A Quick Visit to the Ocean
Our Trip to the Children’s Hospital
It was so nice to be able to sit down and visit with him for awhile and to ask his advice on the possible job and move. Before we left he gave our oldest a blessing. We sure miss him!
After visiting with Father we spent some time walking the grounds at the Abbey.
Our next stop was at the gorgeous church in town. Someone was cleaning the entry area so it happened to be unlocked and we were able to peek inside. We had been here before for one of my friends/bridesmaid’s weddings and I just love this church!
Catholic Embroidery {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}
It has been an emotional and whirlwind of a week! We arrived home from our trip to the children’s hospital late Thursday night (or rather early Friday morning – so far the testing has been going well) and we are turning around and heading out of town again early tomorrow (Sunday) morning… As I mentioned briefly last Monday, we have some big decisions that need to be made soon. I’m sorry to be vague for the time being, but hopefully next week I’ll have the opportunity to get back to blogging again and share some of what has been going on with you all. In the meantime, could you please offer a prayer or two for our family?
Anyways, before I get off the computer to pack (and hopefully get a few hours of sleep tonight) I have another coupon code and giveaway for you all!
I think I might have mentioned Catholic Embroidery in the past… 😉 I just love their products!
I wish I had time to take updated pictures of some of our favorite items from Catholic Embroidery (there are many!) but I am going to have to settle for sharing the links and pictures to some of the things I’ve posted about in the past:
#1 – Baptismal Blanket from my blog post Our Baptized Baby and a Beautiful Baptismal Blanket
#2 – First Communion Handkerchief from my blog post First Holy Communion Gift Ideas
#3 – Rosary Case from my blog post The Big Purse Dump
# 4 – Rosary Case from my blog post On Easter Morning {Our 2013 Easter Baskets!}
#5 – Custom Children’s Missal Cover from my blog post On the Feast of St. James
#6 – Pysanky Basket Cover from my post Seven Quick Easter Takes and Easter Symbols {An Easter Basket for the Whole Family}
#7 – My Custom Shower of Roses Apron from my post {pretty, happy, funny, real}
#8 – Custom Ordered Tote from my blog post Celebrating the O Antiphons :: The Golden Nights
# 9 – Love of the Little Flower Afgan from my blog post My Daybook :: October 13, 2013
I have always been beyond happy with each purchase from Catholic Embroidery and I look forward to adding more of their products to our home in the future!
The “Season of Sacraments” is already upon us and our First Communion Handkerchiefs are just the gift for the Catholic Child. This year, we are offering a Standard and Custom version of the gold-metallicembroidered keepsake.
Other things that are especially popular this time of year are our Pysanky Basket Cover, Accessories for Easter Baskets, and our Lamb of God Apron, Table Runner, and Stationery…
A March Daybook on the Feast of St. Patrick
Outside my window…
we have been enjoying the beautiful spring weather.
I am thinking…
about so many things. We have some big decisions to make and we are praying our rosary every night that God will make His will for our family clear.
I am thankful…
for antibiotics! I just took the last antibiotic last night and am feeling so. much. better. I’m still dealing with some congestion though and avoiding dairy and sugar and taking lots of Vitamin C, probiotics, and now some mega doses of Vitamin D, due to some super low test results this past week.
Learning all the time…
We are celebrating St. Patrick today and the feast of St. Joseph is coming up the day after tomorrow! You can find the links to most of our past March feast day celebrations here, thought it looks like I have a little updating to do. . . It might be best to just search the labels for St. Patrick and St. Joseph.
From the kitchen…
Shamrock Frittata with Irish Sausage…
… Shamrock Toasties, as requested by our sweet boy celebrating a name-day…
.. and Irish Beef and Guinness Stew with Traditional Irish Soda Bread! Yummmmm.
I am working on…
resting. Though you wouldn’t know it after looking at all that yummy St. Patrick’s Day food! 😉
I am creating…
my submission for the summer issue of Catholic Digest.
I am going…
on a road trip with just my husband and oldest two boys! My parents have offered to watch the five youngest (for the first time overnight) while we travel to see the specialists and I’m really looking forward to spending this special time with just the boys.
I am praying…
that the specialists will have some answers for us when we meet with them on Thursday morning.
