Friendlier: Recent Episodes
Sarah Kopper & Abby Olena
Friendlier is like eavesdropping on a phone call between Sarah and Abby, long time friends—and now parents—who love to talk, read, and eat. Every episode we review books, share recipes, and explore a sometimes random/sometimes serious topic. Join us!
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We discuss the past year and look ahead to 2025. Also, surprise! This is our final episode of the podcast and we share our favorite episode and what the pod has meant to us over the last 8 years.
Our favorite episodes: Quitting, Hard times, Enneagram 8 Experience (Sarah) and Everyday superpowers and Personal policies (Abby)
And because we didn't do a year in books episode this year, here are our favorite reads from 2024.
Life lately
Sarah loved her kids' winter musical performances.
Abby got her first tattoo with 13 other adult friends in Birmingham.
Reading lately
Sarah finally read the Crescent City series by Sarah J. Maas.
Abby enjoyed The Wedding People by Alison Espach.
Eating lately
Abby made egg bites like you can get at Starbucks.
Neil found a recipe for gnocchi pot pie, which is the best thing Sarah eaten in a long time.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!!
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Day in our (fall) lives
We share the details of our days from Tuesday October 22nd. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode or similar episodes from 2020 and 2022 if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:
- The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
- The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln
- Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over American, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan
Life lately
Abby and Sarah both share about recent trips.
Reading lately
Abby enjoyed listening to Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle.
Sarah read Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy by Cait West.
Eating lately
Sarah enjoyed new camping food while Abby was disappointed with Texas fair food.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Life lately
Sarah has a running injury and is rethinking her fall race plans.
Abby and fam had an incredible long weekend at the beach.
Reading lately
Sarah shared two nonfiction hits: Behind Their Screens by Emily Weinstein and Carrie James and Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey.
Abby read yet another witch book, The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings.
Our dream lives
We talk about what we dream of for our lives in 5, 10, 20 years, as well as what dreams we'd have if money was no object or if we could go back in time and change things.
Eating lately
Abby has found the perfect snack for work: individual cottage cheese cups.
Sarah made a vegan chocolate cake for Neil's birthday.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Transportation update
We share our current transportation situations, how they've changed since our last episode on the topic, the challenges and joys of this stage, and our transportation dreams for the future.
Life Lately
Abby is over the summer and ready for fall.
Sarah's family is adjusting to new school year routines with HP in middle school.
Reading lately
Abby loved the witchy vibe of Weyward by Emilia Hart.
Sarah got a lot out of listening to Die With Zero by Bill Perkins. She originally heard about the book from this podcast interview.
Eating lately
Sarah and E are making Thai iced tea with boba (and these straws).
Abby enjoyed the taste of fall with a new apple cake recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We chat about the ways in which we support our kids to learn to make choices and how that's changed in the different seasons of parenting.
Life lately
Sarah and her people had an amazing week at family camp.
Abby is over summer and ready for school to start again please and thank you.
Reading lately
Sarah read the contemporary romance Better Left Unsent by Lia Lewis
Abby loved the trio of queer romances in the Love and Other Disasters series by Anita Kelly.
Eating lately
Abby made the crunchy roll bowl from Pinch of Yum.
Sarah and E are testing out a chocolate peanut butter cake recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Checking in on 2024
We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2024.
Life lately
Abby is starting a new job.
Sarah loved the show The Break: A New Rock Musical.
Reading lately
Abby thoroughly enjoyed Ink, Blood, Sister, Scribe by Emma Törzs.
Sarah recommends two romantic comedies: Funny Story by Emily Henry and The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren.
Eating lately
Sarah tried a new breakfast casserole (with croissants!).
Abby's family enjoyed this street corn recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Family life lately
We chat about what's going well and not so well in our families these days, as well as share some optimism about things that have been hard in the past and aren't any more.
Life lately
Sarah's children are out of school and summer has begun!
Abby is eagerly anticipating a friend group camping trip to Rickwood Caverns State Park.
Reading lately
Sarah read the nonfiction book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt.
Abby enjoyed the spicy romance Scandalized by Ivy Owens, which is a pseud for Lauren Billings (half of romance-writing duo Christina Lauren).
Eating lately
Abby is very into these probiotic sodas from Trader Joe's.
Sarah introduced her children to cinnamon sugar bagels, and they are a hit.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Obsessions
We share what we've been into lately, from camping to curry. Links mentioned:
- 1000 Hours Outside podcast about camping
- Where Should We Camp Next? Budget Camping by Stephanie and Jeremy Puglisi
Life lately
Abby's family is down to one car after the Volvo's transmission died.
Sarah graduated from library school!
Reading lately
Abby listened to You Need a Budget by Jesse Meacham and Sarah read the YA historical fiction novel We Are Not Free by Traci Chee.
Eating lately
Sarah is making curry with these curry pastes.
Abby was delighted when her favorite vanilla creme donuts were back in stock.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening
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We chat about how good we are at getting things done, which tasks are easy for us to start and finish, and whether anything helps us check things off our lists.
Life lately
Sarah (along with all of Bloomington) is prepping for April 8's solar eclipse.
Abby got a puppy, Edie.
Reading lately
Sarah highly recommends the YA novel, In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner (especially the audio version).
Abby has been slowly making her way through the first three books of the Her Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen.
Eating lately
Abby hacked a grocery store cookie cake for Pepper's birthday.
Sarah tried out this Pad Thai recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Life lately
Abby is feeling good about their family's summer plans.
Sarah's kids are enjoying some winter hobbies.
Reading lately
Abby read True Biz by Sara Nović and Sarah read S.K. Ali's young adult novel Saints and Misfits.
Looking ahead to turning 40
As we enter the last year of our 30s, we look back over the last decade, look ahead to our 40s, and share how we hope to celebrate our milestone birthdays.
Eating lately
Sarah tried two new focaccia recipes but had the most success with this one from Alexandra Cooks.
Abby shares about a new Trader Joe's product: garlic asiago cheese dip.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Life lately
Sarah is thankful that January is behind us, and night shift is going surprisingly well for Abby.
Reading lately
Sarah read (and loved) The Good Part by Sophie Cousens.
Abby listened to Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist by Judith Heumann.
Religion and spirituality
We discuss our experiences with religion and spirituality, growing up, today, and how we think about religion and spirituality as parents.
Eating lately
Abby ate Torchy's Tacos every day she was in Texas and has no regrets.
Make-your-own sushi is a big win at Sarah's house.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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New year’s intentions, 2024
We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in various categories.
Life Lately
Abby is looking forward to time with family over the holiday (plus Tex-Mex!).
Sarah shares to home winds: the headboard Neil made and all the secondhand plants.
Reading lately
Abby found a new romance series by Sarah Estep--the Brunch Bros.
Sarah read the technology parenting book Growing Up In Public by Devorah Heitner.
Eating lately
Sarah found success with a traditional caramel recipe and Abby enjoyed apple cider caramels made by a friend. We recommend this thermometer that attaches to the pan.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for
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We look back on our respective years, talk about how we did with our intention words, and do a lightning round of favorites from 2023.
Life lately
Sarah recommends the Fantastic Fiction website.
Abby is leaving the leaves this year.
Reading lately
Sarah read the nonfiction book The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World by Max Fisher.
Abby enjoyed the first two installments of the Wilmot Sisters contemporary romance series by Chloe Liese.
Eating lately
Abby is very into Cherry Cordials, the best seasonal Little Debbie.
Sarah has significantly upped her bean game.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Our year in books, 2023
We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in various categories.
Life lately
Abby loves her new Pact sweaters.
Sarah is cozying up with the Calm Christmas podcast.
Reading lately
Abby read the spicy romance novel (set in Bloomington!) How Not to Fall by Emily Foster.
Sarah read Michelle Huneven's novel Search.
Eating lately
Sarah made cranberry orange bread and Abby wants you all to know about shrimp toast.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thank you for listening!
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We give an update on the state of clutter in our homes and discuss how we think we might manage it better. We'd love your ideas! (And here's the podcast Sarah mentioned: A Slob Comes Clean)
Life lately
Sarah ran a half marathon—yay!
Abby built a screen door.
Reading lately
Sarah read the satirical novel Wellness by Nathan Hill.
Abby enjoyed the first two mysteries in the Jane Austen-inspired Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney series by Claudia Gray.
Eating lately
Abby tried out a new spinach dip recipe, and it was a hit at her work potluck.
Sarah and E made some yummy mint brownies (similar to this recipe, just swap ganache for mini chocolate chips).
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Parenting strengths and weaknesses
We share areas of parenting that come easily to us (and those that don't!), our partners' parenting superpowers, and a recent parenting win.
- Episode about our everyday superpowers
Life lately
Abby shares the sad news that the hospital where she works will be closing Labor and Delivery later this month.
The renovation continues at Sarah's house... In this update, concrete stain!
Reading lately
Abby read the YA fantasy novel To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose.
Sarah read R.F. Kuang's Yellowface.
Eating lately
Sarah tried two new recipes from the Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook for Neil's birthday.
Abby enjoyed a buffalo chicken dip made by Andrew.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We look back on how the summer went and what we learned about how to make next summer even better.
Life lately
Sarah is picking paint colors again. (What a nightmare.)
Abby healed one of her kitty's ears without a vet trip thanks to this product.
Reading lately
Sarah read the Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom Duology by Leigh Bardugo.
Abby read Feed the Baby: An Inclusive Guide to Nursing, Bottle-Feeding, and Everything In Between by her dear friend and IBCLC, Victoria Facelli.
Eating lately
Abby loved this recipe for samosas made with crescent roll dough.
Sarah made a delicious white bean chicken chili in an effort to get back to meal planning.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Mindsets
We share mindsets and mantras that have served us well over the years, ones that do not work for us, and mindsets we are trying to help our kids cultivate.
Life lately
Abby was on television for her work.
Sarah's family has joined the local climbing gym.
Reading lately
Abby is all-in on Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Sarah recommends Maame by Jessica George.
Eating lately
Sarah and Abby both enjoyed meals cooked by their moms: orzo pasta salad and hashbrown casserole.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We reflect on how the year is going so far, remind ourselves of our words for the year, and look ahead to the second half of 2023.
Life lately
Sarah’s children are at sleep away camp for the first time.
Abby recently did a refresh of her indoor plants.
Reading lately
Sarah read and loved You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir by Maggie Smith.
Abby listened to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt.
Eating lately
Abby and her family have been harvesting their homegrown blackberries.
Sarah enjoyed a seafood boil on a recent beach trip.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Preferences
We share our preferences in our lifestyles, food, music, tv/movies, books, and socializing, as well as how our they have changed over time and whether they align with our spouses' preferences.
Life lately
Abby's battling the lice that made their way into her home.
Sarah's family is preparing for an egg drop competition.
Reading lately
Abby read the queer, young adult romance Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth.
Sarah read Laura Bates' Men Who Hate Women, which she heard about through an interview with the author on the Offline podcast.
Eating lately
Sarah is enjoying homemade sushi, using this Instant Pot sushi rice recipe.
Abby found a simple and delicious recipe for pork shoulder.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening
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With this episode, we're starting a new schedule for Friendlier. We’ve decided to release new episodes on the first Tuesday of each month, instead of every other week, as we’ve been doing. As our lives have gotten busier, it’s been tough to fit in podcasting, but we love this creative project and connecting with all of you, so we’re hopeful that the new schedule will help us continue to fit the pod into our lives.
Life lately
Sarah and E enjoyed seeing Annie together.
Abby has a nest of baby birds on her front door wreath.
Reading lately
Sarah loved Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld.
Abby is deep into The Ravenels series by Lisa Kleypas.
Looking ahead to summer
We discuss our summer plans and aspirations, as well as how this summer will be different from summers past.
Eating lately
Abby introduced her children to toaster strudel.
Sarah was inspired to make shrimp tacos.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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K-12 school experiences
We share the highs and lows of our experiences in elementary, middle, and high school.
Life lately
Abby has poison ivy.
Sarah just got back from the SEC gymnastics championships in Georgia.
Reading lately
Abby enjoyed the cozy fantasy The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna.
Sarah read Jennette McCurdy's memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died.
Eating lately
Sarah's family is having pancakes for breakfast nearly every day.
Abby's enjoying hearty salads for lunch at work.
We discuss what we want more of and less of, as well as things that are just right in our lives.
Life lately
Sarah took the kids to their first public meeting.
The neighbors fixed the fence at Abby's house.
Reading lately
Sarah enjoyed Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel.
Abby got into the cozy fantasy/romance Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree.
Eating lately
Abby resurrected a childhood frozen favorite: Mrs. T's Pierogies.
Sarah brought back delicious gummy bears and chocolate from Germany.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Technology
We share our most used tech in daily life, technology other people seem to love but we don't, favorite tech related to kids/parenting, and our technology aspirations. Links we mentioned:
- Kindle strap
- Wireless headphones
- Wyndy app
- Calm app
Life lately
Abby shares that her beloved cat, Duncan, passed away last month.
Sarah just got back from a ten day to trip to Germany.
Reading lately
Abby listened to, and loved, Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson.
Sarah read the tennis novel Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Eating lately
Sarah a new to her dining experience--Michelin star restaurants in Berlin.
Abby tried a sheet pan dinner with roasted veggies and sausage.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We talk about cultivating a family food culture: what we want food and eating to feel like in our families, what is working and not working in our family food experience, and resources that we’ve used in developing family food culture.
Links we mentioned:
- Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
- Virginia Sole-Smith’s Instagram
- Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility
- Visible Child
Life lately
Sarah and Neil rented and watched Free Solo.
Abby remade some old pillows with new stuffing and is enjoying how they look on her couch.
Reading lately
Sarah read Spareby Prince Harry.
Abby listened to Ejaculate Responsibly: A Whole New Way to Think About Abortion by Gabrielle Stanley Blair (AKA DesignMom, also the author of this Tweet thread).
Eating lately
Abby made meat loaf in the Instant Pot.
