THE GREAT CAR SEAT/STROLLER COMBO DEBATE

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz
Episode: THE GREAT CAR SEAT/STROLLER COMBO DEBATE
Release Date: January 14, 2025

Hosts Kelly Stumpe and Lizz St. John dive into a lively discussion blending personal anecdotes, parenting insights, and auto-industry chatter. In this episode, they navigate through the challenges of back-to-school routines amidst unexpected weather disruptions, debate the merits of designer bag dupes, share their latest purchases, address a listener’s dilemma on stroller and car seat combinations, and unpack the latest trends in the automotive market. They wrap up with a comforting recipe to warm up any day.

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1. Personal Updates: Back to School and Weather Woes (00:00 - 02:40)

The episode kicks off with Kelly sharing her recent struggles with fashion choices for the back-to-school season, humorously recounting her reliance on a Spanx jumpsuit due to indecision (00:25). Lizz joins in with an update on her children’s return to school, contrasting it with their unusual winter storm experience in Missouri. The severe snowstorm disrupted school schedules, leaving the family confined indoors despite Missouri's robust infrastructure for snow removal.

Notable Quotes:

• Lizz: "It was like supposed to be our first day back. It's so funny." (02:07)
• Kelly: "Schools were closed for three days, which is crazy." (03:08)

2. Kids’ Fashion Choices and Parenting Strategies (02:40 - 06:00)

Kelly and Lizz discuss their children’s unique dressing styles as they return to school. Lizz highlights her daughter Hattie's elaborate layering, comparing her look to "Ashley Tisdale 2000s red carpet" (05:24). Meanwhile, their son George insists on wearing the color red exclusively, leading to creative yet practical outfit combinations.

Notable Quotes:

• Lizz: "If you're trying to. If there's difference between I feel like a fake and a dupe." (08:31)
• Kelly: "Have you heard of, like, the Hermes Birkin bag? Yeah, like everyone just knows it’s the Kelly." (07:40)

3. Designer Bags: Dupes vs. Fakes (07:00 - 12:30)

The sisters delve into the world of luxury handbags, particularly focusing on the Hermes Birkin and Kelly bags. They debate the ethics and quality of buying "dupes" versus outright fakes. Kelly expresses skepticism about the value of imitation bags, especially high-priced fakes, emphasizing the importance of authenticity. Lizz shares her preference for quality over brand names, mentioning her love for bags from brands like Ander and JWEI.

Notable Quotes:

• Kelly: "Birkin bags are $20,000. I mean, a cheap one... I don't think that fake... fakes are bad." (09:09)
• Lizz: "Maintain boundaries on clothing choices, but I don’t care about the style specifics." (07:48)

4. Last Three Transactions: Recent Purchases and Parenting Tools (21:00 - 28:00)

In their "Last Three Transactions" segment, Kelly and Lizz reveal their latest purchases aimed at simplifying their busy lives as moms. Kelly discusses ordering the "Ambitious Kitchen Cookbook" inspired by Lizz’s recommendations, while Lizz shares her purchase of Crayola Clickable Markers to keep her children organized. They also talk about creating milestone keepsake boxes for their children's memories.

Notable Quotes:

• Kelly: "I love my Quince sweater. Whenever I pull it out, I feel put together." (00:00)
• Lizz: "The Crayola clicks... solves the marker cap problem beautifully." (23:02)

5. Advice Segment: Stroller and Car Seat Combos (33:00 - 39:00)

A listener named Jen seeks advice on choosing between the Doona stroller/car seat combo and separate stroller and car seat options. Kelly and Lizz weigh the pros and cons of each. They highlight the Doona’s convenience for single-use but caution its heaviness and limited adaptability for future siblings. Instead, they suggest opting for separate, high-quality car seats like the Nuna Pipa or Clekling paired with versatile stroller frames such as the Mockingbird, which offer better scalability and storage options.

Notable Quotes:

• Lizz: "If you're planning for more kids, the Nuna Pipa infant seat and a stroller with toddler seats are more practical." (37:35)
• Kelly: "The Mockingbird’s basket can fit an entire grocery haul, making errands seamless." (40:44)

6. Industry News: Best-Selling Cars of 2024 and VW Scout’s Challenges (39:00 - 48:00)

Kelly and Lizz transition to industry news, starting with Car and Driver’s list of the 25 best-selling cars of 2024. They highlight the dominance of SUVs and pickup trucks, noting the Ford F-150 leading the pack with 732,000 units sold despite a slight sales dip. The discussion then shifts to Volkswagen’s new Scout brand, which has received 50,000 reservations for its electric Terra pickup and Traveler SUV. However, Scout faces potential legal battles from traditional dealerships over direct-to-consumer sales models, drawing parallels to Tesla's initial dealership conflicts.

Notable Quotes:

• Lizz: "Ford's F-150 continues to reign supreme, selling 732,000 units this year." (40:44)
• Kelly: "People don't want to deal with impersonal service; they crave a personal touch." (46:41)

7. Recipe Segment: Comforting Chicken and Dumplings (48:00 - 53:17)

To conclude the episode, Kelly and Lizz share a comforting recipe for chicken and dumplings. They outline a simple crockpot method using chicken breasts or thighs, bone broth, and Pillsbury Grand Biscuits. The dish promises a hearty and soothing meal, perfect for busy families seeking a manageable yet delicious dinner option.

Notable Quotes:

• Kelly: "It sounds very comforting. I've never tried to make chicken and dumplings, but that feels very attainable." (52:58)
• Lizz: "It's on my list of things to make. I'm setting my sights on it because I do think it sounds delicious." (53:06)

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Conclusion:

In "THE GREAT CAR SEAT/STROLLER COMBO DEBATE," Kelly and Lizz provide a blend of personal storytelling, practical parenting advice, and insightful commentary on the automotive industry. Their candid conversations and relatable experiences offer listeners a blend of humor, wisdom, and actionable tips, making this episode both engaging and informative for moms navigating the complexities of modern life.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Kelly: "Schools were closed for three days, which is crazy." (03:08)
• Lizz: "Have you heard of, like, the Hermes Birkin bag? Yeah, like everyone just knows it’s the Kelly." (07:40)
• Kelly: "Birkin bags are $20,000. I mean, a cheap one... I don't think that fake... fakes are bad." (09:09)
• Kelly: "The Mockingbird’s basket can fit an entire grocery haul, making errands seamless." (40:44)
• Lizz: "It's on my list of things to make. I'm setting my sights on it because I do think it sounds delicious." (53:06)

For more engaging conversations and parenting tips, tune in to "The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz" and join them on their journey of balancing motherhood, business, and sisterhood.

Transcript

[Kelly]

And today's episode is brought to you by Quince. Guys, I am over the fast fashion. I'm over buying cheap things that just fill my closet and fall apart. And I never wear. I am more about buying those sort of investment pieces that look great on me that are high quality. And Quince has really helped me do that. And I'm able to stay on budget thanks to Quince. However you choose to refresh your look this year, all Quince pieces are pretty price 50 to 80% less than similar brands. They're able to do that by partnering directly with the top factories, cutting out the cost of the middleman and passing the savings on to you. Quince only works with factories that use safe, ethical and responsible manufacturing practices. And of course, use premium fabrics and finishes for that luxury feel in every piece. I love my quint sweater. Whenever I pull it out, I feel put together. It's a beautiful color. It's high quality. You can just feel the difference in their products. So upgrade your closet this year without the upgraded price tag. Go to quince.com carpool for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q-U-I-N-C-E.com carpool to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com carpool.

