Sunday brunch is always good family-fun. This Stuffed French toast is a treat the whole family will enjoy and they can all help make it too. Younger children can use their little fingers to pinch the edges around the bread, and older kids can mix and spread the filling.  More >>

I basically don't care about the musical chairs relationships of Hollywood types, but I thought the following story was indicative of our culture in general...and that is not a good thing.'This headline was important enough to show up in the Top 20 stories of Google News recently:' "Alex Rodriguez and Cameron Diaz Get Cozy in Miami."' The piece started out:' "Don't tell Madonna, but New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez was spotted getting cozy with Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz at a pre-Super Bowl party in Miami last weekend."' According to this inane report, she was tipsy, flirty, and began "grinding on 'A-Rod', who had just broken up with Kate Hudson.' Clearly, sports is not the only thing for which you need a score card!'Generally, women who have nothing going on in their lives become groupies, because attachment to a star (even in their imaginations, much less their beds) brings them a feeling of importance.' Madonna, Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz are all successful in their own right, so "groupie-ness" is not the issue.' Then what is?' What makes women "give it up" so easily for a guy who is good-looking, successful and has lots of money?' I guess it's the looks and success, and the feeling that even more money is always good.'There is so little dignity left in Hollywood's elite, and many political marriages are also aflame with betrayals.' Our young girls grow up next to young boys who have both misguided values and expectations.' The boys realize that respect and courtship are irrelevant when it comes to getting sex and companionship; the girls think that explosive beginnings mean something deeper.'I had one female caller who was just amazed at my admonition not to have sex as a flirtation, rite of dating, way to get to know someone, or stress releaser.' She actually was surprised when I suggested to her (and her 21 year-old "reality") that scarcity brings value.' While that is an economic issue, it also works for interpersonal relationships.' If the act of sexual intercourse is to mean anything , it has to have a context of love and commitment, and that is a scarce resource.'People wonder why they're depressed, anxious, unhappy, unfulfilled, lost, or compulsive about hookups.' There is an inherent knowledge that meaning and purpose are everything to their psychological well-being, but they are surrounded by the likes of an A-Rod and Madonna world which tells them there isn't any, except for notoriety and sexual flamboyance.'It's sad, really, because there is more to morality than just being a "rule system of the constipated," which, unfortunately, is what too many people believe.' Morality is a means by which we make human beings rise above the rest of the animal kingdom with symbols and actions:' like marriage and commitment, for example. More >>

I got this email from a listener after she heard a call I took on my radio program.' She titled the email 'To The Mother Whose Son Is Smoking Marijuana.' It speaks for itself: Today you gave advice to a mother who found out her 16 ' year old son is smoking marijuana.' You advised her to get him into a residential treatment program.'' You stated that drug addicts lie, and she responded that she didn't 'see' him as a drug addict.' I am afraid she will not take your advice, and she may be in my situation in the future. Today, I write this with a broken heart.' 11 years ago, when my son was 17, I, too, found out that he was smoking marijuana.' He was on the academic honor roll and participated in sports ' he wasn't a drug addict!' I tried to get him into a residential program, but was told they would not accept him at his age unless he committed himself.' I took him to a counselor that the high school recommended and had him assigned a probation officer until he was 18.' I thought just like her that he was not a drug addict in my mind.' He grew up to be a responsible young man who owned his own business, but he continued to smoke marijuana. Six months ago, I received that phone call that no parent wants to receive.' My son was dead at the age of 28 from an accidental drug overdose (oxycodone), which the coroner told me is the most abused drug today.' I do not know if this was the first time or the hundredth time he used the drug, but I vowed that if I can save one child or one parent from experiencing what I am going through that I would share my story. Dr. Laura, you were correct.' She needs to deal with the issue NOW, while she still has some control.' My son was not a 'drug addict' either.' The coroner called it 'recreational drug use.'' Children need to know that tennis, hockey, and soccer are recreations, not drugs.' I hope that mother heeds your advice so that her son does not end up where mine is today, guilt-ridden and questioning 'should I have done more?' More >>

