Lacey and Sarah dive into the intricate dynamics of home management and the role technology plays in simplifying our domestic lives. They discuss how personal expertise varies, emphasizing the beauty of leveraging different skill sets among friends and family. This Q&A episode brings back fond memories of cleaning washing machines, with Lacey sharing a humorous anecdote about her dad's unexpected cleaning spree while she was away. The discussion transitions into practical advice about maintaining household appliances, particularly washing machines, and the importance of consulting user manuals for specific maintenance tips. Sarah suggests checking filters regularly, especially for newer models, and highlights the often-overlooked lint traps in dryers, emphasizing their role in home safety and efficiency.
As the conversation unfolds, the focus shifts to the technological aspects of home management. Lacey shares her journey of integrating smart home devices into her household, explaining how the Amazon ecosystem became the backbone of her home automation. With playful humor, they explore the joys and occasional frustrations of using voice-activated assistants like Alexa to manage everyday tasks, from playing music to turning off lights. Lacey emphasizes the importance of identifying pain points in home management and finding tech solutions that genuinely enhance daily life, rather than just adopting technology for technology's sake. The episode wraps up with reflections on the balance between convenience and personal comfort, reminding listeners that there's no shame in using tools to make life easier, particularly in the hustle and bustle of modern living.
Takeaways:
Identifying your pain points in home management can lead to more efficient solutions.
Using technology in home management should enhance your life rather than complicate it.
Cleaning and maintaining appliances like washing machines can prevent bigger issues down the line.
Smart home devices can make everyday tasks easier, allowing for more free time.
Utilizing voice commands for shopping lists can streamline grocery shopping significantly.
There’s no shame in making life easier with technology; it’s about personal choice.
Welcome to no Shame in the Home Game, the podcast that cares how your home feels, not looks.
Lacey:
I'm Lacey, kind of the dum dum of our team, but today is the day where I get to be the expert and I'm with my co host Sarah, who's not a dum dum, but who gets to be a little bit more of the question asker.
Lacey:
Hi, Sarah.
Lacey:
Hold up, hold up.
Sarah:
No one's a dumb dumb.
Sarah:
The way we rephrase that or reframe it is everyone has their area of expertise and that's beautiful.
Sarah:
So we don't have to highlight what we don't know.
Sarah:
We highlight what we do know and then we tap into other people's zones of genius.
Sarah:
So I am very excited to actually get to flip the coin on that one and get to listen to your zone of genius and that the audience gets to hear where's yours?
Sarah:
Which is amazing because I know where it is, but I want everyone else to know where.
Lacey:
Today is one of our Q and A episodes.
Lacey:
So we've got two topics that we're going to talk about based off of some questions that we got.
Lacey:
The first one is a Sarah question.
Lacey:
We are hearkening back to our first Q and A where we were talking about cleaning washing machines.
Lacey:
And then my response was, did, did you have to clean your washing machine?
Lacey:
To which Sarah.
Lacey:
Oh, I, I have something, an update about that from yesterday.
Lacey:
My mom yesterday, she came over to hang out with Isaac in the morning and she said, did you notice that your washing machine was cleaned?
Lacey:
To which I respond, I don't touch the washing machine.
Lacey:
Joseph touched.
Lacey:
Apparently my dad and in one of his things that he did for us while we were out of town, cleaned our washing machines.
Sarah:
Do you know what steps he took?
Lacey:
Oh, not a clue.
Sarah:
That would have been a fun little.
Sarah:
Here are your dad steps to clean the washing machine.
Lacey:
Now, it is funny though, because my dad also really cleaned our sink in our kitchen because it's a white.
Lacey:
I don't know if it's Corian, but you know, that kind of.
Lacey:
It's a hard material, but the white of it can get really dirty, especially in a sink.
Lacey:
And my dad cleaned it and Joe clocked that right away.
Lacey:
He was like, I bet your dad did that.
Lacey:
That's the thing your dad would have done.
Lacey:
And son of a bee sting, he was right.
Lacey:
Bob knocked it out.
Lacey:
So go Bob.
Sarah:
Now I.
Sarah:
Now I'm gonna have Bob on as a guest expert and I wanna say, tell me your steps for cleaning the washing machine and tell me your steps for cleaning that sink.
Lacey:
He is a person that when he has a thing in his mind, he's gonna get it done.
Lacey:
It is going to happen.
Lacey:
So I'm sure that was just.
Lacey:
He was like, yeah, I'm gonna do this.
Lacey:
And he made it happen.
Sarah:
I love that.
Sarah:
I do love the feeling of cleaning a white sink and getting it white again.
Sarah:
I love before and after so much.
Sarah:
So much that when I wanted to clarify my answer for Theresa's question, I ended up on a Reddit thread.
Lacey:
Oh my.
Sarah:
Somebody took a picture of what I'm gonna talk about and it was so disgusting that I was tingly with, oh, I want to clean that so fast.
Sarah:
Oh my gosh.
Sarah:
I might have a.
Sarah:
I might have an issue.
Lacey:
We did learn last time that your dream is to be able to take apart a washing machine to clean it from the inside out.
Lacey:
So not surprised.
Sarah:
Anyone listening who doesn't know me firsthand is going to think I'm a neat freak, is going to think that I bleach all my surfaces every day.
