Mormon Bloggers

Last week when I was doing that lucrative, exciting job I have called subbing, I had an interesting conversation with a mother that came to help in the classroom.  Of course this converesation took place between snippets of other conversations with kindergartners that went like this: Kevin, get those scissors out of your mouth. and Kevin, put your shirt back on. and Teacher, Delia says I have a girl cousin and I don’t. and Teacher, Delia says she knows karate, and she doesn’t. And it took place between activities like tracing letters, pin art, the alphabet song and coloring cherry trees because it was the Thursday before President’s Day and they were learning that George Washington cut one down and didn’t lie about it which is all a big lie. . . Remind me again why anyone needs a degree to teach kindergarten?  Oh yeah, because the government won’t let you teach unless you have one. Anywhoo this story is not about kindergarten and... Read the rest of this entry »

Look what I woke up to this morning! To my dear Joel:  What a lovely surprise. I love you very much. Just for the record, Mormons celebrate Valentine’s Day AND eat chocolate! Pretty cool….  Read More →

This was taken last fall… I am happy to say I have lost 20 lbs since! Oh, yeah! A few days ago, I was chatting with a group of ladies, all of which were married and their husbands were on the other side of the room chatting.  I was alone, which was nice because that never happens — but Ben told me he would watch the boys while I went and ran a few errands. These ladies didn’t know me very well, but since I am pretty friendly and chat with just about anyone that isn’t super scary looking, they included me in their conversation.  Somehow the topic of “hot single men” came up.  Out of earshot of the hubby’s, these ladies started talking about “hot single men” they see around campus. “Hot guys like that either don’t get married, or they marry models.  Real women like us… well, we don’t marry ‘hot’ guys,” one of them said.  We all involuntarily looked over at the... Read the rest of this entry »

The older and more experienced I get, the more I realize the dangers men face everyday… from each other.  What I mean by that, is the terrible advice they so willing give each other that can only end in tragedy.  Mainly, romantic advice.  All of us women know, that if a man wants to know how to woo a woman and sweep her off her feet, he need to ask one or more of the following people on how to do it:  1. Her mom, 2. Her sister, or 3. (If you think she can keep her mouth shut) Her best friend.  All of which are women. Ben was watching a show the other day of one of his favorite British guys from Top Gear giving men advice on various things.  This guy told the audience that the way to any woman’s heart is through the lost art of serenading.  I watched the clip from behind Ben shaking my head the whole time… Ben on the other hand had this look of deep thought.  Finally, I told him that he better not get any ideas, because if... Read the rest of this entry »

Marriage and Family:  Meet the Marriage Killer  It’s More Common Than Adultery and Potentially As Toxic, So Why Is It So Hard to Stop Nagging?  Nagging–the interaction in which one person repeatedly makes a request, the other person repeatedly ignores it and both become increasingly annoyed–is an issue every couple will grapple with at some point. While the word itself can provoke chuckles and eye-rolling, the dynamic can potentially be as dangerous to a marriage as adultery or bad finances. Experts say it is exactly the type of toxic communication that can eventually sink a relationship.  Read more … Adolescents From Unstable Families Lose Ground in Rigorous High Schools  Research continues to support a connection between instability in the home and school performance in adolescents, but a new study in the January issue of Sociology of Education takes the research a step further by exploring how the relationship between family structure change and adolescent... Read the rest of this entry »

By Amy Choate-Nielsen Deseret News Published: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012 7:00 p.m. MST David Letterman knows how to get a laugh.Like most comics, he riffs on the day’s news, deadpans the camera and revels in audacity.”Oh, did you hear about this?” the host of CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman asked his audience recently. “A campaign staffer on the Newt Gingrich campaign was fired because he was making negative comments about Mormons. I thought, now, wait a minute — isn’t Newt in favor of multiple wives?” Laughter rumbled from the audience followed by applause. The polygamy punch line is a familiar one when it comes to poking fun at Mormons — as though Mormons and polygamy are synonymous in mainstream media. Ironically, the practice that’s most linked to Mormons is a practice most Mormons oppose, according to a groundbreaking new study of Mormons in America released Thursday by the Pew Research Center‘s... Read the rest of this entry »

Eighth Year Newlywed Tweet  Read More →

cafepress.com This popular t-shirt, TV sitcoms, and movies such as Hall Pass all joke about how awful, boring, unromantic, and overrated marriage is. Marriage is not taken seriously in our culture. Weddings are; marriage is not. We married people are responsible for changing this terrible attitude toward married life. If all we do is complain about the bad and encourage every negative stereotype about husbands and wives, then that is all people will think of marriage. If we focus on the good and break negative stereotypes, then perhaps more people will want to be like us. What is it about marriage that changes things? Regular boyfriends and girlfriends work, go to school, have kids, maybe live together–things married people do too–and yet still have time for each other and find their relationships exciting and desirable. I think it is the fact that a legal marriage makes people feel stuck. And people, especially men, like easy exits. The fear of... Read the rest of this entry »

Having scripture study together as husband and wife is very important for a strong relationship with each other and with God. There is no one way to do it—find the method that works best for you. The important thing is to just do it. Aim for daily scripture study together in a quiet place for at least fifteen minutes. Begin and end with prayer. Take turns reading aloud, with the other spouse following along, and share your insights. Study by topic or create a reading schedule to take away pressure and time in finding a passage to study. A schedule also helps you keep track of progress and work toward a goal. When you have a question about something you read, search together for the answer. Find other scriptures, consult religious books, or search online. Make it a team effort to learn. Listen to each other. Never criticize or make fun of anything your spouse shares during scripture study. If you disagree about something, find common ground and move on. If you think... Read the rest of this entry »

Orson Pratt 1811-1881 Orson Pratt has a unique way of taking common scriptural knowledge and turning it around so we can see the other side. And then we all wonder, “why didn’t I see that before”? He says: “It is known that the “Mormons” are a peculiar people about marriage; we believe in marrying, not only for time, but for all eternity. This is a curious idea, says one, to be married for all eternity. It is not curious at all; for when we come to examine the Scriptures, we find that the very first example set for the whole human family, as a pattern instituted for us to follow, was not instituted until death, for death had no dominion at that time; but it was an eternal blessing pronounced upon our first parents.” “The first marriage that we have any account of, was between two immortal beings—old father Adam and old mother Eve; they were immortal beings; death had no dominion, no power over them; they were capable of enduring forever... Read the rest of this entry »

I took the day off work today because it’s my son’s birthday and some of our adult children are in town to help celebrate. So this morning my wife and I had the opportunity to make our bed together. (Usually we follow the “last one out” rule — the last one out of the bed makes it. On my work days, my wife is usually last one out, unless she can’t sleep. On sleep-in days, I am usually the last one out.) As we tugged at the sheet and bedspread to get them even, we laughed as we pulled them out of one another’s hands until they were finally aligned. It would have been just as easy to be annoyed at the other’s tugging, but we had a common goal, and we were well rested enough to laugh rather than scowl. A valuable lesson in marriage: common goals and a propensity to laugh rather than scowl can make all the difference.  Read More →

Sharing Time: How do you express love?  Read More →