Posted in Podcast Notes

Meeting Notes: Episode 14

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Welcome back! Thanks for checking in! If you haven’t listened to episode 14 yet, check it out below!

The Great Target Register Crash of 2019

Picture this: you’re in Target filling your cart with all the Target goodness. You’re FINALLY ready to leave, head to register, and realize the lines aren’t moving. The registers are down. What do you do?

People across the country had to answer that exact question this weekend. We talk about what happened (a “glitch” in the system) and what we would do if left in Target for two hours with no way to check out!

USWNT and The World Cup

Another win for the U.S. Women’s National Team against Chile in the World Cup! Check out the highlights below. Did you notice the golf clap celebration? We LOVE that these ladies are not afraid to take on all their critics.

An article was just recently released that actually shows that the USWNT has been bringing in more revenue through their ticket sales than the USMNT. This is especially interesting, and important to note, because the U.S. Women’s team recently filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation. In the lawsuit, the U.S. Soccer Federation said that the women’s team wasn’t generating as much income as the men’s, and that’s why there was a discrepancy between salaries (and other things.) I guess this new report makes it kind of hard to say that?

We can’t wait to see how the women fare when they meet up with their first real challenge of the tournament against Sweden.

Although, BIG SHOUT OUT to the Chilean goalie, Christiane Endler, for being the only reason that game wasn’t a HUGE blowout. She was incredible.

What Is Happening in the DR?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard some crazy stories coming out of the Dominican Republic. Not only was David Ortiz shot in the back by a hired assassin, but it seems like everyone who travels there is either poisoned, assaulted, or dies from some strange unknown event that has been labeled “natural causes.” It FEELS way too suspicious, but is there anything to really be worried about? We tried our best to summarize what’s been happening, but with so many unknowns, it’s definitely difficult!

CNN has a great article that answers some of our most burning questions. Check it out HERE

Although we totally understand the concern, we did have to wonder why people are afraid to travel to the DR, but consistently visit tourist locations where crime is common? More people are killed in our cities on a daily basis than tourists to the DR in the last year, and we still visit those! If you have plans to travel to the DR, BE SAFE.

Oh and if you have A LOT of free time, check out iwaspoisoned.com

Technological Hippies in a Time Free Zone

Thanks to Geology.com for this map!

Two articles caught our attention this week. First up, there’s an island in Norway who is pitching to be the first time-free zone in the world. Now, we aren’t completely sure how this would logistically work, but once you hear the reason why you might understand. In case you too need a map to find Norway in the world, we’ve got you covered. Could you live in a time-free zone? Could you live through the Polar Nights? Meghan doesn’t think she could live where the sun doesn’t set for 69 days. Tell us what YOU think and read more about this idea here on the BBC website.

Carrie coined a new label for our generation this week, calling us technological hippies, after we discussed the official change of the Grand Canyon National Park to a “Dark Sky Park.” Wondering what that means? Samantha told us and explained why this was an important move.

The Milky Way Galaxy at Yaki Point – Courtesy of the National Park Service

As a generation, we’re in an interesting position. We didn’t grow up with ALL the technology, so while we LOVE the convenience of it, we also want to embrace the environment, Mother Nature, and seem to want to take some steps to find out how we can use technology to take us BACK in time a little bit. We LOVE this idea of simplification and using technology to enjoy when life was a little slower, quieter, and simpler. Would you mind being called a technological hippie? Do you agree on that new nickname? We kind of like it!

The Ladies Recommend…Chernobyl?

We don’t mean the real place, Chernobyl. After listening, we hope NO ONE ever wants to actually go there.

Sam tells us about a recent HBO mini-series she watched about Chernobyl. The miniseries chronicles the explosion of the nuclear power plant in April, 1986. You have to listen to find out what about this makes Carrie and I BOTH open our drinks. There was SO MUCH to unpack here just from this conversation, but we HIGHLY recommend that you go check it out. There are only 5 episodes, and Sam told us that it starts out with what actually happened, the after-effects, and then loops back around to explain why and how it happened.

After listening to Sam’s descriptions and discussing this topic, we were horrified. If anyone can explain why this world has nuclear weapons, or who thinks we need this nuclear stuff at all, please let us know. We are at a loss.

Winning and Olympic Gold

Carrie texted us all before we got together and posed this question:

If ________, were an Olympic sport, I’d take gold.

What is your immediate answer to this question? Do you go with your gut? Would you have to think about it? Are your answers the same as ours?

This was a fun question to think about! You HAVE to reach out to us on social media and share what your answer would be!

The Bachelorette Recap

In this week’s podcast episode, we talk about the lack of personality there with Luke and what other guys we think we like now. Then we went and watched this week’s episode and we’re wondering: is there anything to even talk about this week? Here’s our interpretation of this week’s episode:

  • Hannah was SICK AND TIRED of those boys arguing. We did not like the way Garrett handled the situation by hearing from Hannah that she made Luke talk and then going back and giving Luke a hard time. We totally understand though that Luke lied, and that was the main point, although the guys didn’t do a good job explaining that.
  • We do not understand this mid-season recap. The only reason it’s acceptable is if it means we will have no more to-be-continued episodes. Otherwise, it’s a waste of time. We’ve been watching for weeks. We do not need to see everything we JUST SAW all over again.
  • We subscribe (wholeheartedly) to mid-season bloopers. Give us ALL the bloopers. We need an entire episode of bloopers. They could have cut this whole episode halfway through and shown an hour of bloopers and that still wouldn’t have been enough.
  • Hannah is a national treasure who is not afraid to be herself. See two of her best moment from last night below!
  • We don’t know what’s happening, but we are disappointed with how much of this Luke/Hannah fantasy suite drama they showed in the previews last night. We think ABC gave away WAY too much and it kind of takes away from some of the anticipation that was building about this fight between her and Luke about “purity” and marriage. Bad move, ABC.
  • Luke continues to portray himself in a terrible and obnoxious light. We just can’t.

Hopefully next week will be better. Enjoy these two Hannah GIFs in the meantime.

As always, THANK YOU for tuning in with us! We appreciate you so much! Find us and talk with us here or on social media. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!

Posted in Uncategorized

Meeting Notes: Episode 13

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Hello again! It’s meeting time and we know you’ve come here to check out this week’s notes, so we’ll get right to it. If you haven’t listened yet, check out our new episode here!

History and Historical Discoveries

In history this week, the Great Barrier Reef was discovered on June 11, 1770. If you haven’t checked out our post about how to help save the reefs from destruction, be sure to do that next! Then, Samantha shared a story about the recent discovery of a 40,000 year old wolf that was preserved in permafrost in Siberia. You can read the full article HERE.

The World Cup

It has begun! The Women’s World Cup has started in France and even if you aren’t a HUGE soccer fan, you have to appreciate international competition. We love the World Cup for a bunch of reasons, but let’s be honest: the only reason the United States is even a part of the World Cup conversation is because our USWNT is AMAZING and AWESOME and BRILLIANT and deserve ALL THE THINGS.

That being said, when they had their first match on Tuesday against Thailand, they came to play and some people (who do not appreciate out USWNT or apparently the spirit of competition) were not happy with the way in which they won. In case you missed it, you can catch the highlights here:

We discuss this HISTORIC win, which turns out is the most goals in ANY World Cup Match, men’s or women’s. Tell us what your opinion is on the ladies’ first win.

Also related to soccer, we discussed the fact that the world’s best soccer play, Ava Hergerberg, is not playing in the World Cup this year to protest against inequalities between the Norwegian men’s and women’s teams. Listen to hear why she’s protesting and then tell us what you think about that. In the United States, we wouldn’t even be having a conversation about soccer if it weren’t for our women’s team, so we fully support equality between the teams.

Piers Morgan Knows Nothing About Women

First up, an apology to Pierce Brosnan. We’re really sorry Carrie accused YOU of being the one to say all these not nice things about Meghan. We love you, all you do, and think you’re a great guy. As you listen, just imagine we’re saying Piers Morgan instead.

