Feast of San Paschal Baylon

Yesterday was Ascension Day which trumped the Feast of St. Paschal Baylon on the Church Calendar. However, since St. Paschal is Nolan's confirmation saint we chose to have a little dual celebration meal. Above you can see the little St. Paschal that I had made for Nolan for Confirmation. There aren't any readily available statues or medals and one of our fellow parishioners makes these lovely little saints. Isn't he great? If you'd like to read a little about St. Paschal you can click here. This is the best summation of the religious and folklore that surrounds St. Paschal. Nolan loves him because he is the patron of cooks and kitchens. If you have younger children you may be familiar with his story by Tommie de Paola, Pascual and the Kitchen Angels.

For our culinary celebration I wanted to have something southwestern because although St. Paschal is from Spain, he is well known in Mexico and the south western U.S. Above you can see the Chimichangas and Spanish Rice we ate. I think I'm still full but it was decadent and delicious.

 In celebration of the Ascension, we had these Sopapillas (or little pillows). They puff up in the oil when cooked which I thought was sort of reminiscent of Christ rising to Heaven. Ok, that's kind of pathetic but Nolan loved making the dough and we all had fun eating them and it brought about some conversation. Works for us! Here's the web site I used to find the recipes. It was not the most healthy of meals but feast days are for celebrating, right?

Lent

I don't have the gift of words and fortunately Michele over at The Family Centered Life has written my heart about Lent. Please read what she has to say here.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all. I woke up with these beautiful flowers on my bedside table. Since it was still dark when I awoke, they actually frightened me for a minute until I figured out what they were! Isn't my honey a sweet heart. He also told me he tried to find a card but they were all too ridiculous. I love it that he didn't buy a card because they just weren't right.I made this little pillow the other day when we were snowed in. It has nothing to do with Valentine's day but since it is red I thought I'd share. I bought the pillow form over Christmas but didn't really realize how small it is. It suits this chair though. Here are the kids' valentines. Nolan had gotten a red rosary at a church function last year, sat it somewhere and when he went back for it, it was gone. He was SOOOOO upset. So with that in mind and Lent approaching, I splurged and got them each a rosary in their favorite color. Something to make the family rosary more inviting.
I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's day. I'm off to get ready for Mass.

Advent lesson plans

I realized the other day that Advent was just around the corner. I can't believe how quickly this year is flying by. I bet if you talk to me in February I may feel differently!

I created our Advent lesson plans from two books. The first is The Real St. Nicholas. I bought this book last year but it arrived after the feast of St. Nicholas and so we really didn't use it. I'm excited to use it as our spine "reader" for Advent.

Yesterday I bought the book And What About Christmas by Amanda Bennett when I was scouring the used homeschool book box at a nearby homeschool store. I took the rest of our lessons from ideas I found in this book. As with everything I do, I pick and choose, make the lessons my own considering what I want the boys to learn and what they are capable of accomplishing.

Week 1: The story of Elizabeth and Zachariah.

• Read Luke 1: 1-25
• Write a short story (using dialogue) about Zachariah's visit from the angel.
• Map work: using an outline map of the "old world" outline the boundaries of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ's birth.
• Questions to answer: Who was Caesar Augustus and how did he impact Jesus' childhood? How does John fulfill Isaiah's prophecy? (see Isaiah 40)

St. Nicholas study: Read one story per day: Anticipation--A Memory of st. Nicholas Day, The Legend of the Three Daughters, The Nicholas Ship, St. Nicholas Buys a young man his Freedom.

Week 2: Mary, Joseph and the Annunciation (Dec. 8, Feast of Immaculate Conception)

• Read Luke 1:26-56 and Matthew 1:18-25
• (Nathan) write a narrative using dialogue describing the Annunciation.
  
• (Nolan) write a narrative using dialogue describing what you think may have happened when Mary told Joseph about her experience (and pregnancy).
• Map work: Draw a map of Palestine at the time of Jesus' birth including Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Galilee, Samaria and Judea.
• Question to answer: What is the difference between the seasons of Advent and Christmas?

St. Nicholas Study: read one story per day: The Legend of the Three Stratilates, The Legend of Stilling the Tempest, St. Nicholas Finds the Path, St. Nicholas Retrieves the Ball. **Dec. 6th Feast of St. Nicholas. Put out shoes and fill with socks. My boys are always excited to get new socks on this day!

Week 3: Journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ

• Read Luke 2:1-20 and Matthew 1:18-25
• Questions to answer: What is the Shepherd's Field? What is it like and where is it? What would an inn have been like in Jesus' day? What is the weather like in Bethlehem this time of year? Find 6 other names for Jesus as mentioned in the Bible.

