Co-Parenting in the Relationship DMZ, Disney Springs Review

"We’re not parenting experts. We’re just trying not to cry into a $40 cupcake while wandering a Disney mall in the Florida summer…"

Amanda and Josh explore the complicated "relationship DMZ" that follows separation when kids are involved, sharing their personal experiences navigating co-parenting challenges and offering practical advice for others in similar situations.

Talking Points

• Disney Springs Review
• Free ferry boat ride 
• Different approaches to post-separation living arrangements 
• Domestic Did-you-knows
• Mailbag

Super Familiar with The Wilsons 
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Contact us! familiarwilsons@gmail.com

A Familiar Wilsons Production

Transcript

Podcast Introduction & Disney Springs

Speaker 1 0:00

Familiar Wilson's Media Relationships are the story. You are made of meat, my friend, all the way down. The following podcast uses words like and and also. If you're not into any of that shit, then now's your chance.

Speaker 2 0:19

Three, two, one run. I'm super familiar with you. Wilson run. I'm super familiar with the Wilsons. Get it.

Speaker 3 0:29

Welcome to Super Familiar with the Wilsons. I'm Amanda.

Speaker 1 0:32

And I'm Josh and we are the podcast that's about marriage 2.0 with kids and all of the side quests, and today we're going to talk about one of those side quests. We're also going to talk about the Marriage 2.0 part a little bit. We are going to delve into that weird relationship, dmz that happens right after you separate from your spouse.

Speaker 3 0:56

Yeah.

Speaker 1 0:57

Especially if you have kids.

Speaker 3 0:59

Yeah, that's super tricky.

Speaker 1 1:00

So we're going to chat a little bit about how we did that, and maybe y'all out there can relate. It'll either convince you to you know, really work hard to try to do it right, or it might convince you to, hey, we need to go to therapy and then not get divorced. I don't know what it'll convince you to do, yeah, but then some people go to therapy and still need to get divorced.

Speaker 3 1:19

So let's not put it out there that just because you go to therapy, it means you should stay married.

Speaker 1 1:23

Yes, that's true. We're not saying that either. That's true. Okay, all right. Well, that's a little bit too pointed. You're saying that what we need to go to therapy, what's happening right now? I've considered it lately, menopause is getting in the way of our congeniality Sounds like a you problem.

Speaker 3 1:39

No, friend, because you are like you. Don't even let me finish my sentences anymore. I'll start to say something and you've, in your head, thought what I'm going to say, and so you cut me off. And one it angers me because you've cut me off. And two, you're typically wrong about you, think I'm going to be pissy about something because I'm menopause and I'm not like I'm just trying to say something else, which makes it even worse. So, yeah, actually Maybe we should go to some counseling so that you can have strategies for dealing with me during menopause and I can have strategies for you dealing with whatever it is that's happening to you. Why are you just staring at me?

Speaker 1 2:11

Welcome to Super Familiar with Dr Wilson.

Speaker 3 2:14

I'm. Josh and this is Amanda. This is Josh doing the podcast by himself, moving on to 3.0. Oh God, no please forget it. Nope, no, this is the last one if this one doesn't work out, you're done no, no, no, no, I'm gonna invest in the monkery.

Speaker 1 2:29

Is that a thing? I'm gonna become part of the monkery? I don't know um, but first, we went to orlando yesterday, didn't we? We did so that was fun for those of you who live in florida, or maybe for those of you who don't. Orlando is a place in the center of our state that is supposed to be the happiest place on the planet.

Speaker 3 2:47

Yeah, lies, lies have been told to you by the marketing company.

Speaker 1 2:51

But I do have a little bit of a review, my review of the place that we visited, Disney Springs. Amanda, can you tell the folks what Disney Springs is if they don't know what it is?

Speaker 3 3:02

Sure, so Disney Springs was originally created as Downtown Disney is what it was called, and it's on the outskirts of all of the theme parks and they created this dining, shopping, nightlife club experience. There used to be an under 18 club there called Videopolis that I went to in like the late 80s, early 90s, like a teen club.

Speaker 1 3:24

Oh, I'm not familiar with this.

Speaker 3 3:25

like parents would drop us off and we would dance in there. It was kind of like the set of maybe apollo abdul video, like the metal scaffolding when they're doing building, like that kind of like. Have you ever seen stomp the band? Yeah yeah, or like the show stomp, like all the stuff that they climb on. We used to go and dance there. One time when I was 14. For my friend's 14th, her parents rented a limo for 14-year-olds.

Speaker 1 3:50

No.

