https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/our-year-in-books-2020?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Sarah shares a story of E’s glasses lost, then found.

Abby is in a Christmas crafting mood.

Reading lately

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Sarah read Notes on a Silencing by Lacy Crawford, which she found through the New York Times Best Books of 2020.

Abby loved escaping into the alternate reality of Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld. Here’s the article that compares the book to reality.

Our year in books, 2020

We take a look back at our reading life in 2020: our challenges, our wins, and of course, our favorite books. Highlights from the year:

Fiction: The Far Field by Madhuri Vijay, Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid, and Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson

Non-fiction: The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, Boys and Sex by Peggy Orenstein, and Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife’s Story by Onnie Lee Logan as told to Katherine Clark

Most enjoyable: Lady Sherlock series by Sherry Thomas on audio, One to Watch by Kate London-Stayman, and Bringing Down the Duke and A Rogue of One’s Own, both by Evie Dunmore

Memoir: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Audio: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, and Sitting Pretty by Rebecca Taussig

Read aloud: The Wild Robot and Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown, The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, The Vanderbeekers of 141st St by Karina Glaser, The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Looking forward to: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Eating lately

Abby added corn pudding to her family’s Thanksgiving, but it was not a success.

Sarah is devouring spinach and artichoke dip as fast as she can make 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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/our-100th-episode-listen-qa?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Abby gives a chick update.

Sarah’s family has started having weekly family meetings.

Reading lately

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Abby is listening to (and loving) Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Wisdom of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, while Sarah finished Unfollow: A Journey From Hatred to Hope by Megan Phelps-Roper.

Celebrating 100 episodes + listen q&a

We reflect on the last four years of making the podcast, then answer listener questions. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions! We cover everything from how we knew our families were complete to whether we have a personal theme song. Listeners, we are so grateful to have you with us on this podcasting journey. Here’s to the next hundred episodes!

• Graceful quitting
• Hard times
• Beauty and style
• What a Day
• Home Cooking
• Pod Save America
• Journey to Midwifery
• Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
• Hot and Bothered
• Let the River Run by Carly Simon

Eating lately

Sarah made Swedish meatballs for the first time and Abby made Apple Dapple Cake (recipe below).

As soon as cake comes out of oven, poke holes in top and then pour topping over. Let cool in pan before inverting.

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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/holidays-pandemic-edition?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Sarah continued her gamble of painting rooms without getting samples and Abby shares a Craigslist victory.

Reading lately

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We both read memoirs this week: Sarah finished Quit Like a Woman: The Radical Choice to Not Drink in a Culture Obsessed with Alcohol by Holly Witaker and Abby listened to Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body by Rebekah Taussig.

Holidays, pandemic edition

The holidays are fast approaching. We share our plans for the season, including activities, food, gifts, how we plan to stay connected to loved ones, and what we are doing to take care of ourselves. Links we mentioned:

• In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren
• Winter Street series by Elin Hilderbrand
• Decolonizing Thanksgiving
• Blueland holiday soap scents

Eating lately

Abby continues her quest for homemade Indian food with chana saag (substituting chickpeas for the paneer).

Sarah learned to make water kefir from a neighbor.

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’s chicks have arrived!

Sarah is dreaming about 2021 and bought a new planner (which she heard about from Sarah Hart Unger). Austin Channing Brown perfectly captured the essence of this purchase in her Instagram post last year.

Reading lately

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Abby listened to Kevin Wilson’s Nothing to See Here and Sarah delighted in reading One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London.

How we’ve changed

We each share three ways we’ve changed since adolescence, one way we’ve stayed the same, and an area we’d like to change going forward.

Eating lately

Sarah’s enjoying tiny cans of soda and Abby attempted to recreate her favorite vegetable korma using this 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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/food-quirks?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Abby has solved her backyard storage problems by finishing this cabinet and adding these feet.

Sarah’s had a rough start to the school year, but is hoping to reset by restoring some healthy habits.

Reading lately

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Abby read the YA novel Dear Martin by Nic Stone and Sarah read the (surprise!) thriller Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner.

Food quirks

From melted cheese on a plate to raw sweet potatoes, we discuss what we ate as kids, what unusual preferences we still have, and any quirks of our partners and kids.

