Family

12/17/2019 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

Holiday Driving With Family: Opportunities for Bonding and Learning

During the holidays, you could end up doing more driving than usual. You’ll likely be visiting family and friends you haven’t seen in a while who live a bit of a drive away. On the other hand, maybe you’ve planned a family vacation out of state and are going to need to drive thousands of miles to get there. Long car rides can be tedious for both the driver and the passengers. If you have kids, especially, you may want to keep the complaints to a minimum and keep them engaged. Long car rides can create opportunities for learning more about yourselves and one another. Continue reading to discover opportunities for bonding and learning during long holiday drives. Improve Your Driving No matter how many years … [Read more...]

12/2/2019 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

How To Cope When Your Child Is Diagnosed With a Chronic Illness

As a parent, your first instinct is to protect your child and keep him safe, so it’s particularly challenging when you find yourself in a situation where you can’t do that. Medical diagnoses can be frustrating and frightening, and when you learn your child has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, you may feel helpless, confused, and overwhelmed. Chronic illnesses, which are diseases that last for at least three months at a time, can limit a child’s normal activities. These illnesses, which include diabetes, depression, and heart disease, can be life-changing. They often require significant medical treatment, which can mean multiple doctor’s appointments or frequent hospital visits. You may feel upset for your child after a diagnosis … [Read more...]

11/23/2019 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

How to Prepare Your Home for the Holiday Season

The holidays are just around the corner, and while that means a lot of merry-making and fun, it’s also a time to get your home in top shape! Chances are, you’ll have guests coming over at some point. Whether you’re hosting a party, a family get-together, or you just want your home to feel “cozy” for your family, it’s important to be prepared. The weather is also a factor in holiday home preparation. You’ll want to make sure your house is safe from the elements and that your guests don’t have to worry about slipping on ice or getting stuck in the snow in your driveway. So, how can you really prep your home for the holidays? First thing’s first: Create a simple budget of your needs and wants, and stick to it. From there, you … [Read more...]

6/19/2019 By Brooke Faulkner Leave a Comment

A Practical Guide to Preparing for a New Baby

Having a baby is a big deal. It impacts your life in nearly every way. Babies bring new levels of responsibility, care, and concern and create a sense of purpose and meaning that no hobby or profession can deliver. In short, babies don’t just change the day-to-day routines and habits of their parents, they revolutionize the way they see the world. And, of course, as with all larger life transitions, going into the change with a little preparation and understanding can make a huge difference in how gracefully parents can adjust to the new way of life that lies ahead. Get Your Ducks in a Row While there are the obvious things like diapers and onesies that everyone thinks of getting when a baby’s on the way, there are actually quite … [Read more...]

3/6/2009 By Ben 1 Comment

Farewell, Paul Harvey

As the weekend in which the late great news commentator Paul Harvey will be memorialized and laid in his final resting place, I wanted to offer a tiny tribute. Like anyone who turned on an AM radio in recent decades, Paul Harvey's news and "Rest of the Story" segments were almost always irresistible. I didn't get to see him speak in person until he delivered the commencement address at Hillsdale College in 2000, when I watched some of my friends graduate. About that same time, he began singing the praises of my alma mater on his radio program. Subscriptions to Hillsdale's free speech digest Imprimis have soared. Many people I've met in recent years, people of various ages and backgrounds, the only connection they have to Hillsdale … [Read more...]

2/26/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Charles Chaput Observes Obamessiah Phenomenon — Really a Big Deal?

The observations made by the Denver's archbishop are hardly anything new or unreasonable, but the Rocky Mountain News reports that his words are stirring up the blogs (which ones? not clear):Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput told a Canadian audience this week that some Catholics are treating President Barack Obama with a "spirit of adulation bordering on servility." "In democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs," he said. [link added] And:"Americans, including many Catholics, elected a gifted man to fix an economic crisis. That's the mandate. They gave nobody a mandate to retool American culture on the issues of marriage and the family, sexuality, bioethics, religion in public life and abortion," he said. [emphasis … [Read more...]

2/16/2009 By Ben 2 Comments

Come Roast a Pig – and the Porkulus Bill – Tomorrow at the State Capitol

You don't want to miss this! From a note just sent out by the Independence Institute's Jon Caldara:President Obama is flying his corporate jet to Denver to sign a bill putting my children into debt. I want to give him a proper mile high welcome. The Independence Institute, along with Americans for Prosperity and other groups promoting sanity, are organizing a protest tomorrow, Tuesday, at noon at the west steps of the state capitol, and I hope you'll be there. We'll have over-sized checks you can sign to show your family's $30,000 commitment to the bill. I'll be joined by Michelle Malkin, Mike Coffman, Bob Beauprez, Jim Pfaff from AFP and many others. I'm not usually one for public protests, because like so many on our side, I have a day … [Read more...]

1/9/2009 By Ben Leave a Comment

Congressional Democrats’ Cigarette Tax Hike Could Cost Colorado $24 Million

Too many real policy debates these days get clouded behind the rhetoric of "it's for the children". Sometimes they are also hidden behind a cloud of smoke. Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are making a top priority out of reauthorizing the SCHIP program - you know, ostensibly government-mandated health insurance for kids too rich for Medicare but unable to afford decent private coverage. Like most government programs, SCHIP isn't all it's cracked up to be. The Independence Institute's Linda Gorman has one good critique of the program. A popular component of the Democrats' current proposal soon to be before Congress is a 61-cent increase in the excise tax on cigarettes, to raise funds and enrollment in SCHIP. Is it a good … [Read more...]

12/26/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

Christmas Roundup, Light Blogging Here at Mount Virtus Until 2009

It was nice to take a couple days off blogging to celebrate Christmas. Around the house we have a 2-year-old who definitely was interested in getting "more" presents but also who is just beginning to see that Christmas is mainly about the Savior's birth. She sat still to hear one of us read a version of the biblical Christmas story 5 different times over the 2 days. Good times. Memorable times. Around here we hear a lot of the toddler rendition of "Away in a Manger". She also has a fairly decent grasp on "Joy to the World." Other songs she doesn't sing but likes to request: Jingle Bells and Happy Birthday to Jesus. Last night, after we baked the cake for Jesus' birthday (a first-time tradition for our family), we had to explain that … [Read more...]

12/22/2008 By Ben 2 Comments

This is Christmas: Our 2-Year-Old Serenades Us with “Away in a Manger”

Okay, we're light on the politics here for a little while. It's too close to the sacred celebration of Christmas, and most people are completely tuned out anyway. Last night, the older Virtus girl (still nearly 2 months shy of her 3rd birthday) gave us a remarkably clear and *almost completely accurate rendition of "Away in a Manger"--the first verse lyrics with a little melody, anyway. Little things like that show the spirit of Christmas is growing in our household. So much to be thankful for (yes, we ARE rich), and many extra blessings beside. Fancy presents are nice (but overrated--if I see one more of those annoying Lexus commercials, I think I'll scream), though there aren't as many of them this year. Baked goodies I can rarely … [Read more...]