We all know what families look like when they’re broken. But how were they meant to look? Authors Glenn Stanton and Leon Wirth rediscover the Creator’s majestic plan behind this essential, endangered institution—and bring it down to earth with practical application for every spouse and parent. This book is an extension of Focus on the Family’s much-anticipated The Family Project, a 12-week church and small group series that will change the way moms, dads, wives, and husbands see themselves—and help them build healthy households from the best blueprint of all. While following the topic outline of The Family Project curriculum, this book stands alone and delves into the subject areas more deeply. It provides a solid exploration of God’s design and the transformative purpose of biblical families, and also offers down-to-earth helps for living out God’s design in your own family, along with inspiration for helping others do the same.

How often in a given day do you feel rushed, judged, put upon, or ignored? It's tempting to respond to the slights and indignities of life with bitterness, resentment, frustration, or sadness. But what if there's a better way? Enter The Peace Project and its potent mixture of practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy. With short, digestible chapters and plenty of practical application, The Peace Project demonstrates that lasting inner peace comes from outward practices--seeing others, as well as ourselves, not as obstacles to overcome or objects against which to compete or compare but as people of great worth. This is no if-then theology where God's grace is earned by our actions. It's a chance to dive headfirst into the endless depths of his peace where we can actually, finally, somehow breathe. Welcome to the less-than-perfect, sometimes hilarious, consistently magical journey of practicing thankfulness, kindness, and mercy with Kay, her kids, and some brave friends.

The purpose of A Catechism for Family Life: Insights from Catholic Teaching on Love, Marriage, Sex, and Parenting is to present the teachings of the Catholic Church as they relate to specific questions in marriage and family life. Many Catholics are under-catechized and have trouble both understanding and articulating Church teaching on sexuality and marriage to an increasingly challenging culture. Pope Francis, along with the fathers of the two recent Synods on the Family, have called for better formation for those who work in the area of marriage and family life (see Amoris Laetitia, 202). To address this need, we gathered pertinent questions facing men, women, and pastoral workers in marriage and family life. We then found passages relevant to these questions by researching Church documents on marriage and family from the past one hundred years. These include papal encyclicals, apostolic exhortations, and addresses, Vatican II documents, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Mainstream media coverage of Church events and Church teaching leads many to misunderstand Catholic positions on marriage and family life. While the Catholic Church has developed a rich, detailed, and positive teaching on marriage, family, and sexuality, many Catholics do not have access to this teaching, buried as it is in lengthy Church documents which many find intimidating. Finding the relevant teaching to address specific questions is not always a simple task, either. This book’s main contribution is to present Church teaching relevant to marriage and family in one volume clearly organized by topic and question.

Decades of research have demonstrated that the parent-child dyad and the environment of the familyâ€"which includes all primary caregiversâ€"are at the foundation of children's well- being and healthy development. From birth, children are learning and rely on parents and the other caregivers in their lives to protect and care for them. The impact of parents may never be greater than during the earliest years of life, when a child's brain is rapidly developing and when nearly all of her or his experiences are created and shaped by parents and the family environment. Parents help children build and refine their knowledge and skills, charting a trajectory for their health and well-being during childhood and beyond. The experience of parenting also impacts parents themselves. For instance, parenting can enrich and give focus to parents' lives; generate stress or calm; and create any number of emotions, including feelings of happiness, sadness, fulfillment, and anger. Parenting of young children today takes place in the context of significant ongoing developments. These include: a rapidly growing body of science on early childhood, increases in funding for programs and services for families, changing demographics of the U.S. population, and greater diversity of family structure. Additionally, parenting is increasingly being shaped by technology and increased access to information about parenting. Parenting Matters identifies parenting knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with positive developmental outcomes in children ages 0-8; universal/preventive and targeted strategies used in a variety of settings that have been effective with parents of young children and that support the identified knowledge, attitudes, and practices; and barriers to and facilitators for parents' use of practices that lead to healthy child outcomes as well as their participation in effective programs and services. This report makes recommendations directed at an array of stakeholders, for promoting the wide-scale adoption of effective programs and services for parents and on areas that warrant further research to inform policy and practice. It is meant to serve as a roadmap for the future of parenting policy, research, and practice in the United States.

“The ideal cookbook to remind us that togetherness is the only perfection needed when it comes to dinnertime.” —Carla Hall, TV chef and author of Carla Hall’s Soul Food Research has shown what parents have known for a long time: sharing a fun family meal is good for the spirit, brain, and health of all family members. Recent studies link regular family meals with higher grade-point averages, resilience, and self-esteem. Additionally, family meals are linked to lower rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, eating disorders, and depression. Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook gives you the tools to have fun family dinners with great food and great conversation. The book includes conversation starters as well as quick and easy recipes to bring your family closer. You will find tips for bringing your family to the table such as setting dinnertime goals, overcoming obstacles, managing conflicting schedules, and how to engage everyone in the conversation. Eat, Laugh, Talk also includes real stories from families who have successfully become a part of The Family Dinner Project’s growing movement. Let’s do dinner! “There’s no doubt family dinner has proven social, emotional, and nutritional benefits for kids, but many parents grapple with a lot of obstacles (and guilt!) in trying to make it happen. Armed with these doable strategies, kid-friendly recipes, and dinner table games, families will feel empowered to gather around the table together more often to share meals—and make memories.” —Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, author of The 101 Healthiest Foods For Kids and founder of Real Mom Nutrition

Life Projects: Managing Your Family Like a Pro is your go-to guide for transforming the chaos of family life into an organized and efficient system. Imagine treating your household like a series of projects—each with its own goals, schedules, and outcomes—all working together to create harmony at home. In this book, you'll discover how to approach everyday tasks with a project management mindset, simplifying everything from meal planning to managing your kids’ activities. You'll learn to break down family goals into manageable tasks, assign roles, and keep everyone accountable—just like in a successful business project. Even if you have no prior experience in project management, don’t worry! This book explains all the techniques and tools in an easy-to-follow way. It covers time management, delegation, resource allocation, and troubleshooting common family challenges like missed appointments, overwhelming schedules, or miscommunication. Each chapter offers practical tips to help you plan your family's life better, improve communication, and foster teamwork. Designed for parents, caregivers, and anyone looking to streamline their household, Life Projects: Managing Your Family Like a Pro is your blueprint for a happier, more organized life. Start enjoying more time, less stress, and greater fulfillment in your day-to-day family life by learning to manage your family like a project expert. Get your copy today and take the first step towards turning your family’s chaos into calm!