July, 2014 | PulseonParenting

But It Smells Good!

Jul 29 2014

We stash it in the glovebox, in our backpacks and handbags. There’s a ginormous jug of it sitting in our kids’ classrooms at school. Stores sell it in mouthwatering scents (cucumber melon!). And it gives us piece of mind that with each squirt we are protecting our children from illness. Not necessarily. The newspaper often goes from our driveway directly to the recycle bin because the content is just plain depressing. However, I happened to pick through it recently and immediately catching my eye was the headline: Hand sanitizers dirty record; let soap do the job We all know good…

Beautifully Sad

Jul 22 2014

A friend on Facebook posted this sad yet beautiful quote recently and I couldn’t get it out of my head. We have all suffered loss, or if we haven’t we will at some time. The loss can be a death in the family, a breakup, or having to give up a pet. In any circumstance of a loss, this quote embodies guidance, reassurance and hope: “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around…

Game On

Jul 16 2014

“Boo-Ya!” “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!!!” “In your FACE!!!!” Sound familiar? Just another friendly family game night. It’s amazing how much trash gets talked with a high-stakes game of UNO. Or when the Old Maid deck gets dealt. And in our home, when the dice are rolled and the marbles moved during Murder, our homemade version of Sorry, verbal carnage (G-rated!) abounds. Yup, friendly games can turn friendly families into fierce-tongued families. It wasn’t my competitive streak that caused the card game Beat the Parents to catch my eye at the store, but the clever word play on the movie title,…

Plucking the Petals of Daisies

Jul 08 2014

If you have a daughter, you know all too well her mood can change with fleeting regularity. And you may also be surprised at how early an age the emotional roller coaster can take a plunge. I know I was. In our household, that age was two. My husband and I did a “What the…?” as our little darling, a shrieking carmel-haired blur, ran from one end of the house to the other spurred by an unknown insult, only to emerge seconds later in a strangely calm trance, blankie in hand. At the time, her display was darn funny. It…

All “Growed” Up

Jul 01 2014

Some would say it is turning age 18. Others would say it comes with earning a steady paycheck, moving away from Mom and Dad, and paying income tax. Yet others would agree it is becoming parents. But after passing those milestones of life, (some of them achieved a couple decades or so ago!), I don’t feel like a grown up. Not even close. And I’m pretty sure I don’t act like it. Here are some examples that serve as proof: ~ I have never read Dickens or Austen…nor do I feel the urge to. ~Occasionally I find myself giggling with…

Archive - July 2014