How to Buy a House With Your BFF (and Her Kids!) ft. Ayesha Rascoe & Jasmin Melvin Hudson

What does it look like to redefine family and build a support system rooted in friendship? In this episode of Brown Ambition, host Mandi Woodruff-Santos sits down with NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe and her best friend Jasmin Melvin Hudson to talk about their bold decision to buy a home together and raise their five children under one roof.

From meeting as young journalists to becoming inseparable best friends, Ayesha and Jasmin share how their bond evolved into a life partnership centered on co-parenting, financial teamwork, and unconditional support. They open up about navigating shared responsibilities, creating stability for their kids, and what it means to build a family outside of traditional norms.

This inspiring conversation dives into:

• The origin of their friendship and how it deepened over time
• Deciding to co-purchase a home and their approach to ownership & finances
• Parenting five kids together and creating a loving, stable household
• Balancing personal dating lives while keeping their family core strong
• Handling assumptions from outsiders about their unique arrangement
• Why building your own “village” can be the key to surviving today’s economic and social pressures

Whether you’re a parent, considering alternative paths to homeownership, or just curious about how two best friends are rewriting the rules of family, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on love, community, and resilience.

Links & Resources:

• Follow Ayesha & Jasmin’s journey on Instagram: @under1roofff
• Keep up with Mandi on IG/Twitter: @mandimoney

BA Fam, Let’s Connect!

• Join the conversation on IG: @brownambitionpodcast
• Share the episode and tag us — we love seeing your takeaways!
• Don’t forget to subscribe, rate & review to keep spreading the ambition.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, Hey, be a fam I am so excited to
welcome you back to Brown Ambition. I am thrilled to
bring you this story. It's all about shaking up the
status quo of family, friendship, and home. So if you've
ever wondered what it takes to build your own damn village,
you're going to want to hear this. We've got MPR
host Ayisha Roscoe. I know you're going to recognize her voice.

(00:26):
It'll bring you such cozy comfort because you've probably heard
her along with her longtime best friend, journalist Jasmine Melvin Hudson. Now,
these two ladies recently made the bold decision to buy
a house together, combining their families, their finances, their whole
entire lives to embark on a journey of platonic co parenting.

(00:46):
For nearly two decades, Aisha and Jasmine have been best
friend goals, bestie goals. Y'all been by each other's side
from their Howard University days working at the campus newspaper
Shout Out to the Hilltop, to building careers journalism, and
eventually supporting one another through their divorces, their motherhood journeys,
and career pivots. This year they joined forces for real,

(01:09):
moving in together with their five kids, and together they're
proving just how powerful friendship sisterhood can be as the
foundation for family and stability. So in today's interview, I
get to dive in with Jasmine and Ayisha and ask
them how they made this big home buying leap together.
What's it like. What's the reality of day to day
living with your best friend and her children. How are

(01:31):
you managing things financially? How has it been for you
as friends, as women who are still you know, maybe
having romantic relationships, but then also raising your family and
kids together. And honestly, what I can say is you're
going to hear this conversation. And I told them at
the end of it, like y'all were everything I wanted
you to be. You are the dream, You're living the dream.

(01:52):
And I left it truly as inspired as I was
as the first time I saw the picture of them
that Aysha posted on her ig announcing this new platonic
partnership and moving in together. I just felt so inspired
and so happy for them, And I hope that it
inspires you to be a fam to create the community
and the village and be intentional about building the support

(02:14):
that you need and being intentional about saying what it
is that you need. You never know your friends, the
people that are, you know, off in their own world
making their lives work the same way you're making them work.
We're all having the same struggles, and if one of
us is just brave enough, like i Ushua was, to
say like, hey, maybe we could do this a little
bit differently, maybe we could support each other and new

(02:36):
and even better ways, especially at a crazy time like this.
So I hope this show, whether you're curious about non
traditional family relationships, family arrangements, or just looking for like
I was a little inspo in a world that's often
asking us to choose between ambition and seeking support, You're
going to find plenty of wisdom and even some laughs

(02:57):
in this story. So grab your headphones, get comfy, and
let's welcome Aisha Roscoe and Jasmine Melvin Hudson to Brown Ambition.
Welcome to the show, ladies.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Thank you.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Tell us a little bit about y'all your friendship. First
and foremost, y'all met when.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well, so we met back in college.

Speaker 3 (03:20):
We both went to Howard, but we weren't besties back
in college. I was a year ahead of Jasmine and I,
but we both worked for The Hilltop. I was editor
in chief, and she says I was kind of mean
back then she was.

Speaker 4 (03:34):
She was I wouldn't say mean. She was very like
serious and like down to the point. Like when we
were at the newspaper, it was like you didn't want
to mess with her. You didn't want your stories to
be in late, like.

Speaker 3 (03:49):
And we tried to be really tough in our interviews.
I'm serious, but yeah. But but Jasmine was a copy editor.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Were you copy chief? Did you call copy chief?

Speaker 4 (03:59):
So when I started, no, I was maybe assistant copy
got my fu something like that. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (04:08):
So we so we were cool then, but we knew
each other. We weren't close. Then afterwards I started working
at Reuters and as a news assistant, and then like
right out out of college, and then I moved up.
I got a promotion. I became an energy reporter. And
then so they were and then they were, well, actually, wait,
let me go back. So I was working at Reuters

(04:31):
and then they I was an intern first, and then
they were looking for a new intern.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
Were you an intern?

Speaker 4 (04:38):
How did this happen? Basically? I followed behind you. I
guess you graduated, you became an intern, and then the
news assistant, and then yes, and then the energy reporter,
and then so I was yeah, so I was a
year behind. So I graduated the following year and got
the Reuters internship and then was all so hired on

(05:01):
because I'm like, I'm gonna make sure I'm gonna get
this job because I'm not going back to North Carolina.
So so I got hired as a news assistant.

Speaker 1 (05:09):
Yes, I did you Were you instrumental in getting her there?

Speaker 3 (05:13):
Well, you know, they did ask me. I was not instrumental.
They did ask me like do you know Jasmine?

Speaker 2 (05:18):
Do you know this?

Speaker 3 (05:19):
I was like, yeah, I know her, I don't know
her that well. They were talking about her and another
Howard person. I was like, okay, I know both of them,
but I didn't have her references.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, I didn't have. But but she knew.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
The right person because she knew the former the bureau chief.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
The former bureau chief.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Knew of like the work that Jasmine had done, so
she knew the right person. And then she got in
and then I don't Jasmine, I don't even know if
you know this story, but what happened was I had
gotten out of college and I was in therapy because
you know, it's like very stressful you making this turn
in your life. And I was like, you know, I'm lonely.

(05:56):
I have my man who was my ex husband. I
had him, but I didn't have no friends close. For
all my friends had moved away because I was still
in DC, but everybody else had left. And my my
therapist was like, well you should try to add you know,
is there anyone who you could just like ask to
go do something. I'm just like, well, Jazmine the intern,

(06:16):
she's there, just like, well, why don't you ask to
do something with her? And after work and I was like,
I asked Jazmine to do like an exercise class, and
Jazz is like yeah, and we've been best these ever since.
Now we did the exercise class, and then what would
we do after the exercise class?

Speaker 4 (06:36):
You got to eat injury to eat in drink, so
we were.

