Parenting Tips from “Lost” S4 E5, “The Constant”

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is a couple of titles that take inspiration from literary classics: Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters by Daniel M. Lavery (from 2014) and Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen's Unsung Characters, a recently published anthology of nine tales. Mentioned: The Mr. Darcy and Miss Tilney mystery series. ​Terri's random recommendation is Mystic Monk Coffee. Her shipment finally arrived, after taking a detour from New Jersey to New Hampshire and back again, and she's pleased with the flavors. (But also, someone stop her before she orders more coffee.)In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2017 on making kids' issues our own. Mentioned: "I Miss My Ex's Dad" from Saturday Night Live.Next week's lineup:Lost S4 E7, "Ji Yeon," on Tuesday, December 16The Lowdown S1 E5, "This Land?," on Wednesday, December 17Weekly roundup on Thursday, December 18Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. Lee makes it through this episode with no new bruises or broken bones, which is a first. And while Allen Murphy seems not to be a threat any longer, his yet-to-be-revealed boss certainly is. Mentioned: Ty Mitchell as Jimmy.Next Wednesday, we'll continue with season 1, episode 5, "This Land?." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. The previous episode, "The Constant," is a hard act to follow, and this one isn't really up to the job. It's best to look at it as an info dump to get us an inch or two closer to what we need to know. Sorry, Juliet, we know it's hard to be an Other! Mentioned: The Hoberman Sphere (the toy Terri likened to the ever-expanding romantic tanglements among the castaways and island-dwellers).​Next Tuesday, we'll continue with season 4, episode 7, "Ji Yeon." Tomorrow, we'll continue our discussion of a newer show, The Lowdown.​This episode was recorded in front of a live audience ... of dogs.

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is a pair of children's books for insect-lovers: Spi-Ku: A Clutter of Short Verse on Eight Legs and Bugs by master balloon artist Masayoshi Matsumoto (who you can also check out on Instagram). ​Terri's random recommendation is the flavored coffee sampler from Grounds & Hounds. If you hate flavored coffee, skip this one. But if you don't, you'll find the flavors tasty and the presentation gift-worthy.In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2019 on holiday requirements (hint: we have very few).Next week's lineup:Lost S4 E6, "The Other Woman," on Tuesday, December 9The Lowdown S1 E4, "Short on Cowboys," on Wednesday, December 10Weekly roundup on Thursday, December 11Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.​This episode was recorded in front of a live audience ... of dogs.

Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's The Lowdown. Per usual, Lee gets himself beaten up and captured by some bad guys, but this time, he charms them with his storytelling skills. Mentioned: Duster, another show where a precocious daughter tags along on dangerous missions.Next Wednesday, we'll continue with season 1, episode 4, "Short on Cowboys." We'll be back tomorrow with our weekly roundup.

Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. We've actually discussed this well-known and beloved episode before, in 2017, when Terri challenged Catherine to watch it. She liked it then and now, because you can appreciate the romance (and the need for a constant) even without having seen all that comes before.​Next Tuesday, we'll continue with season 4, episode 6, "The Other Woman." Tomorrow, we'll continue our discussion of a newer show, The Lowdown.

We're off this week, but not to worry: We have plenty of leftovers to reheat for you. This episode is from November 27, 2015. Enjoy!Was your Thanksgiving happy? Did you eat a lot of traditional family foods? Did many of them involve cream-of-mushroom soup, marshmallows, or Jello? To start off this week's group chat, we run through the many possibilities for turkey-day cuisine and draw the line at the things we will not eat. Or will, enthusiastically! It's like the battle of the Tootsie Rolls all over again.Next, we move on to the other big activity of this holiday weekend: trying to find good deals on holiday gifts. Do we rush out and elbow folks at the Walmart for the best deal on a big-screen TV, or do we hide at home with our computers and cybershop? We discuss the merits of online versus standing-on-line shopping, strategies for holiday cards and gift cards, how early in the year it's acceptable to care about this stuff, and the impossibility of shopping for spouses.Finally, we shared our recommendations for the week: Catherine suggests consulting her Round 3 podcast with grandparenting expert Susan Adcox on gift-giving issues; Terri mentioned our episode of Libsyn's Thanks, Podcasting! podcast; Amanda recommended an article on 8 Ways to Help Your Child With Food Sensitivities Enjoy the Holidays; and Nicole enjoyed reading about how sweet-potato casserole came to be.Thanks to Jon Morin for producing this episode and to Kristen Eredics for our happy in-and-out music.

