Tag: Family & Home

Dear Next Generation: My Thoughts on Forgiveness

Hurtful Words Using your imagination, imagine a 4-by-4 oak timber. Imagine a large nail. Now take the nail and drive it deeply into the log, not so deep that you cannot pull it out again, but very deep. Now pull it out with your claw hammer. As you look at it you realize the hole…


Teen Starts Ice Pop Business to Help Sick Mom Pay Rent: ‘It’s My Turn to Take Care of Her’

A California 10th grader with $20 in his pocket, a handwritten sign, and a selfless ambition started selling handmade ice pops outside his high school to raise funds for rent, food, and a motorized wheelchair for his mother. Thanks to an outpouring of community support, Kevin Giovanni Esparza has since raised over $5,000. Kevin’s mom, Maria…


Fairy Rings and Barn Spiders

Q: A circle of mushrooms suddenly appeared in my lawn, which has never happened before. The mushrooms are about six inches tall and almost orange in color. How do I get rid of them, and are they harming the grass? A: Your lawn has a fairy ring, also known as an elf ring or pixie…


Strewing: An Easy Way to Add Delight and Wonder to Your Homeschool

Homeschooling allows for natural curiosity and wonder to bring about learning in unexpected and joyful ways. One simple practice parents can employ to encourage the discovery of new talents and ideas is strewing. The term strewing, as it relates to homeschooling, was first coined by unschooling expert Sandra Dodd. It refers to the practice of…


Use Woodworking Tools to Cut Perfect Curves

Dear James: Our house has unique room shapes and carpeting. We are installing hardwood flooring in one room with a curved wall. How can we make a nice curved edge on some hardwood pieces? —Anthony R. Dear Anthony: Carefully remove the old carpeting that fits along that curved wall. This will be a good template…


Twins Who Were Conjoined at the Head Are Successfully Separated After a 12-Hour Surgery

One-year-old twin girls who were born conjoined at the back of the head can now make eye contact with each other for the first time after undergoing a rare separation surgery in Israel. The more than 12-hour operation that took place at Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba on Sept. 2 took months of preparation and…


Pets Transfer Poison Ivy Oil to People

Q: We discovered poison ivy in our woods. If our cats and dogs touch it, can it cause them problems? What if they rub up against us humans? A: Neither cats nor dogs suffer from poison ivy rash, but their coats easily transfer the oil in poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac to humans….


Our Love Affair With the ‘Grands’

Sunday, Sept. 12, is National Grandparents Day. It was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. While there were others, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade is generally considered the main driver behind a day to honor grandparents. A West Virginia housewife, she lobbied effortlessly (along with help from her husband, Joseph McQuade) to educate…


Chasing A’s: Grades Aren’t All That Matter

Every fall, my husband Mike and I sit outside with our morning coffee and watch the neighborhood kids sprint down the street to catch the school bus. Each year, I consider writing this story and then lament the thought of digging up old regrets. Away from home as a college freshman, I messed up academically….


Faith and Love in the Time of COVID

My father had been in the intensive care unit (ICU) for two weeks struggling to fight off the effects of COVID-19. This was a week after he had contracted the illness. We had been contacting the nurses’ station every day, even multiple times a day, to get updates. On Aug. 26, we arrived at the…