Couple Things with Shawn and Andrew - you asked, we gave our advice

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Four years ago, we recorded an episode built entirely around questions from our community- real questions from you, and our unfiltered advice in response! It ended up being one of our most-loved episodes, and listening back, it still feels just as relevant today. We’re bringing it back because the core of it hasn’t changed: people are still figuring things out, still asking the same kinds of questions, and still looking for honest, thoughtful advice. There’s something special about revisiting where we were, what we said, and seeing how it all holds up now. Whether you were there the first time or you’re hearing it for the first time now, we hope you enjoy this throwback episode and maybe even find a few answers you didn’t know you needed. Love you guys! If you haven’t tried the SKIMS Everyday Cotton collection yet, it’s definitely worth checking out. Check out www.https://covesmart.com/EASTFAM or use code EASTFAM at checkout for up to 60% off your first order! Caraway’s cookware set is a favorite for a reason, it can save you up to $190 versus buying the items individually. Plus, if you visit www.https://Carawayhome.com/EASTFAM you can take an additional 10% off your next purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up, everybody? Welcome back to a couple things. With Sean and Andrew. Today we are doing something a little bit different. If you guys are going through the same thing, we are, it's spring break time, it's absolute chaos with the kids. Somehow our kids have different spring breaks. Did know that was a thing. But we are actually bringing back a podcast that we did from four years ago. Yeah.

You guys probably don't even remember it because it's been so long. It's one of our favorites. I think it was one of your favorites as well. So this is Relationship Advice for Instagram. Thank you to all of you who participated. We hope you enjoy this one. Without further ado, today's episode. Here's the answer that I think we both agree with.

Okay. When your parents, two kids, you are teammates. You have to be able to ask your teammate for help. Yes. And you can't ever feel guilty about it. Yes. Period. I agree.

Don't try to figure out the strategy of the war while you're in the battle. You like that? You like that. Come on. I just came up with that, man. You're just such a geek. You're a genius, babe. What's up, everybody? Welcome back to couple.

things with Sean and Andrew. A podcast all about couples. And the things they go through. Today, for some reason, you have asked us to give you advice. That's right. I think it's going to be a fun one. I hope so. I feel like our number one role is we don't preach and we don't teach.

So we're just going to give you our experience, whether it worked or not, maybe it will help you. Yeah, we're going to be giving some fun stories. But I will say this. Sean does more research than any other mom that I've ever met. So you do have some really key insight. I'm excited for you to share. So what happened is we asked you on Instagram what you wanted us to talk about as far as

advice. So how do you fly on a plane with babies or what's your sleep routine? We're going to go through about a dozen, maybe like 15 different topics and give you what we've learned through them. Before we get started, we do want to remind you that we are not counselors or therapists or really anyone who is trained in any professional field. So take this as our experience and not a prescription. That's right.

But for those of you have asked, here is our advice. Oh boy. Let's jump into it. First on the table, babe, is someone asked our advice on flying in an airplane with babies. Okay. This is funny because one of my best friends, Lauren Morford, that I grew up with, went to kindergarten with, asked me this. exact question because she's doing her first flight with her baby of four months. And there's just

a lot here. There's a lot to talk about. I'll try to summarize quickly. I'm excited. What to pack. You don't really have to pack anything out of the ordinary for a plane that you wouldn't just pack to like go to the zoo. Like you should pack milk if you're not breastfeeding or snacks. You're talking about pack a diaper bag for the plane. Yeah, pack a diaper bag for the plane. That includes the following. A couple toys or distractions, snacks, which you can also buy in the airport, and milk, or, I mean, that kind of goes along with the snacks, milk, formula, whatever it is you need. Maybe take a pump if you need, if you're breastfeeding or pumping, anything like that. I would say, feed a bottle of some kind, whether it's like a sippy cup or a bottle of breast milk or formula during

