Turns out we're better at passing along clothes, toys, and baby gear than we are at tossing birthday cards (with a few special exceptions, of course).

Hafeez Lakhani, from Lakhani Coaching, is Nicole's guest on this special Speed Round. Hafeez gives us insight into what universities are looking for, tips for writing a winning essay, and valuable advice on the role that parents can play during this time.

Birthday cards: Lovingly selected, handsomely paid for, proudly displayed. And then what? 

00:33 So You Think You Can Dance: In this blink-and-you've-missed it season, the Top Four have been named, and there are just two episodes left to go. 

12:34 The West Wing: We finally reached Terri's breaking point: She couldn't bear to watch Toby's misery in "Slow News Day." Mentioned: The West Wing Weekly podcast.

21:58 Making It: Our patience with the judges has worn thin. Henceforth, we will be judging them, and they are not going to win any patches.

Next week, we'll watch the next episode of all three shows (note that we are about a week behind on Making It, as it airs on Tuesday evenings after we drop the podcast on Tuesday mornings). On The West Wing, it's "The Warfare of Genghis Khan" from season 5.

00:31 College Competition: When do teens have time to live their lives, if they're so busy stocking up good deeds for their college apps?

12:55 Parents for Hire: We take a look at our LinkedIn profiles and wonder whether we should add positions like "life coach," "chauffeur," "employment counselor," and even "zookeeper."

26:06 Speed Round: #Parentingin5WordsorLess: We dream up way more than 5 options for this recently trending hashtag.

34:47 Roundabout Roundup: The Good Place Chrome extension, In the Know on Facebook, and National Geographic's The Story of a Face.

40:09 Shameless Self-Promotion: Terri's blog, Parenting Isn't Pretty; Brookes Publishing's Inclusion Calendar (featuring Nicole), and Catherine's Instagram (featuring Rory the hedgehog). 

Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

We share those few apps that actually make the leap from free to premium—and whether those few bucks were really well-spent.

Forget the running playlist, the breakup playlist, and the poolside playlist. We have some other ideas for songs to live by.

It's time to return to the urgent question of most recent photos on our phones, and this crop is more exciting than last time: A memorable souvenir, a nimbler-than-expected dog, and some possibly illegal activity.

Your road map to this week's entertainment-themed podcast:

00:45 So You Think You Can Dance: Turns out it was Prop Night on SYTYCD, starting with a group number featuring giant rubber bands (?!). Aside from that one, we liked most of the dances this week.

11:42 The West Wing: "The Benign Prerogative" is a good episode for Donna, but a very bad (and out of character) one for Charlie. Mentioned: The West Wing Weekly podcast, featuring Janel Moloney.

23:01 Making It: In week 3, the crafters take the party outdoors and judge Dayna hears Terri's plea to wear some pants already.

Next week, we'll watch the next episode of all three shows (note that we are about a week behind on Making It, as it airs on Tuesday evenings after we drop the podcast on Tuesday mornings). On The West Wing, it's "Slow News Day" from season 5.

00:31 Spirit Week: Nicole has questions about her daughter's high school's interpretation of a theme.

09:42 What We Missed Out On: New parents today have access to tons of cool gear we never got to use, and we’re sad about that. But we're also complaining about what our own parents had that we didn't.

23:40 Speed Round: Our Earliest Memories: Two out of three involve car rides to preschool, and the third involves a baby who looked a lot like this.

29:49 Roundabout Roundup: When Breath Becomes Air and Maisie Dobbs on Audible; School Tool Box; the Salty Waitress column.

35:30 Shameless Self-Promotion: Something new from Terri at Parenting Isn't Pretty; 3 Big Misconceptions About Inclusion; and a request for you to review this podcast (please!). 

Thanks as always to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.