Parenting Roundabout

A yard sign installation celebrating a child's first day of third grade (!) prompted us to complain about where this ends (billboards? fireworks?) and why we don't get signs celebrating our achievements.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we made it to the end of Making It. We congratulate the winner for his very happy-looking shed [https://www.instagram.com/p/CTILC_UlBwb/], and would love to see a season 4 of the show--with a few tweaks.Speaking of beautiful things, we also watched the movie CODA on AppleTV+ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10366460/?ref_=nm_knf_i4]. It is a lovely look at a the ordinary life of a teenage girl, played by Emilia Jones, whose parents and brother happen to be deaf. It's predictable, yet complex and joyful. Mentioned: Pop Culture Happy Hour's discussion of the movie [https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1026797711].Next week: We'll stick with AppleTV+ and check out Schmigadoon, We'll watch all 6 episodes of this musical comedy.

Nicole's ready to rethink it all, Terri wouldn't change a thing (not even the bridesmaids' dresses), and Catherine's somewhere in the middle. If you had a wedding, is there anything you wish you could re-do?

Whether you're into hifalutin rhymes, delightful children's verse, or stuff that will make Terri have to dig out the bleep sound effect again, we've got some poetry for you. (The childhood-wall-hanging text Nicole couldn't remember, BTW, isn't really a poem, but maybe a topic for a future episode on parenting judgy-ness: "Children Learn What They Live" [https://www.thelearningweb.net/chapter02/page104.html].)

​While Terri has lived in New Jersey for many years, she grew up in Thousand Oaks, California, which was hit with two tragedies in one week back in 2018 when we originally recorded this episode. We discussed how connected we are to our hometowns, and how that looks for our kids too.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Nicole shouts out The Hat restaurant [https://www.thehat.com/], which helped her time-travel back to her teenage days. Terri discovered a handy new iPhone trick, thanks to Macworld magazine [https://www.macworld.com/article/353078/spotlight-iphone-ios-15.html]. And Catherine's enjoying "You Shine," a sweet love song from Carrie the musical (yes, it is based on the horror movie [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BreR8sxaNCA]).

We heard a stat saying that two-thirds of people have unofficial assigned seats in their cars, on their couches, and at their dining tables. We thought everyone did this!

Yes, we're aware that there's no such thing as privacy online. But how does Facebook know our bra size? And could TikTok be eavesdropping on our family dinners?

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we've reached the semi-finals of Making It, and also discovered the makers' post-show Instagram Live events... which are possibly more fun than the show itself?! Mentioned: Blake's recently completed bear sculpture; all the makers on Instagram [visit https://parentingroundabout.com for all links].We also returned (reluctantly) to Veronica Mars season 4, with the wrap-up episode from the Veronica Mars Investigations podcast. It didn't convince us to have fonder feelings for season 4. The VMI crew will be re-watching the show's pilot on Saturday, August 28, if you're interested.For next week: We'll watch the finale of Making It and check out Coda, a new movie on Apple TV+.

Now that our kids' generation is starting to get married, we did a little comparing and contrasting. We're pretty glad we never felt the pressure to come up with a wedding hashtag.

Whether for an advanced degree, motivation to finish a project, or a chance for random people to destroy our will to create, we contemplate returning to school. Or, you know, not.

Time for a career check-in: ​Nicole is embarking on a new career, Catherine is pondering a switch from freelance to staff work, and Terri just works all. the. time.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine shouts out Just Add Ice orchids, because she's been able to keep hers alive (and blooming) for six months now. Nicole welcomes the addition of peanut M&Ms to her family's favorite Costco trail mix. And Terri gives a happy two thumbs' up to Dan + Shay's new album, "Good Things." Mentioned: Interview with Bobby Bones; performing at Bobby's wedding. Visit https://parentingroundabout.com for links.

'Tis the season--are you ready? We're here with some hard-earned advice that goes beyond "Don't forget to buy enough pencils." Have you nagged the special-ed office yet? Checked to see if last year's lunchbox still has last year's lunch in it? Signed up for a school photo? We're here with your to-do list.

We are nothing if not predictable. If you bugged our homes, here's what you'd hear--over, and over, and over again. The major topics: Pets and meals.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Making It is back with its usual contrived stories about why these projects are happening. Let's just let the makers make stuff!We also checked out Kevin Can F Himself, starring Annie Murphy (late of Schitt's Creek) as a sitcom housewife who's also living in a bleak drama. It's a high concept that's well done, but requires the viewer to live with a lot of unpleasantness. Mentioned: Pop Culture Happy Hour's discussion of the show [https://www.npr.org/2021/07/19/1017885733/no-laughing-all-crying-the-sitcom-reconsidered-in-kevin-can-f-k-himself].Next week: Making It episode 7, and we return to Veronica Mars season 4 one last time with Veronica Mars Investigations' wrap-up episode [https://www.veronicamarsinvestigations.com/vmi/investigations4].

On this week's Round 1, a Tiktok (of course!) prompted us to look back nostalgically at our university years, in the time before Internet, cell phones, and laptops. You know, back when we used a quill and an inkwell to write our papers.

Here's a this or that for you: delicious ice-cream-rich beverage, or something people use to hide spinach and worse? Yeah, Nicole and Terri are all-in for milkshakes. Catherine ... well, we'll stay her friend, we guess, but we're not going to drink anything she gives us.

Some childhood fears we've gotten over. Others have stayed with us. You just never know when Jaws is going to come up through the drain of a swimming pool! Mentioned: This 2016 episode on what was scaring us at the time [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18923142].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Terri recommends the cheerful "Fancy Like" fan video from Walker Hayes [https://youtu.be/E08puACaHfY], which he kindly posted on YouTube for those of us who can't handle TikTok. Nicole's Instagram Minute returns with geoscan.show [https://www.instagram.com/geoscan.show/], a business that puts on drone light shows (so if you liked the one at the Olympics, you might enjoy this account). Catherine's singing the praises of a Knox Rose summer dress from Target [https://www.target.com/p/women-39-s-short-sleeve-wrap-dress-knox-rose-8482-pink-floral-m/-/A-82044440], plus a side recommendation for the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin [https://www.jmkac.org/].