Pro podcasting tip from Terri: If you're trying to podcast and people can't seem to hear you, check the mute button on your microphone. It's that thing that's flashing in your face. After a false start due to self-made technical difficulties, we come to you without a scintillating eyebrow discussion but with some other topics of interest. Here's your road map to our conversation:

0:43 Intros and What's New With You — So we're a little slap-happy, but it's a Friday. What better time? (If Amanda's mention of slapsgiving makes you want to go watch How I Met Your Mother clips instead of listening to this podcast, we understand.

4:00 School Traditions — It's the time of year for graduations and field days and other events that schools schedule at the least convenient times possible just to stick it to working parents one last time.

14:31 Party Permutations — Speaking of celebrations, an article on "dadchelor" parties had us shaking our heads — dudes, just make the baby shower coed already. But it got us thinking of some more valid variations we could totally get behind.

22:18 Interview of the Week — Pediatric OT Meghan Corridan chatted with Catherine about manipulative toys. No, not toys that secretly manipulate you into buy more — they're talking Legos and all of the many alternatives.

35:52 Shameless Self-Promotion — Amanda thinks you should all go buy her books The Everything Kids’ Learning Activities Book and On-the-Go Fun for Kids so you have a million things to do with your kids this summer AND keep them learning; Catherine has some "Summer Activities for Bored Kids" on her verywell site; Terri recommends taking a look at our Tumblr page for listening and looking at pullquotes; and Nicole has an article of interest on accommodations and modifications.

Thanks as always to Jon Morin for producing our podcast and 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.

Not only is St. Patrick's Day this month, as Nicole says in our intro, but if we've counted correctly when loading these mini-podcasts, it is This Very Day! Happy St. Patrick's Day to ya, then, and answer us this: "Do you feel lucky? Well, do you?" Comment here (if you're fortunate enough to find the comments feature working for you) or on our Facebook page.

To kick off a new week of Speed Round episodes, we took a cue from an article on Terri's About.com site and planned out some appropriate New Year's resolutions for people and situations we think could use some improvement. Who do you think could use a few resolutions? Add your picks in the comments here or on our Facebook page, or tweet us @RoundAboutChat. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience. And while you're at it, check out our Round 2 entertainment resolutions.)

[This is an encore presentation of a Parenting Roundabout episode originally released on January 7, 2015. If you listened to it the first time, this is your second chance to follow up on all the resources and ideas mentioned that you just never quite got around to. And if you didn’t listen to it the first time -- hey, it's new to you! Either way, please listen and enjoy.]

This week on Parenting Roundabout, we talked about our New Year's Resolutions -- and whether resolutions are a good way to get yourself going toward a goal or just to make yourself feel like a failure right from the start of the year. Then we looked at some highlights of 2014, including birthday and school milestones for our kids, trips and injuries, and catching a pop-culture wave. For more on New Year's resolutions, follow these links:

• New Year's Resolutions for Family Fitness and Health
• Little Goals Can Be Better Than Big New Year’s Resolutions
• Realistic Resolutions
• Mini-Resolutions for Every Day
• Use New Year's Resolutions to Motivate Your Child
• Make a New Year's Resolution ... for Someone Else.

For other stories mentioned, read about gluten-free Girl Scout cookies on the Mashable blog, follow Terri's dog on Twitter, and meet Catherine's black dogs on Instagram.

With the holiday season in full swing, we wanted to talk about that modern addition to Christmas tradition, the Elf on the Shelf. Where do we stand on that little spy? Catherine and Terri take a pass on shelf-elf wrangling (and really, house decorating of any sort short of the last minute), while Nicole's and Amanda's families have adapted the concept to their own creative purposes.

It's not like "toy elf mover" was ever part of any job description we expected to have in our lives. As we reminisced about old employment for our second topic, however, we found that our past employments have included such duties as crushing rocks, scooping ice cream, editing greeting cards, and memorized the names of every county in the state in alphabetical order. We're just happy to be able to add podcasting to all our resumes.

Finally, we shared our recommendations for the week: Catherine mentioned an article on her site on healthy New Year fun; Amanda revealed the Facebook page for the Yeti on the Shelf, her family's elf-substitute; Nicole liked a Forbes article on preparing your teen for getting a summer job, which it is apparently not to early to get started on; and Terri suggested tweaking your traditions to tailor the holiday experience to your family's needs.

