PulseonParenting | Let's Get to the Heart of Parenting

The Common Cold: Your Questions Answered

Mar 30 2017

It’s morning. I’m getting ready for school and hear my family in the kitchen. My husband’s rattling cough, punctuated by wall-shaking sneezes, echoes through the house. My daughter harmonizes with a wheezy, low melody. My older son, who normally sneezes three times in a row on a good day, seems determined to break the world’s record for ah-choos in rapid succession. And my younger son? Still out “cold” and I’m just letting him sleep. As for me, I’m dragging and achy and my throat is sore. I don’t have the sonorous coughing or sneezing like the rest of my family…

Mar 21 2017

There’s an episode of the sitcom New Girl where lovably pedantic Schmidt pulls out his ringing mobile. Incredulous, he says, “What? My phone hasn’t rung in two years!” There’s plenty of truth in that one-liner. We have Skype. We have FaceTime. And the too-convenient ability to text message. Really, who talks on the phone anymore? Mobile phones are hardly the simple chatting devices of ages past; they are fun-sized, portable computer devices, a far cry from the spring-tethered rotary dial model and the cordless version my family used to lose under the couch cushions. We communicate so differently…

Mar 15 2017

Remember Snackwells? The near-miracle treat that contains no fat? Back when we were told that fat, any fat, in our diets would surely lead to our artery-clogging demise, these cookies were a godsend to those of us with a raging sweet tooth. And I remember my indulgence, eating almost a whole box of the devil’s food variety, proudly avoiding an eminent heart attack by eating dessert so wisely. But now, times have changed and the “devil” in the name of those (let’s face it) tasteless, half-dessicated cookies has an updated meaning. Most of the calories come from sugar (satanic carbs!) and…

Mar 09 2017

One morning last fall, I just had to walk away. Homeschooling was not going well, specifically grammar, and I had to just take a break. No, we all needed a break. It was a Monday, my daughter was coming off her 10th birthday celebration, and we were in a sprint down Letdown Lane. Ok, I’ll admit it. I didn’t just walk away. I went and hid in my bedroom. Before I retreated, I gave my kids their science books and asked them to read. I honestly didn’t think they’d do it (they did admit to playing Minecraft on my…

Feb 28 2017

It was a dark and stormy night. I was being a real handful, angrily quizzing my husband about exactly where the on-call anesthesiologist lived, and how long it would take him to get to the hospital to give me my epidural ALREADY! And how much, to the minute, he would be slowed down by the nasty February weather. My poor husband. It really was a dark and stormy night. When we tell our boys the story of their arrival, we get to indulge in a little drama. It was well into the evening, and a nasty sleet-snow was falling…

Feb 22 2017

I spin it in a positive light: my kids interrupt because they want my husband’s and my attention. As my kids are 10 and nearly 12, I know this desire to share with us is limited. The problem is, it’s universally accepted that interrupting a conversation is rude. My kids know that, but they’re kids. Even though it can be exhausting to navigate, I’d rather my kids be verbal in their interruptions than be stealthy about it, as when they were toddlers. I remember one particular instance when I was pregnant with my daughter and my one-and-a-half-year old twins…

Feb 14 2017

Oh my gosh, it’s so good. I mean, really good. So good, in fact, I want to lock myself in the bedroom and ignore everything but the book until I finish it. But then, what kind of mother would I be? Can I argue that a good mother gets on board with her kids’ obsessions as long as she reminds them where the peanut butter is? No, of course not, but I’m coming to realize why my kids are totally taken with all things Harry Potter. And J.K. Rowling herself. My daughter, who did a report on this most-famous…

Feb 07 2017

Sometimes it’s hard to believe we’ve gotten this far. At other times, it’s not. Recently we reached a milestone: 100 days of homeschooling. We fastened our seatbelts back in August and ready or not, we took our newfound motivation for a spin. Map in hand, we had a pretty good idea where we wanted to go but no idea where we’d end up. Sometimes the ride was smooth, sometimes the dips and turns were expected (math) and sometimes they were not (grammar). But here we are. 100 days and not yet out of gas. Last fall I wrote an…

Jan 31 2017

Last week I wrote about the myths of heart disease and how heart attacks present in women. In today’s post, I’ll describe how we (both women and men) can lower our risk of this number one killer in the United States. Heart disease in women doesn’t get the press it deserves. But the unfortunate facts still remain. ♥Only 1 in 5 women thinks heart disease is her greatest health risk. ♥Approximately one woman a minute dies from heart disease. ♥Women don’t necessarily have the same symptoms of heart attack that men do. ♥And 90% of women have at least one…

Jan 24 2017

The media is a powerful entity. And when it comes to its portrayal of heart disease, the danger in that power is especially evident. We are left to assume that heart disease is a man’s disease. That men die from heart attacks. That men need to watch their cholesterol, lower their high blood pressures, and start exercise programs. While this information is certainly true, we are getting only part of the story. Who is missing? Women. Lots and lots of women. Young and old, across ethnic groups and body types, heart disease is very much a woman’s disease. Nearly…

Getting to the Heart of Parenting...

The Common Cold: Your Questions Answered

What We Need to Know About Cell Phone Etiquette

Beware of Hidden Allergens

Am I Doing Too Much? How to Help Kids Become More Responsible

Once Upon a Delivery Room

Excuse Me, Please, Should I Teach My Kids Not to Interrupt?

For the Love of Harry Potter

The First 100 Days (of Homeschooling, That Is)

How Can I Lower My Risk of Heart Disease?

What Women Need to Know About Heart Disease