Tim Phillips Show, 7/24/26

Struggling to keep up with your kids’ busy calendar? Between school events, celebrations and extracurricular activities, children have a lot going on these days and while parents want to be there to see it all, new research finds many are missing out because of work.

According to a survey of 2-thousand employed parents of kids ages 10 and under, 39% have missed a meaningful moment with their children because they ran out of PTO.

Unexpected sick days are a big part of that, as half of the moms and dads polled missed an important school event for their kid because they had to use their paid time off to take care of a sick child at home instead.
The average parent only gets 11 days of PTO a year and spends 41% of it on their kids.
Nearly nine in 10 (87%) parents intentionally save up their personal time off specifically to be a part of their kids’ extracurricular activities, spelling bees, performances and more.
But the average parent still misses four events with their child every year, from field trips to recitals.
Moms and dads say watching their child grow and become independent is what they care about most (41%), followed by seeing their child excel in school (39%) and make new friends (34%).
With back-to-school season right around the corner, 38% of parents say they’re worried about germs spreading in the classroom and 36% admit unexpected illnesses are their top source of anxiety when it comes to managing their PTO.
Some have even developed a “sick sense” over the years, so they can predict when their kid will come down with something and “know” they’ll be sick before showing symptoms 55% of the time.
And for some families staying healthy is an ongoing battle, as 64% of parents admit they can’t remember the last month when someone in their house wasn’t sick.
Source: Talker

What’s the most beautiful word in the English language? According to a survey of 1,500 members of the Poetry Society of America, the winner is “diaphanous.” It refers to something delicate, light, and almost transparent, like a sheer fabric. The survey was conducted by language-learning app Babbel, which asked poets to choose from a list of 100 words compiled by linguist Robert Beard. Coming in behind diaphanous were “ethereal” in second place and “mellifluous” in third. Interestingly, not all suggestions were traditionally beautiful. Some participants nominated words like euthanasia and diarrhea, proving that beauty in language is definitely in the ear of the beholder.

Here are the Top 10 Most Beautiful Words in English:

Diaphanous 
Ethereal 
Mellifluous 
Halcyon 
Susurrous 
Lithe 
Epiphany 
Effervescent 
Love 
Eloquent

Friday Flashback to the 2000's

OUR SONG    TAYLOR SWIFT
BLEEDING LOVE    LEONA LEWIS
TIME OF DAY    CLINTONS
I THOUGHT I'D SEEN EVERYTHING    BRYAN ADAMS

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is officially inaugurated during October. The LHC was built in Switzerland with the help of thousands of engineers and scientists between 1998 and 2008.

Writers strike against Hollywood studios, networks and production companies demanding a percentage of revenue instead of a fixed fee for Internet content. The strike lasted for nearly 3 months

Average Cost for house rent $800.00

Average New Car: $27,958.00

Cost of a gallon of Gas $3.39

US Postage Stamp 42 cents

Fidel Castro steps down as president of Cuba after almost 50 years in power

 Top movies:

1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. Iron Man (2008)
4. The Wrestler (2008)
5. Frost/Nixon (2008)

We all say we’ll start our diet, exercise routine, or whatever habit or goal we want to achieve “on Monday.” But experts say there’s a better day of the week to start — Wednesday. The thinking is pretty simple: Mondays come with a lot of pressure. We load up our to-do lists, promise ourselves big changes, and then get overwhelmed. But by Wednesday, you're already in the groove of the week, so adding a new habit feels more like a small adjustment than a major life overhaul. Researchers and therapists say a midweek start also feels more like an experiment, which can reduce perfectionism and make setbacks easier to handle. Plus, you can rack up a few quick wins before the weekend, building confidence and motivation to keep going. The key? Start small, be specific, and attach the new habit to something you already do every day

Tim's News You Can't Use

Feeling like you need a weekend to recover from your weekend? You're not alone. A growing trend called the "empty weekend" encourages people to leave at least one weekend a month completely unscheduled. No parties, no errands, no packed social calendar. Fans say a plan-free weekend helps reduce stress, recharge your batteries, and leaves room for whatever sounds good in the moment, whether that's a day trip, a movie marathon, or absolutely nothing at all. In a world of maxxing, this trend is all about doing less.
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Why does a person stay at a job they hate? According to the results of a new Gallup poll, almost one-fourth of those asked say it’s because of health insurance. 24% of employees say they feel “trapped in their jobs” because of health concerns, and that equates to around 23 million adults in the workforce. That’s an increase of 8% from when the question was last asked in the poll five years ago.
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PR Newswire says Pringles and Buffalo Wild Wings are teaming for three new potato chip flavors including Parmesan Garlic, Medium Buffalo, and Asian Zing.   The flavors are  inspired by Buffalo Wing Wing sauces. They will be available starting in September.
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Android Authority says Google has launched a new feature that lets users record a short Selfie video in order to sign in to their accounts. It is a backup option that works when other  recovery methods fail. The video is encrypted and stored securely. You can delete it later. 
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WFLA says Tesla recently debuted their new robotaxi service in Tampa. Their debut was going well until one of their taxis went the wrong way down a one-way street. Other drivers videoed the taxi heading in the wrong direction. Tesla has not commented on the incident
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 Supercar Blondie says Atlantis The Royal, in Dubai, has won the title for World's Most Expensive Hotel Suite. The room costs $100,000 a night and spans two floors. It has four bedrooms, a private infinity   pool, a dedicated butler team, a private cinema, a library, a formal dining room and Hermès bath products 
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A very good dog just made a very unusual find. A Customs and Border Protection detector dog named Maisy alerted officers to a suitcase arriving from Thailand, and inside was nearly 100 pounds of banned goods. The haul included 50 pounds of meat, some of it raw, 33 pounds of mangoes, plus garlic, bamboo, and banana plants. Strangest of all was roughly 16 pounds of Bengal monitor lizard, which the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took custody of. In a separate case, California wildlife officers found about 436 fish in a vehicle at the San Ysidro border crossing, which three people without valid Mexican fishing licenses were allegedly bringing in to sell. 
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A Michelin-star chef is facing possible jail time after being accused of serving up ants as a garnish to diners at a restaurant. In South Korea, Evett is owned and operated by Chef Joseph Lidgerwood, who’s now run into legal issues from the use of the insect. In the legal case, Lidgerwood is referred to as “Chef A,” and he’s being accused of using ants as part of a dessert, even though they’re not “one of the ten species of insect that are approved for consumption under Korean law.” The dessert in question is a sorbet that was topped with the ants because of the “tartness” they add to the flavor. Lidgerwood is now facing up to one year behind bars and a fine of up to $13,510.