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(Boy Moms) Going Off the Rails on a Crazy Train
29 Plays18 days ago
Rena and Paige discuss LA subway adventures, NYC subway adventures (nostalgic!), and Father's Day adventures!
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Transcript
00:00:09
Speaker
Yeah. Are we doing? Yeah. Oh, it's the real thing? Oh, What's going on? We
Playground Reminiscence and Boy Mom Scoop
00:00:19
Speaker
both have sons.
00:00:21
Speaker
Oh, you have two sons. Do you have any? What's the latest boy mom scoop? um ok We were on the playground, um the one near the puppet place.
00:00:34
Speaker
See, i I want to understand.
Navigating Public Transit with Kids
00:00:36
Speaker
Do you go there for content? why you why Why do you keep going? I went because I have a friend who lives nearby and I wanted to like hang with her okay while were at the playground.
00:00:47
Speaker
no, no. This was like, God, when was this? Sometime in the past week. I don't remember. no I remember you going because you're always trying to get me to go to Highland Park. well because the bus is so close to us. And I think I just, and I can't, I hate abandoning my neighbor.
00:01:05
Speaker
Yeah. I need there to be people I know where i'm going But your boys walk. My boy plays and doesn't move very much.
00:01:16
Speaker
Unless I carry him the whole way. like Or he runs and it's scary. like The whole thing freaks me out of the walking free. like But if he gets more practice? he has We go for walks. I just hate it It's me who is bad. He is fine. you know And I find it stressful because it's a long walk and if you miss it Like you don't always calculate right the amount of time it's going to get there. So you might miss it. And you'll also like see it go by if
Kids' Adaptation to Transit Challenges
00:01:44
Speaker
you miss it. It's just very dramatic. Catching. You just get, you get so used to it. you just We've missed it. It's fine. I don't know. Yeah.
00:01:53
Speaker
And the kids get used to the disappointment. In fact, now my older one will just be like, we'll catch the next one. and then the younger one will repeat what he said. We'll catch the next one. but you're always running to catch it.
00:02:05
Speaker
I find the running to catch it stressful. that's That's what makes me feel alive. Okay, yeah. See, that's what makes me feel dead inside. Running. Yeah, being a slave to time. Like, I just, ugh. See, the thing is, this bus stop is a block and a half away. This bus never comes, though. You check it Yeah, we took it yesterday.
00:02:25
Speaker
Oh, you did? and Yeah, when we went you we went to Santa Monica. Wait, where did you take – oh, you took it the other direction?
Metro Experiences with Children
00:02:31
Speaker
we just took it to the subway station. Wow, so what was it like taking the metro? Oh,
00:02:36
Speaker
The kids have done it before. It's fun. I mean, they love it. yeah but You gotta take two trains. yeah and And I would say- And you do with stroller or without? No stroller. because we Because we were we able to, like the bus came at a time where it was convenient to just take it instead of walking to the subway station. okay If I had to walk to the subway station, I would have taken the stroller. Okay. But you're not scared on the platform?
00:03:01
Speaker
Of what? The train. What is it going to? That they'll fall in. It's going to off the track. fall in. I used to be scared he would, like, go and fall into the toilet. I'm always scared he's going to fall into things.
00:03:12
Speaker
He's the largest child the world has ever seen. As I say, every episode episode. But he would fit on the tracks of the subway. Yeah, and so would you. Yeah, exactly. So would I. So you're not scared they're just going to, like, fall in? Well, I hold their hand. I make sure. I'm usually holding the younger child. Mm-hmm.
00:03:32
Speaker
Or I'm holding his hand. And then the older child, i keep at arm's length. older. Yeah. But even then, because you never know who's going to come by and push you onto the tracks. It's scary. And i'm not normal I'm not a paranoid person, but I don't want to get pushed onto the tracks. So yeah and I make him stand very far back. Yeah. and And then when the train is about to come, I make sure I'm holding his hand. Okay.
00:03:55
Speaker
So, yeah, I think we're very grateful the
Subway Safety Comparisons
00:03:57
Speaker
tracks. You know, in London, it's enclosed. oh that' You can't get pushed on the tracks. Why don't they do that? Why? Why? New York City, really? um Everywhere. Yes. No. And then it just opens like elevator door, like it opens where the doors are. Right. Yeah. It's been so long since I've been on the tube. I forgot. But there is a gap, famously. Mind the gap. Right. Between the plastic and the, like, so you can fall in the gap, I guess. You can fall completely through the gap? If you don't mind the gap, you could probably get caught in the gap.
00:04:27
Speaker
Let's just get caught. And then. Yeah. buy some bad clothes. Right. And then the death would be even worse, right? Yeah, you get maimed. It would take over time. I mean, you might survive. But it would be like a lot of blood loss and maybe limb loss. Like, yeah. You would be paralyzed. But you have healthcare there. Right. That's why they have the gap. It wouldn't bankrupt you. We can handle Right.
00:04:52
Speaker
We can handle a gap. Or here it's very all or nothing. You either get hit by the oncoming train Or you survive and then if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Yeah, we love we love the subway here.
00:05:05
Speaker
um Only one of, I would say, out of the two trains we took to get to Santa Monica, one of them was a little... Which one did you – you went downtown and then switched? Yeah, we take the red line. To
Train Adventures and Day Trips
00:05:19
Speaker
the purple? They call it the B line now.
