Image Source: Pixabay The number of Americans who live in multigenerational family households has recently increased, and many factors are driving this trend. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2016, 64 million people lived in multigenerational homes that include two or more adult generations, or that include grandchildren under the age of 25 and their grandparents.  During the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, these multigenerational households dramatically increased, and it’s easy to understand why given the financial stresses and the job loss that accompanied that period. Though the economy has improved, however, the rise in these multigenerational households has continued faster than before the Great … [Read more...]

The holidays only come around once a year, so you should try to make the best of them. Perhaps your way of doing this is to plan a vacation and head out of town as a way of shaking things up. To ensure that you actually enjoy your time away, you should put certain things in place before leaving. This includes taking appropriate steps to keep your home safe so you meet your house how you left it when you come back.  Additionally, you want to be fully present so that your trip is memorable and you don’t miss any special moments. Even the drive to holiday festivities are an opportunity to grow closer as a family. Sometimes, the only way you can achieve this is by stopping to unplug from the things that take away your ability to be … [Read more...]

Are you going to invite a hero to your home this holiday season? If you are lucky enough to have an older veteran in your family, you should definitely have them over to join in your holiday festivities. In addition to sharing the love you have for your relatives, a veteran can also teach your family many valuable lessons about love, strength, and dedication. Some families may feel that they are not equipped to handle an older family member in their home, but the fact is that entertaining a loved one can brighten the season in many ways. Heed these tips and make the holiday a joyous experience for everyone. Home for the Holidays (or Longer) One of the main reasons you should bring your aging relatives home for the holidays is that … [Read more...]

When you become a parent, your children become your world. You want to shield them from every danger, every hurt. You want them to have only the best things in life. You want to give them a world of joy. But what if the one thing you can’t give them is the one thing they may want most in this world — a happy home? Divorce is never to be entered into lightly. Marriage is a covenant, one not easily broken. Sometimes, however, no matter how hard you try, it just can’t work out. Some rifts simply cannot be mended. How do you help your children to understand that sometimes it is better to find peace apart than war together? How do you help them mend? How do you return them to the joy they deserve? When It’s Over, Let It Be … [Read more...]

In many towns in rural America, the Friday night lights of local football fields shine over empty fields, due to a significant and growing decline in sports participation. To put it into perspective, in the year 1983, 355 Nebraska high schools had football programs. Fast forward to 2013, and only 282 programs remained. The problem is exacerbated every year, as participation numbers continue to decline. Socioeconomic concerns, fear of injury, and a lack of available, qualified, and willing coaches seem to be sources of the problem. This is concerning for a number of reasons, as school athletics have a number of significant benefits to students. For one, regular physical activity has been scientifically proven to lower the likelihood of … [Read more...]

Image Source: Pixabay If you’re going out of town for a vacation, a business trip, or personal reasons, you may be worried about sticking to your exercise routine. While not being able to stick to your regular schedule might feel stressful, it can be a hidden opportunity to get creative and try some new exercises. With the right mindset and a little planning, you can stay fit even as you travel. Road Trip Fitness For some, road trips provide time to yourself to listen to music and focus on nothing but the road and your company for a few hours. For others, road trips are simply an unavoidable, stressful endeavor to get from point A to point B. Regardless, the long amounts of sitting accompanied by junk food snacks from the gas … [Read more...]