Entertainment
Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving! If you celebrate, are you cooking anything? My mom is in town, and my dad arrives tomorrow (yes, both my divorced parents!), and we’re also hosting friends, including this party girl. We’re in charge of the turkey, gravy, stuffing, potatoes and cranberry sauce; and our guests are bringing sides and dessert. Hope you have a good one, and here are a few links from around the web…
The travel pants I’m wearing from now on; love the fit.
An easy way to make vegetables sing. You’ll make “the carrotiest carrots you’ll ever taste,” writes Eric Kim. “But as I’ve learned over the year, this same method can also yield the shallotiest shallots, the mushroomiest mushrooms, the green-beaniest green beans.” (NYTimes gift link)
Wildflowers in cities! Makes my heart sing.
Two couples in California discovered they were raising each other’s genetic children. Should they switch their girls? Wow, this story really makes your breath catch. (NYTimes gift link)
Ooooh, what a breathtaking garden.
Love that Catherine Newman put “vaginal estrogen” on her holiday gift guide.
A pink apartment that feels like a hug.
What brings you pleasure? Molly Young says malted milk balls and vanity license plates. Phoebe Ward says running in the cold and not having a palate expander (anymore).
Here are five crazy amazing sales right now:
* Get 50% off almost everything at J.Crew. These pajamas are especially cute.
* Get 40% off with code MADEBETTER at MADEWELL. Hey, beautiful.
* NORDSTROM is having a huge sale. What a great top, and I use this daily.
* Get 40% off at Primary Kids, plus free shipping.
* Get up to 65% off at Dôen. For example, is this the perfect shirt?
Plus, three reader comments:
Says Midge on holiday crafts: “Every year, we cut out snowflakes, then sign and date the back. Grandparents, friends, significant others, whomever is here has made one for the past 16 years. I particularly love the one where someone was too small to use scissors so they drew on the holes (!!!)”
Says Amanda on holiday crafts: “If anyone’s looking for craft-y gift ideas, we love making cards with a fill-in-the-blank questionnaire that the kids then decorate. We’ve made them for grandparents and aunties, and it’s always a hit. For Father’s Day, the card asked, ‘What’s Dad’s favorite thing to do?’ and my son answered, ‘Sit with me.’ It still makes me tear up!”
Says Meghan on 12 gifts for your adoring wife: “My father-in-law just sent an extremely sweet Christmas wish list that included the words ‘Everyone has to recite a poem (from memory preferred).’ I could cry. So, I wanted to share my own non-material Christmas wish list: time and space to read my book, my tiny apartment made cozier by foraged and free decorations, and everyone to shop at the farmers’ market for their feast ingredients.”
(Photo by Christine Han/Stocksy.)
Note: If you buy something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission or have a sponsored relationship with the brand, at no cost to you. We recommend only products we genuinely like. Thank you so much.
Entertainment
LA public schools pass screen time limits for students in a first
Los Angeles public school students may be returning to the age of college-ruled notebooks and Scantrons, following a Tuesday school board vote that will limit the use of computers, laptops, and tablets in classrooms.
Titled “Using Technology with Intention,” the new resolution mandates the creation of grade-level and subject-specific screen time limits across Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) schools, including a complete ban on device usage for kindergarten and first grade. The use of one-to-one devices, like individual Chromebooks, will be discouraged for second through fifth grades, as well.
Revised guidelines will also address video-aided lesson plans, access to video streaming platforms like YouTube, and expanded restrictions on gaming and social media platforms.
District staff must present the revised tech use policy by June, which will go into effect for all LAUSD students beginning with the 2026-2027 school year. Guidelines will be reevaluated every year, and schools are tasked with tracking and sharing student screen time numbers with parents.
Mashable Light Speed
The resolution cites increasing concern about the effect of screen time on young minds and alleged screen addiction, including recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) studies that show a correlation between high screen time and adverse health effects. The board was unanimously in favor of the tech restrictions, with one recusal.
“We know that tech is not going away and can be a powerful tool in the classroom. This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time and screen time in schools to ensure we are doing what actually helps students learn best,” board member Nick Melvoin said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not about going backwards. This is about rethinking school time…”
Advocates, parents, and even students have spent the last year lobbying for greater tech restrictions following the passing of a 2025 bell-to-bell cellphone ban restricting the use of personal devices during school hours. Schools Beyond Screens, a national classroom tech safety coalition founded by LAUSD parents and teachers, helped craft the resolution in collaboration with board members and co-sponsors Melvoin, Karla Griego, Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Jerry Yang, Kelly Gonez, and Rocío Rivas.
“Now is the time for a safe and science-backed approach to classroom technology, one that is not guided by Big Tech talking points like screen value over screen time,” the organization wrote in a press release following the decision.
“There is much work to be done, and this is only the beginning, but today, we are proud, grateful, and – for the first time in a long time – hopeful. Our kids may yet have the kind of public education that they deserve — one that is proven effective and free of undue digital distraction, harmful content, and corporate exploitation.”
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Social Good
Family & Parenting
Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
$224
at Amazon
$299
Save $75
Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
Mashable Deals
Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
$39.99
at Amazon
$79
Save $39.01
There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
It offers a portable blood oxygen saturation monitor, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and so much more. All of this data, including workout information, steps, and much more, can be synced across all your favorite fitness apps, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. There are 120 sports modes to choose from, GPS positioning, and even a 3D warm-up exercise guide to help get you on your feet each day.
Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
