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 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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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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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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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
• F*ck 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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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!

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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!

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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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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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 read Evicted: 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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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!

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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!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more 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!

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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!

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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!

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