Banners/ Baby & Exhibit Sitters/ Movie Dates/ HHS Resources/ Florida Legislation Simmers Along - 3/25/09

Thu Mar 26 13:07:33 EDT 2009

- TAH DAH - BANNERS AND WIDGETS
- BABYSITTERS?
- MARRIAGE DATE MOVIE SUGGESTIONS
- HHS MARRIAGE RESOURCES - IF IT EXISTS, YOU'LL FIND IT HERE
- FLORIDA MARRIAGE LEGISLATION INCENTIVES

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- TAH DAH - BANNERS AND WIDGETS

Mark Payan who will present several sessions in Orlando on how we can best
use Internet and social networking technology to advance our mission, has
created several beautiful banners and widgets that you can post on your
websites.  He made various sizes so you can choose one that fits.  He says
you'll know how to do this - how to place the banner or widget by *simply
copying the code provided*. I hope so.

Find them here: http://www.marcpayan.com

Let me know if you post one on your site.  I want to visit and see them all.
If you've got other ideas for reaching the world, let me know.  - diane

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- BROCHURES

If you haven't received a brochure by now it means I don't have your postal
mailing address.  Send it and I'll send one.  If you'd like a dozen or a
hundred, let me know.  Or, download here:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/download.brochure.html

- d

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- BABYSITTERS?

Do any of you plan to bring teenagers to the Orlando Conference who would
like to make money babysitting kids or exhibit booths?  If so, let me know
and I'll post your contact information on the website. - diane

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- MARRIAGE DATE MOVIE SUGGESTIONS

> Diane:
> 
> With the amazing success of Fireproof (seems to work not only for younger
> couples, but for older couples, even those without a church background),
> I want to put together a "top ten' list of movie dates for couples, to use
> for a once-a-week intentional 'couple date.'  After a class, or as part of
> counseling, couples could be given a list of really helpful movies, that
> show how relationships can, and should, work.
> 
> My husband and I were watching Groundhog Day (for about the 10th time) last
> night, and I was struck by how many 'marriage lessons' it has -- about
> paying attention to the other person, to what happens in an ordinary day,
> about trying over and over to say something the right way.
> 
> Here's my start, from  the workshops I did at Smart Marriages a few years
> ago -- these are the 'heart=warmers, not the falling in love romantic
> comedies, but the ones that can help couples learn, or remember "'how we do
> marriage"? I have lots of others with a great scene or two, but I'm looking
> for basically watchable movies, that get it right. I don't go to a
> lot of movies, so I'm sure I've missed a bunch. What ones would you add?
> I can certainly share it with the list, with some feedback from you first.
> 
> Fireproof
> 
> The Story of Us
> 
> Groundhog Day
> 
> Don Juan de Marco (especially for older couples)
> 
> Life as a House (2002) - Kevin Kline
> 
> My Life (1994)  [death of a spouse, meaning of life & relationship]
> 
> My Big Fat Greek Wedding
> 
> Shall We Dance?
> 
> Maybe:
>     Forget Paris (1995)
>     Mrs. Doubtfire
> 
> 
> Jana Staton

Jana, 
We started such a list which is posted on the website here:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/story.of.us.html#movie.list

I just added Groundhog Day using your note above.

I'm going to ask the list for submissions. If you send a movie please
include a note that says WHY it fits either as a great movie for couples to
watch together on "date night" AND/OR why it's a great marriage education
teaching movie.  

Also, if you're interested in movies as a teaching tool, be sure to attend:

> 714 - July 11, Orlando
> At The Movies
> Tom Rinkoski, MEd, CFLE
> Watch clips and learn how to use movies and TV in your marriage education
> sessions to illustrate points, engage participants, and catalyze discussion.

