Speed-Round Sunday: Reality Check
On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure. We cop to those experiences that sound like a great idea, but kinda suck in reality.
Dec 25, 2022•6 min
Parenting Roundabout
Join parenting writers Terri Mauro and Catherine Holecko for a weekly look at the things parents are talking about, complaining about, and obsessing about right now.
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Episodes
Second-Listen Saturday: Going to the Dentist
On Second-Listen Saturday, we share moments from past episodes for your weekend listening pleasure. This discussion is from June 2019. We revisit a past complaint target in a new way: First it was dental insurance . Now we complain about dentists themselves, as Nicole deals with a belittling one and Terri finally resolves to have her tooth pulled already (it's been six years).
Dec 24, 2022•13 min
Roundabout Roundup: Socks Advent Calendar, Deep Shinola, and Liturgy of the Hours
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Catherine suggests fun sock Advent calendars from Target , Nicole is enjoying a new card game called Deep Shinola , and Terri makes it meaningful by recommending the Liturgy of the Hours subscription from Word on Fire . Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music, which you hear on every episode....
Dec 23, 2022•9 min
Welcome Home, College Kids
After reading Grown & Flown's list of " nine things NOT to say to your teen when they're home from college ," we obsessed about this tough transition time (for parents and kids!), as well as what our mothers may have said to us.
Dec 22, 2022•10 min
Parenting Trends to Take or Leave
A Buzzfeed listicle on parenting trends did its job, getting us to talk about it by way of complaining about what's included and what's not. Join us for the gentle snark.
Dec 21, 2022•13 min
What We’re Watching: Ticket to Paradise and Brothers and Sisters “Northern Exposure”
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we flew to Bali for Ticket to Paradise, the George Clooney-Julia Roberts vehicle that was utterly enjoyable and also utterly forgettable. We also hit the Walker family ranch in Ojai, California, for a few more rounds of "people having sex in inappropriate places" and "extremely awkward dinner-table talk." No Round 2 next week, but on January 3, we'll discuss the next two episodes of Brothers and Sisters: "Mistakes Were Made," parts 1 and 2.
Dec 20, 2022•29 min
Application Anxiety
Today, we're talking about a Wall Street Journal article called Even university presidents lose their minds when their teens apply to college . It resonated with Catherine and Nicole, who may not be university presidents, but who are definitely losing their grip on their sanity as three of their kids apply to college and grad school.
Dec 19, 2022•15 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Would You Rather: Approaches to Life
During a series of "Would You Rather?" Speed Rounds, we take on WYR questions about how we approach life (and chocolate).
Dec 18, 2022•10 min
Second-Listen Saturday: Parents Tattling on Kids
Terri's still obsessing over a years-old situation, while Nicole and Catherine have more recent experience: What do you do when you're in a position to bust a kid for bad behavior? Do you tattle, or no? And if so, how?
Dec 17, 2022•12 min
Roundabout Roundup: Dance & Co., Lapacker Laptop Backpack, and Hugimals
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri recommends another Dancing with the Stars side-hustle project: online workouts and dance classes with lots of the DWTS pros at Dance & Co. [ https://www.danceand.co/ ]. Nicole has a trusty new Lapacker backpack so she can comfortably travel with her laptop [ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B595K1KS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details ]. And Catherine's eyeing Hugimals weighted stuffed animals as a weighted-blanket alternative [ https://www.hugima...
Dec 16, 2022•8 min
Keeping Score on Family Squabbles
Terri's at her wit's end with minor family bickering, and trying to come up with a way to either stop it, or at least make it more fun for her to referee. So we obsessed about ways to gamify frequent family fights.
Dec 15, 2022•13 min
Toys That Weren’t Worth It
In response to a Scary Mommy post called "9 Toys I Can Unequivocally Say Were a Total Waste of Money" [ https://www.scarymommy.com/parenting/9-toys-i-can-unequivocally-say-were-a-total-waste-of-money ], we complained about toys our kids had that didn't stand the test of time (and mentioned some that actually did).
Dec 14, 2022•15 min
What We’re Watching: Love Actually 20th Anniversary and Brothers and Sisters “For the Children”
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we checked in on Love Actually, the Christmas movie that's celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Take or leave the anniversary special (it's on Hulu), but do revisit the movie for a little Christmas cheer. We also continued with our Brothers and Sisters watch, with season 1's "For the Children." The Walker siblings don't stand a chance against Nora's powerful guilt trip, so they all have to attend her annual benefit. Next: S1E8, "Northern Exposu...
Dec 13, 2022•28 min
Letting Go of Holiday Obligations
In response to a Grown & Flown article [ https://grownandflown.com/christmas-is-for-mothers-also/ ] (which is a response to this SNL skit from 2021 [ https://youtu.be/FOVCtUdaMCU ]), we talked about all the holiday obligations society places on moms, plus the ones we place on ourselves--and how to just opt out.
Dec 12, 2022•16 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Would You Rather: Clothing Choices
If you peek in our closets, will you find quality or quantity? Flats or heels? Navy or black? Mentioned: Sherry from Young House Love and her minimalist wardrobe [ https://www.younghouselove.com/minimal-closet-wardrobe/ ].
Dec 11, 2022•6 min
Second-Listen Saturday: Emergency Contact Forms
It's another paperwork complaint: Choosing an emergency contact person to list on various and sundry forms. Turns out it's even harder to select that person when they'd have to be responsible for our pets. Mentioned: Petego Pet Tube Kennel [ https://amzn.to/2WiokmF ].
