Mini-Ep 454: We Love A Bucket
Elise fills Doree in on her high-altitude work trip and Doree shares a thoughtful text with Elise before they hear from listeners about how to discuss death with children, microjoys to keep us going, and a call out for dish rags (or maybe more dish towels?). Plus, they play a quick round of what to purchase on your next trip to Trader Joes and Costco.
Mentioned in this Episode
USE CODE FOREVER15 for 15% off
TJ’s strained thick and creamy greek yogurt
Costco bucket
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Transcript
This episode transcript is AI generated.
Doree Shafrir (00:10):
Hello and welcome to Forever35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Doree Shafrir.
Elise Hu (00:16):
And I'm Emily Hu. And we're just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums,
Doree Shafrir (00:20):
And this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts, and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But please remember, we are not experts. We're podcast hosts and we always encourage you to seek support first and foremost, from a medical and or mental health professional as needed.
Elise Hu (00:38):
Yes. Yes. And instead of a serum, I just want to sing the praises of a spray that I've been using. You are catching me in Aspen this week. I am with the Aspen Institute this week where they have various gatherings and seminars throughout the year, and I'm at a seminar that's very optimistic and it's full of policy, people talking about children and families and social change and all these things. But when I got here, I immediately felt altitude sickness. It's like having a hangover. Yeah. It's like having a hangover after not having consumed any alcohol. And so I was nauseated, I was tired. I passed out, I just fell asleep, which is unusual for me. I don't usually sleep in the middle of the day. And I had a headache, and I know dehydration is usually a main culprit, so I tried to drink a lot of water, but what really made a difference for me was oxygen, just getting more oxygen. So I just want to shout out oxygen plus canisters. You can just spray oxygen into your mouth. I'm holding it up here. It's pure recreational oxygen is what it's called, and mine is from energy recovery or energy plus recovery. And it's just they have this in all the hotel rooms along with humidifiers in order to help you with the altitude sickness. I have different responses to it. Sometimes it's totally fine.
(02:16)
Last year we went to Jackson Hole, which is also 7,000 feet above sea level, but Aspen I think is a little bit, maybe higher elevation slightly. And maybe that made the difference, or I've just come here a little bit more tired this time, or I'm a year older, who knows? It just hit me differently and yeah, I've actually had to go and seek oxygen inputs to get by. Oh
Doree Shafrir (02:41):
Man.
Elise Hu (02:43):
Yeah.
Doree Shafrir (02:44):
Yeah. Every time I've gone to any place at Altitude, I always remember people saying one drink equals two, one drink equals two. I mean,
Elise Hu (02:57):
Zero drinks equals Yeah.
Doree Shafrir (03:00):
It's funny math.
Elise Hu (03:03):
Yeah, so weird. But it makes me a cheap date, so I got that going for me, which is nice. And then Aspen is so beautiful in the summer and it's very, it's so crazy that there's a small ski town, but there's Prada and Gucci and Bottega Venetta and all these shops. And I was just like, so I guess I can't find a Zara. I just needed a cheap dress. I didn't have something to wear to this dressier dinner. And I was just like, is there not a Zara? Can I not? And no, the answer is no. The closest Zara is in, can we get
Doree Shafrir (03:35):
A Zara
Elise Hu (03:36):
Denver? No, I cannot. There's Prada if I want to get addressed there. Oh God, that's really funny. It's kind of funny. But what's really lovely is that you get to bike around everywhere. It's very cycling friendly. Oh,
Doree Shafrir (03:49):
That's cool.
Elise Hu (03:51):
Yeah. And so the hotel is a four minute bike ride from the Aspen Meadows Resort, which is where all the Aspen Institute forums are. The famous Aspen Security Forum is there every year, and the Aspen Ideas Festival is there, and they have the big music pavilion and all those things, and it's four minutes away. And I'm renting these bikes, which you can rent for free for 30 minutes. So I'm like, great, cool. I only need a bike for four minutes. I'm going to pick up the bike here at the station, and then I'm going to park it when I get to my location and vice versa. So this afternoon I was coming back from the Meadows Resort to the hotel, and I rented a bike for approximately four minutes, so way under the 30 minute window. And I just now got this email saying, Hey, your bike rental is still open.
(04:35)
We've charged your card $300. Oh my God. So due to user error, I'm sure either I didn't park the bike back and it's still an open rental. Or when I first tried to rent a bike and the code wouldn't unlock it, I got a second one. So maybe that original one is still open, but I can't find any help for it. So we cycle. We cycle. If you hear this, I need to talk to somebody. Oh my God, is it just going to keep charging? I have no idea. So you weren't able to get it resolved? No, it's not resolved yet. This is an open ticket.
