Never Have I Ever
A surprising weather event in Southern California got us talking about life experiences we, and our kids, have missed out on (or been spared from), like broken bones and sleeping under the stars.
Feb 28, 2022•12 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
Speed-Round Sunday: Celebration Traditions
It's family birthday season for Catherine and Terri, and book launch season for Nicole, so it seems like a good time to review our celebration traditions, from ceremonial plates to congratulation cheesecakes to paying too much for dinner.
Feb 27, 2022•6 min
Second-Listen Saturday: The Unsolicited Schedule Shake-Up
Kids thrive on routines, but so do parents. So today we're complaining about having to deal with changes to our daily habits—and the best ways to bug other people until they fix things.
Feb 26, 2022•12 min
Roundabout Roundup: Baskin-Robbins Peanut Butter Cup Layered Sundae, Bona Fide Masks, and L.L. Bean Fleece Blanket
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Nicole had us all drooling over the Baskin-Robbins Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Layered Sundae [ https://order.baskinrobbins.com/menu-details/reese-s-peanut-butter-cup-layered-sundae?id=95ea2b0c-3e7f-41b2-bda4-5f218f60d25e&sizes=%5B%5D ]. Catherine went practical with her pick for KN95 masks from Bona Fide Masks [ https://bonafidemasks.com/face-masks/kn95-respirators/ ]. And Terri went cozy with a fleece blanket from L.L. Bean [ https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop...
Feb 25, 2022•9 min
Small-Talk Struggles
A Wall Street Journal article titled "College Students Have to Learn to Make Small Talk Again" [ https://www.wsj.com/articles/college-students-forgot-how-to-talk-to-each-other-11644627316?st=xvyy5prs97qhn5h&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink ] got us obsessing about the ways social media. the ubiquity of smartphones, and of course a global pandemic have changed the ways people interact with others in public....
Feb 24, 2022•14 min
Shaming a Mom-Shamer
This week's complaint is about a mom-shaming incident we read about [ https://www.parents.com/news/neighbor-shames-mom-for-using-car-to-soothe-children-to-sleep/ ], in which an anonymous (cowardly!) neighbor told a mom to stop using her car as a baby sleep aid. We say, Let he who is carbon-neutral cast the first stone. Mentioned: The Snoo baby sleep solution from Dr. Harvey Karp (we're looking for an adult version, please) [ https://www.happiestbaby.com/collections/snoo-accessories ]....
Feb 23, 2022•13 min
What We’re Watching: As We See It Episode 3 and The Gilded Age Episode 2
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, the As We See It roommates continue to navigate family ties, friendship, and romance in episode 2, "When Violet Met Douglas." Next week, it's another Violet-titled episode, "The Violetini." Mentioned: A book about sex for young adults with disabilities [ https://norabaladerian.com/the-rules-of-sex-for-those-who-have-never-been-told/ ]. On The Gilded Age, George Russell throws his money at a problem on behalf of his wife Bertha and we are just as impre...
Feb 22, 2022•28 min
Baby on Board
An article about an ingenious solution for parents juggling small children and work [ https://www.moms.com/desk-parents-with-toddler-goes-viral/ ] (or just Web surfing; here's a pic [ https://twitter.com/FamiliesFwdVA/status/1484940785476935690 ]) got us talking about the ways in which we restrained our little ones when we needed to--and suffered when we couldn't....
Feb 21, 2022•14 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Do You Chat with Workers in Your House?
Gas line work in Terri's neighborhood and the need for a young fellow to come in the house and turn stuff off and on led her to wonder: Is it good manners to chat in a friendly way with workfolk in your home, or should you just shut up and leave them to do their thing? So of course, she checked in with Catherine and Nicole for a consensus.
Feb 20, 2022•5 min
Second-Listen Saturday: See You in Court, Mom
If kids can sue their parents just for being born [ https://news.iheart.com/featured/coast-to-coast-am/content/2019-02-04-indian-man-wants-to-sue-his-parents-for-giving-birth-to-him/ ], do we need to be prepared to defend our every parenting decision in a court of law? If you'll all be on our jury, we'd feel better about it.
