The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz Nov 21, 2025

WHAT EVEN IS MOMTOK?!?

Annotations will appear as you listen

0:00

60:38

Car

Kia Telluride

The Kia Telluride is a family-sized SUV known for having a lot of space inside. Some people say the back seat isn't very comfortable for three people sitting next to each other.

Car

Ford Expedition

The Ford Expedition is a big family car that can carry a lot of people and their stuff. It's great for long trips because it has plenty of room inside and can pull heavy things like trailers.

Car

Jeep Grand Cherokee L

The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is a type of SUV that is good for both driving on regular roads and off-road adventures. It's spacious and has features that help keep passengers safe.

Concept

pulse on the auto industry

Keeping a 'pulse on the auto industry' means knowing what's happening with cars and car companies. It helps you understand new features, models, and changes in the market.

Car

Toyota Grand Highlander

The Toyota Grand Highlander is a large SUV designed for families, providing plenty of space and safety features.

Car

Ford Focus

The Ford Focus is a small car that's great for everyday driving. The 2009 version is known for being reliable and easy to park.

Car

Ford F150

The Ford F-150 is a big truck that's great for hauling things and towing trailers. The 2020 version has lots of modern features to make driving easier.

Term

fuel economy

Fuel economy is a measure of how far a car can go on a certain amount of fuel. If a car has good fuel economy, it means it uses less gas to drive a long distance.

Term

hybrid

A hybrid car uses both gas and electricity to run. This helps it save fuel and is better for the environment compared to regular gas-only cars.

Car

Toyota Siena

The Toyota Sienna is a family van that has lots of room for kids and their gear. It's known for being dependable and has special features to keep everyone safe while driving.

Term

cash budget

A cash budget is how much money you have to spend on a car without needing a loan. It helps you decide what kind of car you can afford.

Term

taxes

Taxes are extra costs you have to pay when buying a car, usually based on the price of the car. They can change depending on where you live.

Car

Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator is a big, fancy SUV that started being sold in 1998. It's known for being comfortable and having a lot of space inside.

Car

Cadillac IQ

The Cadillac IQ is a smaller electric car from Cadillac that focuses on being efficient and packed with technology. It's part of their lineup of electric vehicles.

Car

Cadillac Escalade

The Cadillac Escalade IQ is a new electric SUV from Cadillac that will be available in 2026. It's part of Cadillac's move towards electric cars, combining luxury with modern technology.

Car

Hyundai Palisade

The Hyundai Palisade is a mid-sized SUV that has a lot of room for passengers and luggage. It's known for being comfortable and safe, which makes it great for families.

Car

Jeep Wagoneer

The Jeep Wagoneer is a large SUV that can handle rough terrains while also being comfortable for family trips. It's a mix of adventure and luxury.

Car

Chevy Blazer

The Chevy Blazer is a type of SUV made by Chevrolet. It's designed to be spacious and comfortable, making it good for families or trips.

LIVE

Welcome to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly.

I'm incredibly excited for the fact that the Lions play on Thanksgiving.

Huge.

Huge for me.

That's so fun.

And Liz.

She saw an opportunity.

All she had to do was go on this show one more season,

and she could fulfill a lifelong dream,

a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,

and everyone's mad at her for it.

Your mom time off starts now.

Welcome back to the Carpool Podcast with Kelly and Liz.

Hey, Cal.

Do you have a cowl milk sweater on today?

Oh, I think you said I had a cowlick.

I do, yes.

I pulled out my sweaters.

My sweater vests.

This is from Express.

It's from, like, I think I might have got it

when I was postpartum with James,

because I don't even notice I'm swimming in it.

And at another point in my life, it was, like, perfectly form-fitted.

And that's on pregnancy.

Yeah.

Well, we have day, I'm happy you dressed up

because we have day two of content marathon.

Not I wouldn't even call it content marathon.

Like, it's like deep workshop.

Deep work workshop day.

And I was listening back to our episode

and we were, like, being so coy about it.

And then I went on my Instagram story yesterday

and basically just, like, told everyone what we were doing.

Yeah.

And I should do.

Well, it's not a secret.

Well, it was a secret.

But it's not part.

I'm not.

I'm not contractually.

It's it's my it's my thing.

I'm not, like, contractually obligated by anybody.

It's your secret to share or not.

It's my secret to share.

So we are and I think we've teased

that we're going under, like, a website renovation.

And like, I know you're probably like, oh, like, who cares?

Like, I don't even go on your website.

First of all, ouch.

Second of all, you will care about this one.

Like, it's so it's so fun to create something

that doesn't exist, you know?

Like, what's our inspiration with us?

Like, this has never been done before.

Well, OK, so you're just you're just full blown

telling everyone what our big secret project is

that we've been working on for a year.

And that is for redoing our entire website.

And that's in a huge way.

And this is what they call a soft launch.

OK.

This should be industry knows.

Well, it's just like so exciting.

And I have no idea when it's going to be done,

probably not for months and months and months

because like there's so much like development.

That's right. We have developers.

That's right.

We have a team.

We're women in tech.

So one of the things with our website renovation

that we finally decided we were

going to do is rate the cars,

give a car mom rating, a family friendliness rating

on the cars, which is something that we've thought

about doing since the car mom started.

And people have told us everyone's like,

you should read the cars, you should read the cars.

It's like it's not that simple.

And that's a very big deal.

Like we're at Kelly's not just throwing ratings.

We're first of all, we're all doing it.

It's me, Kelly and Sam essentially kind of collaborating

on this rating, mostly Kelly, but Sam's for the car seat

and I'm there for the vibes, you know.

And we are stamping each car with a car mom rating.

Yes. And it's a big deal.

It's such a big deal.

Like this is five plus years in the making.

And like for the consumer experience, I wanted to like,

I don't want it to feel like that big of a deal

because it's not, but I just want you guys to know

like how much thought and energy I've put into this

over the last five years.

And like I've started and stopped this project

multiple times because I just didn't feel comfortable

rating a car because and the reason I didn't like it was

I felt like how could I possibly give a car a rating

when families come in so many shapes and sizes?

Yeah. So like, for example, you look at a car

like the Kia Telluride.

OK, well, we know the Kia Telluride bench seat

is atrocious and can't fit three across.

