Feast of the Holy Family
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family!The Holy Family is the perfect model for us of family life.
Let us pray for the grace to always imitate their holiness in our own families. Through meditating on them, may our Lord also give us the grace to see the areas within our families in need of improvement.
Let us also remember to pray for ALL families, that they may be able to uphold the sanctity of the marriage bond which is so greatly under attack.
May the Holy Family continue to bless and guide you and your family!
Act of Consecration to the Holy Family
O Jesus,
Our most loving Redeemer,
Who having come to enlighten the world
With Thy teaching and example,
Didst will to pass the greater part of Thy life
In humility and subjection to Mary and Joseph
In the poor home of Nazareth,
Thus sanctifying the Family
That was to be an example for all Christian families,
Graciously receive our family as it dedicates
And consecrates itself to Thee this day.
Do Thou protect us,
Guard us and establish amongst us Thy holy fear,
True peace and concord in Christian love:
In order that by living according to the divine pattern
Of Thy family we may be able,
All of us without exception,
To attain to eternal happiness.
Mary,
Dear Mother of Jesus and Mother of us,
By the kindly intercession
Make this our humble offering acceptable in the sight of
Jesus,
And obtain for us His graces and blessings.
O Saint Joseph,
Most holy Guardian of Jesus and Mary,
Help us by thy prayers in all our spiritual and temporal
Needs;
That so we may be enabled to praise our divine Savior
Jesus,
Together with Mary and thee,
For all eternity.
(Recite the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory 3 times.)
Amen.
(An indulgence of 500 days. A plenary indulgence is granted, with the usual conditions, if this prayer is repeated with devotion every day for a month.)
Our Christmas
My cousin recently posted about “keeping it real.” It is so true that our blogs can sometimes make our lives look perfect. I know that I for one, when looking at other blogs, can sometimes get frustrated and overwhelmed and think, “How on earth does she get ALL of that accomplished!” I then have to step back and remind myself, that I DO have 5 children under the age of 8… and sometimes expect WAY too much from myself! Then I think about a friend who left a comment here at my blog saying, “Can you homeschool me?” This made me laugh so hard… If she only knew! So, in an effort to “keep it real” I’m going to tell you the story of our Christmas this year!
It started with me waking up, Christmas Eve, somewhat sick. (Thankfully I was spared getting very sick till the day after Christmas!) We had been battling the flu and colds for a couple weeks. So, I got up and took some vitamins and then I realized I hadn’t even THOUGHT about what my children, or myself for that matter, were going to wear for Christmas. I knew I had my daughters taken care of thanks to my sweet cousin. So, I tried on a few different things in my closet, all of which my dear hubby said no…no… um, no… NOTHING fit! (Still working on losing that baby weight, and in the meantime nothing fits, my old clothes are too small and my maternity clothes are too big! What does fit is VERY casual.) So, I ventured out (when I should have been making cookies!) to find a Christmas outfit! I found one!! Yeah!! It took going to a few stores, but I came home with a darling new black, gray & white paisley skirt, black beaded sweater with top and new shoes! I was set! And Hubby liked it!
In the meantime, the rest of my family was decorating our tree. I really wish we could do this earlier… Next year, we might compromise and decorate it the day before Christmas Eve and then just wait to turn on the lights till Christmas eve. We’ll see…
So, it was time to get the boys clothes ready… Now, I THOUGHT this would be easy. They could wear what they wore last year… Um, nope! Captain REALLY grew this last year. Rascal could wear Captains vest and pants from last year, and I had pants for Captain, but no sweater or vest. Then there was sweet little Snuggles. Surely there was something from when his older brothers were babies… And there was, PLENTY in fact, just in the wrong sizes. At this point I am kicking myself for not checking BEFORE I went shopping. Aaarrggh! What to do, WHAT to do??
Now… Those of you that know me, know I have an obsession love of a certain children’s store. Just maybe one of my siblings would happen to be in town (30 min away) and be able to pick something up for me!