Now, let’s just all agree that unless you’ve actually given birth, you don’t get to say anything about what a woman should or should not be doing after she delivers her baby. Your entire world is different and you feel like a different human entirely basically for forever.

Meghan Markle deserves to skip out on whatever she feels like skipping out on and can attend whatever she feels like attending. Instead of bashing Meghan over what is absolutely within her rights as a mother and human, let’s just focus on the important and real issue – maternity leave. Hear our thoughts on Meghan and maternity leave and let us know what you think!

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

So this season, 90 Day Fiance is doing something a little different. All the people who are participating in the show are leaving America to go to the country of their loved ones. Destinations for this seasons’ couples are India, South Africa, Qatar, Ecuador and Brazil.

The guy, Paul, who is going to Brazil, has been on the show before, and he’s moving there to be with his pregnant wife. Watch the clip of what happens below:

https://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/90-day-fiance-before-the-90-days/videos/pauls-mother-gives-him-a-lock-of-her-hair

We were in shock, and kind of creeped out, that the gift she chose to give to her son was a lock of her hair. Keeping a lock of hair from your baby’s first haircut? Okay. Keeping a lock of hair from your significant other in 1817? Okay. Giving your grown son a lock of your hair (for the second time) because hes moving out of the country to take care of his unborn baby….? We can’t subscribe to this. You have to tell us what you think about this. Is it really sweet? Are we missing the point?

Rapid Fire Burning Questions

This game is kind of like a word association game. Sam asked us questions and we (mostly tried to) answer without taking time to think about it. Nicole is admittedly bad at this, but we did our best. As you listen, try to answer them yourself. Do any of your answers match ours? Did you like this segment? Should we do it again? It was kind of fun to try to answer questions so quickly!

How to Ruin a Friendship

Carrie shared a story with us that had us wondering – what are the rules for ending a friendship? Can you end a friendship over a baby name? Is it the baby name that ruined the friendship or the things you learn about the person’s character that really caused the rift? We discuss and share our own thoughts on the idea of “claiming” baby names before you have a baby. Let us know what you think! Also, what IS something you can end a friendship over, and what is something you definitely should NOT end a friendship over? Tell us!

Bachelorette Recap

Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. WE LOVE YOU! Okay, now that our declarations of adoration are out of the way, we can talk about what actually happened last night.

Luke S. eliminated himself, and we can say he wasn’t going to be the right match for her anyway. JPJ got sent home, and Dustin somehow is still in the running. Meghan finally admitted that Luke P. is bad news no matter how good looking he is and has switched over to be Team Tyler. Hannah got tipsy while out on a date with Mike, who could not stop smiling at her. They wandered around Inverness, Scotland (the Outlander people WERE DYING during this episode, I know it) and Hannah won points with Nicole by appreciating the smell of books. After the group date, which involved Highland games and kilts, Kevin had a car-crash moment where he watched Jed and Hannah making out, processed it, and THEN walked away after an awkward amount of time. Peter imitated the most awkward make-out EVER and then Hannah revealed some of her true feelings by starting her own make-out session with a still-kilted Tyler in a bed.

We’ve often mentioned how relatable we feel Hannah is but she showed us again this week. We’ve all been there with a guy like Luke. There’s a great physical connection, but the other stuff…not so much. So instead of recognizing it, and ending it, you hang on wayyyyyy too long and try to force it to work. Anytime you have to work THIS hard to get what you need from a guy, he’s probably not your guy.

In Luke’s defense, we aren’t sure he’s purposely trying to avoid his feelings or the issues Hannah is presenting. We don’t think he’s quite that smart. Luke seems like a guy who just isn’t that deep. Hannah knows herself really well, and she’s SUPER introspective. She understands herself and her motives. Luke doesn’t seem like he’s looking that deeply in to himself. He just likes to look AT himself. I’m not sure Hannah will ever get what she wants out of him because I don’t know if he’s capable of reaching that level of emotional intelligence. In the meantime, the guys are going to continue to hate on him for a bunch of reasons and we’ll just have to see how long Hannah can let this go. Right now, she’s not in a position where she has to eliminate him because there are other guys who she doesn’t really have a connection with (Grant, we’re looking at you buddy) that can go first while she continues to try to force Luke to be everything he’s not. In the long run, we just can’t see this working.

ABC does it again and ends the episode in a weird place and basically we’re just so annoyed by this that it’s not even worth talking about anymore. We only pray that one day, they will understand how obnoxious this is. No one has lost any one from their original list, besides Cam, but someone will have to soon! Tune in next week for more!

We’ll be back on the blog later this week with a recommendation from the Ladies. We got so caught up at the end of this week’s meeting (the NBA finals and Drake’s over-the-top behavior) that we completely forgot to share with you! Thanks for listening. Find us on social media and reach out. We have to hear your thoughts on some of these issues so PLEASE reach out and let us know! See you next week!

Posted in Lifestyle

Protect Your Skin, Protect the Reefs!

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Have you ever jumped into a pool and noticed an iridescent layer of film floating on the water around you? More importantly, have you ever wondered where it came from?

With summer on the horizon, and beach trips lining up, we have to discuss another way you can do just a little bit more to protect the environment. Think about all the times you’ve been to the beach, lathered on sunscreen (because, safety first!) and then jumped into the ocean. What happens to all that sunscreen that eventually washes off your body? It washes OUT into the ocean. Consumer Reports estimates that about 6,000 tons of sunscreen washes out into the ocean (and into the reefs!) Other studies estimate it could be as much as 14,000 tons each year! Unfortunately, it’s not nicely and evenly distributed around the water either. It tends to concentrate in more popular areas…usually those areas with more marine life!

What Exactly Is Dangerous?

There’s more than just one thing to look out for when you’re searching for reef-safe sunscreen. Since there’s no real rules about what exactly makes a sunscreen “reef-safe”, manufacturers can put a reef-friendly label on sunscreen that still contains ingredients that are damaging. Our most important advice is to READ THE LABEL and decide if something is reef-safe for yourself!

The most dangerous chemicals are oxybenzone and octinoxate. Both these chemicals are great in sunscreen because they absorb UV rays. The bad news? They can also cause coral bleaching. Oxybenzone will trigger coral bleaching at temperatures even lower than normal, which leads to more frequent bleaching. It’s easily the most common and perhaps the most damaging of all the chemicals. Other harmful chemicals to try to avoid in your sunscreen are butylparaben (a preservative) octocrylene, PABA (aminobenzoic acid), Enzacamene, Octisalate, Homosalate, and Avobenzone. Some of these are chemicals that simply aid in the effectiveness of chemical sunscreen, but still can cause damage to marine life. You should also try to avoid parabens, pthalates, triclosan and microbeads, which are usually plastic.

But What About Instagram?

The one drawback to using zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, which is the ingredient that scientists recommend you should be using, is that it’s a mineral. Mineral sunscreens work by forming a physical barrier on the skin, so instead of absorbing the rays, like chemical sunscreen, mineral sunscreen simply blocks and scatters the rays. This means that usually, mineral sunscreens are known for leaving a white film over your skin. To solve this problems, sunscreens have used nano-sized particles to try to eliminate the white, chalky look you used to get. The bad news is that nano-sized particles can be absorbed by marine life and still cause damage to the reef. Most companies producing reef-safe sunscreen use non-nano particles, but it’s important to check out the labels and research the company. The good news is, as technology develops, some companies, like Badger Balm, have found ways to introduce non-nano zinc that is clear!

How to Choose a Reef-Safe Sunscreen

Thankfully, with a rise in understanding about the damage these chemicals are doing to the environment, there has also been in a rise in studies and potential solutions for this environmental problem. First and foremost, scientists suggest that instead of using sunscreen, people wear clothing that shields them from the sun’s harmful rays. Even a t-shirt, or a rash guard that isn’t specifically designed to offer UV protection can help! This will drastically reduce the amount of sunscreen people have to use, and as a result, limit how much sunscreen is washed off into the ocean. Hats can also offer protection and reduce the amount of sunscreen you need.

