Celebrating the Saints :: Our 2016 Costumes
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| St. Olaf, St. Philomena, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and St. Andrew the Apostle All Saints in Heaven, Pray for us! |
I took these pictures on our way to our parish’s Trunk-or-Treat and Carnival last Friday night and our children will be wearing them again this evening when we head out to my parents home for the evening. This is the first year in many years that I won’t be hosting our annual All Hallows’ Eve party… I’m really sad that I had to cancel it, but I’ve between working on my health and working so many extra hours, I just don’t have the energy this year. Our kids all understand and are very excited to go out to Grandpa and Grandma’s. I just got off the phone with my mom and she is busy in the kitchen making Soup, Chili, Spice Cake, Rice Krispies Treats, and even Caramel Apples! I’ll be bringing along a few games including Saints Bingo and some new All Saints Guessing Jars.
Other than ordering a new St. Teresa costume for our oldest daughter, following the canonization of Mother Teresa, we hadn’t put any thought or energy into this year’s costumes… Friday afternoon we finally pulled out our two costume boxes and threw together costumes before heading to the church. This is one of those years when I’ve been very grateful to have a nice collection to choose from!
Twinkle Toes (age 13) dressed as St. Teresa of Calcutta
(Over the years we have built a well-loved collection of costumes from Our Coats of Many Colors.)
This was a repeat of her 2010 Costume… She was so little back then!
New Picture Book for Our November Book Basket: Saints on the Go! {Review & Giveaway}
In addition to Saint Martin de Porres, Saint Teresa of Calcutta, and Saint Padre Pio, this book also features St. Joan of Arc, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Bosco, St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, St. Katherine Drexel, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. Josemaria Escriva, and St. Pope John Paul II.
Shining Light Dolls has generously offered to send one of my visitors a copy of Saints on the Go! plus three of the saints featured in this brand new book: Saint Martin de Porres Shining Light Doll, Saint Padre Pio Shining Light Doll, and the Saint Teresa of Calcutta Shining Light Doll.
All Saints Guessing Jars {18 More Saints!}
The All Saints Guessing Jars have been such a hit at our past All Hallows’ Eve Parties. Last year we coordinated the jars to (mostly) match the third edition of our All Saints Scavenger Hunt.
It’s always so fun looking for ways to connect yummy treats to saints and their symbols. We also made sure to include the saints who had been recently canonized! We included Candy Watches for St. Louis Martin, Lace Cameos for St. Marie-Azelie Martin, and Chocolate Mission Bells for St. Junipero Serra.
As usual I used my Wide Mouth Mason Jars with White Storage Lids for each jar.
St. Louis Martin :: Candy Watches
St. Marie-Azélie Martin :: Lace Cameos
St. Lucy:: Chocolate Eyeballs
St. Cloud :: Mini-Marshmallow “Clouds”
St. Junipero Serra :: Chocolate Mission Bells
Sts. Mary & Martha :: M&M’s
St. George :: Hot Tamales
St. Brigid :: Chick-O-Sticks and Cow Tales
St. Elizabeth of Hungary :: Candy Roses (not pictured above)
To keep each person’s guesses secret I also created little sheets of paper for each contestant to write their name and guess, before folding it in half and dropping it into an empty jar or bag with a matching label.
All Saints Scavenger Hunt {Third Edition}
Back in 2012 my husband and I created an All Saints Scavenger Hunt {Printable Party Game!} for our annual All Saints Party. The following year we created a second version featuring sixteen additional saints with new clues.
Last year we came up with another new version of the game, with sixteen additional saints including some of the newly canonized saints! (We actually matched the saints to our All Saints Guessing Jars, which I will try and share the details and printables for next, so that the children could learn a little more about each of the saints featured.)
To play the game, the 16 saint cards are handed out to some of the adults, along with the details if they aren’t familiar with the saint. The children each receive the list of clues. Sometimes we pair the younger children with the older children to form teams of two. The children need to match each clue to the correct saint. Once the child thinks he knows who it is, he will ask the person representing (holding the picture of) the saint. If he is correct the “saint” signs the line next to the correct clue on his child’s clue sheet. You can see some pictures of the game being played here.
Advent, Christmas Eve & Epiphany Candles
I actually planned ahead last year and ordered extra candles to have blessed on Candlemas (Feb 2) and then have on hand for this upcoming Advent!
I really love the 100% pure beeswax Advent Candles from The Cloister Shoppe, handmade by the Dominican Nuns. They are made in limited quantities each year and only available for a limited time, so I wanted to give you all a heads up with Advent coming up at the end of next month.
