They’re talking about an event they attended in Chicago that was connected to Capital One. It’s just part of the story of their weekend, not about cars.
Concept
decluttering book
They’re talking about a book meant to help them organize and get rid of clutter. It’s mentioned because it’s what one host listened to on the drive.
It means you help someone today, and instead of asking them to pay you back, you hope they’ll help someone else later. Here, they’re suggesting small acts like buying the next person coffee or being extra polite.
It’s just being polite and making it easier for someone to get through a door. They’re using it as an example of a small kindness that can really matter.
It means putting the shopping cart back where it belongs. They’re saying it’s a small thing that can really help someone who’s busy with kids.
Concept
break the fourth wall
It means you stop acting like you’re in a “private bubble” and instead acknowledge what’s happening around you. Here, she’s saying she tries to talk to people on trips rather than ignoring them.
It’s a thought experiment about two people making choices while not being able to talk to each other. The tricky part is that what’s best for you depends on what the other person decides.
It’s a famous “what would you do?” scenario where you have to make a hard choice quickly. You usually have to choose between saving fewer people or more people.
“Trade it in” means you sell your current car to the dealership and use that amount to lower the price of the next car. What they offer can change depending on things like mileage and how long you wait.
They’re talking about a 2021 Honda Odyssey—the minivan they own. The conversation is about when it makes financial sense to sell it and buy something else.
“Brakes” here refers to the braking system components being recently replaced, which can improve the car’s condition and perceived value. Fresh brake work can also reduce near-term maintenance costs for the next owner.
They’re talking about how your car usually loses value the longer you keep it. So selling sooner can get you a better trade-in price, but waiting a little longer might only change the offer by a small amount.
They’re talking about a 2021 Toyota Sienna. It’s a minivan built for families, with seats in the front, middle, and often a third row for extra passengers.
Car seats are the safety seats for kids that are strapped into the car. Where they fit (and how much space they take) affects whether everyone can sit comfortably together.
The third row is the back row of seats. They’re trying to figure out if the third row can fit their whole group comfortably.
Term
bench slash third road
They’re talking about the type of seats—like a long bench seat in the middle—and the back row. Seat shape and width matter a lot when you’re trying to fit multiple kids and car seats.
“Three across” means putting three people next to each other in one row. With kids, it’s tricky because car seats and boosters need enough space and the seatbelts have to work properly.
The Lotus Excel is a sports car designed for driving that feels exciting, including on longer trips. It’s made by Lotus, a company known for performance cars. The name “Excel” is associated with this specific model line.
This refers to a safety award from a crash-testing organization. The host is saying the Sienna doesn’t have the very top safety rating they’re expecting.
“Brand loyalists” are people who really stick with one car brand. The hosts are talking about how that loyalty can make people respond defensively to criticism.
The Jeep Wrangler is an SUV made for off-road driving. It’s popular with people who like taking their vehicle on trails and rough roads. It’s also known for its recognizable shape.
Boosters are child car seats that help a child sit at the right height for the seat belt. They can take up space, so it’s smart to plan around them.
Concept
camping and hauling
They’re talking about using a vehicle for road trips where you bring lots of stuff for camping. That often means you need room for gear and maybe the ability to pull a trailer or carry heavy items.
Concept
something always breaks
They’re saying that on trips like this, something tends to malfunction. It’s not just driving—it’s also running lots of systems, so problems can pop up.
Concept
money pits
They’re using “money pit” to mean something that keeps costing money. With RVs, that can be repairs and other unexpected problems.
The Audi A8 is a big, high-end Audi sedan. When people say it’s selling poorly, it usually means fewer buyers are choosing that kind of luxury car right now.
Genesis is Hyundai’s luxury vehicle brand. When people say “Hyundai Genesis,” they usually mean cars made under the Genesis name. It’s brought up when discussing luxury models and how well they sell.
The Genesis GV60 is an electric SUV, meaning it runs on electricity instead of gasoline. It’s made by Genesis and is designed to be a smaller premium SUV. It’s often mentioned when people compare how many units different cars sell.
The Audi e-tron GT is Audi’s electric “grand touring” car. If it’s selling poorly, it suggests fewer buyers are picking that EV compared with alternatives.
The Fiat 500 is a small, easy-to-drive car meant for city life. When it’s listed among the worst sellers, it usually means fewer people are choosing that style of small car.
BMW is being used as an example of a luxury brand that feels more compelling to buyers. The host thinks BMW owners tend to feel more strongly about the brand than Audi owners.
Range Rover is mentioned as another luxury brand in the same general category as BMW and Mercedes. The host is using it to compare how “premium” different brands feel to buyers.
The Range Rover is a luxury SUV made to be comfortable and capable on different road conditions. It’s designed for people who want a high-end interior but also want strong traction. It’s known for being a premium, feature-rich vehicle.
Negative equity means your car is worth less than what you still owe on it. When you trade it in, the extra amount usually gets added to your next loan, which can make the situation worse over time.
Concept
post covid years
This is talking about the years after COVID, when car prices and deals were different than usual. Some people ended up paying more and financing in ways that didn’t age well.
If you pay the loan back over a longer time, your monthly payment is usually smaller. But you may end up paying more money overall because you’re paying interest for longer.
No money down means you don’t pay much upfront when you buy the car. That can make your payments easier at first, but you may owe more than the car is worth sooner if values fall.
This is a way of eating based on the paleo diet, but with fewer carbs. It’s just part of the host’s diet talk.
LIVE
Welcome to the carpool podcast with Kelly, but also says I'm just like I am gonna be
a person at the airport like I'm I'm not going to leave all my social skills at the
door.
I'm not gonna leave them all at the security checkpoint I'm gonna bring that into the gate.
And Liz she's like I can't believe that some people would load their dishwasher every single
day and I'm like I can't believe you can't we're just not our brains don't work the same
way your mom time off starts now.
Welcome back to the carpool podcast with Kelly and Liz guys we are going through something
kind of insane in Missouri today.
Oh I know so at the time of its recording it's Monday morning and they are calling for
like weather in like a hail tornado kind of way they're like four out of five on the severity
scale I didn't even know tornadoes had a severity scale.