Speaker 3 (06:41):
Always like, yeah, let's exercise and then we would go
get like tacos or like the most unhealthy food. Then
we would drink and just but from there we just
became inseparable. And like everybody in the newsroom saw if
they saw one they saw the other one.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
We just and we've been in some for whoever since.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
Yeah, I did not know that story, but I didn't know.
I was like, yes, like I need someone to hang
out with too.

Speaker 2 (07:07):
Yeah, yeah from the south North Carolina. We're actually both
from North Carolina.

Speaker 4 (07:13):
I'm from Duram, I'm from Nightdale. It's really close to Raleigh.

Speaker 3 (07:17):
So yeah, so like we're very similar, but we you know,
we didn't. We didn't know until we started talking, like,
oh wow, we'rely from the same place and.

Speaker 4 (07:26):
Everything, and even now living together and hearing more of
our stories from our families and stuff, I'm like, okay,
we are very similar. We kind of even get the
same things in high school and things. And we didn't
know each other yet.

Speaker 1 (07:38):
Yeah, where is there ever a point? So at this point,
where were you all at? So are you sure you
mentioned you were with a partner, were all married?

Speaker 3 (07:45):
Yet we weren't married, so we were a child. We
was right neck and neck. That was the other thing
that worked for us. So we both were in relationships
at the time, and so we started hanging out as couples.
We even went we went to like a day trip
to the beach together and all of a sudden, we
started hanging out as couples. Then I got engaged first,

(08:07):
then you got engaged, so after Yeah, she got engaged
a few months after, and then I got married. She
was in my wedding. She was one of my one
of my bride's presents. Yeah, I got married in April
of twenty twelve and you got married.

Speaker 4 (08:25):
In September of twenty twelve, and she was one of
my bridesmaids as well.

Speaker 3 (08:29):
Yes, And then and then we started having babies, and
it was like very.

Speaker 4 (08:34):
Quick like so we're going back and forth, back for
back and forth.

Speaker 3 (08:38):
Yeah, so I had my first one that she had hers,
so they're right behind each other. Then I had Gabrielle
then and then then I had and she was moving
and then she and then I had McKenna.

Speaker 1 (08:53):
This is reminded me so much of when Harry met Sally,
you know, the little like couples of interviews at the end,
so cute. Well, then I mean, I'm a mom, toot.
I've got two little ones. I have a five year old,
almost a six year old and a two year old.
And one of the challenging things is the how it
changes your relationships post having kids. Even if you both
have kids. Like my best friend in the world, I'm like,

(09:15):
when's the last time I talked to her? And there
wasn't like at Legoland or at a you know, birthday
party or something. How did y'all maintain like your core friendship.
Were there any times when like y'all grew further apart
came back together, you know, during those early years as
you were becoming moms.

Speaker 4 (09:32):
I think it helped that we were both kind of
in the same situation because she had hers first, but
then I had mine just a year later, so we
were both able to like hang out with the babies
when I couldn't hang out with other people. I'm like, no,
I can't, you know, make it out over there. But
you know, hey, are you shure, Let's just hang out

(09:53):
at your house and you know, the babies can just
be here.

Speaker 3 (09:56):
Yeah, That's basically what we did. Like we just would
go to each other other's houses, and that was our thing.
Like we just would go to each other's houses and
just have the bait, the kids doing whatever, and then
we would be talking and catching up and you know,
getting some food, getting some pizza, maybe have a little
bit of wine, you know, what I'm saying, Like, so
it worked because we weren't really like we weren't able

(10:18):
to go anywhere. So it's like we got to these
kids all the time.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
But it's like, okay, like during the pandemic, is that
what you mean by we just like.

Speaker 3 (10:26):
Because we had with children.

Speaker 4 (10:30):
If we'd go somewhere, like we'd go out to eat,
but it's easier to go out to eat with her
because she has the kid and we can just pass
We literally just passed babies across the table, like hate
her for a second. You know, I'll pay here for
a second. And you can't really do that with everyone,
Like not everyone wants your baby.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Yeah, and not everyone wants to deal with like a
two year old and a three year old throwing things
all over the place and having fits. But we're both
used to it, and I do think. I mean, there
were times where we didn't talk like every day. We
never we weren't talking like every day, but we were
the type that if I needed something, if she needed something,
we could just call. It didn't matter. So it was

(11:08):
like we knew we were both busy, we had stuff
going on, but if there was anything a birthday party,
if someone got sick if someone was. We were just
there for each other, like it was just like you know,
we did all the birthday parties, all the holidays, all
the stuff together Like that was just and it didn't
matter if we hadn't seen it talked in like a
month or something like that. We were just okay, can

(11:30):
we hang out? All right, let's go.

Speaker 4 (11:32):
Yeah, And she also understood, like I'll see my phone like, oh,
I thought I responded to this text. I I didn't
hit the send, but it's still there. And so you know,
we just both understood.

Speaker 1 (11:44):
Yes, you really need those friends who are not like
you don't even have to do the whole apology. I'm
so sorry, it's been two weeks. You're right, and you
only really need like one good friend. Like that makes
me so happy that y'all have each other, because I
know I got my one. Okay, So when did y'all
realize that you you know, you're both married, you're in
these relationships. Were y'all also getting divorced around the same time,

(12:08):
so know that that was part of the reason y'all
moved in together. Where are you sure you were first?

Speaker 2 (12:12):
Again? And then no, no first time, Yes, she were
first but I was. I was supportive.

Speaker 4 (12:25):
She was married, and I wouldn't say yes. She was
very instrumental to that whole transition and very helpful.

Speaker 3 (12:32):
Yeah, so I was like, girl, what what we gotta do?

Speaker 2 (12:35):
Okay, we riding?

Speaker 3 (12:37):
You know, it was like I I'm I'm here, we
go and I at that time, I didn't. I was
in my situation, I thought, not thinking this could happen
to me, But Lord, things happened very quickly, and all
of a sudden, it was like, my life has totally changed,
and I'm looking at Jasmine, and Jasmine was so there,

(13:00):
you know, at the darkest of moments, like Jasmine was there.
And I remember Jasmine told me when I was going
through my thing, she was like, this is the worst
of it, but it's gonna get better. She also told
me when I was trying to not go on this
work trip because everything was so stressful with us. There
was a lot going on, and I was like, I
don't know if I need to go to Alaska.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
I can't, you know, it's too much going on.

Speaker 3 (13:25):
And she said, this is work and you got you
ain't gonna let that man stop you from working. She
was like, we gonna she's like, no, you gonna go
do your work like we not. Let he'll stop you
for working. I help out, I help with the kids,
I help your mama. But we're not doing that. And
so that's the type of friend that you need.

Speaker 4 (13:45):
Yeah, and even before we were living together, we were
helping each other with the kids. Even before we were divorced,
we were helping each other with the kids. So that
was just commonplace.

Speaker 3 (13:56):
Yeah, yeah, we you know, if we need a babysitter
or some oh stay with it.

Speaker 2 (14:01):
Can you keep the kids?

Speaker 3 (14:02):
Now?

Speaker 2 (14:02):
Can you grab? Can I drop them off? Can you
do them?

Speaker 4 (14:05):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (14:05):
We were always doing that.

Speaker 1 (14:07):
Yeah, we can't be dropping off the kids at anybody's house.
Yea yeah really trust.

Speaker 2 (14:11):
Not at all.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
Yeah, so you're both and so what point did y'all
look at each other and you're like, so do you
want to form an alliance with me? Like when does that?
Because it's one thing to support each other, But how
buying the house, moving in together? How did that all happen? Yeah?