Eating lately

Sarah’s went back to an old favorite: mung bean dal from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian (very similar to this version, but with carrots instead of apples).

Abby wanted the ease of a sheet pan dinner, and gave Pinch of Yum’s garlic ginger chicken a try.

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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/day-in-our-pandemic-lives?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Sarah has creatures roaming her duct work and Abby is loving Blueland for plastic-free household cleaners and soaps.

Reading lately

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Sarah loved the ending of Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and Abby listened to Augustus Burroughs’ memoir, Dry.

A day in the (pandemic) life

We share the details of our days from Tuesday, September 15th. We did a similar episode two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:

• Bluey
• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• Calm sleep stories (HP’s favorites are Wonder, the Night Train, and the Christmas Train)
• Blue light glasses

Eating lately

Abby and her mom made homemade truffles.

Sarah’s family enjoyed a Moroccan potato salad from Mark Bittman’s cookbook, VB6.

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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/our-work-lives?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Listening to romance novels on audio is really working for Sarah, and Abby hates sidewalk chalk.

Reading lately

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Sarah read The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin, and Abby strongly recommends A Wicked Kind of Husband by Mia Vincy.

Our work lives

We share our work-related history, what jobs we have now, and how those jobs are working for us. And here’s that beautiful essay about choices by Cheryl Strayed that Abby mentioned: The Ghost Ship That Didn’t Carry Us.

Eating lately

Abby is obsessed with making pesto from basil she grew.

Sarah is enjoying quinoa with roasted veggies—a dairy-free favorite.

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

Andrew got Abby the perfect Mother’s Day gift: a painting of Carrboro made by a dear college friend.

Sarah’s family has been reveling in all the outdoor time this summer.

Reading lately

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Abby reviews The Heir Affair, which is the much anticipated sequel to The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.

Sarah discusses All the Rage: Mothers, Fathers, and the Myth of Equal Partnership by Darcy Lockman.

Raising independent kids

We share strategies we’ve used to raise independent kids, independence wins and fails, and our favorite resources.

• Visible Child Facebook group
• Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) by Lenore Skenazy
• The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey
• Small Animals: Parenthood in the Age of Fear by Kim Brooks

Eating lately

Sarah’s family are enjoying an abundance of cucumbers dipped in yogurt sauce.

Abby made her first burger using this black bean burger 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!

https://player.acast.com/59035d7c824c44014a0f451e/episodes/sleep-talk?theme=white&cover=1&latest=1

Life lately

Sarah shares about the start of online school and Abby recounts her recent secondhand wins.

Reading Lately

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Sarah read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow and Abby finished the coming-of-age novel Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera.

Sleep talk

We discuss our sleep needs, habits, and quirks, and reveal which of us snores and which of us talks in her sleep. Here are the links we mentioned in the show:

• Natural Calm supplements
• Calm sleep stories
• Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker

Eating lately

Abby found a butter chicken recipe that’s almost as good as takeout, while Sarah’s family has been devouring watermelon.

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

We share our thoughts on J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans letter and how it will impact the way we consume her work. We recommend this video that breaks down the ways in which her statements are inaccurate, problematic, and hurtful to the trans community. Feel free to reach out if you’d like to discuss this more.

Reading lately

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Abby listened to (and loved) Americanah by Chimanada Ngozi Adiche and Sarah flew through the Truly Devious trilogy by Maureen Johnson.

Fall decisions in light of COVID

We had a mid-year update six weeks ago, but given the ever-changing nature of the pandemic, we wanted to check-in again to talk about how we’ve made school decisions for the fall, what our work lives look like, and how we are thinking about opening (or not opening) our circles of social interaction.

Eating lately

Sarah is looking for the perfect banana bread recipe. Here’s the recipe Abby has honed over the years:

• Mix together:
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter (almost melted)
  • 1 T flax seed meal in 2.5 T water (or one egg)
  • 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 3/4 t vanilla
  • 3/4 t cinnamon
  • 1/8 t salt
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1.5 cup flour
• Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 until done

Abby has mastered fried rice, thanks to this recipe, and Sarah recommends adding bacon to fried rice, inspired by Shutterbean.

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!