DEALBREAKER vs. DISADVANTAGE

Welcome to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly.

There is not a perfect car.

And sometimes people are like,

but then you're selling, why should you settle?

I'm like, well, you have to settle

because you don't have a lot of options

and you've got three kids, sister.

And Liz.

God love bodily bras.

I love bodily bras.

I wore them throughout my pregnancies,

throughout my nursing journeys.

If I don't have to put a bodily bra on

for the next rest of my life, I will be happy.

Your mom time off starts now.

Welcome back to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly.

And Liz.

Hey, Liz.

Hey, Cal, how are you?

Well, I'm squeezing you in between church packing

and jet setting, to be honest with you.

I know.

You have kind of an exciting trip coming up.

I'm actually excited.

I'm going to Detroit tonight for like a lot of fun,

like Ford stuff, you know, like a little of this,

little that, little expedition, little car scene.

We love the Ford people too.

You know, the people at Ford are really, really nice.

Not nice enough to give me an expedition,

but they are really, really nice.

Well, that would have to be.

I'm not sure the people were talking to Ford.

That's in their abilities.

Totally.

And I am planning on schmoozing them

into getting me some lion's tickets.

And I'm just going to like stay,

like what a fun collab if they make it to the playoffs,

you know?

Yeah, totally.

Because like you said ever since you said

what are the lines with Super Bowl and like Ford invites you,

it's like, no, laser set.

Yeah, no, I know.

I just know what's going to happen for you.

I mean, it doesn't have to be Ford.

It could be someone else.

Like let's not put, let's not put who takes to the Super Bowl

in a box.

But I mean,

it's, it's Ford field.

It's owned by the Ford family.

I drive a Ford.

It's all coming up forward.

Oh, so yeah, it sounds like it probably should be Ford.

So now we just need the lines to make it to the Super Bowl.

Yeah.

Which they wiped the floor with the, who did they play?

Don't remember.

Well, they wiped the floor.

They were not memorable.

Totally.

But anyway,

totally.

So that's what I'm doing today.

What are you doing in Ford?

Oh, well, I'm doing what's called an SMT,

which stands for satellite media tour.

And I actually love doing these.

I feel like they would give 99% of the population,

like a lot of anxiety,

but they don't give me any anxiety.

She gets like excited.

The SMT is your Super Bowl.

Yes, it is.

So basically I will be in a studio and then Ford like puts out

a spot to new stations all across the country and they'll

like syndicate.

And I'll do all like,

I'll do like anywhere from like 10 to 20 live spots talking

about child passenger safety awareness month,

which is the month of September.

So they're like,

we're going to have an expedition there and like two car seats.

And then, you know,

they're just going to ask me the basic questions like how long

should you be replacing for like, you know,

just like car seat safety things, you know,

what's what's a mistake parents make?

Um,

and I'm taking Sam from mom and those car seats,

who's one of like,

who's a huge contributor contributor on the car mom team.

And although I,

it is going to be weird to not travel with you.

I am very excited to replace you with Sam.

If anyone's going to take my spot, it should be Sam.

Yeah.

And Sam is totally up for the challenge car seat wise.

And she's also like very excited.

I just think,

I think we're going to travel well together.

She is a better person to take than me for this specifically,

because there's no content to be created.

I mean, you guys will of course create content,

but like Sam is a car seat nerd for lack of a better term.

She loves car seats.

She loves child's passenger.

She's super passionate about it.

She's incredibly knowledgeable about it and about cars as well.

So she's the person to take and I'm happy you guys get this.

Yeah.

And then we get to go, you know, so we're doing that.

And then Ford's like bringing in some other influencers.

I don't know who is all going to be there.

So I'm excited to find out.

And then we're going to do like, you know, go to the test track,

go to the car seat lab,

then they're going to take us out to a fabulous dinner.

Love that.

And then the next day we're going to this like fair where they're like doing car seat checks.

And I was so worried when Ford was telling me, I'm like,

wait, do you like my doing these checks?

I'm like, no, no, no, we're bringing in like 20 different texts to check all these car seats.

So it's going to be fun.

But I'm also, I mean, you know me and Sam,

like we're going to want to get our hands dirty in some car seats.

So for sure.

You can't pass up an opportunity.

Simply cannot.

So all to say is I am excited between now and then though, so much to do.

Each one more anxiety producing than the next.

And I'm spending Libby's nap doing this,

which is probably not the best use of my time,

but it also is cause I couldn't leave the car pullers without an episode.

Totally.

Cause she will be gone at the time of the,

by the time that this comes out and on a normal recording day.

So that's why she's not here.

But that's why we're here.

So this past weekend was lovely.