The last couple years we’ve had two Advent wreaths in our home. The taper Advent Candles are placed in an Advent Wreath on our dining room table and we light them during dinner each night. We also have a larger wreath on the coffee table in the living room which we light during our family rosary each evening. We’ll be using these short pillar candles in purple and pink again this year.
The Advent Candle Kit from Illuminated Ink (pictured below) is such a fun Advent activity for children.
The Cloister Shoppe makes amazing Jar Candles. I ordered extras of the Three Wisemen Candle (prefect for Epiphany!) to give as gifts last year and everyone loved them!
I’ve also been using their jar candles throughout the year and all the various scents we have tried have been lovely. This year I’d love to order the Bayberry Tumbler Candle!
Note: They have more of the St. Nick’s Goat Milk Soap available! It was one of our Seven Fun Finds for Advent a couple years ago.
The Cloister Shoppe also has some of their Bayberry Christmas Eve Candles available again:
There is an old colonial tradition of burning a bayberry candle on Christmas Eve. Often these very special bayberry candles were given to a friend with a little couplet that says,
This bayberry candle comes from a friend
so on Christmas eve burn it down to the end.
For a bayberry candle burned to the socket,
will bring joy to the heart and gold to the pocket.
Bayberry was chosen because usually poorly burning tallow candles were used for everyday use. Bayberry was and stil is considered special because it takes nearly 18 pounds of bayberries to make 1 pound of wax!!!!
Meanwhile, in Ireland it was the custom to leave a candle in the window to welcome the Christ Child and the Holy Family on Christmas Eve. During penal times it became a means of telling priests in hiding that a Catholic family was in that home.
We have brought these two traditions together with our Bayberry Christmas Eve Candle! This is an 6″ 100% bayberry candle hand-poured here at the monastery. (Because bayberry is so brittle it is customary to add a small amount of beeswax as well.). This is NOT a bayberry scented candle but made of real bayberry wax! Each candle is packaged in a wood crate made especially for us along with a colonial-style star shaped tin candle holder signifying the Star of Bethlehem. Each gift crate is tied with a unique “Merry Christmas” bow. (Not seasons greetings or happy holidays!)
Each 6″ candle will burn for approximately 5-6 hours. Depending on the area that the candle is burned it is nearly drip free.
Comes with a little booklet describing the origins of the traditions. We encourage you to start your own tradition and burn the candle while praying the family rosary on Christmas Eve or before Midnight Mass!
Another beautiful addition they have this year is the Christmas Tree Creche Candle. I’m not sure I’d ever be able to actually burn it though!
Four Favorite AIP Fall Breakfasts
I haven’t posted an update on The Autoimmune Protocol :: My Journey Towards Better Health & Weight Loss with the AIP Diet in a long time… It was a rough summer! I started seeing a new doctor last spring and let him convince me to try a couple medications… I was frustrated that I hadn’t been able to add much back into my diet and my energy levels had plummeted again. Six months later, after watching my reactions to the different medications, everything from extreme nauseousness with one to a quick spike in weight with another, not to mention the medical bills from all the testing he ordered which basically just confirmed that I still have very low cortisol levels (extreme adrenal fatigue) and nearly non-existent progesterone, he took me off everything (back to just my usual supplements) to see if that would help… sigh… I won’t be going back.
I’ve pulled out all the books I read when I first started this diet and have recommitted to improving my health on my own. I’ll be honest with you, it is not easy. Some days I just want to give up and pour myself a bowl of cereal or order a pizza. It’s hard not being able to go out to dinner with my husband without fighting tears as I try and find something (anything!) on the menu that I can actually eat without dealing with bad side effects for weeks afterwards. I keep praying for perseverance and am very grateful that our girls love spending time in the kitchen and surprising me every once in awhile with treats I can eat!
I have found some breakfast recipes that I absolutely love, especially this time of year. Three of these recipes are from my current favorite cookbook: The Healing Kitchen: 175+ Quick & Easy Paleo Recipes to Help You Thrive. Seriously, this cookbook has been a lifesaver. It’s worth the investment if you are on the autoimmune protocol or even just the paleo diet.
- 8 slices bacon, chopped
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 pounds orange sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or truffle salt
Directions:
1. In a large, deep skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon and onion until the fat has rendered and the bacon has begun to crisp up, 3 to 5 minutes
2. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic to the pan and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook without disturbing for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottoms of the sweet potatoes are lightly browned. Toss and continue to cook in the same manner, tossing every few minutes, until the potatoes are crispy and cooked through.
