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Happy Oktoberfest!

Happy Oktoberfest!

What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Oktoberfest? If you thought of a man sporting lederhosen while drinking a mug of beer, I’m right there with you. However, Oktoberfest is more than that and can be celebrated in a 

Provo Canyon Trail

Provo Canyon Trail

One of the best-kept secrets of Provo is the beautiful canyon trail that runs all the way down the canyon. In any one of the given parks off of University Avenue (which leads into the canyon), there is access to this trail, which extends all 

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

SUMMER
SUMMER!!!

Summer is just around the corner, and that means melty popsicles, sunny pool days, family fun, and good barbecue. Here’s a deliciously easy recipe for classic pulled pork.

You’ll need:
5-6 boneless pork chops
12 oz of your favorite cola drink (Dr Pepper, Coke, and Root Beer all work great)
A bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
Hamburger buns
A crock pot
What to do:
Place the pork chops in the bottom of your crockpot. Fill the crockpot with just enough of your soda to cover the chops. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The meat will be scrumptiously tender when it’s finished. Drain out most of the liquid, leaving just enough to keep the meat moist. Then, pour in as much barbecue sauce as you’d like and shred the meat using two forks. Scoop a generous amount of meat on a hamburger bun, top with more barbecue sauce if desired, and serve with a summertime favorite like potato salad or watermelon. Enjoy!
—Courtney Johansson, Stance

 

A Few Last Minute DIY Easter Decorations

A Few Last Minute DIY Easter Decorations

It’s not too late to put a few things up for Easter! Hope these cheap and easy decorations can bring the Easter cheer into your home. Umbrella Door Decor Use an umbrella, small basket or even a hat to hold some beautiful spring flowers on 

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. Talk about it with your family and look at pictures from the country before you head out to try the food. Make sure to leave a little before the restaurant’s busiest hours so your kids can get the full cultural experience.

 

Picture from here.
Picture from here.

When it comes to foreign food, both Provo and Orem have lots of options.  For a few ideas, here’s a list of five restaurants:

– Pantrucas (Chilean cuisine, located at 3161 North Canyon Road)

– Se Llama Peru (Food from Peru, located at 368 W Center St)

– Spicy Thai (Thai food located at 3230 N. University Ave.)

– Greek n Go Food Truck (Greek food found at 1429 N 150 E St)

– Bombay House (Indian Cuisine, located at 463 N University Ave)

 

Picture from here.
Picture from here.

The second idea we have for you today is to take a tour at a fire station. Most fire stations offer tours. This is a great way to teach your family a little more about fire safety and to meet real firefighters.

To set up a tour in Provo, click here. Have a great week and a fun time with your family!

—Rachel Harris, Stance

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 

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.”

Picture from here.
Picture from here.

Arthur’s Parents:
As David and Jane Read are the parents of the titular character, they get the most screen time. The Reads don’t have time for archaic gender roles—David is a caterer and Jane is an accountant. Both of them share household tasks and can be seen in different scenes doing dishes together and trading off cooking meals. It doesn’t just fall to Jane to sort out all the problems with the kids; David is just as involved in Arthur and DW’s lives as Jane is. The Reads tuck their children into bed at night and take them on trips every year. They are involved in their kids’ lives without being helicopter parents.

Buster’s Parents:
Buster is the only main character to live in a single-parent household*.There’s even a whole episode devoted to Arthur trying to fix Buster up with an assortment of dads for the Father’s Day Picnic. (I do a write-up of this episode here for anyone interested.) Despite this perceived disadvantage, Buster is as well-adjusted as any of his friends. He and his mom have a close relationship and do everything together. There are some especially interesting episodes when Bitzi (his mom) starts dating and Buster has to come to terms with it. Bitzi talks to him through the whole process and makes sure that he is okay with the way things are developing. At times Buster’s mom comes off as anxious and hovery (especially in “Arthur’s Perfect Christmas”), but Buster realizes that she feels like she has to do everything perfectly since she’s raising him alone. They clearly love each other and are patient with each other in their circumstances.

Francine’s Parents:
You don’t see as much of the Frenskys as you do the Reads or the Baxters, but Francine’s home life is still worth considering. If Francine has a problem, she usually figures it out herself or talks it over with Muffy or Catherine (her older sister). On the rare occasions where she does turn to her parents for help, though, it’s usually her dad she talks to. Francine isn’t as well off as her friends (a sore spot between her and Muffy), but her dad makes sure that she knows that money isn’t as important as family. “What would I do with more money?” he asks. “Could I buy a better family?” Mr. Frenksy’s light-hearted attitude toward his children is one that more people should strive to have.

In sum, this broad sweep of parenting styles and tactics shows that A) there’s no one right way to raise children and B) there are plenty of things to learn from a world where aardvarks, rabbits, and monkeys can be friends.

 

*I’m counting Prunella and Fern as secondary characters and don’t tell me that Fern’s had a dad this whole time, PBS, the man’s been missing for fifteen seasons you can’t just sneak him into an episode, pretending he was there the whole time, and think I won’t notice.

—Becca Barrus, Stance

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