[Liz]

Welcome to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly. But the dram dram and this is why people are sassass is I'm sorry. That was the most annoying thing I've ever said.

[Kelly]

Drum drum and sassass. Thank you for. Thank you for backing up and apologizing and Liz. I couldn't put an outfit together. I was trying to put an outfit together yesterday for our first like big day back to work. Ended up wearing a spanx jumpsuit because I literally couldn't put two pieces of clothing together.

[Liz]

Literally. Your mom time off starts now. Welcome back to the carpool podcast with.

[Kelly]

Kelly and Liz and boy, do we have a show for you.

[Liz]

I forgot about that. I didn't obsessed. Well, I'm actually so we're recording this on what's truthfully are my kids first day back to school. Sun's break. If you live in the state.

[Kelly]

Oh my God.

[Liz]

If you live in Missouri. We experienced the worst winter storm in a decade and it happened the Sunday before. The kids are supposed to go back to school. Kick us while we're down.

[Kelly]

It was like supposed to be our first day back. It's so funny. We had recorded like last week's episode. We're like, we're back to work. I'm listening to it, like, drying and toddlers deep and diapers. I'm like, yeah, not how I thought it was gonna go.

[Liz]

And it's just so interesting because the kids were literally off school for, like, what, 18 days? And it didn't snow one time. And then the day they were supposed to go back, it's showed. And schools have been closed for a week.

[Kelly]

Schools were closed for three days, which is crazy. I mean, like, we live in Missouri. Like, we have the salt trucks, we have the snowplows. Like, we have the infrastructure in place to be able to clear roads. And, like, they couldn't keep up with it. It was so, so dramatic. And it wasn't even, like, a snow where it was too deep and too cold for, like, James to go out and play. So we were literally trapped inside.

[Liz]

It's one of those, like, it's six degrees with a wind chill, and there's.

[Kelly]

Snow on the ground and there's 11 inches of snow.

[Liz]

So weird.

[Kelly]

So weird.

[Liz]

Anyway, here nor there, but we should. By the time this podcast comes out, we should actually have kids in school again.

[Kelly]

Yeah, hopefully. And you know what?

[Liz]

It was fine. It definitely felt different than, like, Christmas break. Like, I had. I. I don't know. Honestly, my kids were pretty well behaved. I can't really complain. And I think there's something mentally where it's like, oh, you can't even go anywhere. So, you know, sometimes, like, when you're home with your kids, like, oh, what should I do? Like, should I get out? Like, there was no choice. Thank goodness. I had gone to Costco, like, a couple days before, so I had the supplies.

[Kelly]

Oh, well, you know what? Anytime there's a snowstorm, they're like, it's snowmageddon. The grocery stores are flooded. I was like, okay, it's never that bad. Like, if we really needed something, Maddie could go out. We needed milk. He went out to get it. He had the last gallon at the gas station. Like, he went the closest place to us. So it was. I was not prepared. I mean, obviously my freezer full of meat was so helpful. So thankful I have that. But, yeah, I was not prepared.

[Liz]

Yes. Yes, yes. Yeah. So anyway, kids are back at school. I wanted to give an update on some, like, my Christmas break goals that I had set previously.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah.

[Liz]

Because I did make myself. I did make my children get themselves dressed every day on Christmas break. And, you know, it was just. It was just an effort to, like, set a new routine, get faster. Well, this morning, the kids Actually did go back to school and I said, go get dressed. George was already getting himself dressed, like before I even asked him.

[Kelly]

Love it.

[Liz]

The problem that I did not forecast was I let them pick out their own clothes and during Christmas break. And normally, like, I could really literally care less, like what they were to preschool, like just whatever, get dressed. But Hattie is such.

[Kelly]

They're.

[Liz]

They're in their layering era. And Hattie has layered today. She wore flared jeans. She wore a tennis skirt over the flared jeans. She wore a long sleeve shirt. Then she wore a short sleeve shirt on top of it. Then she wore a jacket and a unicorn headband and then cowboy boots.

[Kelly]

It is Giving Ashley Tisdale 2000s red carpet.

[Liz]

And it's just like. I mean, I think every. First of all, I don't. I think there's so many ways to do this and there's. I think, I think boundaries are very good for kids. I think, I think all of that's good. I'm not picking the clothing boundary, though. And I just don't. I mean, if she. I'm not going to tell her she doesn't look good and I'm not going to tell her she can't wear. I don't care. Now when we go. I told her, like when we go to church, when we have like a baptism, a holiday, you don't get to pick your outfit every day. But you know what? Sure. She got herself. It's not just asking me to put on seven layers. What do I care?

[Kelly]

Well, I have a feeling that if that's what Hattie picked out, that's just what's cool. Like Hattie or she's. Oh, things are. Watch out, guys, it's about to happen. Hat. The cool girl.

[Liz]

Yeah, she's kind of.

[Kelly]

So if layers come in this fall, it's because of Patty.

[Liz]

Yeah. And George only wants to wear the color red.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So he wore red pants, red socks, put the socks on over his pants so that you could see the red sock peeking through. Red shirt, red hoodie, red coat. Doesn't. But then blue shoes. Doesn't have red shoes. I don't know what. So it's just. But to also be say I call it a success because they got themselves dressed.

[Kelly]

Yeah, yeah. And they're just in, you know, still just preschool. It's not like they're going to like real school.

[Liz]

Right. So. Right, right, right.

[Kelly]

Anyway, have we got a show for you. What do we have on today's episode? Well, we got general banter. We've got last three transactions We've got advice question. We've got industry news.

[Liz]

I got good industry news.

[Kelly]

Good Industry knows.

[Liz]

And we got to drive through.

[Kelly]

And we got this to drive through, as always. And we got the girls here still. Because the girls.

[Liz]

They're still here.

[Kelly]

They're still here. They're still here.

[Liz]

It's fine.

[Kelly]

I'm not sending Sloan full time yet, but I will soon.

[Liz]

Hi, Bibbidi.

[Kelly]

Hi, Bibbidi. Okay, well, Kelly, you want to get into. Let's see. What do we have on our. Well, first, I put something in my.

[Liz]

Dump that I wanted to bring up because. Have you. I think I kind of blame, like, tick tock and social media for this, but, like, have you heard of, like, the Hermes Birkin bag? Yeah, like, everyone just, like, knows what? Like, it's just like the Birkin bag. Okay, first of all, do you know it's called the Kelly?

[Kelly]

Wow.

[Liz]

I don't think, like, the Hermes Kelly or, like, a mini Kelly, which, like, just feels really good for, like, me and the Kelly's of the world that.

[Kelly]

Like, we are good for your brand.

[Liz]

The most expensive bag I think you can buy is called the Kelly. I would never buy one because I just. I mean, whatever. I would never buy one. But then there's been all this new drama because Walmart has come out with a version of the Birkin bag, and it, like, sold out immediately. And I guess that there just, like, hasn't been. I'm feeling there's, like, dupes of so many bags, but I guess, like, no one's, like, tackled the Birkin, and now there's a Birkin bag dupe on Walmart and they kind of want to buy it. Well, here's. What's your opinion on dupes?