I picked up the phone… YAY!! My 17 year old brother was near the mall! Don’t you LOVE cell phones!?! Why did I ever give my mom a hard time for letting all my teenage siblings have their own cell phone??? It can SURE come in handy! Scott said sure, so I got on the phone and had the girls at the store searching for an outfit for Snuggles. The Christmas line had been out for MONTHS and was pretty picked over, but that was fine with me, since it was also hugely discounted. (I only shop the clearance racks at this store…) They know me well there, and Emily went into the back and found a full outfit: top, vest, pants, socks, shoes and hat! All for only $.99-5.99 (for the pants) each, as well as a cute green cable knit vest for Captain. Thank you Scotty! I could now breathe again.
Then it was nap time, the girls were too excited to nap… Then bath time… Time to get the appetizers ready to take to the Christmas Eve Party we were attending… Time to get the boys ready… Hurry and get myself ready, and TIME TO GO! (We were running late… surprised?) But everyone was set to go, and I was now ready to relax and enjoy Christmas!
We stopped at my neighbors on our way out. It was nice to visit and the kids were able to give them the ornaments they had made as well as some treats!
Then we were off to town, for the party and Midnight Mass. The girls fell asleep and I didn’t think anything of it. When we got to our friends house, hubby picked up Chiquita, and said… “She wet!”
She had. And I had not packed anything extra for her to wear. She never has accidents… EXCEPT, when shes sleeping. Luckily, when she had been placed in her car seat, her dress got caught up, so it was dry, but her tights and panties were SOAKED. I took them into the bathroom and washed them in the sink. Chris was a dear and tossed them into her dryer. Someone, I’m not sure who, put her tights back on her, OVER her diaper… And I laughed when a friend of ours, found her panties on our friends living room floor! Oops! How did THAT happen?!?
Nevertheless, we had a WONDERFUL time at the party! The boys were all especially captivated by the train under their tree!
When the party ended, we still had 2 HOURS till Mass started. Hummm… Is this really a good idea? The kids are tired and I was starting to feel even sicker. We decided to drive around and look at lights for awhile and then decide.
We saw some BEAUTIFUL homes totally decorated! And LOTS of others looking too!
At 11:15pm, we were in the church parking lot for Mass. The kids were sleeping, all except one who was saying his neck hurt… Oh, no! And then it hit me… WE PUT CHIQUITA BACK INTO HER WET CAR SEAT!” Yep, she was soaked again. I sent Rascal, my one awake child, to go and get daddy, who was in the church saving seats.
We went home… I was sad. I LOVE Midnight Mass. But for us this year, it just wasn’t meant to be. Maybe next year!
Once home, hubby and I put the kids in their new Christmas pajamas, finished wrapping presents, and decorated the children’s rooms until I actually fell asleep on the couch, waking up at 6:30am with more wrapping to do!
The kids woke up and were SO excited! You can read a few of their comments here.
We had a bit of time now, plus we wait till after Mass for the kids to open their gifts, so we took this opportunity to bless the nativity and the tree!
Then it was off to Mass. Mass was beautiful! The small church was rather full, but not packed. However, our children were the only little ones in the church. They received LOTS of attention after Mass, and I could see that they brought many smiles to this older crowd!
At home once again, I set out making the breakfast I had hoped to have pre-ready! Thank you hubby for picking up that yummy coffeecake at Costco “Just in Case!” We sang happy birthday to baby Jesus, and the kids blew out the candles. They then opened their stockings while I baked Ham & Cheese Brunch Squares. (Highly recommended! They were DELICIOUS!)
It’s amazing that even with all the craziness the day before, Christmas ended up being very blessed and magical! We canceled our plans to go over to my parents, and spent the day home (other than Mass) watching the kids open and then play with their new gifts.
Michael was so cute playing with his stocking… He was in heaven with his new elephant teether!
The girls received a new kitchen play set which I was able to purchase at a recent silent auction for only $40! (Costco was selling it for $139! The fridge had a few defects that hubby was able to fix. But for $100 less, I couldn’t pass it up!)
Twinkle Toes also LOVES “Searching Books” and has spent HOURS searching for pictures in her new 1001 Things to Spot in Fairyland!
