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Summer Bites

Backyard barbeques, picnics in the park, swimming, sunning, and swinging with friends until sunset; there’s so much to love about summer—minus the bugs. Despite the use of expensive sprays, fancy candles and other popular pest deterrents, my 8-year-old is covered with bug bites.  Living in northern Wisconsin, which is blanketed with forests and other havens for flying blood suckers, doesn’t help; however, this summer’s battle against the bugs seems to be a bit fiercer than in years past. Currently, my mom radar is set on mass insect detection.  I am on especially high alert for deer ticks, which can spread … Continue reading →

The Day the World Stood Still

I still remember vividly the day those towers fell. I was only 12, but I remember that feeling of fear that filled my parent’s faces as they heard the news as the first plane hit. I heard them question each other wondering if it might have been an accident, until 17 minutes later the second tower was hit. We were on our way to school. Every television was on, as we watched the attack that day. As children we feared what this would mean for us. We could hardly comprehend what was happening. Now looking back 11 years later we … Continue reading →

The Family That Vacations Together…

According to a national survey, more than 500 million camping trips are taken during the summer months. That’s breaks down to roughly 15 percent of the U.S. population–or a whole lot of families– looking to spend at least part of their time off from school and work bonding in nature. The Outdoor Foundation survey also revealed that the younger a child is exposed to camping, the more likely he or she will be to embrace the idea of sleeping under the stars in a tent. Nearly half of those polled said they first went camping when they were 7 years … Continue reading →

Is Life Fair?

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Not often do I hunt quotes down from people that have given a great talk in Sacrament meeting, but this past week, I really wanted a copy of a quote I heard by Spencer W. Kimball read in such a talk. I thanked the speaker in my ward for peaking my interest in the lives of Book of Mormon characters by her great talk on Teancum in the Book of Mormon. But, it was the following quote that I wanted to re-read and think about: “Now, we find many people critical when a righteous person is killed, a young father … Continue reading →

My Five Favorite Tips to Avoid Burnout

I did not listen to advice telling me to sleep when the baby sleeps. Instead I cleaned. I did not listen to the advice to take time for myself. Instead I planned more lessons and tried to squeeze in some work. I did not listen to advice telling me to not worry about the little messes. Rome wasn’t cleaned in a day. Instead I drove myself to the brink trying to get my overflowing “to-do” list done in one day. Then one day I found myself burned out. I was unable to move. Things that were once a joy were … Continue reading →

Last-Minute Holiday Money Savers

This is it. With just a few hours left until Christmas morning, there is not much time left to procrastinate. If you’ve been holding out on shopping for gifts because you planned to take advantage of last-minute doorbusters, you may be in for a big surprise. Money experts warn that while some stores claim their last-minute deals are major money savers, in most cases they aren’t. In fact, financial wizards are quick to point out that retailers prey on procrastinators and the amazing deals you think you are scoring are in fact not much bigger than those advertised at any … Continue reading →

Make December Meaningful

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Last year at this time I was frantically planning our ward Christmas party. This year, I hope to be relaxing a bit more and taking care of a newborn babe. I have worked hard in previous months to get things “done” in an easy way like shopping online, leaving the decorating to someone else, and not planning too many activities. I look forward to sleepless nights with my little baby because I hope to be nursing by a Christmas tree and thinking about what is truly important this special time of year. I hope the slower pace will help me … Continue reading →

Surviving Thanksgiving With Your Relatives

Thanksgiving is a holiday that usually includes celebrations in the form of whatever traditions your family has established. Over time, families change, and this can cause conflict about how and where to spend Thanksgiving. Here is some advice that you can use to help survive another Thanksgiving holiday with your relatives. There are some Thanksgiving traditions that most people who celebrate this holiday choose to do every year. People gather together with as many family members as possible, and spend time with each other. One can expect that dinner will include a turkey, some stuffing, lots of vegetables, and maybe … Continue reading →

Cleaning Your House in Less Than 30 Minutes

Did you know that in less than 30 minutes a day you can clean your house? I’m not talking about a deep cleaning. I’m talking about a surface cleaning and then time spent focusing on one room or task. Let me give you an example of how I do this. Let’s take Mondays. On Mondays I concentrate my effort into cleaning the kitchen. But I also make a sweep through our other main rooms to get them in order. It really does take me less than 30 minutes. I start by sweeping the kitchen floor (1 minute) and then I … Continue reading →

Christian Business Topic: Discerning between Distraction and Opportunity, Part 2

Continuing from yesterday, here are ways to determine if an opportunity is really your chance for advancement. Opportunity: The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines opportunity as a favorable juncture of circumstance or a good chance for advancement or progress. We are always looking for a good chance for advancement. Yet, that’s a gamble sometimes. How do we know when something is a good chance for advancement? The truth is we do not always know for sure. We need to make our best effort to choose wisely. Our time is precious and once spent we can never get it back. How do … Continue reading →