Parenting Roundabout

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.

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.

Today, to finish up our Thanksgiving Leftovers week, we’re forking over an episode from last December on holiday shopping in a time of supply-chain challenges. No stress, though. We’re sure you’ll be able to find everything you’re looking for!

Today we’re filling your plate with an episode from July 2019 that, well, starts with the 4th of July, but it gets to today’s holiday too. Wait for it. And as we so often do, we have a business idea for someone else to execute.

Today, for our Thanksgiving leftovers week, we are serving up an episode from December 2020 about holiday traditions we were … surprisingly not upset to lose in the time of COVID. Two years later, we're still happy to skip out on mall Santas, office parties, and so much more.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, Dancing with the Stars gave us the winner who'd seemed inevitable from day 1, but who still managed to win us over in the end: Charli D'Amelio. Overall, the move to Disney+ has been a positive one, and this was a fun season.Over on Brothers and Sisters, there's a much less fun pool party. Watching the Walkers is a good way to kick off your Thanksgiving week, so you can be grateful that there's a little less drama (we hope) around your table. Next week: S1 E4, "Family Portrait." We'll also get into the Christmas spirit with the new AppleTV+ movie, Spirited, starring Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, and Octavia Spencer [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10999120/?ref_=ttfc_fc_tt].

This week, we’re serving up some delicious holiday leftovers for your enjoyment. In this episode from November 2019, we kicked off a week of gratitude by extending thanks and shout-outs to all of those people who have helped make our parenting journey just a little easier, from spouses and grandparents to pediatricians and carpool buddies.

Which of us are the losers in our households, and which the finders?

After Nicole encountered a room-service delivery robot in Las Vegas, we talked about the many handy household uses we would have for robot technology.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Nicole is back with another handy pet product: an automated feeding dish for her cats [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FT93YM2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details]. Terri is shouting out some cute, comfy, and made-in-the-U.S.A. socks from Zkano [https://zkano.com/collections/womens-knee-high-socks]. And Catherine is marveling at how far college applications have come, now that she's seen the Common App [https://www.commonapp.org/].

Nicole challenged us to name some of our family favorites, which proved to be a little challenging. But we did come up with some vacation spots, restaurants/cuisines, and movies that have a home in our hearts.

An article from Raising Teens Today [https://raisingteenstoday.com/things-moms-see-that-no-one-else-sees/] got us complaining about all those things moms' magic eyes can see that are somehow invisible to kids (and, usually, spouses).

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we shimmied into the Dancing with the Stars semi-finals, and to a pretty predictable final four: Shangela, Wayne Brady, Gabby Windey, and Charli D'Amelio. Even though we are quite sad to see Daniel go, this is a pretty fun group for the finale.Over on Brothers and Sisters, no one's having that much fun, whether they're being tossed in jail, bailing someone out of jail, or not finding what they need at the party store. Next: S1E3, "Affairs of State."

The idea of using natural consequences [https://www.positivediscipline.com/articles/natural-consequences] to help kids learn is so good! So smart! So... hard to actually put into practice, when you really think about it.

We've talked about what's inside our refrigerators before [https://www.spreaker.com/episode/18922813]. Now, we want to know what's stuck to the outside.

​If you're a parent, it's likely you've obsessed over this topic at some point: Writing a will, setting up a trust, creating an upon-my-demise plan. Not fun (although Nicole managed to find some humor), but very necessary.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Catherine alerts you to Costco's macarons, which come in seasonal flavors [https://www.mashed.com/1015690/costcos-newest-macarons-have-all-the-fall-and-winter-flavors/]. Nicole shouts out Charlie Berens on TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@charlieberens] (and Catherine seconds this recommendation, although she's not on TikTok). And Terri's more productive when a snarky app checks on her, so she's been enjoying Productivity Challenge Timer [https://productivitychallengetimer.com/].

After learning that King Charles always travels with his childhood teddy bear and his personal toilet seat [https://jezebel.com/king-charles-wont-go-anywhere-without-his-teddy-bear-an-1849740365], we obsessed over what we take on trips, and what we leave behind.

On today's episode, we complain about being the keeper of the to-do list for everyone in our family, and the only one with any sense of urgency about just checking these tasks off, PLEASE!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, the Dancing with the Stars producers got Terri to feel sorry for Heidi right before she was sent packing, along with perennial good-sport Vinny. We'll miss you, man. Next: The semi-finals.Then we turned from ballroom drama to family drama with the series Brothers and Sisters. We watched the 2006 pilot, "Patriarchy," which introduced us to the Walker family of southern California and its many cute white boys. Soon we will be able to tell them all apart. Next week: season 1, episode 2, "An Act of Will."