We had Sloane's birth, the first birthday.

Sloane Baloney turned one and that is exciting.

And I'm very happy my daughter turned one,

but it was also very exciting and huge milestone for me

because that means I can stop breastfeeding.

Yeah.

I did it for a year.

Huge.

I was never intending to do it for a year.

Long story short.

Sloane has a f-pies, which is a type of allergy to milk and dairy.

So she could never have formula and I never found like a hypoallergenic one

that she would be willing to take.

So I breastfed her for a year also with the help of two of my friends.

They donated hundreds of ounces of milk.

So between me, which is amazing and humbling and wonderful.

Between me and them, we breastfed.

We all breastfed Sloane.

You collapsed.

We collapsed.

So yeah, I am going to celebrate by buying some sports bras

because God love bodily bras.

I love bodily bras.

I wore them throughout my pregnancies, throughout my nursing journeys.

If I don't have to put a bodily bra on for the next rest of my life,

I will be happy.

No, they are.

They're so good and then they're so bad.

And you just never totally feel like.

No, because there's no support and I've recommended the bodily.

Like I think it's called the everything bra.

I've recommended it to my friends who are pregnant or nursing.

You can't have boobs.

Like you have to be like a previously flat chested person to wear them.

So I don't give that recommendation willingly.

I used to and I realized that was a mistake, but there's no support.

I can't wait to have some support.

I can't wait to not have a thing that unlatches.

Like I just, I'm, I'm, I'm going to buy in bras.

So excited.

Are you excited to let people like do a light jog up the stairs?

Like literally like skip a step to go up the stairs, like run after my son and

not, you know, like hold my chest.

Yes.

I'm very excited.

So it's, it's, it's a huge, huge day for me.

It's huge for you.

I'm so happy that it's coming to an end.

And in case you haven't heard it, I'm very proud of you.

Thank you.

I'm very proud of you.

Thanks.

And you did what needed to be done as we all would, as we all do, but sometimes we

just don't realize what that's going to look like.

Yeah.

I think that when we got her diagnosis and finding out that she, that a, it's a

minor thing, but it's still something like you're under, I disagree.

You're, you're underselling it because it's also, it's not an intolerance.

It's not like, Oh, dairy makes her gassy.

Like if that, this is, this is a level above that.

This is a serious allergy to it.

It's a serious allergy.

I just mean that it's not like a, she's not going to die from it and be like, she will

grow out of it.

And also there's a million other worse things that could happen to your child.

No, of course.

But she, she, if she has it, even she had like, we accidentally gave her, or she

accidentally had like one and a half of those little dehydrated yogurt bites.

And that was enough to trigger an f-pies reaction, which means like two hours later

she emptied everything in her stomach very violently.

And it's just like so, so sad to see.

Um, but most kids do grow out of f-pies and it's only to dairy.

She kind of, all other food she's has.

Which is so good.

Cause when you got the diagnosis, we were, we were getting, we were nervous cause like

potatoes can be a trigger, meat can be a trigger.

Anything, mango, like anything can be a trigger.

Um, rice, like literally anything can be a trigger.

So I just say that, um, when I got the diagnosis, when I found out that I was

going to be breastfeeding for a year, it felt really heavy.

And it was like, oh my gosh, how am I going to get through this?

And I just knew that you do and you will.

And if you are experiencing something that you're looking at an uphill battle, it's like,

you just got to take it one day at a time and like you will get through it because

you don't have a choice.

So while that might sound harsh, it's the reality.

So you, you can do it and you can, and you can do hard things.

Totally.

Um, yeah.

Well, we made it.

Now both the girls are a year.

We are officially like out of, I mean, I wouldn't say.

How long can you claim postpartum?

I think it's two.

Well, okay.

I think like they say two years is when like everything goes back to normal.

Like your hormones, your,

Oh, I've heard it's like six years.

Oh, is it?

Oh, why, why do I feel like I've heard that too?

Where'd I get two years?

I don't know.

I would say.

But like if you're still claiming to be a postpartum six years.

Yeah, I know.

I agree.

I think you get like a year.

I think I think you get two years.

I think you get two years.

Cause like, I don't think I should be expecting.

I mean, I don't think you ever have to have to go back to who you were before,

but like with things are still not perfect.

Well, and true.

If you are like breastfeeding as well, like that feels postpartum for a really

long time, because like again, haven't worn a sports bra on in two years.

Yeah.

So, okay.

But anyway, the girls are gain older.

I'm very, very much looking forward to Libby's 18 month birthday because

do you know what that will signify?

That will be what the longest time that you haven't been pregnant or what?

So I've never had a 19 month old and not been pregnant.

Oh, when did you get pregnant with Fred?