Living in the Midwest like tornadoes are like not that they're not that big of a deal.
I mean they're a big deal if they hate you but it's like it's so rare like that a tornado
I feel like actually comes through like I've never been in danger of a tornado in my life.
Where we live in the St. Louis and surrounding area it's not that flat like we're kind of
bluffy Tyler always tells me so it's not that we can't get tornadoes but this is not
like we are not as at risk as some other places where like it's just so flat and my tornadoes
can like have their way with us like we've got rivers we've got bluffs we've got hills
so we're a little bit more protected Tyler says.
But like they're calling kids off school early today yeah no I'm going to pick my kids up
early from school today which is like but it is it I am a little spooked like I am I would
say I would use the word on edge because this is different than like a snow snowstorm well
and you know it's like right before tornado to it's like you go outside and there's just
an eeriness about you know the air feels thick the air it's uneasy so I would I agree I'm
a living on edge too but you know I've got a half day of childcare you're gonna pick you've
got a half day of childcare so we're gonna get a podcast recorded and that's the best
we can do so here we are yeah but anyway we had such a fabulous weekend well I mean
let me let me back up I've been here there everywhere first of all yeah Iowa amazing
Chicago amazing those of you who came to my Capital One event in Chicago love you with
my whole heart thank you for showing up that was so fun and Capital One was like so impressed
that like I had all these people show up so I really appreciate you um
and then I could drive four hours by myself home from Iowa and tried listening to my decluttering
book oh my gosh I know this is so funny I hated it I'm ten chapters in okay and I'm gonna tread
lightly here because so many people like adore this book life changing adore this girl I don't
think I'm the right target for the book someone DM me it I was feeling like okay I'm gonna download
it like I just blindly trusted I did no prior research she reads I it was an audio book too so
she reads the forward and it's like if you cannot go to bed with the dirty kitchen close this book
it's not for you and I'm like okay I can't go to bed without a dirty kitchen like I can't go to
bed with the dishes in the sink so I think that um I think I am a little bit more you're more
advanced I don't want to say advanced but I just don't I think I'm a little bit more type A maybe
I guess I don't know I maybe I'm just I think I yeah basically the first I'm ten chapters in
like I am giving this thing a freaking go a four hour drive and the only thing she's done so far
is load her dishwasher and run it every single day and I'm like this is not groundbreaking to me
I do this I this is my problem with like nonfiction books and like help books like I'm sorry at their
core they are word salads no and it's a total word salad she's okay I'm like okay I get it you
load your dishwasher you run it every day she's saying it in a different way in every chapter
but they're saying like the why behind it and like what that means and signify so then I'm trying to
like I'm really trying here so I'm like okay so I already loaded my dishwasher every day like what is
my what is my load my dishwasher every day that I need sure like I load my dishwasher every day I
clean my kitchen every day I vacuum my floors every day like I'm already doing all these things
every single day I really can't add another thing to do every single day into my rotation I need a
system so I'm not getting systems from her I'm getting like bare minimum on how to start maintaining
your home from her this is such a hot take for you to like say I know and I don't want to be
hateful like I wanted to I bought it like I wanted to learn something and I wanted to like it and so
many people love it I she sounds like I don't know she just I can't relax when my kitchen is a mess
so I think so I think you're too type A for it yeah maybe yeah that's interesting and I didn't know
that other people could do that you know you just you only know the way that you can and she describes
in the book she's like I can't believe that some people would load their dishwasher every
single day and I'm like I can't believe you can't so we're just not our brains don't work the same
way I need to find someone I need to find someone to aspire to I guess sure so I actually can go
to bed with a dirty kitchen that's like something crazy about me that is crazy because I strongly
prefer to clean the kitchen with like a coffee in my hand and like the morning like my morning
just like vibes I would rather I don't go to both my kitchen discussing like I put the food away
like I like I will not close it I mean sometimes I do but like I'm just letting you know like I
like to clean in the morning I like my coffee to be like watching my kids play or like playing like
either playing with them or like sitting with them while they're playing like that's how I like
to enjoy my coffee like I don't I did have to unload the dishwasher this morning with my coffee
and I was like this so different no I I like to like do dinner tidy and then like I like to go
from beds to like TV to books to relax and then like when I put the kids asleep um then I don't
want to go to the kitchen so then I don't want to do it but I can't relax until that's done see I
have no I have no problems with that what's something I can't relax until I like when I was sick
with the flu and I didn't even go downstairs for several days I was like Maddie you have to go
clean the kitchen because I know it's dirty and I can't go down there and clean it oh this is very
interesting yeah no I don't know I don't really have like a I mean I and I'm like a neat person
like I do like to have my house clean but I can always go to bed but maybe you're just not tired
enough I think I'm definitely tired I've got your kids that don't sleep through the night well
one kid that wakes up and I'm pregnant um anyway speaking of oh did you want to go through your
weekend no I think that's it here they're everywhere I was just saying speaking of like having you
know kids and being pregnant I was on a walk the other day and I was pushing my double stroller
pregnant with the puppy it's quite the sight to see and this um older couple like stopped driving
and rolled down their window to like make a comment at me like oh your hands are full and
you know you kind of feel like you've heard it all like enjoy this time oh your hands are full
you must be busy well you hear all of the things and I heard something from the man that I have
never heard from someone before and it's given me such peace and it was like such a little side
comment um backing up before I get to the comment my the bane of my existence right now is my
landscaping I hate pulling weed like I don't know who's supposed to mulch who's supposed to pull
weeds like Maddie works all the time he's doing marine core stuff I with kids or I'm working
and I'm pregnant like what when is all this stuff supposed to get done and also I'm cleaning the
kitchen every night so it's like when is this stuff supposed to get done and it has really
been bothering me like I liked you know I want to have a nice curb appeal whatever and I'm I
just I feel like I'm drawn like that is just an area where I feel like I'm drowning and I don't
know what to do anyway back to the comment the man doesn't know like I'm not by my house he doesn't
see my house he doesn't know who I am he doesn't know where my weed like he doesn't know that I have
weeds in my yard and um they you know they're like oh you must be busy blah blah I'm like oh yeah we
are number three on the way they're like oh and he goes no go mow your lawn and pull your weeds too
