Month: March 2015

Everybody That You Meet Has an Original Point of View: More Parenting in “Arthur”

Everybody That You Meet Has an Original Point of View: More Parenting in “Arthur”

I had so much fun analyzing parenting styles in “Arthur” last week that I decided to do another cartoon animal related post. Although the Crosswires and the Barneses are a little bit more dysfunctional than the Reads, the Baxters, and the Frenskys, they still pass 

Ideas for family fun: Exotic Food and Fire Stations

Ideas for family fun: Exotic Food and Fire Stations

This week we have two family fun ideas for you. The first one starts with picking an ethnic restaurant or foreign food that your family hasn’t tried yet. Once you’ve made your selection, look up the country that the food is from in an encyclopedia. 

Pitch Your Tents toward the Temple

Pitch Your Tents toward the Temple

In the Book of Mormon, specifically in the Book of Mosiah, we find the inspiring words of King Benjamin. These chapters contain some of the most uplifting discourses recorded in ancient scripture, and it is one that changed lives both then and now. However, there are some verses that I think go unnoticed because they are not actually the words of King Benjamin himself, but actually address what happened preceding his words.

King Benjamin
King Benjamin

In Mosiah chapter 2, verse 5, we read that the people had gathered to hear the words of King Benjamin. It reads, “They pitched their tents round about, every man according to his family.” Here is the first point I would like to make: the people came to listen to their prophet, and they did so together as their families. In our day, especially with General Conference coming up, we can strive to listen to the living prophets with our families.

In the next verse, we find another lesson. Verse 6 states that “they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple . . .” Here we see that they directed themselves toward the House of God. For us, this means that we can always keep our thoughts directed toward God and His Holy House, the temple. Today, temples dot the earth. As we keep our sights set on the temple, and figuratively pitch our tents toward it, we will naturally be led back to God and feel once more of His love.

—Kimball Gardner, Stance

Mrs. Ward’s Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

Mrs. Ward’s Waffles and Buttermilk Syrup

The older I get the more convinced I become that breakfast foods make the best dinner. Therefore, WAFFLES. And delicious syrup. My parents always made these waffles from scratch. Apparently my mom got the recipe from a newspaper before any of us can remember. Several 

A Wonderful Kind of Day: Diverse Parenting in “Arthur”

A Wonderful Kind of Day: Diverse Parenting in “Arthur”

Do you ever find yourself over-analyzing your favorite shows from childhood? If so, then this post is for you. Today I’ll be looking at the different parenting styles of three of the families in the popular PBS kids’ show “Arthur.” Arthur’s Parents: As David and 

Baby Lily’s Family Attributes Call for Help to Deceased Mother’s Love

Baby Lily’s Family Attributes Call for Help to Deceased Mother’s Love

SPANISH FORK – A mother’s love can be one of the most powerful things in a person’s life, but what about after this life?

Rescuers heard a voice calling for help from an overturned vehicle on the Spanish Fork River on Saturday March 7, but when they approached the SUV they found no one inside who could speak, according to KSL News.

“We’ve gotten together and just talkin’ about it, and all four of us can swear that we heard somebody inside the car saying, ‘Help,'” officer Jared Warner told KSL News. “It didn’t sound like a child’s voice…We’re not exactly sure where that voice came from.”

It was late Friday night as 25-year-old Jenny Groesbeck was returning from a visit to her parents to her home in Springville, Utah. In the car with her was her 18-month-old daughter Lily. Groesbeck was driving on Arrowhead Trail road in Spanish Fork when she crashed her vehicle into the Spanish Fork River. Groesbeck died on the scene but baby Lily remained alive, strapped in her car seat, suspended upside down for nearly 14 hours before a fisherman spotted the car and called 911.

Rescuers dove into chilly waters without hesitation to retrieve Lily. According to CNN News the water was so cold that seven of the men had to be treated for hypothermia after the incident. They say that despite the hypothermia, they would do it again.

“The voice gave the rescuers a surge of adrenaline needed to push the vehicle upright,” Warner said. “The mother was dead. The child was unconscious, but her eyelids were fluttering, and the rescuers knew she was alive.”

Rescuers immediately began performing CPR and rushed her to the hospital. As far as the mysterious voice heard by rescuers goes, there is no real explanation. However, family members say it was Groesbeck looking after her daughter, even from the afterlife.

Jennifer and Lily Groesbeck, picture from here.
Jennifer and Lily Groesbeck, picture from here.

“Jenny Groesbeck loved her daughter so much, that even after being killed in the accident, her concern for her baby called out to the first responders who found her,” family members told Deseret News.

Jill Sanderson, Groesbeck’s sister, told KSL News that Lily is recovering quickly.

“She is doing remarkably well considering the circumstance. The doctors have been hopeful so far,” Sanderson said.

They set up a gofundme account for those who wish to assist in paying for funeral expenses and medical care for Lilly.

Compiled by Allie Hamilton, Stance

Ideas for Family Fun: Ice Cream in a Bag

Ideas for Family Fun: Ice Cream in a Bag

With the warm weather this spring, a great way to have some fun with your family is to make homemade ice cream together. This activity can be done at any age, but it’s also a little messy, so the best place to do it is 

No One Is Alone: The Implications of Non-biological Family in “Into the Woods”

No One Is Alone: The Implications of Non-biological Family in “Into the Woods”

*This article contains spoilers for the musical “Into the Woods.” Since I’ve joined the Stance crew, I’ve become hyperaware of family relationships in everything I read and watch. So it’s no surprise that I had family on the brain when I watched the movie version 

Ideas for Family Fun: Skittle Bowling

Ideas for Family Fun: Skittle Bowling

Wondering what to do this Friday night? A great way to have fun with your family this week is to play a game called skittle bowling. The logistics are simple: go to your favorite bowling alley and pay for a game (usually around $4 per game for adults and $3 for children under 12 years of age) and make sure to bring a bag of skittles.

Picture from here.
Picture from here.

The rules for skittle bowling are simple. Each time you bowl, you are required to do a funny action. When it’s your turn, grab a skittle. Each skittle color represents a funny action you have to do. For example, if you draw red, then you have to hop once before you toss the bowling ball. Deciding what action each color represents will be up to you and your family, but a suggested list is below:

Red= hop once

Purple= close one eye

Green= spin three times, then grab the bowling ball

Orange= toss the ball granny style

Yellow= do a dance move before you toss the bowling ball

Skittle bowling is a fun way to mix up your evening with your family and have fun together. It’s a great way to enjoy some candy, some bowling, and some quality time with your loved ones.

—Rachel Harris, Stance

 

 

Sharing Hope

Sharing Hope

“I thought it was all post-partum symptoms,” Heather said about her cancer signs. Three months after giving birth to her daughter, Lily, Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, a relatively rare cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. Heather’s exposure came from the