Sarah and her family are loving Cool Ranch Doritos.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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The days are dark and cold, at least in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. We thought it would be fun to share what is bringing us joy, comfort, and generally helping us get through these months until spring arrives.
Life Lately
Abby used this kit to pierce a second set of holes in her ears.
Sarah’s kids are enjoying sleepovers with friends.
Reading lately
Abby read Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgins which was a recommendation from a listener—thank you Chrissie!
Sarah and E enjoyed the Friends series of graphic novels written by Shannon Hale and illustrated by LeUyen Pham: Real Friends, Best Friends, and Friends Forever.
Eating lately
Sarah made vegetarian beef stroganoff (with Impossible meat) from this Damn Delicious recipe.
Abby treated herself to chocolate mousse from Costco.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We discuss our favorite spaces in our homes, the projects we want to tackle, and how we want our homes to feel.
Life latelySarah’s enjoying her newly installed windows and an accompanying living room rearrangement.
Abby passed the NCLEX (nursing board exam) and is now an RN.
Reading latelySarah read a cozy mystery, The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
Abby loved the most recent romance in the Spoiler Alert series by Olivia Dade, Ship Wrecked.
Eating latelyAbby was pleasantly surprised by how well this Instant Pot beef stroganoff came out.
Sarah and her kids have been making energy bites for the kids’ lunches, which they are packing independently.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listenin
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New year’s intentions, 2023
We set our intentions for the year, share our words for the year, and discuss specific goals in different categories.
Life Lately
Abby shares a toy all six of her cats love.
Sarah and Neil attempted a calendar meeting to moderate success.
Reading lately
Abby read The Bookwoman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson, the sequel to The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek.
Sarah read Sophie Cousen's Just Haven't Met You Yet.
Eating lately
Abby is loving the chipotle pot de creme from El Barrio.
Sarah is eating fancied up ramen noodles multiple times a week.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We reflect on the past year and discuss our words of the year, how it went in several categories, and do a lightning round of 2022 favorites.
Life lately
Sarah and her family took an awesome train trip to California, and Abby is struggling with the transition away from school.
Reading lately
Sarah listened to Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton, and Abby enjoyed The Stand-In by Lily Chu.
Eating lately
Abby made an autumn sangria (subbing champagne for white wine and bourbon for brandy) on Thanksgiving, and Sarah and her family ate plenty of dessert in the dining car on their train trip.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thank you for listening!
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Our year in books, 2022
We share the highs and lows of our reading year as well as our favorite books in fiction, non-fiction, memoir, romance, audio, most-enjoyable, and read-aloud.
Life lately
Abby has finished nursing school and Sarah is starting a new job.
Reading lately
Abby read the novel We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman.
Sarah read Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.
Eating lately
Sarah attempted this caramel sauce while Abby enjoyed two new cheese dips from Trader Joe's.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us atfriendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram@friendlierpodcast. Thank you for listening!
Life lately
Sarah and her family had a lovely Halloween, and Abby gives a winter garden update.
Reading lately
Sarah enjoyed the nonfiction read, Achtung, Baby: An American Mom on the German Art of Raising Self-Reliant Children by Sara Zaske, and Abby read two romance novellas from the Love Unscripted series by Olivia Dade.
Gift giving and receiving
We share our philosophies about gift giving and receiving around the holidays, at birthdays, and for anniversaries. This is an update to our 2017 episode on a similar topic.
Eating lately
Abby's been eating food prepared by Andrew after she works a 12-hour shift. Sarah's jumping on the no-knead breadbandwagon.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thank you for listening!
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Life lately
Abby successfully completed her longest solo-parenting stretch to date!
Sarah is headed into a cold-weather camping weekend; wish her luck!
Reading lately
Abby read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, the first book of a fantasy fiction trilogy. Sarah stepped outside her usual genre and listened to the classic novel Another Country by James Baldwin.
Graceful quitting
We share why neither of us are quitting averse, our most memorable quitting (and not-quitting) moments, quitting regrets, gracefully quitting relationships, and our thoughts on quitting books and television shows.
- Freakonomics episode on The Upside of Quitting
- Twitter thread about setting boundaries
Eating lately
Sarah is searching for simple lunches to incorporate into her family’s life.
Abby is looking forward to eating roasted cranberry sauce, both on Thanksgiving and for many days after.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Life lately
Abby successfully completed her longest solo-parenting stretch to date!
Sarah is headed into a cold-weather camping weekend; wish her luck!
Reading lately
Abby read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, the first book of a fantasy fiction trilogy. Sarah stepped outside her usual genre and listened to the classic novel Another Country by James Baldwin.
Graceful quitting
We share why neither of us are quitting averse, our most memorable quitting (and not-quitting) moments, quitting regrets, gracefully quitting relationships, and our thoughts on quitting books and television shows.
- Freakonomics episode on The Upside of Quitting
- Twitter thread about setting boundaries
Eating lately
Sarah is searching for simple lunches to incorporate into her family’s life.
Abby is looking forward to eating roasted cranberry sauce, both on Thanksgiving and for many days after.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
For better or worse
We share the best and worst traits we and our spouses bring to our marriages.
- Girl Next Door's Best Spouse / Worst Spouse episode
Life Lately
Abby has started her practicum in a labor and delivery ward.
Sarah cut off her hair and is rocking the buzzed look again.
Reading lately
Abby read the unique and quirky Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki.
Sarah's been reading more graphic novels including Smile by Raina Telgemeier, El Deafo by Cece Bell, and Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms by Crystal Frasier.
Eating lately
Sarah loved the edition of Trader Joe's elote corn to her cheese dip.
Abby is planning to try a new recipe for apple fritter cake.
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You all submitted a wide variety of questions, and we loved answering them. If you sent in a question, but didn’t hear it, it was probably so meaty that we’re saving it for it’s own episode later on. Thank you for being such great listeners!
Life lately
Sarah shares updates on her latest 5K and 10K, and Abby just took her final exam of nursing school.
Reading lately
Sarah enjoyed the YA graphic novel, The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag. Abby found a new regency romance series (The Palace of Rogues) and read the first in the series, Lady Derring Takes a Lover by Julie Anne Long.
Eating lately
Abby has been making root beer floats, and Sarah made a two-layer chocolate cake for E’s birthday.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Novelty and progress
We share how we feel about novelty and progress, where we most enjoy them in our lives, where we prefer the comfort of the familiar, and how our thoughts have changed over time.
Life lately
Abby prepared her garden for fall, including removing all the giant zinnias.
Sarah is gearing up for two races despite limited training.
Reading lately
Abby listened to How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith. We also discussed the interview with Smith and Ashley C. Ford at the end of her memoir, Somebody's Daughter.
Sarah was flew through the ya mystery Queen of the Tiles by Hana Alkaf.
Eating lately
Sarah has fancied-up her easy enchilada recipe (but still uses this enchilada sauce).
Abby has another five-ingredient Trader Joe's recipe to share: turkey soyaki bowl.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We chat about the seasons, including our favorite and least favorite things about each one, the best seasonal foods, and whether there are seasons we’d skip if we could.
Life lately
Sarah’s kiddo HP took his first trip away from home without family along—and did great. Abby and her family watched Coco with the family and loved the Dia de los Muertos vibes.
Reading lately
Sarah had fun reading nonfiction, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price, and Abby was delighted by the queer YA romance, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jagirdar.
Eating lately
Abby found a new Instagram account, Trader Joe’s 5 Items or Less, and tried out their Cheesy Corn Orzo Pasta with salmon cooked in the InstantPot. Sarah cooked chickpea + couscous salad from Hello Fresh.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Also, we’re gearing up for another listener Q&A, and we’d love to answer your questions in that episode if you send them our way. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We chat about the seasons, including our favorite and least favorite things about each one, the best seasonal foods, and whether there are seasons we’d skip if we could.
Life lately
Sarah’s kiddo HP took his first trip away from home without family along—and did great. Abby and her family watched Coco with the family and loved the Dia de los Muertos vibes.
Reading lately
Sarah had fun reading nonfiction, The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price, and Abby was delighted by the queer YA romance, Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jagirdar.
Eating lately
Abby found a new Instagram account, Trader Joe’s 5 Items or Less, and tried out their Cheesy Corn Orzo Pasta with salmon cooked in the InstantPot. Sarah cooked chickpea + couscous salad from Hello Fresh.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Also, we’re gearing up for another listener Q&A, and we’d love to answer your questions in that episode if you send them our way. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Personal policies
We share mantras that guide our lives, boundaries we maintain, things we always say yes/no to, and aspirational policies we'd like to bring into our lives. Mentioned on the show:
- Girl Next Door episode on personal policies
- Sow Connected episode on rules to live by
- B Team Facebook group
Life lately
Abby is enjoying her new art from Nicole Simmons.
Sarah is getting new (black!) windows.
Reading lately
Abby enjoyed the cozy sci-fi Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
Sarah was delighted by Bonnie Garmus's novel Lessons in Chemistry.
Eating lately
Sarah attempted homemade cold brew coffee.
Abby has found the perfect snack: mini-Kind bars.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Personal policies
We share mantras that guide our lives, boundaries we maintain, things we always say yes/no to, and aspirational policies we'd like to bring into our lives. Mentioned on the show:
- Girl Next Door episode on personal policies
- Sow Connected episode on rules to live by
- B Team Facebook group
Life lately
Abby is enjoying her new art from Nicole Simmons.
Sarah is getting new (black!) windows.
Reading lately
Abby enjoyed the cozy sci-fi Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers.
Sarah was delighted by Bonnie Garmus's novel Lessons in Chemistry.
Eating lately
Sarah attempted homemade cold brew coffee.
Abby has found the perfect snack: mini-Kind bars.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We chat about how we’re coping with inflation, what frugal tricks have helped, and our frugal aspirations.
Reading lately
Sarah read another family gap year memoir, We Came, We Saw, We Left by Charles Wheelan.
Abby was compelled by but is not sure what to think of Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey.
Life Lately
Sarah and her kids cleaned the kids’ room. Abby is almost done with her semester.
Eating lately
Abby has been enjoying peach salsa her in-laws brought to town, and Sarah is into Everything But the Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s on ramen and popcorn.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.
Flexibility
We share where it's easy for us to be flexible, where we find it more challenging, and how we've grown more and less flexible over time.
Life lately
Abby got another cat and Sarah has Covid.
Reading lately
Abby flew through the Ravenswood series by Talia Hibbert.
Sarah was moved by Imbolo Mbue's latest novel How Beautiful We Were.
Eating lately
Sarah wants to perfect homemade cold brew and Abby shares her favorite breakfast.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram@friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss the things giving us life at the end of the summer. Links to Abby's bathing suit top and bottoms (although it looks like black is sold out).
Life lately
Sarah loves the towel racks and trash can Neil custom made for their new bathroom. Abby is so thankful for her nursing school friends.
Reading lately
Sarah read My Friend Anna: The True Story of a Fake Heiress by Rachel DeLoache Williams.
Abby recently finished Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.
Eating lately
It's frozen food day on the pod. Abby was a bit disappointed in the Beecher's frozen corn and not-fried rice she tried, while Sarah's kids are into the Kroger chocolate chip frozen waffles.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2022 update
We do our annual mid-year review, reminding ourselves of our goals and intentions and checking in on how things are going halfway through the year.
Life lately
Abby took a spontaneous camping trip and Sarah is showering in her new shower.
Reading lately
Abby read I'll Show Myself Out: Essays on Midlife and Motherhood by Jessi Klein after enjoying her article in The Cut.
Sarah enjoyed listening to Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman.
Eating lately
Sarah made frittata muffins from the No Fuss Family Cookbook.
Abby was inspired by a fellow student's lunch to make beef stroganoff.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share the details of our days from Wednesday, June 15th. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode and a similar episode from two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- YouTube Swim Lessons
Life lately
Sarah loves physical therapy, and Abby’s ebike dreams have come true.
Reading lately
Sarah loved the YA vibes in K-pop Confidential and its sequel, K-pop Revolution, by Stephan Lee.
Abby enjoyed A Lady for a Duke (queer historical romance) by Alexis Hall.
Eating lately
Abby made the Smitten Kitchen Best Chocolate Pudding as a sub for the discontinued Belgian Chocolate Pudding from Trader Joe’s, while Sarah enjoyed a free meal thanks to a malfunctioning credit card machine.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Capturing family memories
We share our philosophy around capturing family memories, our best strategies, and how our approach has changed as our kids have grown.
- Little Hoots
- Five year line-a-day journal
Life lately
Abby has a cat adventure to share. The remodel at Sarah's house is (finally) underway!
Reading lately
Abby read Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes.
Sarah turned to an old favorite to get out of her reading slump and reread the YA fantasy novel A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.
Eating lately
Sarah's enjoying naan pizza with fig jam while Abby made fancy ramen with a friend while camping.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We talk about how our processes of discernment look and rave about this essay by Cheryl Strayed.
Life lately
Sarah is enjoying TV, especially Bridgerton. Two and a half years after moving to Birmingham, Abby finally feels like she has friends.
Reading lately
Sarah read Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova, a popular science book about memory.
Abby listened to and loved The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.
Eating lately
Abby is enjoying maple pecan granola from Trader Joe’s while Sarah tried a new donut place close to work.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Pets in our lives
We share our history with pets, our current pet situations, the best and worst parts of having (or not having) pets, and our future pet dreams.
Life lately
Abby's planned lots of short trips for the upcoming months and Sarah is loving all the outdoor play happening in the neighborhood.
Reading lately
Abby enjoyed the second Bellinger Sisters' novel by Tessa Bailey: Hook, Line, and Sinker.
Sarah loved My Lady Jane, a young adult novel that re-imagines the life of Lady Jane Grey (plus magic!) written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.
Eating lately
Sarah is loving Trader Joe's inside-out carrot cake cookies and Abby found a new way to use eggs: cheddar and ham quiche cups.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share the favorites in our families that have stood the test of time. Visit our show notes for links!
Life lately
We share our plans for the upcoming summer.
Reading lately
Sarah read I Must Betray You by Reta Sepetys, a young adult historical fiction novel set in Romania at the end of the Ceaușescu regime.
