Parenting Roundabout

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, Catherine takes over Nicole's Instagram Minute to recommend Knuckle Bump Farms [https://www.instagram.com/knucklebumpfarms/], for its many, many pictures of cute baby animals and a sassy emu named Emmanuel. And Terri suggests immersing yourself in the mood of the movie Licorice Pizza [https://youtu.be/ofnXPwUPENo], set in the 1970s in the San Fernando Valley.

What with all the Hollywood folks and social media influencers securing sponsorships for their life events, we obsessed about how we could get in on the action too. This is a very influential podcast!! Mentioned: A fundraiser for Catherine's daughter's skating team that's fun for NFL football fans [https://www.charitymania.com/give/AC168].

It's time for another round of "All the things in our homes that are broken right now," with big fat disclaimers about how grateful we are for the roofs over our heads (it's all the junk inside​ the house that is the problem).

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, miscellaneous clues are scattering like glitter or cat hair on Only Murders in the Building. We suspect they will need a lint roller to clear everything up in the two remaining episodes. Mentioned: WhoKilledBunny.com. Next: Season 2, episode 9, "Sparring Partners."On Rutherford Falls, Reagan manages to create a meaningful museum exhibit out of a hodge-podge of donated items, and Terry Thomas dismantles the baby lawyer that Rutherford. Inc. sends to negotiate with him. Next: Season 1, episode 7, "Rutherford, Inc."

In response to this viral video of a moment of sportsmanship from a Little League game [https://local12.com/sports/content/viral-video-beaned-little-league-batter-rises-to-console-upset-pitcher-waco-texas-tournament-hit-helmet-player-regional-playoff-game-hug-mound-kaiden-shelton-isaiah-jarvis-tears-cry-crying], we talked about some of those moments of pride we've had in our kids--but tragically haven't captured on video. Can we get a little advance warning next time?

Loud bark-y dogs, stealth hedgehogs, attack ants, and black pooches playing speed bump in the dark are on the job of defending our homes. Play it safe—stay away!

Today, we're talking about an article [https://bold.expert/from-philosopher-to-negotiator-these-parental-roles-help-kids-thrive/] that outlines some of the roles parents need to play to help kids thrive (it's an interview with the coauthor of a new book, The Formula: Unlocking the Secrets to raising Highly Successful Children [https://amzn.to/2IsUJz1].) We've performed them all, and have several to add to the list.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, we are here for your flavored beverage needs. Terri's shouting out the Flavored Coffee of the Month Club [https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/products/flavored-coffee-of-the-month-club?selling_plan=1905754223] from Blackout Coffee Co. (so far, she's sampled white chocolate and raspberry and then black currant). If you prefer your fruity flavors over ice, Catherine recommends the unique sparkling water flavors at Aura Bora, such as basil berry, cactus rose, and chai cranberry [https://aurabora.com/].

Inspired by a Follow the Herd question [https://www.followtheherd.org/game/], we ask: Would you rather have a job you love for $75,000 a year, or a job you hate for $125,000 a year? We think it's a pretty easy answer, but at least one of our family members surprised us with their thoughts on the topic.

A few months ago, the No Stupid Questions podcast did an episode about whether it's okay to copy aspects of other people's personality, titled "Do You Mind If I Borrow Your Personality?" [https://freakonomics.com/podcast/do-you-mind-if-i-borrow-your-personality/]. So we copied that topic and discussed it today.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: It was another rough week for Mabel on Only Murders in the Building as she unlocked some traumatic memories with the help of Theo Dimas (even though he only caught about a third of what she said). We ended on a cliffhanger as the city was plunged into a blackout, setting up next week's episode: season 2, episode 8, "Hello Darkness."Rutherford Falls used "History Fair" to comment on the connection between art and artists and how past bad behavior affects current work. It was all very high-minded (even if it did mostly take place in the kitchen of a P.F. Chang's) but didn't get us anywhere on the season-long plot of the lawsuit. Next: "Negotiations (season 1, episode 6).

Every once in a while, we get a little nostalgic and wistful and think about how sweet it would be to have a baby around... or a baby dog. And then we have an experience like the one Terri just had to set our heads straight.

In a question that proved almost too hypothetical to answer, we try to determine what age we'd like to remain forever and ever. Two of us are going for 30, and the other one can't quite commit.​​

First we were obsessed with the college application process [http://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/kids-and-rejection-college-acceptance-edition], then those who cheated on that process [http://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/rethinking-college]. Now, we're wondering how the heck anyone could pay for college once they do get in.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup, our guest Audra shouts out Beats Studio Buds and by extension, Bluetooth and audiobooks. Audra's podcast partner Hadassa is a fan of Song Quiz, which you can play on an Alexa device. Terri recently returned to Return to Me, an old movie worth revisiting (we talked about it on Round 2 way back in 2017). Finally, Catherine suggests doing a 5-minute workout for a quick burst of accomplishment. Visit https://parentingroundabout.com for all these links.

Terri's daughter is trying out some dating apps, and Terri has zero experience in this area (not that that stops her from obsessing about it). Luckily, guests Audra and Hadassa do have experience, both personal and parental, to share.

Guests Audra and Hadassa (from the A Bit Above podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-bit-above/id1548787190]) join us in complaining about everything that interrupts our sleep, from kids to pets to neighborhood car alarms--and of course, worries from the past, present, and future.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, it's a terrible, no-good, very bad week for poor Mabel on Only Murders in the Building, and Terri has a theory about the questioned paternity of Oliver's son. Next week: Season 2, episode 7, "Flipping the Pieces."Over in Rutherford Falls, we learn about Minishonka casino CEO Terry Thomas and the motivation for his lawsuit plan. Plus, we meet his family, including a wife who can mix it up on the lacrosse field sidelines and a daughter who has a talent for beading but doesn't care to capitalize on it. Next: Season 1, episode 5, "History Fair."

With Nicole away for the time being, we decided to bring in some help: Audra and Hadassa from the A Bit Above podcast [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-bit-above/id1548787190]. They are both moms, but beyond that, lead very different lives. So on today's episode, they tell us about themselves and their podcast.

We look at the pretty places near our homes, from a New York City skyline view to the California beaches--with a stop in the Midwest for historic homes and ice shanties.