takeoff and landing, because it helps kind of adjust their ears. And, One thought that I had is planes in my mind are the best time to break out the iPad. I feel like if your kid is at the age where they appreciate that, hook them up with the iPad, they don't even need headphones or anything. It's just give them a scream to look at. My main concern is like getting them through it somewhat distracted and in a way that doesn't make your experience miserable because you have a screaming kid, you know. I also think to a certain extent try if you can to plan your flights kind of, around the kid's schedules. So don't try to fly a red eye with your kid because they're not

going to sleep. It just doesn't work that way. Don't like plan it like, oh, the plane's going to become their bed. It doesn't work. Kids don't like to sleep on planes. Plan it during the day so that when you get home, you can put them down for a nap or for bedtime and just expect that instead of resting on the plane, you're just going to be like interactive with your kids playing and distracting them the whole time. Yeah, I will say one thing. I think you skipped there was a bottle warm back when you were like pumping it was really helpful for Sean to have some type of way to warm bottles if you don't have that then you can ask the flight attendant for hot water they make coffee on planes or like the restaurants in the airport have that too I will say I ended up

like investing in this like portable water warmer and it actually was just easier to ask the stewardesses for like hot water that I would put in a cup and set the bottle inside so yeah or on the opposite side, if you pump, if you need to keep something cold, ask people for ice. Like, just ask for help. And then naps, the way we handled naps with Drew on the plane, she was definitely off her normal schedule, but we just had her, I mean, that's when she had a meltdown was when she was tired and couldn't fall asleep because it was outside her normal environment. But she ended up falling asleep, straddling Sean, or like we just held her like in a cradle position. And she seemed to do okay. Yeah. I, again, I think.

think just understanding that like it's not your house and it's not a crib so it's going to be different also pack lots of wipes because drew had this thing where she wanted to just eat the seats so like it's helpful to sanitize things yeah do that to list a couple more things okay so if you are traveling with an infant um we don't have to go into explanation but mamava m-a-ma-va is an app you can download it will show you anywhere in the country where there is like a nursing, pumping, or mom station which really helps. Like I use that to find a place at a baseball stadium,

like close to a gas station in an airport, all these things. And then milk stork is something that I used a lot. It's kind of pricey, but it actually is really awesome to use. It's a way to kind of ship and travel with a ton of breast milk if you're pumping or trying to travel with that. Can you talk about breast milk through TSA?

Breast milk through TSA. So we'll try to link down below the like sheet that I have. But there are TSA laws that protect breast milk and mamas. You are allowed to travel with breast milk through TSA at like up to a hundred and some ounces. So not just like your four ounce bottles of liquids like shampoo and conditioner. You can travel with up to like 100. your breast milk does not have to be x-rayed and does not have to be open and opened and tested.

So, yes, I posted something on social media a while ago about my TSA experience. I kind of got in an argument with a TSA agent because they wanted to open every single container and actually physically test the liquid. That is not a law. So you don't have to. So you just have to kind of voice that. They just have to do extra screening on you and all the bags that you're carrying.

And then the last thing I wanted to talk about was strollers, which we've tried all the strollers out there. The two that we prefer are the upa baby. That's pricey, obviously, but I like that one. It's larger and bulkier. But for an airport, it's helpful because it has a little undercarriage where you can throw bags. And it just, there's so much clutter when you're going through an airport or on a plane with kids that it's nice to have one spot to keep things. Then the other is the Duna. Is that right? The Duna. Where it's like a car seat and stroller in one that just kind of folds up really nicely. That's, that's nice to be portable.

And we've taken jet on the airplane in the Duna, which works out well. So that's kind of my high level thoughts. If you have deeper questions, just DM to us and we're happy to answer. A lot more that we could go to. There are a lot that goes into it. But if I had to summarize it, it sounds overwhelming initially. You'll get there. You'll do it once.

It'll be a little stressful. But then you'll realize, you know what, this is totally doable. And my life doesn't need to be plainless for the rest of my child rearing. plane less. Because it is overwhelming. It is overwhelming. However, for anybody who's gone on a long road trip, that's overwhelming. It's no different. It's just ripped the bandit off. It's a plane. And it's just something new. And if your kid has a meltdown on the plane and someone has an opinion or gives you a face, I will say, I used to get somewhat annoyed by crying kids on planes. Now I just have empathy for the parents. I just want to go over and be like, do you want me to take them?

