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Abby
Thank you to Cozy Earth for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. When the holiday season rolls around, what's the famous question we ask every mom, woman, man, anyone in your life, what do you want for Christmas? And I feel like truthfully, what anyone that I'm talking to nowadays just wants a little bit of extra rest to slow down, wind down and a little extra coziness and feeling cozy and making home their sanctuary. That's exactly what Cozy Earth delivers.
Matt
Cozy Cozy Earth has some extremely soft, luxurious sheets. We actually have them on our bed right now and have been sleeping with these sheets. How, how long has it been years now? Yeah, it's. It's been a minute. And I gotta tell you guys, we sleep like babies.
Abby
I think the running joke is that you find someone that sleeps hot and someone that sleeps cold and then they just end up getting married. But that's what's great about the Cozy Earth sheets is that they're temperature regulating so everyone can feel comfortable all night long at the perfect temperature. They also have a cuddle blanket that is so, so luxurious. It offers a combination of comfort and style. Plus I have some Cozy Earth jammies. I have a couple pairs and they are so luxurious. You guys, I literally cannot wait to put the kids down and slip into my Cozy Earth jammies. And I'll be honest with you, Matt can't keep his hands off me.
Matt
You're. I actually. Wait. Oh, you're right. Abby looks so bad. In a good way. Like she's bad.
Abby
You know how to process that.
Matt
I'm trying to use cool hip lingo and it's not really lame.
Abby
The thing about Cozy Earth is that it is a risk free free purchase.
Matt
There's a hundred night sleep trial. Try them out. If you don't love them, return them hassle free. But trust me, you will want to.
Abby
They also have a 10 year warranty. Because once you feel this level of comfort, you'll want it to last a decade.
Matt
Give the gift of everyday luxury this holiday season. Head to cozyearth.com and use our code unplanned for up to 40% off. Just be sure to place your order by December 12th for guaranteed Christmas delivery. Listening after the 12th, don't worry about our code Unplanned still works year round for 20% off. And if you get a post purchase survey, be sure to mention you heard about Cozy Earth right here.
Abby
Give the gift of comfort that lasts beyond the holidays and carries you into a cozy new year.
Matt
I wish I had kissed someone else before marriage. 3, 2, 1.
Abby
Heck, I'm gonna say agree.
Matt
Wait.
Abby
Oh, my God.
Matt
Having kids made us lose parts of ourselves. I'm gonna say agree.
Abby
I'm saying strongly agree. I remember looking in the mirror one day, I was like, I don't even recognize myself.
Matt
You would still be with. I cheated.
Abby
Can I be honest with you?
Matt
Yeah, be honest.
Abby
I would like to think that I would leave you.
Matt
We rushed our healing after the miscarriage.
Abby
I'm saying agree.
Matt
I say disagree.
Abby
But I don't think that's a bad thing.
Matt
Welcome back to the Unplanned podcast.
Abby
If you are watching on Spotify, like actually watching, or on YouTube, you can see that we have a whole new space for Unplanned right now.
Matt
It's decorated with our kids, all artwork. If you listen to the episode of us talking about our son Augie's thankful turkey, where he wrote down he's thankful for bad guys, it's literally right there. Literally right there.
Abby
We have literally artwork of our dog Pretzel over in this other corner, which you're not even gonna see. We're not on that setting right now. But this whole studio just has personal touches galore. And it just. It feels so official, like, with the way that everything's laid out and the lighting and the monitors, the equipment, like, this is really. This is an upgrade for us. And I hope you guys enjoying it and that. I don't know, I hope you feel the upgrade too, because it really matters to us that we're always, like, making a good product for you guys. And this feels. This feels premium.
Matt
If you've been here since the beginning, thank you. It's been nearly three years of unplanned. Cannot believe that we've gotten to sit down with some of the people that we've talked to. Crazy. Just guests that I never thought in a million years I'd ever let alone meet, but. But interview them and, like, have a two hour conversation. Crazy. I just can't believe that this is what and this turned into ultimately.
Abby
Like, I kind of feel like we have a relationship with those people in a way. Like, basically every guest we've had on this show, like, by the end, I'm like, gosh, I just want to be friends with you.
Matt
No, we get deep with everybody.
Abby
And so it feels like, okay, well, you know, if I ever need to, I could reach out. I don't know, maybe I'm delusional, but it's just. It's more than that. It's like the relationships that we've been able to create through this podcast what it's been for our relationship and just, like, beyond this is, like, so cool. And we just hope you know how grateful we are that you're here and that this is a reality for us. We used to have a studio. Okay. We started the podcast in our house.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Then it was in a studio for a short amount of time. Well, not really a short amount of time. Like a year.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And then back in our house now. So this is really convenient. It's really nice. Like, our kids are literally napping upstairs, and we can just film and. This is great.
Matt
We have a very highly requested episode coming back today. Agree to disagree. We've played this game, I think, three or four times now through our YouTube channel and our podcast, and we're bringing it back. We have a lot of new questions, a lot of questions we've never answered before. And then also we're bringing back a couple questions that are fan favorites. If you haven't seen us play this game before, essentially, we just make a statement, and we can either say we agree with it, disagree with it, or strongly agree. Strongly disagree.
Abby
In general, I think the older I get, the. The more I'm going to use strongly agree or disagree is going to be less and less I feel less strongly about things, the more life experience I have, because the more I realize I'm like, oh, there's nuance to everything. Nothing could be all 100% this.
Matt
We have 60 questions we're going from. We're doing level one, level two, and level three. So as we go further in this game, we're going to ask more intense questions and again, bring back fan favorites from the past. Let's get into it. Okay. First question we have is, our miscarriage changed our marriage. It just changed level one. That's a level one. Oh, yeah. That is. That's a deep question.
Abby
Our miscarriage said that so casually.
Matt
I did, Yeah. I was like, oh, my gosh, that's deep.
Abby
All right, well, wow.
Matt
Stay tuned for level two and three, everybody. Okay. Miscarriage changed our marriage. One, two, three, go. I'm saying strongly agree. Oh, is that what I did? Strongly agree.
Abby
I said agree.
Matt
Okay. Why did you say agree?
Abby
Why did you say strongly agree?
Matt
I think we've had relatively good lives, and two or three years ago, I remember having this distinct conversation with you about, like, wow, things have gotten so good, you know, like, so many things.
Abby
Yeah. We're like, we're waiting for something to go back.
Matt
What could possibly go wrong? And I feel like this was that thing for us, and it really has changed my perspective. Like, it really. It is so sad how I'm like, that's weird. Starting an emotional bit. It's up how like, awful this world can be and it's so hard to work through that with your spouse. But we're getting through it and we're. And things are looking up. And even though we've gone through that, I think our. I think our marriage has changed for the better. So that's why I said strongly. That's why I said so. I mean, I don't want to say it changed the better because I'm not glad it's not like totally what happened is awful.
Abby
I didn't think you meant it that way. Yeah, I would say, yeah, I definitely said agree because it's like what I think John Deloney says this. Are you so sick of me quoting John?
Matt
It's all good. It's all good. You love John.
Abby
He says that you're, you're. When things like this happen, you. It's like you kind of have to. You're building a brand new marriage. It's not like your marriage changes. Like, it's like that marriage is gone.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And this, this is a new marriage we're building together again. And I really do feel that way in regards to us, in this miscarriage because of the way that it just like immense grief. That was like, like that was so unique to the two of us too, because we really are the only ones that got to experience her.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And like those obviously other people in our life were affected totally, but it was very, like, isolated to us is what it felt like. And so that was just a very bonding experience. And John Deloney also says, like, something like this can really ruin. Miscarriage is unique in the sense too, it can really be very damaging to a marriage because one person's ready to, quote, unquote, move on before the other person is.
Matt
Yes.
Abby
And so, like, we've just had to grow so much and like our emotional intelligence of our own selves that also has grown our emotional intelligence of one another. Our communication has intensified and also our boundaries. I'm proud of.
Matt
Because, like, we have both started going to individual therapy frequently.
Abby
Consistently.
Matt
Consistently. We've both been going to marriage therapy. And I think we're both, like, our communication has taken a leap, I think.
Abby
Yeah. For sure.
Matt
So anyway, and I think ultimately that's.
Abby
What people mean when they say everything happens for a reason. I think that it can be incredibly insensitive accidentally to say someone going through an immense trial.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Everything happens for a Reason. You're kind of like, shut up. I don't want anyone to tell me that my baby died for a reason. That doesn't sound good. But this is what they mean, right? There can be good things that come out of a horrible situation, but I.
Matt
Think the person going through it needs to discover that for themselves. You can't just directly tell them that when they're grieving. It's not going to help them.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
That being said, next question. Wow. Level one's crazy. We got married too young. Three, two, one, go. I'm going to say strongly, strongly disagree. I'm going to say strongly disagree.
Abby
Okay, I just said disagree.
Matt
I think the reason I said strongly is just because I just don't see it happening any other way. I feel like we got to experience something that most young people don't get to have. And going on a young adventure with you. When we were practically kids, our brains weren't even fully developed yet was so crazy and exciting. Like, we moved to Hawaii. We just did so many wild things and grew up together. And it's something that I'll tell my kids, and they can tell their kids, and. I don't know. It's just like, we chose each other over careers. We chose each other over money. Like, we both were like, this is. This is the most important thing to us is this relationship. And I think that just set us up for success, and I think everything else just followed it. And I'm rambling now, but I just don't. I don't see our life any other way. I'm so glad we got married when we did.
Abby
Totally. And I think that the reason I just said disagree was that no matter what, I have this understanding in me that, like, you were gonna be my person. And, like, I feel like I committed to you long before we actually got married. But I do think, like, actually getting married was, like, at the time we did. It's less about our ages. And I always say this. It's less about our ages, but where we were at in our relationship. We were so ready to get married.
Matt
I think we could have gotten married younger.
Abby
Honestly, we even could.
Matt
Yeah, I think it would have been. I honestly might have been better for our relationship if we would have gotten, like, just with the views we had at the time, the struggles that came with, like, being engaged somewhat with somebody, but, like, you know, having strict boundaries till marriage, like, that created all these complexities. I don't know. I almost wish we would have, like, gotten married two years into dating and just a lot. Yeah. It was fun, like, living with roommates and stuff, but I feel like we still could have, like.
Abby
Yeah, I do think we could have gotten married a year earlier.
Matt
We could. I mean, it would have been maybe a little weird, but we could have, like, been married and still had roommates. Like, people do I know people that do that.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I don't know. Anyway.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
Next question.