Speaker 3 3:50

And we lived about 40 minutes from there, right, just straight down the interstate. Her parents rented a limo, did not go with us, left us with the limo driver. He took us to Orlando, dropped us off, we did all of the dancing. He picked us back up when it closed at like one o'clock in the morning and drove us home. What?

Speaker 1 4:09

sort of weird like imprivileged life did you lead there in Lakeland Florida?

Speaker 3 4:15

I mean, that was my friend's birthday. I was just along for the ride. But also I can't imagine us letting any of our children at 14 get in a vehicle with a lot of 14 year olds and a strange man we don't know and letting him drive them out of town and bringing them back home at two in the morning absolutely not.

Speaker 1 4:32

Nope, no, would not happen all right.

Speaker 3 4:34

So that used to be downtown disney, now it is disney springs. It is a giant entertainment complex. There is a lego store, there's a rainforest cafe, there's a t-rex cafe, cirque du soleil has a venue there. Tons of food and they're all like hey morimoto and hey guy fieri and like hey, all of the chefs have restaurants there and, uh, giant shopping things like there's the world of disney, which is massive, but then there's also like ron johns is, it's a surf shop, if you're not familiar, and like Anthropologie and Sephora, so regular shopping things, but then also like a bakery that you have to get on a virtual queue in the morning to get in line for, or you're not getting in for the entire day. It is just, it's a big production.

Speaker 1 5:20

So that is your overview. Now let's hear my review of Disney Springs.

Speaker 3 5:27

All right, go for it.

Speaker 1 5:32

Disney Springs is the upscale swamp mall where children's dreams go to buy artisan lollipops and their parents pretend capitalism isn't off the rails. It's not a theme park. It's a consumerist hallucination wrapped in a cartoon mouse carcass and topped with a working volcano. It's like a luxury outlet mall. Had a baby with an airport concourse and then raised it on Instagram. Ads and old childhood trauma coping mechanisms that is an accurate description.

Speaker 1 5:59

You'll walk three miles just to spend $40 on a cupcake that tastes like an asbestos rainbow. There'll be a Lego sea serpent judging you from the lagoon like a plastic god of poor spending decisions. Above it, a tethered hot air balloon that charges you $25 to go nowhere slowly. Doesn't that sound like an apt analogy for life? Right now, you'll eat overpriced arepas next to a steampunk paddleboat, while a cosplaying bartender dressed like a leather-bound wine list tries to convince your children that this is called magic. And then, because you're delirious, you'll buy a scented candle labeled Haunted Mansion in August for $100, and you'll call it a good deal. It's capitalism on parade wearing mouse ears and crooning it's a small world, after all over a Bluetooth speaker. And you will cry when the volcano at the Rainforest Cafe starts spitting fire, because by then, it's the only thing around that's showing genuine emotion. So yeah, we had a good time.

Speaker 3 7:00

And that damn volcano. It only erupts like every 25 minutes and so Winthrop wants to see it erupt and so we have to sit there now. Fortunately, you guys went on the carousel because this is the only like little ride he can get there because there's a spinny thing in it. So you sit in. It spins around really fast. You like took one for the team, but also you kind of like dug in my side a little bit because he asked me if I was riding with him and I said no, because I would throw up. And you said I'll do it with you, winthrop, I love you, and I was like you know what, go ahead, and I hope you throw up, because it was about 102 degrees and that. But then, right when you guys got off of that, the volcano spewed its gassy fire and then we were able to go into the Christmas store and recover from the heat. It it's the strangest place, but we did do something yesterday that didn't cost us anything and was a nice break from it, right.

Speaker 1 7:49

We did. We got on the tugboat. What is it?

Speaker 3 7:54

It's like a little ferry.

Speaker 1 7:56

There's a ferry that goes between this Disney Springs Mall and all of the Disney resorts, and so they have themed resorts, they've got the French Quarter Resort, they've got the Key West Resort, they have Saratoga Springs Resort, and you can get on this boat and be taken to all these things for free and, to be honest, that's the best time that I had there.

Speaker 3 8:17

Okay, it was chill, it was about 20 minutes each way. Right, it doesn't go to all the resorts, it only goes to those four. But we went over and, you know, spent maybe 10 minutes in key west and got on the boat and went back, but it was about an hour all told and it was winthrop was very chill on the boat. It wasn't hot on the boat, it was. It was really nice. So, pro tip, if you happen to be at disney springs and the weather is not bad, because they will stop running if there's weather. Uh, look for I think they're called the Friendship Boats.

Speaker 2 8:45

Yeah.