If you aren’t into covering up, there are some things you can look for specifically to make sure that your sunscreen is environmentally friendly.

  • Skip the oxybenzone! Try to find sunscreens that don’t contain this ingredient. Mineral sunscreens typically don’t contain oxybenzone and are safer to use.
  • Go For Waterproof or Water Resistant! If a sunscreen is waterproof or water resistant, there’s a good chance that less of it will wash off into the water.
  • Read the Ingredients Carefully! Don’t be fooled by a label on the front! Take the time to read through all the ingredients on the back of the bottle.
  • Non-Nano! Nano sized particles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide can be absorbed by marine life and can disrupt the reef growing process as well. If the bottle doesn’t say “non-nano” take the time to do a little investigating of your own.
  • When in Doubt, Google! If you aren’t sure about your sunscreen selection, simply Google the brand, OR visit the companies website. You’ll be able to get some more information from both places and hopefully be a more informed consumer.

We linked all the sunscreen below! If you click the name of the sunscreen, it will take you directly to the company website. We’ve also given you a link directly to an Amazon listing so you can click and shop! Each sunscreen we listed has at least a four-star rating on Amazon.

All photos below are from Amazon.com

  • All Good Sunscreen: Another brand with a lot of different options (the sport type is linked here!) that will meet your family’s needs. It meets all the “reef-safe” criteria and is non-nano! ($12.98 on Amazon)
  • Goddess Garden: Contains organic shea butter and coconut oil so it helps take care of your skin while you’re using it!They have kids and baby versions, as well as a spray on type! ($14.99 on Amazon)
  • Blue Lizard: The sunscreen that inspired this post! Blue Lizard was created in Australia, and might be the most well-known brand. It’s mineral and has been around for 20+ years. They also offer kid and sport versions. The coolest part? The container turns blue when it’s time to re-apply! ($14.98 on Amazon)
  • Thinksport: One of the most popular brands, Thinksport offers their regular sunscreen, as well as kids, baby, and sport versions. ($12.69 on Amazon)
  • Badger Balm: The big selling point for Badger Balm is their new clear zinc mineral sunscreens. This means that they start out white and then eventually go clear. (Clicking the link for Badger Balm will take you to their actual website, where they are currently running a promo for free shipping on orders over $25 and a free lip balm with everyone order!) Badger Balm is an entire skin care line and they make a ton of different products. If you want to check them out on Amazon, click here: ($22.08 on Amazon for sunscreen and a sunscreen face stick)
  • Kokuka Sun Care: Definitely the most expensive of the bunch, but racks up a 4.5 star rating on Amazon, so it’s worth it! It had 23 antioxidant ingredients in addition to the sun protection you’ll get. This is another sunscreen that’s a product of Hawaii. ($29.99 on Amazon)
  • Suntegrity: Another site that has A LOT of skin care products that will help you stay safe all summer and are reef-safe and non-nano! ($24.00 on Amazon)
  • Mama Kuleana: Handmade in Maui, this sunscreen is reef-safe AND the container biodegrades in two months time! Currently, it’s out of stock on Amazon, but should be back in stock by June 12. ($22.00 on Amazon)
  • Manda Organic Sun Paste: This sunscreen uses Thanaka, as an ingredient. According to the Amazon listing, “From the wood of a tree native to Myanmar, Thanaka has been used for over 2000 years as a natural sun protectant that preserves and beautifies the skin. ” This one is a little bit more expensive, but it’s packaged in bamboo and tin, so the container is recyclable! ($18.00 on Amazon, plus $4.59 shipping)
  • Sun Bum: Consistently ranked pretty highly on multiple lists for reef-safe sunscreen. Their products are vegan plus paraben, sulfate, and gluten free. Plus, the website says it smells like summer! ($15.95 on Amazon)ย†

Know Better, Do Better

Sunscreen is an essential part of summer because we know how important it is to protect our skin. While we’ve had access to sunscreen for years, it’s only recently that we’ve learned how damaging traditional sunscreen chemicals can be. Thankfully, there is a growing number of people who are concerned about our safety AND the safety of the environment. The best thing you can do is to use the new knowledge we have to be proactive! Take the time to read the ingredients and research what makes sunscreen (and other beauty products) dangerous to you and the environment. And remember, sunscreen isn’t the only beauty product that can cause trouble when it washes off into rivers, streams and oceans. Consider looking at the labels on all your skin care products to find places you can make small changes that make a big difference!

If you want to read a lot more about this topic, check out The Environmental Working Group.

If you have any reef-friendly sunscreens you’ve used, let us know how they work! AND we’re ALWAYS interested in beauty products that have less chemicals. Share with us your most favorite! Stay safe and ENJOY THE SUNSHINE!

Posted in Podcast Notes

Meeting Notes: Episode 12

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Three months of podcasting! We have been having a great time sharing our thoughts with you and we hope you’ve been enjoying them too! Meeting 12 includes an update on news stories from last week, an important conversation about preservation of historical sites and the history that surrounds them, a recommendation to be more environmentally conscious, and a Bachelorette update! Listen below and check out our meeting notes!

News Updates: The Trash War, Hawaii, and Everest

After we recorded last week’s episode, we started seeing updates on the stories we shared with you EVERYWHERE. We read some pretty interesting things, so we had to update you this week. First up, the trash war. It turns out that the Philippines is not the only country that takes trash from other larger countries. We know it makes them a profit, but it is still strange to us that these tiny countries would be taking trash. Plenty of drama unfolded in the last week when this strange system came to light and Carrie gave us a great update. What we also learned is that sometimes even the things you put in your recycling bin DON’T get recycled. Check out this article on USA Today for more information!

Amanda Eller released, of all things, a Facebook video last week discussing her ordeal and her rescue. Afterwards, she had to issue some statements apologizing, or clarifying what she said. If you don’t have an hour to watch the video and catch up on the articles, just listen in to our summary. What do YOU think of Amanda Eller? Do you agree with us that she was incredibly irresponsible? Do you find her as hard to believe as we do? We find her story extra frustrating in light of the news that Noah Mina, the other Hawaii hiker that was missing, was found dead a few days after Amanda was rescued (and only 18 miles from her rescue spot.) Or are we completely misinterpreting her story? Let us know what you think!

Hiking at Everest is still a hot topic. Mandy Moore recently completed a small hike up to one of the checkpoints, and we did not realize there were so many! Listen to hear a short update about that, and why we think we don’t appreciate the greatness that is the Everest hike.

New York, 9/11, & Historical Significance

Over the weekend, Sam went to New York City and got a chance to spend some time at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. She got the unique experience of going for the first time herself, with other people who were old enough to remember the day, and her younger brother, who wasn’t even born when the tragedy happened. These contrasting perspectives, as well as the perspectives of others who were visiting the memorial and monument, made her ask some difficult questions. As a culture, do we treat monuments and memorials differently if we are too far removed from the event? Is that okay? Do we have a different perspective because we live in an area that was basically surrounded on all sides by the scary events of that day? How can we be sure to help the younger generations respect and appreciate the sacrifices and devastation of 9/11? Is there a way to find that sense of national togetherness without another tragic event? We don’t think we have answers to all these questions, but the discussion is powerful and important. We’d love to hear your thoughts too!

Cruise Boats on the Grand Canal?

New York City and the 9/11 Memorial wasn’t the only thing related to historical significance that we talked about this week! In the news recently was the most recent episode with a cruise boat and the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy. While a cruise boat crashing into a river ferry is definitely newsworthy, the unique geography and history of Venice makes this story even more frightening. We aren’t the only ones who are concerned about Venice either. UNESCO already has Venice classified as a World Heritage site, but has threatened to put it on the endangered sites list, which will require more of Venice in terms of plans for tourist management and the upkeep of it’s historical integrity. You can see a video taken from the most recent event here. Have you been to Venice? What are your thoughts on tourism and history? Let us know!