[Kelly]

I have an opinion on. Okay, so is it tr. Is it. Is it just, like, looks similar? It's not trying to.

[Liz]

I think it's trying to.

[Kelly]

Okay, if you're trying to. If there's difference between I feel like a fake and a. And a dupe. So like, a dupe, I feel like, is inspired by and kind of looks similar. Like a saddlebag that doesn't. That doesn't have the dc, like Dior or cd, you know, handle. But it's like that sort of, like, organ shape. A fake is taking all of the elements and, like, claiming to be that. First of all, I feel like if you're getting a fake Birkin bag, like, trying to look like you have a Birkin bag, no one's gonna buy it. Birkin bags are $20,000. I mean, a cheap one.

[Liz]

I mean, how are they that expensive?

[Kelly]

No clue. It's. They're asinine. Like, if you're gonna get a fake bag trying to claim to be fake, get, like, a Gucci bag. You know, it's like. Then it's like, maybe more.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Believable. Like a Burke. A fake Birkin bag is. Come on. Unless you're Kim K, you know, or insanely wealthy. No, I think. I think that fake. I think fakes are bad. I think that we shouldn't be doing them.

[Liz]

I agree. I like the idea. I think you're spot on with dupe versus fake. It's fine to have a similar style and a quality leather bag, but. Yeah. I mean, don't buy a crap bag that has fake stuff on it. Yeah, but also, I don't really care.

[Kelly]

I mean. Yeah, do it.

[Liz]

I mean, I know nothing. I really know nothing about designer bags. I mean, you know, I have one that, like, basically ruined the Internet, so I probably have to sell it. I couldn't tell you a real bag for a fake bag, though. Like, I think I'd be shockingly bad at it.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I don't think I could either. You know, I mean, I'm not going up and, like, looking on the inside liner and, like, sniffing your bag, like, whatever you do. Yeah, I don't really care. I don't really care. I think, like, morally it's probably more frowned upon to have, like, a fake bag. But inspired by, I think is. I mean, but, you know, who makes.

[Liz]

Like, if you're after, like, a. Let's talk about, like, a good. Because I do have, like, two good leather bags that are not. Okay, designer, but, like, I think. I think. And I'm just kind of also at the point where it's like, I just, like, want something nice. And I don't always, like. I'm not, like, a label girl, you know, But Ander. I have an Ander crossbody bag. And of course, unfortunately for us, we're not really in, like, our crossbody, crossbody bag eras, but I do plan on getting back there in a couple of years. I have an Ander bag. It is incredible quality. Didn't I give you one of them, too?

[Kelly]

Yeah, I have. I have one, too.

[Liz]

I love that one.

[Kelly]

Yeah, it's very nice.

[Liz]

And you have that Cole Han one.

[Kelly]

I have a Cole Han bag. That one's nice. I also kind of like a more unique bag website that sells bags. It's called J W P E. I mom wanted a bag from there for her birthday. So I got it for her, and then it was like, I don't know, it's like, get free shipping or whatever. I was like, okay, I'll order myself one too. And it actually kind of is that, like, Christian Dior inspired organ saddle bag.

[Liz]

I don't like that. You keep finding an organ bag. It's. It's a saddle shape.

[Kelly]

Okay, well, I think it's also called an organ bag. Anyway. Very high quality, very nice looks, chic. They have, like, kind of more out there, interesting designs that I feel like you would maybe find in, like.

[Liz]

Yeah, no, I'm looking at it right now, and I'm actually incredibly inspired. Like, I agree. I think. I think the ander one is very, like, minimalist, like, classic leather bag. These are, like, fun. These are fun. Oh, I see the organ bag. I really want a saddle bag.

[Kelly]

I have. I have the saddle. The saddle bat, organ bag, whatever. It's. Is it called organ bag? Is that why I keep calling it that?

[Liz]

I don't know why you. No, it doesn't say. It doesn't say organ bag anywhere.

[Kelly]

All right, maybe. Maybe I'm thinking, I don't know.

[Liz]

Stunning, Real leather. Hundred dollars. Like, that's good.

[Kelly]

Yeah, you know, it's still. It's still. It's still like ninety dollars. A hundred dollars, but it is. I can vouch it was very nice quality.

[Liz]

I like how in the description of this organ bag on JP JW EI, I really test my dyslexia fits iPhone for 14 pro max and all sizes of iPhones, which are smaller than that.

[Kelly]

Well, and, you know, that's the service that we're looking for.

[Liz]

I've. I'm also very much. This is a kind of a long, scenic route story, but I think. I think. I think I'm gonna bring it home. So there's this new affiliate platform called Shop My. And if you're, like, in the, like, influencer affiliate space, like, it's Shop Mine versus ltk. And there's a ton of reasons why people think Shop My is, like, kind of coming for ltk. And as a con, as an influencer, I actually think sh. Way better. I'm. I'm way. It's way more transparent with your earnings, and it lets you, like, chat with brands. It let. It lets brands message you to do gifting a lot easier. It's whatever. I just think it's a good platform. Anyway, I got a request from American Eagle for gifting, which I was like, oh, like, what's American Eagle up to? You know, you know, What I mean, well, it turns out I know what they're up to. They started, they've started like a luxury and luxury stuff. What's a word that's different than luxury? Like a higher end version of some of their sweaters? Or like a higher end version. It's called like AE77. And it's like more sweaters priced around like 150. Kind of crazy, kind of crazy. Kind of crazy, kind of crazy. And they also had like some pants and they had like a jacket. And you could select up to 2 items on this gift. So it's like, so fun for me. I'm like, oh, sure. Like, I used to love American Eagle. Like, you're telling me these are nicer quality sweaters. So I just chose two sweaters, got one sweater, and I think it's 150. Again, I did not pay for it. I got it gifted. It's incredible. I look at it, 85 wool. I'm like, okay. This is like so soft. Like, I love the shape. It's that tan sweater I wore yesterday. So cute. It was crop. It's like the perfect crop. I'm obsessed. Like, probably would have paid for it. The other sweater I got, again, same price point, which is a different style and it's so scratchy. And I looked at the. I was like, this is so crazy because, like, this wool one feels so nice, so quality. I looked at the, I don't say ingredients, the materials, material. And it's like it was like 85 nylon, only 15 wool. And I'm like, that's so crazy. Like, so. And like, I don't know, like, nylon's like, not like a good material for a sweater. Right? Like, I know I like wool and I like cotton. I try not to do like a polyester or like what I thought was like a nylon sweater.

[Kelly]

Oh, just, it's uncomfy.

[Liz]

So just especially with all this, like, online shopping, like, just good to know. Check the ingredients, materials, read the ingredient.

[Kelly]

Label on your sweaters.

[Liz]

And I just couldn't believe, like, these are the same price, same company. One sweater, I'm like getting the price point. Another sweater, I'm like, oh, my gosh. First of all, I can tell this is going to wash. It's not comfortable. It's like, just not. It doesn't feel as high quality.

[Kelly]

That's disappointing.

[Liz]

Anyway, that's what American Eagle's up to. So good luck.

[Kelly]

No, that's so good to know because I had no, no clue. Haven't checked in with them in a while.