00:05:22
Speaker
Okay. To 7th Street Metro, and then you transfer to the gold line. The gold line, right, the Santa Monica line. Yeah. But that's a train train, right? It's not like – Yeah, and that's fun because you can look at things above ground. Yeah.
00:05:35
Speaker
You can look at USC, whatever, stuff. How long did it take? 45 minutes? or on that That second train was like 47 minutes. So the whole thing is like an hour and a half, yeah basically. Yeah. And then we just looked up. well Mike was like, oh, you should be taking them on the Metrolink to faraway places all the time. They would love it. Just spend the day. They would love it. and I mean, if they're not going to nap, it's like, why not? Yeah. And this, well, the thing we did yesterday was even after. but oh yeah. After the nap. We could go Ventura.
00:06:08
Speaker
Ventura. on the Metro link and get there in the same amount of time. it takes to get to Santa Monica. But do you take the train back or does Mike come pick you up? Pick us up in Ventura.
00:06:21
Speaker
Okay. So you would take the, from Santa Monica, you took the train back? From Santa Monica? Yeah. Where you went? Okay. Okay. So you spent three hours total on the train. yeah I mean, most of the experience, we were meeting friends and so we, and we got there before them and we spent,
00:06:36
Speaker
Yeah, most of the trip was the train. Like that was. Okay, because that's like a big different experience that they don't do every day. Yeah. So for them, that was like most
Ferris Wheel Safety Concerns
00:06:44
Speaker
of the excitement. And then they went on the Ferris wheel.
00:06:48
Speaker
Oh, Ferris wheel. That's fun. Also something that would terrify me that someone would fall out of. I mean, they i they have a rule that one person can't ride it.
00:06:58
Speaker
Like you can't ride it alone. If you're having thoughts. is that That must be why, right? it just says no single riders allowed on the wheel. thought it just because the line, it's like it's not fair to the line of people waiting. you think that's it or do you think they're worried that this person will jump out? See, I didn't even, that didn't occur to me. So they so they think for sure not murder, suicide on the Ferris wheel? Like, leaving a person alone?
00:07:22
Speaker
Interesting. Yeah, I always thought it was because it wasn't fair to people in line. i mean, they put at Disneyland, they keep, yeah, they keep, uh, All the seats full. Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:33
Speaker
Whereas, but this one is not, it's just simply not as crowded. Right. What does that sound? i don't know. It's really loud. What is that? if you, if you can hear the sound right now, can you write in and tell us what you think it is? It sounds like someone's trying to scrape their way into my apartment.
00:07:54
Speaker
here Anyways, so, but in
Stroller Challenges on Trains
00:07:59
Speaker
Brooklyn, we would be taking the train every day. i mean, he still had fun on the train, but it wasn't like a big different, like if we were on the train too long, that was rough.
00:08:07
Speaker
He would get, what would happen to him just want to get off the train. He was probably very popular on the train, right? The kids get a lot of attention. Well, they also take up space and it's New York. So they're annoyed Some people are annoyed. Really? If you bring a rush hour, bring a stroller. yeah be Are you folding the stroller? Rena, are you folding the stroller? hell no. No.
00:08:27
Speaker
No. See, always fold and then people, you just have to do everything plus and then no one can get mad don't care if they get mad. I'm not folding and holding. I want. I have all my stuff in the stroller. folding holding?
00:08:39
Speaker
Folding and stroller. thought you meant that's some sort of like therapeutic term. I will not be folding and holding. will not be making myself smaller. It sounds like something you do with a gun. like
00:08:55
Speaker
Oh, boy. No, I don't care. I mean, in New York, and New York's like that. I mean, you kind of have to be like, I'm going to do my thing because whatever you do, it's going to piss someone off. Like a folded stroller so would also annoy someone. So it's just a bunch of people being themselves.
00:09:06
Speaker
And if you have a problem with it. I mean, they did they didn't want a rush hour. i mean, kind of understandably rush hour. It's more annoying because it's very packed. Out on a rush hour? Yeah, we didn't really do that because that's like. You had some... it's also worse for us to do it at rush hour. life Yeah, yeah. Well, and you wouldn't... Why would you even need to be going around rush hour?
00:09:26
Speaker
You didn't... I don't know. Your kid wasn't going to the office? No, no, no. He wasn't coming back from his nine to five? don't remember. We did it once and I don't remember why. i have no recollection why. We were probably trying to get to meet someone at nine or something. like But we're never on it too long.
00:09:44
Speaker
Well, it's never crowded for that because we would do that from Brooklyn. We would go from Brooklyn... to We take the A yeah to like the upper west side way up Upper West Side. Well, the A, yeah, well because the A is ah an express. Yeah. Yeah. But it would be crowded for a while and then fine.
00:09:59
Speaker
Yeah, but it's nice and fast. Like not everybody catches the express. You got to catch it. Oh, I was catching the express. We weren't near the express stop. we were on the queue. We could switch to the B, but.
00:10:11
Speaker
Whatever. i sort of understand subways at this point. Maybe like 50%. But now I think your kid would really appreciate the novelty of the LA subway. It would be fun. the problem is he's been napping so early. he gets tired and cranky really early these days. But the nap. yeah, yeah. We should go after. I mean, i woke I woke him up early yesterday so we could do this. But that was fine. Yeah, if he's up at like 1.30 or 2, then like, yeah. But we would get caught rush hour at maybe.