St. Nicholas Study. Read the play on page 117, The Baker's Dozen. Figure out a way to video tape your own version of this play and post it on Youtube (and Mom's blog).

Week 4: Christmas Week

• Finish up anything from the prior three weeks. This week will be dedicated to some fun activities.
  
• Watch a movie depicting the birth of Jesus.

St. Nicholas Study. Read one story per day: The Legend of the Healing Myrrh, The Sick King and the Simpleton, St. Nicholas and the Ant.

Week 5: Epiphany (the week back to school in January)

• Read Matthew 2:1-12
• (Nolan) write a play about the Magi and Herod
• (Nathan) research and write about Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Why did the Magi give these things to Jesus and what are they used for?
• Map work: using an outline map of Eurasia, outline the possible route of the Magi.
• Questions to answer: Who was Herod and how did he affect the childhood of Jesus? Who was Rachel and how was she related to the story of Jesus? See Matthew 2:18, Jeremiah 31: 15 and Genesis 30:22-24.

We will, of course, read The Jesse Tree and add our Jesse Tree ornaments one by one as always. I bought the boys each an advent candle to burn while we read. This will be an evening activity vs. a school activity. Other web sites to visit include O Night Divine, Catholic Culture, Catholic Cuisine and In the Heart of my Home.

Of course, Advent and Christmas wouldn't be complete without music. May I suggest you check out the lovely CD available by a good friend for your listening pleasure?

What are you planning this season?

Lent

Wow, has it really been that long since I've posted? I guess it has. I'm here today just to notate what we're doing for Lent. I post really so that I have a record of our life. This year I have our Lent on the fridge. I made up a calendar with readings, prayers, sacrafices, etc. for each day. For instance, today the boys each wrote a letter to our sponsored child. We've been sponsors for over a year and have never written. This has been something I've wanted to do for some time and I thought Lent was a great time to get the boys involved in our sponsorship. The other days include things like going to Stations of the Cross, visiting grandparents, reading from The Life of Our Lord for Children or reading a saint story. I've tried to make week nights easier (some type of reading), projects for Saturdays and something family oriented for Sunday. The second thing I've made is a "Lenten tree." The tree was bare on Ash Wednesday. I have a glass full of stickers that we add to the tree every time we say a prayer, do a good deed or make a sacrifice. I can't believe how quickly the tree is filling up! I'm glad to see it. The boys have been really involved in this process which is just what I wanted.

May your Lent be filled with the grace of our Lord.

Christmas Tour of Homes

I thought I'd participate in the Christmas Tour of Homes through BooMama. Head on over to check out lots of other great "open houses". First on the list is my little Advent sign. I like to remind myself that we are in the season of Advent, not Christmas.....not yet. It helps me to slow the pace a little.Next is the kids Advent calendar. I have a lit wreath on the top of the pie crust table and the boxes under are filled with the Nativity. Ok, there is some chocolate interspersed with the angel and shephards. The kids really enjoy opening these and I love to see how they arrange all the "players". My kids really like campfires and every year Mary, Joseph and even the angel are gathered around the fire. I wonder if they are singing campfire Christmas songs???
Here it is lit up:And to keep with the Advent theme, here's a picture of our Advent wreath. We light a candle each evening (I took the picture during the 2nd week of Advent, thus two candles are lit, not three) and read a chapter from The Jesse Tree. Several years ago, while I was homeschooling the boys, I let them make ornaments for each story. We all enjoy digging through the bag and finding which ornament goes with each story. Sometimes we have a hard time figuring it out but that is part of the fun. I'm so thankful that my boys still enjoy all of these activities. Here you see the actual Jesse Tree. We cut some forsythia on St. Barbara's day to hang our ornaments and are thrilled to see some of it beginning to bloom.Next is a picture of my mantle. I had a hard time getting the shots due to failing light. We have the "fancy" Nativity up there and the stocking hung with care. I tried to get a close up shot of the Holy family but it was the Three Kings that came out the best so that's what I'm showing you. And finally, the tree. We just put it up on Saturday. The kids were so excited to decorate. Well, I've run out of time and haven't even offered you a treat. I hope you'll stop by later to pick up a recipe or two. I'll try to get them up tonight or tomorrow.