The Bachelorette Recap

We don’t even know if we WANT to do a recap because ABC has left us with a “To Be Continued” episode…HOW MANY TIMES can we, as Bachelor Nation, complain about this before they listen to us? Nothing is more annoying than this type of episode. Nothing. Not even Luke P.

This week was basically entirely focused on Luke vs. Luke (with a little Mike in there, as backup for his buddy Luke S.) and by the third time these guys had the same argument, we were kind of over it. In our opinion, Hannah should have kicked them both out on the spot. BUT, we know she’s got a lust thing going on for Luke P. and Carrie thinks that she’s mad at herself for having feelings for Luke P., so she’s taking it out on Luke S. and trying to twist the situation to make it reasonable for her to keep P instead of S. I mean, we’ve all been there right? Finding some way to manipulate what is happening so we can convince ourselves that the bad guy really isn’t THAT bad? Hannah, we can relate, but it doesn’t make it any less painful to watch.

We saw the ambulance edit happen the same way it has on every other season ever. We are led to believe Luke P. does damage to another contestant in his uncontrolled rage and turns out Kevin just messed up his shoulder tackling the other guys. (This is an entirely different conversation: Why do boys like to tackle each other for fun?)

Jed had a great one-on-one date. Hannah was the one who really shined during their date. She is funny, quirky, and not afraid to be herself around Jed, which is super refreshing. They seem to have a great time together. Big points for Jed, and for Carrie who was the only one to put him on her list. The only thing that made us feel a little weird about it was that Jed openly admitted he originally signed up because he’s a musician who needed a platform. We were shocked that he said that, but maybe it made Hannah feel like he was an honest guy!

We got to see Garrett a little bit more this episode, which was kind of fun. He opened up to Hannah and I think he might have a personality that we can appreciate, even with his lack of airtime. JPJ’s shining moment was reading the date card and that one really long rugby run he had. Other than that, all the guys pretty much maintained whatever status they had last week, with no one making too many gains in the group except Peter. OH, and Tyler C…

Let’s discuss Tyler C. Did he have a breakout performance here? We think so! Hannah was really in her own head at the beginning of her date, and although sometimes Tyler’s words made it feel like he was playing to win, he did seem to really get her out of her funk. Mostly, we appreciate how honest Hannah was with him, telling him her real first impression of him, and actually listening to his road to The Bachelorette. Nicole is slightly more convinced that he’s smarter than she originally thought, but is so distracted by the weird tone and cadence of his voice that she still isn’t 100% convinced he should be in the running for Hannah’s husband.

We have no idea what’s going to happen at the rose ceremony, so we’ll have to catch that next week to see if we lose anyone else from our original picks. Our last thoughts on this season are this: Hannah is the BEST bachelorette ABC has had in a really, really, really long time. We are absolutely obsessed with her and hope she is SUPER successful in finding love. We subscribe to Hannah!

The Ladies Recommend: Reef-Safe Sunscreen

Bermuda

Chemicals in sunscreen are really dangerous for the ocean ecosystems. So much so that Hawaii has banned the sale of sunscreen with damaging chemicals. We talk about some of the negative effects and what to look out for in this week’s episode. We also give you some reef-safe sunscreens you will want to check out. STAY TUNED!! On Friday, we’ll have an entire post dedicated to WHY you need reef-safe sunscreen AND give you some great options to check out!

THANK YOU for listening and checking in with us again this week. Come back Friday morning to get the scoop on sunscreen before you head out for the weekend!

Posted in Podcast Notes

Meeting Notes: Episode 11

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Episode 11! Welcome to another meeting of the Ladies Auxiliary. Check out the meeting below.

This week’s Twitter debate was sparked by this tweet:

These are a VERY popular summer snack for the members of the Ladies Auxiliary, even as adults, so we had to address this. Check out the episode to hear what we each call these and what the most popular responses were on Twitter. Shout out on social media or here in the comments and let us know what YOU call these!

In the headlines this week were some strange and unbelievable, but absolutely true, headlines!

  • The Philippines is going to declare war on Canada…over trash.
    • YEP! You read that correctly. Carrie shared this story with us and you HAVE to hear it. From the sounds of it, this drama is far from over, so stay tuned to us (and the news!) for updates on any further action. It makes us wonder…what arguments you’ve gotten into with your neighbor! Tell us your best stories!
  • There is a traffic jam at Mt. Everest and it’s causing deaths.
    • The weather, and the popularity of Everest, is apparently causing a back-up as people get closer to the summit. This was a news article that Sam found and wanted to talk about. Did you know that reaching the peak of Everest was so attainable? Hear our reactions in this week’s episode!
  • Hiking in Hawaii has been dangerous recently.
    • There was some incredibly happy news out of Hawaii this week! Amanda Eller, a hiker who had gone missing, was found! Nicole gives us a recap of the story, and that leads us to some interesting questions about the case. Listen in and get back to us if you feel like you can answer them.
    • Another man has gone missing in Hawaii this month as well. Unfortunately, the 72-hour search assistance that the island provides is up and now the search will have to be taken over through private funds and volunteers. We are hoping he’s found!

Are you in a long-lasting relationship? We all know that relationships take work and they are NOT always easy. Carrie shared with us an article she read that listed 8 things that happy, long-lasting couples do. We discuss (most) of them in this week’s episode. Each of us seemed to have a slightly different opinion on which one was most important, and we were pretty divided on some of them. Can you relate to any of our opinions? Which of these 8 do you implement in your relationship? We did agree that all of them sounded like very important pieces to a relationship. Check it out and see if you agree!

Time for a Bachelorette Update

This episode had two main highlights for us. Hannah being a super awesome bachelorette, and the self-destruction of Cam and Luke P. Spoiler alerts ahead if you haven’t watched this week’s episode! Don’t keep reading. Come back and check out our opinions after you’ve watched.

Several important things to discuss from this week….

On the group date, JPJ was extra JPJ. He really struggled with the labor pains. He’s definitely Meghan’s least favorite contestant; however, even if you don’t like him, you had to enjoy laughing at him.

Mike shines in this group date and ends up getting the group date rose and we have to admit that we find him endearing, charming, and a great consideration for the Bachelor if he doesn’t win this one!

It was at this group date that we go to see Hannah step up as what we may consider the toughest Bachelorette yet. These guys on her season have been PUSHY and breaking all the rules. (Sidenote: We like that Tyler C. respects that this is an experience that has rules that should be, mostly, followed.) On this date, Hannah shows us that she’s no-nonsense. She doesn’t let Cam interrupt, and then when Jonathan acts like a jerk, she ends up sending him home this week. Well done, Hannah!

The Hannah/Connor S. date reminded us of when Ashley invited JP over to her hotel suite for a not so fancy date. We all know what happened to those two! Success! Babies! Happiness! It’s 100% certain that Connor is too young to remember this comparison, but we are making it anyway. Big kudos to Hannah for looking flawless later that night for the intimate concert that ABC probably could not reschedule and forced her to go to despite being in the hospital for dehydration and exhaustion (thanks to ABC’s grueling production schedule…)

Another group date happened in this episode and this is where we begin to see the implosion (hopefully!) of Luke P. We LOVE that Hannah took him aside and told him she was not appreciating his arrogance. We DO NOT LOVE that Luke spent all night going on about how he wanted to “explain himself” (for being cocky because you think you’re better than everyone…? Okayyyyy) and then when he finally had the chance, he didn’t say anything about it all. We are so glad Hannah used the phrase “red flags” when she was discussing him, because he’s been a BIG RED FLAG since he walked out of that limo. We are looking forward to seeing how this one plays out!

