Life lately

Sarah has been regularly climbing at her local rock climbing gym.

Abby was happy to say goodbye to her family’s home-brewing equipment.

Reading lately

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Sarah read The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Abby enjoyed the middle-grade novel To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer.

Time management

We have many aspirations along with a few tips for how to best make our time work for us. Resources we mentioned:

• Off the Clock by Laura Vanderkam
• Screentime utility on the iPhone
• Google Keep

Eating lately

Sarah made a hearty cornbread from cornmeal milled at a local state park.

Abby tried a new frittata recipe and loved the heartiness the potatoes add.

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

Life lately

Plum is scooting around town on her balance bike.

Sarah’s family just returned from their fourth camping trip of the year.

Reading lately

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Abby flew through His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novak and can’t wait to read the rest of the series. Sarah is loving Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield–a cozy, creepy read that’s perfect for this time of year.

Moving

In honor of Abby’s impending move, we explore how moves have gone for us in the past, what we love about them, what we hate, and a few tips we have for making the process as pleasant as possible.

We both recommend This Is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick for anyone new to a community and wanting to feel more at home.

Eating lately

Sarah had an “upscale” camping meal: campfire roasted potatoes with Maya Kaimal split peas on top.

Abby enjoyed old fashioned friend chicken, courtesy of her mother-in-law.

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

Life lately

Sarah is loving walking after school drop off.

Abby has two television shows to share: Fleabag and The Zoo: San Diego.

Reading lately

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Sarah read Circe by Madeline Miller. Abby’s loving the Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas.

Hard times

We share how we care for ourselves in hard times, what others can do to best support us, and resources for helping those close to us when they are going through something tough.

• There Is No Good Card for This: What to Do and Say When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell
• Emily McDowell cards
• Option B by Adam Grant and Sheryl Sandberg
• Vanessa Zoltan’s thoughts on suffering in Harry Potter and the Sacred Text and Hot and Bothered
• On Living by Kerry Egan

Eating lately

Sarah found a breakfast her kids will actually eat: bagels!

Abby used up her summer squash with a three cheese squash casserole:

Cook in bit 1-2 t olive oil and 1-2 T dry sherry (kind of just stir/sauté until it’s just barely done):
3-4 lbs. yellow squash, sliced and then cut in fourths
Drain well; gently press between paper towels to remove some liquid;

Melt in skillet:
2 T. butter

Add and sauté 5-6 minutes:
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (add only for last minute of sautéing time)

Remove from heat and stir in squash and:

1 C. soft breadcrumbs (any good white bread will work; do in food processer or blender)
¾ C. grated Parmesan cheese (Not Kraft in box; buy grated Parmesan in dairy or cheese section)
1 C. (4 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
1 C.  (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
¼ – ½  C. chopped fresh chives
½ C. minced fresh Italian parsley
1 (8-oz) container sour cream
1 t. salt
1 t. fresh pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Spoon into lightly greased large baking dish

Stir together:
2 T. melted butter
1 ½ C. soft breadcrumbs (whir buttermilk bread in blender or food processor)
½ C. Parmesan cheese
¼ t. garlic salt

Sprinkle mixture evenly over top of casserole during last half of baking time (see below).

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

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

Abby tried out grocery delivery, but is not yet convinced of its convenience.

Sarah is vacuum sealing all of the blankets in her house.

Reading lately

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Abby read The Importance of Being Little: What Young Children Really Need from Grown-ups by Erika Christakis and Sarah tried another Kristin Hannah novel: The Great Alone.

Body positivity

We explore the idea of body positivity, how it’s changed the way we see ourselves and others, how it’s shifted the way we think about food and exercise, and how it influences our parenting. We are both still learning and recognize that our thin and able-bodied privilege color our perspective. Below is a list of resources we’ve found helpful on this journey and we’d love for you to share more in the comments so we can all continue learning together.

