and a half. Like, I haven't, like, done a grocery haul. Like, we're slim, Slim pickings around here, but we're also not. I just need to be more creative.
- [44:53]
A
Yeah.
- [44:54]
B
So I am gonna buy. So this week's Crocktober I'm very excited about. Let's get back to Crocktober.
- [44:58]
A
Yeah, sorry.
- [44:59]
B
It is Jamaican pork chops with rice. Yum.
- [45:03]
A
I don't think I've ever had, like, a Jamaican variety.
- [45:09]
B
Hot water, brown sugar, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, cloves, cumin, salt, garlic, boneless pork chops, onion, bell pepper, corn, black beans. Add water, spices, garlic, and sugar to the slow cooker. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add the pork. Add all the veggies, corns, and beans. Cook on high for three to four hours. Take pork out, shred, then add back to slow cooker. Serve over jasmine rice. Someone put this in from dms and they were like, you have to make this. And, you know, it just had Jamaican. It felt like a different flavor profile. We've kind of gone. We're kind of going all around the world with Crocktober because we had the butter chicken, we had the chicken and dumplings, and now we're in Jamaica. So that's kind of. Yeah. So that's kind of fun tonight though, I'm making a staple, a fall staple, one of my family's favorite meals. And that's pork sausage sauerkraut. And I'm gonna make homemade mashed potatoes because. Which I hate.
- [46:05]
A
Kelly, they're so easy to make.
- [46:07]
B
I know, I know, I know. I have a mental blocker when it comes to potatoes. But they're really gonna take the meal from, like, zero to hero. Like, if I can make homemade mashed potatoes and I'm telling you, my family, like, we need, like, some stick to your rib food. Like, I feel like we haven't had, like, all weekend. We were just like, so on the go. Like, we went out to lunch, we had Jimmy John's for. Had his party. Then we had the leftover Jimmy John's for dinner that night. Yeah, like, we're after. We're after a stick to your rib kind of meal tonight.
- [46:32]
A
So the baked potato or the mashed potatoes? I just made them the other week and I made them for. I made two because I had to make a dairy free one for Sloan. And also my friend came over and had dinner with us and she's dairy free. Mashed potatoes with pea milk tastes the same. Excellent. Great. So if you're looking for a dairy free alternative, pea milk works really well for mashed potatoes.
- [47:00]
B
Yum. I'm not going to. I mean, I don't have to do that. So we're going to do. We're going to do.
- [47:04]
A
I'm just saying if. If you're. If you're out there and I'm going.
- [47:07]
B
To try to, like, so I'm going to fry. Fry the pork sausage in my cast iron and then I'm going to remove it and I'm going to try to make a pan gravy. Stay tuned. It's going to get wild over here.
- [47:16]
A
I love it. Let's see. That's what I mean. Like, when you were so hard on yourself about, like, not wanting to order the cupcakes or, like, not figure out what your Walgreens app is so you can order, like, photos because you're making a pan gravy, like, and that's where you're thriving in your motherhood.
- [47:33]
B
Yeah, I know. And I just want to say, like, I just wanted to bring it up as, like, an option for, like, a working mom. Like, virtual assistants. I mean, they come in all different types of hourly rates too. Like, you can get them all over. And if you're. It's Also a great side hustle. And like, there's like working moms out there, like me, who don't want to order photos, who don't want to manage their email inbox. Like, I'll text Matney my entire kid's school calendar when I get it and then she'll add every single day to my calendar. Like, I would never do that. I literally never do that. I would never get around to that. I'd miss everything. Yeah.
- [48:03]
A
Yeah.
- [48:04]
B
Because I'm type B, but I'm a really good delegator, but I'm kind of type A. Yeah, I don't put myself in a box.
- [48:15]
A
No, I don't either.
- [48:17]
B
Anyway, so we have to go because we have a big, big, big tour we're recording today, which I have barely spoken about. Oh, my gosh. And I have to tell another story really quick.
- [48:26]
A
Okay. And we have. So we're kind of like sat for a little longer.
- [48:29]
B
Okay. So my press car this week is a Honda Passport, which is like Honda's 5 passenger SUV. It's. Here's what it is. It's excellent. It's one of my favorite five passenger cars. It is. I mean, of course it's like a great mom car, but it's like a great dad car. Like if you, if your husband's like looking for an SUV that's like a little bit more manly, that can still fit the kids. The Honda passport is excellent. I. It got redesigned this year. I love the exterior. It's like, I think it's one of Honda's best looking cars. Like, obsessed. Anyway, I was, went to Kohl's the other day with my little press car. Like, like I do, like I'm always popping into Kohl's. I come out, someone had hit my press car. It was a hit and run situation.
- [49:13]
A
Yeah, it was bad.
- [49:15]
B
It's a bad. It was bad. It was not an accident. They knew what they did.
