The girls are back and better than ever in 2026! They are finally recording in two separate locations and have some great things planned for the podcast in 2026 with their first podcast guest coming soon.

During the Decades Diary segment the girls discuss if friendships need to cost a lot of money and how this can change over the decades? During their current decade where their friendships revolve around their children many of the activities they do are with their whole family. They discuss some free activities you can do with friends like going to the playground or for a walk, inviting a family over to your house for a play date, or utilizing your memberships to your local YMCA or the zoo. It is alright to spend money with your friends, but it doesn't always have to be this way especially if you don't have the means to do so. Sometimes you just need to sit in a parked car with your best friend late at night and have raw, vulnerable conversations, no money spent, but your cup is so full!

They introduce another occasional segment during this episode, Marriage Minute - proof that marriage is a work in progress. This segment focuses on how to have intentional time with your partner. It is easy to become disconnected from your partner especially when you have young kids. A lot of time when you do have time to spend with you spouse, you are exhausted, overstimulated, touched out, etc and therefore the quality time doesn't happen. Something Maggie has implemented a date night schedule with her husband. They do date night twice a week and no rescheduling! All of their date nights have been at home after the kids are in bed. Ideas for at home date nights can include watching a show, online shopping, puzzling, and playing a board game.

Another new segment made its way onto the podcast this week, The Deep Connection. A listen wrote in about a special friendship of 60 plus years. This listener left us with some very wise advice that many of us may find applicable - "we've lived miles apart, but have been together when it's most important. A true bond of friendship".

They finish up the episode with joy jar of course and how hosting this holiday season filled their cups.

What's your New Years Resolution? Maggie and Aubrey are hoping to have less guilty around taking the time to exercise and laugh more! Follow along in the New Year to see if they are successful.

We Survived That: Christmas cookie edition with children. They discuss tips and tricks on how to accomplish Christmas cookie making successfully with lots of children involved.

1.) Make the same cookies every year. These are the four cookies Maggie and Aubrey have made over the years: cut outs, Mexican wedding, ginger molasses drizzled with white chocolate, and peanut butter blossoms.

2.) Prepare cookie dough's before you get together with your family/friend to make the cookies. This makes the day a little more efficient and allows you to have that quality time with your kiddos.

3.) Get the husbands involved! This year Maggie and Aubrey finally decided to let the husbands help.

4.) Know when to include the kids

5.) Don't forget the baby carrier and/or an activity center to set the baby somewhere safe.

6.) Just bring the ingredients that you have just in case someone has forgotten something.

7.) Take the photo!!!

Faith in the Everyday: Are you a special occasions / holiday church goer or do you go to church regularly? Over the decades the girls have fallen into both categories. Maggie and Aubrey discuss their journey of finding a church now that they have families of their own. You aren't always going to find the "perfect" church. Sometimes you have to just make the best decision for your family and then commit and get involved!

Joy Jar: In the jar this week - homemade brown sugar oatmilk shaken hot coffee and thrifting.

Merry Christmas!

On this episode, Maggie and Aubrey recap how for the first time, they took both of their families to the Christmas Tree Farm to pick out their trees together. They both found what they think is going to be the perfect tree. There were snowballs thrown, snowmen built, and hot cocoa drank. It was a fun time had by all!

How do you get your kids involved with giving during the Christmas season? This can be tricky especially when it involves taking your kids into a store, but it seems like Maggie has tried all kinds of strategies with her kids and she has some advice for you. What has worked well for her and what does she recommend avoiding?

During Decades Diary, Maggie and Aubrey reminisce about how Santa showed at their homes as a child and what old and new traditions they are carrying forward for their children. But also, Jesus is the reason for the season, so how are they incorporating this aspect into their Christmas season?

Christmas decorating with kids, did you survive?! Maggie and Aubrey are minimalists when it comes to decorating for Christmas these days and haven't really bought new Christmas decorations in years. What they have is working and they just don't have the mental capacity to prioritize buying new decorations. As moms we are already have so much to do around the holidays and buying new Christmas decorations just isn't a priority in this phase of life! If including the kids, just remember it takes more time, more patience, and items may break.

Of course they end the episode with Joy Jar. Maggie filled her cup by pitching a Christmas Play idea to her pastor. She is so excited to work on this project with her dad and see her own kids in the play. Aubrey filled her cup by selling some gentle used items on Facebook market place and discusses how this journey has been rewarding for her, but not in the financial sense.