We also have to address the Cam situation. While we feel bad that Cam has been diagnosed with lymphedema, we agree with Hannah COMPLETELY that the timing of it felt manipulative. We’ve never heard a Bachelorette call someone out for trying to get some sympathy at a time they thought they would be eliminated, even though it happens ALL THE TIME. We’re really proud of Hannah for standing up for herself and going with her gut. At the rose ceremony, she thankfully eliminates Cam, and we are all glad we don’t have to hear him say “ABC, always be Cam!” anymore.

With the elimination of Cam, Nicole, Carrie and Sam all lose one guy from their list. Everyone else is still going strong!

We mentioned while we were watching that this is the first time in awhile that we’ve been invested in the show. We don’t want to read any spoilers and we actually sit and enjoy the entire two hours. ABC knew what they were doing when the cast Hannah as this season’s lead and that only makes us MORE ANNOYED at the way they edited her on Colton’s season. This is Hannah’s redemption tour and we subscribe.

The Ladies Recommend…

OUTLANDER! Okay, hear us out. You’ve probably heard a LOT of hype surrounding Outlander. It’s almost like Game of Thrones, except there’s less universal involvement because people think it’s a girl show and also it’s on Starz. Trust us when we tell you that those of us who watch it, our husbands also watch it too. You will not be disappointed. We can’t even give you the basic premise here without ruining parts of the story for you so you have to just take out word for it and check it out. It’s historical fiction. It’s romance. It’s action and adventure. It’s ALL THE THINGS. And if you love men with accents (or women with accents!) then this is definitely the show for you. The reason we decided to recommend Outlander this week is that the first two seasons are coming to Netflix! You can enjoy binge watching them simply by logging in to your Netflix account. Hurry up and do it! You won’t be disappointed! If you do, tell us your favorite part! What episode did you LOVE? What characters are your favorite?

As summer is quickly approaching, we also have to recommend the Outlander book series if you’re looking for some good summer reads. The first two books are absolutely amazing. No spoilers coming but the books and TV show don’t completely match, and the books are FULL of detail and smaller story lines that are just as wonderful as the main story of Jamie and Claire. Don’t feel like you have to commit to both. The books and the TV show can be just as fantastic if they stand alone.

That’s a wrap on this week’s meeting! Find us on social media and share all your thoughts with us here, or on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram! Thanks for tuning in!

Meeting adjourned!

Posted in News, Podcast Notes

Meeting Notes: Episode 10

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

TEN! TEN! TEN! Ten hours of podcasting shared with the world! We are excited and AMAZED that you are listening and checking in here. Our episode is below, in case you haven’t checked it out on SoundCloud yet!

This week was SO FULL of social media goodness that we spent almost the entire time talking about the crazy stories we saw on Twitter over the weekend.

Sunday brought with it the Game of Thrones finale and from the general reaction of pretty much everyone, it seemed a little underwhelming. Half of the Ladies watch and the other half don’t, so we had to count on Carrie and Sam to give us their opinions based on what happened. The most unusual thing about the series is that it had to wrap up without the books to help guide the writers! There are some spoilers in our podcast, so don’t listen if you haven’t watched yet. Go watch and then catch up with our reactions, which are nicely summed up by this meme.

Also happening at the tail end of the weekend was the announcement, which is technically still a rumor, that Robert Pattinson may be signed on to play Batman. Our immediate thoughts were…wait, Cedric? Edward? Batman? Is this possible? We’re not sure that Robert is going to be able to pull it off. As Carrie explains, Batman has to do a lot of expressing through a mask…in the Twilight series he had his whole face and still didn’t show any emotion. If you need a reminder about Edward Cullen’s limited emotional range, just type “Edward Cullen” in the search bar on YouTube. You’ll be quickly reminded. Meghan did remind us that he was amazing in Water for Elephants, so maybe he does have it in him after all.

Twitter was ABLAZE last week with this debate: Do you actually wash your legs and feet in the shower, or is it fine to just let the soapy water run over them and call them clean? Let us start by saying this: the differences in the way people shower are and always will be a fascinating topic. People spend most of their lives showering (or doing any variety of daily life tasks) in a certain way and it’s always mind-boggling when you realize someone does something differently than you. While we may not understand people who don’t actually wash their entire bodies, we can appreciate a healthy debate. More importantly, this is beauty of social media. A simple question turns in to a hot topic that makes headlines all over! As we talked, we started our own debate: Loofah, washcloth, hands, or sea sponge? What do you use to wash in the shower? Talk to us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram – do you wash your feet and your legs? Do you use a loofah or a wash cloth? Give us your shower thoughts!

If there is anyone out there in the world that can explain the denim swimsuit to us PLEASE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY. This showed up on social media over the weekend and it is beyond our comprehension. We discuss all the problems with a denim swimsuit in the episode. if you want to check it out yourself, here ya go:

You can buy your very own denim swimsuit from the company Shinesty. Their website is here: https://www.shinesty.com/collections/denim-jean-bathing-suits and you can check out ALL the varieties of denim (and other) swimwear here.

Sam saved us from even more of Nicole’s social media headlines by sharing a really heartwarming and interesting thing she saw last week. Lego will be releasing a new line called “Lego Braille Bricks” to help teach kids braille We thought this was pretty awesome! We love all things that help kids (and adults) with different disabilities have equal access to things. In addition, Lego will be offering them free of charge to partnering institutions. According to CNN, only 10% of visually-impaired and blind children are learning Braille; however, there is connection between knowing Braille and having a higher education and better employment – so it seems like it’s important to reintroduce Braille!

We had another conversation about good customer service (Shout out to Savage River Lodge!) and this led to discuss the mistake over the weekend that cost a restaurant almost $5,000 dollars. Check out the article from People: here. Thankfully for everyone involved, the restaurant was really understanding and everything came out fine in the end. More importantly, we need to know how it’s possible to have a bottle of wine from 2001 that’s almost $6,000. Any wine connoisseurs that can help us? Anyone have some really expensive wine they would want us to try? Let us know!

Time to recap The Bachelorette:

  • All the guys we had on our lists survived the night. So far, so good.
  • Sam and Carrie’s picks (Dylan and Jed) seem to be good ones! We got to see both of them interact with Hannah and she seems to like them both.
  • On the first group date, the BEST part of the date was the reaction of Miss J and the drag queen judges. If we could have had a split screen showing them on one half and the guys on the other, that would have made it even better.
  • The worst part of the first group date was Luke P. Is there anything more creepy than a guy who says he’s falling in love with you after less than 48 hours? Oh, wait, a guy who has spent only TWO of those 48 hours with you saying he’s falling in love with you…yeah, that’s worse.
  • The most uncomfortable part of Monday’s episode was when Jed walks in on Hannah and Luke giving “massages” and his shirt is off. Basically, after Luke, who apparently has given up sex, completely unzipped Hannah’s dress, she made him take off his shirt. Jed comes in and accidentally interrupts and what follows is the most mature reaction to anything ever in Bachelor/Bachelorette history.
    • About this: props to Hannah for being real about it, admitting she messed up, and being strong enough to go face Jed right afterwards. Even MORE props to Jed for turning it in to a joke, not making her feel worse, and not letting it ruin his time with Hannah. If the situation had been reversed, Luke’s head probably would have exploded because that seems like the kind of guy he is.
  • We determined that of these guys look way better than they did on night one and some of them we don’t even recognize.
  • Cam is the worst. He’s rude and pushy and not appealing and he justifies all of it by saying “ABC – Always Be Cam” and we think if this is what it’s like to be Cam, Hannah better kick him off sooner rather than later.
  • Finally, we didn’t even know who Tyler G. was before the date, and while it wasn’t the most exciting date ever, he did actually ask her what her life dreams are, which seemed like a pretty real conversation.

You have to let us know who you think is worse: Cam or Luke P.? They each have their own long lists of things that we can’t overlook. Both of these guys are walking red flags, so it’s just a matter of how long Hannah will take to realize it. We predict she will get rid of Cam first, simply because she’s so blinded by lust when it comes to Luke P. We’ll find out next week!

