On the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

I was not very good about embracing my own little crosses...   The morning started out so wonderfully peaceful.  We had Eggos for breakfast and started our school day on time!  However, by afternoon everything seemed to be falling apart!  For example: Captain could not finish his Math or Phonics correctly. (After 3 hours I finally gave up and sent the boys outside for a break. We all needed one...)  I then realized that while I was working with the boys, the girls were having a little camp out in my bedroom and, in addition to the fort which had been made out of my bedding, I found smashed apple jacks all over the room.  While I was cleaning that up, Chiquita managed to break a first communion gift of Captains.   At nap time, Snuggles somehow got access to a blue permanent marker and decided to write all over his bedding and himself. (Thankfully he didn't write on the comforter, just the sheets.)  Hubby had to work a 16 hour shift (plus his commuting) and I kept finding myself losing my patience and getting completely overwhelmed...

Why was I letting it all get to me so much?  We ALL have our daily crosses and, compared to others I know, my own are particularly light right now.  I finally took a step back, said a little prayer, and calmed down.    I let the rest of the school work go for the day,  baked a (simplified) cross shapedcake like I had planned (but had all but given up on),  bathed the baby, and read the children the story of The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale.   The day ended much better!

Prayer for all who carry their Cross

(from the back of a Holy Card)

O my God, I thank you for this cross you have allowed me to carry. Please give me the strength and faith to persevere so that I may bring glory to your name while withstanding the burden of its weight.  Thank you for offering me a share in your suffering.  I know that you have always been, are now, and ever will be at my side every step of the way.  Thank you also for every "Simon" that you have sent to help me bear this cross.  I have prayed so often that this thorn in my flesh would be removed, but I trust that your grace is sufficient.  Change my heart's troubled cry of - "How long, O Lord?", into words of trust: "However long, O Lord."  May I seek only to do your will and to unite my sufferings with your passion.  Help me to not get lost in my own self concerns, but may I find in these trials a way to greater virtue, a call to prayer and a path to trust in you alone.  Permit me not to waste my pain, but to make of these struggles a sacrificial offering for others.  Lord, when I am weary and I fall, exhausted under the weight of this cross, please give me the courage to press on as you did.  Lord Jesus, I embrace with love my cross, as a share in your own.  By your grace, may I carry it all the way to the vision of your glory.  I abandon myself totally to your will.  Christ Jesus, I trust in you.  Amen. 

Happy Feast of the Nativity of Mary!

A Lemon Blueberry Cake for Our Lady's Birthday! 

Family Prayer to Maria Bambina (Baby Mary)

Maria, given us by God, in the sweetness of the face of a child, look upon this family that is your very own and in your motherliness, grant perennial youth to our hearts.

May there arise in us a renewed commitment in our vocation to follow Jesus and may our charity be more joyful from this day.

Teach us that love can stand with steadfastness at the foot of the cross.

Honoring Our Lady

Yesterday was the feast of the Queenship of Mary, as well as the traditional feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

I spent most of the morning and early afternoon running errands and grocery shopping (By myself!!!!) so I didn't have an opportunity to make a crown cake like we did last year.  Anne did though, add hers turned out absolutely beautiful!  Perhaps we will be able to make another one in May, on the traditional feast of the Queenship of Mary, which is also the day Captain received his First Holy Communion...   (Speaking of which, I still laugh whenever I remember that day!)

Nevertheless, I still had a little bit of time to whip up a batch of simple crown cupcakes and print a few lovely coloring pages for our children to enjoy after we prayed the rosary last night.

Colored by Captain and Rascal

by Rascal

Hail, holy Queen enthroned above, O Maria.
Hail, Queen of mercy and of love, O Maria.

Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!

Our life, our sweetness, here below, O Maria!
Our hope in sorrow and in woe, O Maria!

Triumph, all ye cherubim, Sing with us, ye seraphim,
Heaven and earth resound the hymn:
Salve, salve, salve Regina!

(The children & I practiced this beautiful hymn each morning this past week in honor of Our Lady's feasts both this Saturday and last.)  

Celebrating the Assumption

This past Saturday we celebrated the Feast of the Assumption.  Here are a few pictures from a little bit of our day...

~ Assumption Craft ~

Inspired by Alice and Dawn 
(I listed some of our picture books here.)

~ Completed Stars ~ 

by Captain (age 9)

by Rascal (age 7)

by Twinkle Toes (age 5)

by Chiquita (age 4)

~ Coloring Pages ~

From: Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion for Catholic Mosaic

My boys added the following quote below their pictures:

"See the beauty of the daughter of Jerusalem,

who ascended to heaven like the rising sun at dawn."

