WHEN LIFE GETS BUSY, START A GARDEN

Welcome to the Carpool Podcast with Cal.

And sometimes I think being like a working mom or really just a mom is kind of like giving yourself permission to just like be whoever you need to be. Some days I need to be a little bit more selfish and some days I need to give it all to my kids.

Liz.

What are these systems? Like people just throw out the word system out there.

It's fuzzy.

Like it's supposed to change my life, and they never give me any context.

Your mom tied.

Now. Welcome back to the Carpal Podcast with Kelly.

And Liz.

Happy Friday, everybody.

We made it to the end of the week.

We made it to the harder part of the week.

We made it, I know, used to be like a relaxing thing and now it's just like So much worse somehow.

I'm telling you. I am running, I am firing on all cylinders, like not in a fun way. Like I am I'm regular two. So busy. Kelly.

I'm so nervous for you because I know you have a very high capacity for things.

Yeah.

But then you reach a point. Of explosion. And I've been on the receiving end of that explosion and it's really sucked.

Because

you're in the right for sure because you're really overwhelmed, but like you you don't let it out until it's everything's coming out. And then you're like everything. And then you're like and also I'm stressed out because of this. You're ugly. And also and also you're ugly. And also you got the better sperries when we were in high school and I f all upset about that. So I'm just like really nervous. I'm like on tiptoes.

So okay, so you can feel it.

Yeah, so I'm nerve I'm like very nervous. Okay. Well, it's like kind of like the Cold War.

Yeah, like no one's doing anything, but we're saying a lot of things.

Exactly.

So yeah, watch out.

No, I am. I am.

Yeah, no, I'm fine. It's just like it's like website, auto show. like spring and spring summer. I have a lot of travel. Like I'm kind of I'm to the point like one of my travel trips this month include me driving to one place for an event and then flying out of that place. Yeah.

Cal, I can't believe it. It's it's crazy.

I know what I'm really looking the only thing I'm looking forward to is I'm I'm I'm really looking forward to like refining of just I want to be an in-and-out travel girl, a carry-on travel girl. Like I'm really gonna start refining it. My only question for the class is.

Mm, no, I think you I don't think it's hard. I know Maddie has access to a lounge because he has a certain credit card.

Oh so it's a credit card then.

Like American Express or something like that. So it's like it can be a credit card thing. And that definitely feels like you open up like a credit card like you might have to stretch Tyler Tyler a little bit and l allow him to like use another bank. But if you like open up a business card for the car mom, then she can go and sit in a lounge. from my understanding.

So, but and then are the lounges airport? But they're but they're like airline related. Like people always talk about like the Delta Lounge.

Yeah, so then that could also be like if you travel Delta a lot, um, or maybe if you have a Delta card.

And see I don't travel anything a lot. I travel the best flights. Can't imagine like choosing like Delta over American if it's like, Well, I wanna get there when I wanna get there.

Yeah, so like I know Maddie has the American Express one and so he always has to like look up you know, what terminal we're gonna be in and if there's express lounge. And sometimes there is and sometimes we have to walk to another terminal and sometimes we just can't access it.

Okay. I just am always seeing like all the Instagram girlies like in the lounge and I'm just.

Like go up and say, Can I buy a day pass? Oh.

Oh okay, I'll just do that. I didn't know that was a thing.

I think. I think that's a thing as well.

Anyway, I'm just like try to cat you know, catch me in an airport lounge in twenty twenty six. Okay. I'm also gonna get pre check'cause that's like another fun fact.

Why if you don't have pre check? That's so ridiculous.

Because I refuse'cause I don't like the dribble. I've fought it my whole life. I'm like, why would I need pre-check? I hate being here. Um, but now I understand that I need pre-check.

Yeah, no for sure.

So I'm gonna get on that. Um, but anyway, so yeah, a little stress, kind of firing on all cylinders, but excited to just kind of like sit down with you uh and just like hash some things out on a mic, catch up. Oh sure. And what I wanted to catch up on was while I have so many things going on.

Yeah.

So I went to Lowe's this morning with both of my little kids. And I got incredibly overwhelmed and probably made poor tourses, but I did walk out with two hundred dollars worth of plant.

