Lavender Ice Cream Meets Thong Debates And Grocery Shock

Summer hits and we feel the pressure of juggling work, kids at home, and the constant noise that makes anxiety flare. We talk through what it really takes to plan a fun summer while staying grounded, realistic, and safe.
• working from home with kids on break and setting boundaries that hold
• summer logistics that spike stress like interruptions and nonstop requests
• grocery bills, “free” outings, parking costs, and simple ways to budget
• vacation planning when pets and farm animals make travel complicated
• local activities that keep kids active like splash pads, pools, and camps
• electronics overload and why outdoor time matters for mental health
• sunscreen, skin cancer worries, and why dermatologist checks are worth it
• swimwear choices at water parks and keeping kids’ suits age appropriate
• safety in public spaces, front yard fears, and why the world feels different
• talking to teens about drinking, driving, drugs, and one-decision consequences
reach out to us on socials let us know what your plans are for this summer
And if you want to stay connected follow us on Facebook Instagram and TikTok at the ARMC.

Transcript

Welcome To The Moms Club

SPEAKER_01 0:01

You're listening to the Anxiety Ridden Moms Club, the podcast for moms who love their kids deeply and still feel anxious, exhausted, and overstimulated.

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Here, we talk about the messy stuff, the thoughts we don't say out loud, the pressure to do it all, and the journey back to ourselves. Progress over perfection always. Let's go. Welcome back to the Anxiety Ridden Moms

Summer Break Starts And Anxiety Spikes

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Club. And this episode is about summer. Good old summer. So last night we had um Wyatt's eighth grade graduation. Nice. He is on to high school. And um today I was irrelevant to last night's events, but I feel like dog shit. Now we're on video. I feel like I have to talk about why I look like I do. Um, I have no makeup on and my throat hurts so freaking bad. But here we are. We're showing up because as anxiety-red moms, that's what we do. We freaking show up. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:11

You gotta just pull it together one way or the other. And so when you just throw your hair back and call it a day.

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Call it a day. The hair is also back because I got this new uh hot tool, if you will. Um, it's a crimper. I sent you some pictures. Yes. And you didn't like it. It was so big. It was just so big. I don't know. But we'll see. Anyway, back on topic. So my kids are officially on summer break. Nice. Here we go. Um, last year I started my new job in April. So in May, um, I think they everything was just so new and fresh. And, you know, I had been doing what I had been doing for 15 years, and so I was so focused on on that. Um, I don't even remember a ton of it. I was just trying to learn as much as I could. And I feel like definitely in the last year I've I've done and I've grown. But I am terrified of this summer because these children are a mess. Um, we've talked about it before, but my God, it was just like a few days ago. I had one call. I needed to get through, and they were knocking. They came downstairs and they know, like if I'm on camera to stay away from me, and they were knocking on the wall, like that wasn't obnoxious because it was Wyatt and he couldn't find his pants, his work pants.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

And the knocking continued and continued and continued. And finally, I don't know, I flipped him the bird or something like under the table and off camera, like, go away. And he did. And then I started to get 19 text messages. And so I'm terrified that this summer, like, well, he will go to work. He will be at work with my dad for the majority of the time, which will be good. Um, and I'm sure Nora will get out and swim as much as possible. But um, it just prompted the conversation. I wanted to talk about summer and how people handle it, being working adults, but now the kids are yeah, here. They're here. It's summer. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Now, see, personally, I've always liked summer better because then I don't have to like come home and do homework and worry about if they got all their stuff right all ready and set aside and this done and that done. I feel like there's just that many more things I have to follow up on. So for me, I've never I've always been a fan of summer and I always hate when school goes back. So I like I feel bad when the kids I feel as bad as they do when they're like, we're going back to school. I'm like, that just sucks. But at least I'm at a point in my life that I am dealing with somebody who's a junior in high school. So she's like doing her own thing. And next year she's a senior. So it's just pretty much her going to work and doing her own thing, and I don't have to worry, schedule one way or the other anyway. So I'm free of all those things that you are into having to deal with at this point in time.