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- HHS MARRIAGE RESOURCES - IF IT EXISTS, YOU'LL FIND IT HERE

https://hhsu.learning.hhs.gov/communities/folders.asp?iFolderID=18965

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- FLORIDA MARRIAGE LEGISLATION INCENTIVES

OrlandoSentinel.com
John Stemberger: Incentives to prepare for marriage good policy

March 25, 2009

Amazingly, Orlando Sentinel columnists George Díaz and Scott Maxwell have
mocked, belittled and cleverly misrepresented the efforts of the Florida
Family Policy Council in its statewide Strong Marriages Florida campaign.

First, the current law enacted under former Gov. Lawton Chiles sets
marriage-license fees at $93.50 with the option of getting a $32.50 discount
if the couple obtains four hours of pre-marital education. This is not much
of an economic motivation, which is why most couples do not take advantage
of the counseling.

The proposed bill we are supporting would increase the $93.50 fee by $100
with the option of getting a $132.50 discount if the couple completes eight
hours of education. The research shows that with eight hours of preparation,
married couples experience greater satisfaction, stability and longevity.

Why is this needed?

Sadly, Florida has the highest number of recorded divorces in the country ‹
more than 86,000 annually. This is more divorces than in New York or Texas.
And the social and economic costs of family fragmentation are staggering.

The human costs are all around us and far too common: impoverished single
moms, fatherless children and families unilaterally shattered.

The economic costs to taxpayers are also high and needs grow higher each
year. Florida taxpayers spend $1.9 billion a year in public funding as a
result of divorcing and bearing children out of wedlock. This figure comes
from a 2008 study, "The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing."
Ben Scafidi, the primary researcher for the study, when asked about the bill
and our efforts wrote:

"If such a program succeeded in increasing stably married families by just 1
percent, it would save Florida taxpayers $19,530,000 per year. A 3 percent
increase would save Florida taxpayers $58,590,000 every year."

Díaz wrote in his Friday column that this was "government sticking its nose
into our bedrooms." What? You want government in your private life? Try
getting a divorce. The government will tell you what to do with your money,
your children and your home. We are working to reduce the need for this
government power grab in the first place.

It is critical to understand that the "private decision" to divorce has
profound public consequences, especially when children are involved, and the
state has a compelling interest in encouraging the stability of marriage and
family as a primary means of social order.

Maxwell in his Sunday column calls it a "marriage tax." Truth is this an
optional, one-time, avoidable fee which creates a positive economic
incentive for couples to get premarital education and lay a foundation for
what is intended to be a lifelong relationship. For those who choose not to
prepare for marriage, this fee would save taxpayers millions of dollars as
the fees would go toward grants to pay for community programs to decrease
family fragmentation.

Strong Marriages Florida is a first-of-its-kind statewide campaign to
strengthen marriage, reduce divorce and save taxpayers millions. Instead of
reporting and commenting on this campaign seriously and thoughtfully,
Sentinel columnists have chosen to mock it for mere sport. In doing so, they
have become part of the problem instead of being part of the potential
solution.
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John Stemberger is the founder and director of Strong Marriages Florida and
will co-host, with Richard Albertson, a Networking Meeting at the Orlando
Smart Marriages Conference 5:30pm Thurs July 9.

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13th Annual Smart Marriages® Conference, Shingle Creek Resort,
Orlando, Florida, July 6-12, 2009 (General Conference July 8-11)
Pre-Conference Training Institutes July 6-8
Post-Conference Training Institutes July 12

Shingle Creek Resort: http://www.rosenshinglecreek.com/

Conference schedule, registration, & exhibit information:
http://www.smartmarriages.com/conferencedetails.html

List your program and resources on the Directory of Classes at
http://www.smartmarriages.com/directory_browse.html

Order conference audio & video CD/DVD/MP3s: 800-241-7785 or
http://www.iPlaybackSmartMarriages.com

Coalition for Marriage, Family and Couples Education, LLC (CMFCE)
Diane Sollee, Director
5310 Belt Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015-1961
http://www.smartmarriages.com
202-362-3332

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