I'm Court. And I'm Jess. And this is... Moms and Mugs Uncensored. Moms and Mugs Uncensored. We are here. We're here. Thriving, surviving. I slept four hours last night. She's- So I am withering away she's dying. But I am here. Four hours she tells me how late she has to stay up on the bartending nights, and I'm just like, "I think I would die." But it's so funny because, like, when I'm on, I'm on. So- Yeah like, when I'm there and I'm, like, with my customers, all is well, all is fine. As soon as, like, I'm at the end of, like, closing down my bar, getting everything clean, I am just dragging. I'm like, "Where's my bed?" Yeah. "Give me my bed." And then I lay, I lay down and I look at my phone, and it's 12:15, and I'm like, my alarm is set for 4:15. Ugh. So see you in a couple hours, I guess. That's like when I go to Country Thunder in Vegas. Yeah. It- you know, it's like, how am I gonna stay up? But when you're going- Mm-hmm you're like, "Oh, yeah." But as soon as the buzz dies or things start slowing- Mm-hmm down, it's just like, "Get me my bed immediately." Give me my bed. Oh my goodness. But it's, it's okay. We're, we got a busy day ahead, and we'll be just fine. We're doing it, we're doing it. Let's go into highs and lows. Highs and lows. Tell me, what was your high this week? Hmm. My high this week. Oh my gosh. Life is good for us, I promise. Okay. My high is... Dun-dun-dun. I think just my, uh, River and I. You know, we butt heads a lot. We're both very stubborn. Well, her and I were just saying this morning- Yes. when stubborn meets stubborn, her and I- When stubborn meets stubborn but River and I butt heads a lot and, 'cause he tests me a lot. He's been so sweet lately. We've just been little, knock on wood, you can't see me, but I am. Um, he's just been such a little lover, like, just so- He's so sweet like, "I love your outfit. Thank you so much for getting me this. Thank you so much, Mommy, for loving me." Just, like, all the things, right? Yes. So I know, like, a little terrorist is coming soon. No, stop. Okay, we are not putting that out there. No, but- He's an angel that, um, I just am, like, I've been so obsessed with him this week. I'm always obsessed with him. Yeah. You know what I'm saying. Yes, yeah. Like, it's just like I wanna, like, preserve this. Yes. How do I, like, bottle this up? Yes. So that was definitely my high. My low? Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. My toilet's clogged. I was gonna say. My toilet is clogged from this little lovely child. From the angel. From that angel. Um, and so that's, that's, that's the problem of the day. Yeah But you know men, or if your, if your husband's anything like my husband, you don't wanna hire out. You gotta fix it yourself, even if it's not your lane, right? You're a carpenter, bro. You're not a plumber. Doesn't matter. I'm gonna... He has to be a plumber now, and he refuses to... You know, we have a friend that's a plumber. I'm like, "Let's just..." Yeah. He's like, "No, I'll, I'll text him for advice, but I'm not gonna..." Come on, dude. So now he's back at Home Depot getting his second tool, um, and possibly some Green Gobbler that Jessica told him about. So we'll see when we get out of this room if the toilet is, is fixed or not. The fact that you're only giving him an hour to fix the toilet- and drive to and from Home Depot. She told him twice. Yeah, we'll- That better be fixed when I- That better be fixed when I walk out of this room. No way. Yeah. So, um, pray for him, you guys- Yeah because, you know. But that's my high and low. That's not really that bad of a low. No. So we're thriving. Not at all. What about you? Not at all. Uh, my highest this past weekend, we celebrated my birthday. And on Saturday, actually it was kind of a jam-packed weekend. On Friday, we went to... Well, Mila had an assembly. She got an award. Aw. I know. It was so cute. Uh, so she got an award, and then I went out to breakfast with Tara. And then after that, we went and saw Devil Wears Prada 2. Oh, my gosh. And I went and saw that with my mom. It was so good. I wanna see it. Oh, my gosh. It was... It's highly recommend. It's so nostalgic. It's perfect to talk about today- Yeah because it came out 20 years ago. Which is nuts. It's so- I need to re-watch the last one crazy. Oh, it's so good. Like, it, this one, I just, I can't recommend it enough. Like, because they all, all the characters 20 years later look the same, act the same. Yeah. It's the same humor. It's, it's, everything- Yeah is the same. So, uh, I just, and those early 2000... It's not even a rom-com, but, you know, like it falls- Yeah into- That category like, that category. Yeah. Uh, those movies, just love them. And again, it's a little, like, tidbit for today. Mm. Um, and then we went to the Hilton at the Peak Resort and hung out at the water park all day and ate food and drank good drinks. And I came home and took a nap. And, and then Sunday, Mila had birthday parties. It was back to, back to mom mode. So- Back to the grind uh, back to the grind. So super fun weekend, much needed. And then my low, I'll probably say was not getting enough sleep last night. Yeah. Uh, I don't know if I'll ever get used to that. Going into my 30s, my body just- Yeah it hurts when I don't sleep. It hurts. It hurts. Oh, man. But that's okay. It's harder as we get older. I'll sleep tonight. I don't work tonight, so I'll sleep tonight, and then I work tomorrow. Well, and we're drinking... We forgot to say what we're drinking. We're still Mormon, and we're- We are we're not drinking Alcohol. We are drinking coffees with extra shots If we have Mormons listening, they're gonna s- We don't drink that, but that's okay. We are- We are a new age Mormons we are a, a new age, yes. Okay? We're the new age. This is a dirty soda. So