Thank you SO MUCH for tuning in this week and hanging with us. Share your thoughts with us on any social media network. We would LOVE to hear what you think!

Posted in Podcast Notes

Meeting Notes: Episode 9

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Welcome back! Thanks for tuning back in after our short, one week break! We were excited to come back this week and had tons of good stuff to talk about! Check out the SoundCloud below!

First up, Mother’s Day! Did you know that Mother’s Day became an official holiday in 1914? Even MORE interesting, is the fact that the woman who worked so hard to have Mother’s Day nationally recognized decided to change her mind six years later. Is this something that seems typical of moms? What’s the BEST gift to give on Mother’s Day? Tell us what you got for Mother’s Day, or what gift would make your Mother’s Day perfect. AND listen in to hear what we think is the best idea for Mother’s Day.

‘Tis the season for promposals! Quite honestly, the Ladies Auxiliary does not subscribe to a promposal. We don’t understand it and we are worried about the expectations it’s creating for people later in life. Can we go back to the good old days where you just TOLD your boyfriend or girlfriend you were going together? How were you asked to prom? Did you enjoy prom? We talk all things prom and how different it is from OUR proms. Talk to us on social media and let us know your thoughts!

We would be remiss if we didn’t touch on some Royal Baby News! We officially had a name for the newest member of the royal family last Wednesday, but when his name was shared with the world, there was some pretty universal confusion. With a name like Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, you would think there would be a lot to unpack; however, in comparison to other royal babes, his name is pretty short. In addition, there’s seemingly no nod to Princess Diana and Meghan and Harry have decided to forgo a royal title until it’s Archie’s “right” to become prince. Carrie did a fantastic job explaining all the twists and turns you need to take to understand the whole thing, so be sure to listen to her great explanation. Think about this: If you had the chance to give your child a royal title, would you or not? We have some interesting answers and thoughts on this question!

Regardless of what we think of his name, we all agreed the picture the Duke and Duchess of Sussex posted on Mother’s Day was absolutely perfect.

After the royal family, we had to share some strange but true crime stories we had heard over the last week.

If you are an avid hiker, you may have hiking the Appalachian Trail on your bucket list. While we definitely commend your ambition, we MUST caution you. The Appalachian Trail attracts millions of visitors each year, but this story might make you think twice before you travel, especially alone or in a small group. Last week, a man made headlines for attacking several hikers on the trail. One man was killed and another woman was wounded in the attack. The man who attacked the hikers had been arrested earlier in Tennessee for another incident involving hikers on the trail. Listen to hear the whole story but just remember this: if you see a guy with a bad mullet singing and playing a guitar while he follows you around the wilderness, LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.

We also touched on the story of Kristaps Porzingis who was assaulted in his home country of Latvia. Why you ask? Because he was traded from the NY Knicks to the Dallas Mavericks. The real highlight of this story is the video, which was taken after the altercation occurred. Can you even imagine a circumstance where you would be willing to fight a guy THIS BIG? Not me. Not even with a group of friends. Nevermind that the reason was absolutely absurd.

Our recommendation this week came from Meghan, who bought and tried out a Flamingo Razor this weekend. Their slogan actually is “a quality razor for women that isn’t a razor for men.” She bought it at Target and bought the shaving gel too. If you’ve struggled to find a women’s razor that works as well as a men’s razor, but doesn’t break the bank, then this one might be for you! You can get an entire shave set that includes a razor, two blades, shaving gel, and body lotion for $16 on their website! We are so thankful that there is finally a company out there that recognizes that our legs need a good razor just as bad as a man’s face does! They have waxing kits as well too, if that’s your preference! Check them out HERE.

Last, but most certainly not least, The Bachelorette. Monday was the premier of Alabama Hannah’s season and we could not be more into her. While we were skeptical at first, she’s shown so far that she is no-nonsense and a lot more authentic than we originally thought.

Since we normally record the podcast on Monday, we’ve decided we’re going to each select a few guys that we could see going the distance and keep track of them on Monday nights. Then, on Wednesdays, we’ll update you here on the blog with how our guys our doing. Obviously, we will discuss the important things on the podcast, but most of our Bachelorette goodies will be here on the blog for you to check out. If you need a quick refresher, or photos to go with the names while we talk about them, check out ABC’s gallery of Hannah’s guys HERE.

Let’s take a look at who we picked…

  • Meghan’s Guys: Peter, Garrett, Luke P., Connor S., Mike
  • Sam’s Guys: Cam, Mike, Connor S., Dylan, and Garrett
  • Carrie’s Guys: Cam, Jed, Connor S., Luke S., Mike
  • Nicole’s Guys: Mike, Cam, Peter, Connor S., Luke P.*

*Note: While Nicole fully believes Luke P. WILL make it pretty far, she’s also of the firm belief that he has no business making it past the second rose ceremony. She has no confidence in Hannah’s ability to see this guy for who he really is because she also watched Andi (and America) fall for Josh Murray and we all know how that turned out.

As you can see, we definitely had some similar favorites. Sam and Carrie both picked a dark horse with Dylan and Jed. Peter isn’t on Sam’s list because she doesn’t think he’s that cute. Nicole considered picking Kevin as an underdog pick, but is bad at decision making and hates to be wrong, so she didn’t. We will follow up with these guys in next week’s blog post to see how they did!

Some important things to discuss from Monday’s premier:

  • John Paul Jones: Personally, we think she kept him simply because he was one of the names she could easily remember. After an introduction like that (“I’m John Paul Jones. My friends call me John Paul Jones. You can call me John Paul Jones.”) how could she possibly forget him? For better or for worse, we have John Paul Jones for another week. Do you think he would be offended if we abbreviated him JPJ?
  • Grant: Typically, the drunk guy gets escorted out of the house on the first night. Grant seemed lucky enough to escape this fate. He isn’t the typically belligerent drunk guy we usually see, so maybe that saved him. While his hot dog introduction was clever, we’re not sure his unemployed self is going to get very far.
  • Cam: This guy. He already had a rose and still came ready to play. His rap rhymed something with Nick Saban, which obviously scored major points with Hannah. As long as he doesn’t turn out to be a complete jerk (which from the very well edited previews, he might be) he’ll probably go pretty far. Hannah also gave him the first kiss, so he gets points for that and also some bonus points because when he kisses he doesn’t lead with his tongue, (like Colton did) and that’s a big selling point for the Ladies Auxiliary.
  • Connor J: We’ll be honest: we didn’t have high hopes for him after his introduction, but the surprise bachelorette party was definitely a good move. I was pleasantly surprised by him and I think Hannah was too!
  • Luke P: The Ladies Auxiliary is FULL of mixed feelings about this guy. He looks like Bryce Harper, so Meghan is sold on him. He acts like Josh Murray, so that makes us hesitant. He also said he was already falling in love which is additionally worrisome. We did have some hope for him when he was the ONLY one to go check on Hannah after the Scott drama. But then she told him she was cold and he didn’t offer her his jacket so…that about sums up Luke for ya.
  • Tyler C: His favorite word is “stoked” and his voice has absolutely ZERO expression or intonation, so we are struggling with the idea that we may have to watch him and listen to him talk for more than just two episodes. The previews lead us to believe he has great abs, but while we were taking notes, we actually wrote “NO, NO, NO” next to his name, and it’s safe to say that abs can’t salvage a positive first impression for him. We can’t imagine someone worse for Hannah (except for Scott who had a girlfriend.)

Most of the other guys were pretty run of the mill. We are only slightly (read: VERY) worried that one of these guys is going to be the next Bachelor…at this point we can’t imagine which one ABC is going to pitch to us. We’ll have to wait and see the edits. Also in editing news, we can pretty much all agree that ABC edits the season to look EXTRA dramatic every time and then none of it actually plays out the way it seems. Some of this stuff probably won’t even be shown in the actual season, depending on who Hannah picks and who they’re going to use for the next Bachelor. Only time will tell. Shout us out on social media and tell us who YOU like and who you think is going to win. Also, we need your thoughts on who had the worst night one.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for tuning in and listening to us again this week. We are excited to be back and can’t wait to hear all your thoughts on this episode!