But like, should that put it, should that car get a lower score?

Because what about the families who aren't looking to do three across?

What about the smaller families of one to two children?

So like that felt wrong.

And then you had things like, you know, like performance.

And then performance was interesting

because we tried to look outside of just the scope of like its horsepower.

But when we talked about performance,

we thought about like how quiet the car was.

If how fuel efficient the car was.

But the towing capacity was if they offered multiple power trains

because I feel like that was important in like a car's performance.

And then we talked about comfort a lot

and like the second and third row comfort and what that meant

and how cars compared when you started comparing the hip room

and the leg room and then what amenities were back there.

So like I'm giving you the context to say like.

It's not I feel like when the when the ratings come out.

I think we're going to be a little surprised

or maybe how high some cars have rated

because I think in the past, some of my content

has been pointing out the flaws in some of those cars.

But again, it's their flaws for some families, but not for others.

And I want this to be more of like a score for everyone.

We're also judging not not necessarily against

but like within their class.

So like we're not trying to compare the car seat setup

of the Kia Telluride to the Ford Expedition work.

We're like, OK, well, the Ford Expedition is great.

And then this other full size SUV isn't as good.

So like we're comparing them within their own class.

But you're right.

It's not that big of a deal to the consumer

because like whatever it's at the end of the day,

it's just Kelly's opinion.

But it is a big deal for us

because it's something that we've talked about for so long

and just have never thought it was right

or felt comfortable enough to do.

And we're finally feeling comfortable enough to do it.

Something that I do think is more important

to the consumers.

Another thing we're going to have on our website

is we're going to have the car mom score.

And we're also going to ask people to rate their own car

and rate cars they've test driven and rate cars

that they used to own and rate their husband's car

so we can get an audience rating and a real mom rating

because Kelly is just one mom.

Yeah, we want to know what all of the moms

are thinking of these cars.

And that's what we're really excited about.

That is that was and that's what's kind of delayed

the whole process because when we decided that

we wanted to amplify other voices

and show other reviews of these cars,

we had to go back to development

and basically basically add a logged in experience

so that people could could could review the cars.

And this is where I'm going to convict all of you.

Like this was where it has to be a group project

to be successful.

But I I feel like it's so important to hear from

every mom who has a car or has test driven a car

or has been in a car.

And when you leave your rating,

like you'll also leave your experience with it.

So you'll know when you're reading the review

if they just test drove it or if they own it

because we thought that was an interesting

piece of data to collect because if you test drove it,

why didn't you buy it?

You know what I mean?

So the ratings are going to be insane.

We're kind of modeling that after like

we kind of are just spilling it all, aren't we?

Should I stop?

I'm so excited.

No, because then I think that they'll

when we do launch it, they'll have some context

of things that we're doing.

But another cool thing about the reviews

is we are kind of modeling it after like

a run the runway review or something like that

where you can you can toggle filters.

So it's like, I always toggle who is 511 and above

who wore this because that's the only review I care about.

So we were like, how can we do that on our reviews?

So it's going to be like moms of one, two, three.

You could say how many kids you have.

And so if you're a mom of three kids,

then you can only look at the reviews of three or more, just three.

And so you're like, I don't care if you have one or two kids,

that doesn't apply to me.

So we're really excited about that.

Yeah, that's like going to be really razzle dazzle.

So that's where it's we're doing a lot of work right now.

But then you guys all have to promise me

that you're going to go do a lot of work

and just review the cars in your life

so that we can help.

Mom's make a more informed decision

because in another big reason I wanted to do

the the community reviews was because I'm

we're not taking reliability data into our score

for a lot of reasons and people always give me crap about this.

And I always say like, OK, well,

but like, tell me how you'd like me to do it.

There's no way to do it.

And no one else does this.

Reliability data is too hard to predict

when you're trying to score these new cars.

I mean, I don't think it's fair to go off

of what the last car happened.

I don't like the idea of then like

retro in going back and updating it

because it also reliability is car to car.

So like there's not an objective way to like all of the ratings

we have is it's like it's this car in its best case scenario.

Reliability data is not something that we can.

And what am I going to pull from?

I just can't rip off consumer reports.

I mean, I can report what consumer report says about the car

or you can become a member and look it up.

So also say is the other reason

we're doing the community reviews is when you log in and make an account

and you add your car, we will start asking you reliability questions.

So then we'll be able to populate that data on.

OK, they've had this car for five years.

They've reported no major issues.

And like then that's like a real world example

versus me just trying to like make something up

or like regurgitate what somebody else said,

which is not what I like to do.

Yeah.

So anyway, we're going to get all so we're so behind the scenes.

We have literally been becoming a tech company and it's been crazy.

And it's been so it's really stretched us.

And there's still so much work to do.

And it's not this is my problem, not yours, but it's been such a big

monetary investment that we've never invested money like this into the car.

Mom, so it's the first time where I really feel like it's a bet

on yourself kind of situation.

Yeah.

But it's going to be really awesome.

And ultimately, it's going to be helpful.

And I'm in the business of being part of the solution.

Preach, girl. Preach.

That was oh, my gosh, I feel so good to get that off my chest.

Oh, no, I'm I'm actually like I'm so excited now.

Like I just I'm happy everyone knows about it now.

So another thing is if you want to support our our our website endeavors,

a great way to do that is to go to the car mom.com.

Go to our merch, go to our Shopify site, because we are still having

a warehouse cleanup because we're getting out of the merch business

and we're getting into the tech business.

OK, and here's what I have to offer you.

Christmas light magnets on the cars.

They're 50 percent off.

They're like seven dollars for a pack of 14.

Again, not not your problem.

It's mine. Definitely losing money on these.

That's OK. Happy to do it.

One, to spread Christmas cheer and to clear out the warehouse.

But yeah, we got to get ready.

We got to get where we get rid of the warehouse.

Guys, we're paying a warehouse fee.

And I did and I'm not saying we'll never go back to a warehouse.

But for right now, it's all coming up women in tech.

Yeah. And that's also not to say we're not ever going to do a merch anymore.

And just we're going to bring it in house more of that type of situation.

Yeah, we don't know what it's going to look like.

But for who knows? Who knows?

