home and family Babies-Toddler Crafts-Hobbies Elder-Care Holidays Home-AppliancesHome-Audio-Video Home-Improvement...

Raising children is the most important job in the world. Raising children is a wonderful and challenging life experience. Here's the problem: people assume that raising children is only the job of the women, men do not take child raising seriously in our culture. If raising children is so hard, why do people still want to have kids? Downgrading the importance of raising children is the greatest evil of our times. It is time to face it, raising children is the responsibility of parents. Raisin...

Whether you live in New Orleans, or elsewhere, Mardi Gras can be celebrated.

Considering present day Mardi Gras celebrations, it might surprise you to learn that the festival has religious roots. Festivities start in New Orleans each year on January 6, the Twelfth Night feast of the Epiphany, and the day it is believed the three kings first visited Jesus Christ. Mardi Gras, French for ...

From patriotic magnetic flags or yellow ribbons on cars, mailboxes, tied to trees in our yards, and Old Glory flying high and proud, patriotism is on the rise, and has become ever more important to us in our day to day lives. Annual Independence Day celebrations on the 4th of July, Memorial Day celebrations, Flag Day celebrations, Veteran...

In a time when many Americans are fighting for our freedom, and the freedom of others less fortunate, Fourth of July celebrations are undergoing a metamorphosis before our eyes. No longer just the joyous Fourth of July celebrations of my past, this day now brings to mind those who have made the choice to give their all in their defense of the freedom of others.

While this note of solemnity is present, I think it is important to continue to celebrate the day of our independence. I don...

While most of us remember dressing in homemade costumes, going from house to house, yelling trick or treat, the trend is having Halloween block parties, or inviting classmates or Sunday School class Halloween lock-in parties. The thing about lock-in parties at local churches, is that there are so many people there to help, and so many things to that self entertaining older children need little help to occupy themselves, and younger children are so easy to entertain and please that the party ...

As most everyone who has ever cooked for a large Thanksgiving Day gathering knows, the key is planning and pre-preparation for as many dishes as possible. If you have family members willing to brink desserts, or their favorite dish, it helps too, because you can focus on things like decor, expanding the eating area, if you have large gatherings, and making sure everything is perfect for your guests.

If Turkey and stuffing (or ...

Also called Hanukkah and Chanukah, Hanukkah is one of the most important Jewish holidays. It takes place every year in mid to late December. Though the date varies on the western calendar, it always begins on the 25th day of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar. The celebration begins with the menorah, which holds nine candles. Eight candles represent the eight days of Hanukkah, and the ninth, the Shamash, is used to light the other candles.

The Hanukkah tradition recognizes oil as one of ...

In our world today, you can see a vast melting pot of the old Christmas traditions, new, modern spins on old traditions, but no matter what your beliefs, most people have a brief respite from the typical everyday grind of every day life, and somewhere inside, the spirit of a season that unites so many around a typical theme of good will is a feeling we find ourselves wishing we could preserve throughout the year.

There is no better way to teach children the spirit of giving then bringin...