Feb 19, 2022•9 min
Roundabout Roundup: Lemon Creme Pie Pop-Tarts, Interior Design: Ask Everything, and RockerSkating
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Terri tried a tasty new Pop-Tart (the Lemon Creme Pie flavor [ https://www.poptarts.com/en_US/products/favorites/pop-tarts-lemon-creme-pie.html ]). Nicole's daughter found a helpful Facebook resource: Interior Design: Ask Everything [ https://www.facebook.com/groups/205442120227387 ]. And Catherine's following Jackie Wong, @RockerSkating on Twitter [ https://twitter.com/rockerskating ], for tons of Olympic figure-skating news. Mentioned: the men's individual ev...
Feb 18, 2022•9 min
Is Honesty the Best Policy?
A Character Lab tip about honesty, and how stress makes it hard to practice [ https://characterlab.org/tips-of-the-week/honest-people/ ], got us obsessing about times when we've been honest, or tried to teach our kids honesty, with mixed results.
Feb 17, 2022•13 min
The Next Challenge
Nicole finished her last course in her master's program (yay Nicole!!), which got us complaining about how finishing a big project or meeting a challenge just leads to needing another challenge. Mentioned: National Novel-Writing Month (NaNoWriMo [ https://nanowrimo.org/ ]).
Feb 16, 2022•12 min
What We’re Watching: As We See It Episode 2 and The Gilded Age Episode 1
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we returned to As We See It with episode 2, "I Apologize for My Words and Actions." We continue to be most interested in the lives and challenges of the three roommates, and less so in their caregivers (except you, Joe Mantegna). Next: "When Violet Met Douglas" (episode 3). We also pivoted from Abbott Elementary to The Gilded Age (quite a 180) with episode 1, "Never the New." It's an escapist joy to watch beautiful people in beautiful rooms wearing be...
Feb 15, 2022•29 min
To Valentine Or Not to Valentine
Happy Valentine's Day, lovely listeners! As the calendar demands, on today's episode we talk about how we observe this day with our spouses and kids. We've all been married for a long time, so things have ... evolved.
Feb 14, 2022•13 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Top Sheet or No Top Sheet?
Like folks didn't already have enough to disagree about these days, top sheets have become a hot topic on the Internet. (Or they were when we recorded this. Given the lifespan of Internet hot topics, people have probably moved on to some other ridiculous triviality by now.) We give our opinion on this vital issue, and though we do not agree, we remain civil. It can be done, people.
Feb 13, 2022•5 min
Second-Listen Saturday: The KonMaybe Method
Marie Kondo and her KonMari method are all over our social media feeds, thanks to her Netflix show [ https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379 ]. So today, we discuss our tidying-up takeaways. In a nutshell: We're #KonMaybe. Also mentioned: Minimalist Joshua Becker on Young House Love Has a Podcast [ https://www.younghouselove.com/podcast-128/ ].
Feb 12, 2022•14 min
Roundabout Roundup: IHG Rewards, Nature Fresh Charcoal Odor Absorbers, BodyForce Underwear
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Catherine shouts out IHG Rewards [ https://www.ihg.com/rewardsclub/content/us/en/home ], a loyalty program that actually delivered for her. Nicole also found a product that delivered on its promise: Nature Fresh charcoal bags for absorbing (not covering) odors [ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QRX9CQT/ref =ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1]. And Terri's got some comfy new made-in-the-USA undies from BodyForce [ https://bodyforcebrands.com/ ]....
Feb 11, 2022•9 min
How Kids Change Their Parents
A fascinating BBC article [ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220104-how-parenting-changes-you ] got us obsessing about how our kids have changed us, and how much power we really have, as parents, to change them.