Yeah. No, I think that's good. I I do find sometimes when I am my most stressed out and run down, I'm like, I think it's time to pick up sourdough again. Like there's just something about I think your body needs like an a knot, not that it's not Like a non-stressful, low commitment hobby. Like you need something new in your life that's not work and not taking care of.

kids. No, I need something new and I feel like right now where there since there's just so much work stuff going on.

I'm not always like looking to like bring that up in conversations with like friends and acquaintances because it's just like they would need so much context. When someone's like, How are you? I'm like, how much time do you have? Like realistically. I'm yeah. Can I tell you about, you know, the interesting things I have going on? Or can I just be like, you know, I started a garden. Yeah. No, I did cherry tomatoes. They're doing really well.

That's all people.

want to hear. They don't actually want to hear about what's going on in your

I respect.

Fuck that!

Yeah. So I'm looking forward to having a more like easy palatable grocery store convo.

Yeah.

Um, that's not, you know, talking about the different DMSs I'm considering for my website, like gag.

I don't want to talk about that. Yeah, I would love to like not even s hear the word DMA.

Yeah.

Um no, I love it. And then it's like you're gonna reap you're gonna re you're learning something new. Like it's just fun. It's fun it's fun to do new things.

Yeah, so I'm sure you're like chomping at the bit to find out what I'm gonna plant. Uhhuh. So I ended up doing two big cherry tomato plants. I'm not doing an heirloom or a beefsteak. I'm just doing cherry tomatoes in my garden for the main reason like I like that the kids they'll get riper sooner and the kids can pick them. That just sounds more fun. It sounds like it more of an activity.

Nice.

I am not optimistic those are gonna turn out well, but I'd love to be proven wrong. And then I Lowe's was out of zucchini plants, which was not fun. So I'm gonna have to make a second trip somewhere because I definitely want to do zucchini. And then I'm gonna have like little herb sections. So I just did cilantro, sage, and basil. Now, do those go together? Not sure. I'm just I don't even have the headspace to Google it, so I'm just gonna kinda trial and error it myself.

I would tell Chat G P T everything you have and tell and they will tell you where where to put everything.

That's a good idea. I might keep the basil in a pot in my kitchen. Yeah. Um

I love doing because like nothing kills me more than like buying a thing of cilantro and they ne they always give you way more than you could possibly ever need. Yeah. And then it goes bad. So that's exciting.

I've been getting better about using herbs. I'm like kind of loving herbs. Like right now, I have chives, dill, and cilantro. And I chopped them all up and put them in a chicken salad for breakfast this morning. It was kind of insane.

The power of an herb

That's what I'm saying. Like we're not giving them enough credit. Yeah. They're the most they're so flavorful and There's no substitute for a fresh herb. I'm sorry, get your I mean I do I use the dried? Of course. Now dried thyme and dried rosemary, I stand by those being fine.

Yeah, I agree.

Dried parsley, get out of here.

It's not doing anything.

I almost picked up a head of lettuce to throw in the garden, but I just got a little nervous. I'm nervous. I've never had a garden.

Yeah. It's I think you're you're testing it out. I think it's gonna be great.

Yeah, if I can just like harvest So yes, I'm looking forward to, you know, in i and I would just rather learn from word of mouth. I'm gonna try to do it the old, old fashioned way. I'm actually not gonna chat G BT it. I'm just gonna bring up my garden to as many people in person as possible and see what I can learn from the people. Okay. Sure. I'm getting back to the roots. I'm not gonna chat GPT everything.

Okay, that's fine.

So anyway, that's What I have going on. What do you have going on?

Well you know, I'm Um, it's been okay. Um it's been bummer. I know. I'm sorry. It's been fine. I'm trying to catch up. Like mom is down for like two days and like everything is falls off the rails. I see all online people are like, now I was like you, my life was chaotic when I and then I developed a system and now m uh my house is never messy and I'm like What are these systems? Like people just throw out the word system out there.

It's Buzzy.

Like it's supposed to change my life and they never give me any context. Um I so I'm trying I'm trying my own I'm trying to system. It's actually it's actually kind of taken from Caroline Detman on Instagram. She kind of like does this. Okay, things I'm doing every single week is like folding like doing laundry, every single day I'm cleaning the kitchen, you know, wiping the floors down. Like I'm

It down to one thing. And it doesn't sound like it's not going to solve all your problems, but it what it's going to do is solve seven of your problems.

