Episodes

No, it's not exactly what you're thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter. Listen in to hear about an article that was able to pinpoint exactly how I have been feeling. Find the original article here: https://thestripe.com/a-lack-of-stamina/ Find Grace Atwood here: https://www.instagram.com/graceatwood/ And loudly enough for everyone in the back: “Be nicer to yourself. Easy to say to others, harder to say to yourself.” - Grace Atwood

It was a beautiful fall day, so we decided to hit the road and record live from the patio at The Candle Mercantile in downtown Lake Geneva. Remember when you were in school and it was a nice day outside, so your teacher has class outside? It's exactly the same. We hope you enjoy this slightly different episode that also visited a few other of our favorite places to hang out in downtown Lake Geneva. If you're a local, now is (arguably) the best time of the year to get out and enjoy our community...

We love Oktoberfest! When we think Oktoberfest, we usually think of beer, but there is a ton of great German wine that you can drink as well. For this episode, we took on the challenge of finding German wines that you can drink for Oktoberfest. Most people immediately think of overly sweet Riesling when they think of German wine, but Germany makes a wide range of styles and grapes. Some are really good, some...well...you'll have to listen and here what we think. Here are the wines that we trie...

It's Bridget's (and Shannon's) Birthday!!! We had to celebrate and have a little bit of fun. We hope you enjoy our celebration of Bridget on this week's episode. Here are links to what we talked about: Kenyan engineer Nzambi Matee is recycling plastic into bricks that are stronger than concrete. She's getting some much deserved recognition for this amazing idea. Check it out! COVID has been bad for a lot of things, but it has sparked new interest in certain outdoor hobbies like birding. ...

It's my birthday! Ok, not quite yet, but it's in just a few days. I'm taking a quick walk down memory lane of my top 5 favorite birthday parties. Plus, sharing a few fun birthday traditions that you can start this year for any birthday celebrations you may have coming up! Make sure to catch this week's Dinner Plus Drinks which will drop on my actual birthday. I'm told it's full of fun and surprises, so we'll see what Nick has in-store for me.

Greetings friends! On this episode, conversation somehow managed to drift to Mr. Bridget (aka Tyler) a lot. It was good to sit down (well, actually stand up) and talk about a crazy week. Check out these links! Bridget found this article encouraging us all to stop chasing success and start enjoying life to be very helpful. Read it for yourself. Nick is delighted to find that Dad Jokes can be used for good! Tanks Good News brings us this story about dad jokes helping a neighbor get motivat...

I'm wrapping up my chat about public schools and a bit about the documentary Waiting for Superman. But it's always great to see the other side and this article was helpful in doing such: Harvard Educational Review

After our little recording snafu last week, we're back with a full episode, we hope you didn't miss us too much! In this episode, we talk about childcare apps, determine how Nick would do in 5th grade, talk about the Nugget, and lots more. Here are a few links to what we are talking about: Bridget's Nugget is ordered and en route - hopefully it can be kept a secret from the kids until Christmas. Nick and Sarah also have one ordered: did we talk you into getting one? Let us know. You can lea...

It's back to school time and it is a lot. As I was panicking about my son's first year of full-day classes in our local public school, my Father-in-Law introduced my to a documentary that fascinated (and horrified) me. I'm here to tell you a bit about the movie and specifically about how school systems deal with teachers that are doing a less than stellar job. This one has so much information, it'll be broken up into 2 parts! Enjoy part 1 of 2. Resources: https://www.netflix.com/title/7012936...

Nick made a bit of an oopsy doopsy with our recording this week so that only the video portion of our recording actually recorded. That's obviously a problem for a podcast. We're sorry we messed up (well Nick), so here's a little explanation, plus a few fun kid corner stories for you to enjoy for the week. We'll be back next week!

As usual, I could go on and on about this topic, but I actually kept this one pretty quick...mostly because I speak way too fast. But social media sure has changed and businesses are taking advantage. The influencer culture is here to stay and I'm here to talk about it, so listen in! -- Referenced in the show: #BamaRush New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/17/style/bama-rush-explained.html Under the Influence Podcast - a must listen! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unde...

We're back to our normal programming after 3 weeks of Olympics episodes and we're talking two related and fun topics: Taco Bell & Poop. Also other things. Here's a run down of links to this episode's topics: Shoutout to Mackenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates for donating their wealth to support gender equality projects, among other causes. This Taco Bell Defy restaurant concept may be the coolest thing to come out of the pandemic. Nick loves his Uline Industrial Packing Table. Check ...

Happy Oktoberfest Season! Yes, that's right, Oktoberfest is just around the corner and some of the best beer of the year has already hit the shelves. Check out this well-written (and entertaining) article to learn a bit more about Oktoberfest beer: https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/best-oktoberfest-beer If you want to try Bridget's Top 5 Fave Oktoberfest beers, get them while they're still around: Munsterfest - 3 Floyds Festbier - Maplewood Oktoberfest - Lakefront Brewing Oc...

