Our family likes to mix it up at meal time.  Sometimes we offer a traditional grace, one of the two prayers my husband and I grew up with.  Sometimes we get our Von Trapp on and sing  “Johnny Appleseed” (Oh, the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord…).  At other times we recite the Philmont (boy scout camp in New Mexico) Grace.  But our favorite is to go around the table and offer one thing we are thankful for in our day, something for which we are grateful. Gratitude seems to be implied; of course we are grateful…

    Pulseonparenting is not a political platform.  But it is about kids and their parents and and their friends and extended families.  I’ve spent the past four years blogging with the goal of making a difference, big or small, in the lives of children and their loved ones.  To say nothing of what happened last week, on a day reserved for celebrating love, would dishonor the passion that motivates me to get up at 5:30 in the morning. Now, right now, while the nation is yet again in the throes of sadness and grief, the most glorious phoenix has…

  I am not super-crafty but love to craft.  It’s hard to find the time to create so I rely on Annie’s Creative Woman Kit-of-the-Month Club and other simple suggestions, like one I found in the February 2018 Real Simple (makes sense, no?).  A fellow reader shared her love-note treasure hunt tradition she and her husband plan for their children each February, where they hide paper hearts around their home with notes of love written on them.  Then their kids search for them daily through Valentine’s Day.  As I didn’t come upon this fun little ritual until a couple days…

My mother has been called the Walter White of Christmas cookies.  She’s been known to bake them 3-figure numbers without breaking a sweat, and some of her creations have been declared utterly (and legally) addictive.  The decadence goes international with Norwegian Kringla, German-influenced Peparkakor and Leibkuchen, and Scottish shortbread.  But it’s the traditional, down-home, cut-out sugar cookie that no one can get enough of.  I am merely her protege, her Jesse Pinkman, who uses her recipes and is constantly trying to perfect the techniques and skill of a true pro.  I wish I had the time to hand paint (yes,…