and it was like such a he almost like gave me permission to like allow myself that like in
this phase in my life I'm going to have weeds in my yard and my landscaping is not going to be pretty
it will be eventually but like right now it's not going to happen and it's not a priority and
it's not important and I just I literally felt like this you know 75 year old man like saw me to my
core when he said that comment because no one talks about the weeds and no one talks about your
landscaping and maintaining your yard like no one talks about this I know and I was like thank you
for seeing me I love him and then Tyler came over yesterday to help us with a home project
and we were talking I told him the comment and he was like you know Liz just like no it was Maddie
who said this because I was talking to both of them and Maddie said you know what just like
you and Kelly said on the podcast it's not our yard summer and I'm like you know it's not
it's okay summer that's no that's so true so it's not always about like being pregnant and like
not you know feeling your best or looking your best okay it's not my summer it's not my yard summer
it's not your summer it's not your summer to have that yard no and that's and that's okay it's very
freeing actually because it's I know this is not who I am like you can stop chasing something
you're never gonna get it's just not your summer and it's not your yard summer exactly
and it just gave me such peace and such freedom I can't even I can't even tell you it's clearly
been really weighing me down so you just never know kindness is so important you know what it is
so important I was I know that's why I said it like that and I kind of teach you up to tell
your story oh I didn't I didn't want to like well this is literally isn't even me bragging
because I did the absolute bare minimum for someone but um I was entering a coffee shop
and this lady was walking out and she had like her hands full so I opened her open the door for
her and it's like a double door so like I opened the first door and I said wait let me get the
second door for you and she was like thank you so much and I'm like yeah no big deal I stand in
line I order my coffee I order my breakfast as I'm about to step my car down she comes out
of nowhere and like puts her card on the tapper before mine and she's like I'm paying for you
because you were so nice to me for no reason and thank you I'm like I literally opened two doors for
you no and it really I was like okay maybe it's because I'm like pregnant but like I expect
people to hold doors open for me like all the time or maybe I don't know I I would expect that kind
of treatment I expect the door I expect the door to be open for me like especially like
if there's like a man like I'll wait if you're in front like I'll wait I'm not going to even
reach for the door yeah we're gonna play chicken here um and so that kind of hit me because I was
like did she I would it wouldn't have had a second thought if a stranger held the door open for me
I would say thank you but like that's why I was saying like how bad of a day could she have had
yeah or like I mean I'm it just or weak and like that made her whole day enough to go buy you
coffee she went to her car dropped her stuff off waited in line clearly there was like three people
in front of me she waited for me to order and then like stepped in no it was so it was borderline
like unnecessary I felt bad I know I was like I would have just ordered a coffee if I knew you're
so anyway I think what we can take from this is let's all buy coffee for the person behind us this
week yeah I never know the proper way to do that though well I know and sometimes they're like
oh they got a lot of food and you're like and then like 45 dollars later what could we do that's
like a gear like what could we do I'm gonna do I'm gonna do that I think you maybe you're just
commit to doing it once and you're like okay it just might be kind of a lot or you know what I
you know what I'm gonna do instead I have a Starbucks gift card I'm gonna go to Starbucks
and buy my coffee and then I'm gonna tell the barista to keep the gift card and just apply it
to as many people as behind me as she can oh okay that's a good idea like a $25 gift card so it won't
get very far yeah that's a good idea that's I think that's like I think that's like a really easy
way to do it yeah if anyone has any ideas on ways you can just like make an make like a small
impact to like help a stranger pay it forward just make a small impact the next thing you know we've
made a big impact and sometimes you don't need to spend money you just need to hold two doors open
for someone totally totally totally dude return like if a mom if you're not if you're out without
your kids and a mom needs to go return a car return a cart for you want to know that's like
the greatest thing you can do someone did that to me some of that for me this week too the breath
the the weight that is lifted because you're you're thinking about it constantly okay I gotta load
both the kids I'm gonna unload these and then how am I gonna give this car return maybe we should
just do like a kindness challenge like maybe I'll have to work on that and it could be like uh
hey this we're just being kind every single day oh that's a cute idea and look for opportunities
and we're just looking for opportunities I just think not just like like I just think sometimes
we get really engulfed in our own lives we forget like just how far like a small act of kindness
can go and then you can build on that because then like if you're kind of somebody and then
they're in a better mood then they're kind of somebody the next thing you know it's like it's
like it's like a wildfire like it just gets lit on fire yeah we could solve you know all of the
anger in the world I sometimes feel like
like especially when I've been traveling more for some reason when people travel
I feel like people are just like so in their own world like
and something that I always like really unsettles me is that like theory that like if you saw
something bad happen like you would just not do anything you would just watch it happen yeah
you know what I mean and I always try to like kind of break up
at this is I don't know how to word this but I always try to like break the fourth wall when
I'm traveling and like I try to like just like be a per like just have like talk to people
not in an annoying way just like in an acknowledging kind of way
it's like whenever I like say now I'm saying someone in the airplane was like
hi how are you like I just say that yeah like we're not gonna talk like I'm gonna break the silence
yeah no it's like so crazy the amount of times you'll just like sit next to someone for three
hours and never even acknowledge they exist except for when you got to go to the bathroom
no like I don't want to talk on the plane I don't want to talk I want to plug in but like to not
even acknowledge the person is like kind of an it's insane behavior yeah and like I'm always just
like even when I'm like waiting like this sounds so crazy but like when I was coming back from
Chicago our the gate to the st. Louis flight like got changed a couple times it got delayed it was
confusing and like I could just tell that everyone was like confused and like looking at the screen
looking at their phones so then I was like hey who's going to st. Louis and like four people
raised their head I'm like okay I'm going to st. Louis too I'm gonna go up there and ask if this
is the st. Louis flight like I just like spoke to people yeah people are like freaking out like
you're saying like you're talking at an airport I'm telling people are so weird at airports
well it's a high I think like a lot of people have a lot of anxiety around travel and airports
and airplanes in general well I know you do that's what a lot of people do so I would think and then
