I received a great question from a site visitor asking how to use a tithing and other offerings donation slip when donating money to worldwide crises, such as the disaster in Myanmar (Burma). There's a place on the slip for "Humanitarian aid" but if you would like to donate money to be used specifically for emergency situations you should use the section that says "Other (specify)" and write "Emergency Response" in the space below. If you put your donation in the humanitarian aid section it will go to the general humanitarian fund and although some of those funds may be used for emergencies crises they are also used for other humanitarian needs such as clean water, neonatal, etc. If you make a donation with the LDS Philanthropies online you can specify where you would like your money to be used.

Note: View this enlarged image of the donation slip for a close up view.

I love this New Era Poster of a delicious cup of ice cream, large glob of whipped topping, a cherry on top, and a big fat cockroach. It reads, "It’s Great Except For... ...except for the bad parts. What kinds of movies and music are you feeding your mind?" The Media affects our lives for good or evil. How does it affect yours? Read the council of leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this informative article on the media and its effect in our lives. Learn our standards, beliefs, and what we can do to uphold them.

I'm really interested in knowing how many site visitors are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So please take one second to vote in this poll!


I know this poll won't be accurate but at least it will give me a rough idea of what percentage of you who visit my homepage are or aren't members of the LDS Church. Also, please share in the comments what it is you're looking for while you're here. Thanks for voting!

Previous poll: Should Husbands Give their Wives a Mother’s Day Gift/Card?

Update: Here's the latest announcement from the LDS Church:

"The UPS Foundation and CARE International are working with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to fly emergency relief supplies to Myanmar. The UPS Foundation is providing an air cargo charter flight that will be filled with supplies from the Church's welfare and humanitarian storehouses. Medical supplies, hygiene kits, tents, tarps, soap, and food will be loaded Sunday morning."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been working to send aid to Myanmar (Burma) and sent out the following notice a few days ago:

"Church leadership has approved funds to purchase large quantities of tarps, blankets, basic food, medical equipment, and especially clean drinking water for those in need.

"All items are being purchased in Myanmar or in nearby countries. The Church is partnering with Atlanta-based CARE International, a well-known non-governmental organization, to distribute the supplies" ("Church Responds to Myanmar Disaster," LDS Newsroom).

You can donate funds to help Myanmar through LDS Philanthropies or through another organization. The Buddhism Guide at About.com has given a list of these organizations in her blog post, "Alms for Burma." Her follow up post, "Is Aid Reaching Burma?" is thought provoking as well.

Mother's day is a wonderful time for each of us to take a moment and honor motherhood. Motherhood is not merely defined by the bearing and raising of children but is rather a statement regarding the divine nature of women. All women, whether or not they bear children, can fulfill the role of mothers. The work they do should also be remembered as we celebrate Mother's Day.

Learn more in this article about the divine role of motherhood as you celebrate Mother's Day, not just once a year, but everyday! Also see the Family Life and Marriage category for additional resources or vote in this poll: Should Husbands Give their Wives a Mother’s Day Gift/Card?

Here are a bunch of new LDS related websites and resources that I think are worth checking out.

• ReturnandReport.org
  A free tool that helps home and visiting teaching leaders by sending out email reminders to their teachers. Optionally this tool can also be used to report home and visiting teaching results.
  
  
• SugarDoodle.net
  A primary site with a list of sharing time ideas for each month and a page dedicated to primary, nursery, and activity day ideas.
  
  
• LDSJournal.com
  A free journaling website targeted towards the LDS community. You can upload and attach photos and videos to your journal entries, and if you keep a family blog you could easily copy and paste entries into your online journal.
  
  
• MormonWoman.org
  A site for and about Relief Society women, where they can share their thoughts, feelings, testimony and experiences, with others.
  
  
• LDSMovieRentals.com
  Similar to Netflix or Blockbuster this DVD rental company focuses on the LDS market.

Most of these sites are new, but if anyone has used them (or after trying them) I'd love to hear your thoughts about them so please share your experiences with us in the comments.

How do you raise teenagers, especially girls, to understand the importance of modesty when everything around them teaches them otherwise? I had a site visitor email me for help and I was able to offer some, but feel I am lacking in this area as my own daughter is only seven and I haven't yet had any problems with this principle.

There are some great resources both in and out of the LDS Church to help us teach about modesty, but how can you help the youth to really accept and embrace this important yet often difficult standard? Some of the resources I've found online include Jenmagazine.com, an online magazine run by a young Latter-day Saint woman that has some good articles on how we can be modest AND fashionable. I especially liked the article, "No, Really - It's a Good Thing!"

Another great resource is the Gospel Principles section for modesty at LDS.org, including the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet that teaches about appropriate dress and appearance. (Note: You can get a free copy of this pamphlet from your local ward/stake or online from the LDS Distribution Center. Do a search for item number 36550000 and they'll ship it to you for free.)

But what else is there to help parents who struggle with teaching modesty to their children? Please share your ideas, resources, thoughts, and experiences with us in the comments, we really need your help!

A talented sister has created sheet music for the Seminary Scripture Mastery Apostle Song. With the approval of the Sons of Ammon I've added a link to the sheet music for those of you who'd like to use it in your Seminary program.

I've updated the LDS bingo cards with a picture of President Thomas S. Monson as the prophet. This is a fun game that can be used for Family Home Evening, Primary, or General Conference.

Everyone in this life is affected by marriage, either that of their parents, their own, or their children's. Keeping a marriage strong while surviving life's trials can be a huge struggle, but learning from other's experiences can help us through these times. Here's a list of twelve ways a couple can develop a happy, healthy marriage.

What other techniques have helped you create and maintain a happy marriage? Share your answers with us in the comments or on the forum!