Life lately

Abby’s trying to find the ever-elusive work-life balance while Sarah has been prepping her house for more insulation and contemplating the joys of homeownership.

Reading lately

Abby’s reading Farthing by Jo Walton, another title from our friend Kady’s By the Cover Project. It is a mystery set in 1949 England, but in an alternate version of history where Hitler is in control of continental Europe.

Sarah listened to the Lexicon Valley episode Why We Stopped Teaching Children How To Read and read both the host’s book (Talking Back, Talking Black by John McWhorter) and the guest’s (Language at the Speed of Sight by Mark Seidenberg). The former explains why Black English is a dialect, not “bad English” and the latter explores the history of the written word, what science tells us about reading, and why schools of education aren’t utilizing that knowledge.

Wedding bells

We describe how we met our spouses, our engagements, wedding planning, and the weddings themselves.

Eating lately

Sarah describes a standby in her house: lentil soup from Rising Shining. The secret is the mustard and red wine vinegar you add at the end.

Abby’s mastered the perfect lasagna. Her version includes Italian sausage and two different sauces: arribiata and garlic.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!

Life lately

Sarah registered her oldest for kindergarten and for Abby recapped Plum’s first birthday celebration.

Reading lately

Sarah read Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, by far the best book she has read so far this year. It follows the family line of two sisters born in Ghana in the late 1700s to the present day.

Abby finished reading Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Sartropi. This autobiographical graphic novel tells the story of one woman’s experience growing up during the Islamic Revolution.

Birthdays past and present

Our birthdays are almost exactly a month apart, with this episode falling right between them. We discuss how we celebrated as a child, in college, as parents, and how we are handling our kids’ birthdays.

Eating lately

Abby is eating a red pepper frittata based on this New York Times recipe.

Sarah has been snacking on stove top popcorn with all the butter.

If you’d like to join in the conversation, please leave us a comment, email us at friendlierpodcast@gmail.com, or find us on instagram @friendlierpodcast. Thanks for listening!