mine is, just in case anybody wants to know, if you're trying to... This is a Black Rock. This is a sugar-free blondie with an extra shot iced. So good. Mine is a Honey Haze shaken espresso. It's vanilla and honey, and with an extra shot also. And I tasted hers when we got it, and it was good. They're so good. Yeah. They're so good. Um- And Tyler got a Starburst- Fuel sugar-free Starburst Fuel. Taylor gets the, what is it called? Lime Rita, or Fuel- Oh I'm sorry, Fuel Rita. Fuel Rita uh, Fuel. I can't do energy drinks, you know? Like, back in the day- Yeah in, like, high school, everyone was on the Monster kick. Mm. And I wanted to be cool, like, on a half day and be like, "Yeah, let's crack open a Monster," and I just couldn't. No. If you had a Four Loko, I'd crack that baby open, but a Monster- Yeah draw the line. Sometimes if I'm going into work at, like, 4:00 or 5:00, I will get a Fuel. Like, I'll get the energy drink. It's like- But I have to do it half sweet 'cause they, they- I don't know what the- can be very sugary the taste in it that, that I can't do, you know? Well, that's good 'cause they are very bad for you. They are very bad for you. So. But speaking of, you know, back in the day, that's kinda what we're talking about today, is just how our generation is totally in their nostalgia era, you know? Like, we all want to go back to, like, the '90s. We all want to- Early 2000s yeah. Like- Yes we're, we're living in a generation where- Mm we just kinda are pushing against, like, the new norms, and we wanna just go back to the old simple times. And I feel like it's super... It's been like, I, people always crave nostalgia. I think that- Yeah that's, I mean, just a part of being human. Yeah. But lately, and I don't know, maybe it's my TikTok feed, I came across this one girl, this one woman, she's a mom, and she's like, Like, basically she thrifts all of her clothes Mm-hmm and, but they're, like, the early 2000s clothes. And, like, I'm talking peplum tops, capris- Capris gaucho pants. She's like, "Date night with my husband," and it's, like, the hev- heavily jeweled V-neck, you know? Yeah. But then it, like, kinda, like, flows out. Mm-hmm. And everything just screams what we wore in the early 2000s- Yeah and, like, went out in. And she, she's trying to turn her home into, like, that Tuscan home, remember? Yeah. We all wanted the Tuscan home- Mm-hmm or had the Tuscan home. And it, it's just such a comforting feeling. Yeah. And coming v- I have a millennial gray house. That's, that's my house. It is not warm. It's not cozy. It's gray, black, white. Yeah. Uh, I'm adding warm woods into it now, and we are on the, on the way to getting rid of millennial gray. But I think we all crave, like, that feeling of a- Yeah like, a, a comfy home, like, with all the decor, and we've become so minimal and, like- Yeah harsh. And, and just, like, our Christmases lack color and our, you know, we- Yeah, everything needs to be... You know, back in the day- Mm-hmm for Christmas, it was, like, homemade ornaments- Christmas and just over-the-top colors. Yes. I mean, everything was just, like, like tinsel. Mm-hmm. All the things. Now, it's like, and I'm guilty of it, when I go, I'll go to Hobby Lobby and I'm like, "No, we need to have a pattern." Mm-hmm. "We need to follow a..." You know, and it's like, but why? Like, and it's, it's like, are we craving the nostalgia because, because it's comforting and it feels good, or are we also because modern day is just so overwhelming? I think- Like, life these days is just so overwhelming I think we live for the online aesthetic. Mm-hmm, exactly. We don't live for what we actually want anymore. No, and if you think about it, if you didn't have social media, so you didn't have anything to compare to or anything to guide you, um, because back in our parents' generation, my mom talks about this all the time, back in that generation, if a doctor told you to do something, you did it, or, you know, you, you couldn't go on social media and see what that mom was doing. Mm-hmm. You just had to go with your gut. And it's like, I do envy that, you know? 'Cause if we didn't have social media right now, what, what would your trends be, you know? My gut has always told me to eat garlic. Oh, fuck me. Not the garlic. No, no, no. It, speaking of, it is trending on social right now 'cause apparently it kills parasites, and I could not wait to tell Courtney that- Oh, I might have to do that because there's more benefits to it. Well, they need to eat a bunch of garlic on that cruise ship out there right now. Oh, don't even get me started about this. I'm like, "Oh, here comes another..." But I mean, come on, like, if you didn't have social media to compare or to, like, guide your trends, you would be a different person. We all would. For sure. Because we all are influenced by things, whether you say, "Oh, I beat to my own drum. I'm a, I'm a," um, what is it called? I'm not a sheep, I'm a... A bull? No. No. I think it's just like a, well, you're, I just- Don't be a sheep I mean, not a sheep. What is the opposite of a sheep? What is the opposite of a sheep? I don't know. But we all can be a little sheepy. We can. It doesn't matter. Don't say that you're not. You are. You're influenced by things. You see something on the internet, and later that day when you're out and about, you're like, "Ooh- Yeah I wanna make that recipe," or, "I'm gonna..." You know, there's good influence and there's bad influence. But- But even our kids, like, I feel like- Oh, yeah you look at, you look at kids now, I'm like... And I don't know why this just popped in my head, and I feel like so many people will listen to this and relate to this, but first of all, like, walking into middle school or high school, having a rhinestone-covered phone- Oh