Sarah:
I truly am not.
Sarah:
I am outside more than I'm inside.
Sarah:
I love nature.
Sarah:
I'm truly not a neat freak.
Sarah:
But there is something about, like when you take a vacuum attachment and go around the lampshade and you get to see the dusty side and the clean side.
Sarah:
I just love the before and after.
Lacey:
I mean, I will watch power washing videos for the pure relaxation and joy of it.
Lacey:
So I understand the appreciation.
Lacey:
I don't understand the effort of wanting.
Sarah:
To do it fair, fair.
Sarah:
And I.
Sarah:
And I just, I really don't want to scare off any potential listeners who are like, oh my gosh, this woman is up on this on a level of cleanliness.
Sarah:
And I want to be like, no, no, that is not it at all.
Sarah:
So, yes, Teresa, after we talked about cleaning the washing machine, which was your sister's question, and we reviewed, you can listen to the last Q and A about some products or some DIY stuff.
Sarah:
One thing I kept saying was, check your user manual, because every washing machine is different.
Sarah:
And I know for a fact Teresa got a new washing machine.
Sarah:
Actually, all of our listeners do.
Sarah:
She got a new washing machine during her participancy, didn't she?
Lacey:
I remember that being a really big deal.
Sarah:
So she's actually in a prime spot to get this information, which is, yes, newer washing machines have a filter.
Sarah:
Again, if you just Google your make and model or if you have your user manual, you can look where it is.
Sarah:
A lot of them are on the bottom right.
Sarah:
It looks like this secret trap door for, like, a little tiny gnome that might live inside your washing machine.
Lacey:
Now, that's what it is.
Sarah:
It's not.
Sarah:
No, it's not a gnome.
Sarah:
It is a filter that you pull out.
Sarah:
And I say filter.
Sarah:
It's really a trap for anything that might be large or gunky.
Sarah:
So this picture I was looking at, it had pieces of, like, rug fiber in it.
Sarah:
There was some, like, mucusy gunk that I think was, like, detergent that maybe had coagulated.
Sarah:
And then there was a ton of fur because they were saying this house had pets.
Sarah:
So, yes, definitely.
Sarah:
If you have a newer washer, you want to look in that bottom right hand corner or just look up on the Internet.
Sarah:
Does my washing machine have a filter?
Lacey:
So just real quick.
Lacey:
It's like a lint trap that you would see in a dryer, but it's in a washer that's not less.
Lacey:
Yeah, awesome.
Sarah:
Exactly.
Lacey:
Understood.
Sarah:
And rule of thumb for the washing machine trap was every three months, I would definitely say if you've got a lot of people with very long hair or a lot of pets with very long hair, I would maybe start checking that once a month to get a better feel for it and then space it out.
Sarah:
Older washing machines, I think it's going to be a little bit of a variety.
Sarah:
You could look that one up of what you have.
Sarah:
And then I also realized, because I do love before and after so much, I do want to remind people to clean your lint trap.
Lacey:
I know how to do that.
Lacey:
I yelled a little bit in your.
Sarah:
Lint trap and then on top of that, and I know this is going to sound nitpicky, but it's actually a fire hazard thing is that metal snake tube that goes from your dryer, that exit out of your house that actually can build up with lint.
Sarah:
And so rule of thumb is once a year.
Sarah:
So, I don't know, start a new New Year's tradition.
Sarah:
I don't know when you want to do it, but you actually have to take it off from the back of the dryer and then go in there with a long extension and suck it all up.
Sarah:
Or, I mean, good, better, best.
Sarah:
If you don't want to get in there with your vacuum cleaner, just go buy a new section of that silver snake accordion and just put a new piece on.
Sarah:
Because it's like a clotted artery.
Sarah:
If that hole fits too small, it's not going to vent as easily and the heat's going to build up.
Sarah:
So washers and dryers have filters they need to be maintained.
Sarah:
They need to be cleaned.
Sarah:
If I live close to you, I will happily come and do it pro bono because it'll bring me so much joy.
Sarah:
I have a really old washing machine.
Sarah:
So the drum, you know how, like, between the top of the washing machine, you can reach in and there's a little lip that you can kind of reach, like where the drum agitates it got in there with a paper towel.
Sarah:
I had to, like, snake it in there.
Sarah:
And I was cleaning that lip and it was so disgusting, so gross.
Sarah:
And I loved it.
Lacey:
You enjoyed every moment of it.
Lacey:
I did.
Sarah:
I loved it so much.
Lacey:
I was like, walk away.
Sarah:
Yes.
Sarah:
So that.
Sarah:
And that is my answer for Teresa.
Sarah:
Thank you, Teresa, for following up with your questions.
Sarah:
And then Teresa had a part two to her questions, which is all Lacy's domain.
Sarah:
I am.
Sarah:
I am not a part of this at all.
Sarah:
So take it away, Lacy.
Lacey:
So she, at the end of her question, just was like, and yes to Lacey technology and home management question.
Lacey:
So I went into teacher mode.
Lacey:
I broke it down.
Lacey:
Like, how I want to talk about this because realistically, when it comes to using technology in your home management, there is so many different ways that you could go with this.
Lacey:
You can be really high tech, you can be really low tech.
Lacey:
It really comes down to.