Abby loved The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd.
Eating lately
Abby enjoyed Texas brisket while Sarah’s lack of tortillas led to fancy nachos.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Trying new things
We share new things we've tried as adults, our trying new things fails, mantras/mindsets that help us when trying new things, how parenting intersects with our approach, and new things we aspire to try in the future.
Life lately
Abby is almost done with her first semester of nursing school!
Sarah is watching a lot of NCAA gymnastics.
Reading lately
Abby was disappointed by Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.
Sarah raced through The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.
Eating lately
Sarah is teaching her kids to make French toast.
Abby is making lots of deviled eggs in an attempt to keep up with the abundance of eggs from her chickens.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share how we find new books to read, strategies for managing our holds queues at the library, and what influences the kind of book we want to read next.
Links mentioned:
- Sarah and Abby on Goodreads
- Shelf Awareness and Maximum Shelf newsletters
- Booklist newsletters
- Reading the Past (for historical fiction)
- Smart Bitches Trashy Books (for romance)
- Tor (for science fiction and fantasy + good ebook deals)
- Libby (app) / Overdrive (web-based)
- Hoopla
- A note about the Nashville Public Library: Sadly, since we recorded they have decided not to offer library cards to folks outside of their area.
Life lately
Sarah is really into running slowly.
Abby is relieved Spring Break has (finally) arrived.
Reading lately
Sarah read the young adult novel The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.
Abby finished the newest romance by Rachel Lynn Solomon: Weather Girl.
Eating lately
Abby’s family is eating Domino’s deep-dish pan pizza for an easy weeknight dinner, while Sarah tried a new dessert: pear custard pie.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Division of labor
We give an update on how we divide the housework in our families: who does what, how we feel about it, outsourcing, and what we have found to be most successful.
Life lately
Abby's family welcomed two new cats to their home.
Sarah took an overnight trip to St. Louis.
Reading lately
Abby is obsessed with the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.
Sarah read the graphic memoir And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball.
Eating lately
Sarah made a quick broccoli salad and Abby found the sour cream pound cake of her dreams.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss what it’s been like to be back in school as adults, including what we are studying, the best and worst parts, and tips for anyone thinking of going back to school.
Life lately
Sarah is relishing riding a bike with working brakes.
Abby shares that Pepper was vaccinated as part of the Pfizer COVID clinical trial!
Reading lately
Sarah read the the cozy food mystery Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manasala.
Abby finished the first book in a science fiction series: Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
Eating lately
Abby tried a new spinach and artichoke dip for the Super Bowl.
Sarah made a veggie pot pie with cheddar biscuit topping.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Parenting, revisited
We give an update on all things parenting: what's going well, our biggest challenges, mantras we rely on, and intentions going forward. Links mentioned:
- Previous parenting episodes: parenting, at home parenting, and parenting wins and fails
- Teacher Tom on bickering
- Parenting Without Power Struggles by Susan Stiffelman
Life lately
Abby is biking with Pepper using a Mac Ride.
Sarah has been incorporating various breathing techniques after reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.
Reading lately
Abby read the magical romance Payback's a Witch by Lana Harper and Sarah listened to Suleika Jaouad's memoir Between Two Kingdoms.
Eating lately
Sarah found a new Chipotle order while Abby's Instant Pot salmon did not turn out as planned.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share quick and easy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, what we keep in our pantry, and what is not feeling quick and easy about feeding our families.
Life lately
Sarah is happy to have made it through January.
Abby presented at a science communication conference.
Reading lately
Sarah read the domestic thriller Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty.
Abby is going through Mhairi McFarlane’s older books and loved It’s Not Me, It’s You just as much as her newer releases.
Eating lately
Abby shared the croque madame casserole her family had on Christmas Eve, while Sarah baked an everything bagel pull-apart bread.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Claiming rest
We reflect on what rest means to us, how society's view on rest impacts us, activities we find restful, and our rest aspirations.
Life lately
Abby has joined in on the Wordle craze.
Sarah thinks she's found the perfect time to get groceries.
Reading lately
Abby read the novel Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy and Sarah read Kate Baer's newest collection of poetry:I Hope This Finds You Well.
Eating lately
Sarah is snacking on popcorn with ranch seasoning and Abby's family loves these parmesan garlic roast potatoes.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We revisit the topic of community (which we first talked about five years ago), including the state of our current communities, what we need from our communities, how to cultivate community, and future community dreams. Links mentioned in this episode:
- Our first episode on community
Life lately
Sarah’s family is making some serious tidying progress.
Abby shares a frugal win.
Reading lately
Sarah read Alix Harrow’s novella A Spindle Splintered.
Abby read the magical romance A Marvellous Light by Freya Markse.
Eating lately
Abby and family are really into this pumpkin bread, and Sarah and her people made a chocolate peanut butter cake.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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New year's intentions, 2022
We reflect on the year that was, set intentions for 2022, and share some of our favorites from 2021. Links we mentioned:
- Last year's intentions episode and our mid-year check-in
- Ted Lasso
- Baking Impossible
- Bake Squad
Life lately
Pepper is fully weaned and Abby's found a great new bra.
Sarah joined a buy nothing group to aid in her family's decluttering.
Reading lately
We both read books by Nora McInerny Purmont: Hot Young Widow's Club and No Happy Endings.
Eating lately
Sarah is appreciating a stocked freezer and Abby's family tried stuffed shells.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We take a look back at our reading life in 2021: our challenges, our wins, and of course, our favorite books. For our highlights from the year, please visit our show notes.
Life lately
Sarah is recovering from surgery.
Abby is enjoying a break from work before nursing school starts.
Reading lately
Sarah read Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood.
Abby is reading the London Celebrities series by Lucy Parker.
Eating lately
Abby tried a baked potato soup.
Sarah devoured chicken and dumplings made by a friend.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We reflect on our relationships with our bodies and exercise, as well as how that influences our parenting, especially during the holidays. Links to folks doing the work:
Aubrey Gordon and her podcast Maintenance Phase
Jessamyn Stanley, both her personal and business Instagram accounts
Virginia Sole-Smith's Instagram
Christy Harrison's podcast
Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole
F*ck It Diet by Caroline Dooner
Not Quite Snow White by Ashley Franklin
Awesomely Emma by Amy Webb
Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon
Sitting Pretty by Rebekah Taussig (glorious memoir and one of the best ever primers on disability)
Robyn Nohling, a registered dietitian focused on fertility & pregnancy
Life lately
Abby shares a story about keeping track (or not) of toddler glasses.
Sarah has a new (to her family) washing machine.
Reading lately
Abby read Satisfaction Guaranteed, a female-female romance by Karelia Stetz-Waters.
Sarah read a Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman.
Eating lately
We discuss our strategies for the perfect InstantPot beans and rice.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share our ideal holidays along with what we are doing (and not doing) to make the holidays special this year. Links mentioned in the episode:
- Lego advent calendar
- Vanderbeekers of 141st St by Karina Yan Glaser
Life lately
Sarah recommends the This Land podcast.
Abby got into nursing school!
Reading lately
Sarah read Kate Bowler’s new memoir No Cure For Being Human.
Abby enjoyed the Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner.
Eating lately
Abby is treating herself to chai lattes made with half and half, while Sarah has plans to make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Therapy thoughts
We share our experiences with therapy and insights we've learned along the way.
Life lately
Abby completed fall planting around her house.
Sarah is doing lots of push-ups.
Reading lately
Abby listened to State of Terror, co-written by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny.
Sarah read (and absolutely loved) One, Two, Three by Laurie Frankel.
Eating lately
Sarah tried a cheesy hashbrown casserole (with no cream of soup!).
Abby has found a recipe for light and airy banana cupcakes.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss our Halloweens growing up, the current state of Halloween in our families, how we handle all the candy, and tips and tricks for making Halloween a success.
Life lately
Sarah completed her first 5k in more than fourteen years.
Abby finally finished the chicken coop repairs.
Reading lately
Sarah read the YA mystery The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
Abby listened to Cantoras by Carolina de Robertis.
Eating lately
Abby shares a breakfast casserole, while Sarah’s been eating sandwiches.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What's getting us through
Inspired by episodes from the Girl Next Door and Lazy Genius podcasts, we share the big and small things that help us get through when life feels overwhelming. Links mentioned:
- Abby's new water bottle
- Zapp's sweet creole onion chips
- Trader Joe's ice cream sandwiches
- Simple cheese dip
Life lately
Abby made some living room updates by adding this ottoman and lampshade.
Sarah shares her water woes.
Reading lately
Abby found a contender for best non-fiction of the year: Raising a Rare Girl by Heather Lanier.
Sarah listened to the YA mystery One of Us Is Lying by Karen McManus.
Eating lately
Sarah's eating roasted root vegetables with sausage for a delicious fall bowl.
Abby has found the perfect brownies: Ghiradelli's dark chocolate premium mix.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss the ways in which people being snobby about books has affected us and our kids. Things we mentioned:
- Read Aloud Revival
- Hot and Bothered
- Saga
- Dogman
- Thoroughbred
Life lately
Sarah is in between trips, having just completed one home to see family and looking forward to a week away with Neil.
A neighbor’s tree fell in a storm and took Abby’s chicken coop roof with it.
Reading lately
Sarah finished a gripping travel read: Who is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews.
Abby read The Fixed Stars, the latest memoir by Molly Wizenberg.
Eating lately
Abby has been eating frozen stuffed hashbrowns from Jimmy Dean and Sarah enjoyed a coconut veggie rice prepared by Neil.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss our organizational style, the easiest and hardest areas for us to keep organized, organizational aspirations, and tools that help us keep it together. Links mentioned:
Home Edit
Fair play cards
Tough Lough Self-Care Challenge
Life lately
Abby is loving overalls.
Sarah had to re-book a vacation rental after a tree fell on the original.
Reading lately
Abby the sports romance Kultiby Mariana Zapata.
Sarah read Zakiya Dalila Harris's novel The Other Black Girl.
Eating lately
Sarah's enjoying Spindrift seltzers in the summer heat.
Abby's family found new baked potato toppings: barbeque pork and okra from her garden.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share our back to school routines, what school looks like for our kids this year, and how we are feeling about going back to school as adults. Links mentioned:
- Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner by Amy Schwartz
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson
Life lately
Sarah is going to make more masks for her children so she doesn’t have to panic wash them at night.
Abby and Andrew are watching (and loving) Ted Lasso.
Reading lately
Sarah finished a great summer read: Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Abby flew through the YA graphic novel series Heartstopper by Alice Oseman.
Eating lately
Abby shares a blueberry muffin recipe and Sarah’s family enjoyed stuffed shells.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The Enneagram 8 experience
We discuss our thoughts on the Enneagram and our experience as type 8s.
- Enneagram Institute
- Free Enneagram test
- The Honest Enneagram by Sarajane Case (who also runs @enneagramandcoffee)
Life lately
Abby is feeling anxious about COVID again, thanks to the delta variant.
Sarah reflects back on the summer.
Reading lately
Abby read Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu.
Sarah finished Let's Talk About Hard Things, written by Anna Sale, host of the Death, Sex, and Money podcast.
Eating lately
True to form, we each share a cheese-heavy recipe: fancy cheese dip (Sarah) and a one-pot mac and cheese (Abby).
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We discuss our gardening history, current status, aspirations, and favorite and least favorite things. Take a photo of a plant you love and tag us (@friendlierpodcast) in your story on Instagram!
Life lately
Sarah is moving into a new role at work.
Abby loves the Tushy she got for her birthday.
Reading lately
Sarah listened to What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fatby Aubrey Gordon and Abby read C.L. Polk’s The Midnight Bargain.
Eating lately
Abby’s been enjoying avocado toast with sunflower seeds and Sarah is into salads lately, including one from the co-op with spinach, goat cheese, blueberries, and red onions and a homemade one with spinach, pepperoncini, olives, tomatoes, and feta.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
2021 update
We do our annual mid-year review, reminding ourselves of our goals and intentions and checking in on how things are going halfway through the year.
Life lately
Abby is making her way through nursing school prereqs.
Sarah is thankful the Brood X cicadas have come and gone.
Reading lately
Abby is reading the Bergman Brothers series by Chloe Liese, and particularly recommends and Always Only You and Ever After Always.
Sarah loved everything about The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow.
Eating lately
Sarah made a French toast casserole and Abby enjoyed a traditional broccoli salad.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss our currently reality, whether it matches how we imagined life in our mid-thirties would be, and our hopes and dreams for the next ten years.
Life lately
Sarah’s been optimizing routines, inspired by our discussion in our last episode.
Pepper got his first haircut!
Reading lately
Sarah listened to A Burning by Megha Majudamar and Abby read TJ Klune’s The Cerulean Sea.
Eating lately
Abby shares a strawberry cake from Smitten Kitchen and Sarah enjoyed Swiss mushroom venison brats while camping with friends.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Routines: the ideal vs reality
We discuss our ideal morning, afternoon, and evening routines and how it compares to our current reality. Links we mentioned:
- Previous routines episode
- The Skimm and What A Day newsletters
Life lately
Abby is back at an in-person yoga studio.
Sarah applied to library school for the fall.
Reading lately
Abby listened to two slow burn romances by Mhairi McFarlane: Don't You Forget About Me and If I Never Met You. Sarah enjoyed Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.
Eating lately
Sarah made applesauce oat muffins and Abby tried a new meatball recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss the everyday things that might not sound like superpowers at first, but definitely make our lives easier, as well as basic things that we’re really terrible about.
Life lately
Sarah’s kids have been watching Alone with Neil.
Abby recently installed this sandbox (a gift from her sister) in the backyard and her kids are into it.
Reading lately
Sarah read the own voices YA novel Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez, and Abby listened to A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende.