that, like, half of... I mean, they're, like, missing and chipped off, and you see glue, and who cares? Yeah, but- Because, you know, whatever. And then, like, if it's your birthday, you all, like, made those big signs- Mm-hmm that you wore around your neck, like, with the ribbon. You just don't see kids doing s- like, kids silly- No things anymore. Like, everything is so aesthetic. No, you're just... Yeah, I mean, you're just living the way that everyone else lives- Mm-hmm because technically, and, and this isn't a conspiracy, this is just real world, I think, like, I don't wanna say the government. Whatever. Something higher is trying to get us all to conform to each other, you know? Yeah. I'm even talking about my HOA, right? Mm-hmm. You saw the cute little... It's like a little Pinterest front door that I have- Yeah that my husband did while I was out of town. Really cute, from Hobby Lobby. Um, we got a fine. You're not allowed to- Really? Everyone's fronts need to look the same. You cannot have decor, um- What? Like, what am I, a Stepford wife? Right? Like, but it's just more and more, they do these little things. Mm-hmm. They, they chip away at your little personalities in different ways, whether it's at school, whether it's at your house, whether it's in your work. Yeah. And they just are creating these robots. Mm-hmm. And I think that's why everyone doesn't get nostalgic, because back then everybody was so different. Your friend would come over- Yeah in her Limited Too clothes. You would be in your Gauchos, like- Yes. Uh, you had the freaking phones with the cords. It's just everybody was- Everything doing their own thing, and it was so cool. It was. Like, it was, like, cool to be different, and now it's not. And I just, like, don't... I wonder where we, where, like, where it all shifted and, like, where it changed. Yeah. Like, even like, looking at old, like, TRL or, like- Mm-hmm MTV Spring Break. Yeah. And everyone even just had their own... This is gonna sound, I mean, from someone who does, like, Botox now. Um, but everyone had their own faces and their own bodies. And like their own, like, like they're all posting in swimsuits. All the swimsuits look different. Yeah. They all had normal faces. Everyone didn't have the same exact structure, you know, like that you see now. No. And- Well, not a lot of makeup back then and not a lot of makeup. It was like a, not a lot of like makeup, hair done type of things. It was like- Except heavy teased hair. Well, yeah, the heavy teased hair. Heavy teased hair. But even back then, like the curvy bodies were it. Mm-hmm. Yes. Like that was like the- They were, but they weren't, because- Yeah they, they were, but it was like heavy, like low, low rise. I couldn't... How would- Okay. I can't wear a low rise. First of all, I'm not comfortable in them. Second of all, I got a C-section scar that I cannot be low rise. How was everyone wearing low rise? I remember even mine, I'm like, I would look like a busted can of biscuits. Oh, yeah. I don't have the body for low rise. The low rise with like the studded belt. Yes. No. Did you have a Hot Topic phase- Oh with the studded belt? Total Hot Topic. And I went through like the SRH, The Skin. Oh, yeah. And then before that, prior to that, I was like Limited Too. And Lexi and I- Yeah would always try and get the same Limited Too outfit. Yes. Do your hair, uh, it's, we'd slick our hair back in these like ponies or whatever it was. The blue- With like the cool little scrunchie thingies. Oh my gosh, yes. Do you remember the blue spray? I think it had, I can smell it now. Mm-hmm. I can s- or like, and there was a roll-on- Yep as well. Oh, yeah. And like all the little things that would be like up at, they were the original like checkout line goodie. Oh, yeah. Y- everything that was around there. But- But like the vibe when you walk in a Limited Too. Yeah. I mean, that was the excitement, though. Or- I feel like for our kids- Or a mall, the excitement of a mall. Yeah. Like what's exciting for our kids nowadays? You know what I mean? She loves a mall. Well, yeah, but like those little things- Mm like those little like calling your friend, "Let's match. Let's do this." Yeah. Like I feel like kids aren't so much like that anymore. No. But also, I think that's a part of us, like who, parenting is different. Yeah. Like I think it leads back to that. I don't give as much. I could be the one hindering her, you know, calling her friend and doing all that- Yeah 'cause I'm like, "You don't need more phone time. You don't need this. You don't need that." Well, and the way that the world has developed, like back in the day you could ride your bike out front. Mm-hmm. And you'd, you know, you'd play all the time. And now it's like it can be scary sometimes. You can't leave my sight. Because there's- Yeah freaking creepers- Mm-hmm and different shit going on. And so it's like things have totally changed, and- We just have so much access to the good, the bad. Yeah, all of it. All of it. And I think that like we as a generation are fighting against the rat race and the rush, rush, rush. You know, I was talking to my, my dad is very, um, he- I don't wanna say old school, 'cause he isn't in a lot of ways. But, like I was telling him, like, I, I want a, I want a different house. Mm-hmm. I wanna get land. Like, you know- Yeah we've been in our house like two and a half years. Well, back in that day, you don't just go to a house for two and a half years and then move. You stay. You stay forever. Mm-hmm. That's, you're staying there forever, you're paying that house off, you're working towards retirement. Our generation is not like that. No. We are more sporadic. We're more fly off the handle. Mm-hmm. We're more like, "No, we're gonna live now for what feels good," because, like, I