2014 | PulseonParenting

Summer Reading, An Excuse to Indulge

Jun 17 2014

The weather is warm. The days are longer. And if you are like most parents, you are on the run. You need a book that you can pick up and read anywhere, everywhere, if only for a few minutes at a time. Well, how about three books that fill that bill? One for each of the busiest, balmiest months of the year. This summer I am diving in to The Hunger Games trilogy. My nine-year-old son has been salivating over the yummy boxed set since it entered our household but I have declined him the privilege of being the one to bend the first…

Cub Scouts, You’re in the Army Now

Jun 10 2014

Of all the animals, the boy is the wildest ~ Plato Cub scout den mothers, I (cub scout) salute you. To take on the responsibility of guiding elementary school-age boys through Tiger, Wolf and Bear Scouts (names surely inspired by Plato himself**) amidst the chaos that ensues at meetings, you are a rare and patient breed indeed. Now I paraphrased Plato. He actually said the boy is “most unmanageable.” That may be taking it a tad too far, given how things went down at our Cub Scout Camp this past week. Present the unmanageable to a Boy Scout leader and you get…

The Power of the Post-It

Jun 03 2014

Those yellow sticky things which became the center of a class reunion “scandal” in the movie Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion. The rainbow version that my kids wallpaper our house with cute little sayings written upon them. Whoever took Post-Its to the gym is genius. And made the day of countless women by sticking one to the mirror in the locker room, visible to all who applied their makeup and gave themselves a blow-out and even to those who simply passed through (the yellow color was a smart move). On the note was written in beautifully plain penmanship: You are…

Hooray for Summer?

May 29 2014

Recently we installed a wireless pet containment system for our sweet but “born-to-run” dog. As we train Lucy to her boundaries, she is becoming rather “hang-doggy” as she realizes the restriction to her freedom. No loping off to see her dog friends. No unleashed running through our neighborhood for the wild amount of exercise she desperately needs as a border collie mix. She is relegated to a leash for her daily walks now, under the watchful eye of one of her “people.” Does this sound familiar? If not for your own furry friend but for you yourself? Because it is…

Roll “Em!” (And Let it Roll?)

May 27 2014

What movies do you remember watching over and over as a kid? Ah, silver screen memories. The movies that defined our (respective) generations and which we pop in the player when we want to stroll down memory lane. And of course see if we can quote them word-for-word like we could years before. Have you shared your favorite flicks with your kids? It’s fun to experience those timeless Disney classics. Remember the “Wonderful World of Disney” on Sunday nights? Even though kids are amazingly tech-savvy and notice the graphics are out of date, the stories still draw them in. No…

Well, Enough About Me…

May 22 2014

We’ve all heard the line: Enough about me…what do YOU think of me? Ever realize you get so caught up in your own vision you forget: The situation isn’t about YOU? Just a rhetorical question. Except not for me. Since I mentioned it I have to ‘fess up (otherwise I wouldn’t have this blog post!). And my answer is: All too often. How much my being an only child plays into this, I don’t know. But I freely admit my forays into egocentricity because I realize that as a parent (it’s ok to silently agree with this) I hope my…

Makeup!!!!

May 20 2014

To set the right tone, let me help you hear what I hear when I read the title of this post. Remember the Looney Tunes cartoons? In at least one of these animated features someone gets blown up (Wile E. Coyote comes to mind) and then another character yells, in a manner that curdles blood: MAKEUP!!!! Eeewww. My circulatory system is in havoc, pulse racing and heart pounding. This is the same way I felt, and the same voice I heard (in my head), when I saw my child’s third grade friend wearing, you guessed it, lots of…. MAKEUP!!!! Now…

May 15 2014

{Ok. The first draft of “Part Two” was a mess. The junk has been corralled and put out to pasture! Below is the honed, endlessly-edited version.} To get this post organized I had to make a handwritten list of all the points I wanted to include. (The definition of gravitas in our electronic world!) Previously on May 13 (How About Homeschooling, Part One), I wrote how a friend (an educator) and I talked the topic of homeschooling and our sugar-fueled discussion caused me to wonder about the possibility of homeschooling my son. As I pondered, many thoughts and concerns came to…

How About Homeschooling? Part One

May 13 2014

{I have too many jumbled thoughts and the mental noise is deafening. To clarify, this is not a researched, fact-filled piece, it is simply my attempt to coherently organize my thoughts and concerns, in two parts, on virtual paper. Who knew almond croissants and coffee would fuel the blogging fire?} Sometimes the inspiration for blog posts takes me by surprise. Recently a friend of mine and I (over the aforementioned treats) had an engaging discussion on the topic of homeschooling, an education alternative I never seriously considered for my children. I attended public school from Kindergarten through twelfth grade….

A Question for You

May 08 2014

The end of the school year is rapidly approaching. Of course there is “Senioritis.” There is also “Third Grade-itis.” And even “Extracurricular Activity-itis.” My kids haven’t caught the last affliction but I sure have. Have you? I find the after school and sometimes weekend running to be exhausting. And not just at the end of the school year but in the fall and winter as well. The question I need to ask you is two-fold: Are you tired of the running? And do we keep our kids too busy with activities outside of school? I’m curious what you think.

My name is Heidi Black and I have it all... Maybe not in the traditional sense of the phrase but I do feel I have it all: three beautiful, healthy children, a devoted husband and father and the privilege of being a Domestic Engineer. (I used to call myself a SAHM but that just doesn’t fit when my day is filled with coordinating 5 schedules and preplanning their execution, all up to a week in advance.) And now, indulging in a not-so-secret desire to write, and following the advice “write what you know” I am ready to share what I have learned from this ironic life journey and along with you, discover answers to those many questions related to parenting.

Archive - 2014