Doree Shafrir (05:10):
Oh dear. Oh dear.
Elise Hu (05:11):
Okay. Yes. I'm going to try and get it resolved after we finish recording. Oh man. First we're going to try and resolve our listener questions and comments.
Doree Shafrir (05:22):
Nice segue, Elise, we actually got a text about something that we talked about on a recent episode, and this text said, I'm inspired by how calm Elise was about the breast cancer screen that revealed a small mass that needs to be biopsied on today's episode's. An amazing example of staying grounded and patient in moments that are out of your control, thinking of you. And thank you for modeling that prayer hands emoji.
Elise Hu (05:54):
Thank you. That's very sweet. Yeah, this is truly out of my control and I don't have any answers. There's no way to know until the biopsy actually happens, which is going to be in early August, so it's not that long to wait one and then two, if there is something to worry about, I'll have plenty of time to worry about it later. So for now, I haven't really thought about it that much at all. This bike charge concern is really at the top of mine currently.
Doree Shafrir (06:26):
Yeah, I mean, I think that this listener is so right though. I think it's so easy to just spiral about, especially about health stuff, and I thought you did have a really just grounded attitude about it.
Elise Hu (06:43):
Well, credit to my mom. I think calling my mom really helped because my mom is not a very anxious person and it helps to have a mom like that in that she was just very sanguine and she was like, it's probably nothing. I also had them, so it also helped that my mom had some lumps removed that were benign. And so my assumption is positive, but also she was like, but if it is something to worry about, then we'll find out soon enough. So it was really helpful, I think, just to have people around. So credit to the loved ones.
Doree Shafrir (07:20):
Well, Elise, before we take a break, I just want to remind everyone, please call or text us at (781) 591-0390 or email us at Forever35podcast@gmail.com. I also want to mention if you do want to call us and leave us a voicemail, the quality is like 500,000 times better. If you record it as a voice memo and email it to us, please don't text it to us. I know this is very specific, but we use Google Voice and you can't download stuff from Google Voice. And so if you email us the voicemails, that is the best way quality wise to get us a voice recording. So we greatly appreciate your attention to this matter, this, but also keep those emails and texts and voicemails coming. These episodes live and die by your Communic Hayes. So please do reach out. Also, our website is Forever35podcast.com. We have links there to everything we mention on the show. You can follow us on Instagram at Forever35podcast. You can sign up for our newsletter at Forever35podcast.com/newsletter. And our favorite products are at shop my us slash forever three five. And after the break we have a couple of messages from listeners about talking about death with kids.
Elise Hu (08:45):
Alright, we'll be right back.
Doree Shafrir (08:46):
We'll be right back. All right, we're back. And I want to kick things off with a voicemail. Hi, this
Listener Voicemail (09:01):
Is Michelle. I had a pause the pod moment in response to the caller asking about how to explain death to a child. I recently lost my stepmother and I have a 2-year-old, and we live far from them. So we saw her in them pretty sporadically just because of distance, but we traveled for the funeral. And so very similar to what Doree and Elise said, we talked very practically that she was sick and the doctors tried to make her better, but they couldn't do it. And one thing that really was hard with her because of her age was the permanency of it, because she was like, well, when will we see her? And we were like, well, we can't. And it took her a little time to get that in a way. I ended up explaining it with saying, well, when we like something, we don't have it anymore.
(09:56)
And since grandma died, we don't have her anymore. So we can think about her and we can look at pictures of her, but we won't be able to see her or hug her anymore. She is still processing it. This happened in Mid Junee and we still get some questions that are randomly out of nowhere. Why did Grandma die? Why couldn't the doctors help her? Sometimes intermixed with very other random questions, why do boys teeth and hip? So there's some emotional whiplash for me as I'm addressing these questions. But I think being very matter of fact about the physical aspect of it and the permanency of it has been really helpful for her to understand that. And so good luck to the listener or anybody else when they're dealing with these conversations. I just want to say that I'm so sorry to Doree for her loss, and I always appreciate hearing Doree and Elise talk about their lives and being so honest about them. So thank you for sharing those things with us as well. Alright, that's all. Bye.
Elise Hu (11:01):
Thanks, Michelle. I really like that. I like just trusting kids, having this fundamental trust in kids that they can understand things and they can handle tougher topics and just having faith in kids. That's a lovely place to start from.