Speaker 3 8:46

And go, look for that exit of Disney Springs which is near Rainforest Cafe area and go out and get the boats. And I recommend you go to French Quarter We've been before so we didn't this time but you can go over there and get some overpriced beignets and hear some piped in jazz music and then come back.

Orlando Adventure & Friendship Boat Ride

Speaker 1 9:04

Yeah, price beignets and hear some piped in jazz music and then come back, yeah, and the reason why we ended up going to disney springs in the first place is because we had to drop muffy off at the airport in orlando and we decided that, since we are in orlando anyway, let's go do this. I knew what I was in for. I've been to disney springs many times. It's super crowded, but I will say that this boat trip made it worth it yeah because it was different and it was calm and all the things.

Speaker 1 9:29

So yeah, that is our review and our overview of disney springs. I don't know if we recommend it or not. I think I would give it like I don't know two and a half stars.

Speaker 3 9:40

I think if you're there and it's in the evening, it's fine. It just was about 174 degrees.

Speaker 1 9:48

Yes, and speaking of the volcano, I too was spewing hot fire after the meal I ate. That's a different story.

Speaker 3 9:56

Oh okay, excellent, Good, but did you notice? I pointed out to you. So we were eating like a really expensive counter service barbecue meal. We were sitting outside, right outside of the restaurant and we were eating like a really expensive counter service barbecue meal. We were sitting outside, right outside of the restaurant, and we were watching people go by. Zero people look happy there. Like no one looks happy there.

Speaker 1 10:14

You want to know why? Because vacations, these days, aren't supposed to be happy. You've got too much to do. You got to get there. You got to make sure to get in line and spend your money. There's no room for happiness there. The happiness comes later, when you realize that you're home in your own bed.

Speaker 3 10:30

I know I spent all this money to just be happy for my own bed.

Speaker 1 10:33

Yeah, there you go Excellent. So this is a little bit of a serious topic. I'm not sure we're going to treat it that way, but bit of a serious topic. I'm not sure we're going to treat it that way, but it is a serious topic. If you're listening to this and you're in the middle of separating from your spouse and you have kids, take a breath. It's going to be hard, but we did it and we're here to talk about it. And also if you're listening and you've also gone through this and you've navigated these waters, I want to hear from you. Familiarwilson's at gmailcom. I will tell you that it's possible that going through this experience will change you drastically. For example, I probably cannot listen to any Adele songs anymore.

Speaker 3 11:19

Oh, wow.

Speaker 1 11:20

Yeah.

Speaker 3 11:22

Just that was it. That was that period in time for you.

Speaker 1 11:23

But I survived. So there you go. Wait, just that was that was that period in time for you, but I survived. So there you go.

Speaker 3 11:26

Wait, I didn't know this about you. Was it because you were? Because Adele's very much like pining and being sad. Were you being sad that it was over?

Speaker 1 11:33

No, but it was a sad experience and Adele just happened to be all over the radio at that point. So yeah, I also appreciate the Gloria Gaynor song. Appreciate the Gloria Gaynor song, I Will Survive.

Speaker 3 11:43

Yes, I will survive. I think my anthem during that time was Someday by Rob Thomas. You know this song.

Speaker 1 11:49

Yes, I do.

Speaker 3 11:50

Because it just felt like it was such a long process and I feel like mine took longer than yours and I was just like it is someday we're going to be okay, but it's taking us a while.

Speaker 1 12:00

It's a tough transaction because really what you're doing is you're dealing with your own emotional mess right, yeah. But then also there is, like this project that you're working on together, right? You got to be able to communicate with your ex, almost despite the emotional stuff, because now you're doing shift work in this new company of Grumpy Little people llc.

Speaker 3 12:30

Right, that is the most important thing out of this whole thing, yeah, and I think that it's it's. I mean I'm not saying it was easier or harder. It was different for you because the boys had each other and muffie was just by herself, and so that was that was difficult, because she was going back and forth. So we did it different than you did. You guys kept the kids in the house for a while and shifted in and out of the house.

Speaker 1 13:09

And we couldn't figure out how to make this work, because I didn't really want to pay mortgage on this house that we owned and then also go rent a house, and so what we did for a little while was I would live in the house for a week with the children, and then I'd go stay at a friend's house and then she would live at the house for a week and the children would stay, and then she would go stay in her parents' house. That just became, I don't know. That just didn't work.

Speaker 2 13:30

It didn't work.

Speaker 1 13:33

We as the adults who needed to keep ourselves really together were very unsettled by that and I don't feel like it set a good foundation for us to be able to deal. I think it came from a good place. It just didn't functionally work out. So I ended up going and renting a house and then she came and she moved back into the old house and that's how we did it.