How old was Hattie?

Hattie was 18 months old.

Was she?

And that's my biggest gap.

Wow.

So.

Wow.

I gotta have the little check on my math, but I think I'm pretty sure I'm right.

So anyway, I've never had a 19 month old without being pregnant.

So I'm like very, and I was talking to a friend who kind of had a similar

trajectory to me and now her baby's two.

And she's like, I've never had two real not pregnant.

Like it's so much easier.

Like I'm not tired.

I can keep up with her.

Wow.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

So I'm really looking forward to that milestone.

I mean, to see your product productivity level with still having still being

postpartum, if you will, having a one year old and other three other kids.

I mean, I don't even know who you're going to be when Libby's 18 months.

Thank you.

I did want to address because I've seen this in the Carpool Facebook page a

couple of times when you gave me the, the such kind compliment that my house

is always hosting ready and how we do it.

Oh yeah.

I do want to clarify like it's not always.

I mean, Elizabeth was kind to say that, but like it's definitely gets messy.

Also my husband pulls his weight.

And I say that because like I'm not doing it myself.

Like Tyler actually really enjoys to clean.

Like he likes to spend his Sundays cleaning.

I know I'm blessed.

Like Kelly.

Kelly's not vacuuming the floor.

Tyler's vacuuming the floor.

Tyler's fine-coating the floor.

Like Tyler's keeping it clean.

Like you, I feel like you're doing the tidy.

Like you're cleaning up the dishes after breakfast.

But like doing the nitty gritty, like getting in the crevice.

And like if we are hosting like Tyler and I, what we can,

we call it sweeping and like the way that we just,

the thing is we stay in our own lane when we're tidying.

So like things just happen quickly.

And we have a cleaning lady.

So like I just do want to give that precious like,

like I got the, the, the, the benches stacked.

So like don't,

your basements,

your basements not is usually kind of trashed with toys.

The kids rooms are usually pretty trashed from their own doing,

but like you, you do what you've done is you don't keep a lot of toys on the main floor.

We don't keep toys on the main floor.

And I think that is really helpful except for in the sun room.

Except for us in the sun room.

And I, and I'm good about rotating that.

So we, there only have the Paw Patrol up.

We only have the cows up.

And again, I think I attribute that to the atrium rant,

but like, which like if you ever build a house,

like I'm sorry, build an atrium ranch,

I think it's the best floor plan ever because you have an amazing open air basement.

Because like the way that an atrium ranch works is like,

if I'm in the living room, I can see the basement floor.

Like it's open concept in that, in that capacity.

And it really has made it a lot easier for the kids to like go downstairs

and feel like they're in a different room,

but like they're not in like a dark, scary basement.

Like I was so scared of our basement growing up.

Me too.

Yeah.

So, um, and also a ranch is just like the basements huge in a ranch too.

Cause the main floor is so long.

So like the foundation is born.

Ranch is are the move for sure.

Yeah.

I'm just, I'm, I'm very happy with it.

So I wanted to give that context, but outside of that though,

I have kind of gotten like rave reviews over the episode.

So I'm very excited about that.

And I got a lot of messages saying that people hosted for the first time,

which made me very, very happy.

And someone said like it's not hosting.

It's just like gathering, like in people to gather.

And it was so funny.

Like I got some comments because I posted like my hosting must haves

on the carpool, like all my, my Amazon page.

And everyone's like, it's so refreshing to see like paper plates

instead of like the best Mackenzie child's platter.

And I'm like relatable.

Like it's just, you know, it's not, this is not,

I'm not doing a table scape.

We're doing, I might pick up grocery store flowers and put them somewhere.

Yeah.

But like this isn't giving table scape.

And I do think maybe one day I will enter into more of my dinner party era.

And I'm sure I'll make that a micro, if not a macro hobby,

but I'm years off from that.

Years.

Yeah.

Decades.

Maybe.

Yeah.

I don't know.

I don't, I don't see a table scape for you over in your life.

Well, I would like to maybe start taking over a holiday every once in a while.

Yeah.

But yeah, cause I feel like you are gathering.

You are taking over a very important holiday this year,

which is Sloan's birthday party because I'm hosting.

I'm the hostess.

I thought I was going to be moved into my house.

We're having her birthday like this upcoming weekend.

I thought Kelly, I was going to be in my house and I'm not.

So Kelly is so graciously hosting Sloan's birthday.

Yeah.

The birthday banner come in.

The birthday banner.

I need to actually, I got a notification was delivered to the mailbox.

Um, I do want to talk over like roles and responsibilities.

Yeah.

Of like what, of like what, but we can do it offline.

But like, I'm just going to know like what you're expecting out of me.

