Welcome back, you wonderful planned-ish people. If you’ve ever tried to make dinner while your husband is yelling at the TV and your toddler is sprinting around chanting “GO PACK GO”… welcome home. 😅

We chat on:

• our painful recording fail (RIP to the lost episode thanks to an echo + two mics + zero headphones 🙃)
• sharing what “dry-ish January” has actually done for our energy
• debriefing Joe’s first-ever Traeger brisket (complete with the stall, the wrap, and the “we were hungry so we rushed the rest” moment).

Then we dive into what you requested: football + sports in our household

• how we became a sports house (or more accurately… a “sports husband”)
• why football hits different
• how a win vs. loss shifts the vibe
• what it’s like living with playoff-mode Joe.
• also talk kids + sports, screen time during football season (we’re fine with it), and why game day = food… but the goal is great meals with minimal kitchen destruction.

And of course, we wrap with a heated Elite-ish 8: the most overrated foods (margs, Nutella, avocado toast, Eggs Benedict… we said what we said). Go vote on Instagram and help us break the season tie.

Plus: if you missed our cleaner-swaps convo, I put the whole “starter kit” in my blog + you can grab my Reset Sheet in that post to make the switch without going full 180.

🔗 Follow along: @backtwohomebase | www.backtwohomebase.com ✨ Home Base Hosting Club: backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

planned-ish podcast, football marriage, sports household, Packers fans, game day meals, hosting game day, dry January, Traeger brisket, toddler mom life, potty training weekend, clean reset, cleaner swaps, Branch Basics, family routines, Super Bowl food ideas

#PlannedishPodcast #MomLifeUnfiltered #GameDayEats #FootballFamily #HostingMadeEasy

This week on Planned-ish, Joe and I kick off the first episode of the year with a brutally real debrief: toddler Christmas programs, the “not-the-4pm-flu” flu that took us OUT, and what it looks like to parent when you’re running on Zofran + vibes. We also talk New Year intentions that actually work in real life (not fantasy-land), plus our Elite-ish 8: things that instantly make the week better.

Then I’m joined by Lindsey Wagnon — mom of two, former corporate marketing leader turned agency owner, recovering perfectionist, and marketing strategist who helps small businesses launch with smart messaging. We get into burnout, priorities, and building a business that fits your life (not the other way around).

We talk:

– The moment she knew corporate life wasn’t sustainable anymore (& what pushed her to leave)

– Ditching the expectation that moms have to want the “standard path”

– Recovering perfectionism + embracing the “B+ lifestyle” in motherhood

– Why priorities come before business goals (lifestyle-first planning)

– How to simplify an overloaded to-do list without guilt

– Marketing strategy vs. brand storytelling (and what actually moves the needle)

Plus:

✨ Debrief + New Year Reset with Joe: the holiday flu chaos, the post-holiday overstimulation crash, and our real-life 2026 intentions (communication + active listening, less guilt, less comparison, more realistic routines)

📝 Resolutions + Reflections: what we’re leaving in 2025, what we’re focusing on in 2026 (health, communication), and goals that are actually doable in the toddler trenches

🏆 Elite-ish 8: things that instantly improve your week (sleep, meal plan, clean sheets, a midweek treat, to-do lists, quality time with the kids, and more)

✨ Follow Lindsey: Instagram | www.lindseywagnon.com

🎧 Her podcast: Savvy Startup Marketer

🔗 Follow along: @backtwohomebase | www.backtwohomebase.com

✨ Home Base Hosting Club: backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

🔗 New Years Vision Canvas + Q1 Bingo Card: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/elite-ish-edit/newyearvisions

mom podcast, parenting toddlers, mom burnout, marriage communication, realistic New Year goals, family routines, mental load, burnout recovery, working mom life, corporate to entrepreneur, mom business owner, lifestyle-first business, recovering perfectionist, mental load, priorities over perfection, time management for moms, productivity for moms, marketing strategy, messaging strategy, content strategy, small business marketing, agency owner, mom routines, realistic goal setting

#mompreneur #momlifeunfiltered #parentingpodcast #marketingstrategy #toddlermomlife

This week on Planned-ish, we’re sitting down with Sydney O’Brien — content & messaging strategist, military spouse, mom of three, and queen of building a business in the cracks of real life. From deployment seasons to school transitions and schedules that never look the same two days in a row, Sydney basically lives in the planned-ish trenches every day.

