Wordless Wednesday ~ Easter 2011

Happy Easter!

Join in the fun at WW!

The Holy Triduum 2011

What a blessing this Holy Triduum was!  We were able to take part in the entire three part celebration.  Father Adams explained the Mass on Holy Thursday begins with the Sign of the Cross and we do not make the Sign of the Cross again until the end of the Easter Vigil.  We were so thankful to be able to make it to The Mass of the Lord's Supper and celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood.  Once we were home and had the little ones in bed, The House Cat, Snuggle Bug, Dad and I watched The Passion of the Christ.  We all agreed watching this beforehand helped us to focus on all Our Lord endured for us on Good Friday.

Good Friday was a day spent in prayer, fasting and thanksgiving.  I'm so glad we were able to spend the day together as a family.  This is one day my honey tries to take off work.  We did our best to keep things as quiet as possible around here.  Dad rang the bell at noon and called us to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary together.  We drove over to the monastery and prayed the outdoor Stations of the Cross.  We made it home just before three which was the perfect time to pray The Divine Mercy Chaplet  and begin our novena. 

In the evening we went back to church for The Lord's Passion and Veneration of the Cross.  The priests began by laying prostrate before the stripped altar.  It was moving and powerful. 

We tried to carry on silence into Holy Saturday.  We all realized this was an area we needed to improve on from years past.  After all, our Lord is still in the tomb!  The kids watched some of Jesus of Nazareth again and then we all took a nap to get ready for a late night.

It was our first Easter Vigil as family and the little ones were soooo excited!  I mean what's better than going to Mass at night in a dark church and then getting to hold your own lit candle?  Thankfully Buck didn't catch Honeybee's hair on fire :)
No really, it was incredible and I just feel so blessed that we were able to be a part of the WHOLE celebration!  There were 3 adults baptized!!!  Thanks be to God!!!
We also have 44 new Catholics who became members of Christ's Church!!

God is SO GOOD!!!!

Christ is Risen!

The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery

Our Lord's Crucifixion

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery

Our Lord Carries His Cross

The Third Sorrowful Mystery

Our Lord is Crowned With Thorns

The Second Sorrowful Mystery

Our Lord's Scourging at the Pillar

The First Sorrowful Mystery

See You in the Eucharist

Rechenka's Eggs ~ Book and Activity

Rechenka's Eggs is such a wonderful book!

Honeybee wanted me to read it to her yesterday.  So, I asked her and Buck to join me on the couch to read.  As usual, Buck gave me lip about it.  "Do I have to?"

Yes, I told him.  Poutingly, he sat down beside us girls.

About half way through the book, he leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder, looking as I read.  When I was finished, I asked him to choose a book for me to read.

Guess what he said???  "Let's read this one again."

Of course, I opened it right up and began to read again.  This time I stopped when we got to the page where Babushka is blowing the inside of the egg out and asked if they would like to try this.  "Really?"  Yes, really :)

You'll want to wash the egg first

Then poke a tiny hole in each end.  I used a small pocket knife and a needle.

Then blow, blow, and blow so more....

I've since learned they make hand tools for this :)

Once the eggs were empty inside, I washed them with cool water and put them in an empty egg carton to drip dry.  The empty egg shells are so light!  Everyone thought that was really cool.

We watched this video of a real Babushka painting the eggs in a special way called psyanky.  This is an amazing form of art!

I knew this was more than I could do at home, so I broke out the "special - permanent" paint that the kids had been begging to use for some time.

Here are their creations and the meanings of the symbols they chose.

Honeybee

Brown Cross for Strength in Jesus

Blue Swirl for protection inside a triangle which represents the Holy Trinity

White represents purity

Buck

Blue Swirl for good health and defense

Green Saw for spring, new growth, and loyalty

Brown Net for endurance as a fisher of men

Snuggle Bug

Red Rose for happiness, love and caring

Ribbons for everlasting life

Brown Ladder for strength and endurance in prayer

Yellow Cross for Christ's light

Red swirls for Hope in God's protection

Purple nets for denying yourself and searching out the lost



This was definitely a fun activity.  We are all hoping to make more for Easter Sunday.  I think they will really add to the Easter dinner table both in beauty and conversation.