Eating lately
Sarah made salmon bowls from the Dinner Illustrated cookbook, and Abby found a takeout pizza that’s a hit with her family in Birmingham.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Splurging and saving
We discuss our general approach to purchases, three areas or items where we've splurged or saved, categories where we'd like to splurge or save more, and our splurge regrets. Links mentioned:
- Female altar form sculpture
- Swimsuit from Unique Vintage
- Jade yoga mat
Life lately
Abby just got back from a weekend away with friends.
Sarah gives an art shelf update, which she first talked about in our state of our home disorganization episode. The one she bought is no longer available, but it is similar to this one.
Reading lately
Abby read the YA fantasy novel Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and Sarah listened to Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell.
Eating lately
Sarah enjoyed corn and green chili enchiladas from the Dinner Illustrated cookbook.
In an unexpected twist, Abby is recommending a vegan cheese dip. To make, toss the following in the blender:
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 3/4 Cup Oat Milk (her friend uses Califia Farms Oat Barista Blend)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 4 cloves garlic
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Life lately
Sarah’s family is recovering from illness.
Abby is enjoying her newly-installed ceiling fan.
Reading lately
Sarah loved listening to Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue and Abby was thrilled to read the third installment Talia Hibbert’s Brown Sisters trilogy–Act Your Age, Eve Brown.
Connecting with our partners
We share how we like to connect with our spouses, what forms of connection don’t work for us, and connection aspirations. Links we mentioned:
- Splendor
- Azul
- Boggle with Friends
Eating lately
Abby has perfected her spaghetti making process and Sarah is eating a lot of Trader Joe’s spring rolls.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Our camping lives
We discuss camping in our youth (including one memorable backpacking trip together in college), what we love about camping, what we could do without, and our favorites tips and resources. Links mentioned:
- Kelsey's camping packing list
- Kitchen chuck box
- Abby's family's tent, cooler, techni ice, and sleeping mats
Life lately
Abby is trying a new skincare routine, inspired by Sherry of Young House Love.
Sarah played the piano every day in March as part of Ali Edward's One Little Word class.
Reading lately
Abby read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson and Sarah read Three Women by Lisa Taddeo.
Eating lately
Sarah made an Instant Pot Oreo cheesecake and Abby's family is enjoying kale from their garden.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Now that we are a few months into the new year we wanted to check-in with each other to find out what has and hasn’t been working in our lives. Links we mentioned:
- Yoga With Adriene 30 Day Challenge
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Linda Yan Glaser
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
Life lately
Sarah got a new bike (after leaving hers in a park last summer–whoops).
Abby’s hens have started laying eggs!
Reading lately
Sarah read The Ex-Talk by Rachel Lynn Solomon–an enemies to lovers romance with a podcast premise.
Abby loved the latest sci-fi novel from N.K. Jemisin, The City We Became.
Eating lately
Abby found an easy blueberry muffin recipe and Sarah tried the TikTok pasta.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Things we hate, media edition
We spend a portion of every show talking about what we love in the books we read, but what about what we hate? We share our dislikes in books, favorite and least favorite romance tropes, books and shows other people loved but we couldn't get into, and what we don't enjoy in movies we watch. Links mentioned:
- Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
- Gold by Chris Cleeve
- Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
- The War That Saved my Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
- The Power by Naomi Alderman
- Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (and the newest book in the series Court of Silver Flames just came out in February)
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- Gilmore Girls
- Fleabag
- Arrested Development
Life lately
Abby ticked a box on her pandemic bingo card: rearranging her house.
Sarah created new shelves on Goodreads for her family's read-alouds and Friendlier reads (including specific shelves for books recommended by her and Abby).
Reading lately
Abby read the YA fantasy novel Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko and Sarah read KJ Dell'Antonia's novel The Chicken Sisters.
Eating lately
Sarah made a new kitchen purchase and Abby had a failed grain bowl experience.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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A week of breakfasts and lunches
We love to talk about food and share another installment of a week of meals, this time focused on our breakfasts and lunches. We were originally inspired by The Mom Hour's episode of a week of dinners, and have previously recorded our own week of dinners and a week of snacks. Links we mentioned:
- Coconut Baobab granola
- Spicy cashew butter dressing
- Biscuit breakfast casserole
Life lately
Neil finished building the kids' Christmas present: a new playset!
Abby is doing a deep dive into camping gear in preparation for an upcoming trip.
Reading lately
Sarah read the crime thriller Take It Back by Kia Abdullah.
Abby read Ink and Bone, the first of the Great Library series by Rachel Caine.
Eating lately
We both share cookie recipes from Sally's Baking Addiction: soft molasses cookies for Abby and caramel stuffed Nutella cookies for Sarah.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Talking to kids about tough stuff
Inspired by a listener question, we discuss how we talk to our kids about tough stuff--politics, current events, race, gender, sex, cancer, and death. Inspired by a listener question, we discuss how we talk to our kids about tough stuff--politics, current events, race, gender, sex, cancer, and death. Links we mentioned + books our families love that we didn't list in the show:
- Conscious Kid
- Black Lives Matter book list with links to read-alouds of each book curated by Phoebe Defino
- Own Voices in children's literature
- Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard, and Jennifer Zivoin
- Ruby Bridges Goes to School by Ruby Bridges
- The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson and Rafael Lopez
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- Clubhouse Mysteries by Sharon Draper
- I Am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer and Christopher Eliopoulos
- Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness by Anastasia Higgenbotham
- The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad
- The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth, and Harlem's Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and R. Gregory Christie
- We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
- It Feels Good to Be Yourself by Theresa Thorn
- Who Are You? A Kid’s Guide to Gender Identity by Brook Pressen-Whedbee
- What Makes a Baby by Cory Silverberg
- It's Not the Stork by Robie Harris
- Amazing You: Getting Smart About Your Private Parts by Gail Saltz
- From Diapers to Dating: A Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children From Infancy to Middle School by Debra Haffner
- Girls and Sex and Boys and Sex, both by Peggy Ornstein
- Article about parents having sex during the pandemic
- Our Whole Lives: Lifespan Sexuality Education
- Visible Child Facebook group
- Dr. Becky at Home
- Seed and Sew
- Janet Lansbury
- Other books:
- When Charley Met Emma by Amy Webb and Merrilee Liddiard
- The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
- The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld
Life lately
Abby's family added kittens to their family!
Sarah's family is hoping these are the perfect sleds (and that it snows more this year!).
Reading lately
Abby read the Charm of Magpies fantasy series byKJ Charles and Sarah listened to the YA novel-in-verse Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Eating lately
Sarah is becoming a Trader Joe's convert, especially their hot and sweet pickled jalapenos.
Abby found a spinach dal her whole family loves.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Entertaining ourselves and our people at home
We've had a lot of time at home, and more to come this spring. We share how we've keeping ourselves and our families entertained, the best and worst of our time at home, and our entertainment aspirations as we look ahead. Links we mentioned:
- Aaron's Thinking Putty
- Boggle
- Quixx
- Azul
- Splendor
- Carcassone
- Drawful
- Codenames
- Temeraire books by Naomi Novik
- Schitt's Creek
- Wandavision
- Bridgerton
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- The Vanderbeekers of 141st by Karina Yan Glaser
Life lately
Sarah and Neil are having weekly meetings to check-in with each other about parenting.
Abby and her family said good-bye to their beloved cat, Zeda.
Reading lately
Sarah read Kate Elizabeth Russell's intense novel, My Dark Vanessa.
On the lighter side, Abby read Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade.
Eating lately
Abby has an easy Trader Joe's dinner to share and Sarah's family is trying take-out from new-to-them local restaurants.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Mood boosters
What better time to discuss mood boosters than the middle of a pandemic + the gray days of winter? We share our favorite mood boosting activities, products, and foods. Links we mentioned:
- SAD light
- cards: tarot, goddess, and animal
- Poshmark
Life lately
Abby has been listening to The Bengsens.
Sarah's kids have started finger-knitting, inspired by Hyacinth from the Vanderbeeker novels.
Reading lately
Abby read Weather by Jenny Offill and Sarah finished This Place: 150 Years Retold, a graphic novel anthology.
Eating lately
Sarah made chopped a whole lot of veggies for this roasted butternut squash and parsnip soup.
Abby combined these two recipes to make creamed spinach and eggs.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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The state of our home (dis)organization
We discuss our home organization wins, challenges, and inspiration. We may not have many tips to offer, but there's plenty of commiseration to go around. Links we mentioned:
- Abby's tool organizer
- Art cabinet Sarah hopes will solve her family's craft area problems
- Young House Love
- Clutterbug podcast
Life lately
Sarah is facing down the gray days of winter.
Abby is loving Bridgerton.
Reading lately
Sarah fell hard for the young adult novel You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson.
Abby read Yaa Gyasi's new novel, Transcendent Kingdom.
Eating lately
Abby is eating lemon cookies to brighten up the winter days while Sarah is cozying up with corn chowder.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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New year's intentions, 2021
We reflect on the year that was, set intentions for 2021, and share some of our favorites from 2020. Links we mentioned:
- Last year's intentions episode and our mid-year check-in
- Schitt's Creek
- The Good Place
- Merge Dragons
Life lately
Abby's building a chicken coop.
Sarah has abandoned one holiday tradition and remembered how much she loves another.
Reading lately
Abby listened to The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue and Sarah read the Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.
Eating lately
Sarah made an alfredo sauce that didn't break apart and Abby enjoyed Budget Bytes' Dal Nirvana.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We take a look back at our reading life in 2020: our challenges, our wins, and of course, our favorite books. Highlights from the year:
Fiction: The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson
Non-fiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Boys and Sex by Peggy Orenstein, and Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan as told to Katherine Clark
Most enjoyable: Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas on audio, One to Watch by Kate London-Stayman, and Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One’s Own, both by Evie Dunmore
Memoir: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig
Audio: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig
Read aloud: The Wild Robot and Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, The Vanderbeekers of 141st St by Karina Glaser, The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman
Looking forward to: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert
Life lately
Sarah shares a story of E’s glasses lost, then found.
Abby is in a Christmas crafting mood.
Reading lately
Sarah read Notes on a Silencingby Lacy Crawford, which she found through the New York Times Best Books of 2020.
Abby loved escaping into the alternate reality of Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. Here’s the article that compares the book to reality.
Eating lately
Abby added corn pudding to her family’s Thanksgiving, but it was not a success.
Sarah is devouring spinach and artichoke dip as fast as she can make it.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Celebrating 100 episodes + listen q&a
We reflect on the last four years of making the podcast, then answer listener questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions! We cover everything from how we knew our families were complete to whether we have a personal theme song. Listeners, we are so grateful to have you with us on this podcasting journey. Here's to the next hundred episodes!
- Graceful quitting
- Hard times
- Beauty and style
- What a Day
- Home Cooking
- Pod Save America
- Journey to Midwifery
- Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
- Hot and Bothered
- Let the River Run by Carly Simon
Life lately
Abby gives a chick update.
Sarah's family has started having weekly family meetings.
Reading lately
Abby is listening to (and loving) Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Wisdom of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, while Sarah finished Unfollow: A Journey From Hatred to Hope by Megan Phelps-Roper.
Eating lately
Sarah made Swedish meatballs for the first time and Abby made Apple Dapple Cake (recipe below).
3 c. chopped apples, set aside
Combine:
- 1 1/2 sticks melted butter
- 1/2 c. apple sauce
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 c. sugar
Then stir together dry ingredients:
- 3 c. flour (unbleached)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Add dry to wet ingredients.
Stir in apples.
Bake in bundt or tube pan for 45-60 ish minutes at 350.
During the last few minutes of baking, combine 1/2 c. brown sugar with 1/4 c. butter and 2 T. milk in saucepan. Bring to boil. Cook 2 minutes.
As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke holes in top and then pour topping over. Let cool in pan before inverting.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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The holidays are fast approaching. We share our plans for the season, including activities, food, gifts, how we plan to stay connected to loved ones, and what we are doing to take care of ourselves. Links we mentioned:
- In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
- Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand
- Decolonizing Thanksgiving
- Blueland holiday soap scents
Life lately
Sarah continued her gamble of painting rooms without getting samples and Abby shares a Craigslist victory.
Reading lately
We both read memoirs this week: Sarah finished Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Witaker and Abby listened to Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig.
Eating lately
Abby continues her quest for homemade Indian food with chana saag (substituting chickpeas for the paneer).
Sarah learned to make water kefir from a neighbor.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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How we've changed
We each share three ways we've changed since adolescence, one way we've stayed the same, and an area we'd like to change going forward.
Life lately
Abby's chicks have arrived!
Sarah is dreaming about 2021 and bought a new planner (which she heard about from Sarah Hart Unger). Austin Channing Brown perfectly captured the essence of this purchase in her Instagram post last year.
Reading lately
Abby listened to Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here and Sarah delighted in reading One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London.
Eating lately
Sarah's enjoying tiny cans of soda and Abby attempted to recreate her favorite vegetable korma using this recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Food quirks
From melted cheese on a plate to raw sweet potatoes, we discuss what we ate as kids, what unusual preferences we still have, and any quirks of our partners and kids.
Life lately
Abby has solved her backyard storage problems by finishing this cabinet and adding these feet.
Sarah's had a rough start to the school year, but is hoping to reset by restoring some healthy habits.
Reading lately
Abby read the YA novel Dear Martin by Nic Stone and Sarah read the (surprise!) thriller Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.
Eating lately
Sarah's went back to an old favorite: mung bean dal from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (very similar to this version, but with carrots instead of apples).
Abby wanted the ease of a sheet pan dinner, and gave Pinch of Yum's garlic ginger chicken a try.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share the details of our days from Tuesday, September 15th. We did a similar episode two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Things we mentioned:
- Bluey
- The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
- Calm sleep stories (HP’s favorites are Wonder, the Night Train, and the Christmas Train)
- Blue light glasses
Life lately
Sarah has creatures roaming her duct work and Abby is loving Blueland for plastic-free household cleaners and soaps.
Reading lately
Sarah loved the ending of Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and Abby listened to Augustus Burroughs’ memoir, Dry.
Eating lately
Abby and her mom made homemade truffles.
