Mom's Retreat

Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist hosts a short but highly effective Mom's Retreat the first weekend in Advent. This year it's Saturday fternoon December 5 'till Sunday afternoon December 6th up in Ann Arbor, MI. The cost is $25.

THESE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONAL NUNS!! My girls call them "Mama's Nuns" because they hold such a special place in my heart. They're the kind of nuns that appeal to a party girl like me. They come from all walks of life and have so many girls/women asking to join their order, they can't build fast enough to keep them all in beds and the girls keep coming!! They wear a traditional habit (to the floor) and a rosary from their waist to their feet. Hearing them sing the Psalms at vespers is honestly a piece of heaven here on earth. Their focus is Christ in the Eucharist (see their name, above) and they play volleyball and teach as many people about Jesus as they can. Their passion and joy just pours out of them. SERIOUSLY KEWL NUNS, here!

My spot is reserved to go, who wants to carpool?

Reserve your spot online or e-mail or by phone.

Here's a flyer about it.

I'm sooo excited to go, again this year. Due to illness, pregnancy, nursing, etc., I haven't gone in a few years -- but GOD WILLING I can go this year!! Ohhhhhh....I can hardly wait!!

Family Catechism

I'm looking into my options for doing religion together as a family next year. This is what I've come up with.

• The Apostolate's Family Catechesis download free & discussion guide play it as a game free online
• Mercy Academy has a multi-level plan for Christian Doctrine
• Family Faith Formation seems like a nice program - for $120 they send you a once a month packet for your family which includes games, activities, booklets, and audio CDs and lessons that take about an hour per week to cover.
• Father McBride's Family Catechism (EWTN catalog has it new) take a look at the inside, it wouldn't be for youngers.

Topics to Cover :

Sacraments / Doctrine - Mass unit study - Sunday Preparation looks AWESOME! and it's free!, St. Patrick's Summer by Marigold Hunt, discuss Q in St. Joseph's Baltimore Catechism, Catholic Catechism Board Game, Faith Folders for Catholics

Living the Liturgical Year - we've all discussed this at length with my favorite suggestions being at 4Real Learning forums

Scripture - Coloring pages & narrations from Golden Children's Bible, Life of Christ, Bible History from TAN books : Knecht's Bible History (the slim blue volume) for ~K-3, Schuster's Bible History for 3-6, and the Bible History by Johnson, Hannan, and Sr. Dominica for 7-9 (the first two books have the same illustrations). Middle & High school students just read the Bible.

Saints - Vision books are our favorites for upper elem / middle school and Catholic Mosaic suggestions for youngers.

Apologetics - for the older crowd.

Doctors of the Church

To go along with the project in the Good News Teacher's Planner, I made a poster of the Doctors of the Church so while we're doing history this summer we can cover the Doctors as they appear in history. We'll also follow along with celebrating their Feast Days as they hit in the liturgical year.

A friend commented that it seems a little soon to make a poster for next year -- I have to work when inpiration hits and since I just read the planner, now is the time! I also bought green candles to put out for feast days of a Doctor of thr church. I saw an idea of putting a picture in a CD case ( so it will stand up) -- maybe I'll do that with the candles...we can call them "Dr. days?" We'll see...

Liturgical Wheel

To go along with keeping organized with our new planners (can you tell I like my new planners?) We made Liturgical Wheel Calendars. Each person worked at their own level. My Dear Sons both traced circles, used rulers to make evenly spaced pie divisions and colored in the liturgical season. My Dear Daughters both used protractors to draw their divisions and Dd#1 had the biggest job of all dividing it into 52 weeks (6.9 degrees per angle) and filling out the weeks.

I know May and June seem a little early to make a Liturgical Wheel, but November rolls around and we can never get it accomplished -- so I thought we'd make it for the year ahead during a slow craft month! Now it's done for next Advent!

May is for Mary

Along with our May Day celebrations we designed an altar for Mary. It was so easy to do -- I bought 2 light blue candles, let the kids sniff out their favorite candle at Wal-Mart to light (it bothered them so much that we weren't going to light the blue ones), and sent the kids out in the backyard to fill a vase with flowers (we ended up with a dandelion bouquet the first day). I had a statue on my nightstand that never quite fit there and the kids chose a pretty linen (the holy card was just laying around after being used as a bookmark.)

When the hamsters died last week, we scootched the gerbils over to make a spot for Mary. We rewrote and erased our daily memorization list on the wipe-off board and the girls wanted a world behind Mary. It was SO EASY! I guided them aesthetically and they chose most of the individual items.

Great Product - Catholic Student Planner & Catholic Teacher Planner

I've been ordering from Creative Communications for a couple of years, now. I'm thrilled with their Catholic Student Planners and my kids do pretty well :

• keeping track of their work
• and learning to work independently with them

It's the first thing I order each year

• as it's a ready-made tool helping us teach and live the liturgical year
• saints days
• bible verses
• and focusing on Sunday's Mass
• -- in addition to being a lovely planner.
• I can also look back to see what we've accomplished

when the homeschool worriing bug starts biting at me and I'm afraid we haven't accomplished enough. (In the article about Susan Wise Bauer I blogged about this week, she speaks to this bug that bites us all.)