Lacey:
And this is what we talk about a lot in home management for everyone.
Lacey:
It's about identifying your pain points and building from there.
Lacey:
I was going to say I don't believe in technology for the sake of technology, but I do a little bit because I'm an early adopter.
Lacey:
I want to try things out, that kind of thing.
Lacey:
I don't.
Lacey:
I don't.
Lacey:
To my core, though, I don't believe that you have to use a tool just because it's available to you.
Lacey:
And so when you're thinking about coming up with solutions, my thing that I would hope that you would think about is, is there something out there that can help me do this more efficiently?
Lacey:
And that's where you start when it comes to bringing in technology into your house, because then you're going to do it in a lot more of a thoughtful way.
Lacey:
Yes.
Sarah:
I was just going to say I.
Sarah:
When you said that.
Sarah:
I'm glad you set it up that way, because when I work with clients, there's often this urge, or they've already done it, to go and buy an entire organizational system.
Sarah:
Start by identifying your pain points, see if you already have something that fits the bill instead of.
Sarah:
It's like almost backwards engineering.
Sarah:
I've seen People do that with technology too.
Sarah:
They're like, oh, I'll buy this entire system.
Sarah:
And that's where I get overwhelmed.
Lacey:
And there is some good reasons for why people would do that, which is my next point is that right now there really are several when it comes to your virtual assistance.
Lacey:
Think of Alxea, Siri, Google, those different things, they create an ecosystem for you to build off of.
Lacey:
So at a point, if that is the route that you want to go is building this kind of ecosystem, you do need to make a decision to then be able to use the tools to build out.
Lacey:
So that's actually where I was going to talk about a little bit today.
Lacey:
Because if this is something that you're interested in, you want to think about what, where is your starting base and how you build off of that.
Lacey:
Right now from what I've done my research, there's your Google Home, Apple HomeKit and Amazon Velexa.
Lacey:
And those are the big ones.
Lacey:
I personally, our house runs off of the Amazon one.
Lacey:
I went that route for two big reasons.
Lacey:
We'll say two.
Lacey:
The biggest one is the ability to get stuff for it.
Lacey:
I am already a prime member.
Lacey:
I am an avid Amazon user because it makes my life easier.
Lacey:
Trust me, I know there's a lot of ethical and all these different things to consider with that.
Lacey:
And so that's going to be part of your decision making process too.
Lacey:
And the price point is so easy for entry.
Lacey:
They've got dots that I think are like $19 to start off with.
Lacey:
And this does open up the ability to really build out an interconnected web of different things within your home.
Lacey:
Google also has theirs.
Lacey:
Apple HomeKit I think has the least amount of all of them.
Lacey:
I would say if you're like an Android user, look into the Google version because there may be some things already built into your phone.
Lacey:
Same with if you're a heavy Apple user, home kits.
Lacey:
If you have an iPhone, it's already in your phone and so it's built in.
Lacey:
We actually are a very heavy Apple household.
Lacey:
But again, that price tag and the lack of choices really made the driving decisions for me.
Lacey:
I also, being an early adopter, opted in a lot earlier than other people.
Lacey:
But we're locked in with the Amazon one now because I have created so much infrastructure based around that.
Sarah:
I'm loving this because I feel like a client.
Sarah:
I am already my own client.
Sarah:
I'm already overwhelmed.
Sarah:
I'm like, oh my God, oh my.
Lacey:
God, you're making me pick a system.
Sarah:
I don't even know what this system Does.
Sarah:
So tell me, when you started down this road, what was your first problem to solve?
Sarah:
Pain point to cure?
Sarah:
Or were you just early adapting to early adapt?
Lacey:
That's a great question, which.
Lacey:
No sh.
Sarah:
No shame.
Lacey:
But I think the easiest in for people, and I think this is the truth for me, is when you want wireless speakers, right?
Lacey:
Because it inherently in itself is a wireless speaker connecting that.
Lacey:
I think at the time we paid for Spotify, we have Apple Music through our phone plan, so we don't need that now.
Lacey:
Being able to hit a button on my phone to then be able to play music wherever I was.
Lacey:
Boom.
Lacey:
Awesome.
Lacey:
Great.
Lacey:
Fantastic.
Lacey:
I also think that's definitely an entry point for a lot of other people because you essentially can set up a home sound system by connecting all of these different tools.
Lacey:
So I think that's an easy entry point.
Lacey:
So if you're a heavy music listener, that kind of thing, that could be an entry point for you.
Lacey:
I also very quickly figured out how to use the different smart home devices.
Lacey:
Smart plugs.
Lacey:
I have so many, and I use them everywhere that I can.
Lacey:
Any light in my house that's plugged in like a lamp, it's plugged into a smart plug and I have connected.
Lacey:
I buy one that I know is compatible with Amazon, and then I connect via an app, and then I can control it with my voice by syncing that app with the ALX EA app.
Lacey:
And there are lots of options for that on Amazon.
Lacey:
And they say, because, right.
Lacey:
They want you to do what I did.
Lacey:
They want you to buy into the ecosystem because then you're stuck.
Lacey:
They'll say, compatible with Alexa.
Sarah:
How does that work?
Sarah:
If you've got 20 lamps plugged in and you're in one room and you want a lamp turned off in another room, do you have, like, code names, like turn off Captain Sparky?