Speaker 3 13:52

How long did you do that for?

Speaker 1 13:54

Not very long. We didn't do it for very long. First of all, I was inconveniencing our very good friends who were being very kind to me but, I, felt bad about doing it and, like I said, it was just wearing us both down.

Speaker 3 14:07

I do think it comes from a good place, because it is hard for kids to go back and forth. It is what we did for Muffy, was we got her hamsters so they could go back and forth with her, since she didn't have a sibling. That ended tragically with one hamster eating the other hamster while she was at the other house and I midnight or 10 o'clock or nine o'clock, whatever, and triage all of that.

Speaker 1 14:32

Yeah.

Speaker 3 14:32

So that it was difficult. The one hamster, though, stayed until almost till you and I got married. Like that one hung out for a while, but our process took a little bit longer, just with you know, legal fees and everything to have it, because getting divorced is not inexpensive either, and I don't think either one of us really had a contentious divorce.

Speaker 1 14:53

Oh no, not inexpensive either.

Speaker 3 14:54

And I don't think either one of us really had a contentious divorce oh no, not at all, and so it was just we. I think we wound up using an attorney as a mediator. I think you guys didn't even have to use an attorney.

Speaker 1 15:02

No, no, no, no. That's what. That's what the online forms are for, yeah.

Speaker 3 15:06

But that was not going to happen just due to other things in that previous relationship. So it took a while and it's not an inexpensive process. So the more that you can be amenable to each other, the better off it will be for you. And I was very, very careful to not say anything about the other parent to the child, although sometimes it's really hard because you want to be defensive of yourself but you can't because it's not about you at that point, it's about the child.

Speaker 1 15:40

One of the things that I intuited very quickly is that my children are not my emotional support animals. That's what pets and friends who can buy you expensive things are for right. Who can take you out and say okay we're going to go get wine or beer or whatever. But you can be sad. I was sad in front of them. I did not want them at all to think that I didn't care, but I never wanted them to feel responsible for my feelings.

Speaker 3 16:01

My parents stayed together until I moved out, when I was like right after college and was 25, and my parents got divorced. But I knew they were unhappy and I always felt responsible for my mom's happiness. She didn't say that I was, but I just felt that I was because I knew she was unhappy. So I didn't ever want to be that and one of the reasons why I decided that this was a thing that needed to happen is that Muffy used to say to me mommy, why don't you smile?

Navigating Separation With Children

Speaker 3 16:25

You don't smile as like a three-year-old and so that was really like, okay, something I need attention to what it what I'm putting out into the world. Sure, so, and we did the counseling route. So I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it, you should do it, and sometimes things are irreparable and sometimes they're irreparable. But it will definitely help to um, to focus on the children. But do you remember the first thing you said to me when you guys got separated?

Speaker 3 16:51

no, I don't so this, so this is how I remember this. So you and I knew each other right, but we didn't hang out or anything like that, we just knew each other and we kind of occupied the same social circles and so we were at an event and I was there, had Muffy with me because it was a family event. I think you were showing some artwork.

Speaker 1 17:13

And you came up to me. I was sitting down and you came up to me. I said hey, baby. No, you did not.

Speaker 3 17:16

And you just held your left hand out at me and you didn't have your wedding ring on, but I had no idea what you were doing. You were just like showing me your left hand. I was like okay, and you were like something's missing. I was like okay, dude, we don't know each other like this and I'm really confused and I was holding my hand out for you to kiss it.

Speaker 3 17:34

You were not like, yeah, like Winthrop when he came out of his surgery and made us all kiss his hand because he thought he was a little prince coming out of anesthesia. That's a whole different story, anyway. And then you said you know we separated. And you said can you and I have coffee sometime, because I've been watching you and the other person and you seem to be doing it well for Muffy. So I don't know if this was your intro line or we really were just expressing to the world that we were doing it well, even though I was going a little insane.

Speaker 1 18:03

But that was our first conversation. Let's be very clear that that was totally innocent and, yes, I was definitely not ready to jump back into anything at all.

Speaker 3 18:13

No and yes, I was definitely not ready to jump back into anything at all. No and. I think that we sporadically had coffee for like a year or so and I wasn't even. I think you guys kind of fast-tracked it and got divorced a lot quicker. And then the day that I went to the courthouse and we signed everything, I texted you and you came and had coffee with me. But we were still friends at that point in time.

Speaker 1 18:31

Yeah.

Speaker 3 18:32

We were just sort of supporting each other through this, this really awful thing.