Dec 10, 2022•12 min
Roundabout Roundup: American Airlines, Garnier Fructis Curl Refresher Spray, and Coach Lisle on Instagram
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Nicole's shouting out a new-to-her airline, American, after a smooth and as-comfortable-as-possible cross-country flight [ https://www.aa.com/ ]. Catherine discovered a handy hair-care product: Garnier Fructis Curl Refresher Spray [ https://www.garnierusa.com/about-our-brands/fructis/curl-nourish/curl-refresher-spray ]. And Terri discovered Coach Lisle, a handy source of dad jokes [ https://www.instagram.com/coachlisle/ ]....
Dec 09, 2022•7 min
What Is Your Dream Job?
Last week, Catherine told a story [ https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/teaching-conversation-skills ] about her son asking a group of her husband's colleagues what their dream job would be, which prompted us today to obsess about what our aspirations once were [ https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/speed-round-what-did-you-want-to-be-when-you-grew-up ], and how our current careers stack up against the ideal....
Dec 08, 2022•15 min
Hard Habits to Take
A complaint session on bad habits quickly became a discussion about how to handle flatulence in public (specifically, in church): Hold it in, or let it rip? But there's also more to this episode than toot talk, so stick with it.
Dec 07, 2022•18 min
What We’re Watching: "The People We Hate at the Wedding" and Brothers and Sisters “Date Night”
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we caved to the relentless promotion of the movie The People We Hate at the Wedding (Amazon Prime), mostly because we have a big soft spot for Allison Janney, Kristen Bell, and even Dustin Milligan (known to us mostly as Rutherford Falls Podcast Guy). And while we enjoyed seeing them all, we wouldn't RSVP yes to a second viewing. In Brothers and Sisters, another dysfunctional family comedy, many Walkers go on many disastrous dates (and one that turns ...
Dec 06, 2022•26 min
Shouting Out Our Kids’ Skills
We're not taking credit, but sometimes our kids really impress us with their skills and strengths, from book smarts to memory and recall to coordination and creativity.
Dec 05, 2022•13 min
Speed-Round Sunday: What Is Your Ideal Ice Cream Sundae?
Our discussion of sundae toppings leads Terri on a walk down SoCal memory lane.
Dec 04, 2022•6 min
Second-Listen Saturday: Kids and Concerts
Our kids aren't obsessed with the K-pop boy band BTS, but Terri went to the concert anyway—twice! And that got us talking about our kids' concert experiences, and our own.
Dec 03, 2022•14 min
Roundabout Roundup: Walker Hayes “Face in the Crowd,” Quik Cart Rolling Crate, and Big Time Adulting
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri's Walker Hayes Minute returns with a recommendation for Hayes's new song "Face in the Crowd" (and its video [ https://youtu.be/SZ523NEhnhM ]). Nicole is embracing the practicality of a sturdy rolling crate [ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0798J37V7?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details ], and Catherine appreciates the reassuring messages from @bigtimeadulting on Instagram [ https://www.instagram.com/bigtimeadulting/ ]....
Dec 02, 2022•7 min
How Influential Are We?
Watching Dancing with the Stars has brought Terri and Catherine into the world of pro dancers who also work as influencers. That led us to obsess about all the ways that we could try to influence our vast audience. Mentioned: Dancing Pizza [ https://dancing-pizza.com/ ], Nicole's son's TikTok-famous cat [ https://www.tiktok.com/ @speaking_of_cats], and our Amazon shop [ https://www.amazon.com/shop/mamatude ]....
Dec 01, 2022•14 min
Playdate Documentation
An article in the Wall Street Journal about a trend in playdates [ https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-parents-live-text-the-playdate-endearing-or-annoying-11668205916?st=8zr8ah02k3i8dyb&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&fbclid=IwAR3TiY0fiui0JmRRZXW3o9NZ8O0yVGrmPv1thY4Ej8IIacOTyXZn4ZKRSek ] got us complaining about the expectation to document every moment of kids' lives, including when they're visiting another child's home....
Nov 30, 2022•13 min
What We're Watching: Spirited and Brothers and Sisters “Family Portrait”
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we stepped into the holiday season with the Apple TV+ original movie, Spirited, starring Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer, and many other familiar faces. While most of the songs let us down, everyone seemed to be having a grand time and we can appreciate that. On Brothers and Sisters, no one has a grand time, of course; they're dealing with chronic illness in a kid, their passive-aggressive mother, and other drama. Next: S1 E5, "Date Night...
Nov 29, 2022•28 min
Teaching Conversation Skills
An Instagram post from the University of British Columbia [ https://www.instagram.com/p/ClBsgVMtxrw/ ] got us talking about social and conversation skills, and how necessary it is to really teach kids how to have both polite and meaningful conversations with friends, family, colleagues, and strangers.
Nov 28, 2022•17 min
Speed-Round Sunday: What's the Weirdest Thing You've Found?
Inspired by a post at Go Fug Yourself [ https://www.gofugyourself.com/unclaimed-baggage-by-jen-doll-09-2018 ], we tell our tales of finding weird (sometimes disturbing!) items.
Nov 27, 2022•8 min
Second-Listen Saturday: Disgusting Things We Do for Our Dogs
Today's episode is not for the weak of stomach. Skip this one if you don't want to join us in recalling and complaining about all the disgusting ways we've had to show love and care for our dogs.
Nov 26, 2022•12 min
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