[Liz]

Well, it's just so interesting. You can just. And again, we're, like, not, like, we're not really fashion bloggers, obviously, but you can just tell when they're, like, working with influencers and, like, when they're not, because, like, where's Abercrombie? Abercrombie was the name on everybody's lips for, like, a year. And I still think Abercrombie's good, but they've obviously just, like, kind of cut their influencer budget a little bit.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I. I don't. Maybe I'm not trying to consume that content. I don't know. But, yeah, I haven't seen it. I haven't seen it. And I felt like I saw Abercrombie hauls all the time where I don't.

[Liz]

Really even know where people are shopping. I'm kind of, like. I'm kind of on, like, a shopping band, a shopping clothing band for myself, because I just. I need. I'm. I'm done buying clothes for in between sizes. Like, I just can't do this anymore. I need to get to where I need to be going.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And then maybe I'll start getting back into it, but it's just so difficult for me. I also feel like. Like, I just, like, what's in?

[Kelly]

No, I have no idea, Kelly.

[Liz]

I have no idea.

[Kelly]

No clue.

[Liz]

I have no idea. I heard. I know Silvers, and I did get a pair of silver shoes from. And I do like those.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I think silver's in. Ballet flats are still in. But, like, I have no idea. I see Sydney and Grayson, and they look so cute, and I'm like, I. I couldn't put an outfit together. I was trying to put an outfit together yesterday for our first, like, big day back to work. Ended up wearing a spanx jumpsuit because I literally could have put two pieces of clothing together.

[Liz]

Literally.

[Kelly]

I think, like, when I go shopping, I need to go shopping one time, and I need to buy, like, a. Like, a clothing set. Not a set, but, like, if I go to J. Crew, what do they have on the mannequin? I'm buying the whole out.

[Liz]

I did that the other day. I. I went into White House black market, which. So I. I have a big conference coming up. Like, I'm speaking at a conference, and I need, like, a really probably kind of, like, boring professional outfit. And I. I was, you know, looking at the mall, and I walked into White House black market, and it was, like, this cute navy outfit on the mannequin. I was like, I bought the whole outfit down to the belt.

[Kelly]

You looked amazing. I know. You looked amazing.

[Liz]

And it is a cute outfit. Work smart, not hard. I feel like sometimes online, they don't do as good a job as doing that. Like, I know more mannequins on, like, you can usually put some freaking outfits together. For me, I don't know.

[Kelly]

Put some express. I don't know if they still do this, but they used to do this thing.

[Liz]

Business, I think.

[Kelly]

I used to shop express all the time. I don't think they went out of business. I just think that some of the, like, the store and our mall closed, but they would do this thing where they would have, like, 20 pieces for, you know, 40 outfits or whatever it was, and they would pick out these certain. Like, a blazer, a couple pants, couple shirts, and then they showed you all the different ways to style these individual pieces together. It's like a capsule wardrobe. And I loved that because then I could see all of my options. Like, I am not, Like, I have such limited time to, like, either shop online, especially shop in person. So, like, I can't be on the hunt for, like, certain pieces. Like, I just kind of have to buy it all at once.

[Liz]

Right. Well, and something else I'm doing. I'm acting like I'm not buying clothes, and then here I am talking about all the clothes I have to buy.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But Liz and I have, like, a really fun secret design, a secret project, but something really exciting that Liz and I are doing in February. February. As we're doing our first ever. What would you call it? Like, professional photo shoot.

[Kelly]

Yeah, like a styled photo shoot.

[Liz]

We've never done one for the car mom. And we want new. We want a new podcast photo. We just did, like, our rebrand on the Karma. We're redoing our website in 25, so we want new photos for that. And we went, like. Like, I need a new headshot. Like, what are. We, like, need really, really quality photos. So we hired. What is. Like, it's like, think, like, it's. It's high production.

[Kelly]

High production. There's, like, a makeup artist.

[Liz]

Like, there's a makeup artist who change our makeup and hair for, like, each different look that we film or that we photograph.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And so anyway, we have that coming up. Elizabeth will be in, like. Elizabeth, you're doing two looks?

[Kelly]

Yeah, I think I'm gonna do one or two.

[Liz]

Two looks. I'm doing four looks, and I hired a stylist, but this is, like, a cool stylist. I'll let you know, like, what I think of the process, but she's coming next week, and she's starting, like, with my closet.

[Kelly]

Love that. Love to start with your closet.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

So she's gonna put pieces together.

[Liz]

She's gonna come over and she's gonna, like, go through my closet and put pieces together and, like, tell me what I need to get. And I, like, send her, like, Pinterest photos of, like, energy and, like, girlies that I like. So I'm very excited to see if this. I mean, of course we're doing it for the photo shoot, but also, like, I don't need 100 outfits. It's like, that's a speaking engagement, so it's like, I'm done. I'm done.

[Kelly]

Yeah, Yeah. I. I just need a few go to's that are easy to grab, that fit me, that so I don't have to, like, try on outfits when I'm getting ready in the morning, because I don't have time for that.

[Liz]

I agree. I'm fine with having the same, like.

[Kelly]

Same rotate the same outfits.

[Liz]

We used to be, like, way more fun. I used to way more fun in my tours and, like, try to, like, match the outfit to the tour, but at the end of the day, like, I just really only need to be touring cars and athleisure, because now I'm, like, getting so nitty gritty into the third row. Like, I don't need to be, like, wearing a skirt to, like, install a car seat in the third row. I need to be wearing Athleisure for my tours.

[Kelly]

Exactly. You know, Exactly. So that's. Anyway, too. Anyway, so while we're talking about all the things that we are talking about that we're buying, I think we should do our last three transactions and just further expose ourselves where we share our recent bank account subtractions.

[Liz]

I love that idea.

[Kelly]

And I want to go first.

[Liz]

Okay.

[Kelly]

Because, Kel, I haven't gotten it yet because of all of the snow delays, but I did order the ambitious kitchen cookbook that you won't stop talking about.

[Liz]

Wow.

[Kelly]

I'm so influenced by you.

[Liz]

You know what? It's also so pretty. And I. I love my cookbook stand that Maddie got me for Secret Santa. I now have it displayed on my cookbook stand on my windowsill in my kitchen. And Tyler's like, I love this here. And I'm like. And you know Tyler hates decor.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I was like, thank you, Tyler.

[Kelly]

I love it. I'm so. I can't believe you didn't have a cookbook, Stan. That's crazy.

[Liz]

That is crazy. I think everyone needs this cookbook.

[Kelly]

Well, I will let you know when it eventually arrives.

[Liz]

And she does a really good job because like in one of the soups this I've made, like it's called the best ever chicken noodle soup you'll eat. And it really is a delicious chicken noodle soup or chicken soup. But instead of noodles, she does Israeli couscous, which is like little starchy balls, I guess you could say. But then in the cookbook there's like two other recipes that uses couscous because like you had to buy a big bag of this. So then I like that she's giving me like other things to do with it.

[Kelly]

Love that. Love, love that. I actually, that kind of reminds me, I saw someone post on Instagram and we've talked about like chat GBT creating a, like a meal plan for you, but they want to step further and they were like, give me a grocery list. I want to spend around 200 and I need a mixture of breakfast, lunch and dinners. And they, you can repeat, you can repeat recipes. And so then chachi BT spit out what to buy. And then like they same similar thing where it's like, well, if you're gonna buy sour cream, you can also use it in this recipe the next day or whatever. So it's a good idea.

