With Your Family in Mind

According to the court statistics, January is the month when most divorces are filed. This may be because the holidays have passed or that people want a fresh start in the new year.  Some couples who have been planning to break up choose to avoid disrupting their families during the holidays. Others may be hopeful that their situation will change, and when nothing does, they opt for dissolution.

In a historic move, January 13, the William S. Hart Union High School District and the Action Family Foundation are partnering to open a sobriety school for local junior and senior high school students attending school within the school district’s boundaries. The campus will open at the Action Family Zone located at 20655 Soledad Canyon Road, Unit 24 in Santa Clarita. Currently there are 20 slots available for students, 10 for junior high and 10 for senior high students and more added as the school grows.

College applications are in. Now it’s time to take the next step in figuring out how to pay for college. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is the form you need to fill out next to apply for financial aid. But be careful! Making a mistake on the FAFSA can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars in free money.
Here is a list of some of the most common mistakes made when filling out this form:

One could argue that in certain ways, a family law attorney is kind of like an automobile mechanic. A client/customer comes to your office and his marriage/car is broken. Now at this point you might be thinking that the analogy won’t work because a marriage and family therapist would be more like an automobile mechanic then an attorney is.

At the end of my first year of pursuing a Master’s Degree in Social Work, I chose Inner Circle Foster Care and Adoptions as my second year internship placement due to my interest in the field of adoption. Like many in the general public, I held a negative image of the Foster Care system and Child Welfare system in general. Many pieces of scholarly research identify placement in more than one foster home as a major risk factor for poor mental and physical health later in life.

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 of short-term or long-term placement. Children in need of placement range from newborns to 18-year-olds.

ex·pec·ta·tion (ek-spek-tā-shən, ik-). The act of expecting, eager anticipation, the state of being expected. Something expected: a result that did not live up to expectations. Expectations prospects, especially gain.
Thanksgiving is barely over and it seems we were chomping at the bit and ready to race out the door for that perfect shopping experience. No wonder the holidays are stressful. We expected great bargains, but the truth is, that in just a few hours many of us have over spent our budgets, hurling us into massive credit card debt come January 2014.  

“You make a choice in your life, and it affects your life in all ways, good and bad.” – John Mayer
Divorce is on the rise.  What is a good divorce?  There may be many definitions floating around but, after 20 plus years working with families of divorce, both as therapists and divorce mediators, our definition of a “good divorce” is one that recognizes the marriage may have ended but the relationship existed. 

Use your visit to tell if a loved one needs help to stay at home safely. Are you going home for the holidays?  If you are, in addition to celebrating take a moment to make sure your older loved ones are still capable of managing their daily lives on their own.  Often older adults need some help to stay safe and healthy.
To help determine if older people need help to stay at home, Visiting Angels has developed this simple checklist:

Time, again, for my annual sharing of an important message. Holidays are a wonderful time of the year, and frequently they are the one or two times a year we are able to spend time with parents or other aging loved ones. If we do see them daily, sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees, and may not recognize a cognitive and/or physical decline.  Regardless of whether you see someone daily or occasionally, here are some recommended “Quick Check” activities.

There are several government benefits that veterans and their surviving spouses may receive.  Many of these benefits offer a significant monthly tax-free payment to help offset the high cost of long-term care.  Examples of this care include the cost of private caregivers, assisted living facilities, and residential care facilities for the elderly (“Board and Care”).  Applying for these benefits can be very complicated, and many seniors need assistance and guidance in the eligibility and application process.

We had been waiting a number of months for the beginning of trial in a somewhat complex case.
Once the courtroom doors opened, it became apparent we were not going to be alone. Three cases, lawyers included, not listed on the Court’s posted calendar, waltzed in. The attorney representing my client’s husband looked at me and rolled his eyes. It was, of course, October 31.

The holiday season approaches. Thoughts turn to holiday dinners, time with families and friends, greeting cards, the gift list. (writer R.T. Kahn theorized that there exists in this world one fruitcake, which we keep re-gifting.)
Gifts for business associates are easy enough to select, with stores, online and print ads to guide you. But what about special gifts for your closest loved ones -- especially those who don’t need more material things?

This holiday season, I will not be writing about real estate strategy or tips. I will take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the many blessings that I have received.
1. I am grateful to work alongside with exceptional colleagues. The Santa Clarita Valley is home to some of the finest realtors in the nation, and it is an absolute pleasure to work together to serve our clients.

With the holidays just around the corner, it’s important to remember the seniors in your family.  The holidays can be stressful for even the most laid-back folks, so imagine the toll on those who are not used to all the hustle and bustle in their lives.

If your child is in their senior year of high school, it is time to fill out applications and apply for financial aid.
You must find out the deadlines at each college and do not miss them!
In addition, you also want to ask these four vital questions:

Fall and winter are often a time for gatherings with family and friends – Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.  Nursing home residents often want to participate in these gatherings but may be under the impression that they will lose Medicare coverage if they leave the facility to do so.  This is not true.

A free consultation is a “priceless” opportunity to find out if you feel comfortable working with a specific attorney and what steps you would need to take if you do ultimately decide to take legal action. It is not a resource for having every question in your case answered. If you understand that, you will find the consultation very valuable.