also it's like high stress situation and you'd never know like did someone's flight get cancelled
or their bags get lost like there's so many things that could go wrong and do go wrong every
single day when people are traveling so it's just like not in the best place to be
but but also says I'm just like I am going to be a person at the airport like I'm I'm not going
to leave all my social skills at the door I'm not going to leave them all at the security
checkpoint I'm going to bring that into the gate okay I like it yeah I'm just like you'll get lots
of practice with all the travel you do nowadays don't even get me started I know if Sarah must
travel today's episode is brought to you by skylight speaking of systems in my home one system
that has really changed the game for me has been incorporating the skylight calendar into my life
I like it because I can add matty's calendar my calendar my work calendar our nanny's schedule
and I can also do my meal planning so I can show my family what we're having for dinner this week
and you can also leave lists for my nanny on what to feed the kids for lunch it's a very sleek display
that just sits on my counter and when I'm not using it I have uploaded a bunch of pictures and videos
that it will go through so we can always look back on the sweet memories we've made over the years
with the skylight calendar you'll be able to manage events chores and grocery lists while
assigning colors for each of your family members and eliminating excuses for not knowing what they
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carpool this episode is brought to you by quince lately i've been more intentional about what i
wear day today leaning into pieces that feel effortless comfortable and still put together
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anyway and an unrelated i don't have a great segue for this but i want to talk about dancing
with the stars for a second i'm on the edge of my dancing with the stars news like coming out
which is so exciting so hulu had their like state of the union i don't know whatever you call it
and they were just like announcing all of their new shows first of all it sounds like
they're expanding mormon wives to like the oc but like no one's mormon so people are saying like
they're just trying to do like a real housewives but with younger moms which i think that's a good
i think uh i kind of well entertainment purposes i like it as far as the drama and just like
really stretching parents to young children um i don't like it totally i feel aligned i
watched the first season of mormon wives i haven't watched the other seasons me neither
only because i agree i'm i get pittsville from them because i'm like you have a two-year-old
go home and i feel like with the housewives i'm a big housewives fan but it was like oh
they're in their like they're in their fifties like their kids are fine like it's still a little
problematic but to me it's good television there aren't like children who are suffering suffering
is not the right word but like who aren't affected yeah so i don't like the reality shows
of these moms i struggle with that but i do think i agree i think if you're thinking about good tv
it sounds like it's a bunch of like influencer moms which i find interesting yeah i don't think i'll
watch because i'm also just like i'm like such a reader these days like i'm just in my book club
and like i have a book a month to read and that keeps me busy every night yeah because i only read
about for five minutes and i and then i fall asleep yeah so yeah you're but you're booked up you're
booked i'm booked so much pressure because you catch that because you're reading a book and guys
so much pressure because so the way my book club works and i know everyone makes fun of me mainly
my father because it's just two other people like no one makes fun of you except for your you and
your book club you guys like to make fun of each other because i hung out with you and a girl from
your book club and you girls just like love to hack like the world as it gets you and no one cares
nobody cares okay so we rotate who picks the book and who hosts so it is my turn coming up to pick
the book my last book i picked stinker the goddess of war saw i'm sorry horrible book
was not good but the problem is like these girls are readers so like i would recommend like the
correspondent the o of golden like you know frozen river they've read them all like all the hot
buzzy book club books they've read them so then i'm forced to go to like the more like indie books
yeah so if anyone has like a book club rec i really need a home run okay really bad
that's not obvious i that's like not on like the Reese's choice like those have been done okay
i don't know how we got on your book club because we were talking about dancing with the stars
and each any excuse to bring my book club right okay maybe i do care maybe i'm annoyed
so anyway who had those out of the union and then they announced some dancing with the stars news
first of all they're doing a show called the next pro i'm excited for it when's that come out
don't know i think i would watch that i think i would like it i think i would watch it too so it
will be a competition show to find out who's going to be the next pro on dance with stars here's why i
like it they've got to go through this process regardless and then we're going to fall in love
with someone beforehand and i'm not a ballroom dancer obviously i have no skin in the game but
i love what dancing with the stars has done for the ballroom dancing community and i just think
this is going to continue to grow the ballroom dancing community and i'm just really happy for them
and Robert Irwin is hosting it oh i didn't know that he's hosting the show now makes me feel like
did alex really like was it rigged
was his win rigged so he could be set up to be a host on the next pro or a judge on the next pro
i don't know so interesting and they announced two cast members mora which i know you didn't
watch traitors but i know mora from uh love island yeah but you would have loved her on traitors
i'm sure i saw the one scene that everyone sees but i still never watched traitors but i do know who
she is mora and sierra from summer house who's going through like some drama right now too don't
watch summer house i don't know who that is neither do i but she looks darling well and
that's what i love because i didn't know who i'd really i wasn't following alex url i knew i knew
the name but i knew nothing about her before i mean i knew nothing about anyone and now like
everyone like i follow dillard now i follow alex like i'm such stands of everyone so i love about
fancy with the stars no i'm very excited for dwts it's just gonna be like i think fall just has
the i don't think it's to like look it up list look it up on your ipad when does dwts come out
if i remember correctly it's like it comes out like the same time football season starts then
it's like you have nothing and then you have everything it's like so stressful okay fall of
2026 fall is so far from now that is all we know because they're on tour through early spring
uh the first dancing with the stars con convention will take place July 31st through
august 2nd in palm springs oh my gosh in case anyone wants to go to that so do you have any
other like hope streams predictions for like who you'd like to see as a cast member i have no idea
like since this is only will only be the second season i've watched i don't really know like
who's who would be a good contender who they would be looking for um i do think like the two
i guess they're not of reality stars they've picked to make sense just because they're like so
popular right now i did see maybe it was maybe i was listening to the toast but they did say
or somewhere like taylor frankie paul is maybe supposed to be on it but with all of the drama
that she went through she you know it was like part of her contract with hulu and abc