[Liz]

I love that. Okay. My first of my transactions was, I mean, that's like talk about it one more time. But I did get clickable, clickable markers.

[Kelly]

Oh yeah.

[Liz]

I think I talked about this on one of the last episodes. But they did come in and they are all that in a bag of chips. And I get $11 for a pack of markers. Hurts. It hurts. But my kids were just simply not putting caps back on markers. So like, if this solves that, then like, I just feel really good about it. So I got the Crayola clicks. My only gripe is it's like they only come. There's only two packs that they sell. One's like a, called a bright pack and one's like an original pack. I'm like, I could use more colors. Yeah, you know?

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But I'm loving them. I also don't know if you saw on Instagram, but like I like made a real.

[Kelly]

Loved it.

[Liz]

And what's just so interesting about that, Elizabeth, is like, it's outperforming like my last three car related reels. I'm just like, okay, I don't know what you people want out of me, but I, I, it's just fun to be able to do both. And I made. I basically redid my coloring station. I did what I said I was going to do, and I got a tray and some vases, and now I have this. It's like, if you're gonna have the kids stuff out, what if you just put it in a pretty vase? And again, guess what? A vase that I'm using, not a vase that's sitting in my laundry room, like, waiting for. Tell her to bring me home flowers one day. Like that's ever gonna happen. Do you know what I mean?

[Kelly]

Totally. Totally. It looked so nice. I'm so happy you did that. Okay. One of my last three transactions. Where do I want to go? I have a lot that I'm kind of. A lot of things I'm kind of working on. Okay. I am making one of those, like, milestone keepsake boxes for my kids. Do you haven't seen them. It's like you buy a plastic file bin, and then you buy files, and then it's like first year of life. And if they got, like, cards, if you have pictures, just like, somewhere to put the. The things right. And you. You go throughout. If they have, like, artwork you want to keep or whatever. And then it's all in this, like, this organized bin. And a bin doesn't take up, you know, much room. I'm just been. I'm having such a hard time knowing what to do with some of these, like, cards that the kids get and, like, artwork that. I'm so the type who. My instinct is to throw it away. Like, I don't like to keep things because I don't, like, where am I supposed to put it? But if I have a spot to put it, I don't know. I want to save some things for my kids, and I just think that it's a good opportunity for them. Maybe one day they'll want to look through and then they can be like, great, you come. My baptism card. I'm going to throw it away. That's fine. Fine. I don't care. But, like, did you want to see it? You know?

[Liz]

Totally, Totally.

[Kelly]

So I. I ordered the stuff to make. To make those. And I'm excited about it.

[Liz]

I'm excited to hear about that for you.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

We have a similar thing. We have a bin. Every. We have. Every kid gets one tote. And I just. It's not organized, like, but I decided, like, for Christmas, Tyler's grandma. So my kids great grandma gave them all a card, wrote their name, gave them 15. And I put the card in there. I told Tyler they have A card from Grandma Stumpy. So, like, we don't need to save another. They have the one.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Box checked.

[Kelly]

Box checked. Yeah.

[Liz]

Yeah. I don't know. I mean, our mom saved nothing, and I was fine. Tyler's mom saved everything, and he was fine. So I think it's just. I mean, we're both. I think. I think we're all just turned out fine.

[Kelly]

That's where I'm like, if I can just keep it down to. It's also just for me. Because if I, you know, get putting pictures in frames and then I'm ready to replace those photos, well, then I'll throw this photo of James in his thing, and then, like, he can have his photos instead of just a. Yeah. Where. Where do we put physical photos? I don't know. Just trying to get organized. I'm. I'm in such my purge. Throw everything away. So I'm trying to reel myself in because I'm the type who will throw so much away, and then I'll be like, why did I throw that away?

[Liz]

Totally. Well, one thing I'm loving. Speaking of photos, this is not my last transaction, but I did get a skylight frame or a skylight frame, slash calendar.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And I do love it.

[Kelly]

You love it? I love it. I want to get one.

[Liz]

First of all, I love the pictures, which I know you can just get the frame, but the calendar just work. It's so. It just. It sings with all your calendars. Do you know what I mean? So, like, daycare uses a cozy calendar. So, like, cozy goes to the skylight, so I know when they're closed. It's my syncs to my Google Calendar. Like, everything's automatic. Like, it's just. It's. I told Tyler when I was trying to explain to him, like, what this thing that I got was, I was like, it's my brain. It's my mental load in one spot. It's the calendar, it's the chores, it's the grocery list, it's the meal plan. It's all in one spot. But if you do get it, like, listen to me. If you get it, the thing can do everything, but you need to sit down for two hours, go through. It's a hubba blue. You need to sit through everything. It's a To do. Get the app, do the thing, Set everything up. Like, it takes a second to set up. Like, you have to do that.

[Kelly]

Yeah, you have to.

[Liz]

You have to. If you will invest two hours, two to three hours of your life to get it set up perfectly.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I love it, I love it. And it's so fun to see our pictures come to life there. Okay. My. One of my last transactions was I bought something I'm really excited about. I bought a little tent. I'm gonna show this to you. Kind of wish I would have found this for Christmas.

[Kelly]

Oh, I think I'm gonna give it.

[Liz]

To Fred for his birthday so then all the kids can play with it. But it is just a play tent. My sister in law has it. She says it's like sets up in literally three seconds. It's so easy. You can like buy the tunnels that connect to it if you want to. You're not looking by the tunnels that connect to it. You know, my kids love to go on a place. $36 was. It's actually on sale. It's $36. 26 off. Oh, 15 coupon. Okay. It's a good price. I'll link it to get this exact one. It's called the Narme play tent. It's got 3, 000 reviews and it's 4.6 stars. So I'm. I'm jazzed.

[Kelly]

Perfect, perfect, perfect. Okay. Something that I bought and I feel like I'm going to have to give an update after I use it because I haven't used it yet. I need, I need to replace my shampoo and conditioner. And have you seen that like Pantene is making a comeback.

[Liz]

I love Pantene.

[Kelly]

Okay. I haven't used Pantene in so long because there was like such a push to buy like, you know, I don't even know more expensive hair care products. And everyone's just like, but how come when I go to my mom's house and shower with the Pantene that I, you know, used in high school, why is my hair like never been softer? And so there's just like this big comeback on social media to shop like Garnier Fructis Pantene. I saw this about this, I saw this reel and it was a dermatologist breaking down like which of the, you know, drugstore brand products they would buy. And so I bought the one she recommended for Pantene and I'm so excited to try it because my hair, I loved, I loved using Pantene. And I don't know, I've just, I haven't been using. I haven't, I don't even know what I've been using.

[Liz]

Actually.

[Kelly]

I've been using Trader Joe's a lot, which is also good.

[Liz]

But I am excited to hear more.

[Kelly]

About this me too. I'll. I haven't showered yet with it, but I will. I will give a full report.