I am reading…
a new addition to our collection of picture books for March: St. Patrick and the Three Brave Mice.
Pondering these words…
from Arthur Brisbane:
“[St. Patrick] was a terror to any snake that came in his path, whether it was the cold, slimy reptile sliding along the ground or the more dangerous snake that oppresses men through false teachings. And he drove the snakes out of the minds of men, snakes of superstition and brutality and cruelty.”
I am listening…
to Traditional Irish Music on Pandora and the children just finished watching Patrick – Brave Shepherd of the Emerald Isle.
Around the house…
I love that our oldest son picked up my slack and decorated for St. Patrick’s Day this year! He pulled out his statue of St. Patrick along with a few of his Holy Cards, put together a little Leprechaun/Rainbow/Pot of Gold and Irish Flag Lego Creations, and even pulled out one of his favorite stuffed animals from when he was a baby and a paper on St. Patrick that he recently finished writing!
I never get tired of watching this little guy try and blow out all the candles around our home.
This week’s plans…
- Celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick (and our Irish Heritage!)
- Math Tutor on Tuesday (Next week is Spring Break!)
- Table Replacement Arriving! (So excited! It only took 7 months…)
- Celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph (It will be extra simple this year…)
- Trip to take Captain to see the Specialist (Please pray! and I’ll be away from the computer for a couple days…)
A little peek at my day…
Prayer Pillowcases {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}
Last Christmas two of our children were blessed with Prayer Pillowcases of their patron saints! The inspiring and soft pillowcases have been such a lovely addition to our home and I have been very impressed with the quality. These pillowcases are made in the USA and the images are printed directly onto the pillowcase using non-toxic water based inks. I have washed the pillowcases inside out using cold water and have only noticed very minimal fading after the first washing and they still look just as beautiful as when they arrived!
One visitor will receive the Saint Patrick Prayer Pillowcase and another visitor will receive the Saint Joseph Prayer Pillowcase, each specially personalized for the winner!
Please enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter box below:
{Seven Quick Takes} At the end of a quiet week…
1st Pontifical High Mass at the Throne
I still can hardly believe that Archbishop Sample is our Archbishop! He gives me such hope for our liberal state and diocese. Deo Gratias!
This beautiful and inspiring sermon was given by His Excellency Archbishop Sample at the Pontifical Mass he celebrated in the Extraordinary Form on March 1, 2014 at the Brigittine Monastery in Amity, Oregon.
The Mass was the crowning celebration of a 3-day conference on Gregorian Chant and the role of sacred music in the liturgy. I had wanted to surprise my husband with a trip to attend as an early birthday gift, but due to the flu it wasn’t a possibility this year… Instead he will be receiving a 12×18 print of the above photo and hopefully he will be able to attend the next conference. 🙂
Gail Girón Design {Sponsored Review & Giveaway}
The Lenten Season In Our Catholic Home
For us didst fast and pray,
Teach us with Thee to mourn our sins,
And close by Thee to stay…
The Lenten Season In Our Catholic Home
Over the years our family has adopted and established many Lenten traditions with our children. I spent a little time this afternoon finalizing our plans for this Lenten season and have compiled them here to share, including links to the original sources of our inspiration. May you all have a blessed and fruitful Lenten season! (Note: This post contains affiliate links.)
Shrove Tuesday
- All past Shove Tuesday posts
- Plan a time for our family to go to Confession
Shrove Tuesday is a day of preparation for Lent. The name “shrove” comes from the word “shrive” which means “to confess.” The Church recommends that we receive the Sacrament of Penance frequently and once a year at the every least. Our family will be going again soon so that we can begin Lent with clear consciences and clean souls.
- Bury the Alleluia until Easter Sunday!
I am not sure where this tradition originated, but I have read that “In medieval times, in order to signify that the Alleluia was no longer to be sung at Mass from Ash Wednesday to the great Vigil of Easter, people developed the ceremony of “burying the Alleluia”. It typically consisted of putting a scroll with the word “Alleluia” on it inside a coffin and actually digging up a grave in the church lot and throwing it in, where it would rest until retrieved in another ceremony on Easter.” Instead of a scroll our family has always used wooden letters (painted gold by the some of the children when they were younger) inspired by Elizabeth Foss. We pack bury them in a box for Lent and they will be unpacked unburied and placed on our mantle Easter morning.