And I'm happy to do whatever that is.

I'm really expecting like a location and a birthday banner.

If it came in the mail, we could like throw it up.

Yeah.

Okay.

So anyway, I'm very excited.

Um, okay.

Speaking of houses, this is so funny.

We got a text from our old neighbor.

So we used to live in a classic neighborhood, like just classic,

like classic suburbia.

And we really actually loved it.

We never got like super close to our neighbors just because like no one was,

they were all older.

Just everyone who lived on our street or like didn't have kids our age.

Um, but they were still all nice people.

Like, you know, and we were, what we, what we are is we're good neighbors.

You know, we don't do anything.

I mean, except for like the fact that I would have like a lot of press cars out

and started that house at one point.

Um, we were good neighbors.

The new neighbors, the people who bought our house are so holiday.

Um, they're so festive.

So festive.

They're so festive.

You can't see the yard because it's so full of skeletons and Halloween decorations.

Yeah.

Now a couple of things with that.

One, I don't love, I don't like demonic decorations.

Sorry.

Like it's, it's a family neighborhood too.

And you know, I'm, I'm not talking like the giant skeleton walking the dog.

Like, okay, that's cute.

But it's just like, I don't like to see what looks like bodies hanging.

Like it's just like, that's like such a level of like there's children in this neighborhood.

Like parents are trying to take a walk.

Like you on your garage or you have it, the clown plastered, like so scary.

And let's give it context.

Like it's September 20th.

It's one thing to put that up like the weekend of Halloween.

Put it at the week.

If you want to have the haunted house that kids have to be brave to go up and get candy.

Sure.

But I'm sorry.

You can keep it.

Like you don't have to have it out all September, all October, all September.

They're going to have their, my neighbors are going to be looking at this scary it thing,

all these skeletons, these like, these crazy decorations.

Again, we lived on 0.4 of an acre.

Like I cannot express to you how covered this lot is.

And I'm just saying, I think it's a little early.

Yeah.

I mean, put a pumpkin out.

I mean, like put a pumpkin out if you're, if you're feeling so inclined and put a pumpkin

out.

And I just think also like, I just don't like the horror.

Cause like then it's again, it's Sunday.

It's September 21st.

It's Sunday afternoon at 4pm.

You're trying to take a little stroll with your family.

And like that's what you're seeing.

I don't know.

Yeah.

I feel like, I feel like, like where's the HOA?

Like this is where I would like them to get a little bit more involved.

Yeah.

Like can we have some sort of rules and regulations on like you can't do full beats until October

5th?

Yeah.

I mean, yeah.

At least October.

We haven't done our hay bale pumpkin yet.

I'm not rushing.

No, there's no, I mean, it's also still 90 degrees outside.

So it's just like so weird to see.

Um, not hate it.

I think October 1st is an appropriate time to put Halloween decorations out.

Um, and also I'm just like, where are you storing this?

All of this stuff.

Well, I mean, I lived in the house for a long time.

So I, I, I can imagine, I guess.

I know I'm trying to think about like they looked at your basement and saw that like

spare bedroom in your basement.

It was like, this is going to be a perfect spot to store all of our skeletons.

Yeah.

Totally.

All I can imagine.

So that happened.

And then aside from that, the other, but like one way that I do celebrate fall internally,

um, is I made my first soup of the season.

Oh, did you ham and bean?

No.

Oh, well, you were just like talking it up a store.

So I didn't do ham and bean actually for a very specific reason.

So one of my good friends who lives very close to me just had a baby, her third baby.

And, uh, if I was going to make soup, I was just going to double it and like take her

some.

And she has, she got bit by a tick five years ago and developed a red meat allergy.

No.

So she can't have ham, beef, deer.

That's my, that is my nightmare.

It's my nightmare too.

She goes into anaphylactic shock if she does.

I know.

So I made chicken noodle.

Oh gosh.

I made chicken noodle.

Um, and then I, but then I was, I need to talk to her because.

And I was like, I'm sure she knows how to read the labels cause she's had this allergy

for a long time, but I sent some like, um, clean symbol eats protein powder.

But then I'm like, I wonder if she can have that cause it's not vegan, but I'm like,

is it just the meat or like, can you not?

Yeah.

It's good because it's not the meat yet.

That would be like milk.

Yeah.

So I just didn't have milk.

Yeah.

No, but no, no, no, but the, but the protein powder is not made out of the dairy.

The protein powder is made out of the cow.

Oh, is it?

Yeah.

Okay.

I don't know.

I think we say grass fed, it's grass fed, grass fed, whey protein.

I don't, turns out I have no idea what whey protein is made out of.

So anyway, I made chicken noodle.