Speaker 1 18:36

Yep, yep. And the other thing again. I kind of already mentioned it, but the other thing I wanted to reiterate is the fact that you need to learn how to communicate with your ex in a way that is constructive. You know, for me we had that pretty early on, because it was such an amicable thing where we were both just like, okay, it's time for this separation to happen and we want to make sure that our kids get the best.

Speaker 1 19:04

But I know that that doesn't happen all the time and so I'm not trying to paint this wonderful pictures with flowers and fairy tales and butterflies, but it just so happened.

Speaker 3 19:16

It wasn't always smooth and easy, but we worked really hard to try to keep the emotion out of what's best for the kids yeah and yeah and that's hard, no matter what, and recognizing that there are some people who are in situations where you know like they've been betrayed or hurt and that makes it so much harder.

Speaker 3 19:35

My suggestion there is get a really strong support system around you and your children and definitely seek help from a counselor to maybe mediate your conversation so that you know how to talk to your kids or you know if one person's wanting it and the other person isn't. Nothing went wrong, it's just it's clear that this is not the right person for you. Then that can be a little bit tricky too, but I think that if you continue to focus on the point is to get the kids through it the best they can, the best you can, then that helps, you know, if you both agree on it helps anchor you in something Not saying you won't say to a friend I need to go get wine and talk a lot of trash about everything, because you will, but you know that's like you don't talk bad about the boss at work, but you can go talk bad about the boss after work with your colleagues.

Speaker 1 20:21

That I never do that. The other thing to keep in mind is that your kids need someone to talk to about it. That's not you or not your ex.

Speaker 3 20:29

Yeah.

Speaker 1 20:34

And I think a lot of people miss that. And you, I've talked to the boys. It's been like 12, 13 years or whatever, and they're both adults now and I've talked to them even recently and learned things about their process and learned things about what they thought and how they were feeling that I never knew yeah you know so, but luckily both of them have talked to therapists, you know, throughout their lives so my last little thing here is don't rush to introduce new people to your children yeah, no, yeah and when I say new people, I mean like new people new significant others or new possible significant others, and that's the problem.

Speaker 1 21:13

Well, there's several problems, but the problem is is if you bring someone in and you're like, oh, this is the thing and you do not want your kids to get attached to that person, only for them to leave, Yep. Now with you, though, like I introduced you, but it was definitely just this is a friend of mine, type of thing again because we existed in the same social circle.

Speaker 3 21:36

We would have events where the boys would be there with you and Muffy would be there with me and we would just be like hey and chatting. So we were just friends.

Speaker 1 21:43

But you and I were just friends for a long time and you know, and you continue to know, my ex-wife and you all were were friendly acquaintances.

Speaker 3 21:51

Yeah, no, I mean I had worked with her while you guys were still married and she and I get along very well and you know we get along very well with her husband. She's been married about the same time that we have and and you respect him as a, as a stepfather for the boys, and so we really do have the best of what could be a really difficult situation, um, and we're very grateful for that, but I think everybody worked hard at that.

Creating New Rituals and Boundaries

Speaker 3 22:14

Like I understood, my space was never to insert myself in the boys' life and or discipline them, but to support them. And so from the very beginning when I think when you and I got married I said to the boys I know it's not my job to discipline you because they were older, they were like in middle school and going into high school.

Speaker 1 22:34

I know it's not my job to discipline you and I won't, but it is my job to keep you safe. It didn't hurt that you were a teacher. You're used to dealing with other people's children.

Speaker 3 22:41

And I'd say if a teacher would say it to you, I'm going to say it to you, and I think they respected that and we were fine.

Speaker 1 22:49

One more thing I would say is pretty important as we moved into different houses and we upend our children's lives. That what I did is I worked really hard to start new rituals. Like, okay, we don't do this thing that we used to do all together as a family, but me and the boys, now we're gonna go to the bagel place everyone can get a bagel, which is one of the things that we and that was our new ritual and that instantly gave them new grounding.

Speaker 1 23:12

Like this is a thing now that we're gonna do, and it's new and it's different, but it's consistent.

Speaker 3 23:18

And then when we started blending, even when we were still just kind of friends or maybe like denying things to ourselves, I think I denied a lot longer than you did.

Speaker 1 23:26

Yeah, you did.

Speaker 3 23:27

I would see people out and they would oh, it's raining. Sorry, that's not what they would say. I just happen to look out this window and it's raining. That does not bode well for the pool situation that winthrop's hoping for. Um, but I would see people out and they would see us together and you would say they would say, oh, are you on a date? I'm like, oh no, I would get like, really, I was like, no, I'm not on a date. Um, I didn't mean ooh towards you, just the idea of dating.

