Parenting | PulseonParenting

Hate to Pack? Try This “Hack.”

Jul 01 2016

When it’s a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence, I just have to share. Getting all three of my kids to agree to anything at the same time and in the same place is practically a miracle. As my mother-in-law has observed, not just with her own grandkids but in other families as well: one child is always unhappy. Not this time. And the task involved actual work. A request. And since the reward wasn’t a lego set (note: it never is)…well, I still can’t believe this project went 3-for-3.

Jun 16 2016

I completed a half marathon last weekend and this time, I crossed the finish line under my own power (my first “half” didn’t go nearly as well…but that’s another story). Along the way I was relieved to find a port-a-potty a) because I really had to go and this meant b) I was actually well-hydrated for this run through our high-altitude, arid climate. After taking care of business, I was startled to see a man sitting by the side of the road near the portable stall. I hadn’t seen him before so I felt a little creeped out, especially as…

May 24 2016

It’s almost here! For some of us, it already is. Summer break. Honestly, my head is spinning the school year went by so fast. And I feel totally unprepared for having my brood around for three months. So I dug up this post from a year ago to help refresh my brain on how to (and not to!) navigate summer with kids. And I hope it helps you, too: A year ago, as the school year drew to an end, I wrote a post that received some flak. In Hooray for Summer? (In retrospect, Horrors, It’s Summer! would have been…

May 10 2016

One of the least “organized” decisions we can make as adults is to become parents. Is there anything less neat, orderly and predictable as having children in the house? And if you can show me a mom who, without missing a beat, can juggle the school field trip schedule, remember who likes what cold lunch fixings and recall if she brushed her teeth that morning…I’ll show you a mythical Greek Goddess. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about the messy business of parenting. I adore my kids. In fact, I relish the unpredictability of their fights, their ever-changing school…

May 03 2016

This week’s post was supposed to be about how to help our kids learn to be more organized but that’s just not going to happen. Sometimes life takes us on a detour from from our best-laid plans. As I switched gears on what to write this week, I realized it’s still about organization but in a different vein. The good news? It doesn’t require a visit to The Container Store. The bad news? It’s about bad news. Sadly, it’s inevitable. But that’s the very reason we don’t want to think about a family member getting sick. As in: it’s going…

Apr 27 2016

When I typed “only children as parents” into Google, I found very little that discussed only children and their children. Here’s what I found instead (among other things): “9 Reasons Why Dating An Only Child is Difficult.” (Ha, only 9? My husband would love to add to that list!) “What Being an Only Child Says About You.” (with a title like that it can’t be good…) Various sites regarding support groups for the parents of only children. and finally (I almost peed a little when I saw it.): “Only Child Adult Blog: Are You an Only-Child and a Parent?” which…

Apr 19 2016

Wet sand flung at our stucco. Mud tracked through our play room. A soccer ball (intentionallly) pulverizing my son’s lego creations. And an unmistakable defiance for the adult in charge. So how do you tell parents their kid is a brat?

Mar 30 2016

Creativity: putting things together in novel ways, or seeing the world, or a given problem, with fresh eyes. (ahaparenting.com) “Oh, my, he’s such a mess!!” Grandma could barely get the words out through her laughter. Her loving observation of my older son at age three was spot on. There he was, sitting at our kitchen table working on crafts: stuff was piled everywhere, stuck together randomly with glue from a dripping bottle. His clothes were streaked with food (oddly, even now, breakfast is on his person before he’s even had any), his face mustachioed with lunch. The perfect picture of a…

Take AP classes in subjects that interest you.

Mar 01 2016

I don’t understand homework in elementary school. My past, and likely yours, too, had many hours devoted to homework…but I never did any, had any, until middle school. And I settled myself after school at the kitchen table with paper and pencil because teachers told us do this at home and turn it in tomorrow, and I did (yes, I was one of those kids…). But it’s a different ballgame today for families: homework comes home for our elementary schoolers, and they really need some supervision, unlike (mostly) the older kids. It can be a time-consuming process, especially when…

Feb 02 2016

Super Bowl 50 is just around the corner, which only means one thing. Well, two. The first being if your adoptive home is Colorado, and your son’s new favorite team is the Denver Broncos, then you are thrilled. And the second is all those original, entertaining commercials, which for many (myself included) are the reason to tune into the game. So anticipated are these ads, they seem to get at least as much post-game chatter as the game itself. Which is interesting because apparently my generation (X) is a pretty jaded bunch. As in, more resistant to the influence of…

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.

Category - Parenting

Hate to Pack? Try This “Hack.”

A Little Potty Talk

Hooray for Summer (Exclamation Point): Steps to a Successful Break (Question Mark)

Let’s Get Organized: a Stepwise Process for Parents and Kids

When a Loved One is Seriously Ill

Only Children as Parents

Someone Else’s Bratty Kid

Nurturing Creativity in Our Children: More Mess, More Time

Am I Supposed to Check My Kids’ Homework?

Hooray for Super Bowl Commercials…But Should Our Kids Watch Them?