[Liz]

But, yeah, I agree. I mean, I got. I'm using the Divi stuff right now, and I actually. I actually do really like it. But I do feel as though sometimes I feel like with really nice shampoo, I only get, like, I only really see great results if, like, I get out, do the leave in conditioner and then blow dry it right then and there.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

I think by the time, like, I go to bed with wet hair, it's like, girl, you could have used anything. You could use a freaking bar of soap. You slept on wet hair.

[Kelly]

So true.

[Liz]

You know?

[Kelly]

So true.

[Liz]

Okay, please make a note to update that.

[Kelly]

I will.

[Liz]

Okay. My last transaction was. Tyler and I are in, like, such a difficult point in our marriage because we have two different iPhone chargers.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah.

[Liz]

And I just wonder if this is, like, tearing other people apart because, like, it used to be. It's not tearing us apart. It's just like. It's such a layer of complication because it's like. Do you have a charger in your car for me?

[Kelly]

No.

[Liz]

Like, it's like we don't have the same charger anymore. And it's just not the vibe.

[Kelly]

It's annoying.

[Liz]

It's annoying because now I have the new iPhone, so I'm a USBC girly. And he's still a lightning cable guy. And I just think, like, this is going to be a thing, you know, that. That happens to a lot of people. So I found on Amazon, it's a retractable charger, which, first of all, I'm excited about because I don't also like having his junkie charger in my way when he's not even in the car with me.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And the kid's iPad started with the lightning cable. So then it's like, I want to have a.

[Kelly]

We're gonna need one. Yeah, yeah.

[Liz]

So we're into it. So I found a. It plugs into the 12 volt. Like the cigarette. I think it's so funny we still call it a cigarette lighter. Who's calling it that? It plugs into the 12 volt. It has a USB and a USB C. But on this Amazon listing, you could do two lightnings, you could do two USB Cs, you could do the combo. So, like, whatever is going on in your marriage, they have a charger for you. And I just really appreciate that was innovation that that excites. So I'm excited to get that.

[Kelly]

It totally is. And That's. I'm really, I'm really happy for you and for your marriage more than anything.

[Liz]

Totally.

[Kelly]

Okay, Kel. Well, do you want to answer an advice question?

[Liz]

Wait, did you do all of yours?

[Kelly]

Yeah, I started.

[Liz]

Oh, okay.

[Kelly]

Pantene milestone box. What was the first one I said? Ambitious kitchen.

[Liz]

Ambitious kitchen. Yeah, you're right.

[Kelly]

Done. Okay, this question comes from Jen. Hey, Kelly and Liz. I am pregnant with my first and have no idea what stroller slash car seat combo to get. First of all, congratulations. Idk if I should get the Duna or a separate stroller car seat combo. I drive a Kia Sportage. If that makes a difference in your suggestion, please help.

[Liz]

Okay, this is like a really good topic to dive into because I.

[Kelly]

I.

[Liz]

Think we're, everyone's gonna have their preferences on, like, if they like, if they like a car seat stroller combo or if they like a separate stroller with a car seat attachment. So like, there's, there's, I think there's only two. It's the doona and the evenflo shift. Are these all in one? It's the car seat that has wheels on the physical car seat. And then there's so many combinations of like infant seats. You can get that. Then you could buy a stroller frame like an uppababy or a mockingbird and then get your car seats attachments to it. I think a lot of first time moms and a lot and a lot of people like love the idea of like a doona or an even flow, but here, I guess, here's, here's the cons with them. One, they're incredibly heavy. At least the Duna. The Duna is so heavy that if you're, if you think you're gonna like, want to be taking the, the infant in and out of the car seat a lot, but like, maybe like not like popping the wheels off. Like, I could see how that might not be the most helpful just because it gets so heavy. And then what you also have to remember is like, then if you plan on having a lot of kids or like more than even more than one kid, and you think like a double stroller is going to be in your future, I think it's a lot better to do an infant seat with attachments and, and then like do the double stroller. Like, for example, like in the Mockingbird, get the mockingbird double. You have a nuna pipa and then you have the other seat for the toddler. Because like, to me, like, as soon as like you have another kid, then like the dune is kind of annoying. And this is just like me and Liz, because I know you love this too. The storage that you get in a stroller versus, like, you don't get any. You don't get any storage in a Duna.

[Kelly]

It's the basket storage. And I can only speak for the basket storage on the mockingbird. And I love my mocking bird. I can fit an entire grocery haul in the basket of. In the basket. I mean, not a. Not a Costco haul, but anything I need from the grocery store. So what I do is I take my newborn, strap her in her car seat, get the attachment, and I walk into the grocery store and I fill the basket. And so then I'm not putting her in a cart or having two carts or anything like that, or having to take her out of her car seat. It's so, so easy. And I, I like to always just like, have my stroller with me. So I just don't see it as that big of a lift to open the stroller up and then pop the infancy in the base or infant seat in the stroller. And it's only the stroller frame. So it's not even like, unless you have another kid, you don't also have the seat. Like, you're not lugging all of this stuff around. And I just think that, yeah, I think that the idea of it all being connected sounds really cool. And I've talked to a lot of my friends who are like, well, do I just the Duna. And I mean, we've talked about why we don't prefer the Duna. I just, I don't think that it's that much more convenient. Like, it's not an inconvenience for me.

[Liz]

I. I think it's. I agree. I don't find it to be that much more convenient. It's also, it's bulky and it's heavy. I actually think if you like, I have your. But if you have your heart set on it. I do think the evenflow shift offers. I think the evenflow shift is better because you can remove the seats from the base. But then the problem is they don't have. They don't sell an attachment like then for that infant seat to go on a stroller. But I have Libby in the evenflow shift because I'm trying it out right now. And since all my other kids were in daycare, I did find myself using it with Libby a lot because she was the only one I had around. But then, yeah, to your point, then, okay, then I have to wear the diaper. Like, if Libby and I go somewhere, then I have to wear the diaper bag.

[Kelly]

You can't throw it in the basket.

[Liz]

Yeah, because there's no basket. So I find that. I find that annoying. And then, like, let's say other time, taking Libby to Target. Okay. In the even flow shift.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

So I get, like, the stroller thing out. Okay. Well, then I can't even put anything. There's no. There's no baskets. Then I'm gonna push a cart or I'm just gonna, like, take her out and then put her in the cart. But then, like, I can't do that with the wheel. So I'm leaving the wheels in the car. So I just don't think. And think out what time of year you're having a baby. Because if you're having a winter baby and sister, you're not taking that thing anywhere.

[Kelly]

Yeah. I just. I don't know when I would use it. And I know that it comes. I mean, I've had so many conversations with so many of my friends are like, well, everyone tells me I have to get the duna. And granted, I have not used the dooney and I have not tried out the car seat. I should give you my combo.

[Liz]

You should just try mine out.

[Kelly]

I know I should. So I can speak on it more intelligently. I. I just don't know when I would use it.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

Like, the times I'm putting her in the stroller are to go to the grocery store to run errands.

[Liz]

And Listen, I have 45 car seats, and I have probably 10 different infant seats. And if I could get rid of all of them, I would. If I could only keep one, I'd probably keep either my clekling or my nuna pipa.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I've been telling a lot of my friends to get the nuna pipa. So I have a cluckling, and I love it. But the nuna pipa is just, like, really popular right now, it seems.