00:10:41
Speaker
What mean? On the train? On the way back. It's not much of a rush hour. Really? Yeah, on the on the way back from Santa Monica on the train. No, if it it was like a nice – it makes it so it's busier and it feels a bit more on rails and not as many, you know, commuters to even out the – mentally ill people. So it was a pleasant ride back. the ratio is little Yeah, yeah, exactly. But it was not too crowded. Of the people living on the train versus taking the train. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Interesting.
00:11:15
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we would have trouble, like, because in New York, sometimes the trains would just shut down and then you'd just be kind of trapped. On the train.
00:11:26
Speaker
No, like – Oh, where
Dealing with Train Shutdowns
00:11:28
Speaker
are we? yeah. Because it was complicated to get – Let's say we were going to like Carroll Gardens, you know, and like it's actually kind of – Like if the G shuts down, like you have to like walk and take a bus. Yeah.
00:11:40
Speaker
Sometimes the bus can feel little better. um You're out there in the world. Yeah. The bus can be good. But it was just like if it takes you – if you're waiting for the train and you keep saying it's – you keep thinking it's going to come and then they make the announcement after half an hour of waiting.
00:11:56
Speaker
The train is shut down. have to get to the bus. And then by then he's like tired, freaking out. So you just have like a screaming kid on the bus with you. And everybody just like huddles away. And it's just this horrible thing. There isn't anyone being like, oh, poor baby. No. They're all just annoyed. It's New York. They're like, get your screaming kid away from me. Like that vibe.
00:12:17
Speaker
They'll do – if something happened to us and we needed help, they would help. But if it's just someone being loud, no empathy. Well, they don't want to – yeah. don't to deal with it. Like screaming child. They're tired. that's the thing. Probably the time that I always talk about – I don't know if I've talked about it on the podcast. About when I fell
Pregnancy and Public Assistance Concerns
00:12:36
Speaker
New York. yeah. And I was pregnant and not a single person checked on me. Because you were in Park Slope.
00:12:42
Speaker
But I was in, yeah, I was at like the entrance to the farmer's market in Prospect Park, which is the worst because everyone's just got their weekend state of mind. I'm going to get my peaches. like a herd. that You could get trampled there. Yeah. aye But it's like the type of people who frequent the farmer's market. Right. not give a shit about anyone else. But maybe it's because also my kid was crying because I was holding oh yeah my two-year-old. Yeah.
00:13:07
Speaker
And then so maybe. But you were on the ground? Yeah, it was we were both on the ground. And fell? Yes. And nobody helped you? No, not a single person helped. I'm actually amazed because I never had that experience in New York. But that's the yuppies on a yuppies like a Saturday morning. But they always helped with the strollers. the yuppie When I got off a park slope, I had to say no to like six or seven people trying to help me. I don't know. That makes them feel Maybe that's the people taking the subway though.
00:13:34
Speaker
Oh, yeah. You know farmer's market might be people that just drive their cars. Yeah. yeah different I don't know. Or they're just really focused on getting that pickle or whatever they're going to get. They got to get the pickle and then they're going to meet their other the other yuppie family for
Business Idea: Restaurant with Babysitting
00:13:50
Speaker
a play date. Yeah. They have their whole day planned out. Then they're going to get a goddamn break for once in their lives Go get ramen. Yeah. yeah I thought a great business idea for Park Slope actually is like a restaurant with built-in babysitting on site. like
00:14:05
Speaker
Oh, that would do very It would do so well. Yeah. I don't know why it doesn't exist. Maybe because you need a lot of space, but if there was just like a play room, separate room, you know, and there's just but there's glass like you can see, but someone else is playing with your kid, like – And yeah, it would do so well. And they should just have like retirees come and play with the kids. I mean, yeah, they might break a bone or two, but it's par for the course. feel like retirees, older people and younger people, Mike talks about this all the time, that they should be together the time. Right, because they're both paying attention to the more simple things. Right, they're both, yeah, the older people are on the decline, the younger people are on their way up, so they're synced up. They need to practice the same things, like counting and letters and Words. So they have each other. Reading. Shapes. We're like, oh, our kids are so stupid. They can't talking about it. Are we like that? Because our kids are geniuses. Remember when you asked my son to count something and he was like, there were three of them and he was like, one, three, four, five. Right.
00:15:09
Speaker
Oh, yeah, but it wasn't five things. No, was three. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That was really good. And he was very confident. Or, yeah, did we say last time you showed him the letter The letter thing. Yeah, his confidence. Yeah, he's like E. It's going to get him far. he doesn't need to know. He doesn't need to know the letter.
00:15:23
Speaker
Yeah, it's his world, you know. It became an E as soon as he said it was an E. Yeah, he actually
The Mysterious Cupcake Incident
00:15:30
Speaker
changed. He manifested a different letter. um So, yeah, okay. We went to the playground, the one with the puppet. It's okay. I guess I know. Yeah, we went on a roundabout. um And act that what happened was there was a woman. i was sitting on the bench talking to my friend, and then all of a sudden I saw him eating a cupcake. And I was like, what happened?
