With Your Family in Mind

 For most of us, checkups are a regular part of life. Dental visits, auto maintenance appointments and even glances in the bathroom mirror all help us monitor performance and catch potential problems and assure that all is – or will be – well. What’s true of teeth, engines and grooming is also...

 Many children are willing to voluntarily care for a parent or loved one without any promise of compensation. But the person providing care for a loved one usually makes significant sacrifices. For example, giving up a job and employment benefits. A formal agreement among family members can...

One of the most difficult aspects of crafting a parenting plan for child visitation is addressing the holidays. Parents can create a holiday schedule detailing which parent will spend time with their children on certain holidays and other special occasions, such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day,...

Drugs and alcohol play a large role in many custody fights. Sometimes they involve DUI’s and sometimes they involve casual, social drinking.  Assuming that we are not dealing with the issue of drug or alcohol abuse, custody orders are commonly drafted to permit a parent to drink so long as the...

The Friends of the Santa Clarita Public Library is inviting the community to roll up their sleeves and build gingerbread houses for submission into the fourth annual Gingerbread House Contest.  Submissions must be dropped off on Friday, December 2 between 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. at the Valencia...

The City of Santa Clarita, along with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station and the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley, have joined the Zonta Club of Santa Clarita in an important campaign aimed toward bringing awareness to domestic violence in the community. As part of the...

 It is with a heavy heart we share the passing of our friend and partner, David Rickett.  David was not only a founding partner of The Reape-Rickett Law Firm, but a member of the Reape-Rickett family. A lifelong resident of the Santa Clarita Valley, David earned his Associate of Arts Degree...

 Have you ever thought of becoming a foster parent or wanted to adopt a child in need of permanency? Koinonia Family Services is now serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, and is looking for families who want to provide safe, caring, and nurturing homes for children who are in need...

 The holiday season is almost upon us! This is the time of year where we get together with our extended families and connect over shared memories, holiday feasts and festive activities. These events are great opportunities to spend time with our senior loved ones and learn more about their life...

The first holidays after a divorce means a flood of memories from previous holidays and/or the traditions you shared. Consider this my free advice. It’s okay to feel sad, even mad, you are human after all. A suggestion I usually make is to try on your first single Thanksgiving to try and make...

 The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret. – Henny Youngman At a friend’s 25th wedding anniversary party, the Husband was asked for the secret of his long-term marriage. His answer? Peer pressure. They’re no longer married. In an online musical card from Llerrah, the secret to a long and...

 College of Canyons has received an Outstanding Achievement Award by the South Bay Workforce Investment Board (SBWIB) for attaining a placement rate of 100 percent of its graduates from the Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) Operator Program offered through the CNC Fast Track. The award was...

You know how to tell your doctor where it hurts. You can tell your dentist about your toothache. So why can it be so hard to talk finances with your financial professional? A meeting with financial professionals can admittedly be a source of stress for some. Managing money can seem...

 Several years ago, I sat down for dinner with my husband and two kids and leaned over to cut my older child’s meat. He was 10, and I’d been mindlessly doing it for, well, forever. But something stopped me in my tracks that night. I was a dean at Stanford University at the time, and the...

 Estate Planning isn’t a fun topic. No one wants to contemplate his own mortality. Nevertheless, most of us do care about what would happen to our loved ones if we were gone. Most of us have worked hard to acquire assets and build whatever estate we have. Most of us want to make sure that...

 Is your stylist actually a therapist who cuts hair? Could be! It seems they know a lot of the best qualities that are essential to relationship success. Here are a few. 1. She (or he) listens well. The first thing a hairdresser does when you come through the door is sit you down for a consult....

 Few people truly understand what could happen to their retirement plans after they pass away. In theory, leaving retirement plans to your heirs seems pretty simple. All you need is a beneficiary designation form where you designate who gets what. In real life though, what happens to retirement...

 After having attended the most beautiful wedding imaginable at Cipriani’s on 42nd street in Manhattan (Google it) with 350 people and three A list celebrities on the same night as the bombing in Chelsea (which with my luck happened to be right next to my hotel and garage) I became curious...