Sarah’s family enjoyed a Moroccan potato salad from Mark Bittman’s cookbook, VB6.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Our work lives
We share our work-related history, what jobs we have now, and how those jobs are working for us. And here’s that beautiful essay about choices by Cheryl Strayed that Abby mentioned: The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us.
Life lately
Listening to romance novels on audio is really working for Sarah, and Abby hates sidewalk chalk.
Reading lately
Sarah read The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin, and Abby strongly recommends A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy.
Eating lately
Abby is obsessed with making pesto from basil she grew.
Sarah is enjoying quinoa with roasted veggies—a dairy-free favorite.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share strategies we've used to raise independent kids, independence wins and fails, and our favorite resources.
- Visible Child Facebook group
- Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) by Lenore Skenazy
- The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
- Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks
Life lately
Andrew got Abby the perfect Mother's Day gift: a painting of Carrboro made by a dear college friend.
Sarah's family has been reveling in all the outdoor time this summer.
Reading lately
Abby reviews The Heir Affair, which is the must anticipated sequel to The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.
Sarah discusses All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman.
Eating lately
Sarah's family are enjoying an abundance of cucumbers dipped in yogurt sauce.
Abby made her first burger using this black bean burger recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We discuss our sleep needs, habits, and quirks, and reveal which of us snores and which of us talks in her sleep. Here are the links we mentioned in the show:
- Natural Calm supplements
- Calm sleep stories
- Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker
Life lately
Sarah shares about the start of online school and Abby recounts her recent secondhand wins.
Reading Lately
Sarah read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow and Abby finished the coming-of-age novel Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera.
Eating lately
Abby found a butter chicken recipe that's almost as good as takeout, while Sarah's family has been devouring watermelon.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Fall decisions in light of COVID
We had a mid-year update six weeks ago, but given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we wanted to check-in again to talk about how we've made school decisions for the fall, what our work lives look like, and how we are thinking about opening (or not opening) our circles of social interaction.
Life lately
We share our thoughts on J.K. Rowling's anti-trans letter and how it will impact the way we consume her work. We recommend this video that breaks down the ways in which her statements are inaccurate, problematic, and hurtful to the trans community. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss this more.
Reading lately
Abby listened to (and loved) Americanah by Chimanada Ngozi Adiche and Sarah flew through the Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson.
Eating lately
Sarah is looking for the perfect banana bread recipe. Here's the recipe Abby has honed over the years:
- Mix together:
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter (almost melted)
- 1 T flax seed meal in 2.5 T water (or one egg)
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
- 3/4 t vanilla
- 3/4 t cinnamon
- 1/8 t salt
- 1 t baking soda
- 1.5 cup flour
- Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 until done
Abby has mastered fried rice, thanks to this recipe, and Sarah recommends adding bacon to fried rice, inspired by Shutterbean.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share our aspirations for our outdoor spaces alongside the reality of their current state. Let us know your favorite/least favorite yard work task so we can celebrate/commiserate with you.
Life lately
Sarah's fixing up patio furniture and Abby is loving her kids' pediatrician.
Reading Lately
Sarah read The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Abby discovered a new favorite author--Talia Hibbert--when she read Get a Life Chloe Brown.
Eating lately
Abby's family enjoyed summer bowls featuring this BBQ tofu and Sarah found a new way to cook lentils.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We reflect back on music in our lives growing up, our musical aspirations, instruments we've played or hope to someday (can you guess which one of us considered taking up the sousaphone?), and the songs we love to listen to on repeat. Links to things we mentioned in the show:
- Call Me Maybe by Carly Rae Jepsen
- Dear Theodosia from Hamilton
- Stand by Me by Ben E King
- Hey Delilah by the Plain White Tees
- Into the Woods
- Hamilton
- The Last Five Years
- Wicked
Life lately
Abby did an internet deep dive into chickens. And spoiler--chickens are arriving at her house next week!
Sarah's daydreaming about future home renovations.
Reading lately
Abby read A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, the first novel in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series while Sarah read Erin Morgenstern's latest novel, The Starless Sea.
Eating lately
Sarah made homemade french onion dip following Alton Brown's tutorial. Abby made banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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There have been quite a few things we didn’t expect in the first half of 2020. We reflect on those, as well as on the intentions that we set in December and how they’re guiding us in this pandemic and election year.
If you want to take part in the movement to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism, we recommend donating to:
- National Bail Out
- Black Mamas Matter
- Find your local bail fund in this directory or donate to multiple bail funds at once here
- Crooked Media has compiled a list of organizations fighting for racial justice and made it easy to donate to them as a group
Life lately
Sarah has been playing a lot of Boggle With Friends on her phone, and Abby is doing all the gardening.
Reading Lately
Sarah read The Flatshareby Beth O’Leary and Abby read the Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore.
Eating lately
Abby enjoyed pastitsio made by her mom, and Sarah and her family tried out this cold peanut noodle salad from Budget Bytes.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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What's getting us through
With stay-at-home orders and social distancing we have had more time at home than ever before. We share some of our favorite things that are bringing us joy and helping us through this unprecedented time. Here are the links to things we mentioned in the show:
- Home Cooking podcast
- Pod Save America
- Gourmet Makes
- Call of the Midwife
- Dance Moms
- Schitt's Creek
- Cosmic Kids Yoga
- Sesame Street
- Magic School Bus
- OK Go
- Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
- Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore
- Well Met by Jenn DeLuca
- Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran and Barbara Cooney (and here on YouTube)
- Baby Present by Rachel Neumann
- Barbara's cheese puffs
- Dots pretzels (now available in many Kroger stores!)
- Orange Theory at home workouts
- Kindred Bravely Angelina nightgown
- Prisms
- Drawful
- Alphabet Go Fish
- Boggle
Life lately
Abby is loving her houseplants and Sarah is connecting with friends the old fashioned way--through phone calls.
Reading Lately
Abby read the Right Swipe by Alisha Rai and Sarah read Chanel Miller's memoir, Know My Name.
Eating lately
Sarah is reveling in throwing together easy sides for dinner, while Abby discovered an improvement to her favorite key lime pie: a ritz cracker crust.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Laundry and dishes
We review our laundry and dishes routines, product recommendations, what's working, and what's not. Links mentioned in the show:
- Planet 2x liquid laundry detergent
- Dropps pods for laundry and dishwasher
- Skoy scrubs
- Oxyclean spray stain remover
- Blue Dawn dish soap (for grease stains)
- If You Care sponge cloths
Life lately
Abby shares about Storytime Durham with Amy Godfrey, which she affectionately refers to as Plum's new preschool.
Sarah's family made a fire pit in the backyard and have been enjoying "Friday fires" together.
Reading lately
Abby read No Apparent Distress: A Doctor's Coming of Age on the Front Lines of American Medicine by Rachel Pearson and Sarah read Ann Patchett's latest novel, The Dutch House.
Eating lately
Sarah and her kids have been enjoying the ease of making Rice Krispies Treats together. Abby found an easy and delicious recipe for bean burritos.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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The pandemic has changed a lot about how we shop for food and plan meals. We discuss what those changes look like, as well as the snacks we’re enjoying and the things we might want to take forward after things settle. And we come at this topic from a place of privilege. If, like us, you’re doing okay with food, check out Feeding America for ways to help others who are experiencing food insecurity.
Life lately
Sarah upped her laundry game by investing in some new clothespins, and Abby is taking a daily walk and loving it.
Reading lately
Sarah read Such a Fun Age, fiction that takes a hard look at racism and whie supremacy, by Kiley Reid. Abby read the historical fantasy novel The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker.
Eating lately
Abby made a family favorite bean salad, and Sarah has been enjoying Instant Pot cheesecakes, particularly this key lime recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We all have things we’re proud of and things we’re not when it comes to parenting. We share some of our wins and fails, and we’d love to hear yours—parenting or otherwise.
Life Lately
Sarah is using Epic to read with her kids while the library is closed, and Abby has been pulling a lot of weeds.
Reading Lately
Sarah read Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Abby finished all the books in the Brothers Sinister series by Courtney Milan. The Countess Conspiracy was her favorite.
Eating Lately
Abby fancied up some instant ramen with veggies and soft-boiled eggs, and Sarah is loving fruit and yogurt smoothies.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Improving ourselves
We discuss what we think of the self-improvement industry generally, our favorite self-help books and resources, and what does not work for us when trying to make changes. Here are the links we mentioned in the show:
- Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
- Dear Sugars podcast
- Glennon Doyle and her memoirs (Carry On, Warrior; Love Warrior; and Untamed)
- Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
- The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
- You Can Buy Happiness (and It's Cheap) by Tammy Strobel
- Frugalwoods blog and Meet the Frugalwoods by Elizabeth Willard Thames
- The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains by Nicholas Carr
- Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Creative and Productive Self by Manoush Zomorodi
- Gretchen Rubin's podcast Happier and her books (The Happiness Project, Happier at Home, and Better Than Before)
- Deep Work and Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
- By the Book podcast
- Habitbull app
- Calm app
- Pedometer
Life lately
Pepper has reached a new milestone: walking!
HP is entertaining both himself and E with homemade arcade games, inspired by this video.
Reading lately
Abby read Dietland by Sarai Walker and Sarah read Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Eating lately
Sarah made hot fudge sauce and Abby is enjoying cabbage cooked in the Instant Pot.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We discuss whether making decisions is generally easy or hard for us, analyze our results from this quiz, share decision making strategies, and think back on memorable past decisions.
Life lately
Sarah enjoyed more structured workouts through the winter and Abby went on a family hiking adventure. Side note: we recorded this episode March 9, which is right before COVID-19 really impacted our communities.
Reading lately
Sarah read the thriller Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison and Abby listened to Jonathan Van Ness’s memoir Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love.
Eating lately
We share the food highlights of Sarah’s birthday celebration weekend.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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How we're doing in the time of COVID-19
We wanted to check in with each other and listeners to see how everyone is doing two weeks into being at home. We talk about our mental state, how we're coping, and resources for kids that we've found useful. Links we mentioned in this episode:
- Gourmet Makes
- Schitt's Creek
- Audio books through Libby and Hoopla
- The Wild Robot and The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown
- Storytime Durham
- Wonderlab Science Museum
- Sparkle Stories
- Art/Lab at Home with Ms. Kady
We are thinking of you all and hoping you are staying safe and well in this uncertain time.
Reading lately
Sarah read (and loved) The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay and Abby finished the second book of a young adult series, The Map From Here to There by Emery Lord.
Eating lately
Abby stocked up on her favorite granola and Sarah made this chocolate banana bread.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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A quick note: We recorded this at the beginning of the month, before all of our lives were upended by COVID-19. We will be recording a bonus episode (out next Tuesday) about how we are coping. May you all stay safe and healthy in this uncertain time. -S&A
Prioritizing reading
We discuss when we find time to read, why we have read more after having kids than before, what gets us out of a reading slump, and our favorite places to find reading inspiration and recommendations.
- Instagram follows with good book recs: @katejbaer @catherinenewman, and @v_solesmith
- Newsletters from Molly Westerman and Feminist Midwife
- Modern Mrs Darcy
- Hot and Bothered podcast
Life lately
Abby and Sarah share a birthday surprise Neil planned.
Reading lately
Abby read Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife's Story by Onnie Lee Logan and Sarah was inspired by Being Your Best When Your Kids Are At Their Worst by Kim John Payne.
Eating lately
Sarah made a chocolate cheesecake (but substituting this crust) in the Instant Pot using this pan.
Abby is making a bold claim: this pasta bake is the most delicious thing she has ever made at home.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We describe our current spaces, share our home related dreams (both the realistic and the not), and what makes us love the space we’re in. Here are the links we mentioned in the episode:
- Prisms
- Big Dreams Small Spaces
Life lately
Sarah is trying to invite people over more often and take the advice of this article on not worrying so much about the cleaning.
Abby went from being a no-playdough home to a playdough-loving home. Here’s the recipe Sarah’s family uses for the homemade version:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 2 tsp cream of tarter
- 1 cup water
- 2-3 drops of food coloring
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
Combine dry ingredients in a skillet, add wet ingredients, then cook on medium heat, stirring continuously until playdough begins to pull away from the pan. Remove from the pan and knead dough it’s evenly combined. Store in an airtight container and enjoy!
Reading lately
Sarah read The Duchess War, which is the first in the Brothers Sinister Series by Courtney Milan. Abby read Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest novel, City of Girls.
Eating lately
Abby’s dad made gumbo on a recent visit and Sarah made tried her hand at aloo gobi.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Marriage--what's working (and what's not)
We've both recently passed the decade mark of marriage, and thought it would be fitting to share what's been working, what hasn't, and the relationship advice we hate.
Life lately
Abby's family purchased a new vehicle (and is soliciting gold-inspired names!).
Sarah is reveling in her newly arranged living room.
Reading lately
Abby read both Shrill and The Witches are Coming by Lindy West and Sarah listened to The Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.
Eating lately
Sarah made spinach and artichoke dip as part of an appetizer themed Christmas dinner.
Abby made a quick dinner courtesy of Trader Joe's.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Today, we talk snacking preferences and then detail a week in the life of our snacks. And if you are in need of a sweet snack, we both recommend this recipe for chocolate chip cookies–easy and delicious!
Life lately
Sarah is tracking all of the things with Habit Bull.
Abby offers her commentary on Meghan and Harry. For more along these lines, check out this BuzzFeed article contrasting media coverage of Meghan and Kate, this Medium piece, and this tweet.
Reading lately
Sarah read her second graphic memoir: The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui and Abby listened to the Half-Life of Marie Curie by Lauren Gunderson.
Eating lately
Abby made a lemon blueberry loaf and Sarah had chili with all the toppings.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share what kind of sick people we are, our preferred supplies to get us through, and our most memorable bouts with illness. May we all have a healthy 2020.
Life lately
Abby gives a sleep training update and Sarah is happy to have (finally) fixed her Kitchen Aid mixer.
Reading lately
Abby read The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook and Sarah listened to Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger by Rebecca Traister.
Eating lately
Sarah made "no-peek chicken," the perfect rainy day meal.