Ash Wednesday (Day of Fast and Abstinence)
- Attend Mass
- Fast and Abstinence
- Recipes for Ash Wednesday Beans and Fasting Bread can be found at Catholic Cuisine.
Daily During Lent: Pray • Fast • Give Alms
- Morning Prayers and Devotions
- Lunchtime Jesus Tree Bible Stories and Coloring Pages
- Afternoon Lenten Reading and Saint Stories
- Listen to Lent at Ephesus
- Dinnertime Read-Aloud: Saint of the Day, short Meditations for Lent, and Sunday Sermons
- Evening Family Rosary
UPDATE: A Lenten Calendar for Catholic Children {revised}
- Our Jesus Tree (using our Felt and Wooden Ornaments)
We have always loved using the Jesus Tree as a Lenten bible study for our children. Each day during Lent we read a story about an event or teaching during Jesus’ life and add a corresponding ornament to the tree. At first, the dead branch (tree) symbolizes the barren and lifeless feeling of the Lenten season as we reflect on our own sinfulness and the crucifixion of our Lord. As the season climaxes with Easter, we see the gift Christ gave us through His death and Resurrection. The beauty of that new life is reflected in the way the dead branch has “blossomed” with all the symbols of Christ’s life and teachings.
NOTE: I’m working on compiling a booklet with the list of coordinating readings I came up with years ago using our New Catholic Picture Bible. You can find the current list in full here, though many of the coloring page links no longer work. I’m currently working on updating those links as well. I’ll be sure to update this post with the links to any new/updated posts once they are completed.
- Lenten Sacrifice Beans
This tradition of ours is inspired by Mary Reed Newland in her book The Year and Our Children. She says, “It is hard to keep track of this treasure that is laid in Heaven if you are quite small and six weeks drag out like six years. We have made this part of the effort visible for the children so that they might see that they were accomplishing something. On or about Ash Wednesday, we dye lima beans purple to be used as counters in a jar. Beans, because they are seeds which, if put in the ground, appear to die only to spring forth with new life. This is what Our Lord said we must do if we would have life in Him. He that seems to lose his life shall gain it. The beans remind us that daily death to self in one self-denial after another is the dying which will find for us new life in Him.” On Easter Sunday the children wake up to discover that all the Lenten Sacrifice Beans have been replaced with Jelly Beans!
Update: You can see our jar filled with Jelly Beans on Easter Sunday here.
- Lenten Crown of Thorns
A great motivating tool during Lent is the Lenten Crown of Thorns. Create a Crown of Thorns as a Lenten centerpiece for your table using a grapevine wreath (crown) and inserting toothpicks (thorns) to represent the many pains and sufferings Our Lord endured for our salvation. Both children and adults will be encouraged to persevere with their Lenten penances as they remove a thorn for each good deed and sacrifice offered. This tradition was inspired by Waltzing Matilda.
Additional Lenten Activities
- Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure
- Create Lent Lap Books (In the past we have used the Lent Lap Book from Faith Folders for Catholics with some of our own modifications.)
- Assemble a Last Supper Puzzle
- Craft a new Paschal Candle for Easter
Sometime during Lent we will create a Paschal Candle for Easter Morning. You can purchase a Paschal Candle Kit from Illuminated Ink (like the one we made here). Or create your own using the directions found here: Paschal Candle for Easter. Place the candle in the center of your Crown of Thorns centerpiece (see Daily During Lent), replacing all the thorns with flowers!
Fridays During Lent
- Simple Meatless Meals
- Attend Stations of the Cross or Pray at Home
- (Scroll through all past posts labeled Stations of the Cross.)
Crafting our Stations of the Cross – kit from Illuminated Ink (also available at Amazon)
Some excellent resources for praying the Stations of the Cross at Home with Children include The Stations of the Cross for Children (Glory Stories), The Way of the Cross for Children DVD, and Praying the Way of the Cross (featuring Liam Neeson). We also have an assortment of books and coloring books for the children as well. Jesse Tree Treasures also carries a lovely set of Stations of the Cross Ornaments.