You can also visit Homeschool Share for a ton of activities that go along with this book.

Distance

You are gone from here ~ not really.

I can't talk to you ~ not really.

I miss you ~ you are alive in my memories.  You come to me in dreams.  I feel you in my heart.  There is a great distance between us.  Not really.....  The kids have been watching home movies.  You are healthy and laughing your boisterous laugh. 

You have gone on ahead of us ~ an answer to my prayers.  61 short years here on earth  ~ eternity with Our Lord.  One day we will be together again.  No more distance....  Until then ~ you are here.  In my heart.  Alive in memories.  Alive in the love you shared for us all.  Not so much distance after all.  I love you, Daddy.

Got five minutes? Tell us about Distance. No editing, no fussing, just five minutes of writing. And then link up over at Gypsy Mama's place.

Hearts For Home ~ April 6, 2011

In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.

In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'.

Begin reading Courageous Generosity by Stacy Mitch.  I'm really looking forward to starting this!

Continue to be mindful of my computer time.  It's soooo easy to let time slip away even when your perusing "good stuff."  Try to only get onto the computer every other day. (If you know me well, you'll know this would be a HUGE accomplishment!)

Spend more time reading aloud to the kids. 

Fight the temptation to listen to secular music.  It really does pull one in the wrong direction.  Besides, there's soooo much wonderful Christian music out today!

Spend more time outside with the kids.  We planted flowers last Saturday.  It was truly therapeutic.  We gave everyone a spot and let them pick out their own flowers.

Honeybee's Garden ~

Buck's Garden ~

Snuggle Bug and The House Cat's Garden ~

Columbine

pretty pansies

Grace Ward

Mom's Garden ~

~new comfy swing~

~Rosy Cheeks~

Dad's Garden ~ (for now)

New mailbox

(I'm sure the mail carrier is thankful for this since the other door fell off every time you opened it :)

Vivacious Vincas

(My mom swears by these.) 

Visit Gae at Cherished Hearts at Home for more Hearts for Home inspiration!

Comforting Words from the Prophet Isaiah ~

For the LORD comforts his people and shows mercy to his afflicted.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”

Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb?

Even should she forget, I will never forget you.

Hymn For The Morning ~

Surely it is God who saves me;

I shall trust and have no fear.

For the Lord defends and shields me

And his saving help is near.

So rejoice as you draw water

From salvation's healing spring;

In the day of your deliverance

Thank the Lord, his mercies sing.

Make God's deeds known to the peoples:

Tell out his exalted Name.

Praise the Lord, who has done great things;

All his works God's might proclaim.

Zion, lift your voice in singing;

For with you has come to dwell,

In your very midst the great and

Holy One of Israel.

(Taken from The Magnificat -  Meter:87 87 D

Can be sung to the tune used for There's a  Wideness in God's Mercy)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Thanks Dad!

Magic Tree House books, Geography and Much more

Buck, Honeybee, and I have started out on an adventure with Jack and Annie, characters from The Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne.  In her first book

Dinosaurs Before Dark, we are introduced to this brother and sister team.

I was sooo excited when I found CurrClicks Lapbook Study Guide for this book.

We have already read the first two books.  For this study we are going back and reading a chapter at a time and lapbooking it. 

Now I have to ask, have you read the cover story of the Spring 2011 issue of

Mater et Magistra magazine?

This is a magazine every homeschooler should subscribe to! 

The article is entitled, "Further Up and Further In" written by Jennifer Mackintosh.  You may recognize her name from her blog Wildflowers and Marbles.  As I read this article, I felt as though I was sitting at a homeschool retreat/conference listening to an awesome home educating mother's inspiring story of "real learning" in the home.  I have long shared her thoughts on giving our children room to build relationships and discover connections in the everyday rhythm of our home.   I found it most intriguing that we would have one of these experiences this morning.