These are made with:
3 green bananas
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon arrowroot starch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
maple syrup
I had an email today asking about the sausages I have mentioned in the past. They are from Trader Joe’s, pictured above. I didn’t include these in my diet until I had been on the autoimmune protocol for over six months, but now they are staple for busy days when I don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen. The Smoked Apple Chardonnay is my favorite, however the Garlic Herb is more AIP compliant…
These are not 100% AIP, mainly due to the tiny bit of nutmeg. It’s one of my “cheats”… These also include some chardonnay. However, according to The Paleo Mom, “Cooking with alcohol is also probably okay for most people, even if you don’t tolerate an actual drink.”
One of my favorite fall breakfasts is the Smoked, Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage combined with cubed butternut squash and apple (I leave the skin on and use red or green, whatever I have on hand), and then sauté it all in coconut oil. Mmmmm!
Our 2016-2017 Curriculum Plans and Checklists
Well, I had this whole post ready to go the first week of school, just waiting for a few photos, then blogger ate it. I nearly cried. I had been using the draft post to keep track of all my plans for the year and I didn’t have them written down anywhere else… sigh. Lesson learned. Thankfully I had already ordered most of the books we needed for the year so it wasn’t too hard to recreate my plans at the last minute. Now let’s see if I can “quickly” recreate all the links to share here on the blog! 😉
Five years ago, just before our youngest was born, I knew I needed help and solid deadlines to keep up with my goals for our home school. I enrolled our children in a local home-based charter that started in our hometown that year. The following year I nearly withdrew, but a good friend of mine was hired as an ES and assigned to our family. It was such an incredible blessing having her come to our home once a week and help tutor our children. She resigned at the end of last school year and now the benefits (an excellent tutor, allotment to use towards books, sports, driver’s ed, etc) no longer outweighed the drawbacks (so. much. paperwork, incompetent teachers/classes, all the required testing taking up weeks of our school year, inappropriate questions on the tests, etc) and we withdrew all six that were enrolled last year for this new school year! I sent in our state’s required “Home School Notification” (got a copy back that has been stamped “Approved”) and we are once again exclusively homeschooling! It was such a great feeling. I’ve had to be creative in finding ways to pay for this year’s school books (basically work more along with selling the books we no longer need), and we will most likely have to cut back on sports, but my husband and I are confident that this was the best decision for our family at this time.
When I was filling out the Home School Notification I had to assign grades once again and we decided to move out rising 7th grader up to 8th grade. She has a late summer birthday and when she was enrolled in the charter we decided to “hold her back” (like we did with our oldest son who also has a summer birthday) just in case she struggled to keep up, but she is definitely going to be ready to start high school next year, so we officially made the switch. She was excited to start this school year as an 8th grader!
Like I mentioned before, we decided to enroll our high schoolers in Kolbe Academy. They are working towards the Magna Cum Laude Diploma. My youngest two brothers (currently both seniors in college this year with full golf scholarships!) both graduated high school with Kolbe’s Magna Cum Laude Diploma. In addition to all the benefits of enrolling, I’m really loving the flexibility that Kolbe offers and that we can continue tailoring our curriculum to our family’s preferences and our children’s needs.
The one challenge we have had with transferring our high schoolers from the home-based charter school to Kolbe Academy has been with their Foreign Language credits. To graduate with the Magna Cum Laude Diploma they need 3 years of Foreign Language, with at least two years in the same language. The charter allowed them to earn 1 Foreign Language credit for completing First Form Latin. Kolbe requires both First and Second Form for Latin 1 credit… The boys were not fully prepared to move on to an approved Latin 2 course. I gave the boys three options:
Option 1: Complete Second Form Latin over the summer to complete Latin 1 for Kolbe, and then continue on with Third and Forth Form to earn credit for Latin 2, before switching to a second language for their third and final year of required foreign language.
Option 2: Retake Latin 1 using either Henle or Wheelock this year. No additional credit will be earned on your transcript this year, but you’ll be well prepared to continue on to Latin 2 as a junior and Latin 3 as a senior. (Ranger choose this option and we enrolled him in Latin 1 with Lukeion. He LOVES the class, even though it is bright – soon to be dark! – and early out here on the West Coast.)
Option 3: Switch Languages. You already have one year of foreign language credit at this point, and you need two more. Choose a second language and complete two years. (This was the option Captain choose. After so many years of Latin from Memoria Press he has completely burned out on studying Latin… He is taking this year off foreign language and will most likely continue with French with either an online course or at the community college next year.)