Speaker 1 23:49

No, I didn't. I love you and you're very handsome, but once we got together, I think that you were thinking marriage before I was, weren't you?

Speaker 3 23:57

no, yeah, no, you brought it up no, sir, you brought it up and if you want to talk about it we will, but we should discuss what happened, because it's a little bit of an intimate situation, before we talk about that. So that can be the next one oh no, I don't what.

Speaker 1 24:11

Is okay, we'll.

Speaker 3 24:12

We'll talk about this offline I don't know what you're thinking about, but no, no, okay, listen, josh, definitely brought it up before me.

Speaker 3 24:20

There you go um, but anyway now, I'm all curious what I was saying is that we and everybody else is curious too write in and say what you think happened this? This will be fun. It's like fanfic for the podcast. Well, my point is that when we started blending the kids together, like we would do things out not at anybody's house, like we go play at the park or we go to dinner, but then we started building rituals with them, because we wound up having the exact same schedule with the kids. So on the nights off, we had built-in date nights. And then, when we had the kids, so every Tuesday night, muffy and I would come to your house, you'd have the boys, you'd cook dinner and we would watch MasterChef and the Voice, and then Muffy and I would go home. And they still talk about that now. They're like remember when we used to do this? So we started creating a ritual early on when we blended them, yep, yep.

Speaker 1 25:18

So final thing, and I'll say this with all the love in my heart you're gonna screw it up, you're gonna mess it up and that's okay. Just go back, say that you're sorry and you try again, and then one day maybe they'll grow up as fully formed and healed human beings and start a podcast about how weird their parents were. That's right, and that's okay. And now it's time for Totally True Domestic Did, did, you knows, with the Wilsons.

Speaker 3 25:54

Okay, things I'm not aware of.

Blending Families and Building Traditions

Speaker 1 25:57

No, I want to do more educating on this podcast. We talked about a little bit of a serious subject there and I want to share our wisdom that we've gleaned as human beings on this planet about domestic things, about the house and laundry and all those things. Ready Music please, music please. Tip number one the best way to find your children is to yell. I just cleaned this three times into an empty room.

Speaker 3 26:24

So true, god they're like little wrecking balls he finds the clean clothes when I fold it. I can. He can be downstairs and I'll be up here. I've folded laundry on the bed and he will come running up the stairs and dive. No one's told him him, no one's let him know. It's like a heat seeking missile.

Speaker 1 26:43

Next tip Did you know that your dishwasher doesn't actually dry dishes, because it runs on the fact that you have trust issues?

Speaker 3 26:53

Sometimes See, no, my dishwasher's playing with me because sometimes it will dry them and sometimes it won't, and so I keep coming back for more. It's got me on the hook. It's like it's being nice to me one time and then like gaslighting me the next.

Speaker 1 27:05

That's right, trust issues, and that's where it gets its power from. Did you know that the only known predator of throw pillows is a dog?

Speaker 3 27:14

A hundred percent. He's got all these damn toys and he just keeps going for the throw pillows wait, his little bed, that's right, there has got fuzz coming out of it I know?

Speaker 1 27:25

did you know that every time you open up your underwear drawer, it passive, aggressively judges you?

Speaker 3 27:31

why, just because of old underwear my no, sir, that's you I, I. I keep track of mine and throw away the stuff that needs to go away next one.

Speaker 1 27:42

Did you know that there's no correct way to load the dishwasher, only an incorrect way?

Speaker 3 27:47

and you found it.

Speaker 1 27:49

I don't think I've discovered yet what your correct way to load the dishwasher is.

Speaker 3 27:53

Tetris. I am going to get as much as I possibly can in there. You'll put a bowl and it'll lay over three like slots that you could be putting stuff on. I appreciate you loading the dishwasher Sometimes.

Speaker 1 28:04

Oh, thank you for that.

Speaker 3 28:05

Sometimes, because I'm just so appreciative of you, I don't even look in the dishwasher. I just I know you've loaded. I open it up, I put soap in it, I close it, I don't look.

Speaker 1 28:13

Well, that's perfect, that's perfect, that. So you have a coping skill. Yeah, that's right. Did you know that the junk drawer is the spleen of household spaces?

Speaker 2 28:22

What does that even mean?

Speaker 1 28:24

All of the detritus and junk is just filtered into that.

Speaker 3 28:30

I keep trying to organize it and it keeps getting unorganized.

