Life lately

Sarah loves physical therapy, and Abby’s ebike dreams have come true.

Reading lately

Sarah loved K-pop Confidential and its sequel, K-pop Revolution, by Stephan Lee.

Abby enjoyed A Lady for a Duke (queer historical romance) by Alexis Hall.

A summer day in our lives

We share the details of our days from Wednesday, June 15th. You can also listen to our first day-in-the-life episode and a similar episode from two years ago if you’d like to see how our days have changed. Links we mentioned:

• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• YouTube Swim Lessons

Eating lately

Abby made the Smitten Kitchen Best Chocolate Pudding as a sub for the discontinued Belgian Chocolate Pudding from Trader Joe’s, while Sarah enjoyed a free meal thanks to a malfunctioning credit card machine.

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 has a cat adventure to share. The remodel at Sarah’s house is (finally) underway!

Reading lately

Abby read Listen to Me Good: The Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith and Linda Janet Holmes.

Sarah turned to an old favorite to get out of her reading slump and reread the YA fantasy novel A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

Capturing family memories

We share our philosophy around capturing family memories, our best strategies, and how our approach has changed as our kids have grown.

• Little Hoots
• Five year line-a-day journal

Eating lately

Sarah’s enjoying naan pizza with fig jam while Abby made fancy ramen with a friend while camping.

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 enjoying TV, especially Bridgerton. Two and a half years after moving to Birmingham, Abby finally feels like she has friends.

Reading lately

Sarah read Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova, a popular science book about memory.

Abby listened to and loved The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline.

Discernment

We talk about how our processes of discernment look and rave about this essay by Cheryl Strayed.

Eating lately

Abby is enjoying maple pecan granola from Trader Joe’s while Sarah tried a new donut place close to work.

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 planned lots of short trips for the upcoming months and Sarah is loving the outdoor play happening in the neighborhood.

Reading lately

Abby enjoyed the second Bellinger Sisters’ novel Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey.

Sarah loved My Lady Jane, a young adult novel that re-imagines the life of Lady Jane Grey (plus magic!) written by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows.

Pets in our lives

We share our history with pets, our current pet situations, the best and worst parts of having (or not having) pets, and future pet dreams.

Eating lately

Sarah is loving Trader Joe’s inside-out carrot cake cookies and Abby found a new way to use eggs: cheddar and ham quiche cups.

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 plans for the upcoming summer.

Reading lately

Sarah read I Must Betray You by Reta Sepetys, a young adult historical fiction novel set in Romania at the end of the Ceaușescu regime.

Abby loved The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd.

Family favorites

We share the favorites in our family that have stood the test of time. Links mentioned:

• Ticket to Ride Jr.
• Spot It
• First Orchard
• Left Center Right
• Guava Lotus Travel Crib
• Shutterbean’s chocolate banana bread
• Key lime pie
• Sparkle Stories
• The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney
• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
• The Vanderbeekers by Karina Yan Glaser
• Boxcar Children books on Hoopla
• Dog Man and Cat Kid Comic Club by Dav Pilkey
• Good Night, Good Night by Sandra Boynton
• Frances books by Russell and Lillian Hoban
• Emberglow campsite

Eating lately

Abby enjoyed Texas brisket while Sarah’s lack of tortillas led to fancy nachos.

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 is almost done with her first semester of nursing school!

Sarah is watching a lot of NCAA gymnastics.

Reading lately

Abby was disappointed by Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano.

Sarah raced through The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave.

Trying new things

We share new things we’ve tried as adults, our trying new things fails, mantras/mindsets that help us when trying new things, how parenting intersects with our approach, and new things we aspire to try in the future.

Eating lately

Sarah is teaching her kids to make French toast.

Abby is making lots of deviled eggs in an attempt to keep up with the abundance of eggs from her chickens.

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 really into running slowly.

Abby is relieved Spring Break has (finally) arrived.

Reading lately

Sarah read the young adult novel The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.

Abby finished the newest romance by Rachel Lynn Solomon: Weather Girl.

Finding our next reads

We share how we find new books to read, strategies for managing our holds queues at the library, and what influences the kind of book we want to read next. Links mentioned:

• Sarah and Abby on Goodreads
• Shelf Awareness and Maximum Shelf newsletters
• Booklist newsletters
• Reading the Past (for historical fiction)
• Smart Bitches Trashy Books (for romance)
• Tor (for science fiction and fantasy + good ebook deals)
• Libby (app) / Overdrive (web-based)
• Hoopla
• A note about the Nashville Public Library: Sadly, since we recorded they have decided not to offer library cards to folks outside of their area.

Eating lately

Abby’s family is eating Domino’s deep-dish pan pizza for an easy weeknight dinner, while Sarah tried a new dessert: pear custard pie.

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 family welcomed two new cats to their home.

Sarah took an overnight trip to St. Louis.

Reading lately

Abby is obsessed with the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells.

Sarah read the graphic memoir And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball.

Division of labor

We give an update on how we divide the housework in our families: who does what, how we feel about it, outsourcing, and what we have found to be most successful.

Eating lately

Sarah made a quick broccoli salad and Abby found the sour cream pound cake of her dreams.

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 relishing riding a bike with working brakes.

Abby shares that Pepper is vaccinated as part of the Pfizer COVID clinical trial!

Reading lately

Sarah read the the cozy food mystery Arsenic and Adobo by Mia Manasala.

Abby finished the first book in a science fiction series: Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

Back to school as adults

We discuss what it’s been like to be back in school as adults, including what we are studying, the best and worst parts, and tips for anyone thinking of going back to school.

Eating lately

Abby tried a new spinach and artichoke dip for the Super Bowl.

Sarah made a veggie pot pie with cheddar biscuit topping.

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 is biking with Pepper using a Mac Ride.

Sarah has been incorporating various breathing techniques after reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor.

Reading lately

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Abby read the magical romance Payback’s a Witch by Lana Harper and Sarah listened to Suleika Jaouad’s memoir Between Two Kingdoms.

Parenting, revisited

We give an update on all things parenting: what’s going well, our biggest challenges, mantras we rely on, and intentions going forward. Links mentioned:

• Previous parenting episodes: parenting, at home parenting, and parenting wins and fails
• Teacher Tom on bickering
• Parenting Without Power Struggles by Susan Stiffelman

Eating lately

Sarah found a new Chipotle order while Abby’s Instant Pot salmon did not turn out as planned.

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!