~ Benedictus antiphon of the Daily Office

~ Feast of the Assumption Dinner ~

Shrimp in a Béchamel sauce

(a traditional French specialty for the feast of the Assumption)

served over Spaghetti, with Salad and French Bread

Mini White Chocolate Pudding Pies

 with a little cloud of whipped cream

 and blueberries for Mary! 


Queen Assumed into Heaven ~ Pray for Us!

On the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe

Today, August 14th, is the feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe.

After dinner this evening my children asked to listen to The Knight and Our Lady! The Story of St. Maximilian Kolbe while coloring Charlotte's wonderful coloring page.



They also asked me to post their finished pictures for you all to see:

Left:  by Captain (age 9)  Right:  by Rascal (age 7) 

Left:  by Twinkle Toes (age 5)  Right:  by Chiquita (age 4)

In the meantime, also inspired by Charlotte, I tried making some St. Max's Candy for dessert.

I ended up using pecans, since that is what I had in the freezer.  The candy didn't turn out anywhere near as pretty as Charlotte's, but I do have the same china ☺and my children thought the candy was delicious!

Thank you Charlotte!!!  

St. Maximilian Kolbe ~ Pray for us! 

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of the Assumption

On August 15th the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven.

Finally; the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians:

In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death.... She is our Mother in the order of grace.

~ The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Chapter 3, ¶6

I been working on our plans for celebrating this feast and have compiled the following list of suggestions.  We will be using just a few of these ideas in our home.  Now if I could just decide which ones!

Storytime

• Mary My Mother by Father Lovasik
• The Life of Mary for Children by Sr. Karen Cavanaugh
• Teatime Chat from Mondays With Mary by Meredith Henning

Crafts

• Here is a beautiful coloring page of the Assumption and here is another simpler version.
  
• Three more coloring pages can be found here.
• Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion for Catholic Mosaic has a lovely stained glass coloring page and yet another can be found in the "Coloring Book about the Rosary.
• Make an Assumption shoebox triptych.
• Jenn shared a lovely post last year with instructions on making Lavender Sachets. 
• I just love Dawn's Assumption Star and Dancing Sun!  (Which was inspired by Alice's beautiful Star of the Sea!)

Copywork

"See the beauty of the daughter of Jerusalem,
who ascended to heaven like the rising sun at dawn."
~ Benedictus antiphon of the Daily Office

Games

• Rosary Rummy (link no longer active)
• Mary Memory  (link no longer active)

Food

• Since it is traditional to bless fruits and herbs on the feast of the Assumption, incorporate fruits and herbs into your dishes for today -- how about Assumpta Salad or Lavendar Sticks?
  
• The other night I made an amazing Blueberry-Strawberry Cobbler, which would also tie in the use of fruits!  (Update:  I posted the recipe over at Catholic Cuisine.)
  
• For breakfast I am thinking of making a different version of the Ascension Pancakes... Perhaps replacing the Strawberries for Blueberries since the color blue represents Our Lady.  Ooh!!  Or maybe even some fresh Marionberries, or Marionberry syrup, if I can make it to our local farmer's market...
  
• Bake Assumption Rolls.
  
• In Katherine Burton's Feast day Cookbook she shares a recipe for Shrimp in a Béchamel sauce, a traditional French specialty for the feast of the Assumption.  I have some shrimp in the freezer right now, so I am hoping to try this recipe.
• A Fluffy Cloud Dessert would also be very fitting. 
• An even easier dessert would be to make some mini fruit tarts using mini graham cracker crusts, vanilla pudding, berries and whipped cream.  Yum!! 
• Another fun option would be to make a cupcake rosary since the Assumption is the 5th of the Glorious mysteries.

Prayer

• Pray the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary together as a family.
  
• Sing Immaculate Mary.
  
• Pray the Assumption Novena.
  

Even more ideas can be found at Women for Faith and Family and Catholic Culture's Assumption Day Traditions.

Queen Assumed into Heaven   ~ Pray for Us!

In Honor of St. Clare of Assisi

The feast of St. Clare is celebrated on August 11th, as well as August 12th on the traditional calendar.  Here are a few pictures from our simple celebration of this wonderful saint!

A painted Saint Clare to add to our collection!

Coloring pictures of St. Clare from Fenestrae Fidei.

We also read Clare and Francis and listened

 to A Sparrow in God's Hand: The Story of Saint Clare.