Lacey:
I mean, you could name them people names.
Lacey:
I name them, like, based off of where they are personally.
Sarah:
Okay, well, that seems like a missed opportunity.
Lacey:
I know, I know.
Lacey:
Another thing that you can buy is smart light bulbs.
Lacey:
So let's say you do have overhead lighting.
Lacey:
You can buy smart light bulbs.
Lacey:
Then you just leave the switch on, and then you can control the bulb with your voice.
Lacey:
So, for example, here in the office that I'm working in, I would say, alexa, turn off office.
Lacey:
And the light just turned off.
Lacey:
So no matter where I am in the house, I can say that.
Lacey:
So I could be upstairs and be like, oh, crap, I didn't turn the lights off downstairs and do that.
Lacey:
You can also combine devices into Rooms and then rooms into larger groups.
Lacey:
So there's a lot of mixing and matching that you can do with that.
Sarah:
Okay, hold on.
Sarah:
I know he's gone.
Sarah:
So wait, let's just go back.
Sarah:
I was following you when you were like, okay, I started with a wireless speaker.
Sarah:
I went to.
Sarah:
Oh, my God, I feel so old right now.
Lacey:
You are.
Sarah:
Oh, my gosh.
Sarah:
Okay.
Sarah:
That's okay.
Sarah:
I'm going to embrace my age.
Sarah:
Okay.
Sarah:
Wireless speaker to smart plugs.
Sarah:
You can also have smart light bulbs.
Sarah:
I'm with you.
Sarah:
What's the next layer of what you can do?
Lacey:
Security system is another thing that a lot of people have.
Lacey:
I have a blink doorbell, which is like, ring, but it's Amazon's version.
Lacey:
Anyway.
Lacey:
When someone rings our doorbell, all of the ALX EA devices in our house say someone's at the front door because they're connected.
Lacey:
And that's how it lets you know.
Lacey:
I also get a notification on my phone, and then I can also see people on my phone too.
Sarah:
Can you talk to them?
Lacey:
Oh, yeah.
Sarah:
That's fun.
Lacey:
I like.
Lacey:
The only people that I've talked to are my kids, where I'm like, laying down and I'm like, salvage, shut the door.
Sarah:
So you are.
Sarah:
This is all very, like, wizard s magician level.
Sarah:
I love it.
Sarah:
You're like.
Sarah:
You extend beyond your physical presence.
Sarah:
I love it.
Lacey:
If I can make my life 1% easier with technology, I will.
Lacey:
So secure home security.
Lacey:
Right?
Lacey:
So you can put cameras around, see all those different things?
Lacey:
They're connected into that central infrastructure.
Lacey:
Our garage door is also able to be operated by our alxea or just in the app in there.
Lacey:
That, for me, was a big deal because, first of all, we didn't have a garage before, so this was a new thing.
Lacey:
We would leave our house and Joe would be like, did I shut the garage door?
Lacey:
And I'm like, I don't know.
Lacey:
And they're like, you have sensors that you can install, and then you can see is the garage door opener shut.
Lacey:
When my parents would come and they didn't have an opener, they could say, we're on our way.
Lacey:
I could still be in my bed and open the door for the garage door for them.
Lacey:
So that's my, like, cool one that I like a lot right now.
Lacey:
Christmas lights, outdoor lights.
Lacey:
That one I do have a little bit more fun with the trigger freeze is Merry Christmas.
Lacey:
And it turns on all the lights.
Lacey:
And then the phrase to turn them off is, bah, humbug.
Lacey:
Yeah.
Sarah:
Okay.
Sarah:
See, you leaned in there, and I love it.
Lacey:
I Did I love that you can.
Lacey:
And I also want to say I'm.
Lacey:
This is why I.
Lacey:
This is going to be a series I.
Lacey:
I'm trying to start small.
Lacey:
You can also make them timers too.
Lacey:
I do usually set them on a timer lights.
Lacey:
Any of those things can all be timer based because you can do automations that's a little bit more advanced where you have those things happening.
Sarah:
Do you have your thermostat?
Lacey:
We do not.
Lacey:
I wish we could.
Lacey:
We actually tried not too long ago but apparently our furnace the brand you have to get their special smart thermostat thing and whatever.
Lacey:
It's fine.
Lacey:
So we don't need to buy it right now.
Lacey:
So we're not.
Sarah:
So I've got all these different layers where you're using it.
Sarah:
Are there any more?
Sarah:
And then I'm going to go into what else you do day to day.
Sarah:
Is there any more hardware pieces that you have?
Lacey:
So I have.
Lacey:
As far as hardware goes, I have one ALX EA device in pretty much every room of our house.
Lacey:
Oh there's one in each of the kids rooms.
Lacey:
You can set those to kids age appropriateness.
Lacey:
So like Isaac at night he'll lay in his bed and he'll play himself music.
Lacey:
The music he wants to hear.
Lacey:
He also likes to ask questions and so he literally just yells out what's the Alexia?
Lacey:
What's the biggest dinosaur?
Lacey:
And then he can tell you all about dinosaurs because he asks her and he learns from her.
Lacey:
So that's just another fun perk.
Lacey:
So there's one in every room of our house.
Lacey:
Pretty much the actual smart plugs, those are hardware.