Posted in News

A Week with No Podcast Episode

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

But not a week with no news! Just because we aren’t podcasting this week doesn’t mean there isn’t PLENTY to talk about. We’ve decided to recap all the important news from this week and weekend for you below.

First, and most importantly, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry welcomed a new baby boy on Monday, May 6. Royal Baby Watch is officially over! We basically had no idea when her due date was, or if the baby would be a boy or a girl, so the entire thing was a huge (and happy!) surprise. Harry didn’t give us a name, as they are still “deciding.” Watch the SWEETEST announcement ever below. Harry is glowing, and we are here for all his happy dad vibes!

If this doesn’t make your heart explode, nothing will.
Photo from the BBC article

We got to see the sweet little baby for the first time today, and he’s completely adorable. Meghan looks amazing, and Harry continues to look like a man completely in love. Check out the BBC’s article on the world meeting the new baby HERE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48201625

There’s still no name though. The Ladies Auxiliary has to know how it’s possible to wait DAYS to name your baby. Harry mentioned that he was a little bit overdue, which means they have had EXTRA time to talk about and decide on baby names. They have to have a list of names they are considering, right? It’s got to be narrowed down to a couple, yes? Even if you are waiting until you’ve met the baby, which is understandable, he’s been here for three days now! And here’s the most important question of all: What have they been calling this little guy while they’re snuggling him up?! We’re desperate to know. We know there’s something really exciting about keeping the actual name a surprise for delivery but we had it ready to share with friends and family right after the babes were born. If you waited DAYS to name your baby, please tell us why and what you called the baby in the meantime.

In other news, over the weekend was the Kentucky Derby! Mostly, the news from this is only exciting if the horse has a chance to be a Triple Crown winner, or if you’re discussing the fashion choices of those who attend. This year, there was some serious controversy over the winner, Country House and his jockey Flavien Prat.

Check out photos from the Derby HERE.

Maximum Security, the horse who won the race initially, was disqualified because at some point during the race, he veered into another lane. This violates a rule that, from all we’ve heard, is a critical safety rule on the track. Collisions among horses can result in serious injuries for jockeys and horses alike, and if a horse, or person, is critically injured, it could result in death. Injuries to horses are really quite common during horse-racing events and these types of fouls are called in regular races all the time.

Most people that have been talking about this seem to support that the right decision was made; however, it does raise a question of situational ethics.

So…does the event or the platform change the way the rules should be called? Is it different because it’s the Kentucky Derby and the horse who committed the foul was originally crowned the winner? Some people would argue yes, while those who supported the call were glad to see the same standards being upheld, even on such a public and international stage. We see this same question raised in all areas of sports, and even in life. During the SuperBowl, or the Stanley Cup, or the NBA Finals, do referees call things differently than they do in the regular season? Do they call things differently in overtime than they do during the regular game? Should they? Share your thoughts with us here or on Social Media so we can discuss!

Last, we HAVE to mention the Met Gala. Here’s how it’s described by Vogue Magazine in the story they recently published about it online:


Colloquially and affectionately referred to as โ€œfashionโ€™s biggest night out,โ€ the Met Gala 2019 is a pinnacle of iconic style. A fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the event welcomes celebrity stars, young creatives, and industry paragons alike. And the excitement doesnโ€™t stop thereโ€”the gala also signifies the highly anticipated grand opening of the Costume Instituteโ€™s annual fashion exhibition: โ€œCamp: Notes on Fashionโ€ opening on May 9, 2019.

https://www.vogue.com/tag/event/met-gala

We’ve seen a lot of photos from the night. You can check them out HERE in the Vogue article. There is SO MUCH HYPE about this event. It was all over social media all evening…but the big question we find ourselves asking is this: Do you get it? Does the fashion make sense? If we think about it as a big celebrity costume party, that makes more sense the the idea that this is a display of iconic fashion. Katy Perry basically came as Lumiere from Beauty and Beast. Do we think that is actually iconic?

Time Magazine’s photo of Katy Perry from the Met Gala.
http://time.com/5584470/katy-perry-met-gala-2019/

Tell us your thoughts. Are we missing something here? Are we using the wrong lens to look at and understand what’s happening? Should we be more excited about this than we are? Please help!

Thanks for checking out this week’s blog post. While you’re waiting for us to be back next week, make sure you catch up on all of our past episodes. They’re on SoundCloud for you to check out at any time!

We will be back with a new podcast episode next week because…drum roll please…THE BACHELORETTE STARTS ON MONDAY! Not only will we have so, so, SO much to talk about from this new season, but ABC also aired a very special Bachelorette Reunion special. There is so much there to dissect. Buy your wine now, and if you haven’t seen the amazing promo video they did for Hannah B., check it out below to help you get ready for a brand new journey to find love!

As always, we love you for sticking with us! Catch us next week!

Posted in Uncategorized

Meeting Notes: Episode 8

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

EIGHT episodes down! You’ll find the SoundCloud link to our most recent episode below. There’s a lot we cover in this one and you’ll definitely want to follow along with the meeting notes so you can check out all the articles we reference here.

Weekend Wrap Up gave us two very important announcements. One, Happy Birthday to Carrie’s husband Nathan who, in the Easter excitement, we did not mention last week. Two, Meghan did not, in fact, run her 13 miles. Instead, she visited a wine shop and fell asleep with her shoes on the couch. *insert eye-roll here*

Earth Day Connections and Recommendations

First up: If you’ve been listening and keeping up with us on the blog and social media, then you know we’ve been inspired by Earth Day. After the actual holiday, we challenged ourselves to find ways to make changes in our daily lives that would positively impact the Earth. So far we’ve…

Click the picture to check out ALL the goodies on the HydroJug site!
  • Changed the setting on our thermostats or left them off completely to use the natural temperature outside to heat/cool our homes.
  • Gotten reusable bags to take grocery shopping for things like produce.
  • Invested in new, re-usable water bottles. Meghan just purchased the HydroJug. This water bottle is super cool because you only need to fill it TWICE throughout the day – it holds a half gallon of water! In addition, it comes with a handy strap for carrying and a pocket to hold things like your phone, so you can easily transport things you need. It’s also BPA free and dishwasher safe! It would be a great purchase for the summer, when you’ll definitely need to stay hydrated.
  • Discussed (and in some cases purchased and have used) menstrual cups. Okay, this might be a strange one but just THINK of all the waste produced by the convenience of tampons and pads! Plastic applicators, plastic packaging, and the fact that all those flushed products go through the waste-water treatment. Beyond that, the chemicals used in traditional products are dangerous. If you’ve ever read the labels and done some research, you might be surprised! There are some companies out there offering organic, plastic free options, but a most cost effective way might be a menstrual cup. Sam, bravely, talked to us about how she started the process for finding one that worked for her and how it’s been going so far. Spoiler alert: It’s been awesome! If you’re interested, check out PutACupInIt.com for a quiz to determine which cup is best for you, and compare the different types available. While we know it might not be for everyone, it’s important that we at least understand all our options.

We are the only ones out there in the world trying to make a difference. Carrie told us about how the London Marathon is trying to help cut back on plastic water bottles too. Check out the article HERE to read about about the new form of hydration they are offering runners! What have YOU been doing to help the Earth? Even small, simple gestures can make a difference!

Marine Life Military?

Talking about water and the safety of people and animals alike, reminded Nicole of an article she saw on CNN. Here’s a video to go along with the story she told.

This is almost too unbelievable to be true! The story definitely creates more questions than it answers and left us feeling overwhelmed with strange possibilities. Listen to hear our reactions!