Food Costs And Survival Logistics

SPEAKER_00 4:14

I am so grateful for my mom and that my mom is quote unquote retired. But I think the the job she has now of watching all of the rug rats in summer is more complicated if, you know, than than when she was working. But um she is just a door down. I kind of threaten them, threaten them with with that as like you will go to your memes if you can't act right. Like act right. And not only that, but like they eat. Like it's they'll grab something and then they'll go out, you know, out the door. They very rarely eat breakfast, not a not great at enforcing that. Um, but then they eat lunch at school and I'm just responsible for one meal. I can't imagine my grocery bill and what it's going to be like this summer. My dad's already told Well, like, do you have a lunchbox? Because you're gonna have to pack your lunch. And I'm like, uh how are people doing it right now? Listeners, if you have any, if you have any grocery tips, gas tips, everything is so expensive.

SPEAKER_01 5:23

Hey, I I've just found out today. So um a group of people were talking about this today, and they were that there's some stand that's somewhere in the area, not exactly close to me, but probably worth the drive when he really comes down to it. And they sell um eggs for a dollar a dozen. And like they said that the produce and everything there is like great, and it's all like good prices, and I'm like a dollar a dozen, like that's like unheard of anymore. But I'll probably be making it for free. Oh, whatever.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

How would you share again? I could use them for free. You need to get some next time you're here. You need to get some eggs. But my dad has chickens, and he has lots of eggs, and then we now have four chickens for fun. Fun. For fun, yeah. And two ducks. So much fun. So not only do we have ducks. No, and it actually feels weird to eat chickens. I don't know. So I'm genuinely curious what summer looks like for parents of young ones. Are they sending them to summer camps? Are they um, you know, do they have full-time daycare? Is it family or friends helping out or what do what does summer look like? And does it stress everybody out like it stresses me out? I I do. I love summer. I love pool days, I love beach days, I I love all things summer. But working from home, I am a little, I am a little frightened what summer is going to look like for us this year.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

Yeah, that could get a little bit crazier.

Vacation Dreams And Pet Problems

SPEAKER_01 7:05

So, okay, so do you have any places that you have gone or want to go for summertime? I think a lot of people take trips during this time. Are you taking any this summer, or do you have any places that you ever think would be kind of cool to go to?

SPEAKER_00 7:18

Yeah. So for us, we since I have been little, um, my mom and dad had a boat. And we've always like once a year, we went to Brants and Table Rock Lake. And that is just somewhere where I love, I love to go. I love to unwant. It's just what it literally is one of my favorite places on earth. Um me too. But normally we would just do when when we were little and my mom and dad had the boat, we would go for a full week. Um, but then they sold the boat. And so then it kind of turned into a long weekend. And then we would do a beach vacation. And I'm really missing the beach too. And so this year we're kind of we're we're stuck in between. And I will tell you what holds me back is the animals, all of the animals. Because I would I would literally get in the car right now and drive to the beach and be gone. But it is, it's it's hard. So we have Bolton Murphy, we've got a German shepherd and a golden doodle, and then two cats. And now four chickens and two dogs. So it's just hard. It is so hard to find someone to help with the animals. Um if you board them at the vet, that is gonna cost more than your place on vacation.

SPEAKER_01 8:41

Yeah, it gets expensive.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

It gets so expensive. So we are we're in the planning phases now trying to figure out what to do. And that's where we might end up back in Branson for a week just because we can take um, we can take Murphy with us at least. And then, you know, whatever. So, what are your plans look like this summer?

SPEAKER_01 9:03

So we are having a trip to Florida. We haven't really been doing a lot of trips lately, and it's just, you know, I don't know. It's unfortunate. We should be doing more. But um, Branson is a place that I absolutely, absolutely love. But somewhere I else I really want to go to um Mall of America in Minnesota.

SPEAKER_00 9:21

You need to reach out to Jade. She's she's been. Chase went for, he went, I think there was like an award ceremony or something for work. And so my mom and dad and Chase and Jade went to the Mall of America. And I heard little things.