Lacey:
The smart bulbs, that's hardware.
Lacey:
So when you're using it there is that setup cost.
Lacey:
And that's another reason why I say do it as you need.
Lacey:
Right.
Lacey:
So for example, when I first got sick that's when I started using the smart bulbs because I would be laying in bed and I wouldn't have to get up and cross the room to turn the light off.
Lacey:
So then we installed the smart bulb and then I could turn it on and off in bed.
Sarah:
Do you use it on anything else besides lamps?
Lacey:
We mostly do lamps.
Sarah:
So then with okay, all of those and then understanding how you use it on a day to day other than opening, closing the garage for yourself and others, the lights on and off Christmas lights can't do the thermostat.
Sarah:
But I know for some people that's pretty awesome where you can like I.
Lacey:
Genuinely was trying to make it happen but we couldn't with what we had wait.
Sarah:
But you couldn't do it with that.
Sarah:
They're proprietary brand.
Sarah:
But you're just not interested in something that's non Alexa.
Lacey:
No, it's that what we have now works.
Lacey:
So why would this.
Lacey:
That's the technology.
Lacey:
For the sake of technology.
Lacey:
What we have now works fine.
Lacey:
So I don't need to replace it.
Lacey:
So if I don't need to replace it, I'm not going to put the money into that.
Sarah:
Gotcha.
Sarah:
So tell me about.
Sarah:
I know you use Alexa in more ways.
Lacey:
So like I said, we use it with our kids all the time playing music.
Lacey:
They know how to play music.
Lacey:
We use timers all the time.
Lacey:
It is our kids also keeping us accountable with timers.
Lacey:
So I'm like, give me five minutes, Bun.
Lacey:
He has her set a timer.
Lacey:
Keeping me honest.
Lacey:
We use timers all the time.
Lacey:
And again, it's the thing you just yell it out and then the timer goes off right when it's going.
Lacey:
Then playing music, turning on and off lights.
Lacey:
You can also use it to make announcements in the house.
Lacey:
So if I couldn't get a hold of Joe and I couldn't get out of bed and he wasn't answering his phone, so I used the announcer thing to be like, come here.
Lacey:
That one's a little dangerous as well because Isaac figured out how to do it and then he really annoyed the crap out of us for a while and we figured out how to make it so he can't too.
Sarah:
It reminds me growing up when I was a kid in the 80s, my dad detested when we would haul her in the house.
Sarah:
So he installed an intercom system.
Sarah:
So there were these boxes and then they.
Sarah:
There was a combination like if you wanted to say it to all the rooms or one of the rooms.
Sarah:
We probably had:
Sarah:
And yeah, we had these little buttons.
Lacey:
But we had to walk over and.
Sarah:
We had to hold it.
Sarah:
But yeah, so that made me think of that.
Sarah:
And do you still use Alexa for your shopping list?
Lacey:
We do.
Lacey:
And so this is a next level thing.
Lacey:
You can connect different apps to these smart home devices to then use in different ways.
Lacey:
So we use an app called Any List to keep track of our groceries and what we need.
Lacey:
And I've connected it to our lxea and so that means we can yell out.
Lacey:
It used to be that you could just say add it to this list and it would know to go to that app.
Lacey:
But Amazon's made it A little bit harder.
Lacey:
Where now you have to say ask any list to add pop tarts to grocery list and then it'll appear on the grocery list.
Lacey:
What makes it really handy?
Lacey:
If your hands are messy and you just used all the rest of the eggs, you can just yell it out then.
Lacey:
And then it's on the list and.
Sarah:
Then that list is on your phone.
Lacey:
Yes.
Sarah:
Can you have multiple lists?
Lacey:
Yes.
Sarah:
Costco list, grocery list, Trader Joe's list.
Lacey:
Yep.
Lacey:
Yep.
Sarah:
Okay.
Lacey:
What I would say is add to shared grocery list.
Lacey:
We actually do have a Costco list where you could say add to Costco list that type of thing.
Lacey:
That is probably my crowning achievement when it comes to management and made the biggest difference for us in our house and groceries and how it ran because it was huge for Jo and I to be able to do that.
Sarah:
Do you ever use it to put reminders?
Sarah:
Remember to call the doctor's office on Monday.
Lacey:
I tend to prefer those on my phone.
Lacey:
There are going to be a lot of ways to achieve certain goals.
Lacey:
Like I said, I have a timer on my phone.
Lacey:
We have a timer on our smart home device.
Lacey:
What I use is dependent on what I need.
Lacey:
Typically if it's something that just I need, I do it on my phone versus everyone needs.
Lacey:
So we do it out loud a bit more.
Lacey:
You can make it recognize specific voices to do things like that.
Lacey:
We have not really delved into that a whole lot.
Sarah:
Yeah.
Lacey:
Those things I still probably do on my phone just because I'm not keeping it from anybody else.
Lacey:
It's just more like they don't need it.
Lacey:
So I'm not going to clutter up the space with it.
Sarah:
And then are there next level like other than the thermostat is there something you've been eyeing that's like your next.
Sarah:
I want to do this integration or this actual hardware piece.
Lacey:
As far as hardware pieces, I haven't seen anything yet that I'm too like excited about.
Lacey:
We do have a robot vacuum.
Lacey:
It's not connected to the ALX EA just because we don't need it to.