Speaker 4 (14:28):
I had always said, okay, next time we moved, we
need to buy houses like beside each other. And this
was even before again, before we got divorced, because we
were so involved in each other's lives, so involved in
our like kids, each other's kids' lives. Like it would
be so much easier if we lived next door and
didn't have to keep getting in the car, because usually
it was about a twenty minute drive. I was in DC,

(14:49):
she was in Maryland, and it would be so much
more convenient. But do you want to tell them how
we decided to Mosellean.

Speaker 3 (14:56):
So then what happened was I think at some point
we were taugh and I was like, you know, maybe
we should try to move in together, like because you know,
I'm trying to figure out my next steps after the divorce.
And Jason was like, I didn't want you to think
I was crazy, but I had been thinking of it.

Speaker 4 (15:15):
I had the same thought, but no, we both Yeah.

Speaker 2 (15:20):
So she was like it might be weird, but maybe
we should live.

Speaker 3 (15:23):
Together, and I was like, yeah, like I think maybe
we should live together. At first, we were talking about
maybe let's try to rent a place, like that was
the thing.

Speaker 2 (15:31):
It was like, maybe we could.

Speaker 3 (15:32):
Find a place and rent it and just you know,
da da da da da. But you know, we in
the DC area. So by the time you start talking
about renting a.

Speaker 2 (15:41):
Place that could fit seven people.

Speaker 3 (15:44):
You're paying more than a mortgage. You're paying, you know,
just to have a half decent place. And so it
was like, uh, you know. And then I was trying
to figure out the timing too, because my kids were
in school, and I'm like, okay, when do we want
to try to make this move. And it became clear
because my oldest was going to middle school. I was like, okay,

(16:08):
I want to make this move before he starts middle
school because you know that's a you know, middle school
is big.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
So I was like, I want him to be and
it would.

Speaker 4 (16:18):
Be a transition anyway. It would be a transition to
change schools anyway, he would.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
Have to change schools anyway. So I was like, well, okay,
let's move together.

Speaker 3 (16:25):
Let's start talking, and we just started talking like we
normally do, Like Okay.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
Initially, I think we had planned that just I usual
would buy the house, you know, it would be big
enough for all of us, and like I would pay
her rent because I experienced with that my last house,
I rented out the first floor, so kind of knew
how to do that, knew that would be easy. But
I think and we had planned to make the move
during the summer while the kids, you know, school had
ended summer vacation. But then we just started going to

(16:55):
open houses because we went to I was I was
too and then and I think as we were looking
at open going to open houses, seeing the market, seeing
the prices, we were like, well, I was like, well,
you know, if we both bought the house, like throwing
in my money as well, we can go bigger, because.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
Yeah, big is better, Yes, bigger is better.

Speaker 3 (17:17):
And I started thinking about it because I was like, well,
why am I like trying to hold out. I think
it was like it would you know. The thing was like, well,
you know, if you really buy together, then that could
be really complicated.

Speaker 2 (17:29):
But then I thought about it.

Speaker 3 (17:30):
Okay, It's like, okay, if I meet a man and
I fall in love and the next you know, year
or two, you know, we get engaged in what a.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Year or two? Like basically I would notice.

Speaker 3 (17:41):
Man for about two three years, and I would buy
a home with him, right, Like that would be acceptable
once you got married or what you was together a
long time, you would you would buy a home. Like
at the most I would notice man for maybe four
or five years. I've known Jasmine and we have been
best friends and been through hell and high war for
almost twenty years. And so it's like, well, why would

(18:03):
I feel comfortable because a man says he loves me
and I love him buying a home with him?

Speaker 2 (18:10):
And I know and now that we've been through divorce,
we know.

Speaker 3 (18:14):
If you will go through that, like you have a
lot more responsibilities.

Speaker 2 (18:19):
Like there's a lot that comes along with that.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
If I would be willing to do that, why wouldn't
I be willing to buy a house with Jasmine, who
I know much better than any man who I would
meet now.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
And fall in love with and buy a house with.

Speaker 3 (18:30):
And So when I thought about it that way, I
was like, this makes a lot more sense, and it
doesn't sound as risky as you know you think, because
it's like this is someone I actually know and have
been through life with, and I would, you know, take
a risk with someone who I haven't even been through
life with.

Speaker 4 (18:47):
Yeah, And then the other part of that I knew,
like if we did need to make decisions, like like
I've known Aishia twenty years, we get along, we can
we can talk things out, we can make decisions, we
can make you know, arrange Mint's plans, so it would
I felt like it would be less of an issue
in terms of coming to agreements, you know, making plans,

(19:09):
sticking to those plans.

Speaker 1 (19:11):
Yeah, Hey, ba fam, we gotta take a quick break,
pay some bills, and we'll be right back.

Speaker 2 (19:22):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (19:23):
I mean it's hard enough to like get a vacation
out the group chat. Y'all got a whole house. I
think there's so many groups of friends. I went through
it with my friends too, or like we should live
together forever and have like a little commune and we're
all gonna have tiny houses. I went so far as
to writing this, Like when I was at Yahoo Finance,
I wrote this article based on my friends and I
wanting to buy homes together, and I got these attorneys

(19:45):
and real estate attorneys involved, and it was it could
be kind of complicated. Did y'all like get an LLC
to purchase the house? Did you just co mingle your
finances and buy it as two individuals.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
I think we saw all those things and we're like, girl,
this is a lot. There's too many kids trying to
hear this out.

Speaker 2 (20:05):
That was too much.

Speaker 3 (20:06):
Yeah, and we neither one of us are type A.
So we was like, look, okay, and neither one of
us is like really money hunger, so we're like, look,
let's just buy this thing together. You put your money in,
put my money in, and we're just gonna be co owners.
Like we both are one hundred percent owners. So you
can do the thing, and I forget the different names
of it. You can do one where each of you

(20:28):
owns a percentage and so like if one of you
something God forbid happened to you, you would there are
percentage would go to someone else or you can do
And what we did was we just both own one
hundred percent and so we're both you know, responsible for
the whole thing. And then if something happened to us,
then we would you know, we would do a trust

(20:51):
for who you know, for the other person, or the
person would have a trust and it would go to
that like or we'd sell the house and do the
proceeds that way. And we are have we have our
own like we've already talked out our own side agreements
for how we would handle that, and we know where
we want the money to go, and we know how.

Speaker 2 (21:10):
We want it to go.

Speaker 1 (21:12):
We need in writing somewhere or do we and.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
We've been meeting.

Speaker 4 (21:16):
We're gonna get to it.

Speaker 3 (21:18):
We're gonna get to it. But we trusted in the
Lord right now. But you should you should absolutely do
it in writing. And it's not that we're like, oh,
we don't want to do it in writing, but it's
just we got five kids and.

Speaker 1 (21:29):
We had I have a husband. Have we done an
advanced directive and a will and all that that we
were just talking the other day.

Speaker 3 (21:36):
Yeah, so we have to so yeah, so we have
to do so all of that we have to do,
but we are going to do it. But I have
to say the home buying process was the easiest process
with Jasmine. I mean, I and I've seen my friends
buying houses with their partners, and I think me and

(21:56):
I kept going, well, I thank god I don't have
to buy a house with a man. Because me and
Jasmin had none of them problems. We didn't have no
heart of it.

Speaker 2 (22:05):
No.