We talk:

– Starting a business during deployment with a 6-month-old, 2-year-old, and 4-year-old

– How to build something meaningful when plans change every five minutes

– Letting “good enough” actually be enough for the house, the business, and the to-do list

– Mental load, invisible labor, and why communication with your partner + kids matters so much

– Boundaries, expectations, and how to talk about what you need without burning out

Plus:

✨ Debrief of the Week: Two and a half weeks of family in town, school Christmas programs, Mickey’s Once & Twice Upon a Christmas on repeat, and the great “treadmill” Christmas gift reveal

💩 Poopgate 2025: Twin diaper removals, mystery corner piles, Reddit-level research on potty training, and our very scientific January plan

🎄 Holiday Survival Vibes: Half-hearted workouts, nightly walks, Christmas Eve/Day pasta + burger traditions, and setting tiny, actually-doable New Year’s resolutions

🏆 Elite-ish 8: Top Christmas Movies — Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Home Alone, The Grinch, Christmas with the Kranks, The Holiday, and more comfort-watch chaos

Whether you’re hiding Amazon boxes, stepping over toys, debating if Instagram can wait, or just here for Christmas movie talk and twin potty-training solidarity — this one’s got it all, Planned-ish style. 💙

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✨ Follow Sydney on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sydneyobrien.co/ or visit her site https://sydneyobrien.com/

She helps mompreneurs create content that leads to clients, even with limited time.

Check out her podcast too Mompreneur Mastery: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mompreneur-mastery/id1695196941

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🔗 Follow along:

✨ Follow https://www.instagram.com/backtwohomebase/ for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes

✨Join the Home Base Hosting Club for monthly hosting inspo: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

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💸 Discount Codes:

✨Use code ALEXANDRA40 to get 20% off planners and productivity tools at https://hustlesanely.com?bg_ref=hy0sXI9E0v

✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

This week on Planned-ish, we’re sitting down with Taylor — wealth advisor at UBS, women’s collective host, Friendsgiving queen, and yes… Alexandra’s sister. From helping families build real-life financial plans to creating spaces where women can talk honestly about money, Taylor is in the middle of where wealth, hosting, and community all meet.

We talk:

– The simplest money moves families can set up now (that future you will thank you for) – Why automatic savings + 529 plans are “gold standard” and how to actually start – How to make money talks with your partner feel like a check-in, not a fight – What women are really craving when they gather — and how her women’s collective started – How she hosted a gorgeous Friendsgiving using the Seasoned & Gathered kit

Plus:

✨ Debrief of the Week: Our most productive week in months — spa afterglow, five at-home workouts, deep-cleaned baseboards, yard work, and celebrating 8 years in our house

🍗 Thanksgiving Chaos Report: 77 grocery-list line items, timeout culture with two-year-olds, twins becoming “restaurant kids,” and Joe’s plan to weigh himself before and after the holiday strictly for science

🏆 Elite-ish 8: Top Thanksgiving Foods (stuffing with sausage, rolls, mac & cheese, cobbler, and the very controversial broccoli casserole)

🍷 Hosting in Real Life: Potluck Friendsgiving, make-ahead menus, and why hosting doesn’t have to mean doing everything yourself

Whether you’re trying to get your money life together, looking for hosting inspo, or just here for buttery, broccoli-casserole-level chaos — this one’s got it all, Planned-ish style. 💙

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✨ If you’re looking for personalized financial planning or need help getting your money systems in place, you can reach out to Taylor directly at: taylor.chaplin@ubs.com

She truly is the best at making finances feel clear, doable, and aligned with real life.

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🔗 Follow along:

✨ Follow https://www.instagram.com/backtwohomebase/ for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes

✨Join the Home Base Hosting Club for monthly hosting inspo: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

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💸 Discount Codes:

✨Use code ALEXANDRA40 to get 20% off planners and productivity tools at https://hustlesanely.com?bg_ref=hy0sXI9E0v

✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

This week on Planned-ish, we are back after a very on-brand three-week break — two tired parents, one crazy schedule, and Christmas decor already up before the turkey’s even in the oven. 🎄🦃

We’re talking about why waiting for life to “slow down” means you’d never see your people, how our house went from Halloween to full Christmas in seven days (with toddlers), and why attic ladders + decor boxes are Joe’s villain origin story.

We also get into timeout culture with toddlers, what actually works for us (spoiler: consistency and very few rules), and Alexandra’s dreamy spa getaway at The Boca Raton… while Joe did a four-day solo dad marathon with school runs, sick twins, and very ambitious breakfast burritos.

Plus, we break down this month’s Home Base Hosting Club drop — Seasoned & Gathered — a cozy, non-basic Thanksgiving hosting kit with fall-inspired recipes, an easy wine-tasting activity right at your table, and a kid craft that buys you 20 minutes of sanity. Then we wrap with our Elite-ish 8: Top Thanksgiving Week Activities, drafting everything from football and leftovers to loungewear and Hallmark-level Christmas movies.