Spring Cleaning
- De-clutter, simplify, organize and clean!
Past posts include: Spring Cleaning ~ The Goal (2008), Lenten Cleaning (2009), 40 Bags of Stuff (2009), 40 Bags in 40 Days and Update (2010) and Shaking off the Bonds of Stuff :: A 40-Day Plan for Lent (2012).
Laetare Sunday (4th Sunday of Lent)
- Serve a special treat after Mass, possibly Laetare Sundaes
- All past Laetare Sunday posts
Passion Sunday (5th Sunday of Lent)
- Move Good Friday Tea to this weekend (scroll through past Passion/Good Friday Lenten Teas)
- Cover Statues with Purple Cloth
Note: Now that our children our getting older, the Holy Thursday and Good Friday Teas (originally inspired by Alice Gunther) are a little too much “fun” for our family for Holy Week which is one of the reasons we omitted them last year. We have loved doing them in the past so I’ve decided to move them to the two Sundays prior to Holy Week – Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday – that way we can use them as a teaching tool for the rest of our little ones and I can still spend as little time as possible in the kitchen (and hopefully more time at Church) during Holy Week. UPDATE: We ended up leaving our Lenten Dinners during Holy Week this year after all.
Palm Sunday (6th Sunday of Lent)
- Move Holy Thursday Tea to this Sunday (scroll through past Palm Sunday/Holy Thursday Lenten Teas)
- Palm of Palms Craft
- All past Palm Sunday posts
Palm Sunday is also known as “Fig Sunday” due to the tradition that Christ ate figs following his entry into Jerusalem. Celebrate Our Lord’s glorious entrance into Jerusalem by enjoying some fresh figs or Fig Newtons today. Another option is to serve Palm Sundaes (Ice Cream Sundaes topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and shredded coconut – since coconuts grow on Palm Trees) for dessert.
Holy Thursday
- Attend Mass
- Bake Hot Cross Buns and/or Fasting Bread for Tomorrow
- All past Holy Thursday posts
Look at His adorable face. Look at His glazed and sunken eyes. Look at His wounds. Look Jesus in the Face. There, you will see how He loves us. ~ St. Therese of Lisieux
Good Friday (Day of Fast and Abstinence)
- Fast and Abstinence
- Hot Cross Buns (Recipe can be found here)
- Stations of the Cross
- Veneration of the Cross
- All past Good Friday posts
Holy Saturday
- Resurrection Cookies and/or Resurrection Rolls are full of symbolism and makes a great hands-on way to tell the story of Christ’s Resurrection to children.
- Dye Easter Eggs
- Bake Bread for Easter
- All past Holy Saturday posts
- Prepare for Easter Sunday!
Other Past Posts of the Lenten Season in our Catholic Home
- Preparing for Lent :: Our Lenten Journey (2011)
- A Few of Our Lenten Activities (2010)
- The Ten Commandments Lap Book {Catechism Craft with Free Printables}
- Our Lent and Easter Book Baskets
- Playmobil: Way of the Cross
- The Easter Story {LEGO Edition} (2015 addition)
To suffer lovingly is to suffer no longer. To flee from the cross is to be crushed beneath its weight. We should pray for a love of the cross – then it will become sweet. ~ St John Vianney
A Lenten Calendar for Catholic Children
Update: You can find my revised 2015 Lenten Calendar here.
I’ve been making variations of this Lenten Calendar since our oldest was only 3 year old (for 11 years now!) inspired by an idea I found back then in a little book titled: Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler. (affiliate link) I first posted about it here back in 2008 and have shared some of our more recent calendars as well. I just finished creating this year’s calendar and thought I’d update the old post and share it again, along with my documents for anyone else who might want to create one as well.
If you are looking for something smaller, quicker, and easier, head on over to Pondered In My Heart or Waltzing Matilda. They both have beautiful printable calendars, which I just finished printing for my older children! 🙂
SUPPLIES:
- 1 – 22″x28″ White Posterboard
- Purple Marker
- Yard Stick
- Printed Images and Text (Free Download Here)
- Scissors and Glue Stick
- Purple Card Stock or Construction Paper
DIRECTIONS:
Create seven rows of 3 1/8″ x 3 1/8″ squares for the 40 days of Lent plus all of the Sundays, with an 1/8″ border on each side of the poster board.