Now you're airing stuff.

But we have go get Christmas light magnets because it's of the season.

And it's a great way to support.

Your favorite tech startup.

Is your favorite tech startup?

Yeah, feels like it.

Anyway, that's that's what's new with us.

Wow, I feel a million pounds lighter.

Yeah, so it's been it's fun.

So that's what we're doing today.

We're doing workshop things.

But before we go into our workshop things, we have a podcast to record.

And we've got we're going to talk about Thanksgiving,

because guess what?

Thanksgiving's next week, huh?

I'm ready, girl. I'm excited.

Well, I'm actually ready.

I'm not ready. I'm not ready in the slightest.

We've got to answer with the stars.

Recap face crack on that one.

Oh, my gosh, I have a lot of thoughts.

Yeah, that's my bias.

We have huge industry news because Motor Trend,

who's like, I guess, kind of like a competitor of ours now.

Like, it's crazy.

Yeah, no, that we're like a publication.

Now that we're publishing.

Anyway, they announced their SUV of the year.

Do you know what it is?

I don't. OK, good.

I it's I'm a it's a good choice.

I'm excited to get into it.

I had a lot of thoughts on that choice.

OK. OK, well, let's just let's just get right into it then.

Let's start with Thanksgiving.

Yeah, because Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

And I cannot believe it.

And I just kind of want to talk about, like, what we're excited about,

what we did well last year, what we're hoping,

what our hope streams and aspirations are for this year.

Well, my biggest kind of, like, update is

I can't make my autumn Caesar.

Yeah. So.

In case you missed it.

And I don't know how you could have possibly missed it.

Kelly developed an allergy to anchovies.

And every year for Thanksgiving,

she makes a fabulous autumn Caesar salad.

And obviously with homemade Caesar, like, I mean, look at me.

I was I was down and dirty with the anchovy pace.

And now that would take me out.

And it's just such a humbling experience.

You never know.

So now here's what I'm considering.

Primal kitchens, Caesar is vegan, so it's anchovy free.

Yeah.

So I'm just like, do I keep all the other elements?

Because it's a kale Caesar with delicata squash croutons.

Like it is. I'm telling you, it's chef's kiss.

I and I do it upright.

You know, I do it upright.

I'm massaging the kale.

I'm roasting the delicata.

I'm salting this.

I'm salting the kale.

I'm freshly grating the Parmesan.

Like it's it's perfect.

So I'm just like, do I keep it and just do the Primal Kitchen?

Now, how is the Primal Kitchen Caesar?

Because I haven't had it.

I think it's actually really good.

Oh, OK.

But it's not. I think that's fine.

I think it's really good.

It's just not.

And maybe I could just get that and judge it a bit.

It's very thin.

I was going to say, yeah.

It's very thin.

I prefer my Caesar to be a little thicker.

Yeah. You know.

Yeah. But maybe I will just do that.

Maybe I'll just put it in my food processor.

Add some more Dijon, lemon, garlic, everything.

But someone told me to use coconut

aminos in her place of anchovies.

So I could maybe add some coconut aminos to it.

And maybe I'll try that.

I think that's worth your time trying.

Well, I don't have time to try.

So it's kind of like, am I going to is that what we're doing?

Or what am I doing?

I think that you can try.

I think maybe buy two packs of the Caesar.

I can't imagine you would screw it up.

But like, let's say it doesn't turn out well,

then we'll just use the regular Caesar dressing,

the regular Primal Kitchen, like buy two of them.

Oh, I see. OK.

How about that?

OK, so then that takes a little pressure off me

because, you know, the other I'm sorry, the other autumn

salads, they're not my favorite.

Like, I'm not really into.

Well, I can't do anything spinach based.

I find that to be disgusting.

And then everything else tends to a little summary.

I mean, there's definitely like an apple,

walnut, honey mustard, vinaigrette variation.

I could do goat cheese.

But the Caesar just felt fun because it was like such

it was like a safe food for like the kids

and like the picky eaters.

But like, then it was sassy with Delicata squash.

I think we should try in.

I don't think we should let the anchovies win on this one.

Right.

Don't let them take your autumn Caesar.

What have you been assigned?

So mom, give me some options.

She told me to pick.

She said I could do green beans.

I could do an appetizer.

I am bringing like a dessert.

So I just need to decide if I want to do like green beans

or an appetizer.

Well, you could do the appetizers

and then you could do Charlotte mom's Jane step.

Oh, that's a good idea.

That's kind of gone viral.

Charlotte mom.

Charlotte's mom.

Jane.

Jane's Jane, Jane, Jane step.

Which I'm actually planning on bringing that to

we have Tyler's mom side Thanksgiving this coming Sunday.

And one thing about Barb's Dumpy is like

she's just going to do what she wants to do.

And she said, because Tyler's mom side

and dad side still get together.

So like that's, I mean, that's three Thanksgiving meals

for us.

So Barb's like, I'm going to do a jambalaya

and pork steaks.

And I'm like, go off.

Like that sounds so good.

Yeah.

So good.

So she just said to bring an appetizer.

So I'm going to bring that, which doesn't really go.

Cause I don't know how else to go with the meal.

So I'm just going to bring that dip.

Okay. That's a good idea.

Maybe I'll bring that dip in like a veggie tray.

And here's what that dip is in case you need a refresher.

Get your pen out.

So it's bores and cheese.

I did the green one.

I'm sure the purple one would work too.

Bores and cheese.

You know what that is, right?

Mm-hmm.

And then you spread it on like little pie dish.

Then you add fig jam.

Delicious.

Then you add shelled pistachios.

You top it with hot honey.

Serve it with a great cracker.

Yeah.

A rosemary cranberry like cracker, crackette from Trader Joe's.

If not wheat, thens will suffice.

I've done, I've done both.

Yeah.

Okay. That's a good idea.

You're right.

Yeah.

You're right.

Okay. So other things.

So that's kind of like the meal.

I mean, mom does most of the meal

and we're very much, if it's not fixed,

don't break it kind of person.

I mean, she, dad smokes a turkey.

It's amazing.

We have, I mean, it's my favorite stuffing in the world.

Mom does this like cram,

or this cornbread sausage stuffing.

It's unbelievable.

