How our kids are being impacted by AI
If you've checked out the news this past week, you've probably seen a headline similar to this, "AI IS GOING TO KILL US ALL BY LUNCHTIME!"

And while we're not qualified to jump into that discussion, we can tell you how AI is impacting our children. For example, recent results from the international PISA exam show global reading and math scores hitting record lows, while student reliance on AI tools has skyrocketed.

Over half of students worldwide now use chatbots like ChatGPT for schoolwork, with nearly half of high schoolers using AI to solve math problems or summarize texts instead of completing the reading assignments themselves. Essentially, kids aren't truly challenging themselves, and that's a major problem. Here's why letting kids struggle is so important.

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👶 The latest baby trend? Namemaxxing!
Nameberry predicts "namemaxxing" will dominate baby name lists for 2027. The trend has parents blending two traditional names to create a fresh, custom option (think Ezrael from Ezra and Israel, or Liliette from Lily and Juliette). It's a clever way for parents-to-be to compromise on a shortlist or honor two family members at once. See all the 2027 baby trends here.

👩‍⚕️ One in six women may have this liver condition
A little-known condition called MASLD (formerly non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) now affects roughly one in six women of childbearing age. This is significant because new research has revealed women with the condition face significantly higher pregnancy risks, including a three times higher risk of preterm birth, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia. Here's how you can get screened.

📈 Ectopic pregnancy deaths have nearly doubled
A ProPublica analysis revealed a stark rise in U.S. ectopic pregnancy deaths, which nearly doubled between 2020 and 2025. The steepest surge occurred in states with strict abortion bans. Experts warn that legal confusion can cause doctors to delay life-saving treatment, turning manageable complications into fatal emergencies. More here.

🧫 People are eating moldy food
Nearly a third of people trim mold off food to save money, but experts say it could backfire. While dense items like hard cheese and firm veggies can be safely salvaged, porous or high-moisture foods like bread, soft cheese, and berries allow invisible toxins to spread deep below the surface. Worse yet, cooking won't kill those toxins.

🚂 The hottest toys of 2026
Looking for gift ideas for your little one? This article breaks down some of the hottest toys of the year, including the new (and improved) Tickle Me Elmo, and the Play-Doh Super Sizzlin' Kitchen Playset.

A (really) good vinaigrette
There are a few things I think everyone should know how to make without a recipe. 

Scrambled eggs. A basic pasta. And a good salad dressing.

For me, that dressing is mustard vinaigrette.

It takes about two minutes to make and works on far more than salad. Drizzle it over roasted vegetables. Toss it with warm potatoes. Spoon it over grilled chicken. Or use it to rescue the cucumber that’s been sitting in your refrigerator for a week. And once you know the basic formula, you can mess with it endlessly.

Ingredients

Directions
Add the vinegar, Dijon, honey, shallot, salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a jar and whisk (or shake) to combine.

Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing comes together. (Honestly, my usual method is to just put a lid on the jar and shake the heck out of it.)

Taste it. This is important. Want it brighter? Add vinegar. Too sharp? Add a little more olive oil (my favorite brand) or honey. More mustard? Go for it.

Spice it up
Make it lemony: Swap some or all of the vinegar for fresh lemon juice and add a little lemon zest.

Make it herby: Add a handful of chopped basil, parsley, dill or chives. Whatever you have.

Make it creamy: Whisk in a spoonful of Greek yogurt.

Make it sweeter: Add another teaspoon of honey or maple syrup. This is especially good on salads with apples, pears or bitter greens.

Make it garlicky: Skip the shallot and grate in a small clove of garlic.

Make it a meal: Toss the vinaigrette with chickpeas or white beans, chopped vegetables and feta and let everything hang out in the refrigerator for a few hours. Look at that—you’ve basically made a dense bean salad.

Recipes are useful. But learning a formula is better.
Once you know acid + mustard + a little sweetness + good olive oil, you don’t really need to buy salad dressing anymore. And you definitely don’t need to measure everything perfectly.

Last week, we asked you how often you say "I love you" to your children, and a little over 60% of you said, "Literally every chance I get" while "Daily" came in second. No one said, "I'm with Owen, I hardly ever say it." Sorry, Owen!