SPEAKER_01 9:34

But that doesn't seem like a vacation spot to me. That seems like a little bit of a seems somewhere fun. Like to me, I feel like there's places that I think um I would love to have that to go like for a couple long weekends in a summer. Would be great. And then actually I'm looking at a lot of things, I was like, you know, it'd be kind of cool to take a trip up there. It's not that difficult of a drive or anything. You know what I mean? So we could go in and just enjoy, just have a long weekend there. Um, there's stuff in Tennessee that looks pretty cool. There's a lot of different, like, I don't know, there's a lot of different places that I feel like are not that far that I'm kind of interested in checking out. Cause I'm huge about Branson. Like, like my husband will tell you, I like literally we pull into Branson and like I turn into like a kid. Like I'm just so freaking happy.

SPEAKER_00 10:21

Have you been when you so when you say Branson? So when I say Branson, I the lake is my happy place. The lake is me too. My freaking happy place. Yes where you are like a Silver Dollar City kind of guy. No, no. Really? When's the last time you've been? No.

SPEAKER_01 10:38

The last time we actually went, which is sad because the last time that we went, we went to Silver Dollar City for um the Christmas stuff because I was told you absolutely have to go, and I will never do that again.

SPEAKER_00 10:50

Why not? It was so freezing. I thought it was so real.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

It was so freaking cold. It was so cold. And we were there and it was just long, and I don't know. It didn't do it for me. It didn't do it for me. That's not my thing. I only were 1000%. I thought we were walking around like a Hallmark movie. I freaking I mean, there's some I don't know. It was okay. I have people who got on my case to go there. I needed to go. I had to experience it. I have experienced it once and I don't need to experience it again. But I do need to get back to the lake because I love the lake. I love lake life in general, just to relax. Just like when you get up in the morning and you can sit out on like a deck and like look over the lake and the peace and the quiet, and it's just so nice. Just so nice. That is my kind of detail. You get some ice cream, you go shopping during the day or something, you go do something else. Like, you know, it's you know, so you can break it up a little bit, but that's what I love more than so.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

This is this is funny. So last year when we were in Branson, we um I've talked about I've talked about nanas before, and Nanas is kind of our ice cream, our ice cream spot in Jerseyville. And so Nanas had recently opened, and we would just started being our um connoisseurs of of Nanas all the time. And then we go to Branson on vacation, and the kids are like, we want ice cream, we want ice cream, and we're like, okay, and so I Google it. And so, like, we were staying at um Ozark Mountain Resort in Kimberling City and we Google ice cream, and there's this little like what do you call it? It's like a fancy ice cream place. It was real fancy.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Fancy.

SPEAKER_00 12:41

And they only had like lavender haze ice cream, and it was like a million dollars, and they didn't even have vanilla, and it was such a drag. What? And yeah, it was terrible. And we ended up at Sonic. We got our ice cream at Sonic. There's always some sort of adventure, but that's what I remember, and that's what we laugh about. So it's all, it's all good. And I don't, I'm not a huge silver dollar city. Like we went um for the whole Christmas thing, and it was awesome. And I love a good roller coaster every now and again. Um, but generally speaking, it's the it's the relaxing, the shopping, and you know, yes. So Branson checks a lot of the bottom. But since our last job, our last job, we were in Florida quite a bit and at the beach quite a bit, and my boyfriend is from Florida, and so I spent a lot of time over the last couple of years in Florida. And then now with my new job, I don't go as much. So I'm really Jones in for a beach too. But I yeah. If anybody has any family-friendly spots that we've got to try, we've got to check out. Yes. Um, yes. Or if anybody knows any dog sitters in the Jerseyville or surrounding areas, I would love that too. Cause it is hard. It is hard to go anywhere when you have a whole freaking farm.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Yes. Yeah, it it does make it hard. And that that's one thing for us. Like we just have one little small dog, and so probably 98% of the time, any trip we plan, we take her. Like we had even gone to um Nashville, Tennessee to a really nice hotel to celebrate our anniversary, and she came with. So, so you just find dog-friendly places to stay? I will say that the place we stayed was very, very nice. And I was walk, but it was it was you could have dogs. I can't say it was the most convenient thing because to have her go to the bathroom, you had to like kind of like walk almost down the block for an area that she'd go to the bathroom, which I didn't I don't know. It was fine, it worked out fine. But I so you would a lot of times carry her because this place was kind of busy. So I would carry her through, you know, to where I'd before I'd go outside. And you could tell some of the people are like, so they allowed dogs here. Oh, you didn't know?