Abby has found the sugar cookie equivalent of our favorite chocolate chip cookie.
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We share what we like about childcare, how we find it, our past childcare situations, and what we see in our childcare future. We fully recognize that as two primarily at-home parents, our perspective is limited. We’d love to hear from listeners with different experiences to expand the conversation. What has worked for you when trying to find daycares, nannies, and/or babysitters? Share in the comments below or over on Instagram.
Life lately
Sarah is doing Book Riot’s Read Harder Challenge this year and loving it. She found both Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home and Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey through the challenge. If you want to chat books with us, join us in our Goodreads group!
Abby is loving the Brandy version of Cinderella and welcomes recommendations of other non-scary, but engaging movies for preschoolers.
Reading lately
Sarah finished Katherine McGee’s American Royals and Abby read Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb.
Eating lately
Abby has a new twist to her chicken enchiladas: using salsa verde instead of the heavier sour cream sauce.
Sarah has brought back an old favorite: skillet beans.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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See you later, 2019! We are not sad to see you go. We reflect on the year that was, set intentions for 2020, and share some of our favorites from 2019. Here’s to a happier, healthier new year. Things we mentioned:
- Last year’s intentions episode (and our mid-year reflection)
- Dance Moms
- Merge Dragons
- Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Fleabag
- To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (and the sequel comes out in February!)
- Kindle Paperwhite
- Trader Joe’s Butter Toffee Pretzels
Life lately
Sarah is loving the open-ended play opportunities her kids have with neighbors and classmates.
Abby bought a house! Which may come as a surprise to listeners who have heard our previous episode on housing.
Reading lately
Sarah has a new favorite for the year, How to Be a Family: The Year I Dragged My Kids Around the World to Find a New Way to Be Together by Dan Kois (co-host of the Mom and Dad Are Fighting podcast).
Abby was in moving hell, which left no time for reading.
Eating lately
Abby is loving a cozy hot toddy.
Sarah recently learned how to cook salmon in her Instant Pot. So fast and easy!
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We take a look back at our reading life in 2019: our challenges, our wins, and our favorite books. Highlights from the year:
Fiction: Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, and Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield
Non-fiction: Bad Blood by John Carreyou, The Eating Instinct by Virginia Sole-Smith, and The Enchanted Hour by Meghan Cox Gurdon
Most enjoyable: Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas and Court of Thorn and Roses series by Sarah Maas
Memoir: All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung, Flat by Catherine Guthrie, and On Living by Kerry Egan
Audio: Becoming by Michelle Obama and the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley
Looking forward to: City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
Life lately
Sarah's entryway is getting a remodel.
Abby is grateful for her buy nothing group, especially in the days leading up to her move.
Reading lately
Abby read The Wedding Party, which is the third book in the series that started with The Wedding Date. (And we can't wait to read the next book: The Royal Holiday!)
Sarah read Bruce Holsinger's novel, The Gifted School.
Eating lately
Sarah made a classic chocolate pie for Thanksgiving.
Abby claims to have found the easiest meal you can make in your oven.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Since our last episode about minimalism was nearly three years ago, we thought it was time for an update. We share what’s working (and what’s not) along with our minimalism goals and the challenges we face in making them a reality. Resources we mentioned:
- Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
- Minimalism podcasts, including Minimalist Moms, Cohesive Home, and Practical Minimalists
Life lately
Sarah upgraded her cargo bike and now is cruising the town with electric assist.
Abby shares a new way of styling her hair–the curly girl method.
Reading lately
Sarah (and her whole book club) loved Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne.
Abby read Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell, the sequel to one of our favorites, Carry On.
Eating lately
Abby and her family enjoyed eggroll in a bowl.
Sarah made lentil taco soup with all the toppings on recommendation from Kelsey.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Travel with kids
We explore the ups and downs of life on the road, including what helps us get through long car rides and flights, travel horror stories, and what we love most about traveling as a family. Links we mentioned:
- Audiobooks, including Frindle by Andrew Clements
- Sparkle Stories, especially the Martin and Sylvia ones
- Hoopla
- Playaways from the library
Life lately
We share about our recent trip to Colorado for a friend's wedding, including an incredible surprise the groom had for his new wife.
Reading lately
Abby read The Birth House by Ami McKay, which fed her desire to read about birth and midwifery.
Sarah shares a book she read earlier in the year, Flat: Reclaiming My Body From Breast Cancer by Catherine Guthrie.
Eating lately
Sarah loves snacking on Trader Joe's marcona truffle almonds.
Abby recommends beergaritas as a great happy hour option.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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In this episode, we share our many aspirations along with a few tips for how we best make our time work for us. Resources we mentioned:
- Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam
- Screentime utility on the iPhone
- Google Keep
Life lately
Sarah has been regularly climbing at her local rock climbing gym.
Abby was happy to say goodbye to her family’s home-brewing equipment.
Reading lately
Sarah read The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Abby enjoyed the middle-grade novel To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer.
Eating lately
Sarah made a hearty cornbread from cornmeal milled at a local state park.
Abby tried a new frittata recipe and loved the heartiness the potatoes add.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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Moving
In honor of Abby's impending move, we explore how moves have gone for us in the past, what we love about them, what we hate, and a few tips we have for making the process as pleasant as possible.
We both recommend This Is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick for anyone new to a community and wanting to feel more at home.
Life lately
Plum is scooting around town on her balance bike.
Sarah's family just returned from their fourth camping trip of the year.
Reading lately
Abby flew through His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novak and can't wait to read the rest of the series. Sarah is loving Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield--a cozy, creepy read that's perfect for this time of year.
Eating lately
Sarah had an "upscale" camping meal: campfire roasted potatoes with Maya Kaimal split peas on top.
Abby enjoyed old fashioned friend chicken, courtesy of her mother-in-law.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share how we care for ourselves in hard times, what others can do to best support us, and resources for helping those close to us when they are going through something tough.
- There Is No Good Card for This: What to Do and Say When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell
- Emily McDowell cards
- Option B by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
- Vanessa Zoltan’s thoughts on suffering in Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and Hot and Bothered
- On Living by Kerry Egan
Life lately
Sarah is loving walking after school drop off.
Abby has two television shows to share: Fleabag and The Zoo: San Diego.
Reading lately
Sarah read Circe by Madeline Miller. Abby’s loving the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas.
Eating lately
Abby used up her summer squash with a three cheese squash casserole.
Sarah found a breakfast her kids will actually eat: bagels!
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We explore the idea of body positivity, how it's changed the way we see ourselves and others, how it's shifted the way we think about food and exercise, and how it influences our parenting. We are both still learning and recognize that our thin and able-bodied privilege color our perspective. Below is a list of resources we've found helpful on this journey and we'd love for you to share more in the comments so we can all continue learning together.
- Instagram follows:
- Yrfatfriend
- Megan Jayne Crabbe
- Dani Adriana
- Kate J Baer
- Podcasts
- Food Psych, especially the interviews with Lindy West, Virginia Sole-Smith, and Ijeoma Oluo
- She's All Fat
- Books
- Fck it Diet* by Caroline Dooner
- Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon
- Hunger by Roxane Gay
- Shrill by Lindy West
- The Eating Instinct by Virginia Sole Smith (and her recent NY Times article When You're Told You're Too Fat to Get Pregnant)
Life lately
Abby tried out grocery delivery, but is not yet convinced of its convenience.
Sarah is vacuum sealing all of the blankets in her house.
Reading lately
Abby read The Importance of Being Little: What Young Children Really Need from Grown-ups by Erika Christakis and Sarah tried another Kristin Hannah novel: The Great Alone.
Eating lately
Sarah has been brewing kombucha and Abby's family is enjoying "adult lunchables" for an easy dinner.
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We explore how books and reading are part of self-care, including our favorite snacks, our ideal reading experience, and how parenting and reading for self-care intersect. Here are some of our favorite books to reach for when we are in need of a self-care reading experience:
- The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
- Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
- Still Life and other Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
- Ella Enchanted and other Gail Carson Levine books
- The Wedding Date and other Jasmine Guillory novels
And if you’re looking for thoughtful commentary about romance novels in our culture, check out Hot and Bothered, a new podcast by Vanessa Zoltan and Ariana Nedelman.
Life lately
Sarah shares happy news about her health.
Abby laments her children’s inability to sleep through the night.
Reading lately
Sarah was inspired by The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon. Abby enjoyed Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak.
Eating lately
A friend of Abby’s made Chocolate Nemesis for her enjoyment.
Sarah experimented with buckwheat flour using this pancake recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We're back! We thought it would be fitting to check back in with our intentions from January and see where we are as we head into the fall.
Reading lately
Abby read (and LOVED) Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.
Sarah read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Thanks to listener Kristen for the recommendation!
Eating lately
Sarah made falafels and strongly recommends adding the suggested binding agents.
Abby was gifted an ice cream maker attachment and made this cherry garcia recipe in an attempt to recreate the Ben and Jerry's version.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We give a quick update on what's been happening in our respective families and announce that we'll be taking a break through the summer. We appreciate your support and look forward to being back in your earbuds this fall!
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Home decor
We share our style, favorite pieces, and struggles with home decor. We may not have a lot of tips to share, but we can both wholeheartedly recommend our friend Kady's shop.
Life lately
We have both been playing family games, including Hoot, Owl, Hoot!, Zingo, and Uno.
Reading lately
Abby read Kindred by Octavia Butler and Sarah finished There is No Good Card For This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell.
Eating lately
Sarah enjoyed stuffed french toast, based off this recipe.
Abby's neighbor brought over a delicious biscuit breakfast casserole.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share how we view mental health, positive influences on our mental health, our experiences with therapy, and our favorite mental health insights and resources. In this episode, we discuss:
- Light therapy lamp
- Calm app for meditation and sleep stories
- Dooce blog, especially this article
- Audio companion to Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke
Life lately
Sarah is seeking advice on the perfect paint color for her kitchen.
Abby’s found a new technique for cleaning her shower.
Reading lately
Sarah was along for the ride in Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Abby loved Jenny Han’s YA series (and movie!) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Eating lately
Abby’s family has been enjoying pigs (cows) in a blanket.
While they are as good as in Texas, Sarah’s been loving the tamales from her co-op.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share how we plan meals and grocery shop, including what's working and where there's room for improvement.
Life lately
Abby tried furoshiki to wrap Plum's birthday presents--a success!
Sarah is loving attending local theater productions.
Reading lately
Abby loved Royally Screwed by Emma Chase. Special thanks to listener Katie for the recommendation! Sarah read How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. If you want a more in-depth discussion, check out the Girl Next Door's book club episode.
Eating lately
Sarah has another Budget Bytes favorite: vegan red beans and rice.
Abby tried out two Asian dishes--beef with broccoli (a success!) and lo mein (might need some tweaks). Sarah tried this lo mein recipe and loved it.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share our favorite ways to treat ourselves, when we are most likely to indulge in treats, and frugal treats we love. And we reference this blog post: Treat Yourself: More Like Defeat Yourself by Mrs. Frugalwoods
Life lately
Sarah shares her distaste for vacation planning.
Abby’s cats are feeling cozy in their new heated bed.
Reading lately
Sarah read An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green and Abby flew through Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.
Eating lately
Abby has been enjoying frozen chocolate and almond croissants from Trader Joe’s.
Sarah’s whole family loved this enchilada casserole.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss into everything pregnancy related: what we loved, our biggest challenges, cravings and aversions, favorite splurges, and the resources we recommend.
- Maternity underwear from Kindred Bravely
- Pregnancy pillow
- The Longest Shortest Time podcast
- Mindful Birthing: Training the Mind, Body, and Heart for Childbirth and Beyond by Nancy Bardack and the accompanying guided meditations
- Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong--and What You Really Need to Know by Emily Oster
Life lately
Abby is loving prenatal yoga, both as a student and a teacher.
Sarah is happy to have invested in pelvic floor physical therapy.
Reading lately
Abby loved Nicole Chung's memoir All You Can Ever Know and Sarah finished The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Eating lately
Sarah is thankful the internet saved pizza night with this no-yeast pizza crust recipe.
Abby's whole family is enjoying chili nachos.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss our clothing buying and wearing philosophy, how we shop for clothes for ourselves and our kids, our biggest clothing challenges, and how we feel about the whole enterprise. Links featured in this episode:
- Buy Nothing groups
- Poshmark
- Kidizen
- ThredUp
- Stitch Fix
Life lately
Sarah shares a routine that is working for her family: grocery shopping on Fridays.
Abby laments that she is too pregnant to tie her shoes.
Reading lately
Sarah read The Eating Instinct by Virginia Sole-Smith and Abby listened to Us Against You by Fredrik Backman (the sequel to Beartown).
Eating lately
Abby enlightens us about the different Girl Scout bakeries.
Sarah made a cozy dish in the winter: cheesy cauliflower potato soup.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Budgeting
Many people use the new year as an opportunity to reevaluate their finances and set financial goals, so we thought it would be a good time to explore budgets and how they work in our families. We share our budgeting philosophies, challenges, tips, and resources.
- Our episode on finances
- Our Freaking Budget
- Frugalwoods Frugal Month
- Home Budget app
- Personal Capital
Life lately
Abby is using a new strategy to help Plum nap.
Sarah is now organizing her passwords with LastPass.
Reading lately
Abby read The Cactus by Sarah Haywood and Sarah enjoyed Jasmine Guillory's romance novel The Wedding Date.
Eating lately
Sarah made dragon noodles for an easy lunch.
Abby upped her yogurt game by using the Cabot brand Greek yogurt as a starter.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The new year is often a time to evaluate old routines and establish new ones. We share our feelings about routines in general, what routines we have in our lives, our routine aspirations, and routine fails.
AND we are getting ready to put new groups together for the Friendlier Reading Experience where we’ll connect you with four or five other listeners to form your own virtual bookclub. If you are interested, be sure to sign up by the end of January.
Life lately
Sarah and Abby share recaps of their holidays.
Reading lately
Sarah read Becoming by Michelle Obama and Abby read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Eating lately
Abby made a strata that froze surprisingly well.