Speaker 3 (22:06):
Well, look, I ain't saying that there wasn't no credit issues,
but we held each other down where she had the credit,
I had the money, so we complimented each other and
then when it came to looking, it wasn't like we

(22:28):
both have such similar tastes that when we found the house.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
It wasn't It was like, this is it. Let's go
Like it wasn't.

Speaker 3 (22:34):
No. I was like I went to the house, the home,
the open house, and I was like, Jasmine, I think
this is the house. This works for us. She saw
it and we were all in Like it wasn't like
a whole bunch of disagreements and you know, what type
of house we want and what is gonna look like
how much is gonna cost? Like, you know, we were
just in sync and that's the great And like furnishing

(22:57):
the house, like we just we pick the stuff. It's
not a whole bunch of arguing and back and forth.

Speaker 4 (23:03):
We just get colors around, like nothing has to be
like monotone or like black and brown. Everything's colorful. We decided,
like we went to the furniture store. We sat in
different you know couches, and they were like, what colors
do we like? You know, it was very very simple,
and it's like if it's I didn't like that, okay,
let's go find if I I'm like, I think this

(23:25):
one's a little like too stiff. She's like, cool, let's
go sit in another one. There's no need, you know,
for anyone to you know, have to like compromise and
being comfortable. It's like we can find something we both like.

Speaker 3 (23:38):
Yeah, and there's less of the power struggles because you
know with sometimes especially with like gender roles, it can
be like this thing where it's like I'm a man
and you can't be telling me what to do.

Speaker 1 (23:50):
I have no idea, no.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
Idea about that. You wouldn't know about that.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
But some people somewhere may have dealt with that, you know,
like where it's like I'm a man and I have
to assert my thing, and you know the and I
like there's all this other stuff that means just when
we don't have to deal with all that, we don't
have to deal with all the power struggles and stuff.

Speaker 1 (24:09):
Because you're just making it sound so easy. Even the
I mean we got we could agree that we needed
a new couch, which we got rid of. You have
to like pick up. You have to like schedule the
dumps the trash pick up to come and they come
and crush your couch up. Tell me why it's been
three weeks we have no new couch. We can't agree.

Speaker 2 (24:30):
Well, that's the.

Speaker 3 (24:30):
Way I think it was with ours exst Like we
have to figure out who love agree, can and even
just decided when to get the new couch. How I
think we need a new couch. I don't think we
need no new couch. This one we can wait?

Speaker 4 (24:44):
And what price point? We did not? I don't want
to spend that much and like, oh but I think
we should spend a lot over here instead, and you
know we yeah, no friends.

Speaker 1 (24:54):
That are just you don't have as much conflict? Is it?

Speaker 2 (24:57):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (24:58):
I don't know what can y'all? Can you describe it?

Speaker 2 (25:00):
Like what do you think? What do you think? Jessin?
Why we ain't got.

Speaker 4 (25:04):
We're just like very in sync and we can communicate
so like if there is an issue, we communicate very well.
And there's not and there's you know, not like as
you said, not the power struggles. Like we both know
we are both on the same level. Both of our
ideas matter equally, so it's just easier to get things done.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
There's a high level of respect, yes, yeah, and I
think we have and trust and yeah, we've.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
Known each other long enough that we know we both
love we love each other. We're not out to hurt
each other. We're not. We would never do that, right,
Like so we're just trying to work with each other.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
And I think also because you don't have the romance part,
you don't have all the like do you love me?

Speaker 2 (25:50):
You know? You know, I guess do you love me?
Are you still here for me?

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Like you have all that extra stuff and I feel
like I'm me and Jestin ain't got that.

Speaker 2 (26:00):
So it's just like you my friend, I'm your friend.
That's it. We don't have to do all the you know,
are you still in love with me? Do you see what?
To be with me?

Speaker 1 (26:10):
That complicates it, right, it has to. Yeah, So y'all,
what are the ages of your kids? What's what are
the age range you have going on?

Speaker 4 (26:19):
So eleven, ten, nine, and two seven year olds? So
we were really going just back and forth.

Speaker 3 (26:27):
And one of the seven year olds, mine is about
to be eight, okay, so it would be seven, eight, nine.

Speaker 5 (26:33):
Ten, and eleven like literally yeah, okay, So just real talk.

Speaker 1 (26:38):
I mean, first you have the transition of your the
their their father, you know, their mommy and daddy are
no longer together. You have that big talk. How did
y'all navigate that? And then how did it go when
you were telling them and mommy and Auntie a Yusha
and Auntie Jasmine, like we're gonna all live together. How
did those conversations go? How different were they How did

(26:58):
the kids take it?

Speaker 3 (27:00):
I think I think the kids were excited, but also
it's like this is different because like my kids had
lived in the same house their whole life, and so
they were kind of like, ah, I don't.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
Know, you know, and you owned the house that you
had to sell.

Speaker 2 (27:15):
Yeah, I owned a house that I had to sell.

Speaker 3 (27:17):
Yeah, and yeah, so I had been in the house
for fifteen years and so my kids were used to that.

Speaker 2 (27:24):
But I mean they were excited.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
They were excited to live with, you know, Zola and mckinna,
and they loved the Once we found the new house.

Speaker 2 (27:32):
They loved the new house. They wanted to move to
it immediately.

Speaker 4 (27:36):
Yes with them. So my kids initially very excited. I
get to like, you know, stay with my best friend.
It's a sleepover every night. They uh, first thing, their
first request was, Hey, can I like stay with like
my best friend, not my sister. I don't want to
have a room with my sister. I went with my friend.

(27:56):
That's cool.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
When they were like picking rooms and stuff.

Speaker 4 (27:59):
Well, we firstnounced it like that. Even then it's like Okay,
I don't want a room with my sister, like you know,
but then too, like you know, after the excitement and
you know, they were all like, oh, like yeah, it's
gonna be great. Then they did have their kind of
one on one conversations with us, like hey, like expressing
their concerns like what's going to happen? What does this mean,

(28:21):
and that we had to deal with.

Speaker 3 (28:24):
Yeah, yeah, And I think it's still you know, for
the kids, it is a transition because now you're in
a new home, you're in a new space, and then
you have to share with a whole bunch of kids.
And you know, kids are they're not like me and Jezzine,
where we're just easy going whatever happened.

Speaker 2 (28:42):
They're like this is mine and and why's in my space?

Speaker 4 (28:46):
So I think that's always yeah, or she's looking at
me wrong, like oh she's being too loud, like yeah.

Speaker 3 (28:53):
But the crazy But the thing is they'll complain about
each other, but they can't stay away from each other,
Like we have any room in the house, they can
separate out, but they will all be on top of
each other.

Speaker 4 (29:05):
Yes, yes, but constantly like oh, she's getting on my
nerves or like he's bothering me. But all sitting on
the same couch.

Speaker 2 (29:17):
Could just move, you.

Speaker 3 (29:20):
Could just leave each other. No, I'm gonna sit in
the living area. I'm gonna go touch him and then
and then I'm gonna run over here to him and
I'm gonna laugh and be smiling. Then we're gonna be
kicking on the catch together. So it's like I'm kind
of like, Okay, y'all, y'all love And I keep telling them,
I'm like, y'all love being together because y'all all upon
each other.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yea's five kids, two adults. So how many rooms is
this house? Like, what's the layout? Like? Do you each
have your own living quarters or do you share living spaces?

Speaker 3 (29:51):
Yeah, so we share living spaces definitely, but we have
our own space. And I know I have my space upstairs,
which I.

