CTC Night (At Home!) - Picnic

The kids are finishing up school and Summer is approaching. This means one of the prettiest times of the year and great time to be outdoors.

So, if you're stuck at home, have small kids, broke, on a tight budget, or having trouble getting a sitter, have a picnic in your back yard! or front yard, or some place close you can find a small patch of grass.

Set up the baby monitor and spend an hour or two of quality time together.

Lay out a picnic blanket, break out the cooler or that wicker picnic basket you got for your wedding.

Some food ideas could be the classic fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes or how about a soft cheese, baguette, olives, hard cured meats, some watermelon slices and a bottle of sparkling cider or grape juice.

To add to the fun, (even if you're terrible at it and can only draw stick figures) get a couple sketch pads and pencils or pieces of paper and some of the kids crayons and do your best sketch of each other.

Happy Dating!

Becoming A "Second Spouse"

I found this one in Achieving A Celestial Marriage" (1992,209-210). The book is out of print, which is why I wanted to share it here. It's kind of an old-fashioned idea, but I believe the principle is still there.

I found it important, especially when we consider that in today's cultural climate, women (and men) are waiting longer (even until their 40s) to get married and start a family. It appears Mormons are one of the last few that still recognize the value of marrying young. My wife and I were married at 21 and (now in our 40s) are seeing the fruits of that decision.

My wife says that she would totally re-write this from the opposite perspective. Perhaps I will, but the payoff is at the end of the quote. Please, before passing judgement, please read all the way to the end. Even better, brethren, how well do you know your wife?

"The day she reaches forty - the beginning of the middle years - a woman ought to consider seriously becoming her husband's "second wife".

By that age her job as mother is less demanding than in earlier years. Homaking should be easier for her; she should have some leisure time on her hands. She ought to use some of that leisure to take stock of her marriage.

The first question to ask herself is this: If I were to die and my husband were free tomorrow to marry again, what kind of wife would he choose? What would his second wife be like?

Any wife who understands her husband as well as a wife should, can figure out the answer to that question.

She will know, for instance, whether the next wife would be more glamorous than she, more sociable, more companionable, more light-hearted, more independent or more clinging.

So once a wife figures out what kind of woman her husband would choose as a second wife - if he had a chance to choose again in middle-age - there's nothing to prevent her from quietly setting out to be as near like his reconsidered choice as possible.

If she has never paid much attention to clothes and he as always admired well-dressed women, she can concentrate on looking her best.

If he loves the outdoors ans she has never cared for going along on fishing and hunting trips, she can give up a little comfort for the sake of being more companionable.

If she has been less socially inclined than her husband, she can make a real effort to make their home a more hospitable place.

Nothing would perk up a middle-aged marriage more than for a wife to try to be as much as possible like the woman she is pretty sure her husband would choose to succeed her - if he had to choose again.

The day he reaches forty - the beginning of the middle years - a man ought to seriously consider becoming...does more need to be said?"

Ten (Plus One) Tips To Help LDS Couples Find Trustworthy Sex Information Online

There is so much information on the Internet about sexuality that it can be hard to know where to start, and who to trust. There are even those claiming to teach sexuality from an LDS perspective, but are they really? It can be difficult to know what sites are credible.

These suggestions (mostly) come from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2011).[i]

1.      Who runs the site? Any good website related to sexuality should make it easy for you to learn who is responsible for the site and its information.

2.      Who pays for the site? The source of the site’s funding should be clear. The funding source can affect what content is presented, how the content is presented, and what the site owners want to accomplish on the site.

3.      What is the purpose of the site? An “About This Site” link appears on many sites; if it’s there, use it. The purpose of the site should be clearly stated and help you evaluated the trustworthiness of the information.

4.      Where does the information come from? If the person or organization in charge of the site did not create the information, the original source should be clearly labeled. This identification allows others to easily find original sources of information.

Never trust an article that doesn’t cite its sources. This is especially true if the author claims to have a degree. The degree doesn’t excuse them from stating their sources; it makes the responsibility to cite their sources greater.

5.      What is the basis of the information? The site should describe the evidence on which the material is based. Facts and figures from valid research should have references. Also, opinions or advice should be clearly set apart from information that is based on research results.

6.      How is the information selected? Is there an editorial board? Do people with excellent professional and scientific qualifications review the material before it is posted?

7.      How current is the information? Websites should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis, and the most recent update or review date should be clearly posted. Even if the information is still accurate, you want to know whether the site owners have reviewed it recently to ensure that it is still valid.

8.      How does the site choose links to other sites? What is the policy of the website owner about how links to other sites are established? What are the criteria for the sites that are linked to the website?

