Parenting Roundabout

​Some of us have specific requirements for cake, but others? You had us at "cake."

We scan Amazon's lists for best-selling [https://amzn.to/2R82GyX] and most-wished-for [https://amzn.to/2LSle0x] parenting books (or should we say "parenting?!" books) to see if there's anything we've read, anything we'd want to read, and most importantly, anything written by Terri [https://amzn.to/2BUrYGo] or Nicole [https://amzn.to/2RpQoS6]. No? C'mon, Amazon!

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Catherine shouts out Team Rubicon [https://teamrubiconusa.org/service/], a charitable organization founded by veterans. Terri's found another super-helpful feature of the Opera browser: quick and easy screenshots [https://www.opera.com/features/snapshot]. And speaking of quick and easy, Nicole's enjoying the meal delivery service Gobble [https://www.gobble.com/].

When one of our children decided they needed a week's vacation from their part-time job, we started obsessing about work ethic, and whether it's generational, temperamental, or just another way for young adults to express their independence.

A bill for $8.82 for a phone conversation kicked off a complaint about analog bill-paying. Please take our money electronically if you really want it!

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, both shows we're watching blossomed in their second episodes. On Ted Lasso ("Biscuits"), we are getting to know the main characters better (and some of the peripheral ones too; you go, soccer-playing girl neighbor). And on Only Murders in the Building, we are being drawn right in to the mystery of "Who Is Tim Kono?" along with "who are Mabel, Charles, and Oliver?" Plus, we love a dead-friend returning to provide commentary, a la Lilly Kane (Veronica Mars) and Griffin Dunne's character in American Werewolf in London.Next week: “Trent Crimm: The Independent” on Ted Lasso and “How Well Do You Know Your Neighbors?” on Only Murders in the Building.

In a kind of reverse retirement plan, Nicole went back to school to earn another degree. Terri's happy to work as long as she can see her computer screen, but Catherine's probably not going to follow in her mother's footsteps and work until she's 80. What about you?

We have our faves, sure, but it depends on whether we're at a restaurant or home; or it's morning or evening; or we're in the US or Canada.​

Inspired by this Offspring article [https://offspring.lifehacker.com/what-lies-have-you-told-your-kids-out-of-convenience-1829902088], we confess some of the lies, fibs, and distractions we have told our kids. Mentioned: This New York Times article about DNA testing and family secrets [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/19/magazine/dna-test-black-family.html].

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Much to Nicole's dismay, Terri tried sardines (to strengthen her bones) and described the experience in great detail. Plus, she learned that you can indeed scramble eggs in the microwave [https://www.incredibleegg.org/recipes/basic-microwave-scrambled-eggs/]. Nicole had to go to her happy place after that and recommended beautiful Whistler, British Columbia as a vacation destination [https://www.whistler.com/]. And Catherine discovered that her favorite hand-me-down jeans from Kut from the Kloth are not irreplaceable after all [https://kutfromthekloth.com/collections/work-from-home-1/products/kp0216mc9-amy-crop-straight-leg-bubbly?_pos=2&_sid=615614363&_ss=r].

Somehow ketchup chips did not even come up in this discussion of family food habits and obsessions. But you will find out who refuses leftovers, who eats whatever's put in front of her, and why Valley Popcorn [https://valleypopcorn.com/] is the superior brand.

With two of our daughters newly experiencing roommate life, we shared our stories of unwelcome boyfriends, unpalatable communal meals, and ungenerous toilet-paper monitors.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we kick off two new series watches. First, we finally get on the Ted Lasso train to see what all the fuss is about. And we check out Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as ... podcasters. Mentioned: Pop Culture Happy Hour on Only Murders in the Building [https://podcasts.apple.com/am/podcast/only-murders-in-the-building/id278974813?i=1000534652726] and the NBC Sports promos that inspired Ted Lasso [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeG_i8CWE8&list=PLC-B4YCjP2F_hd_RbPw-Whp7h4W_2Vqbz].Next week, we'll watch season 1, episode 2 of both shows: "Who Is Tim Kono" (Only Murders in the Building) and "Biscuits" (Ted Lasso).

Thanks to an old article about Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard [https://people.com/parents/kristen-bell-tag-team-parenting-dax-shepard/] getting some new traction, we talked about tag-team parenting. Who was on our team (if anyone) and who was the MVP? Mentioned: Our recent discussion about school strategies, which included befriending other parents so you can recruit them onto your team [https://www.parentingroundaboutpodcast.com/blog/our-best-school-strategies].

Though it seems like we already have too many channels to watch, we can still think of a few we wish we could see — whether they don't exist yet or our cable companies limit us.

A Buzzfeed article [https://www.buzzfeed.com/kristatorres/this-chart-comparing-working-moms-vs-stay-at-home-moms-is?fbclid=IwAR0udm9e-t_kgUhyJSdRR9ia5rFLld_21T8bYmt7pzeRf9OsC8i0uDjapkQ] about a chart comparing stay-at-home and working moms prompted us to talk about all the different points on that spectrum that we've experienced. And to remind everyone to live and let live.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Nicole shouts out Jackson Galaxy (on YouTube) for his excellent advice on caring for cats [https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCatDaddy66]. Catherine's feeling very seen by Teenager Pro Tips on Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/teenagerprotips], and Terri attended a live-streamed concert on a spiffy new platform called Flymachine [https://www.flymachine.com/].

When our kids were small, we fussed over their boo-boos and sniffles. Now that we're ... a little older, we're the ones with the owies, and we would like some of that sympathy returned to us, please and thank you.

We are relieved to have missed out on slime, but there are still plenty of kids' toys (and music, and buggy pets) that we can grumble about. Plus: this episode contains two pieces of useful advice for parents in the throes of the annoying-toy years.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2, we caught up with the movie The Station Agent (2003), which has been patiently waiting at the station known as Terri's DVR for a couple of years. It is delightful and quirky, if not "hilarious" as the New York Times review would have it.We also watched a filmed performance of the beautiful Broadway musical Come From Away. It's available on AppleTV+, and tells the story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, after American airspace was closed on September 11, 2001. It's nontraditional and inspiring, with a great message--but it's also fun. Next week: Instead of waiting years to get in on some popular pop culture properties, we're going to start now with Only Murders in the Building (on Hulu) and Ted Lasso (on AppleTV+). We'll watch the first episodes of the first seasons of both, and then continue with one episode of each per week going forward.