Let's look at our home and money situation. Do we have a family? And do we still want to have some fun-filled entertainment in our lives? We're tired of watching television every night, but we're monitoring the family dollar, and to take the whole gang to the movies is a big chunk of change. So let's go back to a common form of entertainment of the past: Reading.

A common subject of interest amongst my girlfriends is health, mainly women's health. Yes, we are concerned with our families, fitness, diet, exercise, eating and balance. But as of late, hormones are a hot topic. Maybe it should be more clearly defined as a lack of hormones, or too much, or better yet -- imbalanced.

Many of us have read the astonishing statistics concerning the effects of TV violence on our children. And we may stand in one of two camps: Television is just a reaction to society -- a projection of the way life is. Or television is influencing and encouraging the brutality in this world. Either way, it can't be sugar-coated. Let's look at the disadvantages and solutions of too much violence on the TV.

So are we in a financial recession or not? Is our money safe? Over the last short while -- with banks collapsing and many families going bankrupt -- this has been a hot topic. I've heard words such as apocalyptic or another great depression. I'm just like you and wanted some straight facts, so this is what I discovered...

Strength training has many benefits and it may be something we want to incorporate into our exercise regime, but we're not quite sure if we should join a gym and use the machines or do our own free weights at home. I don't think the 'where' really matters as much as just doing it. Again, with all exercise, it must be something that fits with our lifestyle.

I know one of my biggest weaknesses is fast food. There are days when nothing sounds better than a burger dripping with sauce and a huge coke. But I do know on some level, after I've downed my fix, that fast food isn't exactly the wisest choice when it comes to my health and the health of my family. Read on to learn more...

Have you ever wondered if you've come from royalty? Nowadays, there's a new growing trend to discover your own story -- where you've come from, if you have any long-lost relatives, and even to discover old family stories that have been buried along with your ancestors. Building a family tree to organize your family history is the easiest place to start, but let's go over some key points first.

We only need to turn on the television to learn that the United States has a problem with obesity. We've all heard of The Biggest Loser or Dr.Phil's Weight Loss Solution. Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers are popular weight-loss programs. And then you have the drug commercials for every ailment known to man -- high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and the list goes on. So let's go straight to the problem -- a lack of physical fitness.

We want to save more money, but we're not sure where to begin. Our first step is to make a budget, so we can then make a plan on how much we can save after our necessary bills are paid. It may seem like there's nothing left, but even if we're just putting away a few dollars a week, we're heading in the right direction.

We may have come across this article because we are in a financial crisis or perhaps we just want a better grasp of where our money is going. So let's go over some basics of financial planning. The essential ingredient to having control over our finances is having a budget. The heart of budgeting is really quite simple; you bring in more money than you spend.