The Girl Next Door Podcast

We're big fans of personal policies and the boundaries they bring with them. We share the personal policies in our lives for things we always and never do plus the policies we're trying to adopt. Mentioned on the show: YouTube cleaning videos The Lazy Genius Invisibobble hair ties   Connect with us on Instagram at @higirlsnextdoor and on Facebook . Sign up for our newsletter and see show note...

A little bonus for you today! Kelsey shared the first episode of her new podcast, the RISING*SHINING audioblog. This month-long project brings the honest reflections and encouragement of Kelsey's blog posts to your ears. To hear new RISING*SHINING episodes, search for "rising shining" in your podcast player and subscribe. Read the written version of this episode: Introducing: the RISING*SHINING au...

We bring our best and sometimes most annoying selves to our marriages. In honor of our upcoming wedding anniversaries in April, we share the best and worst spouse qualities for ourselves and the husbands next door. Mentioned on the show: Bluetooth headband Nothing Much Happens podcast Bombas low-cut no show socks     Connect with us on Instagram at @higirlsnextdoor and on Facebook . Sign...

We invite you into our homes as we talk about organization...and disorganization. We each share the systems that are working for us and the ones that are hot messes. Plus we're opening our junkiest junk drawers for all to see. Mentioned on the show: Organization That Works episode The Babysitters Club Ted Lasso See Buy Nothing   Connect with us on Instagram at @higirlsnextdoor and on Facebook...

Hooray! We rescued our 2020 Wrap Up episode from technical difficulty and are finally able to bring it to you. We reflect on the year that was 2020 as we share what was surprisingly hard, what made life better, and what we're most proud of. Plus we share our favorite books, media, and purchases from the year. Mentioned on the show: Maybe You Should Talk To Someone The Lazy Genius Way Troubled Bloo...

Bring your appetite – we're talking all about plant-based eating! As a newbie vegetarian (Erica) and seasoned pro (Kelsey), we share our reasons for being plant-based, what we eat, how we feed our families, and our favorite resources for recipes. Mentioned on the show: Lentil tortilla soup Field Roast Pinch of Yum Shutterbean Moosewood cookbooks Meatless Dinner Illustrated The Shu Box blog Tabitha...

We're pulling back the shower curtain to talk all about our bathing habits. We come clean about how we deal with hair in the drain, how often we wash our kids, and who is showering with their spouse. Plus the correct order of shower operations and honest thoughts on loofahs.   Mentioned on the show: Episode: Our Hair & Unleashing the Mane Episode: Mom 2.0 & Dry Shampoo Dry shampoos: A...

Read anything good lately? We dish about our reading habits lately, what books we've finished, and what's in our queue. Plus we share how we're navigating our in-person book club through a pandemic and chat about the books our kids are enjoying. Mentioned on the show: Erica and Kelsey on Goodreads What Kind of Woman One Line a Day five-year journal The Vanishing Half The Midnight Library Our book...

It's a new year and we look ahead with our intentions and goals. Our conversation includes how we made time and mental space for new year planning, how we want to bring our intentions into our days, and messages of encouragement for our future selves. Mentioned on the show: 10 Questions For the End of the Year (Laura Tremaine) Naming What Matters in 2021 (The Lazy Genius) @thebeyoutybureau Parenti...

Hi friends! We recorded a 2020 wrap-up episode but had technical difficulties with it and are still trying to recover the episode. Hopefully we can bring it to you soon! But in the meantime Kelsey recorded a quick mini-episode for you. She shares how she's making time and space to close out 2020, a couple of rituals she's putting in place now to welcome a new year, plus a few great podcast episode...

Gosh we miss seeing our friends! In this episode we talk about what friendship during a pandemic has looked like for us. Plus we talk about holiday traditions we have with friends and what those will look like this year. Mentioned on the show: Friendship Landscapes (our previous episode on friendship) Holiday Home Makeover with Mr. Christmas Tommy John lounge joggers Nursing nightgown Tommy John l...

Budgets might not sound very festive but having a realistic holiday budget can bring merriment. We chat about how we manage holiday budgets with our spouses. Plus we share ideas for affordable gifts and ways to give back to your community if you're in a position to do so. Happy holiday budgeting everyone! Mentioned on the show: Nikki McClure calendars Dressing recipe Jingle Jangle movie   Con...