I would say my chicken noodle recipe for as is my worst soup.

So I am, it was good.

It was homemade.

I, you know, I did it up right.

I had fresh time.

I did the butter.

I chopped, chopped carrots and celery.

I didn't even get frozen.

Like I did it up right.

I just, it just doesn't have to say Jenna said qua as my other soups.

Yeah.

And maybe that's just the nature of chicken noodle.

Yeah.

I'm not a chicken noodle girl, but one thing I'm going to perfect kind of like my new

micro hoppy, if you will, is I want to get on the chicken and dumplings grind.

Okay.

Chicken and dumplings.

What is a dumpling?

Why is it so much better?

It's so much better.

And we are doing crocktober this year and I am going to participate full fledged.

So I hope everyone joins.

And the first to crocktober spoiler alert is chicken and dumplings in the crock pot.

Very, very, very.

Yeah.

I'm excited about this.

Cause chicken and dumplings, again, I don't even know what it is, but like, what is a

dumpling?

It's like, it's like, it's just more doughy.

It's a more doughy noodle.

Well, what is a dumpling?

Chicken noodle just leaves you wanting more.

So then I did send some crescent rolls.

Cause again, it's like, it leaves you wanting more.

Um, yes, it does.

You kind of like need a side.

Totally.

Oh, also I just like wanted to circle back that way protein is a byproduct.

Um, uh, it's a mixture of proteins found in milk.

Oh, so I'm wrong.

So you're wrong.

Okay.

So it's like grass fed through the milk.

Okay.

I don't know.

You know how they say like jello is made out of hooves?

Like I just, I don't know.

I'm not, I'm not keeping it.

I'm not keeping up with the science.

I don't know.

In the same capacity that I should.

Um, I'm not always here to ask questions.

I'm here to read ads and consume products.

You know.

So anyway, chicken, my sites are set on chicken and dumplings.

The weather is breaking.

It's going to rain.

It's going to get down to 70.

And your girl is dusting off the crock pot.

I'm actually in the market for a new crock pot.

Interesting.

Um, mine is just very old and it's, it's very old.

And I guess it's more of a vanity thing for me.

It's like, I don't enjoy taking a photo of it when I hasn't been in the

crock pot.

Cause it's, it's old.

It's probably nine years old and I've used it a lot.

Um,

I'm going to aesthetically pleasing crock pots on the market.

I think I'm looking for something just a slightly more aesthetically pleasing.

I'm going to take better care of it.

Um, I think it's getting, I think it cooks a little inconsistent.

Like I think one side gets a little bit hotter than the other side.

So I'm not ready to like, I'm not ready to, to do anything yet,

but I'm just wanting everyone to know that.

Something that I just have to say about crock pots because I felt like

such an idiot and just used my Instagram stories as essentially a Google search

because I was making, um, uh, uh,

Oh, I know what you're talking about.

Yeah.

I pulled pork in the crock pot and I instacarded and you can never instacard

it because you never know what they're going to give you.

She gave me a huge, it was ginormous pork butt.

So I cut it in half, put it into two crock pots.

Um, and there's just, anyway, I was just like asking all these questions on my

Instagram stories and someone was like, something that I do is I will put it in

my Dutch oven and put it in the oven.

And I'm like, sometimes you just have to remember that like a Dutch oven is the

same thing as a crock pot.

But in my mind, I'm like the only way I can make this is in the crock pot.

And that's just not true.

First of all, it's, the oven is so much classier.

Like so much classier.

I'm telling you, if I'm hosting, it's going to, like that's the idea.

That's if I'm home or to think if you're home, cause I wouldn't, I don't know why,

like I won't leave something in the oven and leave that would be crazy.

I would leave something in my crock pot, but if you're just home on a Sunday,

it's going in the, it's going in the Dutch oven.

It's so classy.

You have your oven mitts.

Dutch ovens are beautiful.

So yeah, I just, maybe I'll try and do a lot of the crock toppers.

Maybe I'll take the spit on doing them in the Dutch oven.

Oh, I love that idea.

Just for fun.

Okay.

I love that idea.

Do you want to answer an advice question?

This one's for you.

I would love to.

Okay.

Hi Kelly.

I'm looking for some advice on my current car situation.

I currently drive a 2022 Hyundai Palisade that I love.

I bought this car after doing tons of research and watching your reviews.

Unfortunately, when I bought it, when I bought it, I had to buy a new car due to

being pregnant and not being able to fit three kids in my Honda Accord.

In doing so, given the time I bought it, there were significant markups on vehicles

over MSRP.

Mine was one of them.

Fortunately, we don't have negative equity since we had a lot of equity to roll over

from the Accord trade-in, but I hate making an almost $700 car payment each month and

we still have three years in payments left.