Lacey:
It just runs every night on our first floor.
Lacey:
Clean Latifah.
Lacey:
I love her very much.
Sarah:
There you go.
Lacey:
She's bamboo key of our house.
Lacey:
Yeah but so that you could do that.
Lacey:
We don't do that because I.
Lacey:
That is a better time for it always to run is in the middle of the night.
Lacey:
So I don't say there's hardware pieces.
Lacey:
The next level for me is going to be automations and like workflows.
Lacey:
I've dabbled in these a little bit.
Lacey:
When it comes to to our house, I have yet to find a way for it to work naturally for me.
Lacey:
Example, this is one I've been thinking about.
Lacey:
When I get home, open up the garage door automatically.
Lacey:
There is a way for me to do that now.
Lacey:
But when you're doing, and this is programming in general, when you are setting some of these things up, there's a lot of things you have to consider when it comes to the effects.
Lacey:
So I have to think about.
Lacey:
So when I'm coming home, do I always want the garage door to get opened?
Lacey:
Are there times where I don't want that to happen where it could cause a problem for someone?
Lacey:
So I'm still working through some of those things and some of those things are just things I need to talk out with Joe to get his thought process on as well.
Lacey:
Because there are Apple you can combine.
Lacey:
They have something called shortcuts which is basically basic programming where you can connect different apps saying when I do this, start this timer, remind me in this amount of time.
Lacey:
They have a laundry timer as a example.
Lacey:
That's okay.
Lacey:
You press one button and it starts the timer and then it reminds you at a certain time to go get the laundry, that type of thing.
Lacey:
So I actually don't do the laundry in a house, but if I did I would use that.
Lacey:
That is a way to combine things as well.
Lacey:
So that is a next level step for me.
Lacey:
I just haven't necessarily found the right pain points to fix with those.
Sarah:
Is there a smart oven?
Sarah:
Because yesterday I had to bake something at 400 and then I was supposed to turn it down to 375 after 10 minutes.
Lacey:
Didn't.
Sarah:
So I baked it at 400 and I'm like oh my gosh, what if there had been a smart thing where I could have told it the 10 minute timer, turn it down to 3.
Lacey:
75.
Lacey:
I have such a hard time believing it doesn't exist.
Sarah:
Oh my gosh.
Lacey:
Just how accessible is it price wise and when will it just become the norm?
Lacey:
Do you remember when having Bluetooth in your car was like the biggest deal and now it's almost a standard feature so it's really just.
Lacey:
When are we going to get to that point?
Lacey:
Pop quiz.
Sarah:
Do you want to guess?
Sarah:
I have an Alexa and I was same entry as you.
Sarah:
It was because I wanted a speaker and it did a couple of things at the time and it made the price point make sense.
Sarah:
Do you want to know the number one question I ask Alexa?
Lacey:
What's the weather.
Sarah:
I have two weather apps on my phone that I prefer.
Lacey:
I always have to ask when I'm, like, getting Iris dressed in the morning because I'm in the throes of getting her dressed, that I need the information, then I don't want to pause to go look at my phone.
Lacey:
What time is it?
Lacey:
No, I don't know.
Sarah:
You were having fun, but I can tell you're not having fun.
Lacey:
I don't like not knowing things.
Sarah:
Sarah.
Sarah:
The number one question is how to convert, like, teaspoons to tablespoons to cups or like a third of a cup or whatever.
Sarah:
And what's funny is the number of times I've asked her the same exact question.
Sarah:
I can't believe she hasn't yelled at me and gone, have you not memorized this by now?
Sarah:
Are you serious?
Sarah:
That is the one thing that I love, because like you said, when my hands are dirty, to be able to ask her and not have to open up my phone has been lovely.
Lacey:
But it's also funny how far the.
Sarah:
Technology has come, because I remember early on I asked Alexa, what's a recipe?
Sarah:
I wanted an entire guacamole recipe, and she came back with, the primary ingredient in guacamole is garlic.
Sarah:
And I was like, I know for a fact that's not true.
Lacey:
It is.
Sarah:
I think she.
Sarah:
No, no, I know.
Sarah:
I think she.
Sarah:
I think this was early on, and she went to a recipe and that was the first ingredient listed.
Sarah:
But anywho.
Sarah:
So to recap what I heard from you and what I want Teresa to pick up on is whatever pain point you have that's most pressing to then ask, is there a technology solution to this?
Sarah:
And then it's about picking which ecosystem you want to enter.
Sarah:
And you can mix and match them, but there is an advantage.
Sarah:
So here's my next question to you.
Sarah:
Would you ever convert to another ecosystem?
Lacey:
Oh, I could definitely see us switching to an Apple ecosystem, because this actually goes really nicely into my last bullet point of what I wanted to make sure we talked about was the Amazon ecosystem is easy to enter, but you do pay the price in user interface.
Lacey:
There's more glitches in my opinion.
Lacey:
The best example is my kids have Fire tablets and I have an iPad.
Lacey:
Operating their Fire tablets is the most frustrating thing in the world for me.
Lacey:
They feel like they're breaking all the time.
Lacey:
They're not intuitive.
Lacey:
But my iPad, I've had for six years now, and I love it and it's still working great.
Lacey:
So that is what I would say is one of the most frustrating parts of this is that it is an easy entry.
