Post-Mother’s Day Letdown

My husband and I play Scrabble nearly every day, and he beats me an unfair proportion of the time, but on special days he always lets me win, by opening up triple-word-scores and not using them or trading in both blanks, anything to give me a much-needed advantage. On...

Cannery Soup Challenge

So, you bought a two-year supply of the dried cannery soup. You went home, confidently whipped up a batch, served it proudly to the family only to discover that it tastes just a bit like bath water. What to do? Try out one of our tasty modifications when it's time to...

First Trip to the Temple: Make It Special

One of the truly great honors of my life, was when I was privileged to serve as the escort when a very dear friend received her endowment. I did not expect to experience such until my own daughters were ready to attend. It was a gorgeous day in Orlando and I treasure...

The Envelope, Please

It was with fear and trepidation, along with joy and elation, that I married a widower with five children, aging from 15 to 24 four of them boys in December of 2000. I am not yet finished with my negotiations between my stepchildren and my own son for royalties in...

Fun in the Car: Surviving the Family Road Trip

Additional contributors: Tara Tarbet, Molly Christensen, Kristen Chevrier, Cheri Schulzke, Julie Ransom Here are some great ideas for staying sane on a family road trip. Check out these books, activities, games, songs, and snacks. And don't forget a good batch of...

How the Atonement Has Affected My Life

By Elyse Rose Freeman My beloved brothers and sisters, it is an honor and a privilege to stand before you. It is an awesome opportunity to bear my testimony of the Savior and His work upon the earth. Some years ago a woman sat in a Fast and Testimony Meeting in Salt...

Making General Conference Memorable

Additional authors: Susan Baird, Janna Barnes, Kristen Chevrier, Sherri Hayes, Michelle Jones, Karmel Larson, Mary Martin, Karen Newmeyer, Shelly Parcell, Sheri Peterson, Rosana Sorensen, Angela Silva, & others Twice each year we have the opportunity to hear,...

Homeschoolers Are Out of This World

Patricia from San Jose, California, writes: The church teaches us to be “in the world, but not of the world.” How can anyone homeschool their children with this in mind? If all the good LDS people leave the public schools, the influence we have in the...

The Lonely Elder’s Epistle

Chapter One In the beginning was the mailbox and the mailbox was void of letters. And the missionaries said, Let the mailbox be filled and the box was not filled. And the missionaries beheld the continuing void and were not pleased. And lo, it was the first day of the...