On top of this, I just started an event planning such as balloon business post site

hustle summer, which requires me to use my trunk space frequently.

We also use our third row frequently as well, so that's not really negotiable.

Having said all that, what do you recommend I do?

Is my Palisade worth continuing to pay almost $700 a month for the next three years?

Or should I trade it in and get something cheaper that still suits my needs?

For reference, we will not be having any more kids.

My current ages are 17, eight in a booster seat, three rear-facing.

This is very interesting.

She said she has equity, so she's in an equity position.

She doesn't have negative equity.

This is one tale as old as time because we talk about this all the time.

People love to only focus on the payment they're making for the new car, but then

you have to realize that's the same car.

If you're financing for seven years, you're going to be making the same payment in six years.

That's where people start to get the willies because it's like, I could go get a new car,

a brand new car for less than this or for the same price, which is why leasing is

an option that exists.

It's so hard to ... I hate whenever I talk about leasing, people just tend to center themselves

a little too much sometimes, I think, in the conversation.

People don't realize the amount of people who are getting a new car, who are trading

out of their vehicles.

People are doing that, and you really need to be super honest with yourself and understand

if that's you, that's okay, but make a good decision.

Anyway, in terms of this girl, I think it's hard because ... If you have equity, I don't

think going out and going to buy a used minivan is a bad idea.

There's not another SUV that I think would really change your life and get you a lot

better of a deal and give you a lot more space.

I probably wouldn't tell you to go something full-size and lower the payment.

I think that would be harder to do, and then we would have other questions.

The problem is the full-size SUVs, just the older you get, the less reliable they get,

so it's not always my favorite, but I think a 2019, 2020 Honda Odyssey, okay.

If you want to get out of it and you want to lower your payment drastically, okay.

I think what I think is a good idea is you'll downgrade in some features and some aesthetics,

sure, but you'll upgrade so much in space where I think you'll feel like it's worth it.

And upgrade in all the funds that you'll be saving every month.

Right.

I mean, if you're like, gosh, an extra 400 bucks a month, what could I go do with that?

Something to think about.

For the next three years?

Yeah.

For the next three years, yeah.

But I think if you're in an equity position, you'd have to go older though.

Don't get yourself into another $700 payment because then you're going to have for six years.

That's the same thing.

But I do think a mini-man would give you the upgrade you're looking for while still lowering

the payment, so I would tell you to go get a Honda Odyssey.

I just think that's, and I've said this a hundred times about the Odyssey.

They couldn't be bothered to change it.

It's literally a game of spot the difference.

Literally a game of spot the difference on those cars.

So whatever year, I would just go find the right deal.

You could even get the highest trim.

I would just go find the right one.

And as a mini-van mom myself, I cannot more highly recommend.

I just bought some chairs off Facebook Marketplace, dining chairs, and we were going to put them

in Maddie's truck to bring them back to our house.

And I put my third row down and took everything out.

I can literally fit four dining chairs and other stuff in the back of my truck trunk

with the third row down.

It's amazing.

Love mini-vans.

Cannot speak highly, more highly of them.

Okay.

Speaking of Hyundai Palisade, that's actually a great segue to industry news because wowza.

Hot tea in the auto industry.

This story is from Edmunds.

Hyundai is recalling nearly every Palisade for a seat belt issue.

More than 500,000 vehicles are potentially affected.

The seat belt in the outboard seats of the first and second row may not properly latch.

If not properly latched, the seat belt may not restrain you in a crash.

So according to NHTSA, the seat belt buckles in the driver, passenger, second row window seats may fail to latch.

This is a huge recall affecting nearly every Palisade the company has ever sold.

Passengers are advised to insert the belt firmly into the buckle with a quick and direct motion

pulling on the belt to confirm the seat belt is fully secured.

So the good news with this is like if it's buckled, it's buckled.

I guess the problem is like people are clicking in and thinking it's buckled and it's not.

Again, probably a very, very small percentage.

So do not freak out.

It's not a stop drive.

It's not a stop sale.

Like it's still safe to drive.

I just told you what to do.

Just confirm.

So buckle it and then pull it to make sure that it's clicked.

Okay.

That's like kind of a crazy one.

Yeah.

You know, we always just like everyone has a recall.

I know.

They're exa...

Honestly, I used to like try to cover them more on the car.

But like they're just exhausting to keep up with.

It's exhausting.

This one, this is a good one, not a good one.

It's a bad one.

But this is like a, okay, if you have a Palisade, go test this out.

Yeah.

If it doesn't work, there's, you know, go look up what you need to do.

And if it does work, then you're fine.

Totally.

But like definitely something to note.