50 Cent vs…Lala Kent?

Is this real life? In another stranger than fiction story from the last couple days, 50 Cent, also trending on social media recently as Fofty, was involved in a BIG social media feud with Lala (of Vanderpump Rules fame) and her producer fiancee. This was not only the most confusing thing happening for awhile, but also the most entertaining. Randall, Lala’s “man” as she likes to call him, is working with Fifty on some projects….and apparently owed him a MILLION DOLLARS. Which Fifty wasn’t bothered by until he saw Lala bragging about their lavish lifestyle on a recent episode of Pump. Essentially, things were resolved, and because Fifty is a man of his word, it’s all deleted from his social media. But the Internet is WAY less forgiving and we’ve got the receipts to enjoy forevermore. Buzzfeed did an absolutely amazing job of capturing the whole thing in a nicely organized timeline, complete with screenshots. Check it out HERE and share your thoughts with us.

Carrie’s Late Night Musings

Carrie’s Late Night Musing this week was about…CAMPING! It’s camping season and we here at The Ladies Auxiliary have a lot of thoughts about camping. We discussed the variety of ways people nowadays “camp.” Thinking of camping, we usually picture a tent, a campfire, and a sleeping bag; however, now most people we know that camp have campers and big RVs that they take to campsites that are really just groups of campers and RVs. Is this camping? Are we losing the old, leave no trace, version of camping in place of this more comfortable version? What constitutes “authentic” camping?

These questions, and more, led us to then wonder how people go camping at the same site every single weekend. When do you do your laundry? When do you go grocery shopping? When do you clean your real house? When do you clean your camper? We accomplish SO MUCH in the two short days of the weekend, we have to know how you make it work to go away and camp every weekend. Listen in to hear some of our thoughts.

This week we covered a whole bunch of different topics and ideas. Reach out to us on social media and share your thoughts. We would love to hear from you! Stay tuned for more on the invisible mental load we all carry AND our next episode, coming next week!

Meeting adjourned!

Posted in Lifestyle

Earth Day: Every Day!

Posted on by theladiesauxiliary301

Earth Day is celebrated annually on April 22 and first began in 1970. Environmental concerns continue to make headlines in the news. More than ever, there is a call to action. Increased awareness has taught us that as time continues to pass, the Earth continues to change in response to human activity. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and in honor of the holiday, it seemed important to discuss how we can make a positive impact on the Earth. As the great Maya Angelou said, “I have great respect for the past. If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”

So how did this increasingly important day get its start?

We can attribute Earth Day to the hard work of many individuals, most famously Rachel Carson, Senator Gaylord Nelson, and Denis Hayes. Carson’s book Silent Springs and her work on environmental issues inspired others to get involved and eventually led to the movement that brought about Earth Day. Senator Nelson. horrified by the Santa Barbara oil spill in 1969 and the Cuyahoga River Fire the same year, knew he must do something to stop the destruction of the planet. He enlisted the help of Denis Hayes, who took a year off from school, to plan the massive celebration. More than 20 million people across the country took place in demonstrations and protests, sit-ins and teach-ins, that aimed to show the world how important it was to make changes that would help protect our planet.

After that, the idea took off! The Ladies Auxiliary believes it’s important to celebrate Earth Day, but it’s even more important to treat EVERY day as if it’s Earth Day. We are charged with the monumental task of protecting this amazing world and it’s going to take more than one day to do it! We’ve compiled a list of some ways you can make a positive impact on the environment. Check out our ideas below!

Reduce! Reuse! Recycle! Nowadays, most communities have a recycling program. Be sure to follow all the rules and regulations when using your town’s bins. This will ensure that your items are actually being recycled. Check out Earth911 for a lot of good recycling information, if you’re looking to make your impact even bigger!

Recycling is great, but we can make an even bigger impact by focusing first on reducing and reusing. Find new ways to re-purpose the things you are going to recycle before they end up in bin! Think about ways to reuse jars and milk jugs, plastic bags, and boxes. One of the things the Ladies talked about that we want to do is REDUCE the amount of trash and recycling we create. You can do this is SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.

  • Use reusable shopping bags anytime you go out. Especially at the grocery store!
  • Get everyone a lunchbox instead of using brown bags, plastic bags or buying lunch out.
  • Look for items at the store with the least amount of packaging.
  • Buy local produce from Farmer’s Markets and roadside stands. Not only will this help reduce waste, but it reduces pollution because there’s no transportation and shipping of the food!
  • Use tupperware and reusable containers for food instead of plastic baggies.
  • Composting – this one takes a little bit of research BUT if you can reduce your food waste and compost, this could make a big difference!
  • Skip the plastic straws – carry your own metal straw with you, or skip the straws altogether when you go to fast food places, restaurants, or Starbucks.

Now, let’s talk water. Laundry. Dishes. Personal Hygiene. Drinking. The amount of water an average family of four uses in a month is an astounding 12,000 gallons! The less water you use in your home, the less water that will end up as waste water or runoff that will eventually end up in the oceans. You can conserve water by…

  • Shortening shower times – Carrie has been doing this! Use a timer to track how long your showers are, and then try to reduce the length of time you spend in the shower. Installing a new, environmentally friendly shower-head will reduce the amount of water you waste, and still help maintain great water pressure. If you have kiddos, or take a bath, consider filling the tub up less than you usually do, or turning the faucet on and off as you rinse!
  • Speaking of turning the faucet off…don’t leave it running while you brush your teeth, wash dishes in the sink, or wash your face. The average faucet pours out three gallons of water PER MINUTE so this tiny habit can save A LOT of water.
  • Skip the bottled water – This is one that many of us are not good at. Buy a Brita water pitcher or install a faucet filter. Then, use a refillable water bottle. Nicole’s favorite is her glass bottle from BKR. Check them out here !

Another important way to help the environment is to reduce the amount of chemicals we use in our homes and at work. Look for cleaners that are plant-based, or environmentally friendly. Choose cleaners that are non-toxic. Nowadays, you can find tons of recipes on the internet for DIY detergents and cleaners, made usually from products you have at home. These can save money and reduce the amount of toxins that are flushed into our water systems.

You can save electricity by unplugging appliances, like the toaster or your cell phone chargers, when you aren’t using them. Don’t plug in your cell phone until it’s absolutely necessary. Turn off lights when you leave a room. If you have a device like a Google Home or Amazon Alexa, you can put your lights on a timer. Taking shorter showers saves electricity too. Not many people we know like taking cold showers. Hot showers require your water heater to run which uses electricity. Shorter showers mean less hot water, which leads to less electricity used. Also, pay attention to that thermostat! Adjusting your thermostat by just two or three degrees can conserve a lot of energy. Open (or close) your windows and use the blinds to help manage airflow, or keep a room shady and cool.

The laundry room is another place you can do A LOT to help the Earth…

  • Reduce the number of laundry loads you do. Now this is something we can all get behind. Consider re-wearing those hoodies, sweaters, jackets, and jeans at least more than one time without washing them. As long as they’re clean (and smell okay) why not wait to wash them? This will save water and time! In addition, try to make sure you have a full load before you dump your clothes in the washer. This could save up to 3,400 gallons of water a year!
  • Washers using hot water pose the same problem as long hot showers. Try switching just a couple loads a week to cold water and you’ll catch even more energy savings.
  • Hang or line dry your clothes and blankets. Reducing the amount of clothing you put in the dryer will cut down on the number of times you have to run it. Make sure the dryer is full, and be sure to set it to the recommended drying time. This will prevent it from running longer than necessary.
  • Put a dry towel in the dryer with your wet clothes. This helps speed up the drying process, saving energy again!

There are so many ways to help that are simple and easy to do. You can find endless resources and ideas online. Instagram has tons of accounts dedicated to decreasing your negative environmental impact. If this doesn’t seem like enough to you, we encourage you to also get involved in your local communities. Search out ways to help make the area you live in cleaner, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. We hope you are as inspired as we are! If you have any more tips, be sure to share them with us!