well probably she was supposed to be on it because she was going to be the bachelorette
right and then that's kind of like a natural progression right but no she's not
that's fine they could pull another woman wife there's plenty to choose from but they've already
i mean i don't know it's just kind of like when do you just say enough is enough yeah
interesting yeah well yes excited for that excited for that to come out me too i'm so excited
so what else do we have today well i do have some um advice questions i like three
we're just gonna like jump right to that well one of them is not correlated
okay and that's what i kind of like doing those and this is this is a really hard one this is like
the prisoners dilemma the prisoners dilemma yeah you know like the famous dilemma of like
you know like there's like it's there's two guys or two prisoners and if neither one of them confesses
they'll get like a one-year sentence if they both confess they'll get a two-year sentence and if one
confesses and one stays silent the one that confesses will be free and the one who stays silent will
serve a harsher sentence but you don't they can't communicate with each other so you don't know what
the other person's gonna do it's just it's like a delay like the trolley dilemma like save one person
or save five people this is just okay you have so many dilemmas i've never heard of these dilemmas
i think i'm only explaining them to you because i think everyone knows what the dilemmas are
they're it's a famous okay anyway sorry that didn't translate this is a hard decision to make
hi kelly and liz looking for advice from a mom's perspective on a friend situation
my best friend and i both have three kids ages five and under we have a core group of friends
from nursing school six girls total that we have stayed close with four out of the six girls are
married and we have all been bridesmaids in each other's weddings another friend in our group is
getting married on a sunday in august in san diego we all live in maryland my best friend and i
both have five five-year-old boys who are starting kindergarten this fall the first day of kindergarten
is the day after our friend's wedding meaning if we're in san diego for the wedding on sunday
evening we will not make it back in maryland in time for the first day of kindergarten on monday
morning there are like no red eyes no flights they can take so the question is do we go to the
wedding and miss our first born kids first days of kindergarten or do we not be bridesmaids and
not go to the wedding so we could be home for our boys please help we are so torn and want to be
there for our friend but also want to be there for our boys on such a big day they're bridesmaids yeah
they have to go to the wedding i was gonna say the same
it's not the decision you want to hear but a sounds like this friend was bridesmaids in their
wedding yeah your wedding day and i know it's like when you have kids and you're you know
six seven years past your wedding like it doesn't seem like that big of a deal it is the most important
day of this of this girl's life yeah and she was there for you and the first day of kindergarten
is going to be sad to miss the second day of kindergarten is going to i imagine is going to
feel the same i agree you will not remember like you will not remember that you miss the first
day of kindergarten but like this would could like potentially sever your relationship with
this girl for the rest of your life i agree so you have to you have to go to the wedding i'm sorry
and you have to enjoy it it'll be fine and that's one of those things where it's like you have to
make the tough decision and then you have to go there and if like if you're gonna be there
missing your son's first day of kindergarten you gotta make a big splash you gotta have fun like
you've got to be the friend you're not you're not gonna do is go there and sulk and sulk and
moh about it you're gonna move on with your life and you're gonna have you're gonna be where you're
you're gonna be where your feet are and you're gonna have fun with it you're gonna be very fair
you're gonna have fun with it and your friend is not going to understand the sacrifice that you
were giving up because when like brides and i'm i'm guilty i was this bride like brides have
such blinders on that's like nothing else in the world is going on except for me yeah and she
doesn't have kids sure i imagine she just doesn't have kids so she's not gonna understand and like
that's not her fault she doesn't know have the experience that you have in this in being a mother
and a lot changes in your your perspective change um so yeah you just kind of have to do it for
your friend because she did it for you and she you know she was at your wedding and she may
understand one day and you'll maybe get a little vindicated because i for my wedding um tyler
sister was one of my bridesmaids and she had a baby 30 days before like literally they was born
august 31st my wedding was september 30th and i was like well you have to come on the party bus
like i was insane like and i have sense like i would look like on my wedding photos i'm like oh
my gosh that baby was so small and i have since gone to my sister-in-law and apologized like i am
so sorry i just like didn't give you like the day should have evolved around you and said it
revolved around me and i'm luckily it was her third so she was fine but yeah that was guilty no
guilty and like people were like yeah we can come to your like we can travel to your wedding
if we can bring our kids and i'm like no kids like i'm so horrible like i'm horrible i'm horrible
i'm willing to admit it i don't want i don't sorry i don't want kids at my wedding like oh gross
elizabeth like grow up like grow up but like and i'm woman enough to admit it like you do not know
what you don't know so no that was not a very hard dilemma sorry i think it's i think it's
i think it's the decision that um they don't like i they they wrote in because they want to
i think they want to justify them and if you were not a bridesmaid and it was just like a
friend from college i would maybe feel differently but like if sorry your bridesmaid you're going
i agree make it make it's a make it work moment okay here is another advice question
this is just kind of like an interesting conversation about when to trade in a car
and i'm kind of curious your opinions okay because a lot of the times we deal with i'm having another
kid something's wrong with my car like you have to trade it in like it's just time but this one
has a little wiggle room and i'm just curious to hear your thoughts hi i hope you guys are doing
well mom of three here eight six and one year olds and long time listener i had a general advice
question on the timing of trading in a car we have a 21 hunt odyssey in great condition with 75
thousand miles on it it's paid off and had new brakes and tires in the last three months i asked
chachi bt when would a financially be the best time to trade it in and it advised either before
80 000 miles or else hold on to it and drive it until it's over 100 000 miles i don't want to keep
it for another five years but wouldn't mind holding on to it for another one to two years
should i trade it in within the next few months or would it not make a difference if i held on to
it for another one to two years here's the thing with this is like it is true to a point like your
trade is going to be worth the most that it is today yeah yeah i mean that's that objectively is a
fact but you're you're you just got new tires new brakes on it and it's paid off so it's also
like a good financial decision to like not have a car payment how many miles are on it 75 000
i would probably try to get out before 100 get out before 100 i think this but but she
doesn't have to feel like pressured by this 80 000 oh no absolutely not that makes no sense yeah i
