Aimee and John dive deep into the unexpected resurgence of human connection in a world saturated with digital distractions. From the explosion of long-form podcasts to the craving for authenticity among younger generations, we explore how technology has paradoxically reignited our desire for real, meaningful conversations. We share personal anecdotes about embracing audiobooks, podcasts, and curated content as tools for learning and connection. Plus, we reflect on the intersection of generationa...
Nov 30, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast Aimee and John discuss the state of the American education system and debate possible reforms. They analyze problems like declining standards, the role of standardized testing, and how technology could be better utilized. They also consider historical influences on our model of public schooling and differing philosophical views. Parents and educators interested in improving outcomes for students will find this conversation thought-provoking as the hosts candidly discuss both challenges and poten...
Apr 05, 2024•2 hr 59 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast John and Aimee discuss how technology and social media have changed the way teenagers interact and socialize. As old millennials, they talk about their own childhood experiences in the pre-internet era and how kids today have constant access to their friends online. They express concern that this is fueling rising rates of depression among teens due to a lack of in-person connection. John and Aimee also talk about their son Michael making his high school baseball team and getting positive feedba...
Mar 10, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast This episode of the podcast discusses religion, education, and hypocrisy in American history through the lens of some founding fathers of the USA. Hosts John and Aimee debate the role of religious adherence and cultural norms over time. They also analyze Ben Franklin's remarkable scientific mind as a child and reflect on how technology may have limited similar minds today. They talk about the value of reading, critical thinking, and allowing ideas to develop slowly without distraction in an ...
Mar 03, 2024•1 hr 19 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast John and Aimee dive into a wide-ranging conversation touching on everything from rising fast food costs to their children's unusual interests and cooking experiments. They discuss ideas for a cat cafe business and debate the complex social dynamics of religion, gender roles, and teenage relationships. They begin the discussion around the value of written history and gaining multiple perspectives to truly understand figures like Benjamin Franklin & historical figures. This will definitely...
Feb 13, 2024•56 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode we discuss the challenges of enacting positive change in small, insular communities. We debate issues like low pay for youth program workers, resistance to new ideas, and the difficulty of modernizing institutions that have remained stagnant for decades. We also touch on the pride locals take in traditional ways of life and skepticism of outsiders. To end, we dive into conversations that will continue into future episodes of our recent nerding out to US history figures, biographi...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast Here is our annual year in review of 2023. We hit highs and lows from the past year: ankle surgeries, health issues, family, vacations, sports, and more. Enjoy! John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, education, farming, and the circus that is their life.
Jan 23, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast Foot Injury, Offensive Slurs, and Healthcare Woes In this episode, hosts John and Aimee dive into Aimee's long journey to get surgery for a foot injury she suffered over a year ago. They discuss the drama of dealing with her insurance company's "surgery plus" program and multiple failed appointments. Aimee also opens up about her deep anxiety surrounding being immobilized after the surgery. The conversation also takes a turn as Aimee recalls an embarrassing high school speech w...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Aimee opens up about the struggles of raising boys in today's society. She discusses the difficulties of dealing with conditions like eczema and ADHD while also facing judgment from other mothers. Aimee expresses frustration with the "coddling" of children and how it is affecting their development. John and Aimee debate the idea that "easier is not better" and how facing adversity can help children grow. They also touch on the lack of solidarity among mot...
Dec 04, 2023•2 hr 54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we start sharing our final thoughts and updates on our homeschooling experiment and end of school year for our 3 boys and then dive deep into our experience on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas cruise as our first big time vacation and cruise as a family. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, education, farming, and the circus that is their life.
Jun 05, 2023•2 hr 55 min•Ep 95•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we lament about Super Mario Bros being a disappointment, our realization when it comes to mental vs. physical aging, our appreciation for the fact that teenagers are SUPPOSED to hate their parents, and the importance of having really solid humans around your family and kids as they age. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, education, farming, and the circus that is their life....
Apr 30, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep 94•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we talk Easter, vomit, diarrhea, the power of letting nature do as nature does, and deep psychological fears that Aimee has of being replaced. Enjoy. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, education, farming, and the circus that is their life.
Apr 09, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Ep 93•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we start with Aimee's new obsession that is coffee, making our own food and nutritional changes we're making, our experience with Virginia Virtual schooling of our 2 youngest sons, and we finish the episode off talking about our favorite topics - Edumacation. Enjoy. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, education, farming, and the circus that is their life.
Mar 08, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep 92•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we give a "Vacations 2023" update, talk about raising and feeding young boys, and then we dive into a college conversation - Boomers vs. Millennials edition. Enjoy. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Mar 06, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep 91•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode we touch on the paranormal, "normal" things girls did at slumber parties in Indiana, Aimee's complete and total terror of the boys in blue, and a variety of other random nuggets from our brainholes. Enjoy. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Jan 30, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Ep 90•Transcript available on Metacast Our favorite episode of the year! We review all the happenings of our past year in 2022. Kitchen remodels, mastermind events in Utah, new pooches, and more. Outdoors on our back deck! We laugh. We cry. We even have a small, sausage-like, guest that is with us throughout the entire episode. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life....