Abby
Oh, yeah, I think. I wouldn't give that blanket advice to anybody. It was just like. I do think that we had something unique at that point. I don't know. Does that sound arrogant? I don't mean that in an arrogant way, but I feel like we were ready. We were definitely ready.
Matt
Having kids made us lose parts of ourselves. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say agree.
Abby
I'm saying strongly agree.
Matt
Yeah, I. I'm gonna. I guess I'll go first. I'm talking right now. I guess I'm saying agree because it just fundamentally changes you completely. As if, like, your life completely changes. It's probably. I think having kids was a much bigger decision to make than even getting married, which, again, we have friends. We have friends that have kids that are not married. We have. We've interviewed a lot of people on the show that have had kids before they got married. And I just don't know how they do it. Like, I. And no judgment towards them. It's just like having a kid with someone is probably the biggest decision you can make in your life.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
You're literally creating another life, you know, so.
Abby
Well, I think when you take it as seriously as you take it and as I take.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Like, it's not like, something that's, like, so casual.
Matt
It just. It creates many complexities. Right. Like, if you're. If you end up breaking up, then, you know, are you going to stick around with. With, like, around your kids? You can still have a relationship with them. I hope so. Like, and then you have all these logistics of, like, who has taught. Like, you have custody battles. You have all these things that happen. And anyway, all that said, I think you lose part of yourself with. With having a kid. And I don't think there's anything bad about that. I think it's just a change that naturally happens.
Abby
Yeah. I would say it was a refining process for me. Like, I think I distinctly remember after having Griffin, our first child, I remember looking in the mirror one day, I was probably, like, six weeks postpartum, you know, the fresh. Still fresh, but, like, enough to be, like, above. My head's above water.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And I was, like, literally looking in the mirror, I was like, I recognize myself. Like, I did not feel like I wanted to do the things I used to want to do. I felt like I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of even doing something for myself. I felt like I just. I did not know my place anymore. I felt so all consumed by motherhood, and I loved it, but I was just so lost on my own identity at that point.
Matt
You loved it, like, because initially I didn't love it. You loved it initially.
Abby
I think it's different for moms. Like, you're like, hormonally, like.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Bonded to this kid immediately, like, before you're even there. You even meet them. So meeting them like that is like a joy that just does not wear off or. I don't know.
Matt
I think the more. The more that our kids were able to communicate with me, the more I.
Abby
Think that's unique for dads.
Matt
I just think to remember when, like, Griffin and Augie both were able to smile at me, and I was like. I was like, oh, my gosh. I was like, they can. They like me. They're excited to see. And it just, like, made me feel so loved and so appreciated and it just, like, created this. I don't know, I was like, that's my kid. Like, they're we. I smile at them, they smile back, you know, and just like, as that communication has grown now, I have full on conversations with Griffin. And he asked. Right now he's in the stage where he's like, asking, why about everything. And it's fun. Like, it's so fun that I get to be the person that gets to explain to him how the world works. Big responsibility.
Abby
Yeah. All that to say, Like, I feel like it completely changed my brain. And, like, a lot of those things came back. I was like, okay, that part of me is dead and it's dead forever. No, A lot of those things came back, or they came back looking different or all these types of things, but basically, like, becoming a mom completely changed everything about me. And I don't mean. And I don't look at that as like, Like, I lost parts of me. It was. I just view that fully as a refining experience, especially from, like, my character.
Matt
Next question we have is, screens are fine if parents need a break. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say strongly agree. Heck yeah, strongly agree. Because sometimes, especially if your kid. If you're at the beach and your kid is like, throwing a absolute meltdown and everyone's looking at you, it's like you have to put on Ms. Rachel for a couple Minutes. So this kid can just like come back to earth.
Abby
Well, that's different for. I think they were saying if a parent needs a break.
Matt
Oh, yeah, that's fine too.
Abby
If a parent needs. It's like, it's totally like. Okay, say like, I guess when they say they need a break and that probably means that they're like frustrated.
Matt
Yep.
Abby
Or like exhausted.
Matt
Oh, yeah. You don't want to, you know, what's the other option?
Abby
You just like still keep persevering and then you're. But like, you stubbornly persevere and then you just are like yelling at your kids.
Matt
I think about shaking, shaken baby baby syndrome.
Abby
Because like, if some say chicken baby. What is chicken baby?
Matt
Chicken babies. No, I think about, like, there's, there's people that have gotten so fed up with their kid, they've shaken their kid.
Abby
Yeah, well, not. This is. No one's showing a screen to a baby.
Matt
I know, but I'm just saying, like, in general, people do.
Abby
Maybe they are.
Matt
People can do that with any stage. People get so pissed off at their teenager that they'll like throw their teenager.
Abby
Oh, my God.
Matt
You know, like, people make big mistakes. That's why people have like trauma with their parents. Right. So if it's like, I don't know. I mean, obviously we all know screens, like too much screen time is a bad thing, but if you need a little break because you're about to lose it. Yeah. Put on, put on a little show. Put on some Ms. Rachel. Put on. Recently it's been kids Star wars that our kids love to watch on Disney plus.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
So there's nothing wrong with that.
Abby
Yeah. I guess it's like what's most important to you that your kids don't watch screens or that you show up as the best parent possible when you're around your kids. Thank you to our frames for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. The holiday season is fast approaching. We're really in the thick of things. And if you know anything about us, little last minute, a little unplanned, if you will. And something about us is that we really love to give personalized, thoughtful gifts, but it's kind of hard to do that sometimes when you're operating on a last minute schedule. But that is what's awesome about aura frames. What they are is they're digital picture frames that you can give to your grandma, to your mom, to your aunt, to give to any loved one that basically just wants to see more of you, more of your children.
Matt
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Abby
That's the extra step that makes Aura Frames feel like such a great gift option. Plus, every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag, so it's already ready to go for you. You can't wrap togetherness, but you can.
Matt
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Abby
This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast, so order now to get it in time for the holidays. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.
Matt
For those of you that don't know, we just got a dog, so that's why we're asking this next question. Next one is it's okay for my dog to sleep in my bed. 3, 2, 1. I'm saying strongly disagree. Strongly disagree.
Abby
Okay. Guess what? We might change our mind on this one day.
Matt
That's true.
Abby
But we have a puppy right now.
Matt
And it's okay to change your mind on something.
Abby
Totally.
Matt
That's okay.
Abby
We have a puppy right now though. But I mean, it's like, I would sooner let my kids sleep with me than a dog.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
You know what? I guess at one point we could maybe have everyone, all the dogs, all the kids in with us.
Matt
We have considered getting one of those like, mega beds for our kid, like an entire family to sleep in. But I don't know, it's not. It's kind of special to have our own bed, have our own space at this point.
Abby
My main reason is that, like, if Pretzel ever needs to stay with somebody else, like, say we're traveling, like we're traveling this weekend. So I don't want the dog sitter to think that they have to sleep with our dog. Yeah, because that's a huge ask.
Matt
That is a big ask. No, that's a very big ask.
Abby
So I'm like, if she's used to sleeping with us every night and then we're gone and then she has to all of a sudden sleep somewhere else, then that would be sad for her.
Matt
We have a friend that they, their dog sitters have to sleep with their dog.
Abby
Yeah. Yeah.
Matt
I can't believe that.
Abby
I see how you get there. I mean, we probably could get there. I could see that. We're capable of that. But as of this point, pretzel is not allowed upstairs.
Matt
Okay.
Abby
And so that's where our bedroom is. So that would be. We'd have to. We'd have to change a couple boundaries at that point.
Matt
I like the setup we have.
Abby
It's working out well.
Matt
Next question. It's important for couples to have similar life goals. 3, 2, 1. I guess I'll say. Agree. I mean, it's probably a good thing to have similar life goals.
Abby
Agree.
Matt
I think you can make it work if you have different life goals, but I think that's just going to create conflict. Just will. I think working through conflict can make your marriage stronger, though. I think, like, overcoming conflict is a good thing.
Abby
Okay. So if you're married, in my mind, I'm like, you guys are in the same car in life.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And you're going down a road, and you can't rip that car in half and go two different directions. If you're like, I want to go somewhere else in my life and I want to go here. You can't rip a car in half.
Matt
Yeah, you can.
Abby
You know, so I'm like, we got to find a route that will both get us somewhere that feels like. And it's like. And when it's a similar. That's really important.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
They don't have to be the exact same, but you have to at least be going the same direction.
Matt
Well, like, say, like I'm thinking of, say you have a small town girl from Missouri who loves her family, never wants to leave Missouri. And then you have this dude from India that, like, they meet in college. I'm saying this. I have a friend, I have a buddy from India that meets.
Abby
Feels really.
Matt
He married a Missouri girl and now he lives in Missouri. But like, in his situation, if he would have just if it was important to move back to India, like, that. That can't work.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
You know, you have to. You have to figure that out and you in. But, like, you have to work through that stuff if it comes up, especially if you're already married and then someone has some epiphany moment of, oh, my gosh, I need to live in India.
Abby
Which is why I say important and not vital. Because you're allowed to change your life goals. And it's actually probably important. Important that you keep reassessing them and, like, being honest with yourself, like, is this something that I want to hang on to still? Or is this something I want to change or let go of or do something completely different? You have to have that space in a marriage to also be honest and put those things on the table. So I'm not saying it's vital, but I'm saying it's important.
Matt
Next up, homemade gifts are better than store bought gifts. Three, two, one.
Abby
I'm gonna say disagree.
Matt
I say disagree. I mean, like, there's so many stupid things you can make that are homemade, you know, like, it's like so many of those things just go in the trash. Right?
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I mean, so many gifts in general get donated. Say that out loud. I love you, Mom.
Abby
Matthew James.
Matt
What? Okay, we keep it. You can keep it in Danilo. My mom needs to know to not get me so many things that she's bought me. Too many hats that say dad on it. It's like, mom, I'm never gonna wear this hat. Never going to drink out of a coffee mug that says Hashtag Dad. That's just not. That's just not cool. Just because it says dad on it doesn't mean you need to buy it for me.
Abby
Oh, it's sweet.
Matt
She loves a good deal. She loves to. I'm roasting my mom right now. Yeah, I just disagree with that.
Abby
That sounds so bad. That sounds so bad.
Matt
We've. Have we ever made a homemade gift? No. You did. You used to make me the cutest homemade gifts when we first got married.
Abby
That's true.