00:15:53
Speaker
What? What? Yes. And I was like, where did he get this cupcake? Like, because I had seen a woman who was giving out chips to everyone. And I was like, okay, you can have a chip or two, you know, like, it and I was like, fine, they're all from the same bag. She was giving them to her kids too.
00:16:07
Speaker
But then I saw him, he kept going under the slide. There's like this little cave under the slide to eat snacks and like this little cave. And he had a cupcake in his head. I was like, where did he get this cupcake? And I had to like ask around,
00:16:20
Speaker
because I was like, is it someone's birthday? Did he like steal a c cupcake? You know, I'm like, did he ruin someone's day? Because there was a balloon he kept trying to take from someone who clearly... Yeah, he's trying to crush. Yeah, he's trying. He wants it to be his birthday every day as we all do. so but So then I found a woman who was like, oh, I gave him the cupcake. I was like, it's okay that he took the cupcake. She's like, yeah, we just brought a tray of cupcakes to give out at the playground. can't give ah cupcake to a kid without asking a parent. It's random. That's insane. No, it is insane. And I was like, so I had to look at her and be like, she here to poison children? You know, I had to like really suss her out.
00:16:55
Speaker
um And I was also like, that's also a crazy thing to do. But I was like, maybe they were giving them out to their friends and he just ran up. But still. No, you can't. There are so many reasons why shouldn't. He could have had allergies. Yeah, right. so But my main thing was like, is she a psychopath that came to poison the children at the playground? For sure. Let me tell you, though, this type of thing would not happen at a regular playground. No, because everybody has dietary restrictions. They ask permission.
00:17:23
Speaker
People are so careful yeah about feeding things. I always ask. now Yeah, I always ask the parent if it's okay, I think. And a cupcake has so much sugar. I know. Did he eat the whole cupcake? With sugary things, he never finishes the whole thing. He doesn't have it now.
00:17:41
Speaker
Yeah, he just, like, he wants it in theory, but his body says no at a certain point, like, and it's fine. He be usually just eats the icing, honestly, and then it's over. like So it gets the most sugar...
00:17:53
Speaker
Yeah, like with that American Girl doll cookie. Oh, yeah. from Which they have a cafe. You got to talk about going to the American Girl doll
Father-Son Shopping Adventure
00:18:02
Speaker
cafe. Well, we just, okay, we just went to this, like, very fancy outdoor mall. The Century City. Yeah, yeah. And it was fun. We did it on Father's Day because we were just looking for stuff to do away from the smoke. Yeah.
00:18:16
Speaker
So it was on the West side. um And like, whatever, my husband is obsessed with buying shoes and I try to limit that, but it was Father's Day. So i was like, all right, you can get a pair of shoes. um Like the Nike store?
00:18:31
Speaker
right We went to, they were having a sale of Vans. There were these Vans he really wanted. Vans? I know, i know. I know, look, I don't judge just whatever makes him happy. I don't know. i want to see them.
00:18:43
Speaker
Show me later. We'll show you later. is he wearing them He might be wearing them now. But he got two pairs. Well, they were having a sale. They were having a sale. It was like two basically for the price of one. So and we also got our son some shoes there too because they were having a sale.
00:18:58
Speaker
ah One pair is them having, yeah, father, son matching red bands. Yeah, that's cute. Yeah. But um wait, why was I talking about this? Oh, yeah. And then we just were looking around. We're like, what's toy stores where a son can play?
00:19:11
Speaker
You know? So first, obviously, we went to the Lego store and he like played with this Lego plane for a while, which was fun. um And then, and he was playing, they had this thing at the Lego store where you could like put together a little little Lego person. And they're like, if you put together three, it's $10.
00:19:28
Speaker
And there was a mother with her son who was, she was like, this is great. Like, no matter what, the most it'll cost me is $10. And I was like, you don't have to buy anything. You never have to spend $10. Oh, yeah. Is this a yuppie parent? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, they have to. It's the only way. It's Century City. I mean. The only way to live.
00:19:46
Speaker
i saw and I saw a woman walking with a fur vest. It was a hot day. The last side is really – It's bizarre, dude. Everything's for the gram, I feel like. it' Oh, yeah. It's like nothing is real. No, it's crazy. um But they were projecting a big screen of the soccer games, which was cool. And there was like this fake lawn on the bottom. So there was some cool stuff happening.
00:20:09
Speaker
So they're encouraging people to hang out. Yeah, they're hanging. Yeah, they want people hanging there, which is nice. Because then these yuppie parents spend. money They spend money. And I guess we do, too, sadly. But at the Lego store?
00:20:21
Speaker
No, at the van store. Well, that was the that was the goal. You weren't. It was. No, it was. Yeah. The dope is basically just dope chasing dopamine. But um and then so then we saw the American Girl doll store.
Exploring the American Girl Doll Store
00:20:33
Speaker
I was just looking for stuff. It's not at the Grove anymore. Oh, really? Okay. So yeah, I was just looking for stores with toys. So, you know, we went in there and my son liked all the the dolls and then he wanted to go up the stairs. So I was like, great. So I sent my husband to go put the shoes in the car because we didn't want to carry around all these shoes.
00:20:52
Speaker
Lugging around your Linging around. Your vans in this sweet little American girl store. Yeah, exactly. So I sent him away and then my son wanted to go up all the stairs. I was like, great, exercise. walk up. It was like a pretty big flight of stairs.