Exactly. It's gonna solve seven of my problems and like

And that's a good start.

I am starting it today. I'm starting it with my stair basket. And I wonder next week, my stairbasket, how full is it gonna be? Be not very full, so it's gonna be even easier next week. Like, is it just gonna be the hardest that it is this week because I'm just like starting, you know? Um, so that's my system that I'm in a Very simple. And I'm just trying to like tackle a few little areas that I notice seem to cause a little bit extra like ping of stress in my in my life.

I really think that's going to help you. I think it's going to just like What is the word? Oh, it's like it's like a daily anchor.

Ja.

This like new protocol that I'm doing, like you have a lot of daily anchors and like they're not they're a little bit more intense. But at the end of the day, like no matter what happens, like you get your daily anchors done every single day. So this is when you redeal anchors.

I feel like my daily anchors are like the yeah, sure. My my daily anchors I feel like are, you know, everything else you have to do, like clean the kitchen three times.

Yeah, but I'm sorry, those just feel like those are just surviving. I mean every ever life. That's just life. Everyone's cleaning the kitchen. Everyone's cleaning the kitchen three times a day. Yeah.

Yeah, okay. Yeah, so those are my things.

Who's your daily anchors? You know, here's why I struggle with Like a r a weekly system just for me. Is because I am telling you, I am a different animal every day. Like some days I I'm like, hey, we're getting McDonald's for dinner for the kids. And then last night I made homemade chicken chop pot pie from scratch. And then I also made homemade cookies for my kids.

Yeah.

And then I gave everybody a bubble bath, put lotion on all of them, clipped all their fingernails, brushed all their hair, gave them all jammies. Like, and then some days I'm like,

No.

But that's we are figuring it out. Wow, that's beautiful. Clip that.

I don't think that was very good.

We don't have it all figured out but we're figuring it out you're right.

I don't think that's very

I just said the word twice. You're right.

Today's episode is brought to you by Skylight. Speaking of systems in my home, one system that has really changed the game for me has been incorporating the Skylight calendar into my life. I like it because I can add Maddie's calendar, my calendar, my work calendar, our nanny's schedule, and I can also do my meal planning so I can show my family. for dinner this week and I can also leave list for my nanny on

Slash.

Mm-hmm.

An herb. A mint. An herb. Throw an herb in there. Take your freaking like leftover like lemon.

It's like

Over strawberry.

It's like ugly simmer pots. It's ugly spot. It's ugly spots.

It's ugly spot.

And also it doesn't have to be ugly. Like you can also just like do something for yourself.

Yeah.

Also you you don't have to. So um Spa water, keep it in your fridge and it's just like makes you feel so h so healthy for some reason too. I don't know. Mom always has spa water at the holidays. Um, that's just what we call it. So it's like, you know, at Christmas you'll have like a lame cranberry, yeah cucumber.

Yeah, no, I love a spa water. That's I need I need to do that. It's also just like and I kind of like the idea of like putting it in just like your Stanley for the day.

Or just put it in your stand.

No, and then it's like it's just kind of like your little secret then. Then like you're just like running about your day, but then every time you take a drink of water, like it's w fruit infused spa water and no one knows but you. So you're just kind of like going around life like with spa water that people don't know about. It's kind of like iconic

That's a good point. I've actually been doing that with my lemons. Like when I cut a lemon and I squeeze it, I just throw the whole lemon in my Stanley.

Yeah, you don't need a fresh lemon for a sta yeah, I'm it's an ugly Stanley pot.

Yeah, you can't see in there. You can't see like how would you kn how would they know? So that's my that's my base model log.

That's a really good one.

Thank you.

Um well I think we wanted to do last three transactions today. Ever. I am happy to report. I have I have been transacting with some Pretty iconic like kids activities because as you guys know, I like I'm still really hitting my reps hard with my kids, which is before they are allowed to watch any TV, they have to read, do something educational, play, and do an act of service for me, which is either babysitting or cleaning up.

Never gonna enjoy it, Kelly.