Matt
And no. When we first started dating. And then you did a homemade gift last year for Valentine's Day. That was really sweet.
Abby
So actually some. Yeah, Okay. I guess the homemade gifts, I'm thinking it's like, I can knit, so I'm making homemade scarves for everybody. Okay. It feels personal because someone made it with their hands, but you're also giving everyone the same gift just because that's the thing that you can do.
Matt
Yeah. And it's like, did they actually want that homemade scarf? Like, maybe it looks ugly. Maybe they don't like scarfs.
Abby
You know, I just really want to be careful because I don't want anyone in our life.
Matt
Yeah, we gotta be careful. Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I can roast my mom, but I don't want to roast other family members.
Abby
I'm not thinking of anyone in particular. I just want to put that out there.
Matt
But.
Abby
But in a way it can almost feel. It's like, oh, if they got me something that they. They were shopping, they specifically looked for something because they Were thinking about me. It almost feels more personal.
Matt
I can make that argument 100%. Yeah, I agree.
Abby
Also, we're not huge gift givers in this house. And gift receivers. Like, we don't do big gifts exchanges.
Matt
Yeah. Love matters more than financial stability. That's a weird one.
Abby
Why is that weird?
Matt
I don't know. I just. 3, 2, 1. I'm going to say agree. I'm saying strong with this. I think the reason I'm saying agree is because, like, I think financial stability is a very important part of life. Like, I think financial instability can cause a lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, can ruin relationships, can ruin marriages.
Abby
Right.
Matt
So that's why I'm going to say agree that love matters more. But, like, you got to make sure you have some sort of financial sense. I wish they would teach financial literacy in schools, like, everywhere. That's a whole topic for another day. I'm very passionate about finance. I almost became a financial planner. But, yeah, I just. I think love matters more.
Abby
Totally. I would say that there are times in our marriage. I would never say that there was a time where we were financially unstable.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But there was times where our finances were very tight. And I don't feel like I ever felt like I was lacking for anything because we were so in love. It was like, yeah, we. We love each other so much that we're going to make this work.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Whatever we have to do to make that happen. That it's like. I don't know. Love is so. Wow. I sound like such a goo goo.
Matt
What?
Abby
But, like, love is just. It's like hitting the jackpot. So it's like, you know what? Like, to find someone that you truly love is, like. Is such a rare thing that we're. That finances are also very important, but in the scheme of things, it feels minor.
Matt
High five. I love it.
Abby
Does that make me sense?
Matt
You're sweet.
Abby
I think finances are very important.
Matt
I definitely think finances are more important than you do. But it's okay. It's all good. We don't have to. That's what makes us cool, is that we're different.
Abby
Of course.
Matt
So it attracts me to you.
Abby
There you go.
Matt
I would probably hate your guts if you were just like me. Like, we can't opposites attract 1000%. So that's why we're married. We're different. The person who cooks shouldn't have to clean. This is a repeat one. Okay. Three, two. I actually don't even know what I said to this last time. 3, 2, 1. I'm gonna say disagree, and here's why.
Abby
I'm gonna say disagree too.
Matt
I think you have to look at what's overall going on. So if someone's cooking and cleaning and they do all of that, but then someone else is, like, taking on another household task or another family responsibility that's like, contributing, who the heck cares if they're cooking and cleaning?
Abby
I think household roles are over talked about.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
It really does not very much matter.
Matt
Because, I mean, honestly, oftentimes in our household, Abby will make the dinner and clean up, and I'll be the one that gives the boys their baths, brushes their teeth, gets them in their jammies, and I like it, reads them a book. So I do like the whole. Especially, like, it fluctuates, though. Like, it's not always.
Abby
We're always. We're not rigid about literally anything.
Matt
There's been times where, like, Abby cooks, I clean, she does the boys bath time. Yeah, like, we fluctuate too. I actually used to cook a lot more until one time I made salmon that nobody liked. And I've been making. Like, I never make dinner anymore, so maybe eventually you'll trust me again to make salmon.
Abby
No, I'm just saying, like, I feel like I love our situation where nothing is. Like, very few things are like, you always do that or I always do that. Like, I feel like we both have, like, an ebb and flow where it's like, okay, I need you to fill in a little bit more tonight. I'm. I need you to do 75% tonight. I've only got 25%. Yeah, it feels great that we can both ebb and flow like that. Like, it doesn't have to be rigid. It's like, hey, maybe I got 100% tonight. Because you're like, puking feels great.
Matt
And cooking and cleaning too. Like, maybe somebody likes to actually cook and clean and the other person hates it. I actually do, like, like, when it comes to, you know, Abby and I have a business together of content online. When we. When we would, like, for instance in Hawaii before kids, Abby would cook and clean, while I would just edit all of our YouTube videos and tick tocks.
Abby
And I'd much rather do that.
Matt
And it was like I was like, running our business and then she was doing, like, the house stuff, and that just worked for us and we were both happy. So it doesn't. And it doesn't have to stay that way. Like, you can.
Abby
Here's the thing. You don't need to compare your situation with other people's situations.
Matt
Yeah. You don't.
Abby
Everyone's different and it just takes communication. Or you can end. Here's the other thing with your marriage. You always can bring something new to the table and be like, yo, I know I've cooked for 10 years in our relationship. I actually just discovered about myself. I despise cooking. And then you can, you know, clean slate. Yeah, let's start over. Let's start over some. A different routine there. So it's like, no big deal.
Matt
Next question is your spouse should come before your extended family?
Abby
Three, two, one.
Matt
I'm going to say strongly agree. Why in the world would your spouse ever come after your extended.
Abby
Oh, no, it's very easy to happen. Say you have a very vocal family member that you feel like you have to please so much. You've. You've grown up your whole life feeling like you have to please them.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And then say your partner's kind of like, yeah, chill, flexible. It's really easy to just cater to the louder voice. And then you forget that, like, it's like, oh, my priority is to you first.
Matt
Yep. I'm so glad you say that because, like, I, Yeah, I stand by my answer. But it's like, it's so easy to forget that.
Abby
You know, it is really easy to forget that.
Matt
You just think like, oh, yeah, this person. I died. And it's like, no, you don't have to do what they ask you to. Like, your spouse is more important. Yeah, right.
Abby
For sure. Family dynamics can be so tricky.
Matt
They can be tricky in marriage. I feel very blessed that we both have good families that.
Abby
Totally.
Matt
With.
Abby
Totally.
Matt
We're just like singing Kumbaya by the fire.
Abby
They also care about our marriage and they like, they understand that our priority is to each other first. Yeah, they respect that. Everyone.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
So that's great.
Matt
This next one's actually kind of funny. Okay, we. We trauma bought a puppy. That's the next statement.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
Three, two, one.
Abby
Yeah, I'm gonna agree with that.
Matt
I'm agree. I mean, sure, we talked about it for four years before actually pulling the trigger. But like, it was like, yeah, we just went through a pretty effed up thing. Let's. Let's get a puppy. This will make us happier. And it kind of worked. I honestly, today, me and Presley were just chilling outside while the carpet cleaners were cleaning our carpet. And it was great. Like, we were just. She fell asleep on my foot.
Abby
Oh, she's great. I honestly think that we would not have a dog if we hadn't had a miscarriage at this point.
Matt
In our life. Yeah. We would. 100%. Getting a dog was a responsibility.
Abby
It changed the timeline of our life. Yeah, totally.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And you know what? It was the reason I like, so hesitant to say that because it kind of makes it sound like she was a replacement when she absolutely was not a replacement. But it just, like I said, it just changed the timeline of when we were gonna get a dog because of all these different factors that were no longer factor in our life.
Matt
Yeah. And we've been so lucky that she's a really good puppy. She does not bark really at all.
Abby
She wants to play.
Matt
She stays in her. Like, she's so chill. She doesn't bark or cry in her crate. Like, she just. She just goes in there, falls asleep. Don't have to. We don't get up in the night to take her out. She just holds her pee all night, goes potty in the morning.
Abby
She's a great.
Matt
So good. She's a very good dog.
Abby
She's unusually good.
Matt
Yeah. We got lucky.
Abby
We got really lucky. But yeah, she's such a blessing. But, yeah, we probably would not have her at this point in time.
Matt
Okay. Vacation should be more relaxing than adventurous. Hey. Okay, these are the level one questions.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
I was hoping for. These aren't like sex questions. Relationship. Okay. So vacations should be more relaxing than adventurous. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say strongly disagree. I think vacation. I personally love to advent. I can relax at my house. I want to. I want to adventure.
Abby
I'm holding all of mine up.
Matt
Why are you holding all of yours up?
Abby
Because I think that there is a trip for everything.
Matt
Okay.
Abby
I really do. Because I feel like before I had kids, I want, like, now I want vacations for relaxation. That sounds amazing.
Matt
Did just go to Vegas.
Abby
Think about a baby moon. I'm like, I just want to relax.
Matt
That's true.
Abby
And so it's like, that feels so nice. But then I loved the vacations we took where we were hiking the entire time.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
I love the vacations we took where we were doing tours and sightseeing the entire time. I think there's a vacation for everything. I think the most important thing is that you and whoever you're traveling with is aligned on what you want to do. Because I feel like sometimes we've gone on trips where I'm like, I just want to read my book.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And relax. And you're like, we're here. Like, we. I understand both sides, but I'm like, there's a trip for everything.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
So there's so Many trips where I just want to read my book.
Matt
Let's just be honest, babe. That's what that. Honestly, I think that's a difference between us. I think when I totally, I'm an adventurer, I want to go like backpack in the mountains. Adventure you are, you like to relax. Matthew James, you love to read your book by the beach, by the pool and you love to go to the spa.
Abby
Season of life.
Matt
I really. And I've, I've learned to enjoy those things. But like when it, when it comes down to my core, I'm an adventure guy, Matt.
Abby
1,000%. I love to hike. I love to try new things. I love to try new foods. I love to go on. I love a tour. I love these things.
Matt
Okay.
Abby
And it's like, don't put me in a box. Think about the season of life. I'm in.
Matt
Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
Abby
Thank you. Let me defend myself. I am fun. Thank you to Nutrafol for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. During this holiday season, it's super, super easy to start thinking about everybody else in your life. I'm talking what do my kids need? What does my spouse need? What does grandma need? What does great grandma need? What does my mom? And I think all of that is really great. But what's also really important is that we are taking care of ourselves and doing our self care. And that's why gifts like Nutrafol really stand out during this season. With Nutrafol you can give the gift of stronger and faster growing hair. And it's an ideal gift for anyone who deserves a boost of confidence and science backed support.