might not make it to retirement. Why am I gonna save all this... Like, I literally just watched this video of this guy- Mm-hmm that just always did the overtime, always worked his ass off, saved his money, saved his money, saved his money. Like, didn't do a lot of vacations, didn't do a lot of spending- Mm-hmm um, because he wanted to be able to retire and live that life then, right? Mm-hmm. So he's 60. He retires. He's golden. Mm-hmm. He's got savings accounts that everybody wants, all the things. The day after he retires, he gets on a private jet to go to his, this island that he's been living to go to. Crashes. Dies. That's it. Wow. He lived his whole life to get to a point- Mm-hmm so that he could start living, instead of just- Yeah living while he could. What? Mm-hmm. And our generation is living that way. No, live now. I'm not saving... Like, yeah, be smart with your money. Yeah. But also, if we don't wanna stay where we're at, our generation's like, "Well, then we're moving." Yeah. "We're gonna get what we want. We're gonna do what we want." I think that is one thing that I do appreciate about our generation- Yeah is, because my, my parents are very much, or at least my dad is very much of the mindset of, like, Dave Ramsey. Like, you don't touch your money. Mm-hmm. You, you don't spend money on anything. Yeah. You, like, practically wash your paper towels, you know? And, like, and u- use them again. Yeah. And I love the mindset of, like, if I want more, then I need to make more. Yeah. And I'm like, if I, I want these things, so I just need to make more money. Yeah. I, I'm not, I'm not... Yes, I'll save money, but, like, I want those things. So, like, it... The only option is not to save, it's to make more. Yeah. That's it. Like, I, I- Cool I'm, and, and also to spend it now. I mean, like, vacations- Yeah are non-negotiable. Like, that's something that I've argued over and over again. Some of my core memories, if we're going back to, like, me as a kid, you as a kid, is a family vacation. Oh, 100%. And I want my kid to have all those same core memories. Well, and it's not being re- irresponsible. It's just, like, yeah, you- Living life you have goals, right? So my goal is to, these next few months, save, and we're gonna go on a vacation. Mm-hmm. It's just the goals are shorter. I feel like- Yeah back then it was just like the goal was, no, you're gonna save for 20 years. Mm-hmm. You're gonna pay off your house, you're gonna do this. But it's like, no, because I wanna, I wanna make the memories and live the life on the way. Yeah. Like, why- If I don't like where I live right now- Mm-hmm I don't like my neighborhood, I don't like it, then why am I just like, "Well, nope, you gotta stay there the rest of your life"? Mm-hmm. It's like- 'Cause you- No chose... No. Like- If I'm in a position- Yeah where I can go buy the land and do the things- Mm-hmm and, and start creating the life that I want to, like, actually build, then you should do it. Like, it's not being financially irresponsible, it's just knowing, like, "Okay, we are capable of doing this, so let's do it and let's figure it out." And, like, you don't have to stay put just because that's what you're supposed to do. And I think that's why, like, we like nostalgia. Yeah. Because it's not that like, "Oh, you're supposed to. You're supposed to." It's just back then you just fucking- You just live- Put the crazy Christmas shit up if you want. Yes. Don't follow a theme this year. No. Like- If I wanted, I wore blue mascara Oh, I did that before too. And the really shiny, um, uh, freaking eyeshadow. Yes. I let Mila do her makeup now, um, when she, like, comes home from school. Yeah. And, dude, she does that, and I'm like, "Live it." Live it. Yeah. Like- Do you, girl do you. You look like a star, baby. But, like- She looks lovely I will find myself also, if I'm feeling like I'm having, like, a hard day or I'm just stressed or it, which is whatever it was, I will, like, turn on a Disney movie at night. Something that just allows me to shut my brain off- Mm-hmm and it just takes me back then. It's like I'm eating- Yeah Schwans after school again. It's a Friday night. We're going to Blockbuster. Yeah. We're picking out movies. We're begging our mom, "Okay, there's a bundle." Mm-hmm. "We can get candy and soda too." We're staying up late. Yeah. We're bothering our brother and fighting with him. We are- And, like, the Disney movie came on at a certain time. Yeah. You had to be- And you knew. You had to watch it you had to be ready. You had to be ready. There was no Netflix. And then, like, like, I don't know why Cadet Kelly just came to mind. Oh my God, Cadet Kelly. But, like, just, like, watching, like the, you know- Yep the, that and, and then, like, seeing, like, oh, you know, after this episode of That's So Raven. Yes. Like- And it was, like, the show you wanted- The Disney Channel original movie. Yeah. It was, like, Luck of the Irish. Smart House. Like- Yeah all of the faves and, yeah, you would just watch your movie. Like- With a Kid, with a... What is it? Kid Cuisine. Kid Cuisine. Too. It's just funny how, like, as adults when we're stressed out- Yeah we tend to go back those are the things. And I also wonder what is our kids... 