Family & Relationships

All That Matters: A Mother's Memories, by Janis Hogan, is a fresh look at the joy and sorrow of relationships as they change over time, particularly with our parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Filled with stories that will cause laughter and tears, this book will remind readers of their own lives.

"For more than twenty years," writes Janis Hogan, "I have chronicled my life and my children's lives with my stories. It helps keep the memories alive and close, reminding me of the value in every moment. There are thousands of moments I wish I could relive. Just as many I wish I could unlive. The moments I tried to preserve in my stories are those that taught me something, gleaming treasures that I may have passed right over when they occurred, but that glowed and sparkled with meaning when I rediscovered them." All That Matters is a collection of Janis Hogan's stories. In these pages you will find reasons to laugh and reasons to cry, poignant memories and embarrassing moments, exciting discoveries and devastating disappointments, momentous decisions and small breakthroughs, happy endings and new beginnings. Each story in this moving collection tells of a moment captured in time, from sitting at the kitchen table in her parents' house watching their evening ritual of greeting each other with a kiss to watching her own son kiss his girlfriend goodbye when he no longer wants his mother to kiss him in public; from complaining about her parents dancing to horrible old songs in the living room to happily dancing through the night cradling her colicky firstborn as he fitfully sleeps. The author writes with a rare grace and wit that is pleasing to the ear when read aloud and pleasing to the soul when read silently. She is first a mother, so the stories are often about motherhood, but All That Matters as a whole is more than that. Ultimately it is about changing relationships--relationships with our parents, our siblings, our life partners, and yes, our children.

All That Matters: A Mother's Memories, by Janis Hogan, is a fresh look at the joy and sorrow of relationships as they change over time, particularly with our parents, siblings, spouses, and children. Filled with stories that will cause laughter and tears, this book will remind readers of their own lives.

"For more than twenty years," writes Janis Hogan, "I have chronicled my life and my children's lives with my stories. It helps keep the memories alive and close, reminding me of the value in every moment. There are thousands of moments I wish I could relive. Just as many I wish I could unlive. The moments I tried to preserve in my stories are those that taught me something, gleaming treasures that I may have passed right over when they occurred, but that glowed and sparkled with meaning when I rediscovered them." All That Matters is a collection of Janis Hogan's stories. In these pages you will find reasons to laugh and reasons to cry, poignant memories and embarrassing moments, exciting discoveries and devastating disappointments, momentous decisions and small breakthroughs, happy endings and new beginnings. Each story in this moving collection tells of a moment captured in time, from sitting at the kitchen table in her parents' house watching their evening ritual of greeting each other with a kiss to watching her own son kiss his girlfriend goodbye when he no longer wants his mother to kiss him in public; from complaining about her parents dancing to horrible old songs in the living room to happily dancing through the night cradling her colicky firstborn as he fitfully sleeps. The author writes with a rare grace and wit that is pleasing to the ear when read aloud and pleasing to the soul when read silently. She is first a mother, so the stories are often about motherhood, but All That Matters as a whole is more than that. Ultimately it is about changing relationships--relationships with our parents, our siblings, our life partners, and yes, our children.

Kids Will Be Kids is a hilarious look at the reality of having children, in contrast to the rosy picture usually painted. The book also contains The Parental Aptitude Test, which is designed to see if you really have what it takes to be a parent. The book also contains The Parental Aptitude Test, which is designed to see if you really have what it takes to be a parent.

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For most of us, Dad always seemed to be the biggest and most wonderful person we knew. In spite of all that Mom did for us, Dad loomed almost larger than life: strong, fun-loving, the most handsomest man in the world, and - most important - the man who protected and loved us. It seemed that Dad was full of advice. He sure had plenty of it to go around. Some of it was to the point and made a great deal of sense, says Stacey Granger. Some of it made little sense at all to my brother, sister, and me, like when he said, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." But when he said, "There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who sit around wondering what happened,"  we knew he was telling us which kind of person he wanted us to become. The Portable Father is a delightful collection of about 300 bits of wisdom, fun, and advice that fathers pass along to their children. Illustrated with 26 cartoons, The Portable Father is filled with sayings we have heard our own fathers speak or - now that we are adults - we've caught ourselves saying to our own children

This "parenting relationship" book is based on the authors' experiences in leading more than 2,000 workshops with new and expectant dads to discuss parenting in a non-threatening environment. In it Hogan Hilling and Jesse Jayne Rutherford offer thoughtful insights into what makes dads behave the way they do. The Modern Mom's Guide to Dads draws on what Hilling has learned from working with dads and moms for more than fifteen years. He explains to modern moms what their husbands are really thinking about pregnancy, parenting, and marriage, and he teaches them how to get their husbands more involved with the kids and get some relaxation for themselves while keeping the peace in their marriages.

Helpful Strategies for Improving Your Marriage

Movies like Sleepless in Seattle and An Affair to Remember bombard people with bad ideas about love. We are led to believe that if you meet the “right person” and fall in love, your marriage will thrive and you will be happy. However, while love is important, stable marriages are not based on love alone.

Barbara Bartlein has worked with hundreds of couples as they have worked to save their marriages, and in Why Did I Marry You Anyway? she shares the secrets of what they have learned together. A happy, successful marriage almost always is the result of hard work and commitment, she says, but all too often people don’t know what to do to improve their marriages. This book fills that gap. With 15 strategies that cover all the common problems in relationships—like money, children, sex, and in-laws—Bartlein tells couples what to do and shows them how to do it.

Each chapter addresses one of these important relationship-building strategies. First, a common complaint is explored. Second, common myths that block solutions to the problem are identified and helpful ways of countering them suggested. Third, case studies illustrate the concepts in action with real couples. Finally, quizzes and tools provide opportunities to practice these new skills and behaviors. The result is a helpful, humorous, and easy-to-read book that will result in positive changes in the lives of those who read it and put its strategies into practice.

A Practical, Time-Tested Guide to a Happy, Successful Marriage

Nearly everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments. Most people can even name a few of them. For fifty-five years Mac and Amy McNair have used the commandments to establish the basic guidelines for their own marriage. In Ten Principles for a Successful Marriage they share these principles and illustrate them with personal stories from their own marriage as well as from couples they have counseled.

While at first these insights may seem like nothing more than common courtesy—or for that matter just plain common sense—the McNairs acknowledge them as the foundation on which their long-lived marriage is built, and they firmly believe that other couples can strengthen their marriages by following these ten biblically-based principles.

"Ten Principles for a Successful Marriage is a masterpiece. We use it in answering the many letters and phone calls we receive from troubled couples." —Ruth Stafford Peale, Co-founder, Publisher, and Chairman of the Board, Guideposts

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