think that's kind of her problem i don't even have to feel pressured before 100 but i do think
like that if it was between 90 and 100 i think would would would affect the trading value okay
but again by how much by maybe a thousand bucks maybe maybe a couple hundred bucks maybe so like
it's not it is a really difficult um it's very difficult sometimes i feel like to advise on this
and sometimes i just think the answer is like you know if you made it another year having to
pay it off car and like the itch is just strong and you want to scratch it that's fine congrats you
made it another year like i'm not having a car payment that's awesome like i'm just i am not
going to live in a world where it's like drive it till it dies because i think that's not realistic
and i would prefer to just for some people it is realistic but for some people it's not and i would
just rather some people up for success and celebration on like the little wins that they
did me it's like i'm just proud that you paid off your car because most people most people never
even pay off their car yeah so that feels like a double you're already a w in my book yeah and she
said she wants to hold on for another another one to two years i think you hold on to it for another
one to two years you don't hit a hundred thousand miles and then go from there yeah or you do and
it's fine well i think she was saying she was like do i wait until a hundred thousand but i think
she thinks it'll take her like five years to get to a hundred thousand and she doesn't want to do
that so i think i think one to two years would would be would be excellent okay here's another
just sort of general advice question advice please don't come for me kelly hi kelly and
liz mama for carpool og and former american girl american girl doll owner sorry liz
okay so she she's wealthy um i need i need advice and while i know kelly says don't base your
purchase on a couple of times a year scenario i think this is the exception i'm considering trading
in my paid off 21 sienna with a hundred thousand miles for a full-size suv with similar mileage
but i don't want to have a payment we are a family of six two kids and boosters two and forward
facing car seats but mom often but my mom often travels with us on road trips so we have seven
people in the car i haven't found a great seat configuration to make everyone comfortable
and we're considering getting a camper since many of our close friends have them and we would like to
do more camping the sienna can't really haul anything so looking at an expedition or tahoe
i'm afraid to pull the trigger because of the gas mileage is so good on the sienna but i haven't
had a single issue with it plus seats plus seat size wise full size bench slash third road don't
actually seem bigger i need my knowledgeable co-pilots to help me make a decision will we all
fit better in a full-size suv over in minivan is the bench width exactly the same is the middle
seat larger could i do three across in the third row potentially please tell me what to do my husband's
ready to pull the trigger yesterday okay a couple of things here um first things first
yes i think i think a full-size suv third row bench is going to be wider than the sienna
the sienna bench i'm sorry the sienna third row i'm sorry it sucks like i just spent a week in it
i installed 30 different cars seats in that car it's like not it's like the most it's the world's
most adequate third row in the world like it's not doing anything amazing it's and it's crazy
because you're a minivan no i think you're supposed to excel at this elizabeth like i could go on a
whole rant about people who own toyotas and first of all i like toyota i like toyota okay i like them
just not the people that on them but the people like i'm kidding i'm kidding toyota people toyota
people whenever i critique a toyota they always have something to say about it like they they're
coming for me for critiquing their car and it's like guys i critique every car i'll critique
my own car expedition not very attractive uh drive below average uh third row head restraints not
removable like there's things i don't like about my expedition okay there's things that aren't perfect
about the sienna and the problem is toyota people and i am generalizing they get so they have their
rose colored glasses on in like such a major way and they just like think that no other car could
even compete and i'm like well okay it's not an ihs top safety pick okay it's all 60 thousand dollars
yeah and like you can't fit three across but like sure go like it's the best car in the world like
just be for real for a second sorry i know it's i know that's not the question but i just like
i had so much sienna content last week and i got dragged through the coals by sienna people
because i like or by toyota people because i had something to say about the sienna yeah i know it's
it's um it's an interesting that it's like that brand seems to come up consistently
but but toyota has loyalists like i kiya i don't think kiya has loyalists i agree toyota it's like
jeep people too because like i'm sorry jeep like people there are people who just like love jeep
wranglers they're like there's no reason to like one totally and yeah you're just like a like some
brands just carry loyalists and loyalists are just what they are what they are they're loyal and i'm
like not would never fault someone for being loyal super people are loyal and then there are people
who are like american loyal like they'll only drive a four-door Chevy honda people are loyal yeah so
it is just interesting but i'm just saying it's okay to be loyal and like call out the faults so
i'll just say back to her back to her original question um that's fine if you really think
you're going to use your camper well they don't even have a camper yet but that's that's what i'm
saying i i'm of the mindset like before you buy something can you rent it and like see if you're
really going to use it like how many or before you go out and buy a camper and buy a new car
how many trips do you have on the calendar this year three four or is there just like one
like one for sure and then like you might get around to but then like life's going to get in
the way like i think you need to be really honest with yourself remember like you can rent a camper
in a vehicle and like before you go like get yourself into massive debt on a camper just
like are you really going to use it now if you are let's live in a world where you are really
going to use it okay let's live in that world i agree with you i think a full system would obviously
haul things better and i do think you would have more room for passengers but i do think
unless you go extended wheelbase and even if you do go extended wheelbase i do think you're
going to feel like you have a smaller trunk yeah forget about that in your day-to-day life yeah
so that's another so then that's your day-to-day so then we're taking away we're fixing the problem
of your you know maybe it happens a few times a year and now we're getting into worrying about
your day-to-day and she also mentioned the gas mileage which is also going to affect your day-to-day
which is awesome now another thing i will say is like unless you're going to get the second
row bench i don't know if your mom's really going to feel like she has that much more room
the second row bench okay do i think the third row bench of a tahoe versus sienna is bigger yes
do i think that your mom's going to be like oh i've got oodles of space no i don't think she's
going to say that i still think it's going to be tight i would also encourage you to look at what
boosters you do have back there maybe we could talk about like slimmer boosters before we just
like maybe get a new car so all to say is like i don't think it's not to me it's not worth the
upgrade for your mom unless you're going to go with the second row bench it is the worthy upgrade