The boys INCLUDING Daddy have been having a blast playing with Captains Rodeo Set! Hubby’s been working on a post over at his blog which I will link to when he is finished! My camera is FULL of rodeo pictures! I am a bit curious as to what they are working on?!
Ever since a trip this summer to visit some friends, my boys have been asking for Playmobil toys… Rascal was so excited to receive a new Warrior Ship!
And ALL the kids have been having fun with their new blessed toys!
My hubby spoiled me with a gift card to Barnes & Noble, and a couple new pairs of shoes! I always have SUCH a hard time finding shoes, but he always finds me the cutest pairs! Aren’t they darling? He even got me a new copy of my FAVORITE CD, since my old one has been missing since our family reunion this past summer. He can be SO thoughtful!
The kiddos were so excited about EVERYTHING they were given including gifts from relatives and Godparents! We were even surprised with a set of coloring books from a couple of my Uncles Tad & Jeb! (My dads twin brothers, whom we haven’t seen in years!)
Hubby & I limit the gifts we get our children to 3 each, since Jesus received 3 gifts Himself. However, when you add in the stockings, and gifts from everyone else, multiplied by 5 kids, it ends up being quite a bit… Too much in fact! 🙂 I’m still trying to find places to put their new things… This does, however, provide an excellent opportunity to donate some of the older toys to those less fortunate.
And to make the day even more lovely, it started snowing! By the next morning, we had a beautiful winter wonderland!
Since Christmas, we have just enjoyed staying home… Since I wasn’t feeling up to going anywhere, my parents and siblings came over to our house the day after Christmas to exchange gifts. We all had a blast eating homemade Chex mix and playing Apples to Apples! A local store had 2 for one games the day after Thanksgiving and so we’ve been having fun playing them! Captain received Stratego and loves it!
So, there you have it, our unedited Christmas! It was both stressful AND peaceful, crazy AND fun, holy and blessed, all at the same time! Plus, the children all have many new memories of this Christmas, Jesus’ Birthday, the REAL reason for the season!
I hope your Christmas was a very joyful and peaceful one!May you be showered with blessings this coming year! Note: All pictures can be clicked on to see a larger size.
Prayerful Craft!
Wondering what to do with all those Christmas Cards?
My friend Trina just posted a
WONDERFUL IDEA!
Hop on over to her blog to check it out!
Where I’ve been…
Here are the States that I have been to, or through…
Create your own visited States map
Looks like I still have quite a bit of the US to see! But, I have traveled quite a bit of the US when you compare it to ALL the countries I’ve been to! They add up to a whole 2% of the world!
This was really fun to see! Now if I could just see a few more countries… Italy and Ireland are at the top of my list!
Where have you been?
HT: Doodle Acres
Nativity Lapbook & Craft Pictures
Right before Christmas I posted a couple links with directions for making a Nativity lapbook and a cute creative Nativity craft.
We finished ours, and they turned out so lovely that I thought I would take a second and share a few pictures! We are still in the Christmas season in case any of you want to make one as well!
Here is our finished Nativity. It was so much fun to make, and was really quite simple! I only used supplies I had on hand, since I have been sick and the weather has been quite frightful, so it turned out a little different than Meredith’s. Thank you so much Meredith for sharing your idea! If any of you want to make one, go visit her awesome blog, Sweetness and Light, for the directions!
The lap books were quite basic and simple as well, and the children really enjoyed making them.
Here is Captains:
Includes Coloring book on lower left corner, and Christmas Story on lower right corner.
They made a star using a circle and triangles cut from construction paper. We also added some nativity stickers I had leftover from last Christmas. (We used these on our Christ Candle as well, which we have been enjoying since Christmas!)
And here is the inside view of Rascals:
Twinkle Toes made one as well, but it looks like I missed getting a picture of it…
Well, I am off to HELP with dinner! 🙂 Hubby is making tri-tip and I am going to make hot spiced wine for our toast to St. John’s love!
Plus, a certain someone keeps asking what is for dessert on his patron Saint day!! I better get busy! But before I sign off,
“I drink you the love of St. John.”
More Snow…
…and it’s still snowing, with even MORE on the way!!