Okay, next story.

Like I feel like I'm the only person in the world who would care about this,

but you might.

Nissan cancels the Aria Electric SUV from 2026 model year onward.

Yeah, I saw this.

The automaker shifting resources previously allocated to the Aria

to the upcoming Leaf EV.

Nissan cancelling the Aria even though its sales figures have been growing

slightly year over year.

Production of the Aria of the United States is being paused

with no official plans to resume.

I'm just so shocked by this because like however many years ago at the New York

Auto Show, like the Aria was the names on everybody's lips.

Like there was a Razzle.

There was Dazzle.

There was displays.

Like I've had several as a press card.

They've been first.

Like they've had this super big push for this car.

And now it's just done so.

Yeah.

And looking back like Nissan should just work on improving the Leaf

because like people like the Leaf actually like for what it is.

Also it's like it's kind of a good name for an electric car.

I think it's kind of cute.

It's a great name for an electric car.

Like the Leaf is a cute name.

Nissan's just, you know what Nissan's having?

They're having an identity crisis.

They are.

And I think that, yeah, like put all your EV brains and power into the Leaf.

Like you need one, I guess.

And like they're talking about bringing the XTERRA back, like refine the XTERRA,

refine the Armada.

Like there's so much you can do to make it there.

Hire us to market the Pathfinder.

Like we're literally the only, we're never not, we're never not gassing up the Pathfinder.

We're never not gassing up the Pathfinder.

I have no notes.

I have no notes on the Pathfinder and like I have notes on the Kia Carnival

and I just went on a rant about how much I'm loving the minivan.

Like what's your note on the Kia Carnival?

It's an unforgettable note and it is the volume button.

So in the Carnival they have.

It's all new Kia's.

I don't know if it's on the tell you right, but it's for sure on the Sorento.

Yeah.

There.

So where the climate control is, it has the knobs and you can, you can raise

or lower the temperature, but the same knob is used to turn the volume up or down,

but you have to press an additional button to turn the volume up or down.

So what has happened and why is this unforgivable?

If I want to quickly turn my volume down, I can't quickly do it.

So I plug my phone in.

Oh my gosh, music is blasting.

Kids are sleeping.

I go to like quickly turn the volume down.

You can't do it.

You're turning down the air because you're turning down the air and people say,

well, you can turn it down this year.

Well, okay.

Well, I don't naturally do that when I'm in a rush.

Like, oh my gosh, like I go to reach for the volume knob.

It's an unforgivable feature.

I absolutely hate it.

Unforgivable.

Now is it a deal breaker?

Is it a disadvantage?

We've been talking a lot about that over on Instagram.

Yeah, it's a disadvantage.

It's a disadvantage because of everything else that the Carnival has to offer for the

Sorento.

I mean, it's a deal breaker.

Totally.

Like, no, I wouldn't buy the Sorento.

There's a lot that the Carnival has to offer that not other cars have.

So I will live with it.

Oh, that's so interesting.

No, that is a good point because like you could, I don't know, the Sorento is pretty

unique in some ways.

Yeah, but like, no.

Well, it is because it's like a really cheap three-path through your SUV.

Okay.

Wow.

No, but I hear what you're saying.

I hear what you're saying.

Yeah, that's very interesting.

I've been loving the deal breaker disadvantage talk.

I feel like actually it's going over really well.

And people in my personal life have been telling me that they're really enjoying it also.

And if you haven't heard me talk about it on my stories, it's just the idea that like,

you know, this can be used to anything.

I honestly can be used for house shopping for like a lot of things in your life, any

big decision.

But like, I think sometimes we get so hung up and like things we don't like about it,

but then you need to go the extra step and be like, okay, but is that a deal breaker?

And things can exist.

Like you cannot, I'm sorry, you cannot like things about your car.

And especially in the family car market, there is not a perfect car.

And sometimes people are like, but why, like, but then you're selling, why should you settle?

I'm like, well, you have to settle because you don't have a lot of options and you've

got three kids, sister.

You've got three kids in a 20K budget.

Like you're not getting everything.

You're not getting everything you want.

You're not different.

You have to prioritize what's important.

And not everyone's going to get everything they want.

But the most important thing is that you're getting a safer, reliable car that fits your

family.

So that's where I just think, but to, but to that point, I mean, you can still have

preferences and some people's preferences will be deal breakers.

Like I know several people who will not buy a car without a sunroof and like it doesn't

matter.

They that is a deal breaker for them.

I prefer to not have a sunroof.

I'm not a big sunroof person.

Tyler loves it.

I do like it.

But I, I say I like it, but then I never have it open.

You know what I mean?

I don't like it.

I, I would prefer to not have one.