Kids (naturally) and adults (neurotically) worry about death.' One recent caller's 12 year old son fretted about death a lot.' He worried that because he is the youngest, all the people who matter to him will die before him and leave him alone.As a bit of an aside, all vampire movies have at least one scene in which the vampire, an immortal, laments that he's had to lose every wife he's had, because they've aged and died, while he remained the same:' the emotional pain is horrible.' Many a vampire character has rued not being able to grow old and die with his beloved.What do these two issues have in common?' Simple.' Immortality cheapens the value and promise of life.' With "all the time in the world," there are no imperatives, no goals, no sense that every minute is important and should not be wasted.' People tend to procrastinate like crazy when they're given protracted time to complete something.' One of the most important aspects of life is that it is not infinite.Since we all have "x" amount of time to live (75 years on the average, without accidents or fatal illnesses), knowing that gives us the incentive to make the most out of each day.Children need to be reassured, but need more to learn how to "value" life, how to make "purpose," and not "fear" their focal point, and to enjoy those they love each and every day. More >>

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Feminism Kills Women: Betty Friedan's negative view of so-called "women's work" created a movement that turned family life upside down and wrenched women from their homes. Turns out, women's work, is the very thing that saves women's lives! Research following 200,000 women from nine European countries for an average of over 6 years and 3,423 cases of breast cancer determined that women who exercise by doing the housework can reduce their risk of breast cancer by 30% among the pre-menopausal women and 20% among the post-menopausal women. "The International authors said their results suggested that moderate forms of physical activity, such as housework, may be more important than less frequent but more intense recreational physical activity in reducing breast cancer risk." The research is published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention .The women in the Cancer Research UK-funded study spent an average of 16-17 hours a week cooking, cleaning, and doing the washing. Experts have long been touting physical exercise can reduce the risk of breast cancer, probably through hormonal and metabolic changes. What kind of exercise, though, has been debated. Most of the research to date has examined the link between exercise and breast cancer in post-menopausal women only. This latest study looked at both pre- and post-menopausal women and a range of activities, including work (right now, only my fingers are getting a work-out), leisure (hitting the C button with my thumb to change channels is obviously a step down), and housework (I actually like folding clothes). "All forms of physical activity combined reduced the breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women, but had no obvious effect in pre-menopausal women. Of all the activities, ONLY HOUSEWORK SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED THE RISK OF BOTH PRE- AND POST-MENOPAUSAL WOMEN GETTING BREAST CANCER."Don't hold your breath to find this information on Lifetime Channel for Women, "Oxygen," "The View," college and university women's studies programs, "Cosmo", or any other of the women's magazines out there. Excuse me while I go vacuum. Cindy Sheehan: Cindy Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed in Iraq in 2004 at the age of twenty-four. Brought up by his ultra-liberal mother did not keep him from re-enlisting for a second tour to fight for his country. Picture that against the unbelievable photos published around the world of his mother hugging Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who, by the way, "has said he will not renew the license for the country's second largest TV channel. Radio Caracas Television, which is aligned with the opposition, supported a strike against Mr. Chavez in 2003." (BBC News, December 29, 2006). Rocky #?: I stopped going to Rocky movies after the second. I loved the first; finding it tender, motivational, exciting, touching, and dramatic. I really didn't want to go to see the current Rocky film. I figured it was a silly attempt to get some mileage out of a franchise that needed to be put to rest. I was seriously wrong. "Rocky Balboa" is probably one of the best films I've seen... ever. It has the sentimentality of a film like "The African Queen." Sylvester Stallone, now widowed, is living in and on his past. He runs a restaurant named after his deceased wife, Adrian. He tells the same, lame war stories of past fights to all the patrons and sits for hours in front of his wife's grave. His son is weak, insecure and bitter, feeling like his life is nothing because he lives under his dad's shadow. Stallone looks and feels like well, crap. And this is what makes this movie so special.Rocky has something to learn and something to say. I don't want to ruin it for you, so just trust me and go see it. More >>