'Cause we're creating right now- Mm-hmm our kids' nostalgia. Yeah. Like, we are creating that for them. Yeah. You don't realize that when you think about it, but you are. Later, 10 years from now, they're gonna look back at different things and that's gonna be their nostalgia. So it's, like, I wanna create some meaningful, memorable... I don't want it to be Oh, my mom kept the house very tidy, this and that. She saved a lot of money I already know that that, that that affects my, uh, my child, so like I do... That's something that I've had to correct. Like, I, I love having a clean house, but like on the weekends when she's like, "Hey, can you please like stop chores for a little bit and like- Yeah come color?" And I'm like, and it's such like a, a, like a punch in the gut moment- Mm-hmm 'cause I'm like, "Oh, like you, none of this matters to you. You just wanna spend time with me." Yeah. And like almost too, as like we were talking about, you know, like Schwan's and Kid Cuisine, like obviously I, I cook. That's like, that's my favorite thing. But I let her try Top Ramen for the first time last week, and she is obsessed. Top Ramen. She's obsessed. She's like, "Can I have Top Ramen when I come over?" Like- 'Cause why wouldn't you be? Right? Like- She's like, "This is the greatest thing- Yeah I've ever had." And it's like sometimes I need to, because again, we have so much access to everything. Mm-hmm. Like, we're so health-conscious. We're so like food dye- Yeah and all of this, and I'm like, you know what? I need to every now and then let her go down. We don't- Yeah this is not likable. I don't have anything really from the frozen food section, like in my house- Yeah 'cause I don't like preservatives that are in it, and da, da, da, da, da. And I'm like so neurotic when it comes to food that almost I, I'm like, "Maybe I should just like Friday night pick something fun." Like- Yeah from here. Like, like I did that. I ate nothing but Kid Cuisines, Banquet- Yeah every, all my meals. Little Schwan's pizzas or like- I mean, I don't have a microwave to microwave it in. Pizza pockets But I have an oven and an air fryer. An air fryer will do the trick. Yes. No, I think that's the thing though, because I'm the same way, especially about dyes with River. Yes. Um, but I've found myself lately like, we'll be somewhere and my sister Danielle, she'll be listening. We call her the candy pusher. Mm-hmm. She's the, she's the, you know, she pushes... She's like, "Kids, you want candy?" And I'm always like, "Don't show him," you know? Yeah. If you have licorice or whatever, like bring something else for him. Yeah. And the last time I was just like, "Go ahead." Just do it. Like, one day isn't gonna... We can be like disciplined and stuff- Mm-hmm but that doesn't mean that you have to do it every fricking single day. Yeah. You can let loose sometimes. The other day I was like, "Let's go get donuts." Yeah. I don't like him to have a lot of sugar. I don't like it. But it was a Sunday morning, we were going to my mom's. Yeah. I'm like, "Let's go get Dunkin' Donuts. Let's take him over there." Yeah. He had two donuts, and- Amazing we survived. Yeah. He was fine. I was fine. Like, sometimes you gotta just- I feel like I've gotten a lot- loosen more laid back too. I'm like- Yeah like if we're, we stopped at my work yesterday, and they were like, "What do you want? We'll make you whatever you want." Yeah. And they got her tacos, and they were like, "Do you want a Shirley Temple?" Old me would've been like- Yeah "Mm-mm." And I was like, "Yeah, absolutely. Put, put the- Yeah cherries in it. Enjoy it." Like- Yeah just, just be a kid. Like- No, we went to the Corral on last Saturday night, and um- River was like falling asleep on the way Mm-hmm I'm like, great. So we get there, and my nephew Chase orders a Shirley Temple. It comes around to River, so he orders a Shirley Temple. I'm like, "This little motherfucker." Then my dad's like, "Oh, let's go to the little lemonade stand," and he picks out the flavors for his lemonade. And it's like freshly squeezed. They just squeeze the lemons, like fresh- Yes with water. It's like good. Yum. But then they do flavors. Yeah. He's picking blue raspberry. Okay, the worst flavors, right? 'Cause the dye. I'm looking, and I'm, and I'm kinda standing there like, "Okay." And then he picks the bright red one, and I'm like, "Why don't we go with like the coconut? You know, it's clear." "Mm-mm, no." And my dad's like, "Just..." I'm like, "Okay." So he gets this big jug of lemonade with the blue and the red, and then he's got the Shirley Temple- Yeah and I'm just like, "Oh, no." Great. He found this little girlfriend right away. They're running around together. They're dancing together. He's just having the time of his life. Yes. And I'm like, look, it didn't break him. It didn't. It didn't break me. No, I don't wanna let him do that- Yeah every day. No. That's not... I just don't think it's healthy, but- Yeah you gotta let loose. Wait. Like, you have to. I have another parenting win from this past weekend. Let's hear it. Speaking of letting loose. So Mila made a friend at the- Um at the pool. Yeah. And there's a lazy river at this place. Yeah. So she makes a friend. She's eight. Her friend's nine, and she's like, "Can we go around the lazy river?" And I start getting my stuff, and Taylor goes, "I think she means just with her friend." And you're like, "Oh." And I was like, "Okay." You're like, "Can I trail behind five tubes?" And we were like, we were like, "Go, we're like, go around one time and then come back." Yeah. And she proceeded to do that multiple times throughout the day. She's like, and- Mm sh- I let her off on her own. But you had your binoculars and were like... Pretty much, but I was like... And she would come back every time. She's like, "All right, we went around once. Can we do it again?" And she checked in every time. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And I was like, "Okay. You did great." Oh, stop. You did great. But- Yeah, it's hard like letting her... But I know that she'll remem- I'm like, that could be a core, like her and her friend, like that- Yeah she just made, splashing, like doing the lazy river on their own and playing in the, you know, like it's- Because I feel like a lot of the times, the times that we let go of the reins a little bit and our control is when they make their best memories. Mm-hmm. And it's one of those where you kinda check yourself, and you're like, "Okay, yes." But like we are being good parents. It's not, it's not that the discipline is bad, but it's just like we have to let go of that internally sometimes and allow them to like grow and learn on their own- Yes and not completely try to like control that. And it's the same with like I'll be on my phone and- Yeah I work a lot from my phone. That's- Same generally the place I work from. And- I try to make it a point, like if River's ever talking to me, it doesn't matter what I'm in the middle of on my phone, I try to look up. Mm-hmm. Like, I don't like- Yeah I don't like when I'm talking to someone and they stay looking down at their phone. Yeah. And I especially don't like it when kids are doing it- Mm-hmm and the adult doesn't look at them. Yeah. I just, that's a pet peeve of mine. But I've found lately he'll be like, "Oh, come, do you wanna come play this, Mommy? Do you wanna come play..." You know, volleyball. Yeah. He likes to do volleyball with the balloon every night. We do that. And I'm like, "You know, I'm gonna finish this," and I just am, like, more and more like, you know what? I can finish that after he goes to bed. Yeah. Or I can, like, get rid of my little timeline where I think I have to... Because right now, these moments, they're gone- Yeah after tomorrow. I'm, I've, like, been in my feels about, like, he's getting older, and I'm like, who he was yesterday, he completely changes a week later. Mm-hmm. And I might just miss all of that because I'm so busy trying to keep up with the rat race or keep up with the timeline in my head that I feel is important. But really, when I die, what's gonna be important to me is, like, all those memories- Yeah flashing back with him. And we put the timeline on ourself. Yeah. Like, we, we do that. We're like, oh- We do dinner needs to be at this time. Yeah. But I, I need to start doing this at this time. Mm-hmm. Says who? Yeah. Says who? We gotta be in bed on Saturday night. That's why I was like, typically on a Saturday night, we, I don't know, he, we don't go out at 6:00. Yeah. Like, that's usually when we're coming in. No, yeah, yeah. That's- Even if we stay up late, we're just, like, in our house. Yes. So they all wanted to go to the Corral, and just instinct-wise, I was thinking to myself, like, "Oh, we shouldn't go." And then I'm like, "No, let's go." Let's go. Let's go hang out with people, create memories. Mm-hmm. You can get out of your routine. You don't need to be so stuck to that. Mm-hmm. So that is, like, what I've been really trying to work on, and I find when I do that, it's, like, some of the best fun times. Yeah. And, like, and then you don't crave phone time, too. No. Like, I notice, like, the more that we do stuff and, yeah, I mean, 'cause I work from my phone as well- Yeah and I'm, feel like I'm always on it. But even, like, this job has, like, helped me. I'm like, okay, like, there's a life outside- Yeah of, I mean, my job is social, so, like, the- Yeah I mean, there's a, there's a life outside of social media. Like, there's a life, there's a lot going on. Yeah. You know? Like a, and, like, a lot, a lot happening outside of that. But I feel like we get so caught up again in, in, like, what's going on in that world, and trying to keep up, and maybe we don't even realize it, but subconsciously trying to keep up. Oh, yeah. Like, I know for a fact that I can, like, you know, go through stories or, for me, it's, like, food posts, like, where I'm like, that's so aesthetic. I need to try doing this, this, and this. Yeah. And then I'm like- Mm no. Because, like, I, we all need to be individuals and, like, have- Exactly our own style, and I feel like social, again, has, like, made us all robots. And we just- Well, you're not living in the moment. You're living to document it, right? Yeah. It's like, oh, let's go do this so that it, this is gonna make really good- Yeah content, you know? Well, and this is- And it's like- what people, but even Easter baskets Yeah, it's all for how it happens Like Easter just happens. Everything, e- everything that I saw was so aesthetic. Yeah. I'm like, what happened to, like, the really chaotic grass-filled, egg-filled, like- I did that this year. Yeah. I went against my regular- Yeah I'm like, I don't care, this doesn't need to match. 'Cause that's for me, that's not for him. Yeah. And that's not why we should be doing things for our kids. Yeah, yeah. Like, stop doing things that, that look and seem right to you. Like, let the kid... Again, that's gonna be their nostalgia. Yeah. It's not gonna, a- and I don't want them looking back and be like, "That was such a cool pattern in my Easter basket." No, it's like, that shit was cool, that shit was everywhere. Yes. That's the fun stuff. Like- Like, remember, like, when you had to dig, like, my mom would always, like- Oh, yeah there was stuff, like, in the grass, under the grass. Mm-hmm. Like, that thing, like, I, I had to, like, dig to find, like, little prizes and chocolates, and she maybe, like... I, I can't even remember what was in it, but it was just, like- Oh, yeah the stuff putting a Peep in the microwave. I never did that. Oh, my God. You didn't have a microwave back then either? Yes, I did. But also, get this, so Christmas time, my brothers and sisters, they make fun of me, but I have my mom do a scavenger hunt for me every Christmas. So I get money every Christmas now- Yeah 'cause I don't, like, you know, we're adults. Yeah. And, um, she will do a scavenger hunt. So it's a little card, and it leads me to the next thing, and they make fun of me- That's so fun every year. Every year they make fun of me, but listen, they're right there with