Santa Lucia Day

Today is Santa Lucia Day or the Feast of Saint Lucy. Lucy is one of those saints that we really know very little about. She lived during the time of the Romans only a few hundred years after Christ. She was martyred for her belief in Christ. She is the patron saint of blindness due to having her eyes poked out during her torture. She is often depicted holding her eyes on a plate. Grisly, I know. Boys tend to love that stuff, though, so I always throw it in. Mainly we talk about how hard it is to stand up for what you believe in and to remember Lucy, whose name means "Light". Let us be a Light for Christ.Last year I made the little Santa Lucia dolls from Alicia Paulson's blog. Mine aren't quite as nice as hers but they work. This year I added the little singing star boys. I saw this idea on Dawn's blog. They boys are made using Nathan and Nolan's favorite colors, blue (Nathan) and red (Nolan). Since I get up at the break of dawn, I decided to try to make Santa Lucia bread. Start baking at 6am, eat at 9:30am. It was a fun start to our Saturday. We are getting the tree today. I'll post pictures of our decorations on the 15th.

St. Nicholas of Myra

Martinmas

Today is the feast of St. Martin of Tours. In my religious education class on Sunday we read a little story of St. Martin. We made candles and played a game about Random Acts of Kindness to earn dimes. After earning the money we took our candles and our money and processed to the church to put our money in the poor box to remember that St. Martin was full of charity for others.

Martin was a Roman soldier but was more interested in Christ than soldiering. While a soldier he came upon a beggar who was cold due to lack of clothing. Martin was filled with compassion and cut his cloak in two with his sword. He gave half to the beggar. In keeping half he was able to continue to fulfill his duties as a soldier. That night he drempt that he saw Jesus wearing the half cloak. Jesus told him that in clothing the beggar, he clothed Christ. Martin went on to become a monk and was eventually the Bishop of Tours. Read more about it here.

The one thing I really miss about homeschooling is the extra religion we were able to learn. I still try to incorporate that learning into our lives in whatever way possible. Today we had pancakes for supper (something that will definitely be memorable to my boys) because I read that sometimes children celebrate St. Martin's day by having a lantern walk followed by a pancake supper at the church. We ate by lantern light and during dinner I told the story of St. Martin.

Our lives are so full of work and school that I often wonder how we ever get anything else accomplished. I see so many wonderful fruits from this labor of work and school that I know we're on the right path. I just have to work a little harder to get everything in. I guess the saints of old didn't have it so easy so I shouldn't complain.

On another note, for quite some time I've felt the call to become a teacher. Specifically a special education teacher. More specifically, a special education teacher in the Catholic schools. This first hit when I was homeschooling the boys. The Catholic schools in our county do not really accommodate children with learning differences. Our son was not able to attend a Catholic school due to his disability. God put such a burden on my heart to find a way to change this. At that time I looked into getting my Special Ed. certification. The price of going back to school was just overwhelming. I figured there would not be a way for me to do it. I put the idea away. I should know that God works in His own time. We knew it was time for the boys to go back to school. We did our research, we visited, we enrolled the boys in a local Mennonite school. I got a job. My job will reimburse college tuition. The organization I work for has partnered with a local university for those with a college degree to get their teaching certification. I live within walking distance from the location of these classes.

So what do you think??? An answer to prayer? I am still very nervous about this. I work from the moment I get home from work till the moment the kids go to bed on the boys' homework many nights of the week. In between writing this blog entry I was quizzing Nathan on his Bible memory. The idea of beginning my homework at 9:30pm is daunting for me. Well, I've got my enrollment application filled in. I plan on asking two colleagues for references tomorrow. I have my transcript letter ready to mail. I'm just going to do it.

Pray for me!

All Saints Day

Today is the Feast of All Saints. The children all dressed as their favorite saint and processed into church with the priests. I took a video of the procession on my digital camera but I always forget that I can't hold it sideways for a video. So the video is sideways.....if you don't mind neck spasms it is fun to watch.

After Mass we had a pizza party and games/contests for the kids. It was so much fun and I was so delighted at the number of families that participated. I don't like to put other peoples' children on my blog or I'd share all the pictures. Here are my kiddos as St. Francis and St. Michael the Archangel. Since I made this little outfit and I'm sure her mother won't mind, here is Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.And since she has her own blog...here is Xia as St. Therese, the Little Flower.