I've told you all this before.

This year, I've discovered a NEW tool....it's their Teacher's Planner. That was the best $10 I've spent for next year. They have a Lutheran and Christian one, too -- but of course, I ordered the Catholic one. It's fantastic. Their paper catalog describes it better than their website.

• It s got an entire section on saint biographies (just about a paragraph each) that coorespond to the saints in the kids' planners along the liturgical year.
• It's got refections on each Sunday's Gospel for you to read/discuss with the kids
• It's got "trivia" about the life of Jesus and historical background interspersed throughout along with ideas for cross-curricular learning.
• This year, it's got a study of the 33 Doctors of the church
• A sheet on Jewish holidays, what they mean and when they occur
• Copies to make of the Advent "O Antiphons" symbols
• A study of the Requiem Mass for November
• Ideas and poems to study the fruits of the spirit
• It's got a grading sheet in it and while it's set up for a classroom, I can use one sheet for each child to keep track of what I need (now that my oldest is nearing highschool I have to get used to keeping grades).
• It's got a cheat sheet grader (number of problems and number wrong = this number grade)

--- I'm saying that this thing is PACKED with great information!! And it's already organized by date -- ALONG WITH having all the information that's in all 3 of the kids' planners and being a planner that you can put information you want to keep track of for the kids. Rather than put all the recurring assignments for each child in mine that I put in theirs (Math sheet 1, Grammar sheet B, study spelling words...) I'll use it for MY assignments (Listen to DS#3 read, Read Beowulf with all kids, grade Latin for Dd#1, discuss new math concept with Ds#4...) .

SERIOUSLY KEWL STUFF!

May Day 2008

To celebrate the month of Mary right, we had friends over and did ...

• a May crowning


• made May baskets with a "Mary" theme and took them to other friends


• listened to & sang Mary songs


• some of the kids made a clothespin Mary doll

Some of the inspiration for these things came from the ideas on these blogs:

Marian May Basket i.e. Paper Cup Challenge

May Day Baskets

The children did a lovely job!

Happy Easter!!

Just as we entered into Lent for weeks and weeks, so we celebrate Easter! I LOVE that the party is just beginning on Easter morning and we celebrate the resurection for day after day - 5 weeks!! It's such a joy to live with the Risen Christ!

Here's a bit of our Easter day last Sunday.

This is my mom's husband with the baby. Since he doesn't have any children of his own, my kids are as close as it comes to grandkids.

Just two bald guys hanging out together at Easter!

Then there's the Easter egg hunt at Dave's mom's house. All the grandkids (a few of my kids are in the picture) gather in the "grandchildren's room" to wait for the word 'GO!'

And grandma reads the rules of the hunt (she seperated the kids into rooms of the house this year since it was so wet outsite). She also wanted to remind everyone to "have fun".

Sacred Triduum

Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday

I am unprepared.
I am unprepared to have Christ wash my dirty feet and feed me with Himself.
I am unprepared to have my children see my inadequacies in bringing them to Him.
I am unprepared to watch Him suffer for me.
I am unprepared to have my children's eyes see the violence done to their beloved.
I am unprepared to be without Him while I grieve when He is dead in the tomb.
I am unprepared to face the children's questions, I have so few answers.

Unprepared as I am, He is asking me to go walk with Him.
Inadequate as I am, it is time to follow Him -- even to Golgotha.
Greived as I am for myself, my children and the world, He is our only answer.

As we enter into the Sacred Triduum
as we enter into the pain of His Passion
unlike the disciples, I know the end of the story.

The cross is meaningless pain without Resurection.
Resurection is a fairy story without the violence of the cross.
This Sacred Triduum we've been given brings together everything I need,
to make me who I am to become...
I am His.

Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday

I think we'll ditch formal school for the rest of this Holy Week.
Holy Thursday
This morning we'll clean the house so we can move on to more important things.
I've been having the kids make clothes pin apostles and we'll finish those (God willing). (another pic)
After lunch I'll have the kids make an Easter Triptych. I think we'll try folding and sealing them with glue.
We'll also work on making our own Stations of the Cross. All my efforts at crafts this Lent have been in vain. Babies really get in the way of spending time on such things. We'll see how much we can do today.
I may go to Holy Thursday Mass, either by myself or with kids who want to go. Dave will stay home with the baby and non-participating kids.

Good Friday
Dave is home that day. In the morning we'll finish up the Stations of the Cross (or start them as the case may be). I like the idea of blowing out candles with each station so the room is dark by the time you get to Jesus' death. I think the boys in particular will like doing it that way.
Dave will take various children to Good Friday service. I'll stay home with the baby and maybe some kids. I'm hoping to pray this Stations of the Cross sometime this Triduum. It sounds silly, even to my own ears, that I have doubts about even getting such a fundamental prayer accomplished, but recent history has let me know that my plans barely factor in to how our hours will be spent. I love the idea of silence during the hours of 12-3 on Good Friday, but I can't even get the kids to keep things down to a low roar while the baby is obviously asleep -- I'm not sure how I'd get silence, or even whispers accomplished.