Doree Shafrir (11:18):
Yeah, I thought this was a really nice way to frame it. So I really appreciated this voicemail. And then we got an email from a listener that says, I took a class for my Child Life certificate called Death Dying and Grief. Almost 90% of Pixar movies have death in them. So kids are familiar with a concept and it isn't as scary as we think Frozen. The parents die right away, big hero six, the parents are dead to start. The brother dies a third into the movie and the Bay Max dies towards the end. A spoiler Coco, our loved ones are still there. So many other examples that you can use as a jumping off place for your kids.
Elise Hu (12:01):
Yeah,
Doree Shafrir (12:02):
Yeah. I mean, I don't love that Disney and Pixar movies all have dead parents. That is not an aspect of those movies that I think is great. It's like we use another device to get the story going. I don't know. I mean, I know that a lot of them are based on fairytales where that's what happens, but still.
Elise Hu (12:26):
Well, little Mermaid, I cried my eyes out at the animated Little Mermaid at age six or seven whenever it came out in the theaters, and I saw it in the theaters. She decides at the end, spoiler alert, spoiler alert, spoiler alert for the Little Mermaid just coming up. She decides at the, first of all, prince Eric is hot. Prince Eric is so hot. He's like very much my flavor. But that is not why I cried. I did not cry over that. I cried over the fact that she makes the decision at the end. In order to be with Prince Eric, she has to kind of say goodbye to King Triton, her dad. And I was really, I don't know, that just got me in all the feels that she said goodbye to her dad, who took such good care of her and was so protective of her, which was kind of like the inciting device of the whole story. Right. I'm really getting into Little Mermaid analysis, but this was unintended. But yeah, so yes, missing parents seems to be a real trope or having to say goodbye to your parents one way or the other. But Coco does do it. Well, I'm glad she mentioned Coco, because Coco does such a good job of just the idea of spiritual connection with our ancestors and I love that.
Doree Shafrir (13:44):
I still haven't seen Cocoa.
Elise Hu (13:46):
Oh, so good. So good. I don't know if Henry will like it. I don't know enough about his Disney preferences. But
Doree Shafrir (13:53):
Yeah, I mean he really doesn't like anything with, he doesn't like anything with any suspense or anything really scary. Scary. And so a lot of these movies will get 15 minutes in and there's something scary that happens and he's like, Nope, turn it off. Although he has made it through Frozen and he likes Frozen. So I don't
Elise Hu (14:20):
Know. You could watch Cocoa just for yourself too. There's so many great Pixar movies and animated films.
Doree Shafrir (14:26):
Totally. Totally
Elise Hu (14:27):
Great for just us too.
Doree Shafrir (14:29):
Alright, we have another voicemail.
Listener Voicemail (14:33):
Hi Elise. And Doree to Plus want a couple recommendations from the podcast as well as ask for my own recommendation. So the first I have is, this is recommended by a guest several months ago, but it's an app called Happy Color, which is a Pete by Number app for your phone. And I downloaded it around the election time as a way to keep myself from doom scrolling, but still having the distraction of being on my phone. So I just wanted to add that for anyone who needs something to do on their phone but doesn't want to be on social media all the time. The second is a podcast that Elise recommended, which was who shot on the floor at my wedding. And it's just incredible, and especially if you're needing a laugh during everything going on, I highly recommend that as well. And then the recommendations I am needing are for Dish Clubs, looking for some wash cloth type things that I can use to wipe off the counter every day as well as wipe off my kids after mealtime. My husband is a big fan of paper towels and Clorox wipes, and I would really love to not use as many of those. So looking for something, maybe quantity over quality in this case, because we would go through a lot of them also want to add, I was not a huge fan of Swedish dish claws, so maybe just some old fashioned dish regs like Mom used to have around the kitchen. Would love to hear if anyone has any recommendations. Thank you.
Doree Shafrir (16:04):
I was a little confused by this request because I don't know that I would necessarily use the same cloths for wiping my kids' face as the ones that I'm using on my counter. I mean, I guess it doesn't really matter because you're washing them, but I don't know. There was something about that that I was like, it feels like too multipurpose to me or something. I dunno. Do you have suggestions?
Elise Hu (16:29):
Yeah. Well, what my delineation that I needed was whether we're looking for just rags or a dish towel, because I certainly wipe off my kids with dish towels. And we had a series of conversations and recommendations about dish towels last summer. The consensus seemed to be target, William Sonoma and Geometry.
Doree Shafrir (16:49):
We do have a discount code for geometry. It is forever 15 and you get 15% off.