I but no, but they I I think I they actually will enjoy it. Or I think they will at least understand it. But that's why I'm like, hey, you don't have to do it. Like you we we have our daily chores you have to do like you have to feed the animals, you have to bring your dishes over, you have to clean up your locker before bed. Like we have our daily chores. If you don't want to do it extra things, like then you just don't get to watch TV.

No.

Oh my gosh, and guess what we're doing tonight? It's Hattie's half birthday.

Oh, so you're going to dinner?

So we're going out to dinner, a new tradition that we started. We take just the birthday just the half birthday kid out to dinner. For their half birthday.

Yeah, so f

I am we were gonna let her invite George, but we decided no. Because like the point is I want Hattie, I want to get to know how.

I alone.

On an alone on an independent level. I think she is So jazzed about it. It's so hard to start something though, because like George's half birthday isn't until like so long. So like Fred's is next month and George is gonna it's gonna break George.

He's coming up.

Yeah, his birthday. I sa I said we we'll all do something special with you for your birthday. Yeah. But happ birthday dinners, Mom and Dad are are just a happy birthday dinner thing. So yeah, I'm pretty excited.

Yeah. I'm so excited for you. I love that idea. Um, okay, well anyway, back to our last three transactions. I'll go first because I ordered something this morning. That I'm really excited about. Um new activity for James, because I'm always trying to like have activities to do at home. Um he's really into um dinosaurs that eat fish. So like

So you're doing blue kinetic sand for the water.

water and then I ordered some like little plastic fish and then he's gonna take his spinosaurs and the spinosaurs are going to eat the fish in the ocean.

George went through a phase like that when he liked the ones that ate the fish.

That's so funny.

Yeah, it is funny. That's cute. I love kinetics and I actually need to probably make a new kinetic sandbin. That's a good tangible takeaway for me for the coming week.

Sand is one of those things that's like, oh, they spill it on the floor. Like, no. And then you start cleaning it up and you're like, oh, this is like not hard to clean up at all.

No, it's not hard to clean up. And I mean I definitely think I like the idea of containing it to a contain container. Yeah. But I want to buy like four bags of kinetic sand, put them all in one big container. I you gotta do same. I agree you have to do same color though. I'm not doing mixing.

No, yeah, yeah.

Pisses me off. Gotta do same color. Um yeah, I should get on that.

And you know, we were really into the red ones because the dinosaurs were in the hot lava and now I'm like, Okay, well now the dinosaurs are gonna be in the ocean.

Mm.

Yeah.'Cause the weather's getting warmer, so it all just like makes sense and it's it's a totally new activity.

So something I kind of bought in bulk, if you will. Um Is I was at my sister in law's house this past weekend and she has a, I don't know, two year old? Two year old. The two-year-old, they they had like this binder or this like folder, and inside the folder they had white paper and just like a ton of stickers. And all this two-year-old was doing is taking the stickers.

Oh, it so can't see. Okay. Good call.

For seven dollars.

Yeah.

I got a thousand stickers. I got two p I got a thousand stickers for four ninety nine.

So I'm going to um make just like a sticker binder. And I think all the k and I even think Libby would like to do that supervised. I'm almost wondering if that's like better for that age group because she can if I handed her a sticker to her put on a piece of paper, like she could do that.

Mm-hmm.

And you know, then with the older kids'cause like when we've had we have like Pokemon stickers and sometimes I'll be like, Okay, draw, you know, a home or a scene and then you can put three Pokemon stickers on it. Like it's kinda fun to kind of combine them with the coloring. So They should all be arriving today and I'm really excited to like look at all of them. All my stickers.

I love that. These are like such good tangible takeaways. Um, okay, something else that I recently ordered. I like just need new maternity shorts. So I ordered some maternity biker shorts from Old Navy. And then obviously while I was on Old Navy's website, I had to look at all the kids stuff. And if you're a dinosaur mom, like and your kids like T Rex is lame, don't care. Like stupid. The only thing we care about are spinosaurs and baryonyxes right now. Like the niche ones.

Periodic.

It is I can tell you about a bear and it's it's it's like a cousin to a spinosaur which doesn't have a spine, but has a mouth of a crocodile or an alligator or whatever. Um

Ibary onics. Okay, I see it.