We will be having dinner and dessert in honor of St. Clare tomorrow night, since hubby has to fast today for another diagnostic procedure he will be having in the morning.  (Please say a little prayer for him!) I am planning on serving the menu suggested in Saints at the Dinner Table:  Saint Clare's Chicken Saltimbocca, Poor Clare Beans, and Almond Tart.   The author, Amy Heyd, explains the menu by saying, "The Saltimbocca is a traditional dish from Italy, one that might have been served to Clare when she was a child.  The bean accompaniment is a healthy dish that could be eaten as a main course with pasta and one that Clare might have made from food donated to her and the sisters.  Almonds are an ingredient found in many Italian dishes.  The dessert makes me think of the wonderful foods found in Assisi."  

I hope you all are having a lovely feast of St. Clare!

O Glorious St. Clare! God has given you the power of working miracles continually, and the favor of answering the prayers of those who invoke your assistance in misfortune, anxiety, and distress. We beseech you, obtain from Jesus through Mary His Blessed Mother, what we beg of you so fervently and hopefully, (mention your petition) if it be for the greater honor and glory of God and for the good of our souls. Amen.

P.S. Tomorrow is also the feast of St. Jane Frances de Chantal. Here is a link to our Little Flowers meeting last December with a few ideas for celebrating her feast.

Our Plan 2009-2010: Overview

It's been quite awhile since I posted our History plans for this coming year and I am realizing that I am just not going to have the time to post about each subject we will be studying this year. (I really like to be able to look back at those posts.) In addition, I need to continue spending all of my "extra" time figuring out a schedule for these plans and trying to get our home back in order (it has been really slow going since we have been gone so much on the weekends and I've needed hubby's help)! So, here is a quick overview post of what we will be using when we begin again next month :


Religion ::

• Saint Joseph Baltimore Catechism
  
• Angel Food for Boys & Girls Volumes 1-4 (using Jen's wonderful list of corresponding stories for the Baltimore Catechism lessons)
  

Celebrating the Liturgical Year ::

• Saint of the Day Story from Saints: A Year in Faith and Art. (We also read from Saints for Young People for Every Day of the Year Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 during dinner each night -- the version we have is out of print, however Pauline Books has reprinted these books (with a few revisions and new pictures), so here is the link for Vol 1 and Vol 2.)
• Calendar Magnet In Honor of the Saints
• Various Catholic picture books, Copywork and Coloring Pages
• Various Feast Day, Nameday and Baptismal day celebrations including lots of Catholic Cuisine
• Various ideas from Mondays With Mary A Celebration of Marian Feasts Throughout the Year, Catholic Mosaic: Living the Liturgical Year With Children, Celebrating the Faith in the Home, and A Year with God (As well as my other planning books!)
  
• The Jesse Tree during Advent
• The Advent Calendar
• The Jesus Tree during Lent
• Our Lenten Calendar
• Celebrate the 50 days of Easter
• Year of the Priest Faith Folder
  

Math :: (This was extremely hard for me last year. My kids, on the other, LOVED the program and so I am giving it another year... Hopefully we can make much better progress.)

• Right Start Math (level A with the girls)
• Right Start Math (complete level B and move on to level C with the boys)

Language Arts ::

For my older boys -

• Handwriting For Young Catholics 2 and 3
  
• Spelling For Young Catholics 2 and 3
  
• English For Young Catholics 2 and 3
  
• MCP Phonics Level B and Level C
  
• Wordly Wise Grade 3 Set (for Captain)
  

For my girls -

• Along the Alphabet Path
• Handwriting without Tears Hands-On Materials
  
• (I am still trying decide between Alpha-Phonics: A Primer For Beginning Readers and Sound Beginnings for Phonics with Twinkle Toes... I really wish we could just hire the tutor to come back for the girls or that I could be trained in the Lindamood-Bell method!)
• The Bob Books and other various readers for practice
  

All together -

• Prima Latina

Science ::

• Exploring Creation With Astronomy (Young Explorers)
• Corresponding Lapbooks for Lessons 1-6 and 7-14
• Various Science Experiments and Projects
  

History ::

• American History
• World History
  

Geography ::

• Globe and the Blackline Maps of World History Book and CD with our World History Course
• G is for Geography (I have decided to purchase a few of the books as, and IF, I can...)
• State-by-State Scrapbook (Using supplies from a dear reader!! Thank you Beth! My children are thrilled!!)
• Great States and Great States Junior
  
• Maps, Charts, and Graphs States and Regions Level D
• Geo Puzzles: USA and Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Latin America