I know that you're stressed and nobody's. wants this. Okay. Anyway. Next one. I'm going to do the next one on my own because Andrew and I got an argument last time we tried to film this podcast because of this one. And we had the same answer.

I don't know why we kept using the wrong words. How to ask your husband or spouse for a break with the kids. I'm a stay-at-home mom and he works all day long so I feel guilty asking him to help. Here's the answer that I think we both agree with. Okay. When your parents, two kids, you are teammates. you have to be able to ask your teammate for help. Yes.

And you can't ever feel guilty about it. Yes. Period. I agree. I agree. Next one. Relationship advice for when a partner is suffering with anxiety or depression. Okay.

So I was super anxious when I was trying out for the NFL just like from, it was like performance anxiety. Anytime I had practice, I would be locked up. You remember that? I do. And Sean was so encouraging. She was patient. She wasn't trying to jam anything down my throat or tell me, hey, it's okay.

You got this. She was just there for me and actually didn't need to say really anything. Maybe my love language is touch. But like it felt like you just holding my hand and being with me was your way of showing support. So like even though you are solution oriented and you did want to like, hey, let me throw this psychologist at you or this solution at you. like, you were just there and you let me do it. And it didn't. Because I feel like there's a world that exists where the other person's so anxious about

trying to help the other person with anxiety that it just kind of snowballs the effect. So just try to be a calming presence is what works for me. You did a great job at that. And I'm appreciative of it. One thing we've realized over time is how much peace of mind matters when you're away from home. Whether it's traveling, running errands, or just getting home late, it's nice to know you can check in on things. anytime. Yes, and that's been a big reason we've added Cove to our home. I remember one time we

were out and got a notification from the system and instead of wondering what was going on, I just opened up the app and could see exactly what was happening. It ended up being nothing serious, but just having the visibility made such a big difference. And being able to check the cameras and know what's going on takes away a lot of the unnecessary stress. And the system itself is really simple. We set everything up ourselves in about 30 minutes. No complicated install, no drilling and it was ready to go. My favorite feature is the cameras. They stream live video and audio right to the control panel and our phone so you can actually see and hear what's happening in real time. Another thing we appreciate is that it's affordable. Cove is designed to protect

families for less than a dollar a day, which makes it feel a lot more realistic than some of the other complicated systems out there. If you're thinking about getting a home security system, I'd say take a look for something that's simple, reliable, and actually fits your life. and Cove has really been all that for us. Make protecting your home a top priority. Check out covesmart.com slash EISFAM or use code EISFAM at checkout for up to 60% off your first order.

And if you get a survey, please let them know you heard about Cove from this podcast. I think anxiety and depression or anything when it comes to mental illness in that category can always feel very isolating. They can always feel like,

oh, they just don't understand or they're just, not going to get it. And I think as a spouse, the best relationship advice I was given is just love them and be there for them. Don't be like, don't think to yourself, oh, it will pass. It'll be fine. No, like, like Andrew said, be there with them. And you don't have to try to fix it, but just make sure your spouse knows no matter what it is they're going through, it will be like, it'll be okay and we'll be together. Yeah. That being said, usually it is a phase, right? Yeah. And now I look back on that phase of our life with fond memories.

Like even though in the middle of it, it was torture and I wanted out of that situation so bad, I'm like, wow, what a special time of bonding for Sean and I to get to know each other in a different way. So if that was you that asked that question, you got this. Next up, the question is, or the statement is, the first year as first time parents, They're struggling to not fight all the time. The first few months is a grind. I talk about this all the time. There's just so many new logistics introduced.

There's so many new stress points where you have this baby who like needs care and each parent is coming at it from different cultural backgrounds and different, you know, role like parental roles. And also you have the fact that every day you wake up probably earlier than you were expecting to like at 3 a.m. And you're not waking up to like a calm alarm clock. It's a crying baby that wakes you up. And for us, we have sound machines and you're trying to have this, this conversation.