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Until Kids Do Us Part By Cheryl Gochnauer "I love being an at-home Mom," says Lee, a 30-something with a couple of boys, ages 2 and 5. "I love the rewards of children. But I feel like it will be an eternity before I get my husband back, all to myself. "We have a very wonderful and solid marriage, but with little ones around, all our conversations are hurried and interrupted." Lee misses quiet walks and spur-of-the-moment getaways, and when she heard some friends were going on an exotic vacation - again - her heart sank. "What I wouldn't give to spend a week all alone with my husband, to savor the joy of being married. I would revel in the opportunity to lay on a beachsomewhere and watch the sun go down, momentarily leaving the cares and worries of life behind." But she's a stay-at-home Mom. There's no money for exotic vacations. There's hardly enough money for a movie! "People tell me that this time passes quickly, but right now it feels like a life sentence," Lee admits. "I strive to find the joy in the little things that I do to serve my family. And most days I am successful." She still misses quality time with her husband, though. I'm sure there are lots of women nodding their heads as they read Lee's words. It's easy for our relationships to get off-balance, especially when children are very young. Babies and toddlers are so high maintenance! The good news is, it does get easier as they get older. Preschoolers are easier than toddlers; 6-year-olds are easier than 4-year-olds. The bad news is, it may be MONTHS before the current stage eases. So what to do? If I can't head to the islands with my lover, what's Plan B? "Bump time with your husband up on the priority list," suggests Nina, a Canadian stay-at-home Mom. "Keep him in mind as you survey the different areas of your life. Some things about having a busy, young family you can't change, but others you can. "It's said so much that now it's a clicheacute;, but PLAN IT IN! If you get too caught up in the day to day, you'll never have time to relax, grow, have fun, etc. You know in your heart that if you neglect yourself, you and your family will suffer for it." "Make sure the kids are getting to bed at a decent hour so that you and your husband have some time together in the evenings." Note Nina's key phrase "decent hour". Wait until you're exhausted, and you slip into a coma instead of into something comfortable. "Write notes to each other. I tape little notes inside my husband's lunch pail." Get out of the house and away from the kids. "When you visit relatives, take advantage of it," Nina advises. Let them enjoy the youngsters while you and your spouse go spend some time together. "Brainstorm with your husband about other ideas such as these that you can incorporate into your life to ease some of the struggles." Where there's a will, there's a way. Stand still in the swirling storm of diapers, tricycles and Beanie Babies. Look your husband in the eye, tell him you love him, and join forces. You'd be surprised how many creative ideas a motivated couple can develop in carving out time together. And the kids will ultimately benefit, too, as that primary relationship in the home - between husband and wife - is given the nourishment it needs to grow and shine. Comments? Email Cheryl@homebodies.org or visit her website at www.homebodies.org For a list of recommended resources for at-home parents, go to www.homebodies.org/recbooks.html. Copyright 2001 Homebodies.Org, LLC. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com. More >>

Homepublishing Made Easy By Tom Kelly Dodd Necessity is the mother of invention and the need to eat was our necessity. With our last few dollars, no experience, and no equipment my husband and I began a publishing business, TableTop Tidbits News. That was seven years ago. Today our paper is in six cities, the papers content is generic and can work in any town. Now we want to expand and help others do the same. After a corporate disaster, my husband took off on a cross-country bicycle trip. He came home with the idea that we could make money by publishing a paper for restaurants. Neither of us had any journalism, advertising, or publishing know how. We definitely needed to find a business that did not require capital to start. We did some cut and paste and developed a prototype of our paper. We then took the prototype around and got support from the restaurants. We were off. At first it was a lot of work, selling ads, writing stories, getting cartoons and trivia. The longer we did it the easier it became. Today we have professional writers helping and advertisers are calling us. We even have a waiting list for ad spaces. Best of all we have a good deal of free time as well. Tom and I are certain that by syndicating the paper it will be a perfect stay-at-home business for parents. When the kids are in school a Mom or dad can put their education, computer and personal skills into a career that generates substantial supplemental income. If Mom and dad want to make a team of it, Table Top Tidbits News can be a family's entire income and all done from home. The paper is successfully syndicated in two states, Price, Utah and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The local publishers pay a fee for special software, training, printing and the exclusive territory. The money from the ads they sell is theirs to keep. When we were raising our three children, I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home Mom. It saddens me to see so many of our little ones being raised by day care centers today. Hopefully Table Top will be an avenue for more Moms and/or Dads to spend more time with their children. If this sounds like something that would appeal to Dr. Laura listener and they would like to know the nitty gritty details they should look at our website www.tabletoptidbitsandnews.com or e-mail us at tabletop@gj.net . We hope to have several more local publishers going this year. Tom Kelly Dodd, Loma, Colorado More >>