Speaker 1 (29:59):
Love done right now, I'm in the queens.

Speaker 3 (30:03):
Yeah, I'm in the Queen's den, and so I have
my own Like, so upstairs is only me. So it's
my bedroom and I got my beautiful bathroom and all
that stuff. Now Jazz was downstairs in the basement, but
she does have a big room a large room. Yes,
she has a very large rooms. She has a very
large rooms. And the great thing about this house, so it's, uh,
it's basically how many bedrooms.

Speaker 4 (30:24):
It's five bedrooms.

Speaker 3 (30:25):
It's five bedrooms and four bathrooms and all the bathrooms
are full bathrooms, which is also huge. That's great, like,
so that's the wonderful thing about it. So we have
a bunch of bathrooms. Basically, I'm on the I'm up,
I have my own space. Then on the main level

(30:46):
we have the older kids, so my son and the
older girls, and then and there are two bathrooms on
the main level, including one in the older girls room.
So they get and they need that because they have
skin care and all that stuff, so.

Speaker 2 (31:00):
Ca routine preteene.

Speaker 3 (31:02):
They're preteen, so that's do the skincare. And then downstairs
on the bottom we have Jasmine and we have the
little girls.

Speaker 4 (31:09):
And there's another living space you.

Speaker 3 (31:12):
Know, yeah, it's another living room, and so so we
have two living rooms basically, and then.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
Yeah, you know, that would have been my first fight.
Why does she get stuck with the kids downstairs.

Speaker 4 (31:22):
And you get to be on top of the castle,
but you know, like down here, I can also sneak
out when I need to. You know, I don't have
to go past, you know, because the little girls will
just be sleep or I mean, you know, I can
you know, I can sneak out the garage when I
need to. I don't have to go out the garage.

Speaker 3 (31:38):
You have somebody in there. I gotta go through the
whole thing. Everybody got, you know.

Speaker 1 (31:43):
Okay, I feel like it's like paparazzi waiting to get
your picture, but it's just the kids with the problem.

Speaker 5 (31:51):
Yeah, So, so.

Speaker 1 (31:52):
Are you all so comfortable? Like is it you know,
you know, you have those mom friends where like you
can meet their kids, their kid comes over and everyone's
getting everyone's getting time out together. If someone's acting up,
like you're you're good. Was there any like awkwardness of
co parenting or is it like when something happens, y'all
send each other's kids to each other like, or are
y'all conflict resolutioning as co parents? How does that all work?

(32:15):
Does that make sense?

Speaker 4 (32:16):
Yeah? I think when like, you know, if someone you
know is hurt or upset, like we can both deal
with that. If it's a bigger issue or something requiring
like actual discipline, we will send that to the other
parents to deal with. But you know, the day to
day things like oh, she took my toy. You know,
he's got the iPad and I want it. Either one

(32:38):
of us you know, can deal with that. Ye yeah, yeah, And.

Speaker 3 (32:42):
You know, I mean I think that we both try
to be caring for the other's kids, so like if
they're having a rough day or having a rough time,
you know, I think we're both there to comfort the
kids and like to be there for them and to
just try to you know, just try to do what
can do, but then also give the other parent, oh

(33:02):
heads up, so we give like I'm giving Jasmine heads
up or she's given she you know what, such and
such was upset about this, okay, such as us seem
like they're not happy, so you have to deal when
they go, they gonna be they upset. Yeah, so you know,
so we can kind of do that too, or be like,
oh I saw they seem happy. They seem fine. Yeah, no,

(33:23):
they're not upset no more.

Speaker 2 (33:25):
Yeah, they cool.

Speaker 4 (33:26):
Yeah, And it helps Thatt Like we're not new to
each other's kids, like we have been around them, you know,
we I mean, we are their first babysitters. You know,
when we needed something. You know, they've been around us
all the time. We've watched them, you know, solo before
when you know, when I had a work event or
she had to go out somewhere. So they're used to

(33:47):
the both of us, and they're used to like listening
to the both of us.

Speaker 1 (33:52):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, that's a good point, right, I mean,
and they have that y'all have that love for each other.
Y'all been you know they it feels it's really special
when you love your best friend's kids. It just feels
it feels a little I love it. Okay. So financially,
like our household, like financial responsibilities are you're splitting them

(34:12):
mortgage fifty to fifty? Is it like y'all share a
bank account for the household? Like how do you manage
all that.

Speaker 3 (34:18):
We have like joint utilities? And so we don't split
everything fifty to fifty because I, you know, because of
you know, I make more money. So it's like one
of those things where I make more money. So I
but we split them, you know, and I but we
split them like in a way that we feel is equitable. Right,
And then when it comes to utilities, we just split
them you know, like I think I do electric.

Speaker 2 (34:41):
And water, and I do gas, and then you.

Speaker 3 (34:44):
Do some of the Like we got some joint stuff
like from home depot and the blast.

Speaker 4 (34:49):
Yeah, paying off the wash your dryer and you know,
yeah it got touched the blinds. Yeah, So we kind
of split it equitably so everyone is comfortable.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
So everybody's comfortable.

Speaker 4 (34:59):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (35:00):
So that's how we did it.

Speaker 3 (35:01):
And you know, really it's this is new for me
because I never split nothing in my old house.

Speaker 1 (35:09):
Heyba fam, we're gonna take a quick break, pay some
bills and we'll be right back.

Speaker 3 (35:15):
I had nothing, so this is new for me to
ask somebody help with anything when.

Speaker 1 (35:19):
You're the couple too, Like I'll go to dinner. It
doesn't I'm like, damn, it's expensive being married. Like at
least when I was dating, it felt like I was
getting half off, Like yeah, it was my vote.

Speaker 2 (35:29):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (35:30):
So with the mortgage, did y'all so did y'all put
kick in the same amount or did y'all work out
some kind of agreement for how much you were kicking
in for the house itself, like the downhayment in the
cost of the house.

Speaker 4 (35:40):
We made an agreement based only kind of where we
both were.

Speaker 2 (35:44):
Yeah, because we were.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
I think that's the thing about us is like for me,
I'm like, I just want a house, So did I
could come up with this much?

Speaker 2 (35:51):
How much can you come up with? And that was that,
Like it was like and we.

Speaker 4 (35:55):
Had both sold houses as well. I had previously sold
my house when when I got divorced, so you know,
there were there were funds there. We just had to
you know, figure out how to make it all work.

Speaker 3 (36:08):
Yeah, so it was really like, let's make this work,
Like I just need to I want to get this house.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
What can you come up with?

Speaker 3 (36:15):
You can come up with that, I can come up
with this, and like for me, like with stuff like that,
it's just like, I mean, I'm not a I'm like
we get in the house, we all paying the bills,
it all comes out and washed like that's I've never
been like a super like dollar for a dollar person
because obviously, even as I said, in my last situation,

(36:36):
I was paying for everything. So I'm not a like,
I'm not I'm I'm more about the outcomes than like
dividing up you gotta you owe me this da da
da da. Although we have talked about how we would
deal with that since I put in more but or whatever.

Speaker 4 (36:52):
But yeah, and then also with the DC housing market
and us needing such a large house, like a five
bedroom house is not the norm in DC, and we
have a full it's a single family home, full backyard
and everything that we wanted for our kids. Kind of
we had to move quickly. So it's like we had
what do you have now? What can you get now?