me. And I'm like, "Yeah, you guys are jealous. You guys really want it. You want it." And now- That's so fun I do that for my nieces and nephews for their birthdays- Yeah or any kinda, like, celebration or whatever it may be. It's always a scavenger hunt to find different presents or different money. Nice. Um, one year for my nephew, I put a bunch of balloons on the wall, and he had to pop different ones, and they had different stuff in them. And then when we took them, it was in my dad's office. There was holes all in the wall. Oh. But now we look at it, and it's so funny, right? Yeah. Those are things you let go, and you... But yeah, I mean, that's just... And you know what? I pride myself as an aunt. I do love to make things so fun for my nieces and nephews, and they're older. Yeah. Like 14, 16, 17. Four- Natalie's gonna get mad. Kenzie is 17, and in a couple weeks I'm going to Vegas for my nephew's 21st. That's so crazy. But whenever we are all together, I am still, like, we act like kids. Yeah. I make it very kiddish for them. Yeah. Because- And I think they crave that. Yeah. You know? Like... 'Cause I still do. Well- I like that and, like, remem- like, as a kid, we went from, like, it, it felt like nothing from Disney Channel, like That's So Raven, Hannah Montana, and, like, just, like- Yeah curling up and, like, wearing w- you know, our cozy pajamas to, like- Going out tops. Like- Mm-hmm all of a sudden, like you're, you're an older kid. Like, you're- Yeah like all of that's over. So yeah, I mean, like I'm sure that they appreciate that because that's such like a quick transition- Yeah like from that world to that world, and like they probably just like miss- Well, and growing up is hard. Yeah. It really is. Yeah. Like, and no one warns you that like all of a sudden all that stuff's gonna be gone, and you're just adulthood. And there's so much more pressure on kids now. Yeah. It's just- Than there ever was now you need to keep up with social media, now you need to pay bills, you need to go to work- Mm-hmm you need to find a job that you love. That's so hard for people. Yeah. Like, I feel like nowadays, um, so many people are getting in their like late 30s or 40s, and they're just totally making a job switch. Like, total different field. Me. Yeah, everything. Because it's like, no, we're not in the generation of just staying somewhere because you're supposed to. We're in a- Yeah generation of going where you feel best. Yeah, 'cause we can. Period. And like- See, like there's so many like pros and cons. You know? Like, it's like what a beautiful... Like, we, we miss and we romanticize, you know, the, the '90s and the 2000s and- Yeah all of that. But like in that time you did have to be a part of the rat race. Mm-hmm. You did ha- Like, there was no options. Like, you- No you didn't have as many options to like go out there and do your own thing. Um, but now, like truly you can do what you want to do. And like- Oh, yeah what a great time to be alive. Like, I never thought I would be able to quit a nine-to-five job and be like, "I wanna, be home." Yeah, I can do this. "I wanna homeschool." Yeah. "I want to do social media." Like, I probably work more than I ever have, but I have more freedom than I ever have. So, and- Well, and it's doing things you enjoy. Yes. And- You're not working miserable every day. Yeah. And you can, you can work from your phone. You can- Yeah do things remotely. Like, remote was never even- No thought of. No. And I mean, that's just the cool thing about life now, is that it's accepted to do that. Yeah. Before you were like shunned if you did anything outside of like just nine to five, nine to five, nine to five. Yeah. I don't care if you're miserable, go to work, get your check, 401, all these things. And now we're just kinda like- But I think we can find- Yeah a happy medium. I think we should really challenge ourselves, and especially, I mean, you most likely have kids, maybe if you listen to this. Mm-hmm. Like 80, 90% you know? Yeah. But I, I really think that we should challenge ourselves to give our kids a nostalgic childhood. Oh, yeah. And like that means taking a beat. Like, it's on us. It's on us to create. Like, I mean, like we talked about adding more freedom to foods. Like m- like we loved blockbuster movie nights. We loved- We loved those all of that. Like, turn down the lights, rent a movie, get popcorn tubs. Like, make- Build a fort in the living room- Build a fort and sleep in it make something. Like, make something out of nothing. Yeah. Like, make those memories because it's like- I don't know. I, I look back at these times, I made Mila watch 13 Going on 30 the other day. Aw. I was like, "Do you want to sit and watch this?" I love it. Um, because, like, those are the movies that, that I grew up on. Yeah. And I just think we, we could do a much better job. And, like, going into Christmas, I cannot wait to just try to make it as a cele- Yeah like, not make the most, you know, beautiful cookies, but, like- No. Go to the Pullips Press. Go to the- Yeah place in Flagstaff. When we went last year for the first time, we got out of our comfort zone and we dipped off by ourselves. What was that? What, when did I go? It was for something. Thanksgiving? Maybe, yeah. Yeah, it was Thanksgiving. Yeah. We got away, like we always spend it with my family, and we went to that little- Oh, yeah Flagstaff hotel. Yeah. What the heck is that? Little America. Little America. Yeah. It was all Christmas decked out, and it was, like, the best time. Like- It's so fun but you gotta, you know... I, I read this thing, or it was a video or something, on social media, but it was talking about, like, we're always looking for the next thing, you know? I can't wait for summer. I can't wait till I have more money for this. I