Joint Credit Card Trouble The Dollar Stretcher by Gary Foreman Dear Dollar Stretcher, I have three joint account credit cards with my brother. I was the only user of the cards and now the cards are over the limit and behind in payments. I am on the path to paying them off but my credit history is not perfect any more. Because the credit card accounts were joint accounts my brother's credit history is also effected. He wants to purchase a house and I would like to remove the credit card items from his credit history. I have called the credit card companies regarding removal of my brother's name from the account but they will not do it. I am now thinking about getting a debt consolidation loan but have had no success because I am not a home owner. Is there a way to get a debt consolidation loan to pay off those cards? Thanks, Norm Norm and his brother have gotten into a pretty tough situation. But there are some things that they can do to help his brother to get a mortgage. There's also a lesson for all of us in how to avoid similar situations. A lesson that also applies to couples involved in divorce. First, let's take a look at the facts of the situation. When Norm and his brother opened a joint account they both agreed to be completely responsible for paying off any charges. No matter who used the card. That means that the credit card companies can collect from either brother. Legally it's just as if Norm's brother used the card and has fallen behind in his payments. The credit card company won't remove the brother from the account. That would reduce the odds of them getting paid. So what can the brothers do? Norm is already investigating the best option. That's to pay off the debts entirely. Once closed the accounts will show that they were late but are now repaid. Getting a consolidation loan may be tough. Most lenders want to be able to have a mortgage on a home or some other asset. A 'secured' loan (one guaranteed by real property) offers lower rates. Norm may have some other property that he could put up as collateral. Cars, jewelry, antiques or anything else that has value could work. If he has something like that, the best source for a loan would be a local bank. There are other sources for loans that Norm should consider. If he has a 401k plan at work, he might be able to borrow against that. Typically there's a fixed rate of interest which would be lower than what he's probably paying the card companies now. Another option, although it might be touchy, would be to borrow the money from his brother. It's possible that his brother would get a lower interest rate on his mortgage if he took some money from his down payment and used it to pay off the credit cards. Assuming that none of that is possible, they can include an explanation in his credit report. Norm's brother should request a copy of his report. Everyone should check their credit report regularly. Especially before buying a house or car. Independent surveys show that 70% of all reports contain errors. Ten percent of the errors are significant enough to cause credit to be denied. Norm's brother will want to send a letter to each credit card company. Get a return receipt. In the letter he should simply state the facts. Ask that a note be placed in his credit report. It won't change his credit score, but a potential mortgage lender might consider the information when they evaluate his mortgage application. In a few weeks he needs to recheck and make sure that the information was added. He can write the credit reporting agencies at: Equifax , PO Box 740241, Atlanta GA 30374-0241; 800-685-1111 Experian , PO Box 2002, Allen TX 75013; 888-experian Trans Union , PO Box 1000, Chester PA 19022; 800-916-8800 Norm's brother should tell any potential mortgage lender of the situation before he submits an application. By bringing up the problem first he won't be asking the lender to reconsider a rejection. He'll be advising them of a potential problem and asking that they give it proper, but not undue attention. It's possible that Norm's brother will have to pay a higher interest rate because of the problem. What can we all learn from this? Joint accounts can be dangerous. Especially if you're not the one using the account. Sure, it's hard to turn down a family member when they ask for help. But if they need your credit rating to borrow money, they probably shouldn't be borrowing. Don't help them to dig a deeper hole. If you really want to help them out financially, loan them the money yourself. Even if it means that you have to borrow it first. At least that way if they can't make the payments your credit rating won't get hammered. Couples in the process of divorce should also be careful. A divorce agreement may specify that one partner pay off a joint account. But if they don't, the other partner is still liable as far as the lender is concerned. If you're in that situation make sure that you get statements on the account so you know it's being paid properly. Hopefully Norm will get the debts paid and his brother will find a home and mortgage. Gary Foreman is a former Certified Financial Planner who currently edits The Dollar Stretcher website. You'll find hundreds of free articles to save you time and money. "The Dollar Stretcher, Inc." and DrLaura.com does not assume responsibility for advice given. All advice should be weighed against your own abilities and circumstances and applied accordingly. It is up to the reader to determine if advice is safe and suitable for their own situation. Permission granted for use on DrLaura.com More >>