Weekly Roundup: Tacky the Penguin, That Was Us Podcast, and Parenting Let-Downs

Weekly Roundup: Tacky the Penguin, That Was Us Podcast, and Parenting Let-Downs

Author: Parenting Roundabout November 20, 2025 Duration: 22:45
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 2
  • The Lowdown S1 E3, "Dinosaur Memories" on Wednesday, December 3
  • Weekly roundup on Thursday, December 4

Until then (and anytime you're in need), the archives are available.

Every week, Parenting Roundabout brings together the voices and experiences of writers Terri Mauro and Catherine Holecko. Think of it less as a manual and more as a conversation happening across the kitchen table, where the topics flow as freely as the coffee. They dive into the cultural moments, family dynamics, and daily dilemmas that actually fill your news feed and your thoughts, from the latest kids' TV show sparking debate to the subtle shifts in how we think about family and society. This isn't about perfect answers, but about navigating the messy, rewarding loop of raising kids alongside someone who gets it. In each episode of this podcast, you'll hear a natural, often humorous discussion that reflects what's really on parents' minds right now-the small complaints, the genuine obsessions, and the shared wisdom that comes from living it. Tune in for a dose of reality and camaraderie, a break from the noise that still manages to engage with the things that matter most in the whirlwind of family life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Parenting Roundabout
Podcast Episodes
Parenting Tips from “The Lowdown” S1 E1, “Pilot” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:58
Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and as of this week, that's The Lowdown. It stars Ethan Hawke as the kind of person whose mouth (and pen; he's a journalist of sorts) often gets h…
Parenting Tips from “Lost” S4 E3, “The Economist” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 23:26
Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. This mostly flash-forward episode identified another one of the Oceanic Six and showed us yet another way that Ben has found to tortur…
Parenting Tips from “Lost” S4 E2, “Confirmed Dead” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:24
Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. In this episode, we get four new characters (there have been some deaths; it was time to restock), along with flashbacks for all of th…
Parenting Tips from “Only Murders in the Building” S5 E8 and E9 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:26
Every Wednesday, we share our thoughts on a newer entertainment property, and currently, that's Only Murders in the Building. Since we missed discussing the show last week, we doubled up this time and covered E8, "Cuckoo…
Parenting Tips from “Lost” S4 E1, “The Beginning of the End” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:28
Each Tuesday, we discuss an older entertainment property, and currently, that's Lost. In this episode, we're flashing forward with Hurley, whose post-island life seems pretty similar to his pre-island life, in several me…