English, baby! Daily Podcasts

You arrive at the box office, excited to buy tickets to see your favorite band. But when you reach into your pocket or purse, your wallet is missing. What happened? Did you leave it at home? Were you robbed by a pickpocket? It holds your money, your I.D., your credit cards and your favorite photos. You feel lost without it. Wallets are the one thing most people remember to bring when walking out the door. Without it, you probably can’t buy food, ride the bus, or drive a car. It would be pretty hard to prove who you are, too. It’s amazing how much information and power is tucked into such a small accessory. Jeff and Mason discuss their favorite way to carry money in this English lesson about wallets. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Let’s say you want to ask a friend for a favor. You want to see if she will feed your cat while you go out of town. But you don’t want to just ask her right away. You want to get her in the mood to think positively toward you, so she’ll say yes. You go over to the friend’s house with a nice bottle of wine, and you make sure to tell her how nice she looks today. You’re buttering her up, so she will want to do the favor for you.Adding butter to food makes the food taste better. Butter is also slippery, so if something is covered in butter, it’s easier to handle. When you butter someone up, you are trying to make it easier for you to get what you want from them. You might also butter someone up because you want to impress them. Find out who is doing just that at the office in this work English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

With texting, blogs and email, it seems like nobody uses snail mail anymore. Who needs it when you can take a photo with your phone and instantly send it to friends and family? On the other hand, there’s something wonderful about getting a postcard. It’s a glimpse into someone’s adventure, a brief hello, and the joy of knowing someone is thinking about you. Since anyone can send a digital postcard, it’s no wonder that people don’t send regular postcards very much. Do you remember the last time you sent a card to your grandmother, though? She probably called to say she got it and how touched she was that you were thinking about her. Come on… get your pen and start writing. Do it for Grandma! Marni shares her love of postcards with Mason in this English lesson about getting surprises in your mailbox. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

People sometimes joke that a person they know is a “force of nature.” If your friend’s a force of nature, it means they’re strong and can accomplish anything. A true force of nature, like a hurricane or tsunami, can cause serious damage. It can happen out of the blue and leave homes and land destroyed. Tornadoes are a type of severe weather that happens without warning. A tornado is a funnel of air moving as fast as 300 miles per hour, smashing homes, cars, and anything else in its way. Living through a tornado must be a terrible ordeal. Marni shares her experiences living in a tornado prone part of the US in this lesson about weather. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“She lived right above me, the girl next door.” - Actor Ryan Gosling on former Mickey Mouse Club co-star Britney Spears (Us Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Would you believe that jeans were created for cowboys? Made from denim, blue jeans were so durable that it made perfect sense to wear them on the ranch. Eventually jeans became popular with the everyday person. From babies to grandmothers, everyone owns a pair. Celebrities even wear high-fashion jeans on the red carpet. But is that cool? Can they be worn anytime and anywhere, or should jeans be worn only in casual situations? There must be limits. Who decides? Keep reading to hear Jeff and Mason discuss when and where they think it’s OK to wear jeans today. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I think it’s all so sad and I don’t want to add any fuel to that fire.”- Singer and actress Miley Cyrus responding to an insult from Amanda Bynes -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you like the city? Maybe you really love the buildings, and all the hustle and bustle. You really enjoy the people, noise, and excitement. You’re torn, though, because there’s a lot you like about the country, too. You enjoy having the chance to go for hikes and enjoy nature, and you’d like to have a garden. Finally, you figure it out. You’ll live in the country, but work in the city. That way you can enjoy both environments. It’s the best of all worlds. Having the best of all worlds (sometimes called “the best of both worlds”) means getting to enjoy the benefits of two things that might initially seem at odds. It also means getting to enjoy all the positive aspects of a situation, without any of the negative aspects. For example, you might love the sunlight, but dislike being too warm. Sitting in the cool indoors by a big, sunny window might give you the best of all worlds. Amanda and Mason have been facing a big decision that seems as if it might have no good solution. Find out if they can figure out a way to have the best of all worlds in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

French electronic music duo Daft Punk has just released a new album called Random Access Memories, and it’s climbing the charts. The group originally became popular in the 1990s house music scene in France, and they continued to build a significant following. Daft Punk puts on elaborate live shows with many special effects. The members of the group often dress up as robots, too. Of course, there are many kinds of dance music. Daft Punk’s electronica is only one example. If you don’t like synth sounds and repetitive beats, then they might not be your cup of tea. Still, they have had a major influence on artists of all genres over the last few decades. Find out whether Mason and Jeff are fans in this music English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

What happens when you have an elderly parent or grandparent who is no longer able to take care of him or herself? Do you invite your relative to come live with you and your family? Or, if you’re simply not able to take on that responsibility, do you send your relative to go live in a nursing home or other facility where attendants can provide the care he or she needs?It can be a tough decision. To put your grandmother in a home might feel as if you’re abandoning her. But, especially if her mental or physical health is in decline, it’s possible that you simply wouldn’t be able to give her the proper care. Find out what Greta and Lily think about nursing homes in this family English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“It was the elephant in the room; I had to talk about it.” - Singer Leann Rimes on writing songs about her affair with a married man (Us Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

There’s nothing worse than going to school with a big pimple on your face. Some kids try covering acne with make-up or bandages. Others ignore the situation and try acting oblivious. Luckily, almost all teenagers have acne because puberty makes it difficult to avoid. Everyone has the same problem, so that makes life easier. People will go to great lengths to stop getting pimples. Medications can work, but they usually dry your skin. They say acne will clear up if you stop eating oily or sugary foods. Toothpaste is a popular home remedy, too, but in the end, we just have to wait. Our bodies decide when we stop getting acne. Listen to Amanda’s story about skin problems in this English lesson about acne. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you the kind of person who likes to play pranks on your friends? Do you make phone calls from anonymous numbers and disguise your voice? Do you send your friends weird, embarrassing packages in the mail? Do you tell your friends that a terrible tragedy has happened, when really everything is just fine, just to see how your friend will react? Some people just really love to do all they can to put one over on their pals.Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a little trick. But how do you know when the trick has gone too far? What if you try to put one over on your friend, and your friend really takes it seriously? What if your friend gets upset, and believes that something terrible really has happened, or that some stranger really did send them a bizarre gift in the mail? When that happens, it’s probably a good idea to reel it in and stop playing tricks for awhile.Find out whether anyone is trying to put one over on someone else in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Are you a thrill seeker? Does sky diving sound fun? How about swimming with sharks? Will you eat just about anything? Are you the kind of person who says yes to every new adventure? For more than a century, people have been lining up to ride rollercoasters. Rollercoasters can create strong feelings of excitement, anxiety, nausea and everything in between. It seems like people either love or hate rollercoasters. It’s hard to be ambivalent about such a thrilling ride. How do you feel about racing around on a rollercoaster? Listen in on Marni and Devan’s conversation about a classic carnival ride. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Can you walk through a candy store and leave empty-handed? Most of us can’t, as much as we try. We love the sweet taste of candy, but we also know how bad it is for us. Candy gives us energy, but it can also give us cavities. It’s just not fair! Chocolate can be good for you, they say, but only in moderation. If you have a sweet tooth, you simply must learn to exercise some self-control and not go overboard. For many of us, that’s easy to say but not so easy to do. We crave candy and won’t stop until we have it! Lily and Greta share the same opinion about sweets and discuss their favorite kinds in this English lesson about candy. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com