Matt
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Abby
I just gave a three month supply of Nutrafol to a dear friend of mine. She actually just had a baby. And you know, that's time where your confidence really can take a hit because you don't recognize your body. It's gone through so many changes and just for the sprinkle on top, you do tend to lose a lot of hair. So that is why I wanted to hook her up with a supply of Nutrafol. It really helped me. As I was handing it to her, she's like, so does this stuff really work? I was like, yes, girl, take it, take it every day.
Matt
Yes, queen.
Abby
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Matt
The next one is the Internet has done more harm than good. I'm actually with this, I'm going to say, I'm going to say disagree. What about you?
Abby
I'm actually going to say strongly disagree.
Matt
I'm going to say disagree. And the reason is because yes, the Internet has brought so many horrible problems. But I think there's also been a lot of amazing things.
Abby
Think about what we can do because of the Internet.
Matt
Yes, the communication like the life saving technologies that be shared globally. You know, just there's so many resources now on the Internet that you can have for free. You can essentially teach yourself to like be a programmer or coder just by looking at YouTube videos. I taught myself guys how to edit, how to make video when I was a kid off of YouTube.
Abby
I think we progress so much because of the, just the data and the accessibility to it. It's like a, it's a super. I mean a computer is insane.
Matt
Yeah, the.
Abby
I think that most of the problems that have come up with it come out of it is humans not having proper boundaries with it.
Matt
Yes.
Abby
And so I think that's more of like that's a human problem. And I think that anything like the Internet just exacerbates human problems more than an Internet problem.
Matt
Okay, now Abby, we are moving on to level two.
Abby
Oh my gosh. I'm already feeling stressed out that I'm not elaborating enough. So I'm just like saying blanket some statements that people are gonna run with and maybe clip and just think that I'm X, Y or Z.
Matt
Hey, that's just part, you know what.
Abby
That'S just part of it.
Matt
There's less theory called Let them let them theory by Mel Robbins.
Abby
I just some of these I need to give like a lot of explanation.
Matt
I'm sure some, some person out there hungry for views and clips will probably clip something of us. At some point in the future, it's just going to happen.
Abby
Let them.
Matt
Let them.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
Let them.
Abby
I just want to get my opinion out there.
Matt
I love it. I like to let them theory. Okay. Level two, we're getting deeper. And. And this is what we're doing. Okay. This is the first one of level two. We look happier on social media than we really are. I'm gonna say agree. I'm say agree.
Abby
But I'm actually saying disagree.
Matt
Disagree.
Abby
I mean, I kind of showed the Internet the depths of my despair recently.
Matt
That's true. I guess it depends on which platform you're looking at. Right. Because I think you were very, very vulnerable. Especially you. All of them on YouTube, which I guess those get clipped as well.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
But what I'm thinking about is, like, especially our era of doing, like, TikTok dances, where we're just, like, smiling and having fun. Like, I feel like that was just like, highlight reel after highlight reel after highlight reel. And, you know, when all you're posting is highlight reels, of course you're gonna look happier. Yeah, of course you are.
Abby
The only reason I'm saying disagree is because I feel like I just kind of laid it all out there at that point.
Matt
Yeah. Ah. I almost want to go neutral on this one.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I wish there was, like a. I.
Abby
Feel like it's a pretty.
Matt
I feel like we do give a good. We give the good, the bad, and the. We give everything. We give. We give it all. I feel like we try to keep a very real perspective. That's why I like the podcast, you guys, because, like, this is, like, the realest thing you can have. Like, we're just. This is. This is it. We're just sitting, chatting, you know?
Abby
Yeah, I'm not. Yeah, I'm gonna say neutral on that one.
Matt
Okay, next we have. Social media is hurting our relationship. Okay, here we go. And three, two, one. I'm gonna say disagree.
Abby
I'm saying disagree, too, with the caveat it's definitely posed complications.
Matt
Oh, yeah.
Abby
But I think the complications have really been as, like, it's not a social media thing. It's like a personal thing that we're bringing into our marriage.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And also, I just think it's not necessarily social media. It's working together.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But I feel like that was like a year one through three thing of, like, learning about. I feel like years three through six and a half. It hasn't. That's why I said disagree. It's not a problem.
Matt
I feel like it's more so the Thing that has hurt our relationship in the past is maybe just working together because it causes. It causes challenges. Like, it's so easy. Okay. Because we're owners of the company. Right. Like, Abby and I own a media company.
Abby
Yeah. We're making decisions. If we weren't making decisions together, I don't think it'd be a problem. Like, if we were employees at a place together, we're both just doing our.
Matt
Job, and that's what we. That's what we used to do. We used to work at a pizza restaurant in college, and we were not the boss. Yeah.
Abby
No problem.
Matt
Fun. Working together.
Abby
No problem.
Matt
But then when we're both the boss, then if we have differences in ideas and creativity, things can get weird.
Abby
It's not a huge problem, though, for us.
Matt
Yeah, we've. We've definitely. I think we've gotten lucky.
Abby
We've also learned a lot.
Matt
We also work well together.
Abby
We do go to therapy.
Matt
I like you.
Abby
I love you.
Matt
I love you very much. Next, we have. You should have the password to your partner's phone. I'm going to say strongly agree.
Abby
Me too.
Matt
Strongly agree. I think if you're. If you don't have the password to your partner's phone, it's like, why this actually makes me ask the question.
Abby
Your phone is my phone.
Matt
I know. We both. We both have the passwords of each other's phones. We both have each other's Instagram, I think, on each other's phone, too.
Abby
And here's the thing. If you were to read my text, I wouldn't even be like, why are you reading my text?
Matt
Yeah, I'd be like, yeah, read all the text you want, whatever.
Abby
Yeah. And it's not like. And we don't do that because we have that open door policy.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
I think if it was like, if there was a limitation there, I would be like, well, let me see. Like, what. What is it that that's hiding? Yeah.
Matt
Yeah, I agree. I think that's. I think you should have the password. Next one is going through your partner's phone without asking is. Okay. Three, two, one. Strongly agree.
Abby
Now, do we actually. Do. I strongly agree as well. But do we actually do this in practice? Maybe sometimes.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But never with, like a. When he's away. I'm gonna make sure that it's like, I'm curious.
Matt
Yeah. When Abby texts her boyfriend, it bothers me a little bit, but, like, not.
Abby
You can read anything I have.
Matt
Thanks, baby.
Abby
Yeah. So, no, I mean, it's like, yeah, I strongly agree that you should be Able to. Now, do I think it's healthy to do that regularly? Probably not. It might be indicative of some kind of trust issue.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But, yeah, you should be able to. Why not?
Matt
Yeah, I agree.
Abby
Let them. I don't know if that's the proper use of the theory.
Matt
Okay, this one's interesting. I actually completely forget how I answered this one in the past, but it's. While married, it's possible to be close friends. Friends with someone else of the opposite sex.
Abby
This is.
Matt
That's not. Yeah. Oh, yeah. I can already hear the comments. I mean, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say disagree as well. I'm gonna say disagree like, I think, like, anytime I'm having a conversation with a woman that's not Abby, I feel like there's always someone else present. There's just. There's just never a time that I'm having a conversation with. I mean, maybe one time I had a conversation with our lawyer, and it was just me and her on the phone call.
Abby
You can have a phone call with another.
Matt
But I'm just like. I don't know. There's just not. I just don't even. It's like, why mess around with that?
Abby
You know what?
Matt
Like, why grow an intimate relationship with the opposite sex that's not your spouse. That's just playing with fire. And my. In my personal opinion, I think that.
Abby
Can I just say something?
Matt
What?
Abby
This might sound like I'm getting on a soapbox. Maybe it is. But I know that there was a politician in the past.
Matt
Oh, yeah, I know you got sick.
Abby
That he was made fun of publicly for not wanting to be eating dinner or having a meeting with another woman.
Matt
That wasn't his wife.
Abby
And I think that is hypocritical because there is. I think it's a great thing. We've had a lot of conversations.
Matt
You're saying you like that he made.
Abby
Wait, let me. Let me say what I'm gonna say.
Matt
Okay.
Abby
I think the hypocrisy comes in the judgment of him being alone.
Matt
Okay. Okay.
Abby
Because we have made a lot of progress, and there's been so much conversation in the world and culture around boundaries. Amazing. Great thing in most cases, yet when he has this boundary, people are making fun of him for it.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
That's crazy. And all I see when I hear about that is I don't look at an unstable marriage. I look at an extremely stable marriage because it's like they. They prioritize. So they hold what they have together so highly that they're gonna Put guardrails around. Around it.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Because it's like, this is so valuable that I don't even want to risk anything entering and cutting through this.
Matt
What's thinking about, like, look, I grew up with all brothers, okay? So sometimes my emotional intelligence sucks butt cheeks. Okay.
Abby
That's not an excuse.
Matt
Let's take. That's not an excuse. So let's take. Let's take a dude that had all sisters, has extremely high emotional intelligence. Ten out of ten looks wise. I'm like a seven and a half. Okay. So you take this guy. And I feel like that's. I feel like that's being complimentary towards myself. I feel like I'm a good looking guy, but give myself seven and a half. So you take it. You take it. 10 out of 10. Looking good. Looking good, dude. Looking good, dude. This dude looks good. He has very high emotional intelligence. Put him in a room with Abby and it's like.
Abby
And my clothes might just come off.
Matt
Exactly. Exactly. And I wouldn't blame you. I. I wouldn't blame you. I'd be like, that's a hot guy. He is so good with his words.
Abby
He has so good with his words. Just like you right there.
Matt
Of course you had an affair. Like, I'm not. It's like, okay, you know, so it's like, don't even. Why even play. Why we even play with that line?
Abby
Yeah, I don't. I think it's like if you really truly value and hold what you have sacred, then there's no reason to even mess around with it. It's like, it seems like it's just an easy trade off.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But I will say there are instances where it might be fine. Like, I would. I'm not saying I would never get a dinner alone with another man. I'm not saying that would never happen. I'm saying it would. There need to be some unique circumstances.
Matt
For that next one. It's okay to be friends with your ex. You ready?
Abby
I'm not gonna answer this 1.
Matt
2. Why not answer this one?
Abby
I can't speak to it. I don't have an ex.
Matt
We both don't have X's, but I feel like we could still give our personal opinion. It's okay to be friends with an ex. 3, 2, 1.
