Search Results for: blog bringing your research to life

Start With Yourself – And Go From There

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I recently decided to start working on my family tree. Since this isn’t something I can devote a lot of time to, I am doing it in “baby steps”. This week, that step is to see if I can find a copy of my birth certificate. I’ve heard it is good to start your research with yourself, and work from there. Sometimes, there is a strange synchronicity between what I am working on, and what life brings me. Last week, I decided to begin working on my family tree. There is a piece of advice that has been passed around … Continue reading →

Putting It all Together: The Meaning of Your Family Crest

It is worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with the meanings behind some of the symbols that appear on a coat of arms, or family crest. This knowledge will make your family crest be that much more important, and more meaningful, to you. One of the great things about genealogy is the connections between the present, and the past. Your family crest tells its own story. To understand it, you must take the knowledge you learned about some of the symbols of heraldry, and put it all together with the things that appear on your family’s coat of arms. … Continue reading →

A Review: Great Scientists in Action: Early Life, Discoveries, and Experiments

In my years of homeschooling, one of the most asked questions is, “Which science curriculum should I use?” I know I have asked that same question many times. Then one day I asked that question to a physicist friend of mine. I was very curious what a homeschooling physicist thought was important to teach his children about science and what curriculum he used. His answer was surprisingly simple. He suggested starting out teaching science on the foundation of history. The explanation was that children will learn equations and the periodic table for many years and still may not have developed … Continue reading →

Publishing Your Family History

Publishing your family history is a great way to share it with others. You have several options when it comes to publishing. This is the type of project where the self-publishing venues can be a real service. It depends on the type of book and binding that you choose. Depending on the size of your book you may choose to go to a copy shop and have the books printed and spiral bound. This works best for smaller books. Generally people opt to have the copies be in all black and white, though you may choose color pictures for a … Continue reading →

Bringing Your Research to Life

There is something comforting in knowing where you came from and the stories of your family and your ancestors. I was raised being told the stories of my grandparents when they were children, and as they grew into adults. I try to share those stories with my children as well. I’m also touched by the stories of their parents, my great grandparents and the sacrifices that each of them made to protect their family. These stories give me strength as I face the challenges in the world today. Genealogy is about finding that connection and that strength. Tracing your family … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: July 2008

Two of my three children are summer babies. That is, they were born in the summer and had their first months surrounded by sunshine streaming in the windows, the sound of birds chirping, and days spent wearing nothing but a diaper and a “onsie.” I made sure that they had Fourth of July outfits ready, even though one of them arrived a week after the holiday. I guess he just wasn’t interested in the parade. Do you have a summer baby, too? We had a lot of new information to share this past month, such as recall notices and new … Continue reading →

Can Ending a Relationship be Good for your Health?

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The relationships that we have with others greatly affect our lives. They have influence over our emotions, our moods, and our outlook on life. In most cases we would consider being in a bad relationship to have a negative impact on our life and personal satisfaction. However one research study has found that being in a bad relationship and ending it can actually be very beneficial to our lives. One factor that was boosted by ending a bad relationship was self-discovery. It is found that in close, tight bonds with a mate, partners often become dependent on one another. They … Continue reading →

Do You Ever Dream About Your Spouse’s Family?

The other night I had a really tender dream about Wayne’s dad. He passed away several years ago rather unexpectedly. He was still young too. Only 60 and as feisty as ever. As you might expect, it was a huge blow to Wayne. He was really close to his dad and was shocked by the sudden loss. However, only six days prior we had spent a wonderful week with him. Tom (Wayne’s dad), Grandma Pryor (Tom’s mom), Keith (Wayne’s brother), Peach (Wayne’s aunt), and Kevin and Jerry Jr. (Wayne’s cousins) had all flown out to Florida so we could go … Continue reading →

Traveling To Hawaii—With Your Pet

Our retired neighbors would never dream of vacationing without their four-legged love child Jake. I swear Jake—a bichon frise–has seen more of this country than I have. However, up until about a month ago, the pampered pooch had never been to paradise. Because of what they thought would be complicated pet preparations, my neighbors never considered Hawaii a viable vacation destination. That all changed when my neighbors received free tickets to Oahu. It was only then that they learned that some hotels in Hawaii offer amazing amenities for traveling pets. They read a review actress and dog owner Cameron Diaz … Continue reading →

Bringing Up Ziggy: Part Two

Andrea Campbell with Ziggy, photo courtesy of Ms. Campbell and used with her permission In Part One of my interview with Andrea Campbell, we talked about how it was she came to be a foster monkey-mom to Ziggy, a capuchin monkey. We continue our interview with Ms. Campbell dishing the dirt on what it’s really like to have a monkey in the home: Courtney Mroch: What recommendations/advice would you give to someone who might be interested in bringing a monkey into their home? Andrea Campbell: Do they have a couple days time to listen? I’d say, “Don’t.” Don’t get a … Continue reading →