SPEAKER_00 15:16

You didn't know, but they do. See, that's why that's why I and Nora just asked me yesterday. She's like, Where are we going? Where are we going on vacation? And I was like, she's like, Are we going to a beach? And I'm like, girlfriend, I I don't know, because when we go to Branson, we can take Murphy. And like when we were in Branson last summer, Murphy literally was running around all the to the all the cabins and checking out what everybody was having for breakfast and they just loved her. And then she would jump in the lake. And so, you know, I keep seeing these things that say dogs are only in your life for a short period of time, but they're you're and theirs for their whole and like they're short. And so I don't know. I guess I can't, I can't can't never take my kids to the beach again because I'm, you know, my dog, but yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:04

Yeah. That's the thing about it. But you never know. You see, that's why like we're going to go to the beach and I have it all set up that I can bring the dog if I want to bring her. And I just got another place and they allow dogs. And then I'll be on the beach and I'll have my dog. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

And are you sure dogs are allowed on the beach?

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Uh I don't know, but I don't really care about taking her on the beach. She's not gonna be a she wouldn't probably like that anyways. She'll just be happy though that she's with us for whenever, you know, when we go leave for the day, come back. She'll be hanging around waiting on us. So it'll be good. It'll be good. But I do look forward to doing

Cheap Summer Fun That Works

SPEAKER_01 16:39

that. The other thing I was actually looking at too for the summer was um other things to do. And there was a place that um, and of course I can't think of the name of it off the top of my head. It was like these huge slides, like humongous slides. It's like an indoor place. So it's kind of like you know how you go to Sky Zone or all these different places with trampolines and stuff.

SPEAKER_00 17:01

Yeah. Have you been to it? No, but my I've seen pictures of my nephews playing down.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_00 17:10

It looks so clickful.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah. I'm like flicking for the floor.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

So when your kids were were when your kids were younger, were you the type of mom to take them? Like, were you magic house grants farm zooed? Like, did you have something planned, like an advent adventure a week?

SPEAKER_02 17:26

No.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

Did you ever go on any adventures? No, not not a whole lot. Usually we just planned a trip and we went somewhere. Um I think I feel like all the time, unfortunately, when especially when the boys were young, we worked a lot. So, like, um, and when we weren't physically at our jobs, one or the other was on call. So we didn't have like it was difficult. Even like when I would take the kids to like birthday parties and stuff like that. I mean, I'd end up either out at my car on the phone or in the corner somewhere. Like I it was kind of it was difficult. We had to we had to work a lot. And so unfortunately, we didn't get to do some of the things that maybe some people were doing. And I wish that we would have had that time. I mean, but if I wouldn't have put in the hours doing what I did, we wouldn't have had the money to do trips or anything else that we did. You know what I mean? So it's kind of a give and take. Um, but now that I'm in a situation where I am a grandparent, then I kind of feel like, you know, I look at this stuff and I'm like, ooh, I could go pick the kids up and take them and go do this one day and drop them off. And I'm just in a different situation in life. So I that's when I I saw that place. Now the only thing about it I did think was Slick City. I was like, I mean, somebody might break their neck, but it looks like it's possible, but you could break your neck like I don't know, walking anywhere. For sure. But it does look really fun. Now I'm not, I really can't tell you that I'm a big fan of like um like science centers, magic house. I mean, the other whatever, but their parents can go take them and do that.