Jan 09, 2023•2 hr 42 min•Ep 89•Transcript available on Metacast Today is the holiday episode with The Fairbanks which means we explore everything that makes Aimee a Grinch during this typically joyous and festive season. Enjoy. John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep 88•Transcript available on Metacast What's the worst that could happen when you outsource your parenting to social media, "the matrix", Them or They? Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep 87•Transcript available on Metacast The cult of averageness is R-E-A-L. How do we set our kids up for success, so they don't get pulled down by adults or friends that lack energy, goals, or an ability to look into the future? We don't know, but we are actively working at it. But what we do know is that "learning" that happens in school is NOT the GOAL. The goal should never have been to just "graduate". Listen in on our thoughts on the subject... Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share the...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Ep 86•Transcript available on Metacast Remember those toilet paper shortages? We share how we handled that situation like total pros. Aimee recently tried to be a good Samaritan and learned why 60% of the time this is a terrible idea...every time. Also, is it impossible for anyone else to grocery shop with all their damn kids without them trying to buy nothing but total B.S. the entire time? And finally, the real purpose of this episode: Nuance & Common Sense and the infuriatingly/hilariously low levels of 2nd-level thinking and ...
Jul 18, 2022•2 hr 48 min•Ep 85•Transcript available on Metacast We have decided that everyone has become far too unhelpful and far too useless. We vote to burn it all down. Only the strong, skilled, and useful survive. Let's get back to the days where less people die of diabetes or more just die due to starvation. #Fairbanks&Fairbanks2024 Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business,...
Jul 17, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep 84•Transcript available on Metacast This week we muse on why there were so many serial killers in the 70s and 80s. Was it that they were always out there? Or was it because of the rise of fathers leaving the home and being absent from the lives of their kids? Combined with mothers being left without a community and support system and kids raising themselves outside Lord of the Flies style? Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a vari...
Jun 11, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep 83•Transcript available on Metacast Our latest episodes have referenced the homeschooling of our middle and youngest sons for the 2023 school year. Now we dive into HOW we plan to go about executing this process when it comes to the literal teaching, organization of our day (and balancing work + teaching), and why this works for us. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual admini...
May 02, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep 82•Transcript available on Metacast We are planning to homeschool our 2 younger boys for the 2023 school year. We share our thoughts about the education system in the U.S. and our belief that parents truly are more capable than they think they are when it comes to teaching their kids and providing them opportunities to love learning. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual admin...
Apr 30, 2022•2 hr 35 min•Ep 81•Transcript available on Metacast John & Aimee are back. They touch on their latest trip to Utah, how much Aimee hates joy, the sheer amount of wasted time that exists in people's day-to-day because they hate their life, the failures of women's relationships with one another leading to men not being allowed to be men anymore, and much more. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a ...
Apr 30, 2022•3 hr 44 min•Ep 80•Transcript available on Metacast In a world where we have adopted universal standards for everything, we have deterred any opportunity for us to develop a sense of individual creativity. When it comes to education for our kids, we seem to be stomping out imagination and creativity earlier and earlier in hopes that kids conform to "good behaviors" and protocols in a school setting. In this episode, we delve into the idea that standardization kills innovation and is ruining our kids' abilities to truly be able to lear...
Mar 24, 2022•2 hr 19 min•Ep 79•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we review the book by Joel Salatin and Dr. Sina McCullough entitled Beyond Labels . We discuss how learning to live with nature allows us to create and enjoy the beauty and simplicity in our lives rather than fight against it. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is ...
Feb 15, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep 78•Transcript available on Metacast Usually around our anniversary on New Year's Eve, when nothing else is going on, we like to take some time to really think about all that happened that year. And every time we do that, we realize something consistent: A Year is a LONG.DAMN.TIME. Especially the last 2 years with COVID and restrictions, it seems like decades pass from January through December. The same rang true for us this year, and in this episode, we share our thoughts about it. Subscribe to the podcast and c...
Jan 25, 2022•2 hr 7 min•Ep 77•Transcript available on Metacast The start of every year usually brings new resolutions or the desire to set goals. In this episode, we discuss what we call "The Three Whys", and how to establish goals that are focused on PURPOSE and true INTENT. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Jan 15, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep 76•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we discuss the importance of journaling, and how writing about our lives and telling our stories has changed over the years as technology has continued to evolve. Subscribe to the podcast and catch all of our episodes where John and Aimee share their thoughts, musings, tips, and principles on a variety of topics relating to raising kids, running a virtual administrative business, and the circus that is their life.
Jan 12, 2022•2 hr 58 min•Ep 75•Transcript available on Metacast 