Thanks as always to Jon Morin for producing our episodes and Kristen Eredics for our happy in-and-out music. If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.

Each month Meghan Corridan, a pediatric occupational therapist, joins Catherine to share some of the toys and activities she uses with her clients and her own 5-year-old daughter. This time, they talk holiday gift-giving, because Meghan has a huge list of ideas for kids and tweens on her blog MAC&Toys. You can also see Catherine's suggestions for active toys at her site. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).

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

Susan Adcox, who writes about grandparenting for About.com, joins us on the third Wednesday of every month to chat with Catherine about grandparenting issues. This time, they spoke about some of the sticky situations that come with holiday gift-giving, from cousin rivalry to value clashes to what to do about those thank-you notes. They also have some gift recommendations for you that might help:

+ Gifts for Grandchildren of All Ages
+ Inexpensive Stocking Stuffers for Grandkids of All Ages
+ Active Toys for School-Age Kids
+ Active Toys for Toddlers and Preschoolers
+ Active Toys for the Whole Family
+ Board Games with a Healthy Twist

(If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience.)

[This is an encore presentation of a Parenting Roundabout episode originally released on June 24, 2015. If you listened to it the first time, this is your second chance to follow up on all the resources and ideas mentioned that you just never quite got around to. And if you didn’t listen to it the first time -- hey, it's new to you! Either way, please listen and enjoy.]

Halloween, when horror movies rule, seemed like a good time to revisit a chat Terri had with Kathy Ceceri, who writes about homeschooling on the All About Homeschooling Facebook page and her site Crafts for Learning, about kids and scary movies. Is it a societal contradiction that we worry about kids playing alone outside but don't mind them sitting in front of shoot-'em-up video games for hours? Should Lego be making playsets for movies that kids aren't technically allowed to go to? Are making-of documentaries a good way to introduce kids to scary fare or just a way to ruin all the fun? What's more scary, slasher movies, zombies, or Fraggle Rock? Listen in for some thoughts on whether horror movies and other scary fare are going to break your kids or help them get into film school. You can find Kathy's article on a birthday-party horror spree on Wired; if you're reading this someplace without hyperlinks, come to http://parentingroundabout for the full recap experience.

It's October, which brings a lot of change in the parenting world. Along with the seasons changing, and the settling in to the school year, we have Halloween anticipation ... or dread, as the case may be. We discussed our favorite candies to steal from our little trick-or-treaters, our costuming issues, the transition from plastic pumpkin pail to pillowcase, and whether anybody ever comes to our house.

Of course, Halloween isn't the only thing we love and/or hate about this time of year. The weather is changing (at least for some of us); the back-to-school honeymoon is over and teachers/kids are starting to complain; and cheerful reminders are popping up on Facebook that Christmas is coming. We lamented the tragedy that is fall in California when you're used to actual seasons; the onset of child activities that suck up all family time; the cost of wool socks; and the season of East Coast hurricane hysteria. But there are pretty leaves! (And superhero wool socks!)

Finally, we shared our recommendations for the week. Catherine suggested "Healthier Halloween" info on About.com; Amanda wrote an article on "Halloween Challenges for Kids With Sensory Processing Issues — and How to Help" (and Terri added a plug for the simplest possible costumes); Nicole (allegedly trying to be helpful and not stress anyone out, but c'mon) directed us to Halloween ideas on Pinterest; Lexi got to speak with some smart experts about Why Your Teen or Tween May Be Frustrated With School -- and What You Can Say to Help; and Terri offered articles on Halloween help for special needs and a Halloween apology template for those class moms who just Do Not Get It with the restricted diets.

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

The Fourth of July should be a fun and exciting holiday for kids, with its picnics and parades and fireworks, but for youngsters with sensory issues it can be an unendling onslaught of noise, crowds, and stressful situations. Catherine talks to pediatric occupational therapist Meghan Corridan, who blogs at MAC&Toys, about what parents can do to help kids find a comfort level with all that flash and festivity without withdrawing from it completely. Strategies include noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, a safe spot a little away from the action, and coloring supplies to provide a distraction. For more on that last idea, read "Coloring ... Not Just for Kids" on Meghan's site, and for some additional Fourth of July thoughts, read "Four Hard Things About the Fourth" on the About.com Parenting Special Needs site. (If you're reading this somewhere without hyperlinks, go to http://parentingroundabout.com for the full recap experience).