(37:13):
And we just like figured it out together in order
to get that down payment so we could get the
house we wanted to do.

Speaker 2 (37:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (37:20):
And also I always say, you know, if I have,
you have you know what I'm saying, And Jasmin has
always been the same way with me, you know.

Speaker 2 (37:27):
So it's like if you if I'm riding, you ride.

Speaker 3 (37:30):
You know.

Speaker 2 (37:31):
If I'm good, you good.

Speaker 3 (37:32):
So that's how we That's how I think we both
look at it. Neither one of us are the type
that sending Venmo requests. I spent twenty dollars on drinks
last night.

Speaker 1 (37:43):
You droke and you never said wise, not the split
wise text at the end of the day.

Speaker 4 (37:48):
No, we've never done that because it all comes out
like we go out all the time or hanging out
all the time. Kids will need stuff at different times.
You know, we're getting each other's kids things. It all
just kind of evens out.

Speaker 2 (38:00):
We don't do that, we don't go.

Speaker 3 (38:01):
You owe me twenty dollars from when I spent doing
blah blah blah. That's not how we do So so
how is it? I think maybe because are you sure?
I knew you a little bit before this, and I
think we might have talked about this over some cocktails
and Miami at the conference we were both at.

Speaker 1 (38:18):
But we all are y'all dating? Do you have relationships
or you have you figured out what it's like? I mean,
you got built in babysitting. That's nice, but how has
that been it?

Speaker 3 (38:28):
Now? That's huge, Like having a built in babysitter is huge.
And that was a big reason why I also was like,
let's get this house because I was spending thousands of
dollars on nannies and not on a more than my mortgage.
And so by being in this house, you know, with Jasmine,
she's already saved me thousands and thousands of dollars each month.
But when it comes to dating, you know, yes, I'm dating,

(38:51):
I'm doing doing some dating, and you know some nice,
nice nice man and jazz I let you.

Speaker 4 (39:00):
Yeah, and the same thing. Yeah, having the built in
babysitter because you know, I wasn't paying for babysitters. I
was just staying home, so I was at the house
all the time. Now I can go out. So, yes,
dating is happening. There is someone.

Speaker 2 (39:15):
But we're working on but you know we can't. We
gotta be careful because you know how it is. You
know how these we we know how it is.

Speaker 1 (39:25):
Am I supposed to know how it is?

Speaker 3 (39:26):
I haven't dated in a Oh yeah either we had No,
we haven't either many years.

Speaker 2 (39:33):
But yeah, we we back out there, We back out there.

Speaker 1 (39:36):
What's been pleasantly surprising about dating? Tell me something good?

Speaker 4 (39:42):
Something good?

Speaker 2 (39:44):
Yeah, yeah, good.

Speaker 3 (39:47):
No. My thing is is that sometimes you can meet
someone who's like I think, to me, I feel like
it's getting better, Like I feel like I'm meeting better
not like better people like everybody has worth, but you
get what I'm saying, better for me, that's what I
should say. I feel like, what's amazing is like, oh
I could meet someone like I like this person. I

(40:09):
thought that was something, But then you meet someone else
and you're like, oh, my goodness, I'm also a hopeless romantic.
But like you meet someone else and you're like, oh,
my goodness, this is like I've never I haven't experienced
this before, and this is I didn't know it could
be like this because both of both me and Jasmine
we were our exence were people we met in college,

(40:30):
and so we didn't have like dating in our twenties.
We didn't have a bunch of relationships. Yeah, one of
us really had any relationships. I think that was your
first boyfriend.

Speaker 4 (40:39):
Not first, but like the first serious one. Yeah, I'm
a serious boyfriend.

Speaker 2 (40:44):
He was like my only boyfriend.

Speaker 3 (40:46):
So like we it's not like we had a bunch
of relationships to like, So I think that's what like
that it can get better.

Speaker 4 (40:53):
Yes, i'd say that, yeah, to be like, oh, this
is how things could be. It could be like nice
and sweet in.

Speaker 1 (41:01):
A very low bar.

Speaker 4 (41:04):
Wow, you know you said, yes, you said it.

Speaker 1 (41:07):
It makes sense because they're in the picture anymore. So
y'all have y'all are getting to see each other like
get all cute, dolled up, go out, you know, and
then you get to like debrief together when you get back.
If you give me, I don't know. Sometimes we'll see
how it goes. But you know, but has there been
a conversation over like are the men coming over the
gentlemen or whoever are they coming over? Are we having

(41:29):
like do are y'all in agreement on like what those
boundaries are?

Speaker 4 (41:34):
I think we have? You know, you know, neither of
us are like involving the children at all. So it's like,
how can we help each other to make things work?
So kind of what you know, what needs to happen?
Do I need to you know, oh, I'll take all
the kids and we'll go you know, we'll go to
the malls or you know what needs to happen, and

(41:55):
we just kind of communicate because yes, because the kids
are completely separate.

Speaker 3 (42:00):
Yeah, so it's like, you know, okay, I need to
keep the kids, and she'll tell me, like, look, if
you need, I'll keep the kids distracted while you, you know,
get them up the stand. You know.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
Oh, so your YouTube show coming out.

Speaker 2 (42:21):
Everyone needs to see look.

Speaker 3 (42:23):
See so that but that's how we work with but
neither one of us. Both of us are very much
like you can't just bring people around the kids, And
we talk with each other about like okay, how are
we even going to start those? The good thing is
we can bounce off each other, like how should we
even start those conversations with the kids, and what do
you think we should do? What do you think you know?
And we're like we just well, we're working with each other.

(42:47):
I'm like, what do you think our kids can handle?

Speaker 2 (42:49):
What do you think? What if I start saying it?

Speaker 3 (42:51):
And then maybe that'll get your kids used to the
idea and then that, you know, like we can just
like talking about.

Speaker 4 (42:56):
It, bounce ideas off each other like kind of what
you know, like you said, which which children's temperament will
be good? Like with this, like what can we like
what you know can they handle? And like who should
we bring this to first? And maybe they'll get all
the other children on board strategy.

Speaker 3 (43:13):
Yeah, yeah, so yes, but we are we do want
to make some content. We are gonna try to do
our and we have we do have an Instagram. We
ain't started the whole thing. Yeah, but it's it's under
one roof, Yes, under one roof the number one and
three f's and.

Speaker 1 (43:28):
Roof because three not three.

Speaker 4 (43:34):
Well, it's under one roof forging family, Forging.

Speaker 5 (43:38):
Family, Okay, under one roof Forging Family.

Speaker 1 (43:42):
It's like me when I couldn't get Mandy money on TikTok,
I just added a couple extra a's we try to give.

Speaker 2 (43:48):
Yeah, we tried.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
Yeah, so under one roof forging family.

Speaker 5 (43:52):
So put the link in our show notes.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
Could be the first I g followers. Yeah, hot hot news. Yeah.
And do you have a YouTube yet or you said
you're working on that. That takes a little bit more time.

Speaker 4 (44:04):
Yeah, working on that. Well we'll wait. I mean there
are five kids to contend with, so we we may
get there.

Speaker 2 (44:12):
Well, we've started some.

Speaker 3 (44:13):
My my middle child is trying to be a Tiktoka
stream of everything. So she and Jasmine the great. The
other great thing is Jasmine is really great with like
the kids and like you know, like she'll play Fortnite
with them.

Speaker 2 (44:29):
She will, and I don't like to play Fortnite. I
don't like to do it.

