Prison food hacks – how to make vending machine food taste better

Are you tired of eating the same old vending machine? I am sure you sick of the vending food if you have been visiting more than four times. If so, I have some great ideas on how to make that over-processed food taste better! I spent 15 years visiting Ron in prisons. I…

February 15, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Scrapbook Your Family Photos

Time flies - even when we feel like the days are dragging by. I am always amazed at how quickly weeks become months, and months turn into years. If you don’t believe me, just look at your children. They are changing and growing up more every day. Change happens. We cannot stop it, but…

February 13, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

New Year’s Resolution When your Husband is in Prison

Making, and keeping, New Year’s Resolutions when your husband is in prison is painful. As people talk about the things they need to work on or change in their lives to become better, you are thinking about the biggest thing you want to change is that your husband is in prison. And yet, there is…

February 5, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

8 Ways to Stop Your Family from Falling Apart

Prison tears families apart. It is a truth we must accept; but it is not a fate we must accept. You have the choice to let your family continue to fall apart, and you have the power to stop the crumbling and rebuild it. There are few things in life that impact a…

January 29, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

Is it right to wait for a man in jail

My answer may surprise you I am asked by women from all over the world if it is right for them to wait for their man, who is in jail. My answer might surprise you. I always say, “No, don’t wait.” Did this shock you? So is every person who asks me that question. The…

January 25, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

General rules to visiting an inmate

Visits are a great way to stay in touch, but they are also important for other reasons. If you really want to know how your loved one is doing—go visit them. You learn so much more about how they are adjusting, if they are well, and the different programs they are participating in during a…

January 17, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Activities Family

8 Fun Games to Play over the Phone

Let's talk about the fun stuff It is hard to get everything you want to say into those short, 15 minute, calls. There is just so much life to share; so much you want him to know and be a part of in your daily lives. His absence is felt every minute of every day. …

January 14, 20190Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Ron Tijerina preparing for a prison visitRon Tijerina preparing for a prison visit

Family Mental Health

How to prepare for a prison visit

There is a lot that goes into preparing for a prison visit. If you have never had a loved one in prison, you may think it is easy to stay in touch. From the outside, it seems like all you need to do is get in your car and go visit your loved one prison. …

December 24, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Ron Tijerina ways to avoid holiday stress

Family

6 things you are doing that add stress to the holidays

It is so easy to over-commit your time and resources. In your efforts to please others, you often forget that you have limits. Before you know it, you are stressed and overwhelmed by all that you need to get done. You are snapping at your kids, resenting all the cooking, you’ve overspent and…

December 21, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

Christmas Traditions with a Loved one in Prison

Growing up in a large family, one of my favorite memories is of our Christmas traditions. We made dozens of cut-out cookies, batches of sweet caramels, pounds of chocolatey fudge, and bags of party mix in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Then, every Christmas eve, we each opened one gift—new pajamas. The next morning, the…

December 19, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com