by Jennifer Johnson As a little girl, my favorite movie was Father of the Bride. This movie, starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short, and others, tells the story of a father accepting the idea of planning, and carrying out a wedding. I would come home...
by Diane Robertson What happens in the legislature and what happens in the courts ought to be very important to every one. Those are the places where laws are made and repealed. While not all laws affect everyone’s daily life, all laws have a profound effect...
by Diane Robertson California State Legislature is at it again. This time, they are considering taking the right of parents to make decisions for their children and giving it fully to the state. Introduced on the Senate floor on Dec 5th, SB 18 would, “establish a comprehensive...
by Tashica Jacobson Electronic devices are everywhere today. Many families own a TV, computer, laptop, and tablet, with each member also having a personal phone. A 2015 survey found that 90% of households in the United States have three or more devices that connect to the...
by Christie Masters Recently some dear friends were sharing with me that some of their best Christmas celebrations have been when finances were tight. The husband went on to say that one season he had a job that kept him extremely busy and money was no...
by Diane Roberson Think for just a moment. What is the first thing you notice about a person as well as the last thing you forget about them? The answer for pretty much everyone is gender. In fact, gender for humans is much more pronounced than for...
by Erin Weist Troubling news regarding abortion has come out of France in recent weeks. Last Wednesday the Senate voted in favor of a bill that allows for prosecution of those attempting to influence anyone seeking an abortion. Under this law, it appears that pro-life websites,...
by Jennifer Johnson A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to attend a shame and vulnerability workshop. While there, a woman a couple rows behind me put into words a concept that I think we have all experienced but do not have a name...
by Diane Robertson Last week there was good news for the families of America. Several senators successfully eliminated a provision that would have forced women age 18 to 26 to be registered for selective service or the draft. The house passed a military bill last summer that...
by Tashica Jacobson It’s been nine long months and I am ready for this baby to come. Throughout these months, though, I have learned many different things; some lessons probably relate to the majority of pregnancies, but some are unique to myself, and some probably shouldn’t...
by Diane Robertson This week I received an email from Alliance Defending Freedom, a group of lawyers who defend religious freedom, that began thus: “Dear Diane, Do you ever wonder what the future will look like for your children and grandchildren? We live in a world where religious freedom...
by Ashley Corbaley “Family, like branches in a tree, we all grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.” – Unknown During the holiday season one thing I think about more than anything is my family. I feel especially grateful to be spending Christmas with...
by Erin Weist I was thinking today about things I’ve learned about children since first starting out over 10 years ago. I was embarrassed to think about how little I knew back then and the mistakes that I made as a mother, but I hoped I...
by Diane Robertson Churches in Massachusetts this Thanksgiving face a conundrum for the first time: should they open their buildings up to the public to serve Thanksgiving dinner and risk up to $50,000 in fines or should they remain closed to the public to keep their...
by Ashley Corbaley "Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." -Alexander Hamilton Families are the fundamental unit of society. Everything good and bad in this world can boil down to the family. In today’s society the family is being attacked at every corner. Good family values...
by Erin Weist A fable written by the famous Greek storyteller Aesop tells of a group of three bulls. The bulls invariably pastured together, feeding and resting as a group, while a lion lay in wait. Because of their strength the lion was afraid to attack...
by Jackie Bowles In light of the upcoming Thanksgiving season, I have been thinking about the power of gratitude. I have seen so many blessings happen in my own life for being grateful. Frequent displays of gratitude seem to bring more goodness into our lives. In...
by Christie Masters Pornography is one of the greatest enemies of love in our time and its effect on relationships is devastating. The statistics on pornography are astounding, and its availability online has made it like a great darkness that threatens to blanket our nation and...
by Diane Robertson Sometimes, it’s best to step aside, turn it off, quit watching, or just stop paying attention. After the US elections, all media outlets emerged with pictures and videos of people rioting, crying, and venting their emotions. Social media was full of people defending...
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...