A For Effort

As parents, we sometimes find ourselves in situations that leave us thinking "dang, I wish I did this!!!" Well today we pulled out the gavel and we did our best to prepare you for those moments on the playground that catch you off guard, but are important to be prepared for. Do you intervene when a child is stuck in the slide and the parent isn't paying attention? Yes. Are you allowed to call a kid a brat to their face, when they're punching your kid? No. Should you call it a binky or a pacifier? Binky. All these little conundrums have been put into law (by Amanda) after this weeks episode! 

Is it just us? Or is it really hard to commit to making plans when you have all the kids in all the activities?? And then do you want to spend the money? Money to make memories...? Okay when you put it that way!! This week we are leaving winter behind and entering the land of baby birds and baby flowers. As we breathe in the fresh air of spring and embrace all it has in store for us, we talk about all the fun things you listeners are doing and throw in some fun ideas of our own. We are basically bonafide travel agents after this episode. Happy travels!

This week we interview Megan's running coach: Heather Jenson. She is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to anything athletic and that's why we keep her around! She is a fantastic motivator, friend and coach. As someone who is familiar with lots of different types of physical activity, she gives us (and hopefully our listeners) some great advice on how to find longevity in what we do. You can find Heather on social @triandrungirl. Follow her on social media and cheer her on as she heads to Boston in a few weeks! 

Does your Elf on the Shelf have a wife, a kid, two pets and an elaborate pranking schedule? Do you make matching Turkey Trot shirts for the family? Does the first Day of School Fairy bringing new books, backpacks, lunchboxes and positive affirmations? Or does simply reading those phrases cause you to break out in hives? Whether you love to go all out, or keep it very reigned in, this episode has all the holiday validation you might need! 

**DISCLAIMER: don't listen to this episode with your Santa/Tooth Fairy/Leprechaun/Easter Bunny believers!**

In this episode, we do something we don't usually do. We rant, we vent, and we air all the annoying things we discovered this year. And by this year, we mean, yes in the last 2 months. January and February are hard!!!! And it seems only fair that we send them out the door with a good old fashioned, best friend (that means you, listener) vent sesh. It felt good. It felt right. So you can plan on a visit to this topic again next year.

Calling Poison Control is almost like a right of passage as a parent. Does that make you a bad parent.....? We're going to say no, but also, don't leave those things out. If you've called the fire department to come get your kid out of an elevator... you get an extra special medal. Cause that's some real unique anxiety right there. Your kid? Alone in an elevator? Pushing all those buttons, possibly peeing in a corner??? Oh my gosh. Can you even?? What a good story. 

A few weeks ago Amanda told Eric (Megan's husband) that they were headed to Disneyland. Eric had the bug in his ear, who then told Megan, who has fomo, and therefore a group roadtrip was planned. So we left on a Wednesday came home on Sunday. This is not the first time we've done this quick 10 hour road trip, and honestly, it wasn't too bad... if bad at all... honestly, it was kinda great! 

It makes sense that the creator of such fun games, is also fun himself. Grandpa Beck, the creator of Cover Your Assets, Gnoming Around and many more, answers all our questions this week! From his previous life as a pilot to the production factory in Poland, he was kind enough to entertain us for an hour, and as a result, we have an in depth interview with our favorite game creator! 

Find his delightful games here: https://www.grandpabecksgames.com

Follow Grandpa Beck on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grandpabecksgames/ @grandpabecksgames

Game artist and illustrator, Apryl Stott, can be found here: https://www.aprylstottdesign.com

This week we talk about the expectations we have as parents and whether those are reality! From modeling our own homes after Downton Abbey, to the endless amount of free time you'll have when your kids to go school (think daily mom naps), to the variety of chicken nuggets you feed your children. It's all covered in this episode and we guarantee you'll learn nothing. But you may feel validated. We do hope for that. 

In this episode we talk about all the elements of a family movie night! The popcorn, the movies, the setting. Are you watching remakes or aren't you? Are you into the Beast or are you lying? Do you lick the truffle salt from the bowl or is that repulsive? We wanted to know and the listeners let us know!