I may have the boys use the apostle dolls we finished above to act out the crucifixion.

Holy Saturday
If we have time and Dave doesn't have another agenda, I'd like to make a paper mache tomb from a tissue box. Then we'll prepare our clothes and ourselves for the coming CELEBRATION!

First Reconciliation Craft - Lapbook

An illustration of this is listed on my website at First Reconciliation Lapbook.

Ds#3's First Reconciliation will be tonight. With the pregnancy and birth, I was thankful for CCD. However, his preparation wasn't as complete as the girls' had been (with CCD & preparation at home) and I didn't realize it (or pay attention) until last week. So, we did a crash course. He understood the concept, but not the specific procedures or vocabulary. I'd worked with him early in the school year on the concepts, so he was great on that.

I used Dd#1's lapbook we created for her 1st Reconciliation as the primary "text" to teach him. It turned out to be just perfect.

Here is the lapbook Dd#1 created 4 years ago for her First Reconciliation :

We took a file folder and covered it's front and back with white typing paper (to make it white - with the significance of purity). Then we covered all of that with a fine tule. We also tied gross-grain ribbon on each flap that opens with the bow on the front covers.

Front :

• On the front cover is a booklet she made about The Good Shepherd and the procedures of Reconciliation.
• We also attached a pin she received from her Godparents on the occasion.

Inside :

* In the shape of the 10 commandments, we cut 8 pieces of construction paper that we attached together with string. We folded the 10 commandments and she wrote 1 of each commandment, in her own words, on the inside so it was like a book form. Then, we glued the front and back cover of the commandments so the book was "open" to the inside left of the file folder at the top.

* The piece of accordion folded pink paper you see next to the 10 commandments is the Act of Contrition she wrote out from memory. Then we folded it accordion style and glued the top fold to the center top of the lapbook.

* Below the 10 commandments, is her handprint cut out in 5 different colors. On one finger of each hand she wrote the procedures of Reconciliation. So that on the first handprint, in the thumb she wrote 1. Make the sign of the cross and tell the priest how long it's been since your last confession. On the 2nd hand print in the pointer finger she wrote 2. Confess your sins. On the 3rd handprint in the middle finger she wrote 3. Listen to the priest. On the 4th handprint in the rimg finger she wrote 4. Say the Act of Contrition. On the 5th handprint in the pinky finger she wrote 5. Listen for Absolution. Say Amen. Thank the priest. The handprint booklet was stapled in the bottom of the palm (so that it opened down) to the bottom of the inside left flap.

* We cut heart 3 shapes and stapled them into a booklet on the inside right flap. She wrote Examination of Conscience on the front cover. Opening the booklet on each page she wrote one reflection that she felt applied to her. "Have I said my morning offering?" "Have I minded my parents?" "Have I paid attention in Mass" "Have I talked to God through my day?" "Have I acted like Jesus would to my siblings?"

* She listed her sins in a rectangular booklet we taped at the top and glued to the bottom inside right flap.

*In the middle of the center inside page, we stapled the program the church put together for her First Reconciliation ceremony.

* At the bottom of the center inside page, we stapled a booklet of pictures with her and her friends at the cookie reception after First Reconciliation.

The Blessing of Animals

I tried to talk Dave out of it. I tried to talk the kids out of it. I thought he was crazy. I knew I'd never do anything so insane (mostly). At church for the Feast of St. Francis, they had the Blessing of Animals. It sounds sweet doesn't it? Kids bringing their puppies to get a blessing.

Unless you have multiple children (which he does) and are planning on taking a dog that's afraid (therefore freaks out) with other animals - especially dogs. This is not some tiny lap dog. Maggie growls & goes crazy at the sight of other dogs 30 feet away through a pane of glass (which she broke last year trying to go through the window to get to the dog 30 feet away). This is a full-grown black lab who is incredibly strong and can take any of the kids and I on a ride if she decides to run and we hold onto her leash. This dog can't be walked because she won't mind (she doesn't heel, or stay...) She's super sweet in the house and adores all humans -- just not other dogs.

So, he took all 4 kids. A dog who will be 2 feet from other dogs. And a blind hamster to get blessed. I'm totally thinking it isn't worth it and stayed home in my recliner and sent Dd#2 with the digital camera. This is a picture of DS#3 with the blind hamster, Eaty, in a rubbermaid container after it's been sprinkled with holy water. Dave said he had a hard time keeping DS#3 from jumping off the half wall while he held the hamster container -- he knew that our son would hit the ground with the poor hamster still in mid-air in it's container. Eaty appears to have survived the ordeal.

I guess Dave had a hard time restraining Maggie and said it's nothing I should try. The kids told me that everytime a dog barked or howled, Maggie joined in. It was incredibly sweet of him to try. He said Ds#3 appreciated it the most, since Eaty is his miracle pet.