Abby
I'm saying agree.
Matt
I'm gonna say agree. I think you can be friends. I think you should probably.
Abby
I might have said disagree in the past, but I'm gonna say agree now.
Matt
I think you should err on the side of acquaintances, though. Like, you don't want this person again. Right. Like, you take an attractive person who.
Abby
Has high emotional boundaries with them.
Matt
You got to have some boundaries. Because you just like.
Abby
Because they also know you very intimately.
Matt
And there's probably. There's a past. Right. There's something there. And you gotta just. Yeah. You gotta be careful with that. You know, I think. I think. Yeah. Having boundaries for yourself is a good thing because we're all human. Like, everybody makes mistakes. People do dumb.
Abby
Also say, for instance, maybe one of your exes. Like, maybe you ended because they're gay. And in which case, I think you guys probably make excellent friends.
Matt
That's true. Like, there was a friend.
Abby
You could probably be best friends.
Matt
Like, Abby and I weren't even married yet, and this dude, like, shared a bedroom with Abby, like, two nights in college, and I did not even care because he was gay. Like, it's like, yeah, who cares? Like, I don't think so. There you go.
Abby
You just said I can't be friends with the opposite sex. But then I. You did share that. I shared my room in college with them.
Matt
That's true. It does completely change things if they're gay.
Abby
I would totally, totally.
Matt
Like, would you care if I shared a room with a lesbian woman? Share to bed.
Abby
Wow.
Matt
I've never been present.
Abby
I've never been presented with that.
Matt
I guess I don't really have.
Abby
I can't say I love it. I can't.
Matt
Wait, why? Wait, really? I literally don't care if your friend. If you shared a bed with a gay guy, I would not care. I literally would not care. Like, why would I care? He's not attracted to women.
Abby
Yeah, I know. I don't care if I. If I share a bed with a gay guy. I. I don't know. I've just never had to think about that. And I'm. My.
Matt
The.
Abby
The. The first initial processing is I don't love it. I don't know. I still don't.
Matt
Oh, yeah. Okay. Hey, that's fine. You can have that opinion. Okay. White lies in a relationship are okay. White lies.
Abby
What's the definition of white lie?
Matt
Yeah, I feel like it's more so like, hey, babe, do I look good in this?
Abby
And you say yes.
Matt
Oh, what do I. Yeah, what do. I can't decide. Can I be neutral on this one? White lies in a relationship are okay. No, because, like, here's the thing. Like, I don't. Like, if you ask me my opinion on your outfit, I'm just gonna give you the honest truth. Yeah. And I've Gotten flack for that in the past. People are like, wow, it's so toxic. He said he didn't like that. Literally. Less last video of me rating your outfits. I think I gave the first one. Okay, let's say second one of four. And people were mad that I gave the second one.
Abby
Shut up.
Matt
I was being honest.
Abby
Let them.
Matt
I'm just. Let them. I'm just being honest, right? Like, I'm just giving you honest. I'm gonna go neutral on this because I think, like, there's.
Abby
You know what I'm actually gonna say.
Matt
There's been. Actually. I will say this. I can think of a time where you were, like, postpartum, and you just use white lies, right? Because it's like, you. You need confidence. You need to, like. You need to feel good about yourself.
Abby
Okay, we'll say why. I'm gonna go.
Matt
I'm gonna go with the. I'm gonna go with agree. Because it's like, sometimes you need. Like, out of love, you need to use a little bit of white lies every once in a while to look to love someone.
Abby
Did I say I was. Do I look skinny? And you were like.
Matt
I don't know what it was.
Abby
I just can think, like, now I'm curious. And you know what? I'm actually okay in that situation. You lying to me. Me, I prefer that you lie to me in that situation.
Matt
Give me knocks.
Abby
I need it then. You know, I'm a little unstable at that point.
Matt
Okay, we have. You would still be with me if I cheated? Wow. That. Holy crap.
Abby
No, wait. So the layers that I'm thinking that you would still.
Matt
I'm just thinking about you. I'm thinking about Abby. Three, three, two, one. I'm gonna say disagree. I think if I cheated, you would leave me. And I think, oh, yeah, I don't think I would leave. I. I don't think. I think I'd give it another chance. I would give you another chance.
Abby
Do you think that I would leave you if you cheated on me?
Matt
I feel like you have told me that, haven't you? I feel like you have. I feel like you've actually verbally said before. Maybe that was more of just like an emotionally, like.
Abby
Actually, you know what I would get.
Matt
It depends on the circumstances, probably.
Abby
Can I be honest with you?
Matt
Yeah, be honest.
Abby
I would like to think that I would leave you if you cheated on me.
Matt
Wow. See, I don't feel that same way. Like, it. I. Because. Because if you cheat. Well, if you. This is so weird that we're talking about this on a podcast. And it's like, literally.
Abby
Maybe don't say it then. I don't know. What?
Matt
No, I guess I'm just saying, like, I do. I do believe in second chances and I really like you as a person. So I feel like. Like we've been together for a decade. We have two children together now. We have a dog. I mean, like, we. We have so much so as. As. I feel like I would obviously be very, extremely, extremely devastated and hurt, but I think, like, I would want to give you a second chance, hoping that you actually wanted to. Like, if it was something that just kept happening. Absolutely not. You get out of that.
Abby
Like, if I found out. I mean, people do find this out all the time. That someone's been cheating for seven years. Years.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
If I found out something like that, it would have to be done. Like, it's like, how do you repeat that?
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Time and time and time again. And it was a one off thing. You make a really good point. But even then, I'm still like, gosh, you had to cross so many boundaries to go all. I'm assuming we're talking about, like, yeah, an affair.
Matt
Sexual, sexual affair. Like, not just an emotional affair.
Abby
So many boundaries at that point.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
That I would be like, I don't know how we could repair this. Yeah, well, I guess. I know you could. I know you could. I don't know that I'd be willing to read.
Matt
I would honestly be impressed if you cheated on me, though, because it's like, we are around each other so much. For you to, like, cheat on me would be like, how did you pull?
Abby
But also, you know that I would literally never, ever, ever, ever, ever. Which is hilarious that there was a time when people thought I wasn't loyal.
Matt
Unless it was Usher, you know, Unless it was Usher.
Abby
I am the most loyal.
Matt
It's okay, you can say it. You know, we went to his concert. You're a huge Usher fan.
Abby
You know you can have a hall.
Matt
Pass for Usher, Babe.
Abby
If the opportunity presented itself, I would literally laugh.
Matt
I'd be like, would you kiss him if you. If I give you permission to kiss Usher. One little kiss.
Abby
It would feel so weird. Once again, haven't considered that one before.
Matt
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Abby
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Matt
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Abby
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Matt
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Abby
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Matt
Next. What we have is. I have considered cheating. What? Holy wow. We are going so.
Abby
Okay, Alistair.
Matt
So hard. Okay.
Abby
Whoa.
Matt
Wow. That.
Abby
That's easy. Strongly disagree.
Matt
Strongly disagree.
Abby
Dear God, why do you look so guilty? Matt Howard?
Matt
Oh my gosh. Okay, do you count as you count a dream? Like having a dream? Does that count? No, because Your brain isn't.
Abby
No, dreams do not count.
Matt
Okay, so I'm gonna say disagree. I'm gonna say disagree.
Abby
Then I'm saying strongly disagree.
Matt
But. But like a dream is like. I don't know, like, what is that? Is that your subconscious? Is that like, what do you.
Abby
My. My subconscious does wacky things to me.
Matt
Have you cheated on me? And you have cheated on me in your, in your dreams. We both cheated on each other in dreams.
Abby
That doesn't count. That's not cheating. That's not considering cheese cheating.
Matt
Oh, yeah. Next up we have is I have considered divorce.
Abby
Whoa.
Matt
This is.
Abby
This is not something you should talk about on a podcast.
Matt
I know. We've actually done that one before, though. We haven't. We've answered that before.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
I think we both said yes in the past, so I think we can just both say yes. I think we both said agree. I've considered divorce. And we both said agree.
Abby
Oh, I was about to say disagree.
Matt
We both said agree last time, which means that we both agree. I mean, that's what we supposed said.
Abby
We said agree.
Matt
We both said that we. Yeah, we said agree. I've considered divorce. We both said that on the. When we did this on our YouTube channel.
Abby
Oh, my gosh.
Matt
Yeah, we. We went there.
Abby
Matt, that's crazy.
Matt
I know. It's. It's crazy how much we've shared with. With the Internet. It's crazy, dude. Isn't that crazy?
Abby
Well, I guess I have.
Matt
I feel like couples that say they haven't are either in just the most magical whoopty doo marriage or they're liars, you know?
Abby
Well, no, no, I don't think those are the only two options. There's a shade of gray here.
Matt
What's the shade of gray?
Abby
What's your definition of considered?
Matt
That's true. That's true.
Abby
Like, I feel like for me about it. Yeah, I think that for me, if.
Matt
You entertain the thought, if you're thought.
Abby
If you've thought about it, then for me, my mind, you've considered it. And so therefore that's probably why I said agree.
Matt
So I'm reading a book right now by an author that we're gonna have on our podcast soon. And something he says in his book is when you marry someone, you're choosing the person you're gonna have your fights with, your conflicts with, your problems with. It's just is like when you get married, it's not all sunshine and rainbows all the time. Maybe it is for a little bit, I'm sure. And hopefully you married someone that you can have a lot of sunshine and rainbows with. Hopefully it's one that you, like, have so much chemistry with, and it's great, and that's how I feel about you. But it's also, like, when we married, we also chose that you're the person that I'm gonna have disagreements with.
Abby
Well, totally. And I think that in marriage, like, when things come up, a lot of things, it's not even related to one another. It's life happening, and you're living within a marriage, so then it, like, affects your marriage.
Matt
And when things get hard, I think sometimes, especially if it's really, really hard, your brain goes to crazy extreme sometimes and it wanders.
Abby
Right.
Matt
Wow. Would divorce fix this? Oh, if I get. If I got divorced, would it make me happier? Would I feel free? Would I. Oh, I could discover who I am. Like, there's all these things that come up. Right. And. And I think for some people, that really is the answer. I think there's some people that are in very abusive relationships.
Abby
Totally.
Matt
And then I think there's also people that are maybe.
Abby
I also don't think that you should just. Just stay married because you're too stubborn.