We're off this week, but not to worry: We have plenty of leftovers to reheat for you. This episode is from November 27, 2017. Enjoy!​Cyber Monday Shopping: Will we be proactive about replacing things that are about to break or just keep clinging to them because we fear change?Make It a Habit: We have a checkered history when it comes to habit-forming. Does it count if we're good at creating the same good habits over and over again?Speed Round: We Can't Remember: What was it we were going to talk about? It must be written down here somewhere. (Mentioned: Google Inbox's snooze feature.)Roundabout Roundup: Catherine is using dinner prep kits from her local supermarket, while Nicole is using Instacart to have the market come to her. And Terri's feeling productive with the Tide app.Shameless Self-Promotion: Preschoolers' Fears Explained; pre-order Nicole's book at Brookes Publishing and save 10% with the code Eredics; fun and shareable quotes from the podcast on Facebook.Thanks to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music.

We're off this week, but not to worry: We have plenty of leftovers to reheat for you. This episode is from November 25, 2016. Enjoy!On this week's group chat, we talk about special-occasion pressure, discuss the start of the holiday shopping season on our Friday speed round, shout out some stuff we like on the Roundabout Roundup, take a quiz about table manners, and do some shameless self-promotion. Here's your road map to the episode:Holiday Downsizing — Extended family all loving and rosy-cheeked around a food-stacked table is a heartwarming image, but the fact of it sometimes gives us heartburn. We talk about the pressure — external and internal — to have a portrait-worthy holiday and our attempts to bring expectations down to snapshot size.Speed Round: Do You Shop on Black Friday? — Some folks can't wait to hit the stores for bargains, some would rather jump off a cliff than go fight strangers for sales items, and some find the whole idea of making Thanksgiving weekend all about commerce offensive. Turns out, we're not quite any of those.Parenting Roundabout Roundup — Terri enjoys just looking at the homepage loop for the time-tracking site toggl (click on the little speaker in the corner for the perfect accompanying music); Catherine enjoyed a roundup of Fitness Marshall dance videos on Buzzfeed; and Nicole appreciated an article about coaches.A Well-Mannered Quiz — In place of our usual interview segment, Catherine came up with a quiz about etiquette rules for children that may have you using your napkin in a whole new way.Shameless Self-Promotion — Terri shared a special-needs version of the "Would You Rather" meme; Catherine offered some help on dealing with sports parent burnout; and Nicole will have an article up on the Friendship Circle blog any time now.Thanks to Jon Morin for our fun in-and-out music.

Here's what we're reading, recommending, and revisiting this week.Catherine's library find is a series of picture books by Helen Lester starring the disheveled but lovable Tacky the Penguin. Plus, a middle-grade read called The Curse of the Werepenguin by Allan Woodrow.​Terri's random recommendation has come, once again, from the Facebook Reels algorithm. It's the That Was Us podcast, a This Is Us rewatch podcast hosted by actors Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chris Sullivan.​Bonus content: You can hear our thoughts on Dancing with the Stars every Tuesday night on YouTube; here's our chat on this week's episode (week 10, the semi-finals).In the archives, we checked in on an episode from 2019, Parenting Let-Downs.Next week, we'll be off for Thanksgiving, but will be sharing some of our past turkey-themed chats on social media. After that, we'll return to our regular lineup:Lost S4 E5, "The Constant," on Tuesday, December 2The Lowdown S1 E3, "Dinosaur Memories" on Wednesday, December 3Weekly roundup on Thursday, December 4Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.