Feast of St. Francis

I think St. Francis of Assisi is one of the best saints for children. We have so many stories of his life, especially surrounding him showing God's love to animals. I noticed the boys were carrying their stuffed tigers everywhere we went and when I asked why they told me it was because today was the feast of St. Francis. Today is also my mother's birthday so we woke early and went out to breakfast with my entire family. It was fun and filling! This afternoon, the boys and I did a few activities for St. Francis. First, we refilled the bird feeder which a squirrel immediately knocked over. We refilled and attached it to a stronger branch. The birds, squirrels and a baby bunny have been enjoying the seed mix this afternoon.
While I read a story about St. Francis from the book, Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow, the boys colored in a mosaic of St. Francis. They really worked well together on this until the end when they had differing opinions about how to color the bottom. I finally had to have them pick a number between one and ten to decide whose idea to use. They then began working on these wooden cats which we will attach a prayer for our cats and magnets to hang on the refrigerator. I don't think we'll get this finished today.Finally, I figured out a way to get the head back on our St. Francis garden statue. I used painter's caulk. As you can see, St. Francis has seen better days but I just couldn't get rid of him. I think I'll try to paint the whole statue. Black seems to be an odd color to me so I may try to paint him white. Any ideas about this?All in all it was a good day. Our parish has it's annual Campfire Mass this evening at the county park. We aren't able to camp overnight this year but always enjoy the fellowship and Mass under the stars.

Michaelmas

I've been trying to incorporate Saints' Day celebrations at least once per month. Since Nathan has a devotion to St. Michael the Archangel, my husband is named Michael and each of the boys' middle names is Michael I thought this would be a good one to celebrate. Technically it is the feast of the Archangels. The archangels are Michael (fought the fallen angel, Satan, and sent him out of Heaven), Gabriel (Gave Mary the message that she was chosen to be the mother of our Saviour) and Rafael (helped Tobias find a wife and cured his father, Tobit, of blindness). I tried to keep it simple. I reminded the boys of the feast day this morning and that we would celebrate this evening. Just talking about it makes it real for them. I printed a copy of this for Nathan to keep in his room. We often talk about how St. Michael had strength from God to defeat Satan and that God will give him the strength to get through the hard times in his life.
Before supper I had the kids cut out pictures of the angels and we made this really simple mobile. They put the angels in the order that they like them: MIchael on top, Gabriel next and Rafael last as they didn't know anything about him. After supper I read a story about St. Rafael from this book. It was the first the boys heard this story. It was very simple and to the point. Nathan read the story of St. Michael from the same book while I prepared dessert. Dessert was angel food cake with three candles for each of the archangels. After lighting the candles Mike read about putting on the Armor of God in honor of St. Michael. We then cut the cake, added whipped cream to our pieces and some extra candy decoration that I had sitting around and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Happy Michaelmas!

Assumption cake

Here it is. They boys had a blast (and only fought a little) while making it. They did it all. I just took it out of the oven. The recipe (Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake) is from this kids cookbook that I got at Ollies. The kids love this book and read through it all the time. You can see how they've bookmarked their favorites. For the Assumption we also read the gospel for today and said a rosary while coloring in this mosaic of the Assumption. Now it's time to head off for church.

My first Lenten sacrifice

I've continued pondering and praying what to do for Lent. I was going to buy a few new books but have decided my first sacrifice would be to use what I already own. So we are still talking about what to do but have some ideas. My kids like to draw pictures and so I am going to get them a new blank book (ok, so I am going to buy something...) and read a story of a saint each day. I have several saint books to draw from. Some are very short stories and some are longer. This way on those days that we have other activities we can still get this in. The kids will then draw an illustration of the saint. By the end of Lent they will have quite a book. On Sundays we will make homemade pizza together and begin a small study of the Mass. Mike is home then and we are making a commitment to not planning anything else during that time so we can really journey together as a family.

I am still thinking about prayer. I would like to get the boys thinking about having their own private prayer life. I realize that they pray, but only when I do. I need to teach them the importance of developing their own prayer life. Whether we focus in on one prayer or not I don't know yet.

Nolan's school will be collecting money for Heifer International this Lent. It makes sense for us to take this on as our family project as well. We have been talking about some of our character flaws and I am thinking that we may offer up money for the project day by day as we begin to overcome some of our difficulties. How we monitor this is still in the works.

I do not ask the boys to fast during Lent but believe that they can give up treats and sweets. Sundays will be our reprieve which is why we are planning homemade pizza for those days. Finally, I think I will make a poster to mark our journey day by day.

These plans will morph as time goes by. I learned from this year's Advent that I need to keep things simple or they will not be done. I am a little worried that some of these plans are too complicated so I will continue to pray over it.

On a sewing note: The above picture is from a quilt I have been working on. Winter is such a terrible time to take pictures of my sewing that I just haven't done much picture taking to show you. Also, since the quilt is for a friend who reads my blog, I can't give the whole thing away. Please pray for Matthew who is due to be born Feb. 5th (Gulp....next week!!!!), for his birth parents and grandparents and for his adoptive parents and family. May God's blessing be on them all as they sacrifice and give to each other.