Green beans are great.

She just, she just caters her mashed potatoes

and sweet potatoes from Whole Foods.

Probably too late for you this year.

But like, so anything you want for next year

and she had the sheet and I was looking at the pricing

and I'm like, yeah, this is penciling.

Yeah.

If you don't want to make it yourself.

To all my picky eater moms out there,

as I am one of them,

I have a couple of reminders for you

this holiday season when it comes to holiday meals.

Thanksgiving's usually pretty safe.

Like there's usually a mac and cheese option for kids.

But this is your reminder

that if you don't think your kids

are going to eat anything to just feed them before

because like you would rather have a good Thanksgiving dinner

yourself than like be fighting a picky eater

to just feed them the chicken nuggets before who cares.

It's survival mode and it's a holiday.

It's a holiday.

The other thing is if you're worried about your kid

not getting enough like, you know, nutrients,

smoothie, fruit smoothie.

I have been throwing in their fruit smoothies.

Like if I have like a extra vegetables

that are going to go bad, let's say like a carrot,

I'll chop the carrot up and freeze it.

And then I throw carrots in my smoothies

because it just blends like a strawberry,

a frozen strawberry.

Chia seeds, spinach, pack a nutrient dense smoothie,

give that to them in the morning.

So at least at the very least

they're getting something healthy in their body

and they don't know it.

I also find when it's like holidays like this

or any like special events,

it's not when I'm going to choose to say eat this

or no dessert.

I'm here there for the best.

I would say that as well.

I was going to say that as well.

Okay, I'm going to make them a plate.

If they don't eat it, they're still getting dessert.

I, it's, I don't care.

And it's Thanksgiving.

I don't care.

I will pick that battle every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday.

I will be a weekday warrior about that battle.

I'm not picking at Thanksgiving.

I don't give a rip.

I'm not even going to like, okay, are you done eating?

Okay.

Yep.

Go have a cookie.

Have two.

Like it's a freaking holiday.

Like everyone needs to relax.

It's a holiday.

Give yourself permission.

Give your child the permission in the same way that like

one cookie is not going to make or break our diets

or whatever we're trying to do.

One cookie on Thanksgiving after not having a meal

is not going to make or break your child

or make them a brat or anything like that.

It's fine.

It's the holidays.

Now, something that I've been working on,

I'm so behind.

I'm like sick to my stomach behind on this.

Is my kid's holiday clothes?

Like I'm sick about it.

Yeah, I know.

I know.

Me too.

I, something that I just have decided to put on my plate

that stresses me out, but I want,

I'm not willing to take off my plate,

is I like my kids to have a few coordinating outfits a year.

I find it fun.

It's good for my pictures.

If I need to be a good challenge,

which I'm always an into.

I think they look adorable.

So normally I like take inventory

and I like go in my foyer

and I just like start throwing pieces on the ground.

Like I know I want George to wear that.

I know I want Libby to wear that.

And then I fill in the pieces of what I can

and then I see if anyone needs anything.

I have not even,

I have no idea what anyone has.

Like if my kids are in a coordinating outfit

by this time next week,

it will be a flipping miracle.

Because at this point,

it's too late to really order.

I've seen what Target has to offer.

I'm not impressed this season,

for the most part,

with their dressier clothes at least.

So I have no idea what,

I have no idea what's in store for me.

You know, I thought about this

and I was like,

maybe I should try and order something.

And for me,

Thanksgiving is nice church clothes,

which we have Christmas.

I'm gonna,

I'll probably buy them something new,

like a nice Christmas dress,

like a little bit more,

and they need two outfits

because we do two Christmases,

but we only do one day of Thanksgiving for us.

So I opted to not buy anything

new this year for clothes,

and we have nice church clothes.

We're just gonna go with that this year.

I'm so happy for you.

I'm not going to do that.

I just, again,

this is just a battle that I've chosen.

Okay, that's fine.

And I like them in a cute Thanksgiving outfit

because I actually like it

almost better than Christmas

because then it's not seasonal

and I kind of appreciate that.

I think, I say I have nothing.

I have a dress that I want Hattie to wear.

The problem is the dress is pink in it,

which I find that very hard that,

like if Hattie had a navy dress,

I could totally like make something

work with the boys' outfits.

But Hattie's dress is,

I actually got it from Walmart.

It's the only thing I bought this fall.

And it's pink with green and purple flowers.

So, and she's going with her pink cowboy boots.

So Hattie's the winner.

We always have like a crown jewel of the outfits,

and it changes every single time.

Hattie is the winner for things.

What?

And it's Hattie this time.

It's Hattie this time.

But stay tuned.

Stay tuned.

So that's what I'm working on.

I'm incredibly excited for the fact

that the Lions play on Thanksgiving.

Huge.

Huge for me.

That's so fine.

The Stumpys will be sat in front of the TV.

I know.

And George is getting a jersey.

George and Hattie are actually both getting jerseys for Christmas.

And I like so want to like bring the jerseys

and give it to them.

But I should probably save them.

Save them.

I just feel like that'd be fun.

Like cause like everyone will be watching in our family

and I could like show off my little lion fans.

I know it would be cute.

But it's okay.

Just save them.

I still might do it.

Okay.

Who am I to tell you not to?

So yeah.

Well, okay.

We have like a couple of advice questions

that I would love to get into.

If you don't mind.

Yeah.

So if you want to get your own advice,

you can write into helloatthekarmomofficial.com.

So this one comes from Jen.

Hi Kelly and Liz.

I'm a regular listener of your podcast

and love your content.

As someone with a sister,

I love your banter.

So fun to listen to.

On a sadder note,

my family and I,

husband, four-year-old and five-year-old,

just got into the biggest accident of our lives.

Airbags, car totaled, et cetera.

We were in the highway.

Another car hit a deer above a hill

that we couldn't see

and we couldn't avoid them.

Everyone walked away okay.

I think because of the safety

of our car and car seats.

We had a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

that we had just bought out of our lease.

Now we are faced with having to choose

new car seats and a new car

to have any guidance or support.

My sense of needing to feel safe

to be needing this to be a safe car

is extremely heightened.

We like three rows for the space

and are open to a used car

if that makes more sense financially.