SPEAKER_00 19:06

I'm not, I'm really not interested. Like we just recently went to the science center because I I'm trying to teach the kids about a freaking hard-earned dollar, right? And we were looking up free things to do, and they were so happy because they're like, and then the little fuckers just don't get it because they're like, the science center, the science center is free, and Grant's Farm's free. And I'm like, do you realize that it cost me $35 to park at Grant's Farm? $35. And like ridiculous. Was it worth it? Absolutely yes. Absolutely yes. But then they wanted to feed the goats and they're like $3 a baby bottle. And we did a couple rounds of that and a couple rounds of this, and they have no idea the amount of money that's just and you know, it's was it worth it? Absolutely. But like as far as teaching them the value of a dollar, they just they just don't freaking get it. And so I've tried to be like, that's whatever we did, that's X amount of dollars. That's so many hours of work. And it's just funny because it it goes right over them. But yeah, all of these places are quote unquote free. But you have to pay to park. Are they? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:21

And if you also want to drink or eat, that'll be like the most expensive food you've ever had in your life.

SPEAKER_00 20:27

What I feel like is kind of new is a lot of areas and a lot of towns are investing in these um splash pads that are free, which is super freaking cool. Um, especially for like the young, younger kids. So if you haven't checked out a splash pad, you absolutely need to because they're they're awesome. We have a new one in Jerseyville. Um, there's a really cool one in Godfrey. And I know that there's a ton just from what I've researched online in like the St. Louis areas. I feel like my kids are a little bit too old for it now. Like obviously, they'll go with their their younger cousins. Um, but the the splash pads are free, which is super duper nice. Um, so that's something to to keep everyone occupied a little bit this summer. I'm fortunate enough that my aunt and you have an in-ground pool. Um which is super nice. So I'm sure there's gonna be lots of lots of pool days.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Um goes on.

SPEAKER_00 21:23

I tried to sign Nora up for a theater camp because she is very theatrical, let me tell you. I thought it was it was something that she would really, really enjoy. Um and she thought about it for like 10 minutes and then was kind of over it. So I don't know. I just I want to keep them active. That's my main goal this summer is just to keep everybody active, healthy, happy.

SPEAKER_01 21:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

You know, I think at the end of the day, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:53

I think ultimately, too, with all of the um electronics in general that were around, even like for kids for. their comp laptops for schools and stuff like that, just in general, you know, electronics. Not even saying it's about like them playing games or doing something. I just think it's good for them to have, you know, get out, do things, enjoy the weather. You know, during the wintertime you're cooped up and then you're kind of that's gonna be of course more your entertainment. Get on the computer, get on a you know game, whatever it is, or you know, but during the summer, iPad weather's beautiful. It's time to get out and go do something.

Sunscreen Choices And Skin Checks

SPEAKER_01 22:32

But I will say everyone better wear their sunscreen because, you know, as you get older you find out that all the things that you did when you were a kid probably probably should have put on a little something better. Although now you have to like read about the sunscreen and the sunscreen tells you that actually it's worse. So you got to be careful what sunscreen you use. So do your research but put sunscreen on.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

I am so freaked out about well two things about skin cancer. I'm freaked out about skin cancer. I would be lying if I didn't tell you all right now that um I have taken many pictures of myself and of my Floridian boyfriend Floridian. Floridian um Floridian and I called my chat GPT since I use Claude at work and so I had to name my chat GPT and he's Walter. And so I've sent Walter lots of risque pictures um I have a spot like and I know I freaking know that when I wear a low cut and I say low cut like I'm not being slutty at the the pool. Remind me to get back to that in a second. But um I know it's a place that gets sunburnt all the time and I had a spot pop up and so I've been sending them to Walter and I'm like Walter do I need to get this cancer.

SPEAKER_01 23:52

Walter told me no he just told me it didn't look super questionable then I was like come here because there are a couple spots on him that I wanted to send off I swear I should do that the next time because I have had skin some skin skin some skin cancer spots so I'll have to the next time when I can but I know what they are now like I can tell like I'll be like oh that's one I need to go have them zap off and there's another one but I had one that was on my chest that I ignored for a long time and it was like this just this tiny little spot that like it would sometimes start seeming like it was going to heal up and then all of a sudden it would just be like as if your skin got raw and then all of a sudden it'd be like it was going to heal up and then it would just be like your skin got raw. It's just really weird. Walter told me about bad signs.