I would save the month.

Well, I don't buy a car, but I would, I would prefer to save the money.

But anyway, Liberty has since woken up.

Yeah.

No, she has.

She's here too.

I do have to kind of make haste.

Okay.

Well, we can make haste.

So we can do ditch the drive-thru where we give you an easy dinner recipe to mix it up

to get you out of your dinner rut.

Yeah.

I'm a little bit so cute.

First of all, have you ever seen like such a cute kid?

Oh, can you say hello?

Yeah.

You know what?

Libby got for her birthday that has been having to rave reviews.

You need to buy it for your kids for Christmas.

It's the talking cactus that like mimics whatever you say back to them.

At your house.

That thing is incredibly annoying.

It's they love it.

Yeah.

They love it.

They do.

It's super annoying as an adult though.

Okay.

So my ditch the drive-thru, it's nothing new, but it is something that I just like to bring

across everybody's desk every couple of months.

And just give me a second.

I would like to do in the same way we do like Crock-Tober, you know, Thaugus, One Pan

Jan, I'd like to do a ground beef edition for us girls that have so much ground beef

in our freezer.

So much ground beef.

Anyway, ground beef, name a more, it's an incredible protein.

Could it, it's even better than chicken because it cooks so much faster.

Like it is the king of weeknight meals is ground beef.

Like that's just, that's a fact.

I agree.

So I love thinking about what I can do with ground beef.

Like you've got your tacos, you've got your spaghetti.

You know what I'm going to say.

It's the sloppy Joe's.

Oh, both.

Both.

I mean, there she goes again.

We made Iowa Slingers, AKA sloppy Joe's the other day.

They're unbelievable.

I've heard about Iowa Slingers.

So funny.

Kelly and I rebranded, if you're new to the podcast, Kelly and I rebranded sloppy Joe's

because it's like the worst name you could possibly come up for anything.

Like how do you sell a sloppy Joe to a kid?

Like it was sloppy Joe's.

No.

So we looked up where they originated Iowa.

So we named them Iowa Slingers.

And Slingers felt just like a sandwich name.

So they're Iowa Slingers.

So we had Iowa Slingers.

All my kids hammered it.

And you know what I did?

I put mine over a sweet potato like a lady.

Yeah.

Totally.

And it was delicious.

Yeah.

Okay.

Next I want to do a sloppy Joe ring.

You know how I'd like to do the, like we do the taco ring.

The taco ring.

That sounds delicious.

I'm thinking.

Write that down.

Okay.

Adding a sloppy Joe ring would be real nice.

Iowa Slinger ring.

All right.

Add that too.

Iowa ringer.

Slinger ringer.

All right.

I'm making an Iowa ringer this week for dinner.

100%.

Yeah.

You know, I think it'd be good.

So anyway, I just.

Okay.

So what's going to be our month?

Like we have to do like beef up November, like beef something.

We have to do a ground beef edition.

And I do think it should be surrounding the holidays or post holidays because

there, it's always an easy dinner recipe.

With beef.

And it's like, yeah, like usually like pretty healthy.

I want to get in, you know, I'm such, I'm such a soup girl.

I need more ground beef soup recipes.

I need to do a taco ground beef soup because I do the, the tour.

I do like a tortilla soup, but it's chicken.

I have a, I have a stuff peppers.

I have a stuffed pepper soup recipe that I love.

That's with ground beef.

I, I've never found like an Asian ground beef recipe that I'm obsessed with,

but I'd like to.

Like there's so many possibilities.

So many possibilities.

We need to branch out.

And like, I know not everyone will participate because I know like my

poor friend who can't have red meat and some people just don't eat red meat.

But for those of us swimming in ground beef or like who just want to buy,

I mean, it's just, again, it's such a versatile protein and it's cheap.

And I also like it because you can fill it.

Like, so you can do a pound of ground beef and a can of black beans and I

could probably feed my, at least my kids and myself with rice with ground

beef rice.

Like it just, it's easy to beef up, beef up.

Easy to beef it up.

Okay.

Well, Kelly, Iowa ringer is an excellent ditch to the drive through that one kind

of came to you like in the middle of it.

And I'm so happy I did.

I'm going to go make that tonight.

So, okay.

Yo, and with that, that is going to be our podcast.

So Kelly safe travels.

Can't wait to see everything that you're doing in Detroit.

Have so much fun with Sam and we will talk to you all next time.

See ya!

DEALBREAKER vs. DISADVANTAGE

Ford Expedition

Hyundai Palisade

Honda Accord

Honda Odyssey

Tata Motors Aria

Nissan Leaf

Nissan XTerra

Nissan Pathfinder

Kia Sorento

About this episode

Original notes