You can't hear each other. There's a, and it's probably a poopy diaper. It's their first action that you have to change. There's just a lot of like variables that are new and you haven't done before. So fighting, there will be some conflict. But as long as you're going through the conflict with. the mindset of, hey, you know what, we're two parents who have really different unspoken expectations and the goal of this conflict is to try to get us closer to being on the same page.

You're going to be fine, right? And there is hope. I think I would, like, I think of it like this. So when you get married, when you get engaged and married, you spend quite a bit of time figuring each other out. Like it takes years to be like, okay, I'm the clean one, you're the dirty one. This is how we're going to compromise. This is how we're going to like do life together. You start learning that through the dating phase and everything. But then when you have a kid, instead of having the luxury of figuring a kid out over the course of years, you have to figure a baby out in the course of days. Like you have to figure out, is that a hungry cry? Is that whatever it is? And I think because you both love that kid so much. It just makes tension really, really high. So I would say reiterate your affection to your

spouse in the early phase. And kind of don't say anything else. And know that it's a phase. And it will, it's just a season. It'll go, it'll come and go. But it's also like the greatest season ever. So honestly, I feel like you and I are just exiting that season where Jets now nine months and we tell each other all the time through that new baby phase, like, hey, we're a team. You know, and it's good to remind each other of that because there's so many variables that are happening. But a couple things that come to mind are remind each other that you know how this fight ends, and that's with you two still married. Remind each other that you love each other, that you are still each other's number one,

that you're on the same team. I think because it's such a new world and so foreign to both of you, it's terrifying and you have to know that like you're in it together. Yeah. And also try not to think of the strategy of the war while you're in a battle. Does that make sense? You love your analogies. I do.

Here's why. Don't, if there's a crying baby, don't try to be like figuring out the big picture solution that you want to move forward. with it's like get through that immediate situation and then you can be like hey can we talk tonight about what we want to do with how long we're going to let the baby cry you know what I'm saying yeah and that's just a way more effective way to actually move forward with figuring out a solution than trying to do it while the baby's crying so don't try to figure out the strategy of the war while you're in the battle you like that you like that you like that come on I just came up with

that you're just such a geek you're a genius babe okay next one The next one, oh boy. How to know if your best guy friend likes you. This question is so frustrating to me. The guy, I think, you got to shoot your shot. It's like if a guy likes someone or if you like someone, I feel like it should be made known. Yeah.

What are your thoughts? I don't know. I don't know. I don't think that there are platonic relationships where a, a boy can just be a friend with a girl. I just don't, in my experience, that hasn't been. Controversial. I know.

I know. Hot take, but more than likely, probably does like you. I have the conversation, be like, hey, I've wanted to touch base. I know that's, that's, like, dicey because you could damage the relationship. But, like, am I reading this situation wrong? I think it's probably all very gray lines because it's like, you obviously like each other enough to be friends for some reason. Right?

Yeah. So then what's stopping you from admiring the person more? Exactly my point. I'm saying. Exactly my point. I am a big fan of candid and crucial conversation. Do you think there's a world in which friendships can exist where it's kind of been like addressed? And it's like, yeah, but this isn't going to ever be a thing.

So can we be friends? I don't know I don't know I don't know You don't know Do you have any girl Friends Girls who are friends

Well we work with almost exclusively girls So what do you say Am I cool with them? Are they yes But like am I going to call Lexi up and be like Hey you want to go on a walk just you and I To the park? No

Does that make sense Yeah but like your friends. Would you be down for that? No. Lixie's like, no. That's what I'm saying.

It's like there's, it's just not. But you would consider Lexi a friend. Yeah. So that's what I'm saying. I think it can exist. It's just. There's levels.

I think to a certain extent, hear me out on this style. Here we go, Sean. Edit all this out. We need. I think every relationship that happens, like friendship or more,

immediately starts out with like could this person be a spouse or like whatever this is getting wild I love it I love it like she's mortified I think it's like subconscious though because it's like you just like decide immediately

and all of a sudden it's like we're friends or bros that's funny I think there's probably a large group of people that would agree with you I think there's a filter there All right. Well, Lexi's mortified.