can't wait for this. I can't wait for that. But it's like, don't wait then. Yeah. Because sometimes you wait, and you don't get the chance to ever experience what you were waiting to do. Like, now is- Yeah all we have. Like, the essence of time, now more than ever, is so important. Like, this is it. And that's why I just booked the vacation last week. Yeah, screw it. Book it. Screw it. And- Booked it River's birthday, so we only do, like, a family birthday. We don't invite, like... He's not to the point where he has, like, friends, you know? He was asking about some of the kids at school, but I'm like, "Uh-uh, 'cause their parents have to come and stay. I don't know them. No." But I was like, "Oh, let's do something cool," you know? Something like so- Yeah like a beach house. No, you know what we're doing? Old school backyard pool party- Perfect at my mom's, slip and slide, with a water slide. 'Cause that was, like- Yes every birthday of my brother and mine, we got this gigantic water slide, and then, and it had a slip and slide on the end. We went from the pool to that. We had, my mom would just get all of our favorite foods. So fun. It would be, like, little pizza pockets. Yeah. It wasn't like, "Oh, let's get a, you know- Homemade cake sushi bar." Yeah. "Let's get a..." You know, my mom made our cakes from scratch. Dubs hamburger. Yeah. It was just like- Yeah all of our favorite types of foods. Pizza. And we just were out in the pool, on the slide, like, just having a time. Yeah. Water balloon, water gunfight. So fun. So that is River's birthday. And we almost got the, like, the Lays. Oh, yeah. We always we put a little bucket- So that's what we're doing. We are doing a total, like, old school- Perfect, and- And it's gonna be... I, I told River, "Whatever foods you want- Mm-hmm tell me all your favorite stuff." That's what it's gonna be. Mac and cheese. It's not gonna make sense. Yeah. It's gonna be like mac and cheese, chick- dino nuggets, um, pizza, edamame, watermelon. Edamame. I don't care. Edamame is so real. It is not going to make sense, and I am, like, so excited for it- Can't wait because of that, 'cause I'm like- Oh, it's gonna be so good it's gonna be fun. It's gonna be old school fun. And- Oh, that's gonna be so good I think it's something that he'll, him and his cousins and a- all of us- Bring that back. Like- Dollar Store d- decor for a party Yeah like, 4th of July, I wanna go cheesy. Just like- Mm-hmm just ugly patterns. Just cheese it up. Yeah. Like, I- Well, we're always on the river, and I said, "I wanna decorate the whole boat." Yeah. 'Cause 4th of July on the river is like- Oh, yeah it is old school nostalgia, though. Yeah. It honestly is. It's like '90s 4th of July. Yeah. Everyone's just out there. We're just drinking. Mm-hmm. You're just, everyone's got their flags. Yeah. Everyone, you know, fireworks over the water. It's just very much, you know, hot dogs. Hot dogs, yeah. Like, but I'm like, let's deck the whole boat out. So fun. Like, let's deck it out- Yes and freaking play the Pledge of Allegiance while we're rolling down the river. Yes. Like Or put a boot in her ass. Yeah. And I guarantee everyone on the river will be like, "Oh." Yeah, for sure. 'Cause that's just like, that's what you do. For sure. So we're taking it back. We're going against the new norm, because the new norm is lame, and we're gonna call it the, we're gonna do the old norm. Yeah, the old norm. We're gonna bring... We're merging. Yeah. We are bringing back nostalgia and happiness- Yeah and colors. And just, like, memories. Yeah. Like memories for you. Like, uh, if you can take anything out of this episode, it's just make a life for you- Yeah like, moving forward. Like, don't, don't forget that you're creating memories for your family and not just- Yeah what people see. And, like, whether that's on social or even out in public, let your kid wear the light up shoes because who cares? Oh, no. I don't know if I can. Okay. Anyways. I might puke. I might draw the line. Okay, Courtney, Courtney's, uh, still... W- we'll work on that. I- We'll work on that. Let... I don't mean every day. I know. And I don't, I, but... You ever had superhero day at school, you're supposed to wear, like- And you wore a cop outfit. Yeah. I g- I don't have any character stuff. I did kinda feel bad, but what we're saying here, what the point is- is- Guys, I went to a private school live your life for you, because we all tend to live our lives for other people, whether you say you don't or, like, it doesn't matter, you do. We all are influenced. We all... And I always have to check myself. I'll go, and, and I'm, I'm not trying to get dark, but when I get to the end of my days- Oh. I'm not getting dark, but what am I gonna, like, what's gonna go, what's gonna be my reel in my head? What's gonna be my highlight reel? Is it gonna be like- Yeah "Oh, that post got 300,000 likes," and that is just- So good yahoo. No, it's gonna be all these little memories with, with River, with Tyler- Yeah with my family. All these little things are gonna flash back in my head, and it's not gonna involve anybody on the internet. None of it. I can guarantee it. Yes. I just, right now I already know. So it's like don't live your life for them when at the end of it you're not even gonna remember them. Bring back Cheezy lives. Cheezy, Cheezy Weezy. Guys, I didn't, I just need to pat myself on the back for not going down any conspiracy rabbit holes- Oh, my God on this podcast. A conspiracy podcast is coming soon. Yes. Bring back Cheese Whiz on Ritz crackers. Okay, now you drew the line because absolutely not. All right, guys, we found our boundary between the both of us. No light up shoes, no Cheese Whiz. We love you guys. We love you, and we will see you next week. Dun, dun, dun. Bye. Bye.