Plus:

✨ Debrief of the Week: Four days of solo parenting, Domino’s by the fire pit, and why timeouts are our current survival tool

🧖‍♀️ Girls’ Trip Recap: Alexandra’s spa weekend at The Boca Raton and why “health is wealth” is hitting different in our 30s

🍷 Seasoned & Gathered Deep Dive: The November Home Base Hosting Club kit — harvest salad, truffle mac, steak bites, DIY wine tasting, and a kid-friendly turkey craft

🏈 Elite-ish 8: Our draft of Top Thanksgiving Week Activities (football, leftovers, night-before-Thanksgiving bar runs, board games, Christmas movies, and more)

If you’re juggling kids, careers, holidays, and a house that somehow has both Christmas lights and baby gates everywhere, this one’s for you. Cozy up in your loungewear, reheat some leftovers, and let’s do the holidays — Planned-ish style. 💙

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🔗 Follow along:

✨ Follow @backtwohomebase for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes

✨Join the Home Base Hosting Club for monthly hosting inspo: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

_________________________________________________

💸 Discount Codes:

✨Use code ALEXANDRA40 to get 20% off planners and productivity tools at https://hustlesanely.com?bg_ref=hy0sXI9E0v

✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

This week on Planned-ish, we’re back with a full Halloween hangout — pumpkin patches, overpriced candy, and twins living their best spooky season lives. We’re talking about our fourth pumpkin patch of the year, Home Depot “decor” trips, and how long it takes before one kid cries at the animatronic skeleton.

We also get into Halloween on a budget, the great “trick-or-treat tax” debate (parents deserve the Reese’s, right?), and reflect on hitting 21 episodes of this wild ride called Planned-ish.

Plus:

✨ Our Debrief of the week — pumpkin patches and how after-dinner walks are the new date night

⚡️ Rapid Fire: “What’s Worse — Halloween Edition” (spoiler: it’s fake blood stains)

🏆 Our Elite-ish 8: Top Halloween Candy

Grab your mini Snickers, cue up Hocus Pocus, and let’s do spooky season — Planned-ish style. 💙

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🔗 Follow along:

✨ Follow https://www.instagram.com/backtwohomebase/ for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes

✨Join the Home Base Hosting Club for monthly hosting inspo: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

_____________________________________________________________

💸 Discount Codes:

✨Use code ALEXANDRA40 to get 20% off planners and productivity tools at https://hustlesanely.com?bg_ref=hy0sXI9E0v

✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

This week on Planned-ish, it’s just the two of us — and we’ve got stories.

After nearly three weeks on the road with the twins, we’re back home, semi-recovered, and recapping all the chaos. From pumpkin patches and breweries to Joe’s new potential blind cheeseburger taste test challenge, it’s giving “married meets mildly unhinged.”

We talk:

– The final stretch of our 3-week family road trip

– Joe’s 5 days of bachelor life (and what actually happened)

– Our pumpkin patch adventure + new favorite brewery find

– The cheeseburger taste test that’s officially going to happen

– Travel chaos, toddler sickness, and everything in between

Plus:

✨ Our Debrief of the week — road trip wrap-up + fall weekend fun

⚡️ Rapid fire: What’s Worse — Travel Edition

🏆 Our Elite-ish 8: Top Halloween Movies

📱 And your In the Group Chat answers: “What’s the one thing that got you through traveling with your kids?”

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🔗 Follow along:

✨ Follow @backtwohomebase for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes

✨Join the Home Base Hosting Club for monthly hosting inspo: https://www.backtwohomebase.com/homebasehostingclub

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✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

This week on Planned-ish, we’re going full family edition — because we’ve got Joe’s sisters, Fiona and Sophia, on the pod!

From growing up with Joe to becoming fun aunts to our twins, this episode has sibling roast energy, parenting chaos, and more laughter than family therapy ever could.

We talk:

– What Joe was really like growing up (spoiler: not a rule follower)

– The dumbest sibling arguments that somehow lasted years

– What happens if the girls were left alone with our twins for a weekend

– Bribe strategies that would actually work on toddlers

– The reality TV show that best describes our entire family

Plus:

✨ Our Debrief of the week: our October road trip with the boys, best restaurant stops, and life in New Jersey with Joe’s family

⚡️ Rapid-fire with Fiona & Sophia — sister edition

🏆 Our Elite-ish 8: Top Chain Restaurants (no drive-thrus allowed)

📱 And your In the Group Chat answers: “What’s the weirdest thing your family argues about?”

Grab your sibling, pour a drink, and prepare to laugh through the chaos — Planned-ish style. 💙

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✨ Use code: PLANNEDISH to get 10% off Brick at https://getbrick.app/ and take back your time!!

✨ Follow @backtwohomebase for lifestyle, hosting, and podcast updates

✨ Visit www.backtwohomebase.com for great family recipes, hosting kits, party planning vibes