2023 | PulseonParenting

First Impressions: Are They Friends or Foes?

Oct 12 2023

First Impressions are lasting impressions. No one can argue the truth in that. A first impression can trigger a lifelong friendship, a loving relationship, or a new pastime. A first impression can also trigger anger, mistrust and self-doubt. It can also result in missed opportunities or near-misses. First impressions create friends and foes, so are they a good thing? First Impressions: Are They Friends or Foes? I remember when I first met… Let’s reflect for a few moments. What first impressions were spot-on? Which were not? Not all first impressions reflect accurately on a person’s true nature, or the reality…

Sep 14 2023

Nearly six months ago my life was turned upside down by a health scare. I loathe the clickbait vibe of “health scare” but to be honest, that’s what it was. A health scare in a foreign country, with an unfamiliar medical system, and which began in a remote part of that country. I wrote about my healthcare experience in New Zealand, and what the national health system here was like from my American perspective. As promised, here is an update. Ill in New Zealand: Six Months Later a Lot Has Happened A Scary Visit to the ED Full disclosure: I…

Aug 31 2023

It sounded too good to be true…but. The site looked legit…the business logo was spot-on, the photography professional, and the item descriptions well-written. The discounts were crazy good, so my daughter and I filled our virtual shopping cart and clicked the “checkout” button. Then there it was: scam written all over the payment screen. They nearly had us. I Almost Got Scammed: How to Avoid Falling Into the Trap. So close, yet so far… I had a weird feeling about the site when my daughter told me about it. One of our favorite athletic clothing brands was discontinuing a style…

Aug 17 2023

The email was clear and straightforward. But it seemed to be missing a critical detail. Scholarship applications for university* were due on this date. Resident hall applications were due on that date. But what about the applications to university itself? Did we miss an email? An important deadline? Did we completely screw this up with our American bias?!? (Insert mini freak-out here) The answer, thankfully, is no. The road to uni is different here and we had a lot to learn. New Zealand College Admissions: the Process is Surprising. University for all: all who make the cut, that is. Students…

Aug 03 2023

A couple years ago I made a startling discovery: my children would soon be finishing high school. They would be moving out into either the real world or stepping into the transitional setting of university. And with that sleep-suppressing realization came panic. Had I done enough to prepare my kids to be independent? For the first time in years, I went into cram-for-the-exam mode. Read on to see the five ways I’ve been Letting Go: Parenting our Kids to be Independent. A Generational Difference I grew up very different from my own children: I was a latch-key kid from the…

Jul 20 2023

There were no fireworks or drone shows. No BBQs or red-, white- and blue-saturated parades. But Old Glory was flying full-mast from a post near the Curvey Basin ski lift, a nod to the 247th birthday of U.S. independence. It was a strange juxtaposition, being otherwise surrounded by a sun-drenched cold, skis scraping along on packed-down snow. But here we were, Yanks skiing on the Fourth of July: hitting the slopes, New Zealand style. Alpine skiing on the Fourth is considered a unique experience for Americans living in the southern hemisphere. However, due to epic snowfalls intrepid snow-lovers could shred…

Jun 22 2023

I hate being lied to, don’t you? I’ve told my kids more times than I can count that it angers me more when they lie than with whatever it is they are lying about. When they lie, it means I can’t trust them. And lack of trust hurts all of us. But telling the truth walks a tightrope: is it kind to be honest, or is it cruel? Is telling the truth always the best policy? The answer to both questions is, unsurprisingly, it depends. How to tell the whole truth…most of the time. The anatomy of truthful people. Truthful…

Jun 01 2023

A nation of islands the size of Colorado in the South Pacific is pretty remote. In fact, New Zealand’s nearest serious landfall is more than 900 miles away (Tasmania). But Aotearoa is far from lost at sea. Being part of the Commonwealth, one may wonder if we’d be stuck with British cuisine, food that isn’t known for Michelin ratings. That answer is yes. But is New Zealand stuck in a rut with beans on toast and bangers and mash? Definitely not. Food is fresh, varied and sometimes surprising. From waffles to whitebait: New Zealand has the cravings covered. The numbers…

May 18 2023

I remember a sun-drenched living space and views of Ponderosa Pines from the large picture window. And the quiet. That deafening stillness between hurried bowls of cereal and the afternoon dump of shoes and backpacks on the mud room floor. I also remember sitting on the kid-tested couch, the same one I’m settled into as I type these words. A couch now with a subtle tear along a back seam and a few loose, straight threads emerging from the seat cushions, a bit worse for wear but as comfy as ever. Hello, World And I remember the open laptop screen,…

May 11 2023

We are small-town people. My husband and I grew up in a town of 2,500. Despite proximity to a larger city with restaurants, malls, and the Chicago Cubs farm team, our hometown felt eons away from all the hustle and bustle. There was (and still is) a grain elevator in sore need of a paint job, a quaint town “triangle” (I guess we didn’t qualify for a whole “square.”), and everyone knew everyone else. It was familiar, a bit shabby, and not-quite-with-it…like a favorite pair of old sweatpants. So we were more than pleased when we relocated, and got a…

Archive - 2023

First Impressions: Are They Friends or Foes?

Ill in New Zealand: Six Months Later a Lot Has Happened

I Almost Got Scammed: How to Avoid Falling Into the Trap

New Zealand College Admissions: the Process is Surprising

Letting Go: Parenting our Kids to Be Independent.

Hitting the Slopes, New Zealand Style

How to Tell The Whole Truth …Most of the Time.

From Waffles to Whitebait: New Zealand Has the Cravings Covered

10 Popular Posts: Celebrating a Decade of PulseonParenting

Welcome Home to That Small-Town Vibe, New Zealand Style.