00:21:05
Speaker
um And then we got up there and there's this cafe up there. Yeah, the American Girl Cafe. Okay, I didn't know because I never had this stall. I was a Canadian I've been one, by I'm just very aware of them. I'm very jealous.
00:21:17
Speaker
Tell me. Right, because we don't have girls. but they I never had an American Girl doll because I was a Canadian girl. I loved American Girl doll. What was yours? Was yours Molly? That's the one you mentioned in the text. That's what just seemed to be. your Oh, really? Interesting. okay I guess it's more late for you. I looked her up. I was a Josefina girl.
00:21:35
Speaker
Who is that? Arizona. Okay. She's the Mexican one. I don't know. that Okay. Okay. Fine. So you identified with the Mexican doll? Josefina was my first and my favorite. And I also had Samantha.
00:21:47
Speaker
Okay. And Kit. Kit. The depression, the blonde one. Oh, the Great Depression? Oh, is she hungry? well How do they personify that?
00:22:03
Speaker
Well. Okay, but so which, wait, did your child gravitate toward a certain doll? What was his choice? No, he didn't gravitate towards any any of the dolls. I mean, he kept looking and being like, like looking at the dolls, but he but they're all encased, you know, so you can play with any of them. Because they also would make the ones, because I would get the catalog.
00:22:24
Speaker
Okay. And there was an option to get one that looked just like you. Whoa, that's trippy. Which I never did because I liked the books. I liked characters. So I don't think I ever really You don't want another page, as you've mentioned. No, as we've talked about. But I don't know if they have boys now.
00:22:42
Speaker
I heard people buzzing around me being like, American boy doll. Like I heard someone say it. But i didn't know. i was like, maybe that's why i was like, maybe the boys are upstairs. Like, I don't know what's going on in the store. You know, they have to they get a special.
00:22:56
Speaker
Yeah. Also, my husband talked to another dad at the store. And it was cute because the dad, like, recognized one of his tattoos. And and i was like, say happy Father's Day to him. He's like, can't say it to another dad. I was like, say it. then he was like, happy Father's Day. And the other guy was like, thanks, happy Father's Day. And it was really cute.
00:23:16
Speaker
I know. I listened to you. Men bonding. um but yeah, okay. So we went upstairs and my husband had gone to the car. so I was like, okay, great. I need a coffee anyway. You know, like, maybe we could just get a coffee here and, like, a little snack for him. At the American Club?
00:23:30
Speaker
Yeah. And, and, but then of course the hostess was like, you cannot sit here without a reservation. It's, who you need to get the reservation. How many reservations were Father's Day? No, there weren't. It was, it was like a quarter full. That's why I was like, um, okay, whatever. i we're not really going to stay long. So I was like, can I just order something to go, you know?
00:23:50
Speaker
um And then obviously my kid really wanted the cookie and I have no – I mean, I just give him whatever he wants because he's an only child. Yeah. We're buying stuff. So, I mean, it's cheaper than a doll.
00:24:02
Speaker
yeah yeah How much do those dolls go for? Wait, let me guess. Let me guess first. $45? No. When I was – okay, when I was a kid, it was like – I want to say it was like $70-ish. Jesus. So now, I mean – Oh, my God. i have no idea what it would be now.
00:24:17
Speaker
But also – and they don't even make the dolls – That you would want. think have some rare dolls. Oh. Would you ever sell them or you could never part? i wonder if my dad has tried. My dad likes to sell. Just to pay for college? I haven't paid for my college yet. Oh, your college. Oh, I was thinking about theirs. Oh, yeah. I can't even think about their college. haven't paid for my own college. How are you going to pay for their college if you haven't paid for our college?
00:24:43
Speaker
by way I mean, i'm yeah mean my my college was paid off because it was cheap. You know, it's the price difference is insane, actually. Yeah. It was $1,500 a semester.
00:24:56
Speaker
to go it Really? Yeah. We call it like call it university. two no it Was it like 1932? No, was 2007 in Montreal. but it's But it's publicly funded, half, at least half. like And they, I mean, people protest to keep the prices low. Every time they raise tuitions, everybody takes to the streets when they try. Yeah, here they just, they've let it happen.
00:25:19
Speaker
Even since I graduated, I just read it it's gone up like 40%. No, it's insane. But it's because it's disconnected from government. So there's no government oversight to the prices, like right? i mean, there are public universities. Those ones that yeah are cheap. Which I went to for some of the time.
00:25:35
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, the cheap way is like- went like four different colleges. You did? Three. Technically, no, three. Okay. Were they all for the same degree? Oh, for if you count film school, that wasn't even counting film school. Okay. For undergraduate, i had a mishmash of school. Was that BA?
00:25:54
Speaker
It was like general? That was, yeah. Okay. B.A. in English. English. Oh, that makes sense. You're a very good writer. Thank you. Thank you. Check out my sub stack. Yeah, check it out. Subscribe. Like and subscribe and share.
00:26:09
Speaker
Sub stack. um Okay, so yeah. So we
Outdoor Activities During Bad Air Quality
00:26:14
Speaker
went up and then I got him. So you never got a seat? We got the cookie and then she said, it's okay. You can enjoy it at the bar.