SPEAKER_00 24:43

That's not good to do something before to go to a doctor if it looked like that. Yes. Walter's very very smart just saying it's not good. And I take my medical advice do not take my medical advice do not take Walter's medical advice if you have questionable spots go get them. Okay but that this is a real thing because even my one of my sister-in-laws was like yeah I was told like go to a dermatologist and then I go to the dermatologist and they made me feel completely stupid for being there. And they're like why are you here? And I showed them the spot and they were like big deal. Yeah no big deal and I don't BS if I want you to look at every spot on my body like look at every you know what I mean? Like you're a doctor I'm I'm here.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Right. Well and at the end of the day it's about preventing I mean truly it's about preventing I mean we really all everybody should really be going going into a dermatologist and being checked especially at least when you get a little bit older and you get to age at certain ages just because even by like in your 30s it's a good time just to like get a check and then they might say everything's great you have absolutely nothing okay maybe you wait five years before you worry about it again but like just because you didn't have a problem before I even actually literally just spoke to a woman who lives in the villages of Florida at Florida in Florida and which of course I mean I ask her 20 million questions about how much she loves it there but she even showed me you say the villages of Florida like that is a specific spot on a map I'm sure there are lots of villages of Florida. But it okay for retirement look it up for retirement the villages look up the villages believe me it pops right up anyways so it's a fun happening place for when you um for sure especially for people when they retire but they she showed me her arms and she even said you know how when she was younger that she you know was out there lathering up in baby oil and who knows what back to iodine or anything else that they used. And she's like it wasn't like we were told you're supposed to do anything different and she's like and you pay for it. So you definitely definitely need to take care of it. For sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

I've got a little olive colored skin maybe it's my green shirt that's making it but like it's a little olive y but I've always been so fair toned that like I haven't done that crap. I probably haven't always worn sunscreen like I should um but for the most part I would look like a a damn lobster if I didn't so I've been very very well good about my sunscreen sunscreen's gonna cause cancer too we talked about that as well yes yes so you have to be careful what you buy.

SPEAKER_01 27:21

But of course I'm an idiot who's like fair skin and I if I I wish to God I had dark skin because I would be in the sun all the time. I would just baste in it. And I get skin to cancer spots on my um arm. And of course you know we go out somewhere and then we get there I'm like oh I didn't think the sun was going to be like bright like this today and I like burnt up my arm so bad I'm like this is not smart. Not smart. I should just put sunscreen in every single compartment of my car and everywhere else so that I don't have that problem. But I definitely have to put mine on.

SPEAKER_00 27:57

Yeah for as white as I am my daughter is white and freckles man she is white as a ghost and we when we went to Pensacola one year to watch the Blue Angels which Pensacola is I um a friend that I used to work with she had two condos in Pensacola and it is like my favorite place on earth it really is. Um it's just it's not as touristy as like Dustin or Gulf Shores or um yeah Orange Bee. It's just it seems still like small town vibes like it just I I'm obsessed with Pensacola but we went to watch the Blue Angels practice um I forgot sunscreen whoops it was bad. And it's one of those things like when you get burnt with Florida sun like you're screwed the rest of the time. So like you've got to there's there have been a couple of vacations and I'm pretty sure that was one of them because we went to watch the Blue Angels with no sunscreen um that I had to buy her a long sleeve swim a long sleeve swim long sleeve swimsuit. Try to say that three times fast and can't say it once but um yeah we've we've learned our lesson so we we've the sunscreen the long sleeves we'll we'll do it all yes we'll

Swimwear Boundaries For Adults And Kids

SPEAKER_00 29:20

do it all. Oh yes oh yes yeah so pivoting just a little bit we um I just saw something online about um thongs at amusement parks or like water parks and the risky things that people wear and do you or don't you wear a thong bathing suit to a water park I for one don't wear a thong ever you will never catch me in a thong I would go buttass like naked I would have nothing over a thong.

SPEAKER_01 29:57

I just don't understand the concept I really don't but is it appropriate for people to wear thong bathing suits no in my opinion no because here's the thing is I don't care like there's different beaches and different things and people do all that and and it is what it is but I just kind of feel like when you're in those theme parks I don't know there's a lot of kids that go to like it's a lot of young kids that go to them. I don't know. I'm saying it's distasteful in my personal opinion and I'm all about you know if you got the bad and you can rock it I get it but sometimes like have a little bit of think about where you're at my personal opinion just my personal opinion that's not where if I was the lady who wanted to put that on I would not put it on there.