It's the last episode of our Dinner Plus Drinks Olympic Games! We had two final events with the standings tied between Bridget's Team Greece and Shannon's Team Ireland. Who will win? There is plenty of last minute drama and fun in this week's episode, tune in to hear the results of this riveting competition. A huge thank you to Shannon for joining us and representing Team Ireland so well in this Olympic Game series. We hope you enjoyed a break from our "routine" episodes and had fun celebratin...

Is always striving for greatness the answer? What if we just practiced being content with right where we are? I'm getting aaaallll philosophical on you this week and diving deep into answering life's questions. I even found some scientific research to back up the thoughts in my head. You can check it out here (and, for real, check it out because it's great!): https://bit.ly/2VDS1iv And, as promised in the show, if you need a few quick tips for experiencing contentment: Practice mindfulness...

We are in the midst of the Dinner Plus Drinks Olympics! Shannon and Team Ireland are competing feverishly against Bridget and Team Greece for the title of Dinner Plus Drinks Olympic Champion. In this episode we reveal the results of last week's competitions (food, drink, and Team of Champions), plus participate in some super fun short games of skill. Watch on YouTube to see all of the fun, or listen to Nick channel his inner Bryant Gumbel and commentate on the happenings. Thanks for following ...

I love the Olympics and perhaps equal to the sports, I love hearing the fun factoids and interesting information that surround the athletes. Plus, stories of perseverance, fortitude and sportsmanship are inspiring and amazing. This week, I'm sharing some of the bits of fun I've found. Some stories you've heard, some you probably haven't heard. So get ready to get inspired! __ If you're looking for more inspiring moments, check this article out to peak at The 25 Most Inspiring Olympic Moments o...

Welcome to the Dinner Plus Drinks Podcast Olympics!! We love the Olympics, so we decided to put on our own Olympic competition featuring Bridget competing against her twin sister Shannon! First, we had to choose countries for these two competitors to represent. Shannon lucked out and drew Ireland to represent, and Bridget was assigned Yemen! However, after the Bucks victory, we decided to reassign Bridget to represent Greece in honor of Giannis. After a short break, and regrouping at the Athl...

Bucks in Six! Holy cow, the Milwaukee Bucks are the NBA Champions and it has been amazing to watch. A city and a team that once was barely a blip on the radar is now a destination. Having spent over a decade in Milwaukee, I love that city. I grew up there. Not actually growing up since birth, but I really grew up as an adult. Tune in to hear a small brush of what I love about the city of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Bucks. A few sites that I reference during the show: OnMilwaukee article (B...

Nick had a rough time with offshore tech support but thankfully, a Plain Spoke Cocktails Bourbon Smash got him in a good place. We're excited for the Olympics and plenty more - you can expect some Olympic fun to start soon, but in the meantime, here's what we talked about on this week's episode: Nick loved this Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese that he made to celebrate National Mac & Cheese Day. You should make it too. When it comes to creative ways to get hired, Lukas Yla's Donut Box resumé deli...

No, you don't have to run a marathon to be considered a runner. I'm sharing all about the running community and how I think t hey are some of the most supportive, honest and uplifting athletes out there. Ways to can be involved: Be a spectator at a race Join for the post-race party Start a couch to 5K program Cheer someone on! Talk to your kids about sportsmanship If you want to learn more about Mary Cain's amazing running club, here is the article I referenced: https://www....

When I was editing this episode and saw it was coming out on 7-11, I had to call it "oh thank heaven," because who can't get that saying out of your head? It doesn't really have anything to do with the episode, but it's what we're going to roll with - Nick What we did talk about was a wide variety of topics, and on this episode it was Nick, not Bridget, that was unable to choose from multiple stories, so you'll get a lot of Nick thoughts this episode. Most importantly, if you didn't watch the ...

Thanks for tuning in to this week's Amuse Bouche! Get ready to listen to my scratchy voice (sorry about that!) and two quick tips about what's working in our family. Hugs or High Fives We're aiming to teach our kids early about boundaries and consent and found that offering them the choice on hugs or high fives has been a fun way to do it. Here's an interesting article on the topic if you're interested! https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/2987-high-five-or-hug-teaching-toddlers-about-consen...

Nick is often asked what's better - American or French wine, and in this episode of Pinkies Up, we put four American wines against four French wines to see what Bridget thinks are the best! In this episode, you'll learn some general differences between American and French wines, what causes those differences, and we'll help you find the right wine for you. Bridget's opinion is what determines the answer in this episode, but you can decide for yourself at home! Here's a list of the wines we tri...