00:26:22
Speaker
a But I still didn't want I let him sit there, but I was still like, I don't want to touch these plates. Like we will destroy these plates. They're right all breakable. yeah. Because it's ah it's where do you. It honestly like it was cute. It wasn't gorgeous up there. was it was fine.
00:26:40
Speaker
The historical room looked cool. Oh, they have a historical Yeah. With like lighting and you should go That mall's fun. Honestly, it's it's an outdoor mall. So you spent – oh, you were on the west side. i was like So you spent your day with the smoke and the air. don't know. no No, no, We ran away. yeah we always run away. That's when we were in the valley.
00:26:59
Speaker
Right, yeah. Yeah, enjoying nature as opposed to – how much of that cost? Zero dollars? i did go to Taco Bell after. Okay. Did you get – do you get Baja Blast? Do you do it?
00:27:15
Speaker
No. I got – Diet Pepsi, that was terrible. Ooh, okay. You know sometimes you get a bad fountain drink? They have zero sugar Baja Blast, you know. Yeah, Mike mike likes those. yes I can't.
00:27:26
Speaker
The color. Is the color? It's just really poisonous. I can't handle it. Too much poison? The caramel color. don't It's been more vouched for. It's better, yeah. It's a more familiar color human beings than what they eat.
00:27:39
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. caramel color. more color you'd see in nature. I mean, is there anything in nature we eat that's bright blue like that? Blue... Blueberries? I mean, there is something mentioned in the Old Testament.
00:27:50
Speaker
What? That colors the, you know, that's feeling. There's like this like blood of a certain fish that's supposed to be bright blue like that. So that's why you can drink a Baja Blast. Yeah, that's it. Yeah. Yeah. It's actually part of the Jewish faith. ah We'll get them for for his Bar Mitzvah. Baja Blast. Baja Mitzvah. There's nothing a 13-year-old boy likes more than Then a Baja Blast. I mean, can't go wrong. Yeah, full sugar. The 13 year old boy and my husband, who you know, has the spirit of it. Yeah, they have a lot common.
00:28:29
Speaker
They do. We saw you on Father's Day briefly. Yeah, we saw you on the street after your fun dinner out. You said nuclear family out. It was very cute. How was it? You went out for dinner? Yes, we went to our local diner. Did you make a card?
00:28:43
Speaker
ah The kids make cards. Okay. And I got him a little gift. and But yeah, most of the day he was working. So I didn't – I mean, that got me out of having to do much. How did the younger child – what did the younger child do for the cart? Or can he already read it right? and Yeah, he just wrote, Dear Father, I love you ever so much. ah He drew on it. Oh, well, for him I like to – So I asked him questions. I was like, what do you like about Dada? And then i would write down his answers. Oh, that's smart. And then so Mike could read that. But does he always answer questions that you ask?
00:29:22
Speaker
What do you mean? do you think he just abstains? Like, I will not. Yeah, sometimes Mike just changes the subject. Like, does he always stay on task with questions? Yeah, I mean, yeah if I ask a question, he'll answer me.
00:29:37
Speaker
i would And then if he changed the subject, I'd be like, Answer it the question. Okay. And he'll do it. Okay. Well. Yes. That's the difference between them. Keep them in line. Yeah. Train my kid.
00:29:49
Speaker
Oh, yeah. If I ask if i ask your quote of kid a question, I want an answer. But sometimes he'll say something that makes no sense with the question. Does
Children's Unique Communication Styles
00:29:56
Speaker
that happen with your kid? um The way he phrases it, like I asked him, said, what do you like about data? And he said something.
00:30:05
Speaker
and then I said, what else? Do you remember his answers? The first one He said, like i like when he does puzzles with me. oh and then And then I said, what else? And he said, i like to let him into the tent.
00:30:20
Speaker
Okay. Which doesn't really make sense. He was talking. You knew what he was talking about. My husband works in a tent. Yeah. here because His office is a tent in our backyard.
00:30:33
Speaker
So I think he was more like naming a thing about dad. Something he when it happens with Dada. But it also sort of sounds like I likes when he is in that tent away from me, leaving us alone is another way to read it. Okay. But I don't think he read it that way.
00:30:49
Speaker
No, you said let lets me into the tent. No, when he lets... The way he said it was because ah he doesn't let him into the tent. Okay. my kid when I let him into the tent.
00:31:03
Speaker
So he's he's acting like he unzips the tent for him and my husband enters the tent. Oh, okay, okay. When him the tent. So that's what mean like the way things are phrased might not be. Like so clear? Yeah. You might not know exactly what he means. Okay, okay, okay. That's still more clarity than I think I would get sometimes. From your kid? I think so.
00:31:23
Speaker
Sometimes he doesn't listen. You have no idea what he's going on about. I mean, sometimes it takes a second. When people are like, yeah, he talks a lot. but But sometimes he's not really saying it. Like, it's like he's just kind of talking. what it it Do you think it's genetic at all? Do you think? You tell me. on it What lens on the cutting room floor of this pod? It is genetic.
00:31:48
Speaker
but um But no, like sometimes it takes. Actually, the other day he's been practicing saying, my name is blank and I'm two and a half. Oh, that's so cute. Over and over. He's been practicing at home. And then the other day, he met a kid on the playground.
