The Pewter Plate Award

It's the season for surprises.  Yesterday when a FedEx man dropped off an unrequested package, I was astonished to find it contained a pewter plate from Highlights magazine.  Apparently, I have won the Pewter Plate Award for their category "Nonfiction Feature of the Year, Independent Readers" for my "Candy Experiments" article, published in October 2010.

My daughter decreed that I should display the plate where I could look at it.  After I vetoed a precarious perch in my study, she nestled it in my windowsill, where I can reread the text if I crane my neck sideways.

May it provide me with inspiration for many more award-worthy articles!

PPA Award

I was delighted to receive news that my "Alterna-Zoos" article, published in ParentMap last year, helped the magazine win a Gold Award from the PPA (Parenting Publications of America).

According to the judges, "These are clever, compelling and actionable columns that arm parents with options for entertaining their small fry. Written with a strong voice, these columns are a fun and informative read, and they offer critique as well. Great use of humor throughout as well!"


It's always nice to hear that somebody liked your work--especially when it's the judge in a national organization!