Okay, it's kinda cool dinosaur. Anyway, so Like you think there's a lot of dinosaur clothes out there, but like they don't have spinosaurs on them. And like now James doesn't want them unless it has a spinosaur on it. So I found a sick t shirt from Old Navy with a spine like imagine how jazzed I was to see like an actually kind of a cute like graphic tee with a spinosaur on it.

I love to see diversity in within the dyno space.

Well, and it's kind of like crazy. Like I really don't know why like anyone gives a rip about like a Stegosaurus like

They're no one's favorite.

I don't know what's favorite. And like, oh, they've got a cool silhouette. I'm sorry, a spinosaur is a cooler silhou silhouette. So just like justice for the spinosaur, the spinosaur is bigger than a T Rex. So it was like the biggest carnivorous um Dinosaur. But um anyway, I could go on and on about justice for spinosaurs.

Sounds like it.

Anyway, that reminds me that I also saw this like made me feel so bad. I saw this real And it was this girl and she posted like her son w in his like shirt. He had like this dinosaur shirt that's currently at Target that I just bought. And she go and the caption was like when grandma buys your kid ugly clothes and that's all they wanna wear.

don't yuck someone's yuck

Again, like do like the most offensive, ugly one if you want to. Like it was a very subtle dinosaur t shirt. Like it it's a basic in my in my household, really. Um so anyway, I found a sick dinosaur t shirt at old at Old Navy.

Huh. You're okay. Along with my just like activities that I'm trying to I don't know, I w I was in like a I was thinking I would maybe like make a real on like good road trip activities and I was just like kinda thinking about like what

Oh okay. I was gonna say I spy, but yeah, where's Waldo's good too?

They have like a whole series. And I was like, okay, like like where is Waldo? Yeah. So they're not in yet, but I'm pretty excited.

Your kids are just like it's so fun to see, um Just like your kids are so much more capable of doing things now that it's like, Oh, now you can buy like Where's Waldo book? Whereas like last summer it's like no one would

Trou.

Um, okay, what else am I buying? Let me go to my Amazon. Nothing fun.

Strong enough nothing fun. Like

Okay, I can give my last one.

Yeah, you go while I'm trying to figure it mine out.

My last one also related to kind of like stickers and where's Waldo is I bought a kid's word score.

Search book.

Okay I thought that could be a fun. I'm gonna count that as like their education for their reps this spring and summer. Again, I think that could be a good activity to do in the car. Just like the idea of like we go to the lake. Or we we or we're just at home and they're looking for something to do in the afternoon. I'm like, do a word search, do a puzzle.

Well, I like it. Word search. Um, I guess like the one the last like I got two boring things. Like we're getting um I'll do one boring thing. Um James like has figured out how to open doors, uh like this one specific sliding door, and then like you can never hear it and when it's open, it's in our playroom. So I had to order like more of those door chimes.

Yeah, you never know. Yeah.

Kind of like it's kind of like uh Keep my kid alive kind of situation. So I I sort of don't have a choice.

Yeah. Well those are our transactions then, Beebs.

We are.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Well, let's move on to a little industry news where I spill the hot tea going on the auto industry.

Okay.

Because we kinda kinda have a fun story. And that says Nissan teases Xtera's mean mug and confirms late twenty twenty eight arrival. The next generation Nissan Xero will launch 2028, likely for a 2029 model year, and will be built in the United States. The X era will be a body on frame and will sport a rugged design to match its off-road capabilities. The platform will spawn a family of body on frame vehicles using V6 Inc.

Engines

Offered in gas and hybrid form. This could be the thing to put Nissan back on the map.

Yeah, okay, I'm looking it up.

It doesn't look amazing.

Like.

Cyber truck.

It does kind of look like a cyber truck. Yeah, I mean there's a lot I don't like about this picture, but I got you're just seeing the grill. I don't know, but I'm interested to see what the other like body on frames like family SUVs are.

Mm. I'm very excited for it. I loved the Xterra. Um

It says or sorry, go ahead.

I just say that I'm nervous or just gonna make it too weird. Like everyone I was driving today and I saw a white, probably twenty twenty four Palisade. Had like a silver grill. I'm like, that's a beautiful car.

I know.