9.      What information about you does the site collect, and why? Any credible website should tell you exactly what it will and will not do with personal data gathered about you. Many commercial sites sell data about their users to other companies. Don’t sign up for anything you don’t fully understand.

10.  How does the site manage interactions with visitors? There should be a way for you to contact the site owners with problems, feedback, and questions. Information about the terms for using any site services should be readily available as well.

11.  (Bonus) Is their information and advice in harmony with the gospel? I’m adding this suggestion because of concerns I’ve had and concerns that have been expressed to me. Be wary of anyone who claims to be an LDS sex educator, including me. Putting “LDS” in front of your title carries the added responsibility of not only teaching about sexuality from an LDS perspective, but also that those teachings should be in harmony with the gospel and doctrine of the Church.

I am wary of anyone who openly refutes the teachings of General Authorities and/or attacks their character, words or actions. I am also wary about anyone who condones ideas that are in direct conflict with the law of chastity and the guidelines in the For The Strength of Youth.

Some examples of this that I’ve seen are teachings that modesty should never be expected from teenagers, that parents should condone their youth masturbating[ii], the idea that profane erotica is a healthy and acceptable for married LDS couples to engage in, or that we should expect the General Authorities’ teachings will eventually catch up to modern scientific discoveries and current social trends.

Such teachings are not in harmony with the gospel, and the Spirit can help us to know that, if we will listen.[iii] If we feel confused or conflicted when listening to or reading someone’s information, you may want to find another source.

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[i] Greenbert, Jerrold S.; Bruess, Clint E.; Oswalt, Sara B., Exploring the Dimensions of Human Seuxality 5 Ed., Jones and Bartlett Learning, 2014, 39 -40

[ii] Kimball, Spencer W., President Kimball Speaks Out on Morality, Ensign, Nov. 1980, https://www.lds.org/ensign/1980/11/president-kimball-speaks-out-on-morality?lang=eng “The early apostles and prophets mention numerous sins that were reprehensible to them. Many of them were sexual sins—adultery, being without natural affection, lustfulness, infidelity, incontinence, filthy communications, impurity, inordinate affection, fornication. They included all sexual relations outside marriage—petting, sex perversion, masturbation, and preoccupation with sex in one’s thoughts and talking.”

[iii] Moroni 10: 3-5

15 Tips For Healthy Sexual Communication

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Male Infertility

This article will mostly be not me. It is some excerpts I found that I felt would be important information about infertility my readers should be informed on – and may help alleviate some stress and concern of any couples that may be struggling to have a child.

“Infertility is generally defined as the inability to conceive a baby after 12 months of unprotected sex. Infertility affects about 15 percent of all couples.

~ Mosher and Pratt, 1991

Infertility is attributable about equally to problems in males and females; each sex independently accounts for about 40 percent of cases.

…20 percent of infertile couples are diagnosed as having idiopathic infertility…this means that doctors simply don’t know what’s wrong.

Male infertility often results from sluggish sperm or a low sperm count. Chemical pollutants might play a major role in male infertility.

Other possible causes of low sperm counts include injury to the testicles or scrotum, infections such as mumps in adulthood, testicular varicose veins..., undescended testes (testes descend normally at the eighth month in the womb), endocrine disorders, drugs and even some prescription medications.

Here are some chemical and environmental factors affecting male infertility

Risk Factors                                                             Effects

Lead, used in making storage batteries and paints	Fewer sperm, sperm that move more  slowly than normal, and more abnormally shaped sperm.
Ionizing radiation, found in nuclear plants and medical facilities, and nonionizing radiation in high-voltage switchyards and communication facilities.	Possible damage to sperm cells and lowered fertility.
Anesthetic gases	Unexposed female partners may  have higher than normal number of  miscarriages.
Pesticides like kepone and carbon disulfide used in the manufacture of viscose rayon and a fumigant.	Possible loss of sex drive, impotence abnormal sperm, lowered sperm count.
Heat stress, found in foundries, smelters, bakeries, and farm work.	Lowered sperm counts and sterility
Estrogen, used in the manufacture of oral contraceptives.	Possible loss of sex drive, abnormal sperm, lowered sperm counts.
Methylene chloride, used as a solvent in paint and strippers.	Possible very low sperm counts and shrunken testicles.
Ethylene dibromide, used as an ingredient in leaded gasoline and as fumigant of tropical fruit for export.	Possible lower sperm count and workers.

Source: based on Kenen, 1993: 40-41” [i]

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[i] Benokraitis, Nijole V., Marriages and Families, 5^th ed. (2005,302 – 305)