A parenting advice column at Slate got us complaining about how hard it is to motivate kids, whether or not you have $5,000 at your disposal to offer as a "year-end bonus." Mentioned: A past discussion about the thorny issue of motivation.

On this week's entertainment-themed Round 2: Ted Lasso's Coach Beard has a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad night, documented in an overlong episode that doesn't advance the show's plot at all. Then, in "No Weddings and a Funeral," there's plenty of plot, but not nearly enough jokes. Next week: We finish the season with episode 11, "Midnight Train to Royston," and episode 12, "Inverting the Pyramid of Success." 

Nicole heard about a new service that sends informative text messages to new parents. We, of course, determined all of the problems with that idea--but also came up with some fixes.

On Speed-Round Sunday, we share a mini episode from our past for your weekend listening pleasure.

Even if you're not a teenager living and dying by the amount of likes your posts receive, it's always nice to get some attention for the things we put on Facebook and Instagram and what-all. Today, we chat about some of our most satisfyingly appreciated posts. 

On Second-Listen Saturday, we share moments from past episodes for your weekend listening pleasure. This discussion is from January 2020 (before Covid put the kibosh on parties).
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This is going to be a big year for both Catherine and Nicole: They'll both be celebrating (maybe observing is more accurate?) their 50th birthday. One thing we know for sure: They're not having a wedding dress party for the big 5-0 fete.

On this week’s Roundabout Roundup: Terri got her hands on some home Covid tests from iHealth (here's the instruction video; you don't even have to swab your brain!). Nicole made her day a little sparklier with Weiman jewelry cleaner. And after a brief detour to mention the HBO special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, Catherine shouted out a Lego set that allows you to make a wall hanging of a Hogwarts house crest.
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Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music, which you hear on every episode.

A list of "100 ways to slightly improve your life without really trying," at the Guardian, caught our eye. We obsessed about which of these 100 tips made sense and which were just plain silly (do we need a special blender just for chopping onions? No, we do not. We will do it the old-fashioned way like Julia Child, or better yet, buy our onions pre-chopped). 

Sure, it's a big deal when you send your child to kindergarten (or college). But are you really a parent if you haven't dealt with head lice, faced a diaper blowout, or held down a squirming kid while a lab tech jammed him with a needle? Mentioned: The American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on head lice.

On this week's entertainment-themed episode, two pretty tough episodes of Ted Lasso. Characters struggled with daddy issues, panic attacks, head injuries, and a drubbing from Manchester City (plus a probably inappropriate, but irresistible, workplace romance). Next: Season 2, episode 9, ”Beard After Dark,” and episode 10, “No Weddings and a Funeral.” Mentioned: The Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski, Linda Holmes's TL recaps at NPR.org, and Roy Kent fan sweatshirts at The Shop Forward.