‘Family’ Articles at Mount Virtus

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...]

12/20/2008 By Ben Leave a Comment

In Memory of Jim Cannon: Celebrating a Blogger’s Life and His Savior

Earlier this week brought the sad news that my friend Jim Cannon, one of the founding members of the Rocky Mountain Alliance, had passed into eternity. Many tributes have been written. Yesterday was Jim's memorial service. The family asked me to share a few words about Jim on behalf of the bloggers. Here it is (with links added, where appropriate): … [Read more...]

11/25/2008 By Ben 1 Comment

What I’m Thankful for #18: My Parents Decided to Keep Me

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. Two days to go until Thanksgiving, I would be remiss not to mention one of the things I'm most thankful for: my parents. It's true that you don't fully appreciate them and what they do until you have children of your own. My parents aren't perfect. I'd obviously be lying if I glossed over them as … [Read more...]

11/6/2008 By Ben 4 Comments

What I’m Thankful for #1: The Legacy of My Grandparents

This is one in a series of daily posts I conceived of writing many weeks ago while the election still raged on, as I looked for something to write about of more lasting value. The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving seemed perfectly appropriate for it. Just in case you wondered, the topics introduced are not necessarily in any particular order. I hope the series is of some small encouragement to you, even as my site traffic takes a dive. I am thankful for the legacy of my grandparents, not nearly as much a material legacy as one of character and fond memories. Not much more can be said about my Grandpa DeGrow, about whom I posted exactly one year ago to the day, on the 100th anniversary of his birth. (But I do invite you to read it, if you … [Read more...]