by Ashley Corbaley "All happy families are alike." –Leo Tolstoy What does it mean that happy families are all alike? What makes a happy family? Parenting author, Charlotte Latvala shares six secrets for a happy family: Create Traditions Traditions do not have to be grand to be meaningful....
by Erin Weist Following a petition and protest by thousands of Mexican citizens standing against redefining marriage in Mexican law, a proposal to legalize same-sex marriage was shut down last week as the Commission on Constitutional Matters voted against the measure 19-8. The National Front for...
by Jennifer Johnson I am proud to say that I am the granddaughter of military veterans. My maternal grandfather served overseas during the Vietnam War, and my paternal grandfather would have deployed overseas during the Korean War were it not for health and family situations that...
by Christie Masters It had been almost two years that the exercise videos sat on the shelf covered in dust. A friend of mine had helped me choose them when she started a short term fitness group on social media. Every six weeks she would start...
by Diane Robertson I started keeping a personal blog in the early days when blogging was still popular in 2007. I was a young mother with 5 small children and they were and are the topic of that blog. Those 5 young children aren’t so small...
by Ashley Corbaley It’s the holiday season, a favorite time of the year for many people. While this is a wonderful season, it is also one of considerable stress for some families. Walking into the store the day after Halloween I was bombarded with Christmas music...
by Erin Weist Earlier this week I had the experience of being mocked on social media. If you’ve spent any time online this is not a revelation, the internet can be a brutal place to experience the full attack of opinions clashing with one’s own. However...
by Tashica Jacobson Life tends to get hectic from time to time for pretty much everyone; and when it does, it is easy to put some of the things that appear unnecessary on the back burner to deal with when life slows down again. Date night...
by Elise Ellsworth A favorite childhood memory of mine was my Great-grandma Leuthold’s annual Christmas gathering in Sherwood, Oregon. Nostalgic smells and a crackling fire greeted us warmly as we entered the gathering place. Aunts milled in the kitchen catching up and checking on the food...
by Diane Robertson The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to hear the transgender school bathroom case coming from the 4th Circuit Court-- G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board. The ACLU sued the Gloucester County School board in behalf of a student for protecting...
by Ashley Corbaley “The issues of power, control, and hierarchy are important in families. Issues regarding power are at the root of many family problems”- Richard Miller Issues regarding power are important in families and are often the source of many family problems. Why is that? I...
by Erin Weist Same-sex marriage has been in global news this week and it appears that many throughout the world are still unsettled regarding the growing acceptance of this new trend. Grenada is currently seeking to revise its constitution, introducing several bills through referendum, but has...
by Jackie Bowles Recently our school district invited parents to a Human Growth and Development (Sex Education) overview night. The presentation briefly stated the subjects that would be covered in the Human Growth and Development classes for grades 3-8. The summary was basically a one word...
by Mekelle Tenney Last year the “American Household Credit Card Debt Study” showed that the average American household credit card debt is $15,762. They also found that the average household auto loans average out to $27,141. Currently only 20% of Americans are debt free. Many people...
by Diane Robertson A couple of years ago, President Obama quietly changed Title IX by adding transgender to the law. Last Spring, the Obama administration stated that all schools that did not allow students to use locker rooms, bathrooms, and sports teams according to the gender...
by Ashley Corbaley “When you make the sacrifice in marriage, you're sacrificing not to each other but to unity in a relationship” –Joseph Campbell It is probably not a secret to most people that marriage requires sacrifice. Most things that are good in this life require...
by Erin Weist Beginning this week thousands of migrants are being evacuated from camps in the port city of Calais, France. The number of refugees camped in this area commonly referred to as “The Jungle” has swelled over the years, ranging anywhere from 6,000-9,000 people, the...
by Laura Friend A few weeks back I sat in my sister-in-law’s living room enjoying the company of extended family. My nephew and his wife sat close together, holding hands, and radiating that, “young couple in love” feel, which brought a smile to my face. My...
by Diane Robertson Have you ever wondered where is the outrage? When the president mandated that through Title IX all schools receiving any federal funding had to allow students to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams according to self-proclaimed gender identity, there was definite...
by Ashley Corbaley I recently watched an advertisement that had a powerful message. This video began with ten married couples that were asked the question: “If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would you choose?” After several moments of deep thought, each...
by Erin Weist Men and women from around the world are visiting Quito, Ecuador this week for a United Nations conference called ‘Habitat III’ which brings global groups together to create plans for future urban development. The document being prepared will ultimately guide planning in sustainable...
by Jennifer Johnson When a family member or friend passes away, there are societal and/or religious rituals that we go through to mourn the loss of this person. These rituals are accompanied by an outpouring of love and support for those closest to the deceased. But...
by Diane Robertson Following the ratifying of the US Constitution, John Adams rightly foretold, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Citizens of the United States are getting ready to cast their votes...
by Ashley Corbaley “We often miss opportunity because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work.” -Thomas A. Edison Growing up, Saturday morning was clean the house day. Other days in the week my brother and I took turns doing certain tasks such as taking out the...
by Erin Weist Many countries are increasingly antagonistic to religious belief and expression. For instance, since 2015 the Chinese government has been expanding control over religion and its adherents. In many provinces certain Christian denominations are illegal, while state-sanctioned churches are allowed to assemble and preach....