Lacey:
But you do pay the price sometimes.
Lacey:
And sometimes one of our lights just turns on and off for no apparent reason.
Sarah:
I've had some hiccups with Alexa like when we've had to change our router or the Internet or the electricity goes off or something and trying to go through the hoops again and I'm like, is it because my device is old or is it because the user interface is just so painful?
Sarah:
What about the Google system?
Sarah:
Would you ever go Google for us?
Lacey:
I just don't think it makes sense because we are so heavily invested in an Apple ecosystem.
Lacey:
We have an Apple TV, we.
Lacey:
I have multiple Apple TVs actually.
Lacey:
Phones, my computers are all Apple.
Lacey:
And that is one beautiful thing about Apple that again, I do think it makes it worth the price point of the fact that like handoffs happen so easy.
Lacey:
It is very seamless.
Lacey:
If we moved and I could start over fresh in a house, I would probably go the Apple HomeKit route because it would be the most user friendly and reliable.
Sarah:
I have a family member who calls it drinking the Apple juice.
Sarah:
If you go all in on Apple.
Sarah:
Yeah, you drink the Apple juice.
Sarah:
I actually get what they're saying.
Lacey:
Oh I do.
Lacey:
But it benefits me so much that I'm not gonna be sassy about it.
Sarah:
And also to Theresa listening and anyone else I also know there are other companies that make these same products.
Sarah:
It's just like you said, if you want to have them weave together and have it be all of the same but you could have different apps on your phone for different devices.
Sarah:
They don't all have to be.
Sarah:
And there's pros and cons to like to all of that.
Lacey:
There is and that's why it's such a.
Lacey:
And I really encourage you to think about what is the problem I'm trying to solve.
Lacey:
What is my level of comfort.
Lacey:
So like the if, if it was up to Joe, we would have none of this.
Lacey:
He's like cool, it's beneficial.
Lacey:
He's not going to take the time to to set them up.
Lacey:
I'm like a kid in a candy store trying to figure out how to automate anything that I can.
Lacey:
There is no shame in having little to no interest for it and patience for it.
Lacey:
And there's also no shame in recognizing this makes my life easier.
Lacey:
I'm going to use the shortcut.
Lacey:
This is a big thing in my world right now that I'm just continue to remind myself life is hard.
Lacey:
It is hard.
Lacey:
Trust me.
Lacey:
There are so many things in life that is hard, but it doesn't have to be.
Lacey:
There are a lot of times in our life we make things harder on ourselves because we feel like we should be doing something a certain way or it's always been done a certain way.
Lacey:
And if you are finding that you are saying like, I don't need this because it makes my life easier and that makes me lazy, stop it.
Lacey:
If it makes your life easier and it makes your life better, that's great.
Lacey:
There is no medal at the end of the race for being the least lazy person and not taking advantage of the tools that are available to you.
Sarah:
It is the equivalent of saying, I'm not going to drive the car, I'm going to walk, even though it's going to take me four hours instead of 20 minutes, just because it's too easy to take the car.
Sarah:
It's like some things have become so standard in our life.
Sarah:
Alarm clocks.
Sarah:
Do we like rely on our own internal clock?
Sarah:
No, we use alarm clocks now.
Sarah:
But yeah, there's certain things that are more widely accepted.
Sarah:
Unless you're like Amish, then yeah, and.
Lacey:
Again, none of it.
Lacey:
But that makes sense for them, right?
Lacey:
That they have a legitimate reason.
Lacey:
If I ask them why, they could tell me why.
Lacey:
But if someone tells me, oh, I just think I should do this, no, that's not a good enough answer for me.
Lacey:
And I will be honest, this is not something that I truly recognized until I had chronic illness.
Lacey:
And literally every step and every moment of my day matters to how I am able to function the rest of the day and the following day.
Lacey:
And so I refused to have shame in making my life easier in those different ways.
Lacey:
And I'm still learning this as a person who almost passed out in the Louvre because she didn't ask for assistance and she probably should have.
Lacey:
Same with our security line.
Lacey:
I should have just gotten in a wheelchair or else I would have passed out.
Lacey:
It's very easy to use that self negativity or self shame to not use these tools.
Lacey:
I personally don't think that's a good enough reason.
Lacey:
I don't think that is a reason that is helpful.
Lacey:
I don't think that's a reason that is sustainable in a lot of ways.
Lacey:
And so I do encourage you, dear listener, to question if it is, hey, I don't mind doing this task that's valid, you know what I mean?
Sarah:
And it goes back to the premise of no shame in the home game, which is manage your home easier so you have time for the things you want to do exactly if using one of these, and especially with you where your energy is so precious.
Sarah:
But for anyone, if using one of these tools gives you an extra 5, 10 minutes of not just time, energy to put towards something you truly love to do, then the calculus makes sense.
Sarah:
But it's not going to be the same for everyone.
Sarah:
And that's okay, man.
Lacey:
And that's okay.
Lacey:
And so I don't feel a need to like keep up with the Joneses because of that type of stuff.
Lacey:
And so there is no reason for you to put these tools in your house if you don't like them, if you don't think that you'll use them.
Lacey:
That kind of stuff so really come from a place of wanting it and that kind of thing.
Lacey:
Not that you should.