[Liz]

So take that for what it's worth. And I just think you have to. And this goes for, like, everything. I think you have to be really careful who you take your baby, who you take any advice from. And this kind of goes back to, like, even our Consumer Reports conversation. But just remember, like, are they sharing their experience or are they sharing, like, the experience of having tried a lot? Because of course, like, if they, like. And I'm not. This is not. If you. If you. If your dude is working, like, that's fine. But just if I've tried out Every car seat that this is my opinion, having tried out every car seat. Now of course we're going to have different opinions, but like, for like, like my food processor, like I could read Amazon reviews, people who bought and tried one food processor or you go to Consumer reports, they tested 25 of them.

[Kelly]

And which one's the best and they.

[Liz]

Told me which one to get. Like you decide where you want to get your info from. That's all.

[Kelly]

Totally. And just like one more thing on the doona, because I did have this conversation with my good friend the other day because she was torn between getting like the nuna stroller infant seat combo or the Duna and she's like, well, the Duna is just so much more afford. And I'm like, well, you still have to get a stroller though. So like if this is you and you're maybe about to have your first kid and you're considering it, like when your kid is no longer in the infant seat, you don't. You're doing a stroller, you can't use like it's only used for the infant seat stage. Whereas if she buys the nuna pipa infant seat and then also the nuna stroller that has like a toddler seat. So you do still need both if you're, if you want to go with the Duna, which is totally fine if that's what you want to do. But then you still also need a.

[Liz]

Stroller when they outgrow their duna, which will happen. Yeah.

[Kelly]

So love it. Love it. Okay, are you ready for industry news where you share the hot tea going on the auto industry?

[Liz]

I am. Okay, our first story comes from Car and Driver and it is the 25 best selling cars of 2024. Now we're not going to go through all 25 of them because that'd be crazy. I thought we maybe did the top five. Do you like that idea?

[Kelly]

Yes, I do.

[Liz]

Coming at number five, we have the Honda CRV with 400,000 units sold. Okay, coming in with number four, we have the Tesla Model Y with 405,000 units sold. That's crazy good for them. Number three, we have the Toyota RAV4 with 475,000 units sold.

[Kelly]

That was kind of a big jump.

[Liz]

Big. This is even bigger. Number two, you want to guess? You want to guess One and two, they're in the same category of cars. Like one and two are the same kind of car.

[Kelly]

Well, what kind of car are they?

[Liz]

Well, I can't tell you.

[Kelly]

That is. Well, I don't, I Need a what brand? Like I need a baseline.

[Liz]

No. Do you think it's a car, truck, SUV or minivan?

[Kelly]

I think it's a truck.

[Liz]

You'd be right. Okay, number two, the Chevy Silverado with 542,000 units sold.

[Kelly]

And then F150.

[Liz]

And number one is the Ford F150 with 732,000 units sold.

[Kelly]

Wow. That's crazy. Jump.

[Liz]

Ford's lineup of light duty and heavy duty pickup trucks is always in the top spot.

[Kelly]

Okay.

[Liz]

I'm so sorry. It's just the F in general, it sounds like so.

[Kelly]

Oh, like F1, F2, F3. Okay.

[Liz]

And 2024 was no exception. But there's Trouble in Paradise as sales were down 2% compared to 2023. We're not including sales of the electric F150 Lightning in this total as it sold 33,000 units, which is not a lot at all.

[Kelly]

I feel like a 2% decrease is not Trouble in Paradise. I kind of still sold like a hundred thousand more than the one below it.

[Liz]

They're literally always trying to come up with a headline.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

So anyway, that was kind of exciting.

[Kelly]

That's not.

[Liz]

I want to see. Let me just look up. Let me just see what was the best selling. Like, let me see if there's any minivans or like three or SUVs on here.

[Kelly]

Oh, yeah.

[Liz]

Because I just feel like that could be fun. They're just. Oh, okay. Number 16 was the Ford Explorer with 194, 000. That was the first three year SUV. That's interesting. I would not have guessed that.

[Kelly]

Yeah, that's kind of surprising.

[Liz]

The Toyota Highlander was number 20 with 169,000. Yeah. That's all.

[Kelly]

Wow.

[Liz]

Not a single minivan or full size on there. Which, I mean, those cars are expensive, so I understand that. And only the Highlander and Explorer were on there.

[Kelly]

Wow, that's interesting.

[Liz]

Kind of surprises me.

[Kelly]

I'm kind of shocked.

[Liz]

Okay, our next story is from Car Dealership Guys Blog. And this was kind of juicy gossip. VW's scout receives 50,000 reservation and gears up for dealer lawsuits. Okay, so if you remember. Let's back up for a second. Scout used to be around, like, as George would say in the olden days, Scout Motors, they brought the name back, but they separated. It used to be like the Volkswagen Scout. Okay. That's not a thing anymore. Now Scout is its own brand. Think like Rivian. Okay. And they came back with only electric cars because, like, that's the thing to do these days. They came out with two cars. They're called the Terra and the Traveler, which are excellent names. Excellent names, Excellent names. And it's. So it's an EV brand set to release the Terra pickup and the Traveler SUV in 2027 after revealing two vehicles late last year. The two models will be all electric, but the company also plans to offer them as extended range vehicles which use a gas generator to power the battery when the charge runs low. 70% of these reservations were for the Traveler, which again is the suv. And to get like a deposit, to get a reservation you have to do a hundred dollar deposit. So it's kind of like a nothing. I mean to me that's like, I think you get a lot of people to pay a hundred dollars to like reserve a car. So I don't really know if that's like a real accurate. Like I just wonder. It's like, okay, yours is available. Are you ready to buy your 75,000car? Like Heinzler really going to say yes?

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

You know what I mean? But the drum drum. And that's why people are sass ass is I'm sorry, that was the most annoying thing I've ever said.

[Kelly]

Drum drum and says us. Thank you for. Thank you for backing up and apologizing.

[Liz]

It says Scout may still face an uphill battle accessing certain markets in the US because the company's decision to sell directly to consumers rather than through a franchise dealership has already received threats of lawsuits from retailers across the country. While some states allow for direct sales, other ban automakers, in this case Scouts owner Volkswagen from competing to their own dealers. So this is very interesting and I don't know all the minutiae and all the history, but like it was a big deal when Tesla was allowed to sell direct to consumer and not through a franchise. So like something somehow there was a loophole or there was new lawsuits involved in that and then Tesla was allowed to do it it and then Rivian has been allowed to do it also. And then like, you know, all of these like pop up boutique brands. But what makes this one slightly different is like Volkswagen Scout owns Volkswagen. Volkswagen Scout. Thank you. Volkswagen owns Scout. And they're like in the Volkswagen dealers are mad because they're like, this isn't fair. Like why would you not have it like be like, you know, through Volkswagen.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

And they want to go direct to consumer. And direct to consumer is just interesting because we obviously have Tesla who's had like a ton of success with it, but you know, now they also have dealerships. So like, it is what it is. They have service centers. It's, you know, I, I just, the capitalist in me is just like, you know what, whatever is the best customer experience is the best customer experience that my family owns car dealerships in me is like, you're really cutting out local family owned dealerships and like a lot of jobs. A lot of local jobs. And like that's sad.

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

But I do have, I, I also just think like if, if you look at, if we look at Rivian, who's like a way better example of like what Scout's trying to be than Tesla, like Rivian had had real. And I know people like them. They, if you look at any survey though, they have a really bad customer satisfaction because they don't have like the infrastructure to handle cars with problems, I guess right now.

