Giving in to Social Trends?

Has the church given into to the trends of society? The Church of England recently announced a plan for a double ceremony or as some dubbed it a ‘hatch and match’ ceremony, where the couple the can be married and then have their child baptized or themselves too if they like on the same day as part of the same ceremony. The situation that has brought this about is that while the church believes that the best place for sex is within marriage relationship, the reality shows that around 44 percent of women are not married when they give birth. … Continue reading

Gardening Trends for 2009

I came downstairs this morning and took a look out of my kitchen window, which looks out onto the backyard. There is a good dusting of snow covering it all. But the first thing I thought about was this year’s garden. I know that seems strange, but spring will be here before we know it, and it is time to start planning. If you are looking for some new ideas for your garden this year, take a look at the following trends. These things are all areas in which homeowners and gardeners have shown interest in 2008, according to The … Continue reading

Marriage is Weakening in America

I just read an interesting report put out by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University. Each year, they release a State of the Union about the health of marriage in the United States. While the won’t release on for 2008 until the year is over, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the findings for 2007. David Popenoe wrote the essay for 2007’s report. In it, he talks about how the U.S. is following the trends of European nations toward nonmarriage. There is a continuing cultural shift away from traditional marriage as the primary social institute of family … Continue reading

Marriage Week in Review: June 23 – June 29

The topics in marriage this week have focused on arguments, weddings, and relationship news. Beat the heat this summer, sty inside, and check out some of the articles listed below! Monday, June 23 Is Your Argument over Control? Some couples take part in arguments due to control issues. They are more interested in seeing who can control the other rather than the issue at hand. Your Feelings Influence Your Fights How sensitive we are and how we respond to certain situations all depends on the how we feel. If you are having an “off” day be sure to let your … Continue reading

Trends in Wedding Dresses

It is very interesting to look at fads and styles that come in and out of the fashion world. It can also be fun to look at the areas that they hit first and how they eventually trickle down to other areas. Many of these fads will come and go and then return once again a few years later. Wedding attire is no different. Brides follow the fads and phases in fashion when choosing a gown for their wedding day. I can remember when each bride was layered in a puffy sleeve well rounded wedding dress that was covered in … Continue reading

Marriage Can Make You Smarter

A study from Brigham Young University recently reported that a happy marriage could lower your blood pressure. Now neuroscience is noticing that marriage can make you smarter, too. In the early stages of a relationship (that first, exciting rush of love), your brain might not be in the right state for intellectual pursuits. A lot of the beginnings of love are driven by the euphoric feelings that come from dopamine — a brain chemical that produces powerful, pleasurable feelings. As relationships mature, dopamine levels become less important and other parts of the brain are engaged. In the later stages of … Continue reading

More Recent Stats on Long Marriages, Part 1 – Definitions

Last week I provided some stats on long marriages from a U.S. Census Bureau document issued in February 2002 called Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 1996 by Rose M. Kreider and Jason M. Fields. How I missed the more current one, I don’t know, but Jade “The Muse” walker pulled through again by sharing a link with me to a more recent document. Again, it was issued by the U.S. Census Bureau and was authored by Rose M. Kreider, but it is entitled Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 2001 and was issued in February … Continue reading

Marriage Fun Facts

Continuing in the spirit of good communication makes for a happy marriage, here are some fun facts to share with your spouse and other married couples you know. They are all clean-feel free to send to your friends at church. It is a little known fact that often the people of the 16th century didn’t have the means to bathe everyday, in fact so much so that they typically only bathed once or twice a year. One of the months was May, subsequently June became the favored month for weddings. It is said that this is also the reason that … Continue reading

Look Around: How is the Economy Doing?

Sometimes, in order to gauge the state of the economy, you just have to look around. I check the news reports often, and am intrigued by reports about trends that will affect how my family spends and saves. For example, when there were problems with the peanut crop, I made sure to stock up on peanut butter, a staple in my household. I also like to look around at what is happening locally, in my neighborhood and community. Houses seem to be selling better than they have in a long time, and this is good. Fewer abandoned properties and homes … Continue reading

Men and Women Are from Earth

A study came out recently in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology: “Men and Women Are from Earth: Examining the Latent Structure of Gender.” The central hypothesis of the paper is that men and women actually aren’t all that different.  Many of the differences that we might demonstrate have more to do societal expectations than inherent biology. This isn’t the first study on the subject.  I recently read the book “Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference,” by neuroscience psychologist Cordelia Fine.  In it she exposes noticeable trends in male vs. female psychology, both in … Continue reading