Matt
To get divorced because of your religion, because of your beliefs. Like, and I think a lot of people stay in unhealthy marriages because of that. And there's even people, like, there's Dateline episodes of people that are, like, highly religious and they don't want. And they just kill their spouse because they don't want to get that public backlash. It's like, dude, screw the people that just choose selfishness over going through some discomfort of, like. Yeah, just.
Abby
Yeah, I would just say. Yeah, if you've. Are. You're talking about thinking about it, and it's also just, like, hard not to. Divorce is talked about all the time.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And it's. Yeah, I guess. Yeah. Thought. A thought has entered my head.
Matt
Yeah. We've both had that thought before. And so I think that's cool that we can both acknowledge that and recognize that we didn't.
Abby
We didn't go forward with that.
Matt
We did. And I think having. I think it makes our marriage even stronger that we can be honest with each other. We don't have to, like, play. Play games. Play pretend.
Abby
No, pretend.
Matt
It's really cool that we can just be real.
Abby
Yeah, I would agree. Love you.
Matt
Okay. One of us is still grieving the miscarriage more than the other. Holy crap. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say we're both saying. Agree.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
We're both. I think that's normal.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
And I think that's what causes a lot of fights with.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I think that's why people get divorces when they lose a child, because I can't imagine, like, what we went through with the miscarriage is horrific. Imagine having a kid get hit by a car or a spouse running over a kid. Like, there's just so many horrible, horrible things that can happen. And that's why those marriages don't work out, because people grieve differently, and then it becomes this conflict of f. You.
Abby
Well, they also.
Matt
You don't even care about our kid.
Abby
Grief is like a fingerprint. It's unique to everybody. And even though we have the same situation, we have a different fingerprint of this grief. And so, yeah, those just look differently.
Matt
Yeah. I love you.
Abby
Love you.
Matt
We rushed our healing after the miscarriage. 3, 2, 1. I say disagree.
Abby
I'm saying agree, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I think when you're saying you rush something, it does have a negative connotation, really. I'm acknowledging that, but I'm not saying. I'm saying agree on the terms of, like, I definitely tried to expedite it.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Because. And here's why. Life's still moving on. I have two little kids. I was made so aware right. When they told us what had happened, that I was like, holy crap.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Life is still gonna keep barreling towards it, towards me, and I ha. And I want to be on board. I want to be on board for that. And so I'm going to do the things I need to do to face it all so head on. So I. I face it head on. And I'm. And I think rush means that I skipped steps. I did not. I just expedited it. I moved it forward quicker. And I think that there's still residual things that I'm feeling, but I was really intentional about feeling everything, saying everything, pausing everything for those first two weeks. And then I was like, I want to get back on the train of life. Like, I want to keep going forward.
Matt
It was interesting, like, from my perspective, how I, like, almost dissociated.
Abby
Yeah, you dissociated for, like, a month.
Matt
And then it hit me so hard.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
And then it was just like. I remember crying in therapy, and our therapist was like, this is the first time I've seen you, like, break down. Because it was just, like, real. I. Because I had this, like, we. I had this realization in therapy that, like, what frick. What? What Hurt was realizing, like, all the excitement I had about our daughter and meeting her and knowing that that was never going to happen, and that was what was so hard.
Abby
Mm.
Matt
So I think February's gonna suck and I want to get the heck out of here in February. And hopefully my. My, like, coping mechanism is to dissociate and just get a get away.
Abby
Is it actually coping, though?
Matt
I don't know. I don't know if that's right. I don't know what's. We'll have to keep talking to our therapist, but, like, yeah, it's. I think the closer we get to the. To the due date is just, like, the harder it gets.
Abby
Mm. Yeah. I hope that doesn't mean that. I want to specify that this does not mean that I believe I skipped any steps or I'm not still suffering.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
It's just that I did really try to face it all head on because I knew that I had responsibilities that were very important to me still, which was our children, which was our life. Because here's the thing. I knew from the beginning that I could completely remove myself and that that would have probably felt good to just remove and not engage in life for a while. But I ultimately had to make a choice, and I didn't choose that.
Matt
So our puppy made our marriage harder. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say disagree.
Abby
I don't think the puppy has affected our marriage at this point.
Matt
Absolutely not. I think it's made it better. I feel like. I mean.
Abby
Yeah, it hasn't made it better or worse.
Matt
I actually think today I was like, I love that we have a dog.
Abby
Yeah, she's a blast.
Matt
I literally had that thought so many times today. Just. I love it.
Abby
It wasn't this earth shattering thing that I thought it would be.
Matt
No. It's so easy after.
Abby
It was really casual.
Matt
You have an easy puppy. But like, after having kids.
Abby
Well, it's also an easy circumstances. Like, we're home all the time.
Matt
We work from home.
Abby
Yeah. So it's really chill.
Matt
She's great. I love.
Abby
We love that girl.
Matt
Money doesn't buy happiness. I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say agree.
Abby
I'm gonna say. I was gonna say strongly agree, but I'm just gonna say agree.
Matt
Yeah. Because I think I'm not.
Abby
That comes from a place of privilege.
Matt
Yeah, that comes from a place of privilege for sure. But yeah, I think the reason I didn't say strongly, strongly agree is because, like, money, definitely, like, if, if, if you have money to pay for food, your shelter, you Know your. Your medical expenses, because, gosh, like, we both know how crazy medical expenses can be in America after getting some crazy medical bills. It's. It's. Makes me. It actually makes me mad because, like, we are. We're privileged. We've made decent money from our social media.
Abby
Oh, yeah.
Matt
More than decent money.
Abby
Yes.
Matt
And. And still these bills shock us sometimes. We're like, how the hell is this whatever, you know, insert dollar amount. So it makes me sad that there's people that get, like, trapped in, like, medical debt.
Abby
Oh, my gosh. Absolutely.
Matt
In our country, where we're the richest.
Abby
Country in the world, I know someone that was faced with a situation where they were. Their kids, it was a matter of life and death for their children, and they couldn't afford the cost of care. And I'm like, at that point, money would certainly have bought her happiness, and a strong amount of money would definitely have bought her happiness. But it's not the money at that point.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
It's the things that your money can do for you.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And so it's like, I hate reducing it to the money because it's like just having that amount of money and not what it would do for her. Wouldn't do anything.
Matt
You know what Jeff from Beast Game said is, like, the cure to these rare diseases is having a celebrity that. With a kid that has the disease. Because then you have all this. All this money and attention, really more so than money is the attention so that you can, like, bring attention to scientists and to wealthy people to help find a cure.
Abby
And so, yeah, so I just don't think it's like, oh, no, it's not money to buy all these nice cars and these nice houses. It's just like, it can be so much more serious than that.
Matt
I think when it comes down to health, money buys happiness. When it comes to health, for sure.
Abby
And safety, too. Yeah, safety for your family, like that. That would definitely make you feel happy.
Matt
Yeah. I think maybe the answer is, like, when it comes to. Aside from having your basic needs, money does not buy happiness 1000%. Okay. We don't give each other enough emotional support. We're. We're going. We're going for the crazy questions today. Three, two, one.
Abby
I was gonna say strongly disagree.
Matt
I'm saying disagree. Feel like Abby and I, this is vulnerable. We had a really, really good conversation yesterday where I just felt, like, so seen emotionally, and it just. I feel like our marriage is stronger than ever. And so. Yeah. What about you?
Abby
Yeah, I, like, I feel like we talk about our Feelings a lot to each other. So I'm like. I feel like that's. It's like, gosh, every day. So I feel like we talk about that a lot. We also have opportunities to be asked really deep questions because of going to therapy together and because of just the nature of you. Like, you're a curious guy. We have a lot of, like. Like, thought provoking conversations. I feel like there's, like, a lot of space for that in our. In our marriage. So, yeah, I would say we talk about feelings quite a bit more than the average couple, probably.
Matt
Next question.
Abby
We also just talk way more than the average couple.
Matt
We do. We really do. Next question is we don't make each other a priority anymore. Three, two, one. Disagree.
Abby
I'm gonna disagree too.
Matt
Disagree. Yeah. It's just we prioritize each other.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
Think you do that for me? I think I do that for you.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I think you're pretty cool.
Abby
Think you're awesome.
Matt
We're more like roommates than romantic partners lately. Wow. These questions.
Abby
These are so inappropriate to answer. I know.
Matt
These are like.
Abby
Wow, okay.
Matt
We're more like roommates than romantic partners lately, obviously. Disagree.
Abby
I'd say disagree or strongly disagree.
Matt
Okay, hold up. Strongly disagree.
Abby
If we were doing this with a roommate, I would have major problems.
Matt
Yeah, we have way. Our. Our. Our. Our relationship is way too intimate to just be roommates.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
Okay.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
I'm not sleeping in the closet anymore. I said I'm not sleeping in the closet anymore, even. Oh, sorry. That was a joke. That was a stupid joke. We actually had a really good relationship when I was in the closet, too. That sounded so weird. Well, yeah, for those of you that don't know, there's been times in our marriage where we've slept in different rooms for various reasons and we.
Abby
And I'm talking about, like, for, like, weeks at a time.
Matt
We're talking months. Yeah. Yeah, I think. I think that's. I think that's where, like, tabloids and Internet drama channels have, like, had a heyday with stuff like that.
Abby
Don't even let them.
Matt
Yeah, let them. We're gonna let them. Let them. Yeah. I feel great about our marriage things. Great. Abby starts more arguments.
Abby
Wow.
Matt
Abby starts more arguments. Okay. You got your answer locked in.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
Okay. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say agree. Why do you agree with that?
Abby
Because I do a lot more thinking than you do about our relationship.
Matt
That's so funny. I love you.
Abby
Love you.
Matt
I love you. I think you're. I think you're awesome.
Abby
Thanks, honey.
Matt
And I think you're really funny. I think you're so pretty.
Abby
Thanks.
Matt
Abby does more of the housework. 3. Housework, housework. 3, 2, 1. I say, agree, agree.
Abby
We're both start arguments, but I clean it up.
Matt
Yeah. I think it's just like we've kind of always fallen into, I mean, we said, we've said before traditional roles, but we don't really.
Abby
Can we also say something too?
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
We have the amazing privilege of having cleaners. It's not like I'm scrubbing.
Matt
That's true. We have our cleaners come every other week and they do an amazing job.
Abby
Not like I'm breaking my back over here. Like, we have a lot of support and that's.
Matt
And on the night, honestly, like the.
Abby
Most valuable thing, I like, I love and value their. What they do for us so much.
