Not all of our children's activities are exactly fun for us, but there are those things that became as much a part of our social life as our kids'. On today's Speed Round, we give a cheer for team sports and marching band. And fancy cupcakes!

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.

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.

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

00:21 So You Think You Can Dance: In a non-shocking elimination, two dancers are sent home. Also non-shockingly, we have some complaints about the producing and judging.

14:30 The West Wing: Terri dubbed "The Stormy Present" the "contemporary dance" of West Wing episodes, but Catherine rather liked it.

24:55 Making It: Week 2's elimination also was not shocking, but we continue to enjoy Amy's overalls and the camaraderie she has with Nick.

Next week, we'll watch the next episode of all three of these series, as more dancers and crafters are eliminated and West Wing brings us "The Benign Prerogative."

00:28 School Days: Nicole's daughter is starting her senior year, and Catherine's paying fees for the whole year to come. Mentioned: Last week's Speed Round on morning routines.

07:43 Parenting Tiny Tots: We had to comment on this article, in which a mom claims not to miss even a minute of her kids' baby and toddler days. Mentioned: Another speed round from last week, on revisiting our younger selves.

19:29 Speed Round: Kids' TV: It turns out we do miss some of those little-kid moments, especially the ones that involve TV (aka "parent respite," but also cuddle time). Mentioned: Our Round 2 on Phineas and Ferb.

29:36 Roundabout Roundup: Nicole discovered Facebook Messenger's Reminder function; Terri likes a Pomodoro productivity app called Focus To-Do; and Catherine rounds out the tech roundup with FreeConferenceCall.com.

34:26 Shameless Self-Promotion: "Having Friends Boosts Kids' Well-Being," by Catherine; Nicole in Brookes Publishing's downloadable inclusion calendar, and a new post at Terri's blog, Parenting Isn't Pretty, probably. 

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, Harry Potter audiobooks, and Henry and Mudge kids' books.

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!

On this week's group chat, we talked about first day of school snapshots of our kids, but when's the last time we were the focus of the photo? Our pic picks commemorate international travel and a local sporting event.

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

00:37 So You Think You Can Dance: Finally, the live shows begin! In two shocking surprises, someone tap-danced, and Terri preferred a contemporary routine over a ballroom one.

11:40 West Wing: In last week's "Shutdown," the political house returned to order. In "Abu el Banat," it's the Bartlet family getting its groove back. Mentioned: The West Wing Weekly podcast.

20:36 Making It: Once we heard "Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman" we were all in on this crafting competition show. We can find faults with the execution (as the panelists did on this episode of the Extra Hot Great podcast), but we'll stick with it for the host cuteness.

Next week, more of the same: The new episodes of So You Think You Can Dance and Making It, plus "The Stormy Present" from West Wing's season 5.

00:31 Critter Update: What's going on with Terri's ant invasion and Nicole's personal zoo?

08:04 Back to School, Back to Guilt: An article about back-to-school traditions has us feeling wistful about never going beyond a hastily snapped photo.

22:51 Speed Round: Morning Routines: Back-to-school also means back to riding herd on kids who need to get out the door, so our mornings are about to change (except for Terri, who just tries to impose routines on herself).

31:11 Roundabout Roundup: Terri's listening to Audible, Catherine's laughing at Tragic Denim, and Nicole's learning with the Fooducate app.

38:24 Shameless Self-Promotion: Weekend Wisdom with Nicole on Understood.org, August 11; "Big News About Picture Books for Little Listeners," and a new post at Parenting Isn't Pretty.

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.