I'm sorry.

What year does she think her Grand Cherokee L is?

It's a 2018.

That car wasn't out in 2018.

So I'm wondering if she has that wrong

or if she has the car wrong.

I don't know.

Maybe she's a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

That's probably what it is.

This is such a hard situation

because this is where I think it is

actually helpful to always have

a pulse on the auto industry

the cars that are out there

because so much of this

rely daily on our transportation

and then when you have a situation

like this when that transportation

gets taken from you overnight

I think it can feel very overwhelming

because you have no idea what's out there

no idea what you want to buy.

That's why I think sometimes

I love that we have listeners

who listen to this podcast

who aren't necessarily in the market

because I feel like if they're in that situation

they're going to be more prepared.

Cars are so safe.

Seriously, I've always said this

but after 2015, 16, 17

they've really kind of hit peak safety

and they've kind of

I'm not saying plateaued in a bad way

but there are so many safe used cars

in the market so I don't subscribe

to newer as safer.

I don't find that to be true.

I find over 2016

if I had to say safer

all to say is new car

or used car market both super safe.

The IHS has done such a good job

making these crash tests more difficult

for the manufacturers to

step it up.

So I would really reference

their top safety

and top safety pick plus lists

I reference them all the time

we reference them when we were scoring the cars

because I just feel like they are

they're totally data backed and based

it's not like

oh we like the looks of this one better

it's just pure data on who performed better

in the crash

and the manufacturers know

what those tests entail

so to me it's like

super disappointing when a manufacturer

doesn't pass those guidelines

and it almost feels like intentional

because they know how to pass them

and not all cars get tested

some of the full size

and some of the luxury cars

don't get tested and the full size actually

got tested recently and they all

none of them performed well

which

when you compare them to each other

you're like okay sure

that one's a little

I have a lot of thoughts on that but

I think when you're looking at the midsize market

I would really just reference

those lists.