Sarah was inspired by the Great British Baking Show to make her first yule log.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We reflect back on 2018, look ahead to 2019, and share some of our favorites from the past year.
- Visible Child article on graciousness and corresponding Facebook group
- Black Panther
- To All the Boys I've Loved Before
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- The Good Place
- The Great British Baking Show
- Kindred Bravely maternity underwear
- Tub shroom
- Bumble Ride Indie Twin
- LL Bean slippers
Life lately
Abby is officially debt free!
Sarah shares a milestone: first lost tooth for HP!
Reading lately
Abby read the first book in a trilogy: The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison. Sarah read Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver.
Eating lately
Sarah discusses the correct way to make hot chocolate.
Abby made baked brie with puff pastry.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We take a look back at our reading life in 2018: our challenges, our wins, and our favorite books of the year. We’d love to hear your favorite books of the year!
- Fiction
- Sarah: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne, An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, and A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
- Abby: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman and This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel
- Non-fiction
- Sarah: Louise Penny’s Gamache series, Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Outdoor Design by Charles Montgomery and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
- Abby: Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy
- Most enjoyable
- Sarah: Crazy Rich Asians trilogy and From Twinkle With Love by Sandhya Menon
- The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang and Hamilton’s Battalion: A Trio of Romances by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole
- Memoir
- Sarah: Educated by Tara Westover, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness by Austin Channing Brown, and When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrice Khan-Cullors
- Abby: We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated, and True by Gabrielle Union and Everything Happens For a Reason: And Other Lies I’ve Loved by Kate Bowler
- Ones that missed the mark for us
- Sarah: Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer and the Darker Shade of Magic series by V. E. Schwab
- Abby: The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
- Looking forward to in 2019
- Sarah: Re-reading Harry Potter
- Abby: Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny, Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Too by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, and Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
Life lately
Sarah reports back on her cold weather camping adventure.
Abby got to see Hamilton!
Reading lately
Sarah read There, There by Tommy Orange and Abby read the follow-up to the All Souls Triology: Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness.
Eating lately
Abby made a shepherd’s pie with her Thanksgiving leftovers.
Sarah made these brownies after a cookie dough disaster.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Graceful quitting
We share why neither of us are quitting averse, our most memorable quitting (and not-quitting) moments, quitting regrets, gracefully quitting relationships, and our thoughts on quitting books and television shows.
- Freakonomics episode on The Upside of Quitting
- Twitter thread about setting boundaries
Life lately
Abby successfully completed her longest solo-parenting stretch to date!
Sarah is headed into a cold-weather camping weekend; wish her luck!
Reading lately
Abby read Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, the first book of a fantasy fiction triology. Sarah stepped outside her usual genre and listened to the classic novel Another Country by James Baldwin.
Eating lately
Sarah is searching for simple lunches to incorporate into her family's life.
Abby is looking forward to eating roasted cranberry sauce, both on Thanksgiving and for many days after.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
With the holidays upon us, we thought it would be the perfect time to take a step back from the madness and discuss simplicity. We share how we try to find it in our schedules, stuff, relationships, and holidays. Resources we mention in this episode:
- Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
- Cohesive Home podcast
- Minimalist Moms podcast
- Joshua Becker
- Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston
- Our episode on minimalism
Life lately
Sarah's loving relaxing weekends with her family.
Abby is struggling with a moth infestation.
Reading lately
Sarah read How to Be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute by K.J. Dell'Antonia and Abby finished Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi.
Eating lately
Abby's happy to meal plan again after not being excited about food in the first half of her pregnancy.
Sarah experimented with adding cocoa to the best chocolate chip cookie recipe to make chocolate chocolate chip cookies.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Naming humans
In honor of Abby's announcement, we wanted to share how we chose our children's names, our naming styles, names that got away, and our favorite naming resources.
- Appellation Mountain
- Swistle
- Nameberry
- One Bad Nugget Facebook Group (must be a member of the One Bad Mother FB group to join)
- Baby Name Wizard Name Voyager
Life lately
Abby has big news: she's pregnant!
Sarah is on a spending spree in preparation for winter.
Reading lately
Abby read a duology by Laini Taylor Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares. Sarah finished the Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. If you want to learn about segregation and housing but aren't ready to commit to the book, check out this interview with the author.
Eating lately
Sarah is loving Dots pretzels and considering ordering in bulk.
Abby made a jazzed up version of the traditional baked potato: fiesta lentil potatoes.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We're going meta with this episode and talking about podcasts: what we love about them, when we listen, and all our favorite shows. We'd love to hear your favorite listens so we can add them to our rotation! Shows we mention:
- Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
- NPR Politics
- Girl Next Door
- Food Psych (some favorite guests include: Lindy West, Fiona Sutherland, and Alan Levinovitz)
- Death Sex and Money
- Cohesive Home
- Streamlined Motherhood
- Highs and Lows (listen to Abby's episode here)
- She's All Fat
- More Perfect
- We Live Here (especially their most recent episodes on housing)
- Still Processing
- Minimalist Moms
- Your Parenting Mojo
- Conversations With People Who Hate Me (episode on the term Latinx)
- What Should I Read Next
- Reading Women
- Not By Accident
- But Why?
- Sparkle Stories
Life lately
Sarah's been digging up weeds and planting native plants in her front yard.
Abby shares the ups and downs of her recent trip to D.C. for a conference.
Reading lately
Sarah read My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan and Abby read Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler.
Eating lately
Abby's family is enjoying spaghetti with meat sauce on a weekly basis.
Sarah has found a new breakfast favorite: avocado toast.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Friendship logisitcs
Way back in Episode 14 we talked about friendship, but we wanted to revisit the subject with a focus on how we maintain friendships and how that's changed since becoming parents.
Life lately
Abby shares her family's new toilet paper: Who Gives A Crap!
Sarah is reveling in how much smoother the school year transition has been compared to last year.
Reading lately
Abby has more romance to share, this time in the form of Hamilton's Battalion, a collection of three novellas by Rose Lerner, Courtney Milan, and Alyssa Cole.
Sarah read Girls and Sex by Peggy Orenstein, which felt particularly timely in light of the Supreme Court hearings.
Eating lately
Sarah made a dairy-free chicken pot pie.
Abby shares a brie and apple sandwich, inspired by the Fido restaurant in Nashville.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss how we approach food with our kids, what our dinnertime routines look like, and family favorite meals we didn't expect.
Links and resources mentioned:
- Health at Every Size and Intuitive Eating resources:
- Food Psych podcast
- Ellyn Satter Institute
- The F*ck It Diet
- Body Positive Panda on Instagram
- Keekaroo high chair
- Curry potatoes and eggs
- Lentil loaf
Life lately
Sarah's happy to be reunited with her Chacos after having them re-soled.
Abby shares how she and her family prepared for Hurricane Florence.
Reading lately
Sarah read Educated by Tara Westover and Abby read the middle-grade novel The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine.
Eating lately
Abby made pizza bagels--easy and delicious.
Sarah loved this lemony lentil soup as recommended on the Girl Next Door Podcast.
And don't forget to check out two great shows from our friends Melissa and Kate: Cohesive Home and brand new show The Streamlined Motherhood Podcast.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our shownotes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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From hair (we both have so much!) to skin-care (what exactly is a toner anyway?), we share our style and beauty routines and how they have changed over the years. We'd love to hear which aspects of beauty and style are worth the effort for you, and which aren't. Links featured in this episode:
- Photo on Tumbler that features this quote: "In a world that profits from your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act."
- Frugalwoods blog post and book
- Ernie Buffalo
Life lately
Abby shares Plum's transition from the Guava Lotus travel crib to a floor bed.
Sarah has a new dishwasher, which--gasp!--actually washes dishes.
Reading lately
Abby continued in the romance genre with Helen Hoang's The Kiss Quotient.
Sarah read The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir.
Eating lately
Sarah put in the effort to make a Greek salad (why is chopping vegetables so hard?!).
Abby's enjoying homemade seltzer, courtesy of Andrew's home brew supplies.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share details of our summer--the good, the bad, and the never-do-again (I'm looking at you, split red-eye flight with a toddler). We cover our childcare situations, swim lessons, and the ups and downs of traveling with kids. Leave us a comment to share what worked (or didn't) for your family this summer!
Life lately
Sarah's loving using these new containers for her kids' lunches.
Abby shares how entertained Plum is by these water beads.
Reading lately
Sarah read The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer and Abby finished Nell Scovell's Just the Funny Parts.
Eating lately
Abby's family has been eating Instant Pot baked potatoes with broccoli and cheese sauce.
Sarah tried to make sushi, but ended up with sushi bowls, which happily turned out to be just as satisfying less work than rolls.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Kids and screens
We talk about screens and media--what we watched as kids, how our families handle screen time, and our favorite resources and recommendations. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue and if you have any media we should be sure to check out.
- Screen Time as a Feminist Issue
- Lifecake app
- Babies
- OK Go!
- Sparkle Stories
- But Why?
- Brains, On!
Life lately
Abby has entered the world of e-readers with a new-to-her Kindle.
Sarah shares the tale of two hikes from her recent trip to Colorado.
Reading lately
Abby tried a new genre: romance! She loved Tessa Dare's A Week to Be Wicked.
Sarah read An American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield.
Eating lately
Sarah has been upping her popcorn game and making a version with chex mix seasonings.
Abby's whole family is enjoying tuna salad--a perfect summer food.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Have you ever wondered how we produce Friendlier? Wonder no more! In this episode we share the backstory of starting the show (including our original failed concept), what we do to prepare for each episode, our recording set-ups, and the editing and post-production that gets Friendlier to you. We mentioned lots of links and resources, but if you have other questions please reach out; we'd love to pass on what we know.
- Other resources:
- Behind the scenes episodes from the Girl Next Door and the Mom Hour
- Kelsey's blog series
- Equipment:
- Microphone
- Pop filter (It makes such a difference in sound quality!)
- Headphones
- Microphone stand
- Sound and art:
- Freesound for sound effects
- Yady Kates for our logo and header
- Audrey for intro and outro music
- Programs:
- Voxer for brainstorming
- Skype to connect during recording
- Audacity to record our files and for editing
- Google Docs and Drive to share outlines and audio files
- Pippa for hosting
Life lately
Sarah's embracing summer--swim lessons, travel, and endless park time.
Abby deleted Facebook from her phone and has no regrets.
Reading lately
Sarah readEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond and Abby finished Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy.
Eating lately
Abby's discovered the perfect summer snack: pickles!
Sarah can't get enough of this white cheese dip.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share how we made and continue to make decisions around at-home-parenting, what frustrates us most about the cultural narratives around these choices, and how we see things evolving as our kids get older.
Life lately
Abby recounts all of the effort that went into to setting up a rock box for Plum.
Sarah is celebrating being two-toilet family again. Bathroom renovation, complete!
Reading lately
Abby worked her way through a poetry collection: Oceanic by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.
Sarah thoroughly enjoyed From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon.
Eating lately
Sarah made a mushroom quiche based on Mark Bittman's recipe in How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.
Abby prepared fancy sandwiches: brie and turkey on focaccia, topped with either garlic aioli or cherry preserves.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Since we are at the mid-point of 2018, we wanted to take some time to reflect and check-in on our intentions for the year. We share what is going well, what has challenged us, and what we hope for in the second half of the year.
Life lately
Sarah learned about the trait of high-sensitivity (thanks, Abby!) and read The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron.
Abby describes her plumbing woes.
Reading lately
Sarah read the Anatomy of a Scandal by Sarah Vaughan and Abby completed the All Souls Trilogy (A Discovery of Witches, Shadow of Night, and The Book of Life) by Deborah Harkness.
Eating lately
Abby's been eating spaghetti carbonara--a family favorite and Andrew's signature dish.
Sarah's family is enjoying these banana muffins as a hearty breakfast or mid-morning snack.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our shownotes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We discuss our values around getting outside and exploring nature, how we are incorporating it in our family life now, and how we see that changing in the future. Links to things we mentioned:
- The best sun hat (for kids and adults!)
- Rain bibs
- Free Forest School
- Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
- There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather by Linda Akeson McGurk
Life lately
Abby completed some DIY car repairs that were ever-so-satisfying.
Sarah is loving reading chapter books with HP.
Reading lately
Abby read We're Going to Need More Wine by Gabrielle Union and Sarah finished Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann.
Eating lately
Sarah has been having picnic dinners with her family and bowl after bowl of the mousse Abby discussed in a previous episode (turns out, doubling it was unnecessary).
Abby enjoyed the most delicious flan you will ever eat, made for her by a friend for her birthday. (Email us for the recipe!)
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on the shownotes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share our food philosophies, history with food, thoughts about thin privilege, and how important (or not) the social aspect of eating is for each of us.
Here are the resources and links we mentioned this episode:
- Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
- Shrill by Lindy West
- Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
- Tell Me I'm Fat episode of This American Life
- Catherine Newman's blog and chicken wing recipe
- Caroline Dooner's F*ck It Diet
Life lately
Sarah has started meditating using the Calm app.
Abby gives an update on her dog, Tonks. Since we recorded this episode several weeks ago, Tonky's health declined rapidly, and we said goodbye to her on May 31. We miss her lots, and we're thankful for your support and love.
Reading lately
Sarah listened to Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Charles Montgomery, a non-fiction book about the history of our cities and how we can design and modify them to make the people who live there happier.
Abby listened to two middle-grade historical fiction novels: The War That Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won, both by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.
Eating lately
Abby made special burritos following a recipe that friends created in honor of their new baby.
Sarah shares her "fancy coffee" recipe: coffee + peppermint tea.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We walk you through the details of a day in our lives, what was atypical, and if it highlighted anything we'd like to change.
Life lately
Abby describes her plans for a royal wedding watch party.
Sarah shares how terrible she is at choosing paint colors.
Reading lately
Now that we are both up to date, we talk all about our favorite mystery series: Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache.