Feb 10, 2022•10 min
Gifts That Keep on Giving
On today's episode, we're talking and complaining about gifts that come with a side of worry and confusion--those occasions where other people give our children gifts, and we can't quite figure out why they did. Do they think we are neglecting our kids' needs?
Feb 09, 2022•15 min
What We’re Watching: As We See It and Abbott Elementary
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we checked out two new TV series and enjoyed them both--but will only continue watching one of them: As We See It, which resolves around three neurodivergent characters who live together as roommates. It can be painful to see the cruelty they experience, but it's also funny and warm and very well-acted. Mentioned: A sibling caregiver story on Once and Again, discussed on the Extra Hot Great podcast [ https://www.extrahotgreat.com/392 ]; actor Rick Gla...
Feb 08, 2022•20 min
Debit Cards for Kids
Banks are now promoting debit cards for kids, and in an increasingly cashless society, we can certainly see the benefits. They gotta learn somehow! Mentioned: Mint for budgeting [ https://mint.intuit.com/ ].
Feb 07, 2022•13 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Winter Olympic Ticket Wishes
On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure. This one is from February 2018, the last time the Winter Olympic Games were held. Upside: No constant blather from NBC commentators. Downside: Below-zero temps. Though we like watching the Winter Olympics just fine, we're not so sure what we'd want tickets for.
Feb 06, 2022•5 min
Second-Listen Saturday: Second-Generation Phone Phobia
Today we're talking about talking on the phone—more specifically, helping our kids make their own calls to employers and insurance companies and other fun places. Why can't we do everything online, please?
Feb 05, 2022•11 min
Roundabout Roundup: Wordus, Enjoy Product Delivery, and The Amazing Race
On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Nicole took the Wordle ball and ran with it, finding an app called Wordus that allows you to play Wordle all day long [ https://apps.apple.com/us/app/wordus/id1602940346 ]. Terri enjoyed an in-home delivery from Enjoy [ https://www.enjoy.com/ ]. And Catherine's happy that The Amazing Race [ https://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/ ] is back after a Covid-imposed hiatus. Also mentioned: Amazing Race coverage at Rob Has a Podcast [ https://robhasawebsite.com/shows...
Feb 04, 2022•11 min
Emboldened Animals
After Nicole heard about a Ring cam capturing footage of a mountain-lion fight, we obsessed over what wildlife we might encounter near our homes. We don't feel too threatened by deer and lake sturgeon, but we all agree that Canada geese have an attitude.
Feb 03, 2022•12 min
Not Alone, But Lonely
A Wall Street Journal column titled "Moms in Middle Age: Rarely Alone, Often Online, and Increasingly Lonely" [ https://www.wsj.com/articles/moms-in-middle-age-rarely-alone-often-online-and-increasingly-lonely-11642860003 ] resonated with the Gen-X members of our trio (the Boomer is cool with just being left alone, although she does join the others in considering podcast recording sessions a big part of her social life)....
Feb 02, 2022•14 min
What We’re Watching: The Tender Bar and Up in the Air
On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we took a week off from TV and watched two movies: The Tender Bar (2021) and Up in the Air (2009). Both were enjoyable character studies, even if they were also very "Man has Man Problems." And speaking of enjoyable characters, George Clooney stars in Up in the Air and directed The Tender Bar. Next week, we're going to check out the pilots of two new TV series and consider whether to continue with one or both: As We See It (on Amazon Prime) and Abbott...
Feb 01, 2022•23 min
Learning Via Laptop
Prompted by a researcher's "hey that's not what I meant!" article on note-taking by laptop [ https://characterlab.org/tips-of-the-week/take-note/ ], we discussed the ups, downs, pros, and cons of kids using laptops and other tech to learn. Plus, what happens when hackers take out a school district's technology (hint: It's not pretty).
Jan 31, 2022•15 min
Speed-Round Sunday: Amusement Park or Beach?
This or that: Sand and a sunburn or roller coasters and expensive fun? We're not all that enthusiastic about either one, TBH.
Jan 30, 2022•5 min
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