Label the Days of the week Monday through Sunday.
Each day of the week has a special prayer intention for which we pray and fast.:
- Monday – For an End to Abortion
- Tuesday – For Conversions to the True Faith
- Wednesday – For our Holy Father and all Priests
- Thursday – For our Family, Godparents & Godchildren
- Friday – For Forgiveness of Sins in our World
- Saturday – For our Deceased Relatives
- Sunday – In Thanksgiving for God’s Blessings
Title the top of the calendar with LENT: Pray, Fast, Give Alms.
Through prayer, fasting and alms giving, we bring Jesus into our lives, and commit ourselves to being united with him in His suffering, death and resurrection. Through this we also love and serve Him as we love and serve our neighbor.
Cut out, place, and glue all the images for Ash Wednesday, the various feast days, all the Sundays of Lent, and Holy Week.
Our calendar has a square for each day, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Special Feasts and Holy days during that period are decorated to represent that day. For example, we have a picture of St. Patrick on March 17th and St. Joseph on March 19th. These special feasts help break up the long Lenten Season.
Add a Fish Symbol to each Friday representing the days of abstinence.
Hang somewhere it can easily be seen (and reached) by the children.
PRAY
- Each Morning for the Special Intention of the Day
- Daily Family Rosary
- Stations of the Cross on Friday
- Adoration Hour
- Daily Mass
When the older children were little I made or purchased stickers of rosaries, stations of the cross, churches, etc for them to add to each day we prayed the rosary, stations, or attended Mass. I’ll have to see what I can find for this year!
FAST
- Take one item from the pantry each day for the poor
- Simple Meatless Meals on Fridays
- Personal Sacrifices I’m Offering Up for Lent
Toddlers don’t always understand the concept of giving something up for Lent. Instead of having our youngest children give something up we have them focus on giving away. I stock the bottom shelves of the pantry with appropriate food items that can be donated, and everyday the little ones choose something to place in a box to be donated to a needy person or organization. I fit this extra food into our grocery budget by serving simple meals throughout lent, especially on Fridays.
We are also choosing some things to offer up individually and as a family. I’ve left it generic on our calendar as “Personal Sacrifices I’m Offering Up for Lent.”
GIVE ALMS
- Count the items listed for each Day
- Put corresponding Number of Pennies in the Rice Bowl
In Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler (affiliate link) the author says, “Playing with pennies is fun, and so is putting them in a piggy bank. So try combining the two… Almost every church has Rice Bowls for lent… Think of items in your home that you can count. Select something different for every day of lent and put this on your calendar. For example, after deciding to count all the doors in your house, take the child and count all the doors. For each item counted, give him a penny to put in the Rice Bowl. There can be forty or forty-five pennies each day. It can add up, especially if you have more than one child! After Easter, bring the Rice Bowl to your church and have your child give it to your priest. Explain that this money will be used to buy food and clothes for people who do not have enough money to buy their own.”
Some examples of things that could be counted include: shoes, beds, windows, chairs, tables, pictures on the walls, trees in the yard, rooms, light fixtures, books on the shelf, silverware, stairs, toys, dolls, etc… You can be creative! This is a great opportunity to teach the children to be grateful for all they own. It is also a perfect time to work on filling those 40 bags with items to pass along to someone in need.
In the past I would usually write down something for the children to count in each square at the beginning of Lent (see Give Alms above). However, I’ve found it easiest to just assign them each morning, that way I can easily incorporate specific areas that I want to work on decluttering. 😉
This year I created squares with a cross on one side (printed on purple card stock) to cover each calendar square, instead of the cut out crosses we’ve used in the past. My plan for this year is to write on the back of each square the assignments for the day – what/where we will be praying, a reminder to fast/take an item from the pantry for the poor, and something to count for the younger children’s “Give Alms.”
At the end of each day – after we complete our prayers, fasting, and alms giving for the day – we will place the purple cross over the square of that particular date on the calendar as we count down the days until Easter Sunday!
0 Comments