Uh they're just making'em so uh

And I'm curious to everyone's like appetite on the Santa Fe. Like I've been waiting to like the Santa Fe more and I just still don't like the look of them on the road.

I really like the interior of the Santa Fe. Same. Interior is very luxury and looks really cool. The exterior is like fine to me, but again, I liked old Santa Fe. Like I didn't think it was dying for a refresh. And I like a boxy car and now that everyone's doing it, I'm like, Can I see a rounded car?

I know. I know.

Well that's exciting about the Xtera though. But What do I know?

Yeah, what do you know? And then it also says that the exterra will utilize the body on save platform which will form the basis for new family capable SUVs. Nissan says is exploring five new body-on-frame vehicles, one of which is the Xtera, and the automaker also mentioned pickups in multi-row SUVs across Nissan and Infinity's brands.

More love.

Yeah.

I love the word chassis.

Same.

That's such a good word.

Chassis.

And I Cash.

Chassis?

Tchau, tchau, tchau

That's funny. So yeah, we'll have to see kind of what that brings.

Your what? My press car. I know. Um no, what's your press car?

It is.

Sienna? Yeah. That's Sienna St. John.

Siena Saint John coming in, coming in. So excited, excited, excited.

Okay, yay. I love to play around in the Seattle.

Yeah, I'm gonna commit to the bit. I'm gonna put all four car seats in it, which I rarely do with my with my three road press cars, I just don't always get around to it. Because I'm sorry, like I'm just not gonna inconvenience my life in a Mazda CX ninety to put four car seats in for fun. But a Siena I'm gonna I'll be I'm sure it has the captain's shares, so like I'll be trialing the captain's chairs. Und ja.

That's really exciting.

I'm gonna come I'm gonna come into the bed dryer for a week, like I'm really ready to go. So

Well, welcome to the minivan life for the temporary week that you're driving it.

Yeah, you were so on the minivan train.

I just love it.

And now we can move to dish the drive-thru where I give you an easy dinner recipe to mix it up to get you out of y'all.

Dinner rut.

So many things I've been making. So the first is, let me put you onto this idea. So you know like a salmon like lox? Like smoked salmon, cream cheese capers, red onions, dill on a bagel. Okay, so anyway, I was like, I'm craving lox, but I'm not eating like the gluten right now, so I can't do a bagel. So I was like, I'm gonna make this into like a salad. So what I decided to do was I cut the salmon up like kind of small, like like kind of so it would look like canned tuna.

Ooh.

Yum. Yum. Super yum.

Love it. Okay. Well I'm making taco skillets tonight, which is a little bit uh Maybe more attainable to other people. People who don't like locks.

Yeah, not everyone likes locks.

Ja. But if I'm still it's a good way to like use up ground beef. Make the ground beef, add in some salsa, add in some rice, add in some broth, let it all cook up, top it with cheese, bada bang, bada boom. Delish.

Bada bing bada boom. And it's great leftovers. So like there's also that.

Green covers, yeah.

And then tonight for supper I am doing um I am doing Okay, so do you follow um yeah, home begins with love.

Yeah.

Keeps talking about this insane thing called a chicken loaf. Have you seen this content?

I've not seen the chicken loaf.

I guess it's just like a very juicy way to cook your chicken. But she basically like puts a bunch of chicken thighs in a loaf pan and like presses it down. Bakes it and then comes out and like slices it. But like the chicken is like very juicy. She said it's amazing. So I'm gonna try. I bought some chicken thighs to do a chicken loaf.

Okay. Well it will have to let us know where the chicken loaf goes.

Yeah, I love her. She's a really good follow. She's just a good follow. She does this funny series called like Ingredient House After Dark. And Elizabeth and I grew up in an ingredient house, like the most ingredient house you can imagine. And it's just funny, like because some people could like like we just there was there you're you were going to get a snack in the pantry. So she's like how she makes snacks like a snack for herself. In an ingredient house.

A tortillo with a butter and cinnamon sugar. It's like a dessert.

Totally.

Alright, well, you got a call. I'm about to have a coffee and fit, so we're gonna end this episode. Thank you so much for listening to the Carpool Podcast, and we'll talk to you next time.

See you guys. Bye.

Thank you for listening to the Carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz. Make sure you're subscribed so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed riding with us, There's room in the car.