And they have all the years too

so if you are in the market for used

you can look up what a 2021

X, Y and Z did and if it was

a top safety pick plus or not

but those midsize

not to say that those are safer but those

have been consistently tested

so they have been making the updates

which the minivans just got tested

didn't do very well

the full size SUVs just got tested didn't do very well

but they hadn't been tested

as often

so they haven't been making

the changes that the other ones did

so I just think getting a car that's a top safety pick

plus will give you some peace of mind

and I really like to me

there is a difference between the plus

and not the plus I don't really care

I think if it's on

to me if it's on the list that's good enough

and yeah I mean I think

the midsize SUVs have no excuse and like not to call

out a car but like when we're doing those ratings

like the fact that the Toyota Grand Highlander wasn't

on the list is

it's disappointing it's insane

yeah it's insane

yeah it is insane

that's not to say it's not a safe car

it's not to say I wouldn't even drive one

I mean the Ford Expedition isn't

the Expedition is not

so like I'm not saying that

but I'm saying for someone who really wants to prioritize

like that is the most important thing to them

I would default you to that list

they also tell you how the car

did in the crash too

so if like you're really into it now

like you can see exactly why it got the score

and where it scored well

in what parts of the test

and you do have to take into account like you know those

those scores are

it's a test so it's

it's a one car hitting

one barrier the same way

in every single car so it doesn't always paint

the full picture because when you think about

when you think about a collision

like it's what car is hitting you

how fast is that car hitting you where are you hitting it

what's the road condition like like there is so much more

to it than just these tests so you also can't take that as like

that car was fine so I'm gonna be fine

you can't take it like that

we're always doing

a risk when we get on the road

we're always doing a risk when we get on the road

but I can tell you the cars are

so much safer than they were 20 years ago

what would you say about car seats

for her

oh she needs to replace her car seats for sure

of course she needs to replace her car seats but like what

are you just like maybe sick with what you have

like do you have any recommendations

oh I would need to know more

I would need to know like age of kids

what do you end up with but I mean same thing

I mean all the car seats are

which we have talked about this before

also

all the car seats pass the same kind of line

like that's like like gun to my head

like that's what I'm supposed to say as a CPST

which is true it is frustrating

because we don't know which car seats perform

better

but when I've

spoken to people in the field their point

the car seats that have maybe performed a little bit

better it almost doesn't matter because it's such a small

percentage

and the bigger problem is making sure children

are in a car seat in the right car seat

that's correctly installed like

the theory is it's like

if you're getting down to like comparing

as an industry if we get down to comparing

which car seat or which car even

is that much safer we're kind

of missing the plot because it's like it will be better

if we all just drove safer

and we had got

children in car seats like that's actually

where more time their time and energy needs to be spent

so maybe

find some car seats that you

want and if you just to put your

safety mind at ease go to

a CPST check event and just confirm

that it's installed correctly

and if you decide on the car that you want you can

write into chat CPST and we'll tell you which car seats we think

fit the car in your kids the best

okay

Cal we're gonna do another advice question

hi Kelly and Liz I need

you to convince me to delay my mom car purchase

this is Kelly's favorite thing

to do I love I literally

love doing this

I have two kids three year old Ford facing

10 month in a bucket seat

we're hoping to have four maybe five kids total

I drive my 2009

focus from high school and my husband

has a 2020 F-150

we recently swapped daily vehicles

since I need the extra space for stroller

Costco run large dog

and my husband is so sweet for doing this

we had planned on swapping

baby number three came along

to delay the mom car purchase

so we are sticking to the plan

just a little early however

we're now realizing how much I drive

even as a stay at home mom and the gas

price is hurt I'm tempted to just start

looking at Siena's all-wheel drive

slash hybrid at the top of our list

we want to pay cash

our budget is limited but my husband says

we stick to the plan and make this work

for another kid what do you think

well I mean you're spending money

either way

because I mean is the F-150

paid off does she say

she didn't

I would say if the F-150

is paid off like you're

better to pay the higher gas prices

on the F-150

yeah for sure

yeah also

it depends on your budget I mean the Siena wasn't

a hybrid until 22

those are going to be so it's not like

now I'm buying the 2016 Siena that's going to get

incredible fuel economy

hmm so

I think that's another I think the Siena is a good

option for you I love that car

but like to get the benefit

of the hybrid you're looking at 22s which

I couldn't tell you the price

on the top of my head about that but I'm thinking

let me just look it up

really fast can I do that

yeah of course you can

it's like where I need like a little more context

you know

yeah I get that

Toyota Siena for sale

so I mean you're looking

yeah like 36 to 40

so I'm not I don't know if that's in budget

or not I mean you said you're paying cash I don't know what your cash budget is

so that's just something to consider

so I mean you're looking at

you know

40 grand

plus taxes

right

and like the F-150 fits you guys fine

and like it's just a little gas

and it's not like the Siena is free

it's not like it has no gas

it still needs gas

yeah so

they only have the two kids right now

they want to have plenty more like your time

to get that Siena maybe wait until it's

a few years when it is a little bit more

you might be able to find a used one

on the market

a more used one

yeah

if it's not paid off you need to keep driving the F-150

okay

if it's not paid off and like it's basically

and like it's going to be kind of

and it's around the same price and you could like swap

sure swap

yeah like if it's yeah you know what I mean

I'm not sure the question is to get rid of the F-150

but I know if you have a free car to drive

that fits your family it just isn't great on gas

I think that's a better call still

right okay yeah okay

okay Cal well what do you want to do

with the stars

why don't we get interesting news out of the way

just for the people who don't want to watch

anything with the stars

yeah which is crazy to me

but you would like

not want to be part of like this cultural moment

but that's fine okay

so motor trend does in

SUV of the year

okay and

oh my gosh guess what so they've been doing this since

1998 and the first one was the Lincoln Navigator

that's so fun for them

they've got a couple years on us

okay

are you ready for one of this

um yes but

can I guess I don't think

you will but yes

I'll give you a clue it's a luxury car

and we love it

um how we were

how we reviewed one recently twice

the IQ

the Cadillac IQ

we love the IQ

I know

so the Cadillac

Escalade IQ is the 2026 SUV

of the year

yeah

so this is if you don't know what the IQ is

we've done two tours one tour I was super harsh on

because I didn't realize

because I'm living and learning and growing

that there's this like crazy package that you can get

that I hate and then you can get

a regular package like doesn't have all these like weird

second row flaws

which is the one to get

it is one of the most and I don't use this word

this is not a word I like to have come out of my mouth

often it is the sexiest

car I've ever seen

it's it is

we sit in new cars all

the time it's our full-time job

this one felt

innovative it was like no one

else is doing that that's a

unique picture that's innovation that excites

like that is

intro that's cool

honestly I mean so

disgustingly expensive

but

super cool car feels like the car

of the future

I've ever read the Motor Trend article but like I get it

I would agree

yeah so I think

it's um

and I mean they're not they

again the pricing I think is like

the biggest thing that are going to give people the pit

because it is like it's so expensive

but

when I when I think about a car's value

and when I think about how they came up with the pricing

I just want to make sure I can

get it like because I get in some cars

and I can't justify first of all I could

justify a million dollar car if I felt like

I got it I mean things are worth

like that's how it works things are worth money

and I sometimes

sit in a car and I'm like I don't get where they're coming from with these pricing