if you want to start camping and hauling because like obviously a full say that's you will do that
better yeah okay so things to consider yeah today's episode is brought to you by alma a year from now
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hello alma a l m a dot com slash carpool c a r p o o l um what do you think about like camping
what i don't really understand camping i think like i don't understand campering i would i think
it's cool i think it really gives like i like i would love to be that person
i just don't think i am like i will go on a camping trip and like i will like love it but i
will i'm not going to buy a camper to go and do it regularly yeah i'm just like such a home body
you know what i mean well i'm a home body and if i'm not a home body then i'm like you know a crisp
hotel sheet totally kind of girl yeah that's interesting i don't know i mean we we went
camping a lot well we we had we would go on our v trips growing up so that was kind of fun and also
mostly stressful totally entire it was just like it's kind of like having a boat i would imagine
i don't have a boat but like something always breaks there's always something that goes wrong
they're money pits no i don't know if they're money pits but it's um like when you go on vacation i
think a lot of the times it's to go relax like you're into a beach vacation you're gonna relax
when we would go on our rv trips every single time we stopped something new broke something
wasn't connecting there was just a new problem to solve and that's it's kind of like you know
taking hardships on the road there was just always something new to deal with okay ready
for industry news where i saw the hot tea going on in the auto industry yeah okay i remember
the worst selling cars of 2026 so far okay and there's one brand to like we need to have a
discussion about in a second okay the audi a8 which is a sedan 201 units the jeep wagon near s
175 units things i could have told you that the lexus ls 143 units the genesis gv 60 117 units
the fiat 500 68 units the audi e-tron gt 63 units oh my gosh the audi q6 e-tron nine units
the audi q4 e-tron six units six units so i think so you want to talk about
what is going on with audi they have no no they're not good like
like they kind of need to shake it up chicago like kind of in a major way
so audi the problem is like the cars are too small and they're not bmw's
and like the tech is kind of annoying i think i mean i haven't been i should be very i've not
been in one like super recently but like my experience my last experience with audis it's like
the tech's not good no and like talk about a brand and this is just my perspective like
thousand foot view talk about a brand that doesn't have loyalists yeah like who's die hard for their
audi i don't know it's such an expensive car like it's a luxury car and they're just like not doing
anything for me i go with you i haven't been an audi in forever because but they also they haven't
changed it's like why would i like i haven't updated q7 tour like that's all you need to know
about the q7 yeah um yeah that's luxury they don't do they don't do like press cars they don't do
trips they don't like do anything what's like a like a i'm talking like mass market luxury not
like lamborghini luxury like mass market luxury that you think is like carry carries it well like
carries a lot of weight like i would say bmw like you see about like a bmw is a nice car that's a
luxury car i don't know i don't always feel that way about alexis all the time like i feel like
a bmw carries more yeah i agree like a mercedes i think bmw and mercedes are like kind of like
the pinnacle pinnacles okay i agree of like mass market but still luxury and range rover i feel
like it's kind of similar to yeah range and then i do think i mean lexus is pretty kind of high up
but i i think there's some i agree like lexus is kind of i think in between the two yeah
just my perception and then you have like volvo acura infinity genesis
i feel like we're forgetting somebody outie i always seem to forget about them
anyways that was kind of interesting that is okay and then my next story hold on i need to find
go to my nerds my nerds up so i'm getting like so many texts because um our kids school is getting
closed oh it is yeah gosh you know i'm gonna pick up my kids like right after this just
because like was there anything more exciting than when you then like when the weather started to go
and like some kids got picked up early from school nothing more exciting and like especially if you
like go take them to mcdonald's before you know the weather really hits the fan then you're like
pinnacle motherhood right there i know so i really think i'm going to just like go pick
them up early you know just for the vibes okay so this was an interesting story it says this is
from cartilership guy negative equity nears record high edmund says nearly one third of buyers owe
more on the trade in than the value nearly one third of consumers trading in vehicles for their
next vehicle are carrying a near record amount of negative equity of 7183 a new report from edmund
shows that the average negative equity record in q1 was the second highest for any quarter the negative
equity is being brought on to the negotiation table on trade ins for a significant portion of
buyers today 30 of new car buyers had negative equity trade ins and it says um 90 of consumers
taking out new loans carrying negative equity are extending terms to 72 months and 43 are
entering 84 month loan agreements oh my gosh so negative equity is when you owe more on your car
than it's worth and you can still trade out of that car like but that negative equity has to go
somewhere so then what people do is they tack it on to their next loan and it is a very vicious bad
cycle and i really don't like you've just got to some people have to do it have to do it because
their family grew quicker their needs changed and some people actually will carry negative equity
into a lower priced car to lower their payment so like they're trying even though they
have to carry as negative equity maybe they're going down to like a much lower priced car
in an attempt to lower their payment so and the problem with this is is this this
there's always this is happening this happened one because people paid way too much money for cars
during the post covid years yeah and now those cars are being traded in number two is they did
an extended financing terms and number three they put no money down so when you do all of these things
you're paying off so little of your car every month and it's but it's still depreciating the same
amount of rate like just because you're financing it for 84 months doesn't mean it depreciates
slower it depreciates the same amount but you're paying off less of it yeah so it's kind of spooksville
usa yeah i know it's not good and if you're like getting such a new car itch like my advice is to
one go get your car detailed and that should buy you some time get your car detailed to enjoy it
longer is what you're saying yeah like i just do think that helps because like of course
you like you know you want a new car because yours is dirty but like if yours is clean then
do you feel a little bit better you feel a lot better like professionally clean yeah you feel a
lot better and i mean and also don't don't underestimate like if you haven't tried it recently
just like going through a car wash and truly taking everything out and vacuuming all over that that goes
the wrong way as well yeah but a detail will buy you some time for sure so anyway that's industry
okay well are you ready for ditch the drive through where we give you an easy dinner recipe
to mix it up to get you out of your dinner rut yeah i have one i'm sure you have one uh actually
no you can go okay so i think i've shared about this here or there but i just do want to share like