Speaker 1 28:32

Yeah, and then, lastly, did you know that no one has ever actually finished folding a fitted sheet Like grief? It's a process, not a task. No listen, finish folding a fitted sheet Like grief.

Speaker 3 28:39

It's a process, not a task. No, listen, I've watched the videos where they show you how to fold it. They lie, they edit it, they use CGI. It's not possible. You ball that thing up and you throw it in the linen closet. That's how you fold that.

Speaker 1 28:52

So those are our domestic. Did you knows?

Speaker 3 29:08

hey, josh. Has anyone reached out to us to give us all the wisdom and or tell you how wrong you are?

Speaker 1 29:15

isn't that what you're here to do?

Speaker 3 29:17

yes, so.

Speaker 1 29:18

So we do occasionally get emails. People email us at familiarwilsons at gmailcom with advice, with complaints to management, and so let's see, we have an email from friend Leo.

Speaker 3 29:32

Hey Leo.

Speaker 1 29:32

Leo says this. Hey, Wilson, it's been a while but, as I'm sure you can attest to, sometimes life seems to move a million miles a minute. Yes, more and more as we age. Just a few things to catch up on. Oh boy, let's see how many. One, two, three, four, oh, lots of things that Leo. I guess he listened to all of our episodes.

Speaker 3 29:52

So he's cataloging? Yes, he is.

Speaker 1 29:55

He says he's shocked by the things that I said about the farmer's market. So I don't know if you remember, but I was bemoaning the fact that they can sell all sorts of fruit and veg at the farmer's market without properly pesticiding them so you can have maggots and bugs and germs and all the things on this fruit and vegetable assortment that you can buy. And Leo is not agreeing with my assessment. He says specifically when it comes to chemicals on vegetables. That's one of the reasons why we frequent the many farmers markets here Little to no harsh chemicals on the vegetables. Listen, if God didn't mean there to be chemicals on vegetables, he wouldn't have invented the chemicals.

Speaker 3 30:34

I'm with Leo on this one and this is the point. This is why we wash the fruit and the vegetables. Now I won't get the pasteurized milk. That concerns me a little bit. I'm a little concerned about this. People who sell shrimp out of a cooler.

Speaker 1 30:47

Don't you mean, you won't get the unpasteurized?

Speaker 3 30:49

milk. That's what I meant. I want pasteurized milk.

Speaker 1 30:51

God created pastures as well.

Speaker 3 30:53

So we need to have those in our milk, all right.

Speaker 1 30:55

I referenced the need to have a hat with a curtain.

Speaker 2 30:58

Yes, Do you remember?

Speaker 1 30:59

this yes yes, he says. As for the hat curtain, years ago, Prince released a video for the song my Name is Prince in which he wears a hat with a gold chain curtain. And yes, I do remember that, If I am not mistaken, the hat curtain may have actually originated with the dandy movement. Don't quote me on that, though. I won't, because I don't know what that means.

Speaker 3 31:19

I actually do. I looked up dandy recently and I'm trying to remember why. I think it was because of the movie centers.

Speaker 1 31:27

Oh, okay. Well, there you go. He continues on. He says yes, bifocal contact lenses are a thing. How the hell can you have bifocal contact lenses? That makes no sense to me. He says I've worn them for many years now. I have the worst eyesight on the planet, so macular degeneration was a foregone conclusion as I've aged. Wow, that got heavy. Don't ask me how they work. He says Doc gave me a pamphlet explaining it, yet I'm still clueless. Something, something, something from the center of the contact lens outward.

Speaker 2 31:58

Yeah, no, none the wiser, contact lens outward.

Speaker 1 32:01

Yeah no, none the wiser, I still want flip up contact lenses, like Dwayne Wayne.

Speaker 3 32:04

Like Dwayne Wayne, I'm glad that they work for you, leo yeah.

Speaker 1 32:08

He says. I agree with Amanda about having kids stick with the things they set out to try, even if it sucks. My wife and I think it helps in the long run, and so far it has. Our kids are much older now and have actually mentioned how stick-to-it-ness.

Speaker 3 32:22

Stick-to-it-iveness.

Speaker 1 32:24

Well, he says stick-to-it-ness.

Speaker 3 32:25

Yes.

Speaker 1 32:26

Has helped them in the long run. Well, he's referencing the fact that we were thinking about letting Winthrop not continue soccer.

Speaker 3 32:33

Yes.

Speaker 1 32:34

But he continued soccer. Now we might be done with soccer, who knows?

Domestic Did You Know & Email Response

Speaker 3 32:38

No, no, we're going back in the winter league.

Speaker 1 32:41

We also talked about what happens to the Halloween candy.