Today we're sharing our holiday intentions as we look toward the end of this crazy year. We share how we're really doing lately and how that's impacting how we approach the holidays. Then we each share our one word intention for the holidays plus how we'll make time for ourselves and the holiday things we're most looking forward to.   Mentioned on the show: Honest Advent Nespresso Advent Cale...

Combining our loves of cooking and books, today we're chatting about cookbooks. We talk about why we prefer cookbooks to online recipes and each share our tried and true favorite cookbooks. Plus we discuss cookbook storage, the cookbooks we love to gift, and the ones on our wish lists.   Mentioned on the show: Joy the Baker cookbook and blog Magnolia Table cookbook Half the Sugar, All the Lov...

Under-buyer or over-buyer? From socks past their expiration date to an abundance of paper products, today we explore our buying habits (can you guess who's who?) and how they translate to our lives. Mentioned on the show: Over- and Under-Buyer quiz Pilot FriXion Clicker erasable pen   Connect with us on Instagram at @higirlsnextdoor and on Facebook . Sign up for our newsletter and see show no...

We're sharing an update on how this very different school year is going for us. Erica is homeschooling her girls and Kelsey's boys are in an online program through a local charter school. We share the challenging, the pleasantly surprising, and our tips for making it work. Whatever school looks like for you this year we are cheering for you! Mentioned on the show: Life Updates & Text Your Spou...

Welcome to Fall Extravaganza! This is our 7th annual episode unabashedly dedicated to all things fall. So light a candle, grab something pumpkin spice, and get ready for fall on full blast. And speaking of fall traditions, we want to encourage you to take part in the most important fall tradition: voting! For information about voting including how to vote by mail visit Vote.org which explains ever...

During this global pandemic self-care looks different even as it is evermore important. So share the ways we're taking care of ourselves across our physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional health. We hope you are finding ways to take gentle care of yourselves, friends. Mentioned on the show: Outdoor runs on the Peloton app Happy Planner Big Paper Punch 11 Hole Punch Plastic Book Binding...

Back when 2020 was shiny and full of hope we shared our intentions for the year. Today we're checking in to see how those intentions have shaped our lives. We also share what we're recommitting to, what we're letting go, and what's helping us to reclaim this year that has felt so out of our control. We also want to let you know that we've decided to skip the book club episode on The Giver of Stars...

Hi friends! We've had life happening lately so this week's episode will be delayed. But in the meantime we would love to hear your suggestions for our annual Fall Extravaganza episode! Send us an email at higirlsnextdoor@gmail.com or message us on Instagram . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

No matter what school looks like for your family the joy of new school supplies can unite us all. We're sharing our favorite school supplies, recommendations for lunch boxes and backpacks, and what we're treating ourselves to for back to school. Mentioned on the show: Ticonderoga pencils Pencil sharpener Pip Squeaks markers Plastic pencil box Clear plastic supply caddy Old Navy face masks EasyLunc...

Hi friends! This is the first "real time" episode we've recorded since early March and, well, a lot has changed! So instead of a book club episode we're bringing you up to speed on what's going on with us. We share how the global pandemic has been impacting our lives, what we're doing for school this year, and the things helping us stay sane. This is a hard season for us all and we are wishing you...

In every household there's plenty of work to go around. We chat about what the breakdown looks like in our marriages: the tasks on each of our plates, how we communicate about the division of labor, and which chores we wish we could outsource forever. Mentioned on the show: Our previous episodes talking about topics in marriage: Dr. Fitness & Marriage Maintenance , Marriage & Putzy Husband...

From playing piano and cooking to decorating and more, we reflect on how we are minor experts. Plus the minor expertise we might like to develop one day and the minor expertise we have no interest in acquiring. In Obsessions, Erica loves the book she's reading and Kelsey loves her morning smoothie. In Neighborhood News, a backyard was momentarily aflame alarmingly close to Kelsey's house. We'll be...

"But I waaaaant it!" That's not fair!" The gimmies and whining from our kids is not our favorite. We chat about how we handle these behaviors in the moment, bigger picture strategies to head them off, and how the gimmies and whining is different between toddlers and big kids. We'll be reading The Giver of Stars for our summer book club. The episode will air on July 29 so grab a copy or listen to t...