Speaker 3 (44:32):
It's like she's she's worked on like a TikTok streaming
plan with Gabrielle, Like we we really do co parent,
Like she when they had dance, I was like busy
working and like Jasmine is doing the dances for.

Speaker 4 (44:47):
You know, practice in the living room, like he's learning it.

Speaker 3 (44:52):
Yeah, So I cook, She helps with homework. Like so
we we we really divided us.

Speaker 4 (44:59):
It's like of not just finances, but of labor and
of everything of labor.

Speaker 2 (45:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:03):
So and she washes the clothes. I do a lot
of the grocery shopping. I do cooking, and like we
just try to do, you know. And then she'll she
has a lot more patience with the kids for their homework.
So she does that, which I appreciate because I would
much rather frob some port shops than help with some homework.
I don't want to do that.

Speaker 1 (45:27):
I'm make suing that that one video from Beyonce's Lemonade,
where like all the women are just in the like
they're in the beautiful countryside and they're bringing someone's bringing
in the collars and like, you know, washing the baby,
and it's just I'm sure it's not always like that
because there are our children and it's technology. Yeah everywhere.
Has there been anything that y'all have found out about
each other that you didn't know before six months into

(45:48):
living together? Now, it's been any surprises?

Speaker 4 (45:55):
Like I said, I think I've learned things about her
from before anywhere, Like we were very similar, like in
high school, like we were both very you know, quiet
in the books, you know, doing school newspaper that kind
of thing. Kind of very very similar. And I was like, oh,
I didn't know that, And both of us like how
did we end up in journalism where we have to

(46:16):
talk to people all the time when we were just
like I'm just stay in my room by myself. Yes,
I'm not out there, you know in high school doing
all these things. I'm like, yeah, but we're both like, yeah,
I can just do that. I can go you know,
just go up and you know, we both cover you know,
you know, politics and business journalism. Like I can just
go up to a CEO or senator and you know,
put a microphone in his face and that'll work.

Speaker 2 (46:40):
Well.

Speaker 3 (46:40):
I think I knew before, but I didn't like Jasmine
worked hard. I knew she worked hard, but Jasmine work hard.
This is a hard working lady. And so I'm like,
you know, that's why we need the support, cause it's
like we're both working our butts off, like and raising
these kids and then doing everything for our kids, like
really like making sure that they're emotionally healthy, which is

(47:05):
a lot, especially with preteens because they got so many emotions.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Low have mercy girls.

Speaker 3 (47:12):
No, so my oldest there's one boy and four girls.

Speaker 4 (47:15):
So my oldest, which is another whole dynamic.

Speaker 3 (47:19):
That's another dynamic. So Reggie is the only boy and
he's eleven, and then Zola her.

Speaker 2 (47:27):
Oldest, and then going yeah, going down.

Speaker 3 (47:31):
So yeah, so we got some preteens and they got
a lot of emotions.

Speaker 2 (47:36):
So we just we're trying to deal with all that.

Speaker 3 (47:38):
And I'm hosting shows and she hosts, She's doing everything,
she's managing a team, and so I think it's like,
I see how hard she works, and it's like, how
in the world were we doing all of this.

Speaker 4 (47:53):
And with all the lot the same being at MPR
and then doing all her other you know, speak engagements,
and of course she has her book out and promoting that,
and you know, we are doing a lot, and the
kids are also doing a lot. They like to have
their you know, extracurriculars, you know, whether it's you know,
dance and my kids like art and kind of figuring

(48:15):
that out and having time to do all those things.

Speaker 1 (48:19):
Do y'all broke, Well, are you sure you go into
the office some days and then you're working from home, right,
Is that right? Are you both hybrid or.

Speaker 4 (48:26):
We're both both hybrid?

Speaker 2 (48:27):
Yes, yeah, both hybrid.

Speaker 3 (48:29):
And so the way it works now pretty much Jazzman
usually is taking the kids to school and then I'm
like picking them up from schools.

Speaker 1 (48:37):
That I pick up drop off. That's great. Yeah, to
talk about that, that's.

Speaker 2 (48:41):
The whole dance.

Speaker 3 (48:42):
Yeah, so we had to get well because well, my
oldest is in middle school, so but luckily he's very
close to the school so he doesn't have to do.

Speaker 2 (48:48):
That, but our youngest.

Speaker 3 (48:51):
That's why it was also important that we all all
the kids, the girls go to the same school, because
we could have had the option, they would have been
to different schools because the way DC works. But once
my kids got into her kids' school, I was like,
oh no, the logistics, no, no, no, we to really
make this work. Everybody gonna be in the same school

(49:12):
so we can do the pickups to drop offs. Our
youngest are in the same class. So but you would
think that would make it easy, but every time they
come home and we say, what did happened with the homework?

Speaker 2 (49:23):
Stories?

Speaker 3 (49:24):
Yeah, so I'm like, don't ask seven year olds because
it's like, what's the whole No, this.

Speaker 2 (49:30):
Is the homework.

Speaker 4 (49:31):
No, that's the homework work. We don't have any or no,
like that was just class work. That was just after
she and stuff class work.

Speaker 2 (49:39):
So it's we like, hi.

Speaker 1 (49:40):
Yu up to the fact that they're in the same house.
They can't different stories.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
Now, yeah, it's like, how are y'all in the same class,
But y'all know, but they're both doing really well. They
both got in the ninety percent times for their first quiz,
So okay house.

Speaker 1 (49:58):
Yes, Now, has it created any funny moments with them
telling their teacher, like, you know, like trying to explain
the living arrangement? Has that come up at all? Not
that it matters, it.

Speaker 3 (50:09):
Has, but it has had funny moments when they're telling
us stories about what happened at school, because it's when
there's drama at school.

Speaker 2 (50:16):
Now all the kids have seen it, and so it'll
be like, yeah, it was a fight. Oh I saw it.
I saw this part. Oh no, I didn't see that
Parker and.

Speaker 4 (50:25):
The teacher say this or didn't say this, and then
afterwards they got taken to the hall. I saw that
like this.

Speaker 3 (50:33):
Yeah, So it's yeah, so we get into that whole thing.

Speaker 2 (50:37):
So that's funny.

Speaker 1 (50:40):
It's funny. I mean I wonder if, like the if
other teachers or their parents will just assume that y'all are,
you know, just the same sex couple and like any
other family.

Speaker 3 (50:49):
I think that people may assume that when we out
and about, because they do say, are those y'all kids?
And we'd be like yeah when we're walking, because it's
like with five kids, it stands out.

Speaker 2 (50:57):
So there are people who are like, you know.

Speaker 3 (51:00):
And I was telling a neighbor who lived behind us
when we first moved in. I was telling her, you
know I live, you know. I was telling her, yes,
my my friend and her kids. She was like, is
that now? Is that sure your girlfriend?

Speaker 2 (51:15):
She was trying to be respectful, like.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
Yeah, yeah. Then you know, the neighbors trying to figure
it out. And I'm like, you know, we just yes,
my partner.

Speaker 3 (51:24):
He's my partner, she's my life partner, my co pair,
but romantically we don't do that.

Speaker 4 (51:30):
Yeah yeah, yeah, I'm sure a lot of the neighbors
think that we haven't actually had a conversation with y.

Speaker 3 (51:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (51:38):
Let him wonder. Yes, I wonder y'all watched The Gilded Age?
Do you know that show.

Speaker 2 (51:43):
Do you watch that Jazz?