If that was you to ask the question. Lexi, did you filter my husband? Moving on. Next question is next topic, I should say. How to encourage your family and kids to eat healthy. My gosh, this is topical. Should I take this one? Hit it.

Okay. I have a lot of, this could be an entire podcast. How to encourage your family and kids eat healthy. It's very simple. by example. You don't preach it. You don't over-emphasize it. You don't make it consequential.

Sure. You don't make it like a do this and not that. You don't associate status, like nothing. Just do it by example. All right, quick question. What's the one thing you reach for most in your closet, Sean? Honestly, comfortable basics. And lately, that's in my skim's everyday cotton pieces.

I feel like you've been wearing those constantly. I really have. I picked up the everyday cotton t-shirt bra and the everyday cotton thong, my favorite. And they've quickly become those pieces. You just grab without thinking. I literally threw everything else away. I don't think you've ever said that word on this podcast either. What thong?

Yeah. What makes them different from the other basics you've had, though? The fabric. It's super soft and breathable, but still structured enough that it feels put together. It's one of those things where you put it on. and immediately understand why people love it. And you've been wearing them for everything, not just lounging. Exactly.

Around the house, running errands, traveling. They are just easy. And the fit is really flattering without feeling restrictive, which I appreciate. I feel like that's kind of the whole skim's thing. Really well-designed basics that you actually want to wear every day. Again, I threw out every other pair of underwear that I own because these are the best. And once you find pieces that feel good and fit well, you end up building your whole routine around them. If you haven't tried the Skims' Everyday Cotton Collection yet, it's definitely worth checking out.

That's it. You're really big on not making it guilty or shameful. Never. It should never be, we can't eat candy because it's bad for you. No, it's like, yeah, we can eat candy. But I'm going to lead by influence to our kids that shouldn't be your entire. regimen of food. A couple things that I've noticed

Sean has done is, because I came from a family, I ate like bowls of cereal growing up, pretty much. That was like my breakfast and lunch. And then we would do candy dinners where like the Boston baked beans were the beans and then we would do the twizzler strings of spaghetti. Not all the time, but I'm saying.

Wow. Did you know this? I did not know that. It was epic, dude. Candy dinners, hot take, are a fun activity for kids. But what Sean has done, that I've gleaned and has just slowly morse me into someone who eats healthier is like it's just a lifestyle like to her point of just leading by example she goes to the grocery store and she'll buy healthier products and initially it's like why are we eating the healthy granola instead of my cereal it's like a hurdle that you jump and you get used to the tastes and then you start

appreciating it and your standards change but just like it's more like a lifestyle than hey i'm trying to force this every single meal so like just go to the grocery buy healthier food we use thrive market talk about it all the time uh also just local grocery stores you can find great options and then also realize the balance and shan does a great job at this is like paramount to we we have this diet that we're trying to adhere to and we're going to do everything we can and uh stress out about this to this to this to this to this the extent that we can keep this diet perfect. It's like, that's not what it's about.

It's, hey, let's just make a little bit of progress today. Let's do that. I also think I have two more thoughts. One, moderation is very, very healthy. So moderation is very healthy. You can have a chocolate chip cookie. You can have four chocolate chip cookies. You can go to McDonald's and have a McFlurry or go to McDonald's for breakfast.

But should you do that every single day? Probably not. like I think leading by example and teaching your children and your family that we eat healthy and we can still have fun and we can still have birthday cake and we can still do all these things. It's just we shouldn't live off of it. The second thing is this is more to parents. This is 100% to parents than anything. You cannot teach your child something that you don't do. You can't.

You absolutely can't. Your child will not understand that. and your child will grow up to have to figure that out themselves. If you want your child to exercise and to eat healthy or to not, we want to go down that road, to not smoke, to not drink excessively, to whatever it is, you can't just teach them, oh, mommy does it, but you can't.