- [49:18]
A
Yeah.
- [49:19]
B
And I was parked, not purposefully. I just sometimes one time my grandma told us, if you park farther away, you'll live longer. And now like whenever, like I try to take like the closer parking, my grandma's head pops in my, my grandma's voice pops in my head. She goes, well, if you park farther, you'll live longer. So I always park far away.
- [49:37]
A
Get your steps in.
- [49:38]
B
Do you remember her saying that?
- [49:39]
A
Yes. I think about that all the time. On a nice day and I don't have the kids, I'm like, okay, I'll. I can go park far away.
- [49:47]
B
So same. So I was not so all this is. I was not close.
- [49:55]
A
You were like, not by other cars.
- [49:58]
B
Not by other cars.
- [50:00]
A
That's crazy.
- [50:01]
B
I know. It was really bad. So anyway, I called the. The place who gives me my cars, and they're like, it happens. It's not a big deal. I'm like, this is a big deal. Like, this has never even happened to one of my personal cars before. Yeah, this is giving big deal. So when you watch my tour, you'll see her little love tap and. Oh, yeah, unfortunately. And you like. I just, like, know the mean men on YouTube are going to be like, say she was driving it. You know, women. Be strategic with our camera angles.
- [50:26]
A
We'll do our best. Okay, Kel, are you ready for Blake's Besties? Where during the month of October, we share stories of the babies that we left that left to us too soon during Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
- [50:41]
B
Yes. Okay.
- [50:43]
A
This comes from Jessica. Hi, Kelly and Liz. I've listened to Blake's Besties for years, and I've cried with so many of these stories and now feel compelled to share mine. We had two smooth planned pregnancies in 2014 and 2017. Getting pregnant was easy. We truly thought we were on our way to our dream family of four kids. In 2019, we started trying for baby number three. And I got pregnant right away. But at 10 weeks, I miscarried. I was shocked, heartbroken. I just never imagined miscarriage would be part of my story. Over the next year, we experienced two more miscarriages. One at 12 weeks, another at 16 weeks. Both were mis to miss miscarriages. We'd show up to routine checkups only to hear there's no heartbeat. Each time, we got further along. Each time, it hurt more. It took a huge toll emotionally, mentally, and physically. Eventually, my husband and I agreed we'd try one last time. A final chance. And whatever happened, we'd accept it. That last pregnancy gave us our final baby, Hollis Eve. She arrived on New Year's Day, 2022. The perfect way to start a new chapter. She completed our family. We're so grateful. But I still sometimes mourn the idea of having four children. Families of four, and think that was supposed to be us. But I know we were. We made the right choice. This journey taught me so much about gratitude, boundaries, and surrendering to God's plan. Thank you for creating space for stories like mine. Please never stop.
- [52:05]
B
I love the name Hollis.
- [52:06]
A
Yeah, I do, too.
- [52:08]
B
I'm loving surnames as names, like last name, vibes as names. Really cute.
- [52:14]
A
Yeah.
- [52:15]
B
I met a girl this weekend and she's naming her baby Yates with a Y. Isn't that cute, Yates Williams?
- [52:22]
A
Yeah, it is cute.
- [52:23]
B
I'm into it. Okay, this comes from Maggie. Hi. Kelly and Liz, love listening to your podcast while doing chores at home each week. I have lost two babies to early miscarriages. The first in May 2022 and the second November 2024. Even though we only knew about them for a short time, it was a blow both times and I still think about them. We have a four year old and a two year old. However, I also just gave birth to twins, and while obviously they're not the same as the babies we lost, nothing can replace them. It has felt like God gave them back to us in a double rainbow blessing after a double loss. I wear a necklace with the initials of all six of my babies. The two we lost, we named shields and psalms after parts of scripture that were the most comforting during those losses. I look forward to hearing two voices I never got to hear. Calling mom in heaven. And I wonder if they've met their great grandparents yet. Thanks for taking the time to read about our family and for honoring all the babies gone too soon. And then I have to ask because in this email she goes, and for Yalls private entertainment.
- [53:25]
A
Oh, I know, I know. I didn't send you the rest. I. I like. I screenshot these to Kelly because again, like, she doesn't know how to access this email. And it was like. I again said it to you. It was like a. It was a story. She said, okay.
- [53:40]
B
It was like, don't leave me hanging.
- [53:42]
A
Yeah, no, I'll. I'll send you the rest of it. So thank you so much for writing in. If you want to share your own Blake's Besties stories, you can write into hello atthecar momofficial.com and with that, that's going to be our episode.
- [53:57]
B
Lots of twists, lots of turns. But thank you guys for listening to the Carpool podcast and we will see you on Friday. We have a very special episode coming out Friday with a very special guest that we do.
- [54:07]
A
We'll see you then. Bye. 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.
- [54:21]
B
The car for everyone.