this price for this is just seeming in grace

I sit in the escalator queue and I'm like

oh this car is

$150,000 and I

get it I'm not saying I got it

I'm not saying you should buy it I'm not saying I would spend that

money on a car

but I understand the pricing

of that vehicle

agreed

okay that's exciting

it's everything

yeah so

and it really is kind of

it's just

it's been interesting

I mean I'm excited about the GM EVs

now the only Achilles heels it is not Apple CarPlay

because like they're taking that out

yeah

but we I would like to look at what the motor trend

SUV of the year is because they

they have theirs come out in November and then our car

of the year will come out in

January

um and I mean yeah the escalator

is on the list but it's kind of a stacked year

who else is on the list

because well the Ford expedition will be on the

list

the Hyundai Palisade will be on the list

the Lincoln Navigator will be on the list

I don't know about the Jeep Wagonier but it also might be on the

list and I know what you're thinking like and I don't

I don't know who it's going to be I haven't done

we have a formula that we plug in

and we figure it out

but yeah I mean I'm not

against it being it's ever been a luxury car I'm not against it

I mean really it was almost the Lexus TX

last year like missed it by a couple

points to be yeah

like one or two points to be a point

to be the traverse

um yeah so we'll see

what the car on car of the year is going to be but motor

trend congratulations I

think it's a good pick because it's a pretty

freaking cool car agreed

yeah and I think

last year's theirs was the Chevy Blazer so again

they're not like always picking like the most expensive crazy car

like they're just picking the car that

met their criteria the best yeah

so that's industry news

let's get into dancing with the stars

recap

my first week since I've been doing predictions

that I've been incorrect

and I was so bummed to be incorrect this

time and I actually don't think

I'm wrong I think America's wrong

I you know we're newer

fans and like the kind of the trope is now

they're like these new fans not knowing

how it works it's like well

we all came and first of all like

we're actually making the show successful

like us newer fans so like

you should be welcoming and exciting

and I find it

to be the most

vague

scoring

that I've just ever understood like so

so the

judges scores don't

matter no

so what's it all for

maybe to like give people context of like

if that was a good dance or not

which I do

I mean I don't know why they're so excited about it

I mean it's a big deal like so I got the perfect score this season

but no I would love like some more

transparency I would love this

judges scores to mean a little bit more

Whitney going home

is so

unfair

and dumb and just at the end of the day

it's wrong do we want to start with

Whitney or do we want to go through the dances

let's start with Whitney let's just get off our chest

okay here's how I'm feeling about

a lot to say about this

here's how I'm feeling about Whitney

the new season of secret lives of Mormon wives

came out and within the same

week it came out that

she revealed that the only reason she came

back on secret lives of Mormon wives

was to have the opportunity to be with dancing in the stars

and everyone's like

can you believe she

admitted that and it's like

she's the only one of those girls who's honest

about her intentions on the show

you think any one of those girls are just on it

to have fun they're all on it for

opportunity they're all on it for fame at the

very least Whitney recognized after

two seasons that this was not for

her and it was not for her family and she didn't

want it anymore but then

someone with a dance background

said you would have

the opportunity to go on dancing with the stars

we all okay all of us

watch this show and think

at the end of the day that would be pretty cool to be on dancing with the stars

like that would be cool and I'm not a dancer and I'm

woman enough to admit that I think it would be cool to be

on dancing with the stars

she saw an opportunity

all she had to do was go on this show

one more season and she could

fulfill a lifelong dream a once

in a lifetime opportunity and everyone's

mad at her for it

not adding up to me at all

it makes me like her even more

I have not started the season of

Mormon wives I I don't

know if I'll watch it I

have just had a lot of

I don't know I probably will watch

it maybe but I haven't yet

and I'm in no rush to

but yes

first of all what is the show

what is mom talk it's all

these like

they haven't defined they can't even define

mom talk as what it is like

is it if Taylor Frankie Paul says

you're in it is it if you like just make a couple

tiktok is it off is it

if you're on the show so like you don't

even know what it is and then

because you're all just doing it to

make money

like it's a career and

and

it's not that I don't like those girls because I do but

where I felt like so uncomfortable with the show

is like I just couldn't believe like

the exploiting of their families and of

themselves and of their personal struggles

for money like I borderline have like

it's not gonna be a buzzkill because I get

it's good TV but I don't know I just

I was watching it this year and I've been a

housewife fans for years and I don't know

why the housewives always felt different

to me

so yes to echo your point

they're all just doing it

for money

for fame for fame for opportunity

opportunity wow look at us

I don't know

it's just mad at someone

well and it's also just kind of that thing like the internet just woke up one day

and decided to hate Whitney

and the internet just does this sometimes

like some people get so much

unnecessary hate some people get

some people

should get a little hate but then the internet never forgives it

you know what I mean

yeah and then some people

do horrible things and the internet doesn't care

yeah no that's

it's crazy that's a true

Whitney was the villain on season one

like I remember watching I don't remember

what happened on season one I remember

I was leaving that I was like oh gosh I'm not

liking this girl it's bad

I didn't watch season two

anyway I have forgotten I have moved on at the end

of the day she's a mom at the end of the day she's a person

and I really feel bad for her

to see the hate she's getting I feel

bad even for Hilaria and the hate that she

was getting I just as someone

who has

has read

stuff mean stuff about them on the internet

I feel bad for anyone who gets internet hate

for just like

making a mistake

like it's okay if you say okay that was wrong

like you should have done that but just to like

continue to like grow up

like get over it guys touch grass

move on like move on with your life

well and that's how I felt with season

this is kind of like a Mormon wives recap too

but in season two like I couldn't

buy into Michaela because she was just like

I'll never forgive Whitney and I'm like okay

that's crazy

also like

not to like bring religion into it not a very

Christ-like lady like I just don't get this

show it is like it's just it's not

Whitney was the best

dancer I would like to see her

I didn't need her to win like I get that

I understand there's a

level of it that is a popularity contest

but I feel like you should

advance because of the fan

vote not be eliminated because of the fan

vote yeah do you know what I'm saying

yeah I get that yeah

like I was like

I even get the Andy thing like that's fine

like they wanted to push any through but like

she had the highest scores all season

she

should be in the finale I mean that was

crazy had a great

I think she was really emotional because

I think that she knew that

she was going home like she cried a couple

of times and I think that she kind of knew her time

was coming

I appreciated how

genuine she was

I appreciated her

her

she's at the end of the day she's

honest and I'm here for honest people

she was honest

she said what her intentions were

on the show she didn't have to do that

but she was honest she

she said that like this was

a dream come true for her

and I also saw she went on Danielle's podcast

and they were

joking like she was like do you think you'll win

and she was like could you

imagine what the internet would say would you

can you imagine that the internet even made it

mean to make it through the finals like she's very

aware of the situation

yeah I know it's

no it's it's

and I'm not I know she's not perfect like I

remember the I know the RSV video I know

that she was the villain like I know all of those things

but

we just don't live in a world where

people can it's almost like we don't live

in a world where people can get forgiven anymore

and I think that's wrong

I think that people should I think

we've lost the art

of forgiveness again we need

we only a little more Jesus in our lives because

that's kind of his whole trope like forgive

try it yeah

yeah it's really

it's really bothering me and like I just

can't help think like I haven't watched that

interaction but like I want to look freaking

Demi square in the eyes it's like okay so why did you decide to come on

because like I'm also

you guys can all shut up with this trope of like

we're empowering women

no you're not

you're not

sorry good for you

you have a following and making good content like you're

hacking the system you know I

you make good content I'm not judging you but like

to say that no one's intentions

are pure I would also say

Whitney's intention to go back on the show

to go to on Dancing with the Stars

something that she loves to do is dance is actually

the purest intention to go back on the show

that's what I'm saying

so that's why I'm just like

whatever like Whitney was never going to win she was

going to go home someone had to go home everyone's

everyone is really good at this point

I'm just pissed at everyone's acting

like what she did on

secret lives of Mormon wives is like the biggest

gag of the century and like such a huge

deal because it's simply not

so whatever

Whitney went home

and I'll say it

it should have been Elaine

and Elaine is my favorite

or it should have been Dylan

or Dylan's dances were not great

I am just going to be the one to say it

I didn't care for that theme I

turned out I don't know a single print song

and I found

some of the dances

everyone kind of had

an off night

I felt like everyone just kind of had

one or two off dances and

I don't know if it was the theme or if it was just an off night

I didn't care for the theme so sometimes I just

don't want a theme you know

yeah so I was thinking about

Prince and I was talking to Tyler

not that he was like really watching but

I was like this is so interesting

and he was like

I was like Prince was like so big

during the time but like I just

don't know if a lot of his songs have like aged

as much as people think

they would and it kind of made me think of like

you know

in like 30 years from now will

our kids be watching dancing with the stars and it'll be like Justin Bieber songs

