Let’s get this speedlink underway, shall we?

Andrew B. Knott kicks things off with a question of life transitions and identity crises. If you’ve been a stay-at-home parent for a number of years, what do you do when all your kids are in school full time? Should you go back to work? Is this question especially challenging for the stay-at-home dads in the audience, as society still perpetuates the archetype of “father as provider”?

Joyce Lam expands our Vancouver bubble tea experience with her review of Baroness in Kitsilano. Located near Broadway and MacDonald, Baroness is a Taiwan-based chain. Like so many others that have been popping up around town, they also offer the brown sugar milk tea. Surprisingly, Joyce found that it wasn’t super sweet. For something a little different, ask for the egg yolk smoothie, not on the menu.

Alison Tedford brings us back to the topic of parenthood, examining what it’s like when you’re not like the others. The stereotype goes that the modern mom should love pumpkin spice lattes and infinity scarves. But, that’s beside the point. Women can and should support other women, because you belong every place. What we have in common far outweighs how we may differ.

Lizzie Lau takes us on a trip to the Big Easy. I’ve had New Orleans on my travel bucket list for some time, possibly combining it with a Caribbean cruise out of their port. In her post, Lizzie outlines several fun things to do with kids in NOLA. A kid-friendly tour of the French Quarter sounds great, as does the outdoor music at Louis Armstrong Park. Me, I’m personally interested in that swamp tour!

Aaron Sheldon shares his perilous journey on Instagram with his son “Astronaut Harrison.” He was posting all of these fantastic photos the Small Steps Are Giant Leaps account when, all of a sudden, Instagram said they had to delete his account. The social media platform thought the account was being run by a child (Aaron is 44). Long story short, it took a lot of hoop-jumping to get back on track.

The lesson is that you really can’t rely on any platform you don’t own yourself, because it is very much outside your control.