00:32:03
Speaker
And the kid asked him what his name was. He said, my name is Blank and I'm two and a half. And then he turned to me, kind of like Jim in the office. And then I gave him like a big thumbs up, you know, like he did it. Right. It was really cute. Which makes him seem like a trained seal. But he was training himself. Like I didn't like, there was no like you have to know how to say this situation, know, like. It's just been a cute thing to practice.
00:32:23
Speaker
Yeah. should teach him. But he doesn't he doesn't always get it. My phone number? Oh, yeah. Well, that's a long number. That's a long number. My older kid got our phone number very fast. Really? Actually, I didn't even know he knew it.
00:32:36
Speaker
And then he just recited Wow. think he was two and a half. He does memorize things. Like when we read books, he has the book memorized. He's always like, this is next. That's next. Like he memorizes. I'll tell you you're saying You can't like skip ahead. For sure. Although he did change something. Like in one of the books when says it's gloomy, it's a descriptive, but he assumed that was the name of the alien.
00:33:00
Speaker
And that's that's kind of cute. ah Like that it's gloomy. His name is gloomy? Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah Cute name. Did you explain him? No. Sadness, despair. No, I was just like, yeah, that's gloomy. You'll never learn what it's like be gloomy. don't care. Yeah. No, but there's more sad descriptors in that book.
00:33:22
Speaker
It's the one the on Mars one. I forget it's called. Oh, that one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a cute book. That's a cute book. What's your favorite books to read? I mean, he does love that book you gave us. It freaks my husband out, though. Which one? In the Night Kitchen.
00:33:36
Speaker
It freaked your husband out? Yeah. I don't know why. He's like, that book scares me. I don't know why. I love it. i I'm the lighting. It's like exactly the feeling of like. night time and being up too late. Yeah, no, that's what it's supposed to be. It's supposed to feel like a fever journey. Yes, it's so beautiful, illustrations. But maybe that's what is his issue is. I think it's, yeah, he doesn't like that. Yeah.
00:33:57
Speaker
I love it. No, I love i love it. It's a perfect two-year-old book. Yeah. It's whimsical and crazy. He even said, he said something from the book last night in the middle of the night. He was like, he was like straight into bed.
00:34:10
Speaker
cake free Yeah, yeah. He was trying to say that like when we went back to the Is like Cockatiddle Doo? And he also says, I'm Mickey sometimes. Oh, yeah. Mickey from In the Night Kitchen. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Mickey Mouse. Although he thought Fievel was Mickey Mouse. He was like, i'm watching Mickey Mouse.
00:34:27
Speaker
When we watched An American Tale. Oh, oh. And I was like, no, this is a different mouse. Yeah. And I don't even know how he knows about Mickey Mouse. I guess maybe from the Disney intros where there's that little whistling Mickey Mouse at the beginning.
00:34:40
Speaker
but Well, you guys have been reading, obviously, The Wizard Oz. Yeah, they're obsessed. They're obsessed with The Wizard of Oz. So I've been in. We've already read it to him many times. I love The Amazing Bone. Oh, I don't know that one.
00:34:55
Speaker
That's a good one. That's William Steig. I mean, anything by him. Amos and Boris. They love that one. i don't know that one. These are all. I'll get these for you. don't know any of these. I do the ones I read. Like, it's like Strega and Ona.
00:35:07
Speaker
These are all books that I've gotten. What? Strygonona? Didn't I get you Strygonona? Maybe you did. Yeah. And the Night Kitchen. Yeah, you got us all the classics. And Millions of Cats. He also loves oh the Places You'll Go. Okay. That's good. Yeah. Does he the Lorax? That one's rough. He loves the Lorax. love the I put a very specific soundtrack when I read the Lorax.
00:35:26
Speaker
I put on – God, now I can't remember the name of the composer, but it's kind of like a modern – Symphony music that goes really well with it. In the background while you read the Lorax. Yeah. Oh, I want to know about it. Send it to me. I got to remember the name of the composer. It's like not coming to me right now. But it's been a while since we read the Lorax.
00:35:44
Speaker
um We read it a lot in Brooklyn. um But yeah, all the places you'll go. For a while, he would you wouldn't say like like things were tall. He'd be like high heights. Okay.
00:35:58
Speaker
And like phrasings from that. That's It was really cute. He used to love Go Dog Go. That was like his original favorite. That's like a one-year-old book. Yeah, he was so into it. Yeah, he's past that now. Big Dog, Little Dog?
00:36:12
Speaker
Big Dog. That's that one. I think i that's a different one. Oh, that's also line from It sounds like he reads books that we've gotten him pretty much. So I need to refresh your library. We need some Tony tony Unger. Is that how you say his name? He also loves, there's a book we have about a a girl and her grandmother in Iran that we got for free in Brooklyn that he loves.
00:36:33
Speaker
And he loves the butterfly boy one, which these are not famous books. They're just, if that one's about a boy and his grandfather, they're looking at butterflies pretty much. And then, and the one I got you, the lion, forget what it's called. The lion and the little red bird. It's really Oh one's Yeah. kids love that book. love that. I love that book. Yeah. I know. It's really like your childhood book, right? No, I discovered it during his childhood. Yeah. really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I just love that just because it was, I think it was from the 80s.