Eating lately
Sarah made a broccoli and mushroom casserole:
- 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
- 1 onion, chopped
- juice of one lemon
- 1 large head of cauliflower or broccoli
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- butter
- salt and pepper to taste
- three cups rice, cooked (I cook up two cups of brown rice in the Instant Pot)
- 2 1/2 cups grated cheese of your choice
Saute the mushrooms and onion in butter and lemon juice. When mushrooms and onion are soft, add the garlic and cauliflower. Continue to saute briefly and add salt and pepper to taste. Mix all of the above with rice and cheese. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Abby's been enjoying kringle (a filled pastry treat) from Trader Joe's.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We chat about how we define balance, if our lives are balanced now, whether we feel over-scheduled, and favorite resources for getting back on track if we've gotten off balance. Listeners, we'd love to hear how you find the right balance in your life.
- Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
- The Joy of Doing Nothing by Rachel Jonat
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Life lately
Sarah's kids are now using her childhood bunk beds.
Abby gave herself a new spring look by cutting bangs into her hair.
Reading lately
Sarah listened to An American Marriage by Tayari Jones, which follows the marriage of Roy and Celestial before, during, and after Roy's wrongful incarceration.
Abby loved Beartown by Frederick Backman, a novel about a small Swedish hockey town.
Eating lately
Abby is making her own chocolate mousse.
Sarah is eating whole chickpeas (gasp!), as part of a chickpea salad.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our show notes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We share what makes for a good host, our favorite kinds of hosting, what we love (and don't love) about hosting, and our stance on hostess gifts.
Life lately
Abby loved having her sister visit for an entire week.
Sarah is apparently the last person to discover audio on faster speeds.
Reading lately
Abby read This is How It Always Is, a novel by Laurie Frankel about parenting, marriage, and how one couple navigates raising a transgender child.
After having multiple friends recommend it, Sarah read The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne.
Eating lately
Sarah's put "easy enchiladas" into regular rotation in her house. Just use tortillas, refried beans, sauce, cheese, and call it good.
Abby's been eating deviled eggs, both the fancy and traditional variety. And if you haven't tried boiling your eggs in the Instant Pot, Sarah recommends it--even the freshest of eggs are easy to peel!
If you'd like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We share how closely we follow the news, our favorite (and least favorite) news sources, and our approach to talking about the news with our kids. We'd love to hear how you consume news and any favorite sources you have to share. We reference:
- 1440
- The Skimm
- NPR Politics Podcast and Up First
- Raising Race Conscious Children
Life lately
Sarah shares about her family's spring break trip to St. Louis.
Abby is teaching a childbirth education class through her yoga studio.
Reading lately
Sarah finished The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, which explores the themes of fate, destiny, and how much control we have over our lives.
Abby listened to Still Me, the third book in a popular fiction series by JoJo Moyes. (The first two are Me Before You and After You.)
Eating lately
Abby is making fancy bagels: copious amounts of cream cheese, capers, and pastrami flavored smoked salmon (thanks, Trader Joe's!).
Sarah found the perfect naan recipe.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our shownotes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We discuss our philosophy around fitness, what we like to do for exercise, how we incorporate movement in our families, and what we do to get back on track when we're in a slump. Last year we talked about our participation in organized activities and sports, so if you'd like to hear more about that you can listen here.
- Yoga with Adriene
- Mr. Money Mustache on biking in the cold
Life lately
Abby met her new niece on a recent trip to Portland.
Sarah is looking for listener tips on how to make the walk home from school more fun.
Reading lately
Abby read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, and while she found value there she is also realizing that she may need to take a break from fiction for younger readers.
Sarah finished We Were Eight Years in Power by Ta-Nehisi Coates. If you aren't ready to commit to the whole book, she recommends reading The Case for Reparations.
Eating lately
Sarah's been instituting casual dinners when Neil is working late--snacky food, fewer rules.
Abby made an udon noodle soup that was okay, but what she really wants is an easy-to-make yet amazingly delicious ramen recipe. If listeners know of such a thing, please share!
If you'd like to join in the conversation, please comment on our shownotes, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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We have a lot to say about parenting—our philosophies, reflections on how we were raised, and what aspects of parenting we like best and least. We draw parenting inspiration from many resources, but here are the ones we mentioned in the show:
- Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
- How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listenby Joanna Faber and Julie King
- RIE philosophy
Life lately
Sarah is anticipating all of the delicious food she will eat on her birthday.
Abby shares about a recent secondhand win: a new coffee table!
Reading lately
Sarah finished Jesmyn Ward's Sing, Unburied, Sing, which was this year's National Book Award winner.
Abby listened to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman.
Eating lately
Abby enjoyed a hearty taco salad.
Sarah loves these biscuits from Peter Reinhart's book Artisan Breads Every Day.
If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment on our website, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!
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This week we have a reprise of a previous episode: favorites. This time around we talk about favorite comfort foods, podcasts, french fries, and dates.
We'd love to hear your favorites in these categories. Comment on our shownotes, find us on Instagram (@friendlierpodcast), or email us!
If you like our reading section, check out the Girl Next Door Podcast Book Club! Erica and Kelsey do a book discussion every quarter, and if you’re listening, you’re in the book club. In their latest episode (out tomorrow), they’re chatting about The Keeper of Lost Things. You can also find them on iTunes and Stitcher. Happy listening!
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We've both been with our spouses for more than a decade. In this episode we share what early marriage was like, how our relationships have grown over time, how adding kids to the mix has changed things, and what we love best about our partners.
If there wasn't enough relationship talk today, you can hear us talk all about our weddings in this episode from last spring.
We'd love to hear your thoughts and philosophies on marriage and/or partnerships. Comment on our shownotes, find us on Instagram (@friendlierpodcast), or email us!
Do you consider reading to be a solitary or social activity? We discuss our experiences in virtual and in-person book clubs, how we use social media as it relates to reading, and what we love about talking with friends about books.
This episode is part of a #podcollab with the Reading Women Podcast. This week both of our shows are releasing an episode about social reading. We think Friendlier listeners will love hearing from Kendra and Autumn as they "reclaim half the bookshelf" and discuss books by or about women. Be sure to listen to their episodes, follow their beautifully curated Instagram feed, and subscribe to their show!
Learn more about what we're reading and eating, find links to the Reading Women, and sign up for the Friendlier Reading Experience from our shownotes: https://friendlierpodcast.com/reading-with-friends
Find us on Instagram @friendlierpodcast.
Thank you for listening!
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Do you see yourself as a creative person? In this episode, find out which one of us identifies with that label, and hear more about our creative lives, how we cultivate creativity, and where we look for inspiration.
Find more info about the books we're reading and food we're eating in our show notes: https://friendlierpodcast.com/cultivating-creativity/
We reflect back on 2017, how well our words for the year held up, what words we chose to guide us 2018.
Check out our show notes for more info on our latest reads and eats: https://friendlierpodcast.com/new-years-intentions-2018/
As listeners know, we love to read. We reflect back on our reading life in 2017: what we read, what we loved, what surprised us, and how the podcast has illuminated our different reading styles and preferences.
Get links to the books we read in our show notes: https://friendlierpodcast.com/our-year-in-books-2017/
'Tis the season! We share our overarching gift-giving philosophy, how we budget, collect ideas, and shop for holiday gifts, how our families handle gifts for our kids, extended family, stockings, and Santa, and whether we find gift-giving joyful or stressful.
We'd love to hear your thoughts on gift-giving and what works for your family. Email us or share them as a comment on Instagram or on our show notes: https://friendlierpodcast.com/how-we-gift
Money: the perfect topic to discuss at this year's Thanksgiving dinner. Or if that doesn't seem like it will go over well, just listen in to us talk about it! We share our philosophy around money, how we handle finances in our families, our money hangups, and our financial goals.
Check out some of our favorite resources in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/friendlier-finances/
The craziness of the holidays is nearly upon us, so we thought it would be timely to think about how we care for ourselves, how we prioritize that time, and how our perspective on self-care has changed since becoming parents.
You can get specifics about our latest reads and eats, or join in the conversation at our website: http://friendlierpodcast.com/self-care/
We discuss what our reading life was like growing up, what reading looks like with our kids these days, our favorite childhood books, and our hopes for our kids as they become readers.
Find more information about food and books we mention in this episode in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/raising-readers/
Enter our Pod-iversary Instant Pot giveaway here (closes October 31, 2017): http://friendlierpodcast.com/pod-iversary-instant-pot-giveaway/
We geek out about the joy and satisfaction that comes from finding what we need, used. We share our history with secondhand shopping, our strategies and go-to places for finding deals, and our favorite secondhand wins. Visit friendlierpodcast.com to enter our podcasting anniversary giveaway!
Find links to books, recipes, and more info in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/secondhand-wins/
We explore what communities mean to us, what communities we are a part of, the benefits and challenges of being in community, and what our ideal community would look like (commune with all of our friends, anyone?). We'd love to hear about the communities in your lives!
Find links to recipes, books, and more in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/on-community-and-communes/
This episode is part of a conversational #podroundup. These four other podcasts are also releasing an episode this week about their takes on the theme of community:
25% Friends / Sarah and Kim are 100% friends but only 25% alike. They're two girls who appreciate their similarities, respect their differences, and always find common ground. On their podcast they chat about everything from serious and deep topics like vulnerability and relationships to the fun and silly like their favorite treats and their love for their pets.
Cohesive Home / Melissa and Kate, two laid-back moms, explore the topics you most want to hear about-- family minimalism, adventuring with your kids, living by your values, and more-- all in the time it takes you to brew your morning coffee. Sometimes ridiculous, always on point, the Cohesive Home podcast puts the fun back in parenting and creating your happier, simpler home.
Girl Next Door / Listening to The Girl Next Door Podcast is like catching up with girl friends over a cup of coffee or a cocktail. Former next door neighbors Erica and Kelsey invite you to join them for candid, hilarious conversations about raising a family, marriage, living with intention, pursuing creativity, and building community.
Minimalist Moms / Minimalist Moms is a bi-weekly conversation between two minimalist-living moms, Megan Ericson and Diane Boden. Our goal is to inspire you to think more and do with less.
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We share how we use social media, how it has changed over the years, what we love (and what we don't), and how we decided what to share about our kids online. We'd love to connect with you on social media (find us on Instagram!) and hear how you use different platforms.
You can see more about the books we're reading and food we're eating in the show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/the-social-media.
We talk about how we get around now and how our transportation situations have evolved over the years. Sarah is part of a car-free family and bikes where they need to go, while Abby's is a one-car family who loves to walk and bus.
You can learn more about the gear, books, and recipes we mention in this episode in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/how-we-roll/
Want to hear the details of what we ate for dinner every night for a week? If so, you're in luck as that's exactly what we discuss in this episode. Some nights we had it together and other nights we ordered pizza or ate frozen dumplings. Thanks to The Mom Hour for a great conversation idea!
You can find links to the books we read and join the conversation here: http://friendlierpodcast.com/a-week-of-meals/
We discuss all things Harry Potter: when we started reading them, our favorite scenes, books, and quotes, and other Potter-related media. Nerd and spoiler alert!
You can learn more about the things we mention in this episode in our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/happy-birthday-harry-potter/
Sometimes things are running smoothly, other times they are a hot mess. We discuss which systems are working, which ones aren't, and who does what on a weekly basis.
Find links to books, recipes, and our favorite cleaning tools in the show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/minding-the-mess/
We discuss finding the perfect thing that exactly serves its purpose and brings us so. much. satisfaction.
For more about our perfect things, as well books and food mentioned in this episode, check out our show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/the-perfect-thing/
We discuss how place can influence happiness, as well as all the cities we've called home, and say what we did and didn't like and what we do and don't miss about each place.
More details about books, food, and this week's episode in the show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/oh-the-places-weve-lived/
We reminisce about what summers mean to us, the summer heat, what summers were like growing up, summer jobs, summer holidays, and what kind of summers we want to create for our families.
Check out our books, eats, and show notes here: http://friendlierpodcast.com/summer-times/
We divulge our favorite guilty pleasure books, food, television shows, songs, and a miscellaneous category.
Find recipes, books, and tell us your guilty and not-so-guilty pleasures here: http://friendlierpodcast.com/guilty-pleasures/
We recorded this episode in person—for the first time ever!—so what better topic than friendship? We talk making, keeping, and appreciating friends, in our pasts and now as adults and parents.
Find recipes, books, and tell us the influence of friendship on your life here: http://friendlierpodcast.com/friendlier-friendships/
Want to know more about us? Listen to this episode to hear what Myers-Briggs types we are, which of Gretchen Rubin's tendencies we identify with, and how we've changed (or not) over the years.
Find recipes, books, and links to the personality tests we took in the show notes: http://friendlierpodcast.com/getting-personality/
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We chat about what sports we played and watched growing up, in college, and as adults, as well as how we plan to handle sports with our kids.
Find this week's book and recipes in the show notes: http://www.friendlierpodcast.com/sports/
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We talk all about how we met and got together with our spouses, and what our engagements and weddings looked like.
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Our birthdays are almost exactly a month apart, with this episode falling right between them! We discuss how we celebrated as a child, in college, as parents, and how we are handling our kids' birthdays.
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We chat about family trips growing up, our favorite vacations as adults, and how we hope future travel will look.
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We discuss our favorite television shows, cheese, games, and secondhand wins. We'd love to hear your favorites!
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We describe our experiences renting and owning housing, what we've learned, and the benefits and drawbacks of both living situations.
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We describe the history of our relationships with stuff, whether or not we consider ourselves minimalists, and how great decluttering feels.
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We rehash the big things that happened in 2016, how we set intentions for the new year, and what word we chose to guide us in 2017.
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‘Tis the season! We start with our childhood traditions, then on to college, the newlywed years, and end with the traditions we are creating as adults for our own children.
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We are both avid readers and delve into what we like to read, how we read, book clubs, breaking out of reading slumps, and favorite books.
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We love to eat and we love to talk, so it is no surprise that we love to talk about eating. You might want to grab a snack before listening!
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In our pilot episode, we introduce ourselves and our podcast, as well as tell college stories—including how our friendship began.
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