Parenting Roundabout

A TikTok video about "fringe moms" [https://www.tiktok.com/@shinebeautymalibu/video/7137885808840805674] got us obsessing about whether we were fringe moms and finding our place amongst the cool moms, awkward moms, and other playground cliques.

On this week's Round 3, Catherine is complaining about the extra hurdles her kid needs to jump through to get into college--like this process wasn't hard enough already?! Mentioned: The Honest Guide to College [https://www.commonsense.news/p/the-honest-guide-to-college].

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we wrapped up season one of Rutherford Falls with episode 9, "Stoodis," and episode 10, "D'Angelos." These were an improvement over episode 8, although they returned to the well of Nathan having a tantrum and Reagan trying once again to get herself back into the good graces of the Minishonka community. (Mentioned: Elizabethtown [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0368709/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1].)We'll come back for season 2 mostly for Reagan and Terry Thomas. Next: Season 2, Episode 2, "White Man in the Cupboard." We'll also check out Dancing With the Stars's first episode on Disney Plus, a preseason special called "The Pros' Most Memorable Dances" ([https://abc.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/news/updates/watch-dancing-with-the-stars-the-pros-most-memorable-dances-disney-plus-day-2022], September 8).

Terri's decades-long grudge against egg salad was recently tested when her son ordered an egg-salad sandwich... at an establishment known only for hot dogs. On the flip side, Nicole's family won't go near one of her favorite foods, Vegemite. Do you and your kids have wildly different food preferences? Mentioned: Mr. Cow Corn Dogs [https://mrcowcorndog.com/menu].

In our day, senior photos involved slapping on some sort of drape-like thing and smiling pretty. Now, there are whole photo shoots, with props and costumes and locations and enormous pricey package and photographer salesmanship. We wonder if it's all really necessary.

Nicole said everyone was talking about Kim Kardashian's bathroom [https://jezebel.com/kim-kardashian-west-explains-her-sinks-1834125651], so we had to, too. The upshot: If we had Kim's kash, we wouldn't spend it on a sink with no basin, soap, or towels.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, entertainment three ways: Catherine's recommending the Broadway musical Mean Girls (based on the 2004 movie) [https://meangirlsonbroadway.com/]. Nicole found a reality show that held her attention in Alone [https://www.history.com/shows/alone]. And Terri remembered how much she likes Lyle Lovett while listening to his new album, 12th of June [https://youtu.be/7UVF8F7j0l4].

"Quiet quitting" is a current buzzword, so we obsessed over how it would work in our homes instead of the workplace. Would anyone even notice?

Yes, we want open communication with our kids, but sometimes we need to put our hands over our ears and say "TMI!" So today we're complaining about knowing a bit more than we care to about what's happening in our kids' lives.

On this week's entertainment-themed episode, the season finale of Only Murders in the Building pulls off a triple-switcheroo killer reveal. While you can't look too closely at the plot, the show is always fun to watch and lovely to look at.We can't say the same for Rutherford Falls--at least this particular episode, which fell flat with its continued use of Nathan as a plot device and punching bag. Next week, we'll finish up season 1 with episode 9, "Stoodis," and 10, "D'Angelos."

A Washington Post article titled “College admissions are stressful enough. Parents, don’t make it worse” [https://www.washingtonpost.com/parenting/2022/08/18/making-college-admissions-less-stressful/] got us talking about how to make the application season easier on everyone involved--and some unexpected factors to consider when making that list of possibilities.

Doctors whose office is closed when you're sick. Orthodontists who don't keep kid hours. What we wish phone physicians could do. Yep, we've got a few things to say about the availability of medical professionals.

A kid's obsession can build self-esteem, lead to a career, or help you communicate when nothing else works. So what's not to love? After all, as adults we have plenty of obsessions of our own (like, say, podcasting).

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, the Instagram Minute is back once again, with a guest recommendation from Terri's daughter: @Dogs [https://www.instagram.com/dogs/], and specifically this video of two puppers spying on their neighbors [https://www.instagram.com/p/ChDyF2Glt1N/]. Catherine's recommending some different dogs: the truly hideous homes on HGTV's Ugliest House in America [https://www.hgtv.com/shows/ugliest-house-in-america].

The first day of Catherine's son's senior year is looming. Send thoughts, prayers, good vibes, and maybe some chocolate. She's going to need help.

Just last week, a mere 7 days ago, Terri had a problem with her garage door opener [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/the-joys-of-homeownership] and Catherine's basement was about to get torn up for a new drain and sump pump (thrilling). Both of those are resolved now, but that just means that our various appliances had to beg for attention. Mentioned: Cuisinart PerfecTemp electric kettle (which, for the record, can be had for much less than the price advertised) [https://www.cuisinart.com/shopping/appliances/tea_kettles/cpk-17p1/].

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we're coming to the end of season 2 of Only Murders in the Building, which means lots of twist and turns and threads being pulled--and almost all the characters we mentioned last week as being MIA are in fact IA this time. Next week: the season finale, "I Know Who Did It."On Rutherford Falls, Nathan continues to be a punching bag and a terrible friend to Reagan, which Josh gently points out. And the team of lawyers from Rutherford Inc. is really no match for Terry Thomas. Next: season 1, episode 8, "Skoden."

We once again steal a question from Follow the Herd, and talk about how we'd spend a $10,000 windfall. Travel agents and cheap contractors, help us out! Mentioned: Lyle Lovett in concert [https://mamatude.blogspot.com/2002/08/august-12-16-2002.html].

Nicole's favorite TV series has let her down this season, so she's picked a book series as her fave, and Catherine and Terri followed suit. Our picks: Sue Grafton mysteries [https://amzn.to/2KukaNT], Harry Potter audiobooks [https://amzn.to/2M0LUOT], and Henry and Mudge kids' books [https://amzn.to/2KpAhMx].

This post on the "burden of parent homework" [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/well/family/the-burden-of-parent-homework.html] was the perfect prompt for our weekly complaint session. No thank you to homework for preschoolers, to homework for bigger kids that requires tons of parental intervention, and to communication tools that don't actually communicate.