Sarah:
And I think that's wonderful and I love that.
Sarah:
Loops up back into our premise and I'm already seeing this as a great blog article for people who are tech curious and going through those steps of what is your pain point?
Sarah:
What is your comfort level with that?
Sarah:
I think that's a great way to think about it because there is this societal pressure.
Sarah:
Have the Apple watch, have the AirPods, have the Blink, all these new things.
Sarah:
And I love that you're approaching it very differently.
Sarah:
Funny side note, have you seen the SNL skit for its.
Sarah:
What do they call it?
Sarah:
It's Alexa for Senior.
Lacey:
It sounds familiar, but I cannot bring it to my brain right now.
Sarah:
I have seen it over 10 times.
Sarah:
It cracks me up.
Sarah:
Well, especially because Kate McKinnon is one of the people in it and I just adore Kate McKinnon so much.
Sarah:
Alexa, turn up the thermostat.
Sarah:
It is already 106 degrees in here.
Sarah:
Cannot.
Sarah:
You can't.
Lacey:
What?
Sarah:
Turn up the thermostat.
Sarah:
Why would you do that?
Sarah:
It's like.
Sarah:
And then like it'll respond to any name that's even close to Alexa and they like do a whole list.
Sarah:
It's just so funny.
Lacey:
Reminding me of something else too that I do want to mention.
Lacey:
So Apple Watch.
Lacey:
Do you know what my favorite feature of my Apple Watch was?
Sarah:
The time.
Lacey:
No.
Lacey:
I could find my.
Lacey:
There's a thing where you can ping your iPhone and find it very quickly.
Lacey:
That ended up being my favorite feature.
Lacey:
And I say that because you may find something along the way that makes it even better of a use of your time and energy.
Lacey:
There are a lot of collateral pieces of beauty and joy that can come from it too.
Sarah:
Yes, that is a very good point.
Sarah:
What's best for one person?
Sarah:
It Might be completely different tool for another person.
Lacey:
Yeah.
Sarah:
This will not surprise you.
Sarah:
I used to have a bit and then I stopped wearing it because it was overstimulating to me.
Sarah:
It was like reminding me to get up and move and then it was congratulating me for moving.
Sarah:
And then I had it set up and I could have turned it off, but.
Sarah:
So I wanted to know when I got text messages, but it ended up just being too stimulating for me.
Lacey:
Yeah.
Lacey:
Since I'm home all the time, I don't need the Apple watch because I'm like, my phone is already it.
Lacey:
I'm never not with my phone anymore.
Lacey:
Yeah.
Sarah:
Where would you lose it though?
Lacey:
Get up and move from one room to another and think that I took it with me and I didn't.
Lacey:
In a bag somewhere.
Sarah:
So how would it find it for you?
Lacey:
It beeps.
Sarah:
Warmer, colder.
Lacey:
You can hear the beep of the thing.
Lacey:
So you can just go find it.
Sarah:
Maybe.
Sarah:
We'll have to pin this for another podcast.
Sarah:
About this other podcast I listened to.
Sarah:
There's this ongoing debate about losing things.
Sarah:
And one of the people says, I always put things in the same place and keep it in eyesight.
Sarah:
And the other person thinks that's bonkers.
Sarah:
I'm with person A.
Lacey:
What if they think they do that but they don't.
Lacey:
I may or may not be thinking of a specific person in my life who's.
Lacey:
I would never put that there.
Lacey:
And then it's.
Lacey:
Who else would have put it there?
Sarah:
That would just be self awareness.
Sarah:
I am more systematic about.
Sarah:
You're never going to find my shoes in the middle of the hallway.
Sarah:
I'm very systematic.
Sarah:
It goes here or here and like where I put my phone down.
Sarah:
Again, very systematic.
Sarah:
It's either going to be in this location or this location.
Sarah:
There's different ways to be and that's what's beautiful.
Lacey:
Well, we should wrap up with our moment of gratitude.
Sarah:
Moment of gratitude.
Sarah:
Today is brought to you by silence.
Sarah:
I love my family.
Sarah:
I also love silence.
Sarah:
And my boys went out of town for 24 hours and I have enjoyed so much sun.
Sarah:
Even like I put everything away last night and it's like I woke up and everything was exactly where I left it.
Sarah:
I was like, wow, that's nice.
Lacey:
It's pretty nice.
Lacey:
How about you?
Lacey:
I am thankful for.
Lacey:
I just.
Lacey:
I can't.
Lacey:
I'm in such a mode of thinking about all of my home automations.
Lacey:
I just.
Lacey:
I.
Lacey:
I'm so thankful for them.
Lacey:
I am.
Lacey:
I just love the ability to figure it out.
Lacey:
I'm thankful that I'm excited about it.
Lacey:
I'm thankful for my appreciation of it.
Lacey:
I.
Lacey:
I know that sounds silly, but now it's all I can think about.
Lacey:
Just.
Lacey:
I love that I'm living in this time.
Lacey:
I love that I can do these things.
Lacey:
I feel like I'm in the future, and it's great.
Sarah:
I love that we're so different.
Lacey:
I know any of my fellow Disney Channel millennials around my age?
Lacey:
I live in Smart House and I'm really excited about it.
Lacey:
Only it's not going to turn into a woman and try to murder us.