[Kelly]

Well, and there's so much I feel like people really love, especially when it comes to a very expensive purchase, like a car. Like they don't want to be put on. They don't want to have to call someone and like deal with an answering machine and like press 7 to do this and pro 9 for this. It's like they want to talk to someone or either on the phone or in person. And when you like take that away or don't have that easily accessible, like people are going to be mad.

[Liz]

Yeah.

[Kelly]

It's just, it's not a good experience.

[Liz]

Yep.

[Kelly]

So that's interesting.

[Liz]

Yeah. So that's that on that, that's that. So we'll see, we'll watch it, we'll monitor it. I'm just also like, I, I don't know, did I. Did anyone ask for this? And like Ruby and just did it and I guess I just don't see enough of a difference. It's between like buy the R1s or buy the freaking Scout traveler. Like, I don't know. It's an electric SUV that wants to go off roading. Like why, like, why is that the only market that people want to enter right now?

[Kelly]

Yeah. I doesn't. Doesn't make any sense.

[Liz]

Like what. Can we just come up with something else?

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Like even if it's, even if it's not a mom car, like, what about convertibles? Can we like do something with that?

[Kelly]

Yeah.

[Liz]

Can we do, I don't know, just literally, can we come up with a new minivan? Can we come up with like a hybrid full size suv? Like we just do something else than an electric. And the electric off road is such a juxtaposition. Is that the correct word?

[Kelly]

It's It's. It's a oxymoron. Is it an oxymoron because you're saying.

[Liz]

Like, let's take this car that needs the infrastructure to charge it and let's take it to a remote area right off roading.

[Kelly]

Right.

[Liz]

You're just like, but where do I charge it? Like that.

[Kelly]

Shut up.

[Liz]

Yeah, we're selling something out.

[Kelly]

Like, it's just an experience. It's like, no.

[Liz]

But again, logistically, where are we? Or just what about like a really comfortable beatbopper car?

[Kelly]

Right? Who's buying evs, guys?

[Liz]

City people.

[Kelly]

City people, city folk. And we know that because the lightning only sold, would you say, 33, 000 vehicles?

[Liz]

I would just do things differently is all I'm saying.

[Kelly]

Yeah, I think if you want people.

[Liz]

To, like, adapt to your EV market a little bit more, like, give me a plug in hybrid Expedition. I'm there. I'm done. I'm sad.

[Kelly]

Yeah, totally.

[Liz]

But so, like, you want my husband to buy an electric pickup truck? Like, what are you talking about?

[Kelly]

He would never.

[Liz]

What are you talking about?

[Kelly]

He would never know your consumer. That's what it boils down to.

[Liz]

Well, and again, it's just taking an electric car to. To a remote area. I don't understand. I don't understand.

[Kelly]

Me neither.

[Liz]

All right, ready for ditch the drive through? We give you an easy dinner recipe to mix it up to get you out of your dinner rut.

[Kelly]

Sure am. Oh, we do have a listener submission. Dishes right through, but we'll get to that. I do want to say Kelly packed me a lunch, us lunches yesterday at the dealership.

[Liz]

I'm so kind, Kelly.

[Kelly]

I, like, was full. I did eat dinner, but, like, I pushed dinner off for a while and I just ate it because I had made it. Like, I was very satiated and it was incredibly boring. What did you make?

[Liz]

Okay, first of all, thank you. I did. Elizabeth and I went back to work, and it was. It was going to be a big day for her because it was Sloan's first day going to daycare. And I said, you know what? I'm going to make my sister a lunch. Like, let me. Let me serve you in this way. So I said, hey, I'm packing our lunches tomorrow. And I also got, like, these cute containers from Target. So like, one's like, you know, use two of them. Just making lunches. Costco sells this turkey breast. And don't think like deli meat. Think like, it's a solid turkey breast that, like, you can slice, like Thanksgiving turkey Vibes. But it's fully cooked. You make it. You keep it in your fridge. It's easy. You don't have to make it. You just keep putting your fridge. So I did three slices of. Three thick slices of this turkey breast. I had some sandwich cheese, Colby Jack sandwich cheese. I cut it into fourths, so it was like a little cracker size. I gave us two of those each. So eight slices of cheese, like, but two slices, right? Wasn't it two slices? Yeah, maybe it was three slices that I split between us. Doesn't matter. Two mini cucumbers each. Three brazil nuts, because those are good for your thyroid, apparently. And of course, the buffalo wild wings garlic parm sauce.

[Kelly]

You also had cuties and.

[Liz]

Oh, and cuties. Two cuties.

[Kelly]

And. And you brought bar. Like those puff bars. And also we did grab some salt and vinegar chips from the dealership vending machine.

[Liz]

Okay. Yes. So we had vinegar chips, turkey cheese, cucumbers, brazil nuts, and cuties. And the garlic. Parmesan.

[Kelly]

And the garlic.

[Liz]

I can't say that enough.

[Kelly]

It was really nice.

[Liz]

Good. I'm glad you liked it. We. We waited for us to get hungry. We were hungry for it. We would have eaten anything.

[Kelly]

We would have eaten anything. And our brother sat across from us eating chick fil A. And, you know, we were just a couple of birds eating these cucumbers. But it was really good, the turkey. That. That thickness of turkey was really nice. It was like a more hearty and like, not just deli meat. And by the end of it, Craig was like, oh, I have some extra chicken nuggets. Do you want them? And I'm like, no, I'm good.

[Liz]

No, I said, no, I'm good too. And I can't believe I said that. I was very satiated.

[Kelly]

I was very satiated, and I was full for a really long time. Same.

[Liz]

Good.

[Kelly]

Anyway, here is a listener submitted to ditch the drive through chicken and dumplings. Place chicken breasts or thighs in one layer in the bottom of a crock pot. First of all, I love chicken thighs.

[Liz]

Justice. Mom never made them growing up. I don't know what her deal is with chicken thighs because now she likes them. We just. Maybe that's why I think we didn't like chicken growing up. Because the breast is tough.

[Kelly]

Sometimes a breast is tough. Chicken thighs are always good. Season with desired seasonings. I use Traeger poultry rub and pour in 1 carton of bone broth. Cook on low for 8 hours. When ready, ladle the broth into a pot on the stove and bring to a boil, cut canned Pillsbury Grand Biscuits into quarters and place in the boiling broth. As it heats, I shred my chicken, cook biscuits for 10 minutes and add everything back to the crock pot and serve. Yeah, I think it sounds yummy.

[Liz]

I think it sounds very comforting.

[Kelly]

It sounds very comforting. I've never tried to make chicken and dumplings, but that feels like a very attainable way to do it.

[Liz]

It's on my list of things to make. Yeah, I'm setting my sights on it because I do think it sounds delicious.

[Kelly]

I agree.

[Liz]

Okay. If you want to leave your own dish thrive through, you can write into hello, the Karma official dot com.

[Kelly]

And guys with that, that is going to be our episode. So thank you so much for listening and we will talk to you next time.

[Liz]

See ya. Thank you for listening to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode.

[Kelly]

And if you enjoyed right riding with.

[Liz]

Us, tell everybody you know there's room in the car for everyone.