That's not okay. It doesn't work that way. Kids learn by leading. And so you have to, you have to show them. With anything indulging, like with treats or, entertainment, even movies. Sean and I try to make it as intentional as possible. So like my grandpa used to say a treat's not a treat if you have it every day.

And so like, yeah, to her point about eating milkshakes, we do that. But it's like a fun event. It's like a special thing where we'll be intentional about it. Be like, hey, every Sunday we're going to have pizza night. And then we save pizza for that night because it's like something to build excitement. And it makes it more special. how to make and cultivate friendships as an adult we just interviewed jenny allen who wrote a book all about this

and she said you have to be intentional you have to make time for it and like write it into your schedule which sounds crazy but make it like once a month you and your husband or your spouse is going to like go do something fun and try to meet someone new Caroline, I'm curious to get your, Caroline just moved to Nashville, and she's been a great example of how to make friends. But she's an adult,

and I feel like one thing that she's done is just done stuff, where she'll go to happy hour with her neighbors, or she'll walk dogs or ride bikes. It's like, I'm a big fan of just diving in and doing activities, and you'll meet people. If you're doing, if you love mountain biking and you join a mountain bike group, you're probably going to meet some people that you vibe with. because you have shared interests.

So start there. That's where our church is so great too. Yeah. Shared interests. This next one's interesting. Also, one less thing. I still do this as a 30-year-old man. I'll just say to people, hey, I want to be friends.

Yeah. Do you want to be friends? You do. And people think it's funny, but I'm being serious and it's like a good icebreaker. So there you go. Next category. Interesting. How to be a less judgmental.

parent. Wow. Go for it. We should work on being judgmental at all. And you should never judge your kids. So your kids are their own humans. They are not you. They are not manifestations of what you want them to be. They are not little humans that are going to follow a playbook that you write out for them. They're not. They're their own people. And to be less judgmental, you need to celebrate who they are and let them just be their own person. I think the way I've heard it described is parenting is like this treasure. What do you call it? It's like a treasure hunt where you're trying to figure out who your kid is. And obviously there's going to be like Sean and I love sports.

And so the things that we get excited about are sports. And so our kids see that and probably want to do more sports because, but we try to be aware of that. And it's like as far as interest goes, whatever, we're going to try to lay the foundation to set this kid up. for success and like a healthy life and fulfilling friendships and purpose. But at the end of the day, it's kind of fun to see how it all pans out. So, you know, sit back and enjoy the ride. Obviously, obviously you have a role in that, but. For sure.

Like, but your role is not to judge. You and I kind of, like, I'm more of a hardline parent a little bit where I'm like, I'm not going to let you do X, Y, Z, you know, but not judging. You got to draw the lines. Babop-a-b-di-pap-bo-b-de-pap, you know? I think we're on the same exact page there. I agree. All right.

I think we're not going to teach our kid. It's okay to hurt people. Yeah. Or X, Y, and Z. But I don't think we get to judge their interest, their hobbies, and their passions. I appreciate this question. And obviously, I think you and I need to, like, sit down and figure out how we're going to navigate that one. I think we're on the same exact page.

Okay. Okay. Next one. how to mentally prep myself and my two-year-old for baby number two. Oh, you got this. Dude, zero to one was way harder. Yeah. In our experience.

Our pediatrician is actually the one who kind of prepped us for it. He said, talk to your two-year-old a lot and talk to your two-year-old as if it's their baby. So it's not mommy and daddy are having another baby. And it's not mommy and daddy are going to bring another baby home for us or whatever. Make it your kids. Make it your two-year-olds. It's your baby brother. It's your baby sister.

It's your baby, you know, it's make it like an exciting moment for them more than anything else. We also brought a present home for Drew from the hospital. Is that right? From the baby. From Jet. And then anybody that came to meet the baby at the house, obviously there's going to be like family and friends and everyone's so excited to meet the baby. And the two-year-old can feel left out.

We always included Drew by having her be the gatekeeper, where it's like, hey, Drew, can Uncle Sam meet baby Jet? And then that way she feels special and, like, takes ownership. And it's always like, like if a friend would come over and say, can I see Jet, it'd be like, oh, you have to ask Drew. Yeah, that's Drew's baby. And so they'd be like, Drew, can I meet Jet? And Drew would kind of take him over.