SPEAKER_00 30:41

No I agree. And then taking it a step like the other direction is I've seen a lot of social media content about the swimsuits that we're putting our children in also and see maybe it's because I um am who I am but I like if you got it I say you got it flaunt it like I don't care like if you want to wear like whatever I would not wear it to a water park but like whatever. But anyway I've seen a lot of like hey I don't need my three year old having side cutouts in her swimsuit. Thanks Target. You know what I mean? Like things like that. And then you see about the creeps on the Disney cruise and like it really makes you question everything you do in life what the fuck is wrong with people I'm not kidding. I mean in in just in the last couple weeks like the FedEx driver the the fucking FedEx driver murders this beautiful baby. You have to be like you don't want to be a helicopter parent fuck that I'm gonna be a helicopter parent because you have to be so cautious of everything of the shit you're putting on your skin of the people that you're around of what you know what I mean? And like I get it from that perspective like no they probably don't need hip cutouts on child swimsuits. Like you want them to look cute and hip but then at the same time like are we sexually our our is that the word is that what I'm going for like our kid like I I being a parent is so hard. This shit should have came with a disclaimer like everything that you do.

SPEAKER_01 32:24

And then on the other hand the girls a lot of times have it is a definite it's a tier here's the thing I do believe like when they're three and four and five I mean they should just have basic swimming suits. Like there's no real reason to have I mean like they have cute ones or even bikinis and that's fine. You know sometimes little kids in a bikini it's cute but it should still be age appropriate looking bikini. I don't know why that they have to kind of like turn stuff into I don't know like they're modeling when they're in a bathing suit. Especially in the world we do live in it's I don't know it's gotten kind of it's gotten it's weird. But on the other hand as these girls get a little bit older and their styles change and I mean the stuff that they want to wear and the shorts that they wear all that kind of stuff you know they're all into all that stuff and you can't tell your kids you can't wear any of that because it's you have to be careful. You have to be very careful on how you guide your children through this world that we live in because it's like it's really about teach them to be really smart and using their brain but it's sad how much

Safety Talks That Actually Stick

SPEAKER_01 33:28

is going on. And I will tell you one thing though. So that FedEx guy in the front yard right I have this I have always and especially I had even somebody else who um they had a child killed because they were um out on playing on their driveway and they a car came around the corner and like ended up going through their yard and ran into their kid who was just playing in their driveway. And the mom had literally just walked into the house to drop put something on the counter that was right there and turn around and come right back out. And all of a sudden there's this tragedy that happened and it's because this kid had is a drunk driver. And the weird thing about it is it wasn't like at some nighttime wasn't it was like in the it was at a normal hour that you would be outside doing those things. And I always just would tell my husband I'm like I I know that things can happen badly in your backyard, but there's a lot of things that I get super paranoid about in the front yard. I don't like kids playing on a driveway because of that. I don't like ever a kid out in the front yard. I always like the I have I had times where my daughter was outside and she was I mean age appropriate to be outside for sure on her own and all of a sudden there'd be like a car that would drive by very slow and then you'd see it again and I'd be like get your butt back in the house. People are weird just weird.

SPEAKER_00 34:50

Why everyone has to be super duper duper cautious it's it's a scary freaking world we live in and you know um Brad and I were talking about recently just you know with our jobs and things and I'm like I I don't know back in the day I remember you know me and my best friend would would ride our bikes to the the city pool and we were probably 12 13 and like I just don't feel comfortable with that. And I don't know if it's because our kids like were we more mature I I don't know about that if you would see the pictures of her toe after the bike accident and I remember us rollerblading all around and me eating shit on the side of the road. You know what I mean? Like right some of those are they those are my best memories and like some of the things I will never forget I literally just text Ashley like a couple weeks ago and I was I sent her a TikTok of someone eating shit on a bike and um I was like oh my God this reminded me of you we were on our way to the the city pool and I I just don't know in today's day and age if I even feel comfortable like letting letting my kids do that. It's it's freaking scary. And you know why it's gonna be a freshman in high school and and when he does dumb shit I'm like boy you are supposed to be driving a car. Like second his second semester he'll be taking driver's ed. He's supposed to be driving a car and this kid does some really questionable shit sometimes. But I'm just like are you ready? And and then so Brad and I have been talking like how do we get them ready?