Speaker 3 32:45

Yes.

Speaker 1 32:46

And whether we should hide it from them or whether we should eat it or throw it away, as opposed to giving them the big pot of candy he says this we used to be the parents who did the give it to them a little at a time thing. When it came to Halloween candy One year my wife declared she was sick of policing this and suggested we let them have at it. Her reasoning was they would burn themselves out and moderate. Naturally. Guess what she was right.

Speaker 3 33:10

Oh really.

Speaker 1 33:11

Not to mention our two boys saw it as a bit of a competition which one could make their candy supply last longer.

Speaker 3 33:17

Nice.

Speaker 1 33:18

Okay, a couple of problems that I have with that. Number one, I'm not willing to clean up the puke. And number two, I don't know what sort of arrest that would send them into possibly. He says yes, I remember Ryan's steakhouse. It rivaled Ponderosa's steakhouse. Yes, there you go.

Speaker 3 33:37

See, they got it all the way up where Leo is from. It wasn't just a Lakeland thing.

Speaker 1 33:42

And he says Lastly, I personally do not subscribe to the AI doomism. Like anything else, it will be a disruptor in some specialized segments of the workforce, but AI is not going to take all the jobs. Make sure you follow the source of the doomism. You may be surprised to know that the ones who are feeding into it are actually the ones selling you the AI tools. It's the old game of I've created something so deadly that I'm the only one who can save you from it. Well, we shall see. I hope you're right. I hope you're right. I hope that AI is used for nothing but to benefit human beings and that it won't be used by the ultra rich to take advantage of all of the rest of us and take all of our money. Wink, wink.

Speaker 3 34:28

You are so cynical.

Speaker 1 34:30

Yeah, I am. I'm in my 50s.

Speaker 3 34:33

I'm now in my 50s. This is the first time I've said that on the podcast and I am not cynical.

Speaker 1 34:37

Okay, very good for you, and yes, you are here. We and I am not cynical. Okay, very good for you, and yes, you are. He says love you guys and I still listen faithfully to every episode. Hopefully, as the dust settles from projects I'm working on, I'll be able to stay in touch more frequently and even come on the podcast.

Speaker 3 34:53

Yes, please.

Speaker 1 34:54

Well, I added that last bit.

Speaker 3 34:56

Oh sorry, I got really excited.

Speaker 1 34:58

Well, no, but still I want him to.

Speaker 3 35:00

No, but Leo may not want it. But thank you, leo, it was good to hear from you.

Speaker 1 35:04

Thanks, Leo. If you'd like to get in touch with us, familiarwilsonsatgmailcom.

Speaker 3 35:11

I sing that in my head every time.

Speaker 1 35:13

Very good, very good. All right, Amanda, that's all there is. There is no more. What'd you think of all that?

Speaker 3 35:25

I'm well, I don't remember. What did we talk about?

Speaker 1 35:29

and we talked about separation and co-parenting and orlando and disney springs and, and just to give you all a peek behind the curtain, we have recorded this particular episode over several hours.

Speaker 3 35:43

That's why I don't remember what we talked about. It's now nighttime. We started when it was morning.

Speaker 1 35:48

Yes, because that's just the nature of the lives of the Wilsons. But anyway, thank you all for joining us. I hope something that we said was helpful and now it's end credits time, Amanda.

Speaker 3 36:01

Thank you to all of the people Josh is just going to talk about now.

Speaker 1 36:05

This episode was recorded live beneath a suspiciously shady pop-up tent, wedged between a tarot reader and a man selling ethical beef jerky.

Speaker 2 36:15

No.

Speaker 3 36:16

And it's brought to you At the farmer's market. That's right, and it's brought to you by At the Farmer's Market.

Speaker 1 36:20

That's right, and it's brought to you by Antonio. At the Kombucha Stand, Josh Scar who loudly buys radishes. Daniel Buckets offering sea shanties and half-price flounder. Chicken Tom for selling space eggs. Monique ask her about the time she made pickled eels. Joey, Joey.

Speaker 2 36:43

Jolly.

Speaker 1 36:43

Jolly Leo for selling lavender oil Refined Gay Jeff, who's now available in small batch, locally sourced.

Speaker 2 36:54

Can I finish this Now? It's funny.

Speaker 1 36:57

He's available in small batch, locally sourced bottles. Mark and Rachel I don't know why. It's funny what. It is Mark and Rachel who have eaten many empanadas, and Dan and Gavin who just say I'm just browsing we love you all so until next time you all, take it easy and be safe go, be kind bye.

Speaker 2 37:23

Thank you.