We recently discovered that March 19th is National Let's Laugh Day, and we couldn't let the day go by without celebrating.

If you've been listening to the show for any length of time, you know that we (Jen and Sammy) love to laugh. What you may not know is that our beloved audio technician/troll (his words, not ours) spends hours of his life editing the show and often removes laugh segments when they go too far...

Well, fortunately, all of those clips have been saved and compiled into today's bonus episode - we hope it makes you laugh as much as we do! ***Find us on iTunes, Spotify, Audible, iHeartRadio, and if you're loving it, please leave a rating and review so others like you can find us!***

Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter

Sammy Davis website coming soon!

Cover Art by Amanda Leigh of A & A Photography

 

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

Are you feeling lonely right now? It's heartbreaking to think about, but so many people are, in our current times. In this episode, we are talking about RELATIONSHIPS! Specifically, we're going to break down an article that Jen saw this week in the Epoch Times called, "The Power of Connection: Close Relationships Are the Key to Health and Happiness" by Gregory Jantz, sharing our perspectives and stories.

The collective "feeling lonely right now" is, unfortunately, reaching epidemic levels all around the world. And the thing that really stood out to me is that it spans evenly across all races, ages, religions, etc. No one group of people seems to be lonelier than another.

So, what is going on? And more importantly...what can we do to move toward feeling more connected in a world that is more "connected" than ever, but lonelier than ever.

 

***Find us on iTunes, Spotify, Audible, iHeartRadio, and if you're loving it, please leave a rating and review so others like you can find us!***

  In this episode we'll cover:

• The premise of the article - why did we want to talk about this?
• Is this a big problem for us personally?
• The 7 tips the article covers to move away from loneliness and toward a deeper connection with others

  Resources mentioned in "7 tips for anyone feeling lonely right now."

• "The Power of Connection: Close Relationships Are the Key to Health and Happiness" by Gregory Jantz
• 10 Ways to Combat Loneliness (girlseeksjoy.com)

  Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter

Sammy Davis website coming soon!

Cover Art by Amanda Leigh of A & A Photography

 

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

Theodore Roosevelt

Well comparison can not only steal your joy...but your wallet, too. Do you ever feel like you need to keep up with your friends, your neighbors or even people you've never met in real live but follow via the internet? If that is something you can relate to, let me say you're in good company, friend. We live in a world where it seems like as soon as we get out of college, or just out into the "real world" in general, we feel we should have the same financial situation our parents do. The problem is, our parents have been at it our whole life, and we are just starting out.

In this episode, we are diving into the perennial struggle with the desire to 'keep up with the Jones'. We'll share our stories, our struggles, and ask some questions about what is really important.

In this episode we discuss:

• What is meant by "keeping up with the Jones'"?
• What is lifestyle inflation?
• Besides finances, what are some pressures we may feel to "keep up" with
• Our personal stories and when we each realized we were out of our element
• Some strategies for assessing what is important and how to rein in spending when you realize it's off the rails
• and lots of laughing...and more!

  Resources mentioned in the episode

• First of all, go and watch this video...then download the song and play it before anything you feel nervous to do...you're welcome. Oh gosh, I just watched it again...weeping.
• Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover
• Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin
• Dave Ramsey podcast
• You Need A Budget (app)
• Love Your Life, Not Theirs by Rachel Cruze
• How to Throw a Kick-Ass Wedding on a Budget

  Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter

Sammy Davis website coming soon!

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with new episodes

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

Cover Art by Amanda Leigh of A & A Photography

 

 

One of my most favorite memories that I have of Sammy and me together was a night my little family and her little family shared a meal together in their home. Sammy and I made dinner with twinkle lights and candles everywhere. There was a warm fire in the wood stove. And french cafe music serenaded us through the speakers. We chopped and laughed (per the usual) as little two-year-old Bennett played at our feet. Then as our husbands came in from outside, we all sat and ate an amazing meal, laughing and sharing stories.

Sound idyllic, as if it were out of a story? It felt like that to me. I remember saying to Sammy, "buddy, this is your life!"

And would you believe that this idyllic story all took place within the walls of a tent?

Sammy and her partner Casey spent almost 3 years living in a tent on a beautiful farm in Ojai Valley, CA. In this episode, Sammy answers some of the most fundamental questions, while also sharing and painting a vivid picture of some of her best moments in the tent...and some of the worst.

You'll want to stick around to hear those.

In this episode we cover:

• Basic logistics: what kind of tent, electricity, water, and where is the bathroom?
• What sort of daily routine did you have in the tent that looked different than "normal life"
• What that conversation went like when Casey asked Sammy to move into a tent
• Different kinds of arguments you have when living in a tent
• What was the best day? What were some of the worst?
• What Sammy and Casey woke up to the sound of one morning, just outside their bedroom
• and so much more...

  Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Here are so many amazing photos that Sammy shared with us from their time in the tent. Baby Bennett even made a cameo in a couple of them. But you can see some beautiful images of their setup and the gardens they created around them.
• Casey and Sammy talk more about living in the tent on Casey's podcast The Sovereign Homestead. I'm so frustrated I didn't get around to mentioning Casey's podcast. But if you are interested in this lifestyle, his podcast is 100% a resource you want to have. Casey is one of the smartest people I have ever met and he's such a wealth of information. Check out his podcast.
• More about Casey's work in permaculture design
• Permaculture News, a great place to learn about and be inspired by permaculture
• Casitas Valley Pastures - One of our farm friends now runs CVP, sustainable animal production in the Ojai valley (check them out if you’re in SB - they’re at the farmer’s markets)
• The Biggest Little Farm movie- I loved this documentary so much. The cinematography was incredible. And it paints such a beautiful picture of how permaculture works while somehow being able to still appeal to the mainstream. Bravo...

  Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter

Sammy Davis website coming soon!

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with new episodes

 

Cover Art by Amanda Leigh of A & A Photography

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

Imagine this scenario for a moment: five people, three of them under the age of eight... RV living in 200 square feet.

Do you ever consider the lifestyle of full time RV living? Whether that "full-time" camping life is only a handful of months, or a lifestyle you're considering for the duration...has it crossed your mind?

This is exactly what Jen Araza (that's me) and her family considered doing after leaving California and adventuring out to find a new state to call home. She is going to answer all the questions she's been asked over time about their experience on the road for 4 months with five people in a 200 square foot travel trailer.

 

RV life is gaining serious attention. The 2020 North American Camping Report found that four in 10 campers are more interested in going full-time after the pandemic. One in 10 infrequent campers is considering full-time RVing.  The report also found that travelers are eager to spend time outdoors with their friends and family. Also, 60% of travelers think it’s now critical for their kids to experience the great outdoors. The sentiment suggests a long-term growing interest in the RV lifestyle.

camperfaqs.com   In this episode on tiny home living, we ask the questions:

• Did we all go crazy being together in such a small space?
• How did Nick and I stay intimate in such a small space? (the most often asked question!)
• How we were able to drive 10,000 miles without our kids' using screens in the car (and why!)
• How would we compare the expenses of living in RV for 4 months vs. living in a home?
• What was the hardest and coolest parts of the trip?
• What did we learn about ourselves and our family as a whole?
• ...and so much more!

  RV Living Resources

• Harvest Hosts- I cannot express enough how much we truly loved all of our experiences with HH...cannot recommend them enough.
• RV Life Pro- I would say that this is where we spent the vast majority of our limited internet time. This was what we used almost daily to look for our next place to stay. There is a WEALTH of information on this site about each site, the roads and whether they are safe for RVs or not, and things like dump sites. It's gold, and so worth the $59 a year!
• Internet on the road- If you plan on working from the road, get Starlinkor another internet hot spot (but I was told by RVers constantly that Starlink performed the best)
• Good Sam- another great way to save money on campsites. We used our Good Sam membership all the time! Every little bit adds up.
• National Park Pass- this paid itself off in the first park visit or two.
• KOA- we REALLY enjoyed checking out different KOAs. These campsites range from meh to amazing. They really are so much fun for kids as there is usually so much to do for kids on site.

  Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter

Sammy Davis coming soon!

 

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

 

Although this topic of social media addiction was one of the harder conversations to have right out of the gate with our second episode, it was one of the topics we were most passionate about getting started on.

There were some hard, very vulnerable things to say in this podcast. With risk of putting ourselves out there and possibly being judged, we felt it super important to be as vulnerable as possible, because we know to our core that we are not in alone in this.

We know this, because after even just touching on the conversation in blog posts, so many people have reached out and expressed their own concerns with their social media use, asking how to get out of it.

We hope this episode gives you some extra conviction to move away from social (if you want to, that is), lots of encouragement (we been there and are still there in so many ways!), and a few resources to get you started on your way!

  In this episode on social media addiction, we cover:

• How long the average social media user is on social each day? This was shocking to me!
• Why our brains can’t begin to compete with social media
• Our own personal social media stories and the shame stories that go along with them
• The potential dark side of social
• We touch on building a business without social media…hint: it can be done!
• We end with giving you ideas to reduce your social media use and break bad habits

  Resources on social media addiction: Books to read:

• Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids – and How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras
• The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World by Andy Crouch
• Atomic Habits by James Clear
• Hands Free Mama by Rachel Macy Stafford

  Watch:

• Social Dilemma on Netflix

  Articles on social media addiction to read:

• How Your Phone Addiction is Affecting Your Kid’s Brain. (girlseeksjoy.com)
• Center for Humane Technology

  Apps:

• Leechblock – prevent distractions with this app

  Connect with us:

Jennifer Araza blog | newsletter Sammy Davis - coming soon!

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay

 

Welcome to the Millennial Pioneers Podcast, where 2 (often silly) millennials get curious about living a countercultural lifestyle in the modern world. Join us (Jen and Sammy, aka Honk and Wheeze - stick around to find out where those names come from) as we share our stories and our vision for the show. Subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Music by FASSounds from Pixabay