00:37:05
Speaker
It's old. Yeah. We got it at like a free library and I was like, It's a Jewish style of library. Oh, I guess, yeah, kind of Chagall-ish. Yeah. Yeah, it's true. I didn't even think of that. No, no, no. I was just like, this is good fun. Like, oh, yes, Jewish children's book from your childhood. Not no. No, my childhood was all Robert Munch. Okay. It was just like, it was Mermel Mermel and like the Thomas's snowsuit and like, just he's Canadian. So it was just, it was a lot of that. And I loved a book called The Ghosty-Eyed Tree. Like, I love like scary things. And Are You My Mother?
00:37:40
Speaker
that But that he hates that. He does not like that one. It's the same author Go Dog Go, right? I think the illustrations look similar. Yeah, I think it's the same one. But he doesn't like that one.
00:37:51
Speaker
No. Maybe he already knows who his mother He's like, I know who my mother is. Yeah, i don't need I don't have this feeling. We don't need to have this conflict. Because he's not. Well, maybe he will. Maybe soon. Yeah.
00:38:03
Speaker
It's all going to be over. you know, it's sad. um What's the latest on that? Nothing. I mean, I need to find out if he has to be potty trained.
00:38:14
Speaker
We haven't found it out. No, you don't. You don't. Okay. Yeah, I feel like they would have mentioned it if he had to. No, he doesn't.
Potty Training Expectations
00:38:20
Speaker
There's no way that the kids that I know were potty trained at three years old. I mean, he's trying. He's like slowly potty training himself and I'm supporting him, but like we're not rushing it. No, you don't need to.
00:38:31
Speaker
In fact, well, you might turn into one of those parents and No. Who just let the daycare, they let them do it for them. Like there I know lot of kids where like the daycare trains the kid. Oh, whoa. And then the parents are just like, oh, yeah, we just, our daycare did it. We didn't have to do anything. Whoa. Okay. But don't they just learn eventually? Like how much training is involved? He knows how to do every element. He just doesn't choose to do it.
00:39:02
Speaker
you have any stories on the playground?
00:39:07
Speaker
but ben I haven't been to the playground really in the past few days. i mean it
Impact of Smoke on Outdoor Activities
00:39:14
Speaker
was like the fire there's There was a fire in Los Angeles.
00:39:17
Speaker
Yeah. I don't know. Five, six days ago. And it's off and on with the smoke. It's really yucky smoke. Yeah. So it just depends on the day.
00:39:30
Speaker
We can talk about We usually see each other on Saturdays. But because of the smoke, we were. What did we do? don't know. were just over texting, like, why don't you come here? Yeah, we both didn't want to leave the house. And it was like that. don't know if you remember that scene in the OC where it's raining really hard. And Seth and Ryan are, like, standing in the pool house, in the regular house, and they're just like, come here, come here. And they're like, no, no, no. Well, it just smelled so bad outside. I didn't want to go out there. Yeah.
00:40:05
Speaker
And you said your lungs hurt from running around. i was kind of like, well, I'm sacrificing two kids long. Right. No, it's true No, nobody should sacrifice. Yeah. ah but then But also I woke up at nine o'clock that day. So the morning was practically over by the time I woke up. Right. Yeah. You had a nice sleep in. Nice. We never let each other sleep in like that. we don't do that? don't know. I just don't give them a choice. I just go back to bed. Right. Yeah. Yeah, I try. I deposit the younger child. But your children let you sleep at that point? And then I just go back to bed. Well, they play in in the morning. That's when they're in the best mood.
00:40:38
Speaker
They'll play very well together first thing in the morning. No, Mikey came in and just, we both didn't want to get out of bed. And he just turned on the big light. And we were both like, ah. Oh, no. Yeah.
00:40:51
Speaker
He's like, get up, guys. He says that a lot. let's Get up, guys. Come on, guys. Let's get up. like it's the pair He's He needs both of you. total role reversal. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He let you sleep in. No, there's been maybe one or two times. Ever. But he'll still try it. Like I've still been awake and gone back to sleep. Like there's never been like a sustained sleep in like.
00:41:13
Speaker
um But it's still good. It's it's so ah hard. Mornings solo are really hard. I did that a lot with him because my husband would leave before we woke up. Yeah. For like at least two years. And that's just so it's so hard because you have to do stuff to wake yourself up. But they also need stuff right away. And it's just like that's rough.
00:41:32
Speaker
So I'm really happy. I don't have to do that anymore. Right now he's around in the morning. Yeah. It's a huge difference. It's like create. This is why you moved back. Okay. This is why. This is why. Yep.
00:41:44
Speaker
But then he's back really late. He gets home at eight. So it's like, there's a trade. i mean, you pay for it later. Yeah. Yeah. But at least then and it's about just maintaining momentum as opposed to like getting started.
00:41:56
Speaker
Yeah. It's hard. I mean, like, cause I need the coffee in my system before I can actually like. Is the coffee made when you, or you guys get at the same time? Yeah. I hate being awake before the coffee's made. It's so hard. No, usually i have to go and do that while he watches the kit. Like it's like, or like keeps him away from, and we never have it together to like clean the coffee maker the night before and set because we could put it on a timer yeah to do the whole thing. Like it's never done. yeah It's so bad.
00:42:29
Speaker
We do have a timer. Like that's, you you could be, it was part of the perk, but we're just not thinking ahead people, you know? Maybe you should stop watching so much Dawson's Creek.
00:42:40
Speaker
I can't. Pacey and Joey just got together. that I do love that. Okay. We'll cut this for you.