And, yeah, truly let the two-year-old be almost in possession, which sounds weird. Yeah, it's fun. All right, next question. How to create vision for your family. We've been blessed to have mentors who have helped us with this. We did a whole episode on goal setting, which you can listen to, it's like 45 minutes or an hour of what Sean and I do on an annual basis. I think this is so important. And this is, at least for how Sean and I operate, one of the more exciting things that we do.

And for us to have this shared vision for what we're building. Like, we work together, we parent together. we're best friends we're married we're like work out together we do literally all of life together we do all of life together and so for us to like sit down and set a vision it's not only important because it gets us on the same page of where we're going but it's also fun it's like wow we can dream together and that process for us has been like so special and unlocks just all these conversations about oh you know i'm not i don't feel that way and it's because this hurt me this past year whatever it's just like it's vulnerable.

Dreaming is vulnerable. So you can listen to that, but we break it down into like sections and we dream and cast visions about each of that. But yeah. I was going to say something we talked about in our goal setting and vision setting podcast, which you guys should listen to,

is you so easily can get wrapped up in life, just kind of moving day by day, year by year, down a path that you never planned for. And I think something Andrew and I have tried to do as a family is have check-ins, quarterly, annually, whatever it is to make sure that every decision we're making on a daily basis leads us in the direction we want to go. And I'm not even saying you're going to go down a path that you don't like. It just might not be what you dreamt of. And it's so easy to say yes to this and no to that and it not align with the vision you want. And I think if you have those reminders and those check-ins and you stay very vocal about it to your spouse, you can keep your family going down the path that you want.

There's a book called Visioneering that I would recommend reading. He says that everyone gets somewhere in life. Some people get there on purpose. Like that concept just really shook me where I was like, man, missing out. If we're not doing this on purpose or intentionally, then what are we doing? read that book, listen to the podcast episode, and dream. It's fun. Next topic.

How do you know you're actually ready to have kids and how to ask your partner who isn't ready? So you both have to be ready to start. I'm a firm believer in that and to start trying or to have a kid. And honestly, that is what it means to be a team is you have to work together to make sure you're on the same track. Andrew and I struggled with that with like our miscarriage because we would come kind of go back and forth on who was ready at certain times and who wasn't we would kind of

flip back and forth and you just kind of have to wait for that time when you both are and that's just through communication yeah and it's not it's not like hey I'm ready to have kids we're doing it it's being up for entering into the adventure and so just make sure you're both on that same page because you don't know like when you start trying it could take we've had friends that it took five years. It took us three. And it's a wild adventure. It's like you're entering this game where you have no control and it's continually humbling from the beginning to the end where pregnancy is crazy. There's so many things that can happen. And parenting is the same way. So it's like, hey, we're at a spot where we're strong enough together as a couple to take on these new variables.

But you got this. There's a lot of ways to live a fun and fulfilling life. And having kids is certainly one of So if you're entering that journey, good luck. Okay. We're going to rapid fire the last four because they're heavy hitters and we could talk about them for hours. You ready for this? Yes. How to feel like you still have purpose as a mother? I would say this.

You can lose your identity and you can lose your identity for a while as a mom. You have to be intentional. You have to ask for help and you have to do stuff for yourself. As a mom, you do everything you can to sacrifice your life for your kids and your friends. family but you have to remember that in order to be the best mother you could be you also have to um protect who you are and give yourself some time how how to how to tell if your spouse sorry how to tell your spouse if you have a complaint about their parents well okay i think truth sorry full of grace with a dose of truth it's kind of a good way to approach it don't don't make it feel like you're

the parents that never goes well try to handle the issue together and not individually and then one thing that our marriage counselor said to us was you know things can get complicated and if you're if your parents don't like your spouse or there's conflict you're always taking your spouse's side that's the right way to do it you're not like yes banning your parents of like if my parents come to mean like, hey, Sean's so annoying and I can't believe she does this. Excuse me. It's so wrong with me to be like, yeah, I know. She is.

