Until now there has been scarce research determining how couples actually decide to divorce, or why they sometimes change their minds. New research shows there’s a lot of uncertainty even among couples who have already filed. Recent Census data also indicates the recession has caused fewer divorce filings than when the economy was strong. Read… Read more
Most people are shocked to discover that girls as young as 10 are sold for sex every day in the United States. Estimates say up to 300,000 American children are sexually exploited each year in this $32 billion industry, and worldwide the number is close to 1.2 million. Pimps use violence and coercion to force… Read more
The Census Bureau says the 15% poverty rate, the highest level since 1993, would rise if so many 25- to 34-year-olds weren’t doubling up, or living at home with their parents, often with families of their own. Read more, including current findings about unemployment and health insurance coverage.
I was lucky enough to have my maternal grandmother live with our family for 10 years when I was a girl. She used to tell me the most detailed stories of her childhood. Born in 1905, she’d lost a younger sister during the great flu epidemic of 1918. Her parents later adopted a newborn whose… Read more
Waking up to the headline that the Dow has plunged to its lowest level since the housing bust of 2008, I’ve been reminded a few more times today just how much the poor economy and budget cuts are hitting closer and closer to home. I went to my daughter’s kindergarten meet and greet at… Read more
By Julie Samrick For many people Memorial Day conjures images of 3-day weekends, discounts at the mall, and when we can officially wear white shoes without looking tacky. But it's important we pause to reflect and
By Julie Samrick As graduations and other milestones abound this time of year, it reminds me of the bittersweet moments in all parents' lives when our kids grow and move on to a new phase a little too
Making homemade pizza crust is something I've tried to master for quite some time. I've even been known to say it's on my bucket list. How could combining some flour, yeast, and oil be so difficult? Why is it so
By Julie Samrick This weekend my kids wanted to go to the park. They wanted to swim. My husband said, "We need one day to clean up. Every room in the house looks like a hurricane hit it!" He went in the backyard
By Julie Samrick Dear Tracy, I am sorry I can’t make your bachelorette party later this month. I would like nothing better than to kick up my heels with you and dance, to celebrate the next wonderful chapter of
By Julie Samrick Can you tell what this is? It’s a clay gorilla, created in its entirety by my seven-year-old daughter. The school assignment was to create a rain forest animal at home and
By Julie Samrick It’s evident why 16-year-olds throughout America’s classrooms continue to read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby nearly a century after it was written. The slim novel is packed
By Lowry Manders I recently heard author Bruce Feiler interviewed on NPR about his book The Secrets of Happy Families and as I listened I thought to myself, “I have got to get a book published!” He is echoing so much of the things I preach (and try to live) about how to create happy ... Read more
By Julie Samrick “Christmas will never be as magical until you have children of your own,” my mother told me sadly after I declared there was no such thing as Santa Claus. When another little girl spilled the news to me at school, first putting any doubt in my head, I quickly lumped the ... Read more
By Erin Kurt Throughout the years of being a teacher, mother and parenting coach, I realized that there are some very powerful phrases, that if used consistently, can be extremely effective when parents are trying to get their child to listen or to get them to do something instantly. Here are ... Read more