Buck was a little restless in putting together his lapbook this morning.  He was wanting to color in a Power Rangers book I picked up for him yesterday.  We don't watch the show...  Anyway, as we were going through the lesson, we were asked to find Pennsylvania on the map.  I pulled out the globe to show them. Buck had a "light bulb" moment and asked, "Mom, do you remember that big map that used to hang on the girl's wall?  It's downstairs on Snuggle Bug's bookcase."  I ran down and got it and we opened it up on the table on top of all our other work.  We found PN and AL and they filled them in on the teeny map that goes on the lapbook.  Then he said, "Mom, we should color in all the states like they are on the map."

I could have had two responses here:

1. OK, we will do that after we finish this work for the lapbook. or
2.  That's a great idea!  I'll print out a map for you and you can get started right away.

Can you guess which one I chose?  If you said #2 you are right!  If I would have insisted on finishing the work I had "planned", I probably would have lost or at least dampened his interest. 

I printed off a blackline map for the two of them and they both sat with map spread out on the floor in front of them and we talked and talked.  They started coloring in the states according to the color they were on the map.  We discussed the abbreviations of the states, what it meant to be a bordering state, places we had been or are planning on going to.  We also called their grandparents, who are on a trip, to ask where they were right then so we could find it on the map.  These are just a few things we talked about. 

This was the best kind of study. 

It wasn't planned, it just came about naturally.

Wonder where tomorrow's adventure will take us??

Thank you, loving Father, for this amazing homeschooling journey we are all on!

Let It Be Done Unto Me

Music to my ears!

Last night as we sat and listened to my honey read the Bible stories that went along with our Jesus Tree, Buck said words that were truly music to my ears.

"Dad, don't stop reading....I'm diggin' this!"

"Mom, I want you to start reading this with me tomorrow for my reading lesson....the whole thing!"

These words came from a boy who usually moans when I ask him to sit and read with me. 

We have already been reading these stories for history this year.  He wasn't near this enthusiastic about them earlier. No matter though, we had the best time reading together this morning.

This just goes to show that if we surround our children with good things they will be drawn to the beautiful.

 

(Note: I didn't push the Bible stories down his throat when I didn't have his interest.  I have always wanted my children to enjoy learning and to fall in love with God.  I can't make them do either....  But, I can gently encourage and guide them towards what is truly beautiful.  I do believe children learn so much more when they are interested in what they are studying.)

Ash Wednesday ~ 2011

We started off the day baking our

 Crown of Thorns

and pretzels.

Next we hung the backdrop for the Jesus Tree.

Honeybee got to add the first symbol that night during our family prayer time.

The kids started work on their special Lenten study materials which we keep in purple folders. On the cover of Buck and Honeybee's folders, they taped the sheet I enlarged from one of CHC's A Year With God activities. They get to put a sticker (a heart for Honeybee and a smiley face for Buck) on a thorn each night if they've done their best during the day to be obedient, kind, and helpful. By Easter they will have a beautiful wreath for Jesus. The folders also hold their calendars, stickers, and other papers.

~ Our Family Meal ~

(was based on serving the poor and also the temptations of Jesus while in the desert.)

Rice and Beans ~

 in the symbol of the cross of ashes. 

This reminded us to pray for the poor and those who go hungry

The first temptation ~

(to turn the stones to bread)

~ Chips and Salsa ~

Chips - representing the devils tempting Jesus to turn the stones to bread.

Salsa - reminding us of the blood that was shed for our salvation. 

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."He said in reply, "It is written: 'One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4

The second temptation ~

  (to test God)

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: 'He will command his angels concerning you and 'with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"

The third temptation ~

(power)

~Spinach~

Representing power and strength. (like Popeye:)

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan! It is written: 'The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

Once we were done the kids and I headed out to Mass to receive our ashes.