In this episode, we talk about heroes in children’s fiction and whether kids actually need moral ambiguity or if that’s something adults project onto stories meant for younger minds.

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It’s the final episode of the year, and we are going out exactly the way you’d expect. Emily admits she simply cannot handle getting a talking to, no matter how gentle or well intentioned it is, and Jason has thoughts about that. From there, the conversation turns reflective as we talk honestly about where we think we’ll be in five years and what we hope life, work, family, and the show might look like beyond that. We wrap things up by closing the year together and sharing some BIG NEWS that sets the tone for what’s coming next.

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It’s the most emotional time of the year. At least according to the internet.

In this episode, Jason and Emily talk about why so many holiday videos right now feel designed to make you cry and whether that kind of sentiment actually connects or just feels forced. They discuss the pressure to manufacture meaningful moments, the difference between genuine nostalgia and emotional marketing, and why Christmas content has turned into a competition for tears.

They also get into holiday get-togethers, family dynamics, and the expectations that come with them, plus a look back at old Christmas ad campaigns and why they felt different. Funny, honest, and refreshingly grounded, this episode is a breather from the seasonal overload.

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This episode starts off festive and quickly turns into a surprisingly strong opinion about movies, including a few Christmas favorites you might not expect and a brief but passionate conversation about why some beloved actors just do not hit the same anymore. From there, things take a turn into the real holiday struggle: talking to other humans.

We get into why Christmas parties feel so awkward, the subtle conversation habits that quietly ruin a good interaction, and how everyone seems to forget how to talk the moment they’re holding a paper plate of cookies. If you’ve ever left a gathering replaying a conversation in your head or wondering why small talk feels so painful, this one’s for you.

Festive, slightly unhinged, and way too honest, this episode is basically a survival guide for holiday conversations with a side of movie opinions you may strongly disagree with.

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

_____

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Jason and Emily are in full holiday chaos mode and nothing is going according to the Hallmark script. Jason is trying (and failing) to figure out what to buy the woman who hates everything in the “Gifts for Her” section, while Emily has accidentally become the kind of person who takes Christmas parade floats a little too seriously.

Somewhere between a live nativity that might just be in the wrong town and a very opinionated rant about what churches are doing with kids these days, they stumble into a surprisingly honest conversation about what actually makes the season feel holy, fun, and not completely unhinged.

If you like your Christmas episodes cozy, unfiltered, and a little bit feral, this one is it.

00:00 Christmas Parade Float

08:33 Paducah is BIG TIME

14:44 Family money

15:24 Mayfield…not so big time…

16:37 Bethlehem is amazing!

17:40 Children’s church sure is something…

24:27 Bethlehem continued…

29:19 Emily’s germaphobeness…

35:50 Christmas shopping is hard.

49:02 Having the right tools

Sponsors for this episode include:

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason has always been the rule breaker, Emily has always been the rule follower. In this episode, they talk about when it actually makes sense to bend or break the rules, and when it is a hard no.

From childhood stories and school rules to parenting, speed limits, and “suggested” bedtimes, they explore how to respect authority, use common sense, and teach kids the difference between pointless rules and important ones.

00:00 Bread

05:25 Spiritual Objects

14:12 Trophy for Emily

15:09 Emily’s Public Apology 

18:03 Let’s diagnose Emily

21:29 People’s opinion

24:57 Are we bad parents?

27:25 We’re just too messy. 

34:03 Breaking the rules…

37:09 Getting pulled over

41:32 Rule breakers

50:19 Rule breakers are innovators

55:52 Good student or bad student?

58:36 Lotto Flower might be right…

1:01:33 Opening a business

Sponsors for this episode include: 

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

---

Please donate today at MercyShips.org/podcast

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Jason and Emily kick off Thanksgiving by sharing wild and fascinating facts you can use to wow (or mildly unsettle) your dinner guests, from why “Jingle Bells” was originally a Thanksgiving song to why Snuggies might have been the downfall of society. Along the way, Jason talks about his chaotic childhood Thanksgivings, they rant about why concerts are no longer fun, and things get just a little unhinged in the best possible way.

00:00 Old Science

05:53 Christmas Lights Before Thanksgiving?

08:04 Michael Bublé

13:09 We don’t like concerts…

15:21 Jason’s family

20:00 The Downfall of Society…

23:47 Thanksgiving Facts to wow your guests…

29:37 The quilt lady…

32:19 Pies

37:25 More facts

41:45 Campbell’s Soup

45:32 Balloons 

52:40 Attitude of Gratitude

Sponsors for this episode include: 

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sponsors for this episode include:

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

00:00 Sorry YouTube

00:46 Season colors?

07:56 National Christmas Tree

12:30 Holidays are too busy…

16:34 When should the kids leave?

22:21 The world is changing fast.

30:15 Getting Ads all the time. 

32:31 AI is going too far…

37:50 A family that stays together…

46:14 And there was college…

53:47 The future is unsure.

Episode Description:

Jason and Emily open up about a question every parent is starting to lose sleep over: what do you do with your kids when they turn 18? They grew up in a world with a simple script. Graduate, leave home, go to college, figure it out. That script does not fit anymore, and today’s parents are the first generation raising kids without a clear roadmap for adulthood. In this episode, they talk about the pressure to launch, the changing value of college, the fear of doing too much or too little, and what it means to guide your kids when the cultural guidebook is basically gone.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sponsors for this Episode Include:

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the 

proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

———

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

——— 

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

Episode Description

Time just doesn’t feel right anymore. Years seem to vanish, holidays sneak up faster every time, and it feels like we just bought Christmas presents for the kids. Jason and Emily talk about why time feels so strange these days, and Emily shares her latest battle with poison ivy.

From Pete (how Emily got poison Ivy): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cUNzU3NZg_hIKSaaSPOBqMiObDce0Utk/view?usp=sharing

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Voetberg Method Experience

This month, use my code: CRUNCHY20 to get 20% off each month you’re subscribed. Get 20% off the  proprietary Voetberg Method Experience, where siblings can share lessons 

and learn music in a way they’ll never forget, even when lessons stop.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCNowThatWereFamily

Sweets Elderberry

https://tinyurl.com/RVCSweetsElderberry

Wayfair

Cozify your space with Wayfair’s curated collection of easy, affordable fall updates.

https://tinyurl.com/RVCWayfair

_____

Jason and Emily get real about personal style. What it says about us, when it’s just for fun, and when it starts feeling like a bid for attention. From crunchy wardrobes to fashion phases to intentionally opting out, they explore whether style is self-expression, strategy, or something in between. Along the way, they share stories, debate choices, and reflect on how much of what we wear is about us versus what we want others to see. A thoughtful and funny chat for anyone who’s ever stood in front of a closet and asked, “What am I really saying with this?”

Jason with long hair:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mkgH6SSzVN40sj3dEwJaGHz8PtMzk-kv/view?usp=share_link

Jason in his Hawaiian shirt phase...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g34bptwWF_D9HFGvQmX3tWMvjUBz0WR-/view?usp=share_link

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