Matt
And when in the days that you don't feel like, like cleaning and cooking, I don't. I either clean or cook or we do takeout, you know, like, it's that, that it's that simple.
Abby
Serious.
Matt
It's not that serious. There's actually been a lot of times where I've begged Abby to not cook because she's like, tired and I'm like, babe, let's just order food. I like it. And she's like, I want to cook because I like a home cooked meal.
Abby
I love a home cooked meal and.
Matt
I want to do it. Can you go take the kids to the park? And I'm like, okay.
Abby
I want to listen to my podcast and make soup. Dear.
Matt
Yeah. Dear God, Dear God. Thank you to Storyworth for sponsoring this portion of today's episode. Growing up, my dad would tell me stories about his childhood and how him and his brother at one point used to raise goats and have to wake up at like 5 o' clock in the morning before school to milk the goats. Because I guess that's what his dad decided they needed to do as a family to just help pay the bills when they lived in Illinois. I don't know. Crazy, but it's details like this that I want to share with my kids and help my father also pass on to his grandchildren. And that's why I recommend Storyworth memoirs for your loved ones this holiday season. It might sound a little intimidating, but it's so easy and to love it.
Abby
How it works is that each week Storyworth emails a loved one a memory provoking question that you get to choose questions like what were your favorite toys as a child? Or what are you most proud of? All your loved one needs to do then is to respond to that email with a story. They can either write a story or record it over the phone for Storyworth to transcribe.
Matt
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Abby
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Matt
Give your loved ones a unique keepsake you'll all cherish for years. Storyworth memoirs right now save $10 or more during their holiday sale when you go to storyworth.comunplanned. that's storyworth.comunplanned to save $10 or more on your order. Okay, next is. We haven't fully recovered from our last big fight. We have. Wow, these are so crazy. These questions do not. This is like a therapy session. You guys are like, in on therapy today. This is so inappropriate.
Abby
I'm gonna say strongly.
Matt
I feel like I'm gonna say strongly disagree too. Holy crap. Did you guys hear that? That our kids are getting out of bed right now and our. Our grandma's with them upstairs while they're waking up from their naps. And I think they're just like jumping from the top bunk onto the floor, which is right above our. Which is above the studio. So hilarious. Okay. Yeah, Strongly disagree. I feel like our marriage is in a great spot, which is. Honestly, I feel like we wouldn't have filmed this video if our marriage wasn't a good spot. Like, this would not be healthy to make.
Abby
Yeah, that would be a bad idea.
Matt
That'd be a horrible idea to make a video for the Internet with our marriage being in a not good place. Okay, well, now we're entering level three. Should we just rapid fire these?
Abby
Yeah. Explanation.
Matt
No. Okay.
Abby
I don't think I'll be able to do that.
Matt
Rapid fire, people. We. These are high stakes. These are high. These are high stakes level three. We wouldn't be together today if we met for the first time now.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
If we, like, just met for the first time now.
Abby
I'm gonna. I got my answer.
Matt
Okay. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say where's the disagree? I can't find. I have a disagree, but there's another one right here. Okay. Disagree. I say Disagree. I just think you're someone that I'm fundamentally attracted to physically and emotionally. Yeah, that's. It's really that simple.
Abby
Disagree.
Matt
Disagree. Soulmates are not real. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say strongly.
Abby
I'm gonna say strongly. Agree.
Matt
Strongly agree. I think, Abby, as much as I would love to believe that I'm the only person for her on this planet, I'm sure there's millions of other dudes that she could be married to. Do. I honestly just think that there. And there's probably better people. Better fits for her than me. Like, there probably are. There's more attractive guys, people that have more emotional understanding of their emotions and your emotions and probably grew up with, like, a bunch of sisters, and they just, like, understand women at, like, such a deep level. Probably way better fit. But. What. For whatever reason, we ended up together, and I feel so lucky that I get to be married to you. And I think we are constantly teaching each other new things and we're growing together, and I feel very lucky. So.
Abby
Yeah. I think love is more romantic. I think love is more romantic if it's not something that you were just. You fall into.
Matt
Wait, this is actually funny because the next question is there is someone more compatible for you out there?
Abby
Oh.
Matt
And I'm thinking I. I read that. As for you, like, more compatible for you. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna answer that. I'm gonna answer that one agree. Because I just think.
Abby
I agree.
Matt
I think pure. If you look at pure data, pure statistical odds. If you're beat. If you're going to like, math and stuff. Yeah. There's a hundred. Yeah.
Abby
There's relatively no purpose in even thinking about.
Matt
Exactly. Exactly. I mean, maybe if our marriage was like, there's some really effed up stuff going on.
Abby
Can I also say I have an argument for disagree for that as well? Because I think we see this happen a lot.
Matt
True.
Abby
Where people leave their marriage.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
And because they think they're more compatible with someone else. But maybe that's not. Maybe they are more compatible. But guess what? It still doesn't end up working.
Matt
You've trained me to be the husband you want. I've trained you to be the wife. Wife. I want you to.
Abby
Because obviously way more important is that you choose to be married. I think we choose to work on your marriage.
Matt
Like, I think we were talking about intimacy the other day, and it was like, we both know what we love in the bedroom. So it's like, man, gosh, if we got remarried, I want to train Someone. Yeah. Training someone else. That's like a whole entire under. That's a 10 year process. We've been. I mean, that's 10 years. We've been together for a decade. We've been together for a decade. We've been having sex for seven of those.
Abby
Wow. Let's just give them the stats.
Matt
Right. Like, we. We waited till marriage, but yeah, I mean, it's like, gosh, we, like, really understand what each other likes, which is cool.
Abby
This got in a whole different direction.
Matt
Our marriage hasn't fully healed and we both know it. I'm guessing this is about miscarriage. Our marriage hasn't fully healed and we both know it.
Abby
Oh, I'm gonna disagree on that one.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
I don't think our marriage. I think our marriage changed. I don't think our marriage took a hit.
Matt
Yeah, it didn't. I'm gonna say. I'll say. I'll say disagree as well. I think. I think, like, grieving is still something that we're both going through and learning about. But, yeah, I think that we're. I think we've healed so much.
Abby
Well, I'm not healed from a miscarriage.
Matt
Oh. Yeah.
Abby
But I'm saying, like, I think our marriage isn't what took a hit. I think me as a person, like, I grieved and I think that I've definitely healed a lot.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
But definitely not done healing.
Matt
I have thought about what life would look like without my spouse, like, assuming. I guess, like, this is kind of like back to the divorce one. Or maybe. Or maybe like with the death, like, if one of us died, I'm gonna say agree. Yeah, I'm gonna say agree. I've thought about that.
Abby
Scary. That's why I get so. That's why I always say my worst fear is, like, losing you. Because, like, and I don't. And I. I'm hesitant to even say that because I feel like that is so insensitive to people that have had to deal with the reality of losing a spouse young. Like, I don't. I don't mean it's something that would end my life or, like, there's no future for me, but, like. Like, I just don't. I don't surely would never choose to have to deal with that reality.
Matt
This is such a dark thought. But why the other day was I, like, I almost want to experience, like. Like be in the room with someone that, like, that passes. Like, like, maybe it's like set like an old person in a nursing home and, like, we form a relationship and then I.
Abby
That would probably change you.
Matt
That's what I'm saying. Like, I think it would give me perspective on life and perspective on, like, how temporary it is. And, like, I just had this realization.
Abby
Hospice nurses.
Matt
Because I think. Well, I think for me, I think a fear that I have is death.
Abby
Yeah.
Matt
Like, I think. And I think a lot of people fear death. And to experience that, I think would give you some peace, knowing, like, you can be surrounded by your loved ones and your family, or like, you. You experience, you see someone die and you know, like, hey, it's not this horrible, scary thing, you know, and it actually can be a quite peaceful thing. I don't know. But, yeah, I've definitely thought about, like, are we. Are we good if I. If I leave you with, like, alone? Like, if I die in a car crash or something? Like, are you okay? So I thought about both situations. Very scary stuff. But I've thought about it, and I don't like to think about stuff like that. Yeah, I know we're not on the same page about having another baby. Three, two, one.
Abby
I'm saying strongly disagree. We both are saying strongly disagree.
Matt
Strongly disagree. We're on the. We've. We've never been on more of the same page. Yeah, having another baby scares me. Three, two, one. I'm gonna say agree.
Abby
I'm saying strong, scary.
Matt
It's scary. I mean, like, thinking about after miscarriage, having another kid, you just, like, all. The only thought that goes through my head is like, I hope that doesn't happen again. I hope that doesn't happen again. I hope that, like, it's just really scary.
Abby
On the flip side, I will say, like, there's also hope in that thought. There's actually a lot of hope for me in that thought. Like, the thought of having, like. I keep calling it, like, a redemptive pregnancy, but a pregnancy where we get to hold a healthy baby at the end. Like, that. That picture in my head gives me a lot of hope, but, gosh, so much fear.
Matt
Next one we have is we expect too much from each other.
Abby
I don't know if we currently are, but I think that's something that we have slipped into in the past for sure.
Matt
Oh, yeah. I don't think we currently. I agree we're not currently expecting too much. I would agree that we have expected too much from each other in the past, for sure. Because I think we both see everything that we do, and it's like, yo, I'm doing all of this. How are you just doing that? Yeah, because we're not aware of what the other one's doing.
Abby
Doing. We are aware, but I think we also just supposed to have different capacities.
Matt
Yeah. And it's. It's, like, common, I think, in marriage for people to. Yeah. They see everything that they're doing, and then they are like, how's my spouse not doing this? Or they're not prioritizing the things that I want to prioritize. And I think it comes down to needing to have more communication about those things and also being flexible.
Abby
Adjusting your expectations.
Matt
Yeah. Next we have flirting is cheating.
Abby
I'm gonna say disagree.
Matt
Getting back into the juice. Yeah, I'm gonna say. I'm gonna say disagree.
Abby
I disagree. Because here's the thing. Cheating is cheating.
Matt
I'm gonna say. Sorry. I'm gonna say strong or is there a strongly disagree? I'm gonna say strongly disagree.
Abby
Okay. But here's the thing. It doesn't make it okay.
Matt
Doesn't make it okay. I think flirting is flirting.
Abby
I think flirting is not okay.
Matt
It bugs me. This is actually a big thing that I've realized. It bugs me when I hear that someone has cheated on their spouse, and then you find out that they, like, had an emotional affair where they were, like, had an emotional. They were talking with someone. That's not cheating, in my opinion. And luckily, we've never both. We've both never had that ever happen even close in our marriage. But, like, in my book, cheating is effing another person. In my book.
