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This year The Big Game is especially hype for us since Ellen’s beloved Eagles are in it, and it’s what our neighbors and co-workers have been talking about non-stop for the past two weeks. We found this great ballot that includes fun things like “What color will Justin Timberlake’s shoes be at the beginning of his halftime performance? We are already starting out with the lazy because we’re feeling you on the time crunch, but with hummus, red peppers, and cucumbers, this recipe is heavy on the skinny, too. Hmmm, maybe there isn’t enough time for freezing, but you can assemble all of the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to pour it into the crockpot on Sunday.

IBS (remember, “I” = irritable) does not involve inflammation, and having IBS does not make you more likely to develop other colon conditions like UC, CD, or colon cancer. There are also non-specific symptoms associated with IBD including fever, loss of appetite, weight loss of 5% of body weight, fatigue, night sweats, and loss of a normal menstrual cycle. If your child appears to have even one of these symptoms, it’s time to make an appointment with your doctor because fast and aggressive treatment with immunomodulators or biologic agents can induce remission, heal the bowel wall, and reduce the number of future hospitalizations and surgeries. If your child is diagnosed with IBD, support groups are available: Specific resources geared toward teens can be found here: Remember, knowledge is power and early, intensive treatment can not only improve your child’s quality of life right now, it can reduce complications later down the road.

In this highly-strategic, kitty-powered version of Russian Roulette, players draw cards until someone draws an Exploding Kitten, at which point they explode, they are dead, and they are out of the game — unless that player has a defuse card, which can defuse the Kitten using things like laser pointers, belly rubs, and catnip sandwiches. Honestly, you’d have any teen girl at Bluetooth speaker, but combining it with an adjustable color night light is so cool it will elevate you into the realm of best gift-giver ever. All you need to know is that girls love LED fairy lights and photo clip strings, so combining the two is a winner, winner chicken dinner. If you don’t know that teen girls love socks, you don’t know teen girls.

The first time your college student comes home for break is a time for celebration. I started off the conversation over the phone with my freshman daughter before she came home for her first break . . .  before we butted heads over differing assumptions of what our relationship as parent and child was now. Being a real adult is not about getting to do whatever you want to do, it’s about being responsible enough to complete all that you need to do. Furthermore, it’s not about controlling your time and doing what you want when you want, but losing control of your time to your responsibilities.