We're going to give weekly link roundups a shot and see how well we can keep up with sharing some of the great content we see each week. Here's a little weekend reading for you:

Ballard Four: We have a Halloween tradition in our household of a "Halloween fairy" to whom Z offers up most of her Halloween candy in exchange for a non-candy prize. My sister-in-law adopted the fairy for their four-year-old son this year (he's the dragon who trick-or-treated with Z), and has a hysterical account of the fairy's first rocky encounter with their family. Do you think we could make her write for us?

The Tranquil Parent: Overscheduled? Find out how to gracefully bow out of an activity and simplify your - or your child's - life.

Strange But Trewe: If you're looking for a less plasticized way to teach your kids about digestion than the Visible Man kit we blogged about this week, check out Strange But Trewe's Knitted Digestive System - she also offers a pattern so you handy knitters out there can make one for your kids.

Polliwogged: How well do you know your infant's digestive tract? Find out about foods that can help up- or downshift your baby's metabolism.

Recall watch: Watch out for Mylicon Gas Relieve Dye Free Drops - they've been recalled due to metal fragments.

Phthalate watch: Watch out for markdowns on toys as manufacturers try to sell out phthalate-containing toys before the law banning phthalates in children's products goes into effect in February 2009. You can check the ZRecs Guide for Safer Children's Products for the phthalate status of infant toys by many major brands, but there is a lot of random stuff out there too, including items with no brand recognizable brand name at all. As far as chemical phase-outs go, this is just the way things go - what they aren't able to sell, at least from the distributor level on up they will just divert to countries with fewer restrictions, primarily Central America.

BabyCenter: There's an interesting article at Babycenter about the efficacy of coconut oil for treating childhood pneumonia. I wonder if it would also work for other respiratory illnesses?

ParentDish: iPhone apps can help you track feedings, can generate white noise, and can be used as a baby monitor, calling parents on another phone if it hears a sound. Check out ParentDish's great roundup.

Twitter: "MotrinMoms" has become the most popular search term on the social media site, with thousands of tweets expressing parents' anger about a truly inane commercial that mocks babywearing as faddish while claiming to support moms who choose to do so - with Motrin, of course, for what they posit as inevitable back pain earned by blindly trying to be a cool mom. Katya Presnal offers a good glimpse of what's hit the fan; you can watch the ad here.

Carrie and Danielle: Found an interesting interview with Lawrence J. Cohen, author of one of our favorite parenting books, Playful Parenting.

Eco Child's Play: Have I ever told you about my three-year search for vegetarian marshmallows? Eco Child's Play posted a recipe this week with vegan options and sans the high-fructose corn syrup. I can't wait to try them.

The Tree Hugging Family: Here's a great a round-up of some vegetarian and vegan Thanksgiving menu plans and recipes. We'll be spicing up our holidays making homemade vegetarian tamales and some enchiladas with mole fresh from central Mexico.