Why we disappeared from YouTube...

Return After a Long YouTube Break

They came back after about a year off YouTube (Bella is now turning 12 months soon). They explain they’ve been dealing with a tough mental stretch alongside other life factors, including family, work, and distance. Monica credits Sam and their supportive partnership during that time.

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Why They Disappeared + What’s Changing

• More authenticity on YouTube: They want to vlog more genuinely instead of “putting on a front.”
• Living more in the moment: Filming everything became too consuming, so they chose to focus on their real lives.
• Posting schedule changes:
  • They’ll still post regularly on Instagram/TikTok (daily-ish).
  • YouTube videos may not be weekly; they plan to return “as much as we can.”
• A Q&A is coming: Viewers wanted to know where they went, so they’re addressing it through a Q&A.

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Personal Lifestyle + Relationship Mindset

How They Keep a Healthy Marriage

• Complete honesty with each other.
• Strong communication and active listening.
• They don’t avoid hard conversations, especially since long-distance early on forced serious talks (where to live, number of kids, goals).
• They try not to go to bed sad to prevent resentment from building.

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Parenting + Privacy Choice

Why They Don’t Show Bella’s Face

• They initially shared her early on, but became uncomfortable because photos can be saved, repurposed, and used with AI.
• They received unsettling messages (e.g., someone saving Bella’s photo as a phone background).
• They’ve noticed other creators get lots of saves when kids’ faces are shown, and that feels “weird” to them.
• Conclusion: they’re protecting Bella for safety.

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Family Highlights + Favorite Things

Favorite Part About Having a Daughter

• Realizing “an entire type of love” they didn’t know existed.
• Feeling deeply needed and experiencing a bond different from their relationship with each other.
• Seeing her grow into “new versions of them” (expressions/behaviors that feel like Monica and Sam).

TV Favorites Mentioned

• Succession (Sam’s pick)
• Other shows discussed:
  • The Vampire Diaries
  • Off Campus
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty

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Food / Culture Q&A

Monica’s Top British Foods

• Cornish pasties
• Roast dinner
• Greggs steak bake

Sam’s Top American Foods

• Barbecue
• “Good deli sandwich”
• Bacon egg and cheese bagel (implied New York favorites)

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Reading & Book-Life Routine

What They’re Reading

• Monica:
  • Multiple books, including When the Moon Hatched (fantasy)
  • Previously finished A Long Time Coming
• Sam:
  • Reckless
  • Also reads/mentions fantasy and business/finance-focused titles

Book Habits

• Monica has a book club on the first Monday of every month.
• The meetings include food and discussion, and they’ve hosted it at home.
• She cooks/serves themed items (including buffalo chicken dip and “Yorkshire puddings with filling”).

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Long-Distance Relationship Time

• They visited in alternating phases (months apart depending on work/visas).
• They leaned on FaceTime and virtual “together” moments (examples: pumpkin carving, Valentine’s Day, Halloween phone time).
• Special dates often influenced who traveled and when.

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Family Planning + Kids

• They discuss baby gender hopes but keep it unspoken (to avoid the future child looking it up).
• They agree on having three children.

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Health-Related Content

No specific workout routine, supplements, or detailed recipes are described beyond:

• Monica cooking for book club (food is mentioned, but recipes are not detailed).

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App Plug: Fitis (“Partner Date/Relationship” System)

They promote Fitis, which includes:

• Personalized gift ideas and “daily wins” for your partner
• Preferences you input at sign-up (e.g., coffee order, favorite store, TV show, love language)
• Suggestions for weekly date ideas based on preferences and nearby locations (example: state parks + nearby restaurants)
• Long-distance mode
• A free version and premium for extra features

Tagline-style: “Become the person your partner brags about.”

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Notable Locations / Products / Speakers (as Mentioned)

Locations / Brands

• Starbucks (pickup mentioned; Monica passes out in the car)
• Greggs steak bake, Cornish pasties, Yorkshire pudding (book club food mention)

App

• Fitis (created by Sam; promotion includes daily wins, gifts, weekly date ideas, long-distance mode)

TV

• Succession
• The Vampire Diaries
• Off Campus
• The Summer I Turned Pretty

Books (and authors/titles mentioned)

• Reckless
• A Long Time Coming
• When the Moon Hatched
• Just Friends
• A Court of Mist and Fury
• Quicksilver
• The Four-Hour Work Week
• Avatar

People

• Monica, Sam, Bella
• Friends mentioned: Peter and Sunny