Speaker 3 (51:44):
You know, I only watched Horrors, and that is where
this is where we're just yes, we are very different
on this.

Speaker 2 (51:52):
I like Horror and all this stuff.

Speaker 4 (51:55):
Like the drama and the morom comes ye.

Speaker 1 (52:00):
Girl about to say, because you might watch that, I.

Speaker 4 (52:04):
Might have to look it up. If I can watch
anything without the children around. That's the other thing.

Speaker 1 (52:08):
Like I've had my five year old. I've had my
five year old about and I'm like, I'm like, Mommy's
story is on and he's kind of playing and it's
so boring to him because it is a drama. It's
very like, you know, conversation have you. But anyway, there's
there's two sisters, an older sister and a younger sister.
They're in like their sixties or seventies. They live together

(52:29):
in New York together during the post Civil War era. Anyway,
just it's very now y'all. There is a power struggle there,
but I just feel like it's really, i mean, just
two women living together and making life together. It's just
like so hell yeah, I'm kind of like, damn, I
wish I had taken this side quest. But you know,
everything happens. Everything happens for a reason.

Speaker 5 (52:49):
Yeah, thing does.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Yeah, you said you're hopeless romantic, So what happens if
y'all fall in love and need a boo and both?

Speaker 3 (52:57):
Yeah, I think we're both open to that because I
think we were also both like we don't know that
this is gonna we're not expecting this to be forever necessarily,
And even when we were talking about buying together, I
was like, well, you know, I'm thinking negative, So I'm like, well, what.

Speaker 2 (53:12):
If I lost my job? Like Steph's like, we're not
thinking about that.

Speaker 3 (53:15):
You could get a promotion to some great job or
something like that, and then we'll have to sell the
house and that would be fine. And then like we're
both like, you know, we know that if we fell
in love and you know, decided that we needed to,
you know, go to another sort of living arrangement, we
could do that because I think we both I mean,
my goodness, if we fell in love with somebody and

(53:37):
we got to that point, I'm I'm once again, I'm.

Speaker 2 (53:41):
Like, girl, what you need because.

Speaker 3 (53:43):
Once you get to that point, all I want is
the best for you.

Speaker 4 (53:47):
Right, we would both be supportive it, and it's just
a conversation and we're both we would work it out
like it doesn't obviously like no one can move out
like immediately. Like we would work it out, we would
discuss it, we would figure out for the kids, what's
the best thing to do, what's the best time frame.

Speaker 1 (54:05):
I'm on team move them in. Why are that?

Speaker 2 (54:07):
Why are you you're the first? Yes, exactly, That's the thing.
That's why I say it here, don't lose ye, Well,
that's what I'm like.

Speaker 3 (54:21):
I'm like, look, we just you know, because min that's
men come and go. So it's kind of like if
we get to that point, I don't think any either
one of us are like we jumping off the cliff anytime.
So I think we're both like and like you said,
I'm not trying to mess this up like you're gonna
have to, you know, you have to figure it out, sir.

Speaker 1 (54:41):
Yes, because even if you do get booed up, like
it's the same thing, you'll still need that support, you know.

Speaker 4 (54:47):
It's like they would have to fit into this situation,
not the other way around. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (54:51):
Yes, and a good man would see the value and
what that is.

Speaker 3 (54:55):
Yes, Yeah, And that's the only thing we're dealing with
because we ain't dealing with no problems.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
No drama. Who has time for that? Yeah, we'll know
one does.

Speaker 3 (55:05):
Well.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
I'm so excited for y'all to tell your story. I'm
very honored that I get to tell part of your
story and be, you know, be a part of the
first press tour as.

Speaker 2 (55:16):
You Yes, exactly, this is our first.

Speaker 3 (55:19):
This is our first interview, first joint interview about Yes.

Speaker 1 (55:25):
Well. Thank y'all for sharing it. Okay, ba fam, you're
gonna go to the show notes and we can follow
them on ANGI follow the YouTube. Y'all get that YouTube page,
even if there's nothing there, just get it set up
so we can get some early subscribers. And otherwise a
U Shu Roscoe we can find y'all find her at
NPR on the Sunday Sunday edition and also up first

(55:46):
weeken edition. Wee Can edition, Thank you.

Speaker 3 (55:48):
We can edition up first on Saturdays and Sundays, so
and on Sundays it's called the Sunday Story, but it's
the up first feed, So up first on Saturdays and Sundays.

Speaker 2 (55:58):
You'll hear me.

Speaker 1 (55:59):
Yeah, and Jazzmine, are you also on I G as
you want everyone to just follow y'all at under the
same roof.

Speaker 4 (56:06):
Under under one roof, under one roof, under one room.

Speaker 1 (56:09):
Okay, well y'all let me know. Put whatever you want
in the show notes. Yes, good luck to you both.
Good luck weire back to school season. I'm so happy
that it's going well. I hope peace continues. Any any
what do y'all doing for the holidays? Are we doing
a big family thing? Y'all just went to Disneyland Disney World.

Speaker 3 (56:25):
Yeah, so we're going to decorate like crazy, multiple Christmas trees.
Were both very into holiday decore. We already did this
with We already did it for Halloween.

Speaker 4 (56:36):
Yes, our Halloween stuff is already up.

Speaker 3 (56:39):
That's really it's really amazing. And so for Christmas, were
getting all our stuff out. We're gonna get some more stuff.
We're gonna try to do some lights outside the big
inflatable stuff. We're going all out. So and like I said,
multiple Christmas trees at least two, at least two, Yeah,
at least two, maybe three, going all the way out

(57:02):
are always good.

Speaker 1 (57:03):
You're gonna do family photos together.

Speaker 3 (57:05):
Oh yeah, we definitely we have to pick out we
probably we need to do matching pajamas. But not all
matching because I think the kids have too much personality
for that.

Speaker 2 (57:15):
So I think we will, but definitely together.

Speaker 4 (57:18):
We definitely want to saying this. I'm I'm thinking about
Reggie and Zola.

Speaker 2 (57:23):
Reggie, I make Reggie. We have to don't want to
be left out.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
Okay, we'll see.

Speaker 2 (57:30):
Yeah, we have to bribe or let them pick.

Speaker 3 (57:32):
We have to let the older kids pick and then yeah,
so we will. We might have to make some adjustments,
but definitely all. We definitely got to do some some
family fun.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
Will they ever do another full house reboot? I want
this model to be the model. That's what we need.
All right, y'all take care of bea fam. Don't forget
to like and subscribe to Brown Ambition, leave us a review,
and while you're at it, go follow Ayisha and Jasmin's accounts.
We're going goes in the show notes again, ladies things,
thank you so much for joining me at Brown Ambition.

(58:02):
We'll see y'all next time. Thank you, okay Va fam,
thank you so much for listening to this week's show.
I want to shout out to our production team, Courtney,
our editor, Carla, our fearless leader for idea to launch Productions.
I want to shout out my assistant Lauda Escalante and
Cameron McNair for helping me put the show together. It

(58:25):
is not a one person project, as much as I
have tried to make it so these past ten years.
I need help, y'all, and thank goodness I've been able
to put this team around me to support me on
this journey and to y'all bea fam I love you
so so so so much. Please rate, review, subscribe, make
sure you're signed up to the newsletter to get all

(58:45):
the latest updates on upcoming episodes, our ten year anniversary
celebrations to come, and until next time, talk to you
soon via buye