It's like, because that just festeres the problem. It grows the problem. You're taking the side of when they come to you and say, Sean's so annoying. It's like, no, I love her. She's my wife. And we are growing together. So do it together as a team. Next up.

One thing I've really tried to focus on lately is making our kitchen feel simpler and more enjoyable to cook in. when everything is organized and the tools you're using actually work well, cooking just feels easier. I actually bumped into someone who bought Caraway because of this podcast, and they said they love it and they've never had cookware that's this nice. Wow. I also love Carraway. I feel like that's been a big reason that we've loved using Carraway is that their

cookware is designed with a third-party tested non-toxic ceramic coating that's made without forever chemicals, which just makes you feel better about what you're cooking with every day. I've also noticed how much easier it is to cook and clean with these pans. The ceramic surface is naturally slick, so things like eggs or pancakes just slide right off without needing a ton of oil or butter. And I feel like cleanup is way faster, too. Instead of scrubbing the pan for 10 minutes after dinner, it basically wipes clean. Another thing I love is how organized everything is. When you buy a set, Carraway includes storage organizers for the pans and lids, which actually helped declutter our cabinets.

And it just makes the kitchen feel more put together. Plus, they have really cool add-ons, too, like their butcher blocks made with walnut and maplewood. Which we have. Yes, very nice. And their tempered glass lid so you can see what you're cooking. It's easy to see why over 100,000 people have rated their Carraway Kitchen five stars. Carraway's cookware set is a favorite for a reason. It can save you up to $190 versus buying the items individually.

Plus, if you visit Carawayhome.com slash E'sFam, you can take an additional 10% off your next purchase. This deal is exclusive for our listeners. So visit carawayhome.com forward slash e-sfam or use code e-sfam at checkout. Caraway, non-toxic kitchenware made modern. How to maintain body positivity as a mom and someone in their 30s or 40s? I don't look like I did in my 20s. Bodies change over time as they should. And being a mom changes your body.

I think you have to understand and accept the changes that come with the miracle of life. And think about yourself this way. If you had a daughter, what would you teach her to think about her body? I think that's what I have to remind myself the most of is to give yourself grace. And I would want my, I would want Drew to love herself no matter what. So again, you can't teach what you don't act on. So I have to act on that. I got thoughts on aging.

It's like, what? Why is everyone trying to stay looking young? I think it's fun to like get old and wrinkly together. That's part of it, dude. What are we doing? It's going to happen. And then we're going to be dead. That's kind of what happens.

It's like you get, you look good for a little bit. Then you get old and wrinkly and then you die. Okay. Bada bang. Last one. On that note, Andrew, how to live life to the fullest. What do you do to make the most of every single day? Oh, dude, I love this question too.

Give me your best one line. one line. This is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and me glad in it. Every day is a blessing. That's how I start each and every day.

Are you done? I'm done. I start every day like that. That was my mic drop. I read every morning, it gets me pumped. And it's just like when you wake up grateful and excited.

And I know some people don't like their job or they're in stressful situations and like families, whatever, it can be stressful. But there's always going to be something good going on. So look at that. And let that control your thoughts. Like so cheesy, but control what you can control. And the one thing you can always control is your attitude. Right. So just recognize the good. That doesn't mean there's not going to be conflict, but you have something to

be grateful for. I'm just a big believer that everyone listening literally is put here to change the world. They have a story or an experience that no one else has and they could share that to reach others and impact people. So like, are you doing that? Are you doing that? That's my question. Just get pumped up about it. Like, it's, it's crazy. I love your passion. Can I keep talking? You're going to shut it down. You're shutting me down. I'm going to do a whole redirected podcast episode on this because you shut. Purpose is important. Anyway, we'll leave it there. Thank you for those questions, Instagram. Hope that was somewhat helpful.

Yes. Probably the airplane was the most tangible advice. Yeah, we got lists on list. Check the description down below. If you have me yet, please subscribe. Thank you for listening. I am Sean. And I'm Andrew.

And we are the East Fam. Out.