something i've been eating weekly that i can't believe how good it is
is my chicken crust pizzas okay yeah no you've never brought this up on the podcast let's talk
about it i don't think i have either so as you guys know i'm kind of on like a crazy diet
not a crazy diet i'm just on a i'm on a diet right now to get my gut figured out
and so i'm not eating a lot of carbs and i have i'm trying to eat a lot of protein
it's like keto right it's like keto but it's not a lot of dairy it's kind of like a low carb
paleo i think is it better okay so i can have dairy but like i'll have dairy in like a condiment
sized amount not in like a bowl of cottage cheese okay and like i'm not so yeah but it's kind of
like keto but keto keto yeah keto's like a lot of keto people eat a lot of dairy but keto people
eat a lot of dairy and i'm trying not to do but i am doing some dairy anyway it doesn't matter so
i'm making these ground chicken pizza crusts okay and it sounds like so
uh but like let me tell you it is box checking in a major way okay walk me through it okay i
get a thing of ground chicken a pack of ground chicken okay to a bowl i add a cracked egg seasonings
and sometimes i'll add like some parmesan cheese okay that i smash that all together and then i just
take it and i just smash it out on a baking sheet i tried to make it into a circle but like it
doesn't really matter but i make it pretty thin so it cooks quickly okay i pop it in the oven for
25 about maybe 10 minutes okay so hot oven yeah well i'm making it so thin okay it's so thin yeah
so thin i pull that out and then i do my toppings so this is the kind of where it's a choose your
own adventure so i've just done like a chicken caesar in the past and then i wouldn't pop it back
in the oven so i would just do like caesar dressing and then chopped lettuce with more
caesar dressing on top and that's good primal kitchen primal kitchen only but this past weekend
i was like i'm just gonna make a freaking pizza so i just did marinara sauce a sprinkle of mozzarella
cheese some um black olives mushrooms a little bit of feta cheese too so i am doing some dairy
popped back in the oven another like three minutes it tastes like a pizza okay i ate the whole thing
it was 80 grams of protein oh my gosh and they ate the whole thing okay okay um i would like to
i'm curious i would like to try it i would like to try it as someone who has had like a full pizza
recently sure it is it's such a good lunch for me because like i don't think the kids would like it
but like it's i mean but they might like it but i like that i can like change the flavor profile
so like i could do a greek a buffalo a caesar a barbecue a regular like i can just make these
pizzas and i'm telling you like it is so easy and it's so good yeah okay great i've been having one
once a week okay great i look really forward to it um i want to try it you should try it
i never buy ground chicken i don't either except to make this pizza crust like i'm telling you it's
okay so that's what i've been making tonight we are doing taco salads fabulous which we haven't
had in a while so those will be good i'm gonna do it upright you know i've got cilantro in my garden
now love it you're so farmed a table so farmed a table i am farmed a table no i don't um so we're
gonna do taco salads and then we also have salmon bowls on the menu for this night for for this week
i'm sorry um and then i just have chicken i have like the four chicken breasts that i got to turn
into a meal okay well i've been like kind of haunted last night when i was like oh my gosh what
if the power goes out like what am i supposed to feed anyone for dinner i don't have any like
i need i realize i really don't have anything that i could make it that doesn't require me cooking
or heating that's okay that's okay you'll have it you'll figure it out did your roast
turn out good you've been you kind of been okay so my roast i've been having roast drama lately
my roast did turn out excellent um here's what i've learned you have to cut up a roast
and i wasn't cutting up my roast like you have to just cut it up i don't hear it beforehand i just
put it in and then i needed more liquid um so i poured some more i like used more like beef stock
and i started it on low and then it was i was realizing that i didn't start it early enough so
then i cranked it up to high and apparently it has to reach 205 degrees in order to the muscles to
break down to shred to be able to shred it so i don't really know what i did differently well i
i cut it up and i added more liquid and i i cooked it on high and on low but then it shredded
but i've just been having i've been having bad luck lately and it is a newer air fryer or an
air fryer um crock pot a lot of people are like your crock pot could just be on the fritz if it's
old so it's also something to look for to look out for if your crock pot is not cooking the way it
used to and then some people were also like just put it in your um dutch oven and i'm like yeah
that's like so much more farm to table too i that's just so much more like you're not just a mom who
dumps it around the crock but it's like sorry i have a roast in the oven like there's so much
more smith all of a sudden there's so much more interest to that that's a good point so okay well
that's gonna be our episode because now i have to get to getting because our mate group text is
blowing up everyone stay safe we will be all the by the time we're listening to this podcast we will
be have been on the other end of it so i imagine we are safe and we're fine what i hope that's the
kind of energy i'm putting out there so it hasn't happened yet but like you're gonna be listening
to this on a wednesday so we're probably fine like that makes no sense so to review let's all do
something kind this week let's kind of like brainstorm like how outie outie could come back
in a major way and try the chicken crust pizza those are your key takeaways from this episode
okay so thank you so much for listening to the carpool podcast we'll talk to you next time see you
bye thank you for listening to the carpool podcast with kelly and liz make sure you're
subscribed so you never miss an episode and if you enjoyed riding with us tell everybody you know
there's room in the car for everyone
About this episode
Kelly and Lizz bounce from Missouri storm anxiety to a very personal mix of decluttering frustration, yard guilt, and small kindnesses that make daily life feel lighter. They also dig into travel etiquette, a new Dancing with the Stars spinoff, and a book-club pick that didn’t land. Later, the conversation turns practical with bridesmaid advice, minivan and SUV trade-in timing, camper-buying caution, auto industry news, and a few dinner ideas, including a high-protein chicken-crust pizza.
In the midst of tornado warnings, Kelly and Lizz are ready for a new episode of the Carpool. Kelly has been traveling extensively, leading to some new conclusions. The biggest one: be nicer to people! So this week they are encouraging you to be nice to a stranger. Buy a stranger a cup of coffee, offer a compliment or just acknowledge the random person sitting next to you.
Meanwhile in her travels over the weekend, Lizz listened to the decluttering book and realized it was not for her. But some kindness from a stranger made her feel seen. Speaking of books, Kelly has a book club update and a big reveal on the truth behind the exclusive club.
Two advice questions this week have to do with the proper time to trade in your car. Then there is a very interesting one from a mom and her best friend's wedding. Will her friend never forgive her if she skips the wedding for her kid's first day of kindergarten?
In Industry News Kelly has the worst selling cars of 2026 so far. Finally in Ditch the Drive-Thru, Kelly is making ground chicken pizza and Lizz has some roast drama.