• Instagram follows:
  • Yrfatfriend
  • Megan Jayne Crabbe
  • Dani Adriana
  • Kate J Baer
• Podcasts
  • Food Psych, especially the interviews with Lindy West, Virginia Sole-Smith, and Ijeoma Oluo
  • She’s All Fat
• Books
  • F*ck it Diet by Caroline Dooner
  • Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon
  • Hunger by Roxane Gay
  • Shrill by Lindy West
  • The Eating Instinct by Virginia Sole Smith (and her recent NY Times article When You’re Told You’re Too Fat to Get Pregnant)

Eating lately

Sarah has been brewing kombucha and Abby’s family is enjoying “adult lunchables” for an easy dinner.

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 shares happy news about her health.

Abby laments her children’s inability to sleep through the night.

Reading lately

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Sarah was inspired by The Enchanted Hour: The Miraculous Power of Reading Aloud in the Age of Distraction by Meghan Cox Gurdon. Abby enjoyed Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak.

Reading as self-care

We explore how books and reading are part of self-care, including our favorite snacks, our ideal reading experience, and how parenting and reading for self-care intersect. Here are some of our favorite books to reach for when we are in need of a self-care reading experience:

• The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
• Red White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston
• Still Life and other Inspector Gamache novels by Louise Penny
• Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
• Ella Enchanted and other Gail Carson Levine books
• The Wedding Date and other Jasmine Guillory novels

And if you’re looking for thoughtful commentary about romance novels in our culture, check out Hot and Bothered, a new podcast by Vanessa Zoltan and Ariana Nedelman.

Eating lately

A friend of Abby’s made Chocolate Nemesis for her enjoyment.

Sarah experimented with buckwheat flour using this pancake recipe.

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

Life lately

Abby and her family have big news: They are moving to Birmingham, Alabama later this year!

Sarah gives a quick summer recap.

Reading lately

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Abby read (and LOVED) Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston.

Sarah read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Thanks to listener Kristen for the recommendation!

2019 update

We’re back! We thought it would be fitting to check back in with our intentions from January and see where we are as we head into the fall.

Eating lately

Sarah made falafels and strongly recommends adding the binding agents to avoid falafel crumble.

Abby was gifted an ice cream maker attachment and made this cherry garcia recipe in an attempt to recreate the Ben and Jerry’s version.

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

We give a quick update on what’s been happening in our respective families and announce that we’ll be taking a break through the summer. We appreciate your support and look forward to being back in your earbuds this fall!

Life lately

We have both been playing family games, including Hoot, Owl, Hoot!, Zingo, and Uno.

Reading lately

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Abby read Kindred by Octavia Butler and Sarah finished There is No Good Card For This: What To Say and Do When Life Is Scary, Awful, and Unfair to People You Love by Kelsey Crowe and Emily McDowell.

Home decor

We share our style, favorite pieces, and struggles with home decor. We may not have a lot of tips to share, but we can both wholeheartedly recommend our friend Kady’s shop.

Eating lately

Sarah enjoyed stuffed french toast, based off this recipe.

Abby’s neighbor brought over a delicious biscuit breakfast casserole.

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

Life lately

Sarah is seeking advice on the perfect paint color for her kitchen.

Abby’s found a new technique for cleaning her shower.

Reading lately

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Sarah was along for the ride in Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty. Abby loved Jenny Han’s YA series (and movie!) To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.

Mental health

We share how we view mental health, positive influences on our mental health, our experiences with therapy, and our favorite mental health insights and resources.

• Light therapy lamp
• Calm app for meditation and sleep stories
• Dooce blog, especially this article
• Audio companion to Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke

Eating lately

Abby’s family has been enjoying pigs (cows) in a blanket.

While they are not as good as in Texas, Sarah’s been loving the tamales from her co-op.

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

Life lately

Abby tried furoshiki to wrap Plum’s birthday presents–a success!

Sarah is loving attending local theater productions.

Reading lately

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Abby loved Royally Screwed by Emma Chase. Special thanks to listener Katie for the recommendation! Sarah read How to Stop Time by Matt Haig. If you want a more in-depth discussion, check out the Girl Next Door’s book club episode.

Store to table

We share how we plan meals and grocery shop, including what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.

Eating lately

Sarah has another Budget Bytes favorite: vegan red beans and rice.

Abby tried out two Asian dishes–beef with broccoli (a success!) and lo mein (might need some tweaks). Sarah tried this lo mein recipe and loved it.

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