He’s not the only one taking a break from studying Latin this year. I sold almost all of our Memoria Press Latin materials and all the younger children are also taking a break. Combined with our writing and grammar courses it has been too much the last couple years, and I’ve missed having that extra time to focus on history and science. I’m also not convinced that all the time we have spent has been very productive. To quote Lukeion: “There are many programs now available for younger students. In our experience, however, these programs demand a lot of busy work but deliver very little in the way of learning the functional nuts-and-bolts of Classical languages. Students are not generally prepared to master these languages until they have reached the logic stage. You will accomplish much more in a fraction of the time if you wait until your student is 12 to 15 before you start formal instruction in Latin and Greek. Better still, waiting to start these logic based languages may mean your student will enjoy them more.”
UPDATE: I was able to rename the Latin class Ranger took at home last year to “Intro to Latin” and now he’ll be able to earn Latin 1 credit this year after all for the online class he is currently taking! Kolbe Academy has been so great to work with this year.
Anyway, enough about all the changes… Here’s the list of books we are using this school year:
Theology:
Understanding the Scriptures: A Complete Course On Bible Study
Understanding the Scriptures Student Workbook (Ranger)
Understanding the Scriptures – My Catholic Faith Delivered (Captain)
Preparation for Confirmation According to the Baltimore Catechism (with Dad)
Ignatius Catholic Bible (compact)
The Ignatius Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (leather bound)
Catholic Bible Indexing Tabs
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| Love this bible and ended up ordering a 2nd copy for our other high schooler. |
English 10:
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level C (Year 1 of 2)
Fix It! Grammar: Little Mermaid (Book 4) with Teacher’s Manual
Phonetic Zoo, Level C (continue)
Literature – Introduction to Literary Analysis:
Teaching the Classics DVD Seminar and Workbook
- To Kill a Mockingbird (week 5)
- Jane Eyre (week 13)
- Hamlet (week 26)
- one more TBD
History – World History II:
A Light to the Nations, Part II: Development of Christian Civilization and Teacher’s Manual
with Kolbe Academy’s Course Plans & Tests (with high school options)
Additional Literature, Audio Books, and DVDs.
Mathematics:
Saxon Algebra 2 with Mastering Algebra John Saxon’s Way: Algebra 2 DVD Set
Saxon Algebra 2 Solutions Manual and Homeschool Testing Book
1 hour (shared with other students) of tutoring at weekly co-op
with Kolbe Academy’s Course Plans & Tests and Answer Key
with weekly science lab at co-op
Foreign Language:
Lukeion Latin I (online class – Ranger only)
Fine Arts:
Meet the Masters: Track D
(Maybe Track E too, but I’m not going to commit to that at this time. One Track might be all we are able to finish this year.)
Physical Education:
High School Hockey
High School Golf
Additional Non-Academic Credit and/or Activities:
FIRST LEGO League Robotics (Mentors)
Drivers Education (at community college next summer – Ranger only)
Train to serve at a Pontifical High Mass next summer
Religion:
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (continue with Dad)
Living For Holiness (Living My Religion Series, Book 8)
Additional Reading Assignments/Saint Stories
Mathematics:
Saxon Math 8/7 with Pre-Algebra with Mastering Algebra John Saxon’s Way: Math 87 DVD set
Solutions Manual and Saxon 8/7 Tests and Worksheets
1/2 hour of tutoring each week as needed
Student Writing Intensive Continuation Course: Level C (Year 1 of 2)
Fix It! Grammar: Frog Prince, or Just Deserts (Book 3) with Teacher’s Manual
Phonetic Zoo, Level C
Better Handwriting for Young Catholics
Additional Literature for Independent Reading
History & Geography:
From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America
U.S. Elections Unit Study from Homeschool in the Woods
Maps Charts and Graphs Level G: The World (first semester)
Maps, Charts, Graphs: United States, Past and Present, Level H (second semester)
Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds along with additional projects/lap books and activities.
Physical Science: Concepts In Action; With Earth and Space Science (Prentice Hall)
with Kolbe Academy’s Course Plans & Tests and Answer Key
Nature and Observations Notebook (continue weekly nature study)
Health:
Teenagers & Nutrition
Yourself and Your House Wonderful
Fine Arts:
Meet the Masters: Track D
Physical Education:
Middle School Golf
Computer/Technology:
FIRST LEGO League Robotics
Chiquita :: 6th Grade
Religion:
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 2 (with Dad)
Living In God’s Church (Living My Religion Series) Book 6
Additional Reading Assignments/Saint Stories
Mathematics:
Saxon 7/6 Tests and Worksheets and Solutions Manual
1/2 – 1 hour of tutoring each week as needed
Chronicles of Narnia:
The Magician’s Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and The Horse and His Boy
Fix It! Grammar: Frog Prince, or Just Deserts (Book 3) with Teacher’s Manual
Phonetic Zoo, Level A/B
Better Handwriting for Young Catholics
History & Geography:
From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America
U.S. Elections Unit Study from Homeschool in the Woods
Maps Charts and Graphs Level F: Eastern Hemisphere
Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds along with additional projects/lap books and activities.