Abby
But also, having an emotional affair is not okay.
Matt
Exactly. So. Exactly. But I think you need to call it an emotional affair.
Abby
Call it what it is, but it's still not okay.
Matt
Exactly. So it's like, call it. It flirting with someone that's not your spouse. Not okay. Call it emotional.
Abby
I like that you said that you can flirt with your spouse because I think that is something that people forget to do with their.
Matt
Oh, yeah, we flirt. I like to flirt with you.
Abby
You do flirt with me.
Matt
I think you're hot.
Abby
I think I probably need to flirt with you more.
Matt
I like flirting with you, but, yeah, I just think let's call it cheating. Let's just like, let's. Can we just have a clear definition of cheating, please?
Abby
Well, I think other people have a clear definition in their mind, but for you, it's sexual. And I think for me too, I.
Matt
Think for most people, it's sexual.
Abby
Adultery.
Matt
Adultery.
Abby
But adultery is not cheating. Well, adultery is cheating, but it's all cheating. Adultery.
Matt
No, we've changed so much that we're not the same. People we married. Oh, my gosh.
Abby
Strongly agree.
Matt
Strongly agree. Strongly agree. We're both completely different. How could you not be After a decade? Gosh. A decade is this, babe, this summer in June. One decade together. How unreal.
Abby
Yeah. Wow.
Matt
One of us carries most of the mental load in the relationship. Gosh. I just don't feel that way. I know I'm kind of breaking the rule. If I'm not doing the countdown and.
Abby
And showing I'm disagree.
Matt
I'm gonna say disagree.
Abby
It's just. We just carry different mental loads.
Matt
Yeah. I think you're thinking about, like, you're thinking about things that are important.
Abby
Milk in the fridge.
Matt
Yeah. And I'm. And I'm.
Abby
You're talking about money in the bank account.
Matt
Exactly. That's actually the most. The best way to put it. Really?
Abby
Yeah. Like, money to buy the milk. I'm thinking about the milk.
Matt
Like, you. Sometimes I think you get caught up in, oh, my God, like, we don't have milk. We just. Like, our house is a mess, all this. And I'm like. I'm like, babe, we are good. Like, I looked at the bank account. We're good.
Abby
I think it's just weird we have different mental burdens.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
Gosh.
Matt
We only have a couple questions left.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
These are good ones. Spending your whole life with one person is overwhelming.
Abby
I'm actually gonna say strongly disagree. I think what's overwhelming is the thought of you not being here, because I just have written you into every corner of my life at this point, that it's like, whoa, I'd have to rewrite my entire life at this point if you weren't there.
Matt
I think it'd be harder to, like, bounce around all the time, go different places.
Abby
Like, to have to fill someone in on all of our history.
Matt
Yeah.
Abby
To have to tell someone, oh, this is what my aunt's name is. This is what happened to my dog that I had in eighth grade. Like, it's just, I would not want to go, and you can't rebuild that.
Matt
How do I mean, like, think about how. How the heck would I teach other people what I like in the bedroom? You know, after all, why is that.
Abby
What keeps getting brought up? It was like, the show. Nobody wants this.
Matt
We do like to have to. We actually do like to talk about sex, if you guys don't know that. We have talked about it a lot on the podcast. I've seen some comments. They're like, why don't you talk about sex all the time? It's like, because we like to Talk about it. Let's.
Abby
Let us.
Matt
Let us.
Abby
Let us.
Matt
Let us. Let us talk about what we want to talk about. It's our podcast.
Abby
No, that was actually on Nobody Wants this. She was engaged to this guy, and they were, like, at dinner with friends, and it came up that he had a twin brother. And she goes, you have a twin brother? And he goes, yeah. She's like, why did I not know that? And he goes, you never asked. She's like, that's not something I should have to ask.
Matt
Yeah, that is weird.
Abby
Comes up.
Matt
Dude, that would be weird. Like, if you had a twin, that would be weird. That just would be. That just. Wouldn't that not be weird? Like, I don't know how people like people that.
Abby
Are you telling me you would be attracted to an exact copy of me?
Matt
A hundred percent. Wow. One hundred percent. It's. That was fun. With the Brooklyn and Bailey episode, we got them to admit that they've both been like, it's weird. It can be weird. Then I like that they acknowledged it was weird, you know, because Brooklyn and Bailey look the exact same. How could their husbands not find the.
Abby
Other one kind of different?
Matt
Okay. Very subtly.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
But, like, They've even filmed YouTube videos where the husbands got confused.
Abby
That's playing with fire.
Matt
They. Yeah, they confused their husband. I thought that was. That was hilarious.
Abby
That is a good one.
Matt
Ballsy to do that. Okay. And finally, last but not least, I wish I had kissed someone else before marriage.
Abby
So for those of you that don't know, we actually really only kissed each other before marriage. But let's give a caveat. You did in Truth or Dare.
Matt
In seventh grade.
Abby
In seventh grade. And we also both did for theater.
Matt
But the guy you kissed was gay, so it doesn't count. The girl you kissed was also gay, So I guess.
Abby
Do we know that? Do we know that? I'm pretty sure we're not gonna speak for them, but yeah. And I don't know if that makes it not count either.
Matt
Yeah, you know, it counted.
Abby
It counted.
Matt
So we kiss other people.
Abby
Okay. Let's just say agree. Come on. Who can say that? The curiosity grass.
Matt
Agree. I wish I'd kissed someone else before I kissed you. Why not?
Abby
I think we have something really special. Because we haven't. So maybe I will say disagree.
Matt
Wait, why would you say wait? You went from agree to disagree.
Abby
Because it's really special that we haven't.
Matt
Yeah. Yeah. But we also have, like, it. It's like, how are you? What's the. Claire.
Abby
I guess I don't hold that much weight to my lips. Touching another person's lips. So maybe agree, because it sounds kind of. Yeah, it sounds like it would have been kind of fun on New Year's Eve to just kiss a random dude that I never saw again.
Matt
Totally. Yeah. That's what I'm saying.
Abby
Like, that was a prank I pulled on you in high school.
Matt
You did pull that prank. And I. I made me sad, but I. But I also thought you actually did it.
Abby
See, it made you sad.
Matt
Yeah. Remember, your friends were, like, laughing like, you really got me. I really believe that you'd kiss another dude.
Abby
Oh, that's actually kind of mean.
Matt
It's okay. It's all good.
Abby
I didn't want to make you sad.
Matt
It's okay.
Abby
Okay.
Matt
No, but I think I'm talking about before we date.
Abby
It. I think I agree.
Matt
I just think that, like, I was too afraid to ask girls out. I think I had this moment, though. The reason I asked you out is it was like, my 18th birthday, and I was like, I'm becoming a man in. I need to grow a pair and ask this girl out on a date, you know? So, like, sparks something in me.
Abby
That's cute.
Matt
But, like, I wish I would have been a little bit more bolder when I was younger. To not be afraid.
Abby
That wasn't my issue.
Matt
To not be afraid. And. And I'm. And I. And I say that knowing that I'm like, I'm glad that I married you. And I. And I.
Abby
Right.
Matt
Hope that.
Abby
Right. We can understand that.
Matt
If I would have broken up with.
Abby
That safe space for you, man.
Matt
It's a safe space. But, you know, I think it's just like. Yeah.
Abby
I would say the. I think.
Matt
I think it's funny if you kissed another guy.
Abby
I had really strong boundaries when I dated with guys, and I think I was kind of unique in that. I was always like, don't do this, don't do this, don't do this. And I'm glad that I had that confidence to do that as a teenager. I think that that was kind of unique, but also, heck, it would have been kind of funny.
Matt
Yeah, I think I would have loved to hear the story. Yeah. If you would have actually. No, actually, it have been funny if you would have actually kissed a dude on New Year's when we were dating.
Abby
No, that would have been rude because we were dating.
Matt
That would have been a funny story to tell, though.
Abby
That would have been disrespectful.
Matt
Guys, thank you so much for tuning in for another episode of Unplanned. If you haven't already, hit the like button or subscribe, we'd really appreciate you to join this community. I think most of you that watch the episodes actually aren't even subscribed, so definitely hit subscribe and we'll see you in the next episode.
Abby
This is so inappropriate. I'll be honest.
Matt
We really sent it today.
Abby
We really sent it.
Matt
We really did the thing.
Abby
We. We are on the same page.
Matt
Yeah, we are. I feel better about our marriage than I've ever felt about it ever.
Abby
Love you.
Matt
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Abby
Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching, watching us.
Matt
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Abby
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The Unplanned Podcast with Matt & Abby Episode: Married Couple plays Agree to Disagree unhinged Date: December 17, 2025
In this emotionally revealing and candid episode, Matt and Abby play their fan-favorite "Agree or Disagree" game—a relationship deep-dive that prompts them to individually react to a series of escalating, often unfiltered, statements about marriage, parenting, loss, and personal growth. Opening in their newly-upgraded (and kid-decorated) home studio, the duo talks through over 60 statements across three levels of intimacy, offering listeners an unguarded look into their evolving relationship, their perspectives on modern marriage, healing after miscarriage, boundaries, parenting choices, and more. The episode is peppered with both laughter and vulnerability, showcasing why fans appreciate their realness and willingness to address uncomfortable questions.
Miscarriage and Marital Transformation
Losing Parts of Themselves to Parenting
On Marrying Young
Shared Life Goals
Screen Time as Survival
Dog in the Bed?
Love vs. Financial Stability
Household Roles
Passwords and Transparency
Opposite-Sex Friendships and Exes
Could the Relationship Survive Cheating?
Considering Cheating/Divorce
Flirting As Cheating
Both strongly agree they're not the same people they married.
On Soulmates & Compatibility:
Matt and Abby are casual, unguarded, and conversational, frequently oscillating between humor and gravity. They’re unafraid to challenge one another’s views but always return to mutual affection and respect, expressing their vulnerabilities without lapsing into melodrama.
This episode exemplifies the core of Matt and Abby’s draw: No topic is too sacred, too petty, or too “unhinged.” Their openness offers reassurance to anyone who’s ever questioned their own relationship’s ups and downs, and their mutual commitment, along with the willingness to evolve, underscores a deep foundation of trust and love.
Final Note:
If you’re navigating marriage, considering parenthood, or coping with loss, this episode offers a roadmap of hard conversations—brave, loving, imperfect, and above all, real.