This Week in "Doing What’s Good for You"
Why it's never too early to save for college; avoiding microplastics for your family; and teaching kids self-care. Plus: free events on the East and West Coast.
Events in Your Area 👨👩👧👦
Boston
Wine, cheese, chicks & skis (Mom’s night out)
Fall Scout Day (Old Sturbridge Village)
Magical, Holiday Tea Party (plus Holiday Handprint Keepsakes!)
San Francisco
Veteran’s Day Camp (Bay Area Discovery Museum)
What’s New This Week 💗
Saving for College - Why It’s Never Too Early: The cost of college seems to never stop rising, so saving as soon as possible is a great solution to making your dollars go further.
Avoiding Microplastics for Kids (Small Swaps, Big Impact): Microplastics are everywhere—but parents can fight back. Learn how to reduce exposure for your kids with simple swaps tested by our MomBrains team, including safer cups, snack containers, and stainless steel alternatives.
Teaching Kids What Self-Care Really Means: Self-care isn’t just for adults. Explore how to teach your kids real, age-appropriate self-care habits—beyond bubble baths and screen time breaks—to build emotional resilience, confidence, and calm at home.
What We’re Reading Watching This Week 🎥🍿
Halloween remix! Even though we know the holiday was last weekend, these are some of Jenn's and my favorites from the spooky holiday (for parents only!):
Yellowjackets: What. The. Heck. If you’ve watched all 3 seasons of this show, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Centered around a girls’ high school soccer team whose airplane crashes in the wilderness for over a year, we flash between what they had to do to survive while waiting for rescue and where they are now that they’ve been found and had to resume “normal” lives. Catch up now on Paramount+ before the 4th and final season premieres!
Longlegs: I honestly feel scared writing this review right now, this movie is so terrifying. For fans of streaming at home and watching from under a blanket (through your fingers, if we’re being real), this movie follows an FBI agent who seems to have an unexplained sixth sense when it comes to solving crimes. But where does that feeling come from? You probably (most definitely) won’t like the answer. Available on Hulu!
Black Phone 2: From someone who honestly wasn’t a fan of the first Black Phone film, I went into the theater tentatively with my husband on this. But I was pleasantly surprised! You’ll need to have seen the first one, but I felt this time they more fully explained Finn and his sister’s relationship to the Grabber and how even in death, his dark power seems to be able to reach them. In theaters now!
How We’re Feeling This Week: 🦥
Since coming back to work after a little time away, my brain feels like it’s wading through molasses — slow, foggy, not quite firing at full speed. It’s funny (and a little frustrating) how quickly we expect ourselves to bounce back into “go mode,” even when our bodies and minds are clearly saying, hey, ease up.
Rationally, I know I’m still performing at a normal level, but it feels off — like I’m a half-second behind my usual rhythm. Maybe it’s the time change (why does it always feel like midnight at 5 p.m.?!) or the gray, shorter days. Either way, I’m trying to remind myself that this season doesn’t have to be about pushing through — maybe it’s about leaning in. Letting things slow down a little. Enjoying the cozy, slower pace of early winter and trusting that the tempo will speed up again while I embrace the moment (though easier said than done).
Chilling out,
Your Team at MomBrains