SPEAKER_01 36:21

How do we ensure that they're ready to own their own house and to maybe have kids one day and you know what I mean like it's again I think the biggest thing is that they have to always remember that um it just takes one one wrong decision to change not only your own but all many people around you's lives it could just be one decision.

SPEAKER_00 36:50

With Memorial Day coming up I've I've heard that too I've heard I don't know if it's on the I don't know if it's on the radio or if it's a TV commercial or whatever, but it's like talk to your kids now because they can make one decision to you know shape the rest of their life end their life and and like you said and the people around them it's it's having the conversations but even the shit you don't think about like underage drinking like do you realize that that ticket could follow you around for the rest of your life and you could possibly not get into a nursing program or not get a job that you want because of a decision that you make now. So if we've said it once we've said it 150 times I know it comes down to communication with our kids and just making sure but but we can't yes save them from everything, you know? No, no.

SPEAKER_01 37:42

All you can do is and try to teach them right from wrong and that there is evil where there is good, evil lurks and that ultimately I think the biggest thing is because I think a lot of times people think like well I'm gonna make this decision and it if it's I mean if it's bad whatever it just affects me and it's just not true. I mean uh you can any decision that you make affects other people around you and um that can turn deadly for some people it can be you know there's even like uh I think it's the murder I think it was the Murda Murders was that I think was that the one I can't remember there's one of them on Netflix it might have been that one but that the kid actually was on a boat and there's all these kids with with them on this boat and they'd been drinking and the kid that was driving the boat was um he he ended up d saying he's getting back on the boat and they're gonna go to the next place or whatever. But everybody knew he was really intoxicated and some of them were a little leery to get on the boat. But on the other hand I think they felt like but he's so drunk almost like they kind of needed to maybe get on the boat. And so all these kids get on the boat and of course at some point in time a girl fell off the boat and she ended up that they could never find her body even that she drowned in it and stuff and it was a horrible story. But those things are one that I talk to my daughter about all the time. I'm like just like here you would just simply call me and I'll pick you up from where you're at I would much rather have you contacting me and telling me what's going on and hey I've had a few drinks I can't drive whatever then you get on the boat and now I don't have you anymore. And that it just changed that kid's life. It changed all those kids' lives on the boat. I mean you know the the trauma even from that you know what I mean it may not be it's you know it's their friend. I mean that's traumatic when all those things kind of happen. You know what I mean? It's just there's so many things. So many things.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

Social media and all that stuff doesn't make it any easier unfortunately no probably promotes like daredevil shit too and that's scary. I mean I didn't always make the best decisions growing up um but luckily I didn't make any huge life altering I mean I had some that could have definitely taken a turn um but I know that they've I don't know it's just it's just a different world it's just a freaking different world and you know drugs shit being laced and fentanyl and you go for one high and and you're dead and and it just it's it's scary. So we've got to keep talking talking to our kids and we'll make it through the summer I'm sure of it. I'm gonna pray a lot I'm gonna pray I'm gonna try to be patient I'm gonna try to set some boundaries early on and communicate and overcommunicate all for the purpose of having a fun summer having a good summer but safe yes fun but safe for sure well please if you've got great summer plans or I want to know how you're you're you're filling your days, how you're keeping occupied, where you're sending your kids and I want to know Gina and I want to know where you're going on vacation because we might just join you you just never know.

Summer Intentions And Closing

SPEAKER_00 41:07

So reach out to us on socials let us know what your plans are for this summer. And um like we mentioned just have fun but most importantly stay safe yes stay safe and have an enjoyable summer. Until next week see ya thanks for spending time with us take what you need leave what you don't and be gentle with yourself. And if you want to stay connected follow us on Facebook Instagram and TikTok at the ARMC. And remember you're not broken you're becoming we'll see you next time