Focus on Middle School Astronomy with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher’s Manual
Nature’s Beautiful Order with Student Guide and Teacher’s Key
Nature and Observations Notebook (continue weekly nature study)
Spanish:
Spanish for You!
(at weekly co-op)
Meet the Masters: Track D
Physical Education:
Middle School Golf
Computer/Technology:
FIRST LEGO League Robotics
Typing
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| First LEGO Robotics Meeting and Introduction, just before the school year started. |
Snuggles :: 4th Grade
Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism No. 1 (with Dad)
Living For God (Living My Religion Series) Book 4
Supplemental Religion Books and Saint Stories from Our Monthly Book Baskets
Mathematics:
Saxon 5/4 with Saxon Teacher 5/4 CDs
Solutions Manual and Saxon 5/4 Tests and Worksheets
Logic:
Logic Countdown
Logic Safari Book 2
Language Arts:
Student Writing Intensive, Level A
Phonetic Zoo, Level A
Fix It! Grammar: The Nose Tree (Book 1) and Teacher’s Manual
Handwriting for Young Catholics
History & Geography:
Maps Charts and Graphs Level D: States & Regions
State-by-State Study
From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America
U.S. Elections Unit Study from Homeschool in the Woods
Additional Literature for Independent Reading, various Audio Books, and Family Read-Alouds along with additional projects/lap books and activities.
Science:
Focus on Middle School Astronomy with Laboratory Workbook, Quizzes, and Teacher’s Manual
Weekly Nature Study
Physical Education:
Rose :: 1st Grade
St. Joseph First Communion Catechism (with Dad)
Saint Stories from Our Monthly Book Baskets
Additional Supplemental Religion & First Sacraments Books
(the following pictures show some of the catechism resources we use in our home)
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| My Confession For Little Catholics • Leading The Little Ones to Mary • Jesus and I My Confession Book • My Jesus and I • Illustrated Catechism • Catholic Nursery Rhymes |
Mathematics:
Saxon Math 1
Language Arts:
Primary Arts of Language: Writing and Reading
All About Spelling
Handwriting 1 for Young Catholics
Supplemental Readers and Additional Literature
History & Geography:
Maps, Charts and Graphs Level A: The Places Around Me
Early American History (lots of picture books)
Presidential Election Unit Study (maybe)
Science:
Focus on Elementary Astronomy with Laboratory Workbook and Teacher’s Manual
Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book
various Arts & Crafts projects throughout the year
Bud :: Pre-Kindergarten
Catholic Children’s Treasure Box Books
Little Saints Pre-School (various themes as we can fit them in)
Primary Arts of Language: Writing and Reading (he’s ready so we are starting now)
All About Spelling Level 1 (once it’s added to our P.A.L. lessons)
Miracle of Life Coloring & Activity Book
Early American History (lots of picture books)
Misc Workbooks for Practice & Fun: Do It Carefully, Everywhere We Go (he loves workbooks)
Math Manipulative & Worksheets
Some Additional Family Resources:
My Catholic Faith
Treasure and Tradition
Natural Science Through the Seasons: 100 Teaching Units
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
Shining Light Dolls :: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux
The Virgin Mary Around the World Birthday Cake
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| September 8th – Happy Birthday, Blessed Mother! Rose decorated the cake herself this year and surrounded it with some of her favorite dolls ♥ |
(Note: All links are affiliate links to the book and dolls on Amazon.)
When Calls the Heart Birthday Party
#PartyLikeAHeartie
After we got back home, I quickly baked a heart shaped cake (the pan is currently 39% off!) and pulled together some birthday treats.
I had every intention of making Shepherd’s Pie, along with all the ingredients, but I ran out of time so we had chicken and grilled corn on the cob instead…
From Mom: Apron, Sweethearts Pot Mitt, Heart Cakelet Baking Pan, and Sewing Basket
Oh my dear, never commit your heart unless there is jewelry.
~ Rosemary
And, of course, the Collector’s Editions of Season 1 and Season 2
… maybe she’ll receive Season 3 for Christmas!
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