Cute Christmas Quotes
While running down the hallway… Rascal paused, looked inside daddy and mommas messy room (with wrapping paper all over the place!) and said, “WOW!! Santa sure did get in there!”
(This was funny, since my boys don’t “believe” in Santa. The kids all know well, the story of St. Nicholas, and they receive little notes and gifts from him on his feast day. They also know that the gifts under the tree are from their parents, friends and relatives. One year when Captain was little, I said something about “Santa,” and he said to me, “Mom, There isn’t a “real” santa, Uncle David (my little brother, who is a mere 4 years older than Captain) told me!” Yet, every Christmas morning, the magic of it all makes them forget all about that, and he is real once again… Because, “Mom & Dad MUST have had help with all this!” I love it!)
Daddy set up little Christmas Trees and lights in each of the kids bedrooms after the kids went to bed Christmas Eve. Below the tree in the girls room he set up the nativity given to Twinkle Toes by her Godmother. While I was gathering the kids to leave for Christmas Mass I couldn’t find Chiquita. I went back to their bedroom and there she was standing in front of the nativity making a snoring sound. I tiptoed in far enough to see in front of her, and could see all the nativity figures laying on the ground, the angel was even laying on the roof. Then all of a sudden she stopped snoring and said, “GOOD MORNING, Merry Christmas!!!”
(You just had to be there, it was so cute!)
Captain: Mom, I’m glad that I’m home-schooled.
Mom: How come?
Captain: Well, because Jesus was home-schooled!
********************
Chiquita was so excited about all the gifts under the tree. While I was preparing breakfast, after Mass, she was busy looking at all the wrapped gifts, anxiously awaiting opening them. All of a sudden, she stood up, walked over to me and said, “Momma, watch me read!” She then ran over to the tree again, bent over a gift and while pointing to the words on the tag read To “Captain” “My present!”
This morning we woke up to…
This a rarity here. We usually get a few snow days each winter, but they usually don’t arrive till January. It actually started snowing yesterday, Christmas Day, and continued through the night! The sun came out this morning for awhile and melted some of it, but it is snowing once again, and we are expecting more the next few days! I love the snow… There wasn’t much, but the kids had a blast playing in it just the same!
My hubby took these pictures for me, since I shouldn’t to be outside with this cough, and he knows how I love pictures. Wasn’t that sweet of him?
We wish you a…
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!I meant to post this yesterday… however, it was all I could do to stay cheerful and try to make the children’s Christmas as peaceful and special as possible! Thankfully, my dear hubby is home for the rest of this week as well as next, and is currently out picking me up some much needed antibiotics (looks like I have bronchitis once again…) I know I owe many of you emails… I’m sorry! Please say a prayer that I am better SOON!
Many of our plans had to be modified, but, nevertheless, we had a beautiful, Blessed Christmas! I hope you all did as well! Here are a few pictures from Christmas Eve:
He was trying really hard to smile! 🙂
A Christmas Prayer
Let Your goodness Lord appear to us, that wemade in your image, conform ourselves to it.
In our own strength
we cannot imitate Your majesty, power, and wonder
nor is it fitting for us to try.
But Your mercy reaches from the heavens
through the clouds to the earth below.
You have come to us as a small child,
but you have brought us the greatest of all gifts,
the gift of eternal love
Caress us with Your tiny hands,
embrace us with Your tiny arms
and pierce our hearts with Your soft, sweet cries.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)
My Gingerbread Babies
The little ones had a blast last night when we, finally, put together our gingerbread house! Actually, it was already put together for us, all we had to do was decorate it… Does that still count? Maybe when the kids are a bit older I will actually attempt to make it from scratch. But for now, I LOVE kits!
I had planned to let them have at it weeks ago… but, first it was the flu, then colds, and in the meantime hubby was working late… soooo, I just kept putting it off. Now the kids are all better (even if I am still a bit sick) and hubby will be home for the next two weeks, and with Christmas a couple days away, it was high time to build our gingerbread house!
Just look at those smiles!We also read Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett which they all enjoyed, and then, for a bit of online fun, I let them continue decorating here!
0 Comments