it'll be like the Justin Bieber night

it'll be like a Taylor Swift night for sure

yeah

it'll be like Taylor Swift night for sure

I'm saying that will last

that will last

the test of time

you're right Prince hasn't like in the way that

another great showman like Queen

Freddie Mercury

like I think a lot more

I think their songs are a lot more recognizable than Prince

so I didn't know any Prince songs

I didn't love watching them dance

two times I've liked how in the other

times we've like done different things

I thought that was more fun

yeah I think that's just like

but also I'm just learning none of it

what's frustrating about the show is I'm just learning that none of it matters

so it doesn't matter

and

I don't know like

do you think

I think I'm good

like I'm definitely gonna watch next season because

I'm gonna watch next season because I think

this season was kind of a freak

fluke and like that there's so many

good dancers

and there's people who are hated like to have Hilaria

and Whitney on the same season is crazy

they're hated people hate them

yeah

I don't know

so now who do you think it's gonna be

it's kind of like anyone's

no it's not

Robert crushed it

last night

Alex

her first dance was fine

Robert was on fire last night

Robert's really coming into his own

I think it's Robert or Alex

I don't know who

I think like

Dylan's um

I think the reason honestly Dylan like

for sure made it in did you see that Zach

posted vote for my brother

to his 60 million followers

Zach Efron was there

I was so excited to see him there

I'm not even the biggest Zach Efron person there

but I was excited to see him there

it's Alex

or Robert for me

at this moment I honestly don't know who

yeah

I'm assuming

Alex has more followers but I actually don't know

I think it will be Robert

I think they just like that synergy

I think Bindi won it

I think it's international and I don't know if international

are watching

Robert has double the followers that

Alex has

yeah I mean he's famous

I think it will be Robert

I am

I do I agree

I agree

I do find it I think it's so interesting

I feel like the internet just like loves to hate

women sometimes

especially like influencers like I think that people

love the influencery thing it's like

oh these girls like what have they done

I'm surprised that

huh

I'm surprised that Alex hasn't gotten a lot of

like the

the troll the troll hate

not that I think I don't think any of the girls deserve it

but I'm very impressed with her but I guess like not a lot

of crusty men probably watch

Dancing with the Stars

yeah I don't know I

would love to have like open and honest

conversations about people who are excited that

Whitney went home

and I just like

I'm out here defending Whitney love it like just

didn't see that on my bingo card

um but I just like

I guess I just didn't realize how little of a

competition show this was and how much of a popularity

contest this was

this was

okay so I have a group text you want to hear

my group text with my girlfriends

about Whitney going home

yeah okay

someone was like tell me

someone was well this is like kind of like the

Whitney the pro Whitney going home

kind of tell me what happened

Whitney originally didn't

come back to film for season three until she heard

there was a Dancing with the Stars audition

wait so you mean like she she wasn't

she wasn't around for free episodes

and then was like hey I'm back because of Dancing with the Stars

oh wow so pretty much

you secret live see it on Dancing with the Stars

yeah straight up admitted it on her show with no shame

I said that doesn't bother me

I said basically I don't think they just said

my friend goes true I guess the rest of the voters

didn't like that didn't

like it so that's why she went home

she just has so many haters

all those girls were crazy on the show though

and then they brought up like the first season

uh it just

it deaf bothered a lot of her

co-stars and probably a lot of other viewers

so that's

well I think it bothered them because they need to have

content for their show to film I actually don't think

I think that they all know they would do the right thing

but they're looking for a storyline

and this is their salty that they didn't get

picked to be on Dancing with the Stars

and they're like oh this will be good we'll

fluff this up I mean it's just crazy

I don't know

and I really care so that's sad

for me but

Elizabeth we have to move on because we have meetings meetings means

no no no no no no

no no no no no no no no I have a

I know we'll move on I have a quick ditch to the drive-thru we got sent

and it was it sounds delicious

um lemon pepper

and garlic crispy chicken thighs and potatoes

pack of skin on

bone-in chicken thighs little gold potatoes

one tablespoon of baking powder

salt pepper lemon pepper seasoning

garlic powder olive oil butter

juice of lemon for is optional

preheat to 450

dry chicken thigh combined baking powder salt

black pepper

measure with your heart on the lemon pepper seasoning in a small bowl

um make the potatoes

high you know in the oven

uh sprinkle seasonings over each thigh

where it will almost form a paste consistency

okay

you have to use your fingers kind of rub it all

in together sprinkle under each thigh

as well it's okay if there's leftover seasoning

put little pats of butter around the potatoes

place in the oven for

35 to 45 minutes until the internal

temperature is 165 oh so

you do it on one sheet pan so I was trying to

read it quickly I'll post this on the

on the on the

Instagram yum

that sounds delicious I love lemon pepper

I need to be eating more of it

me too all right guys well that's gonna wrap

up our episode so thank you so much for

listening to the carpool podcast we'll talk to you next time

love you guys 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

Excitement fills the air as Kelly and Liz dive into their upcoming website renovation, which includes a unique car mom rating system for family-friendly vehicles. They discuss the challenges of creating this rating and the importance of community feedback. The episode also touches on Thanksgiving preparations, including holiday recipes and family dynamics. Additionally, they share their thoughts on the latest Dancing with the Stars eliminations, particularly the controversy surrounding Whitney's departure, and debate the nature of reality TV and audience biases.

cash budget fuel economy hybrid pulse on the auto industry taxes

Cadillac Escalade Cadillac IQ Chevrolet Blazer Ford Expedition Ford F-150 Ford Focus Hyundai Palisade Jeep Cherokee Jeep Grand Cherokee Jeep Wagoneer Kia Telluride Lincoln Navigator Toyota Grand Highlander Toyota Sienna

Original notes

Big things are on the horizon for the Car Mom as a website is in the works! Kelly and Lizz have been spending a lot of time getting ready for the launch and some amazing new features, including an official Car Mom rating system and viewer ratings. Just consider them ladies in tech right now! At home, both families are getting ready for Thanksgiving. There will be one major change to the menu this year as Kelly can no longer have her favorite autumn caesar salad thanks to that pesky anchovy allergy. Will she find a suitable substitute? It's all about car advice questions from the listeners this week. First, a mom needs advice on a new car after a crash left hers totaled. A second mom needs advice on the perfect car for her family after delaying getting an official "mom car." Moving into Industry News, Motortrend has named the SUV of the year. Did they get it right? Then, Kelly and Lizz have a LOT to say about this week's "Dancing with the Star" elimination. They are HEATED!

The Carpool with Kelly and Lizz

The Car Mom LLC / tentwentytwo Projects

View classic page →

0:00

60:38