Elise Hu (16:55):
I love the geometry dish towels and they look great. They're super absorbent and you can wipe off your kids with them. So if you want a dish towel, then that's a recommendation. We also have the Williams Sonoma ones at my house that I think are far more affordable, so that's good. But it sounded towards the end of her voicemail, she was asking for rags, dish rags, which are different than dish towels. Totally. And she said she didn't like the Swedish ones and wanted quantity over quality, in which case Ikea makes a lot of 'em that I like. Actually, I'll get big bunches of dish rags from Ikea. And I think IKEA does online shopping now too. You don't have to schlep to a store and you could order dish rags there and just get a huge bundle of them
Doree Shafrir (17:43):
For
Elise Hu (17:43):
A low price.
Doree Shafrir (17:44):
Yes, good tip.
Elise Hu (17:46):
But listeners let us know. So the request, it sounds like is less for dish towels and more for rags that you can use.
Doree Shafrir (17:54):
Yeah, that was my sense.
Elise Hu (17:56):
Instead of a paper towel.
Doree Shafrir (17:59):
Yes, yes, yes, yes. Okay. Alright, Elise, we are going to take another short break and when we come back we're going to be talking a little bit about some of the things that we have been buying and eating lately.
Elise Hu (18:15):
Yeah. Excited to talk about that. We'll right back.
Doree Shafrir (18:24):
Alright, we are back, Elise. Is there anything from TJ's that you have been eating lately?
Elise Hu (18:33):
I'm super into, this isn't a new product that they just got or anything, but I just got super into it is they have that pink coconut water. There's very expensive harmless harvest, coconut water that's pink and they sell those for like $8 a bottle. But TJ's in its section in its cold pressed juices section, has pink coconut water. This is sort of near the lalo coffees that you also like to get the canned coffees, which I also like to get the lattes. So shout out again for the Lalo oat milk lattes that are available at Trader Joe's and not available at other grocery stores. And I really like having those in my fridge for my zero period mornings when I have to get up super early to take Ava to school, which is happening to me again soon. So the Lalo coffee, but also near there, there's pink coconut water. It's not called pink coconut water, but the shade is pink. And I just don't remember what generic name they have for them, but look for those super affordable, super hydrating, and I feel a little thrilled saving $6 a bottle compared to Harmless Harvest. Totally.
Doree Shafrir (19:47):
Yes, yes,
Elise Hu (19:48):
Yes. Yeah. What about you? What are you excited about?
Doree Shafrir (19:50):
Well, I can't remember if I've mentioned this already, but we have been really enjoying the strained thick and creamy Greek yogurt.
Elise Hu (20:01):
No, they have new Greek. Oh, I don't even know about this. We all buy Greek yogurt there.
Doree Shafrir (20:05):
Yeah, I think it's within the last few months and it's really good. And I like a full fat Greek yogurt. A lot of the Greek yogurt that has historically been sold at Trader Joe's. Not all of it, but a lot of it has been non-fat, which I just don't think tastes good. But the thick and creamy is really good. It's like really thick and creamy.
Elise Hu (20:33):
That's awesome. We love a yogurt parfait for breakfast.
Doree Shafrir (20:37):
Well, you will like this yogurt and if you're a protein person,
Elise Hu (20:44):
You're trying to, your macros,
Doree Shafrir (20:46):
It's more expensive than their regular Greek yogurt. It's like 5 49 or something, which is expensive for Trader Joe's. But I got to tell you, the quality is there. The quality is there, Elise.
Elise Hu (21:02):
Okay. Okay. And I mentioned this at the top of the show. So just to shout out, once again, in case you only listen to many episodes, and not Monday episodes, but Costco currently, at least the Costco near me, is selling giant Costco branded buckets. And they're awesome. And you can use them for so many purposes. Cleaning, making jungle juice, inside, painting, other purposes that you need a giant bucket for that says Costco on it. So I have now already put my Costco bucket to many other uses besides my party hosting. So hosting, if you are at Costco and in the market for any Costco branded stuff, the Costco bucket, lemme just shout out once again.
Doree Shafrir (21:51):
Okay, good to know. Listeners, if you have any of these kinds of suggestions, we do love to hear them.
Elise Hu (21:59):
And as Doree said, if you want to email us at Forever35podcast@gmail.com, you can email us a traditional email or you could just attach a voice memo and then we can get your voice in high quality.
Doree Shafrir (22:12):
Yes, we love a voice memo. Well, Elise, it's been great to see you. And just a programming note, I am on vacation next week, so next week's mini app will be a rerun of sorts. The full length episodes will be regularly scheduled programming, so just be aware of that. And I think there's also a casual chat that we might have to miss because of my schedule. So I apologize for that. Summer Vacay, much deserved summer. You deserve a break. Thank you. All right, talk to you soon.
Elise Hu (22:52):
Okay. Bye y'all.
Doree Shafrir (22:53):
Bye.