This week on Parenting Roundabout, we talked about our New Year's Resolutions -- and whether resolutions are a good way to get yourself going toward a goal or just to make yourself feel like a failure right from the start of the year. Then we looked at some highlights of 2014, including birthday and school milestones for our kids, trips and injuries, and catching a pop-culture wave. For more on New Year's resolutions, follow these links:

• New Year's Resolutions for Family Fitness and Health,
• Little Goals Can Be Better Than Big New Year’s Resolutions,
• Realistic Resolutions,
• Mini-Resolutions for Every Day,
• Use New Year's Resolutions to Motivate Your Child, and
• Make a New Year's Resolution ... for Someone Else.
  

For other stories mentioned, read about gluten-free Girl Scout cookies on the Mashable blog, follow Terri's dog on Twitter, and meet Catherine's black dogs on Instagram.

This podcast also marks our last recording on BlogTalk Radio, and the first with Nicole Eredics, who joins our new weekly team along with Terri Mauro, Catherine Holecko, and Amanda Morin. We'll be coming at you every week with parenting chatter from our new home at Libsyn. You can look forward to two topics a week, a little longer conversation, timelier topics, more fun and reflection and less advice-giving (though we'll still link to our articles on the topics if advice is what you're looking for), and visits from our other About.com podcasters.

Please note that if you've been an iTunes subscriber to the podcast (thanks!), you'll have to resubscribe now that we've moved. We promise to make it worth your inconvenience with a podcast you can look forward to every week.

Happy 2015!

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the Parenting RoundAbout podcast. As we did on our very first episode, we’ll look at the holiday craziness again and give some advice for coming out the other side at least a little bit jolly. Join About.com experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), and Lisa Jo Rudy (autism.about.com) for this annual holiday get-together, and find links to the stories discussed on our Facebook page.

With Thanksgiving about a week away, join About.com parenting experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (Famiy Fitness), Susan Adcox (grandparents.about.com), and Amanda Morin (kidsactivities.about.com) as we talk about what we’re feeling thankful for this year, and suggest some ways to bring thankfulness into your family life. Visit the podcast recap on our Facebook page for links to the stories discussed and your chance to share what you're thankful for.

It’s the time of year again for overpriced costumes, overdoses of sugar, worries about allergens at classroom parties, and other scary Halloween tricks. Join About.com Parenting experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), Lisa Jo Rudy (autism.about.com), and Amanda Morin (kidsactivities.about.com) as we discuss the highs and lows of the holiday and give some tips on focusing on the fun. Find more Halloween fun, and share your own Halloween strategies, on our Facebook page.   

On the one hand, it means finding time to make treats for school parties and fill out Valentines for everyone in the class and comfort children who don't get the Valentines they wanted. On the other hand, there's a pretty good chance there will be chocolate in your house. Join About.com experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), Katherine Lee (childparenting.about.com), and Amanda Morin (kidsactivities.about.com) as we discuss making Valentine's Day something to celebrate at school and at home. Have a heart and listen in.

What's your New Year's resolution? Join About.com parenting experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Laureen Miles Brunelli (workathomemoms.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), and Katherine Lee (childparenting.about.com) as we look at the resolutions we'll make this year as parents, the resolutions we'd like other people to make, and what's happening in each of our expert topics as we peer into 2014. Resolve to join us this week and every week.

Weekly episodes of Parenting RoundAbout will start in January 2014, but we couldn't miss the chance to chat about the holidays and the sleighload of stress, anxiety, and hyperactivity they bring. Join About.com experts Terri Mauro (specialchildren.about.com), Catherine Holecko (familyfitness.about.com), Katherine Lee (childparenting.about.com), and Amanda Morin (kidsactivities.about.com) for a discussion of the ho-ho-hos and oh-no-nos of holiday parenting. First, we'll talk about tweaking holiday traditions so that they work for you and your family. Then we'll look at the sort of thing that gets people put on a parent's naughty list. (Relatives who give young kids 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles and noisy toys? We're lookin' at you.) Finally, we'll share what's going on holiday-wise in each of our expert topics. Take a break from shopping and baking and stressing and listen in!