Lent is on the Horizon

I realized that Ash Wednesday is only a week and a half away. When we began homeschooling, I began incorporating the Liturgical Year into our life. We did specific Bible study and prayer. It is the one reason I love homeschooling. More time to devote to God. Teaching the boys about our faith and seeing their faith grow was tremendous. Now, however, Nolan is at school. Our time together is so much more limited. I have been struggling with how to continue our faith journey together. I have to admit, it has fallen by the wayside these past few months. I must set this as a priority. I am setting it as a priority.

One other problem we have encountered in the last year is a lack of time together as a family. My husband works several jobs right now and isn't home too often. Sunday is the one day we are usually all together. Mike actually works on Sundays too because he is our church organist but once Mass is finished and all rehearsals are over, he is home. I am thinking that we will plan a Sunday lunch, prayer and teaching together as a family. I'm not sure what the focus will be yet but I'm thinking we'll perhaps pray the rosary and study the Mass. I have several books on the Mass that I've been saving for an opportunity to get into with the kids but just haven't found the time yet.

I've also been checking out the Mater Amabilis site for ideas. I may look at the Prove It! series or the retreat book for children called My Path to Heaven. A book I picked up several months ago is called St. Patrick's Summer, A Children's Adventure Catechism. I began looking through it the other day and it seemed to talk more about Bible stories that my kids are already very familiar with. I'm not sure that is the focus I'm supposed to take right now. I will read the book this week to help me decide.

I've also been thinking about virtues, works of mercy and character development. maybe pick one think per week to work on? Hmmm.....so many options. I guess that is one reason I love the liturgical year, something new to work on each year as we work our way through the seasons.

I would love to know what ideas everyone else has, that is if anyone actually reads this blog! I guess I will go take a look at some other sites and spend some time in prayer before making any decisions. I'll keep you posted!

O Emmanuel

O EMMANUEL
December 23

Symbols: Manger

Come to save us, O Lord our God.

O Emmanuel (Isa 7: 14; 8: 8), our King and Lawgiver (Gen 49:10; cf. Ezek 21: 32), the Expected of the nations and their Savior (Isa 33: 22): Come, and save us, O Lord our God.

The manger reminds us of the simplicity and poverty surrounding the birth of Jesus and is representative of His life of humility.

Recommended Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7

*from Catholic Culture*

O Rex Gentium

O KING OF THE GENTILES
December 22

Symbols: Crown and Scepter

Come, and deliver man, whom You formed out of the dust of the earth.

O King of the Gentiles (Hag 2: 8), Desired of all, you are the cornerstone that binds two into one (Eph 2: 20). Come, and save poor man whom you fashion out of clay (Gen 2: 7).

The crown and scepter signify Christ's universal kingship. As we sing in the fifth O Antiphon, Christ is not only the King of the Jewish nation, but the "Desired One of all," the cornerstone which unites both Jew and Gentile.

Recommended Readings: Revelation 15:1-4

*from Catholic Culture*

O Oriens

O RADIANT DAWN
December 21

Symbols: Sun with Rays

Come, and shine on those seated in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

O Rising Dawn (Zac 6: 12), Radiance of the Light eternal (Hab 3: 4) and Sun of Justice (Mal 3: 20); Come, enlighten those who sit in darkness & the shadow of death (Ps 107: 10; Lk 1: 78).

Just as the natural sun gives light and life to all upon whom its rays fall, so Christ, the Rising Dawn, dispels darkness and brings eternal life and light.

Recommended Readings: Malachias 4:2-6

*From Catholic Culture*

O Clavis David

O KEY OF DAVID
December 20

Symbols: Key

Come, and bring forth the captive from his prison.

O Key of David (Apoc 3: 7) Scepter of the house of Israel, you open and no man closes; you close and no man opens (Isa 22: 22). Come, and deliver him from the chains of prison who sits in darkness and in the shadow of death (Ps 107: 10).

The key is the emblem of authority and power. Christ is the Key of the House of David who opens to us the full meaning of the scriptural prophecies, and reopens for all mankind the gate of Heaven.

Recommended Readings: Isaias 22:22-25

*From Catholic Culture*

O Radix Jesse

O ROOT OF JESSE
December 19

Symbols: Plant with Flower

Come to deliver us, and tarry not.

O Root of Jesse, you stand for the ensign of all mankind (Isa 11: 10); before you kings shall keep silence and to you all nations shall have recourse (Isa 52: 15). Come, save us, and do not delay (Hab 2: 3).

The flower which springs up from the root of Jesse is another figure of Christ. Isaiah prophesied that the Savior would be born from the root of Jesse, that He would sit upon the throne of David, and in Christ this prophecy is fulfilled.

Recommended Readings: Isaias 11:1-12

*from Catholic Culture*