Snuggle Bug's Confirmed and Buck and Honeybee receive Jesus in First Holy Communion ~

Our sweet Snuggle Bug was Confirmed as a Catholic Christian Adult last Friday night.

She and I made a wonderful lapbook from Faith Folders for Catholics as part of her preparation.

After watching Therese and reading A Story of a Soul, among other things, she chose St. Therese as her Patron Saint.

Her grandparents came in town and spent the weekend with us. It was so nice to have them here to share in our weekend.  

On Saturday Granny helped Buck and Honeybee make their First Communion banners for Sunday's Mass.

Granny was a huge help as we cooked and decorated for Sunday's party!
Our Pentecost decorations were just perfect for this!

Sunday was such a special day with Buck and Honeybee receiving Jesus for the 1st time! 

Here their banners hang on the ends of pews. 

The First Communion Cake ~

Baked by The House Cat and decorated by Granny.

We also had the privilege of celebrating our Goddaughter's Birthday this same day.

The House Cat baked and decorated this cake for her :)

Yes, we had three cakes in the house!!  Not an easy place to be for someone trying to avoid sugar ;)  The House Cat was a huge help baking all of them for me.  Thanks HC!

SB had the great idea of having a 7 Layer Salad for The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit as part of our meal.

We also had Pork Tenderloin, Buffalo Chicken, Chips and Salsa, and Pimento and Cheese on Celery.  Got too busy and forgot to take the picture :/

It was such a blessed weekend overflowing with the Gifts of The Sacraments.

Thank you Lord for Your Holy Church!

A Family Novena before First Communion Day ~

Many of us are preparing children to receive First Holy Communion.  I came across this wonderful novena for families to pray together leading up to that special day.  This is such an exciting time!  I pray you will be blessed by it.

Ninth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you love (name) very much. You saved (him, her) from sin and death by dying on the cross and rising. Through baptism (he, she) became God's child. In nine days you will come to (name) in communion. Fill (him, her) with thanksgiving for this great gift. Let our prayers help prepare (him, her) to receive you.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Eighth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you died for our sins. We remember this in the Eucharist. In eight days (name) will receive the sacred bread and wine of communion. This is your body and blood that you gave for us. Keep (name) free from sin and full of grace.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Seventh Day Before

Parents: Jesus, by your death and rising you won everlasting life for us. In seven days (name) will receive you, the risen Lord, in communion. Let (name) always live so that someday (he, she) may be happy with you forever in heaven.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Sixth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in the Eucharist, you nourish the divine life we received in baptism. In six days, (name) will receive you for the first time in holy communion. Help (him, her) grow in love of you so that (he, she) lives as a true child of God.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Fifth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in communion you come closer to us than anyone can ever be. As our food and drink you become one with us. In five days, (name) will welcome you in (his, her) heart. May (he, she) come to love you more and more each day.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Fourth Day Before

Parents: Jesus, you want all your followers to be united in love. Through the Eucharist you bind us all together in friendship and love. In four days, (name) will be more closely joined to the church through holy communion. Give (him, her) the grace to be an active member of the church.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Third Day Before

Parents: Jesus, (name) was intitiated into your church at baptism. (He, She) is looking forward to further initiation through the Eucharist. In three days (name) will receive the sacrament of initiation. Make (him, her) a good Catholic Christian, full of faith and love.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

Second Day Before

Parents: Jesus, in the Eucharist you make us more like you. In two days you will come to (name) in communion. Enable (him, her) to be the person of kindness, compassion, wisdom and courage that you were. Increase (his, her) faith, hope and love.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

The Day Before

Parents: Jesus, tomorrow will be a great day of joy. (Name) will receive you in holy communion for the first time. (He, She) will know how much you love us. Bless (name) and make (him, her) a strong, loving Christian. May (name) always long to receive you in the Blessed Sacrament. May (he, she) always appreciate all you have done for us.

Child: Jesus, help me prepare my heart for you.

~ Taken from Whispers of the Soul from "The Gift of Holy Communion" prayers. .

A Day in the Life ~

Many people are curious as to what our days as homeschoolers/unschoolers look like.  No two are exactly alike and I like that! 

Here's some of what's keeping us busy today.

:Woke up early for Mass. Everyone was sleepy after a late night celebrating Snuggle Bug's Christian B'day with dear friends. 

:Mass and Miraculous Medal Novena.  Buck is so cute!  He loves holding the chapel door open for Father or just anyone and this morning he handed out the novena books as people arrived for Mass.  He's learning to be a good servant! 

:HC had a driving lesson on the way home.

:Breakfast for mom.  Snacks for the kids.  Ordered lots of books from  A Picture Perfect Childhood from the library for the rest of April.  Noticed today is the anniversary of Paul Revere's Ride.  HC read aloud Longfellow's poem from The Harp and Laurel Wreath and we discussed one if by land and two if by sea.

:HC went upstairs to work on Grammar (180 Daily Teaching Lessons) and Wordly Wise).  SB stayed in the kitchen working on another short story.

:Buck grabbed cardboard on his way upstairs and got started making iphones - I think.
(got frustrated due to the late night...  another talk on self control :)

:Googled "Unschooling Record Keeping" and found this site.
The big girls and I made daily log sheets from her example.  In a "perfect world"  we wouldn't have to keep records....

:Heard Buck and Honeybee playing Reader Rabbit computer game.  (Math, Science)

:SB came down and told me how proud she was of herself for figuring out a math problem on volume in her Life of Fred Pre Alg w/Biology book.

:The kids are in and out of the music room playing piano and guitar getting ready for a talent show at church on Sunday.

:Buck and HB watched Curious George and Martha Speaks.  (Science, Vocabulary)They are educational!!

:Big girls spent some quiet time in their room reading history books.  SB started Fingal's Quest today and says it's good. 

:Printed off more sheets to do with SB for Confirmation lapbook and for B&HB's First Holy Communion.  Both are only a couple of weeks away!  We are using Faith Folders for Catholics and loving them!

Buck and Honeybee are listening to this CD again!  They must really like it :)


:Laundry, dishes, cooking....

:Practice for Talent show tonight.

And whatever else God sees fit to throw our way!

~ May all we do today be pleasing to You and in accordance with Your will! Amen

A First Reconciliation Lapbook ~

Buck and Honeybee received their First Reconciliations recently.  We made these lapbooks and added some of the things we studied as we prepared. 

First, we glued 2 manila folders back to back.  I picked out two whose tabs matched up. 

The House Cat made the cover page for us with Microsoft Clip Art.  She's so much better at that than I am.  What would take me an hour - takes her 5 min. 

As you open the folder, you find the sheet they made as we studied the Ten Commandments.  That Resource Site had this activity which we used for this page. 

They cut out the commandments and put them in order.

On the opposite page we made these little flaps that contain the questions for a gentle examination of conscience for children based on each commandment.  We cut and glued each one accordingly.

The first folder ~

Flip over the folder page and you have a the steps for a good confession.

 On the last page they wrote in the three things that happen to you after you make a good confession.

The second folder ~

They were both so excited to receive their First Reconciliations! 

Now they ask to go every week.

And a child shall lead them!

A Blessed Woman's Daybook ~

Outside My Window ~

The temperature is 75 degrees.  Not at all what you'd expect for January - even here in the south. 

I'm hoping ~

We won't have more tornadoes tomorrow.

I'm thankful for ~

God keeping us safe early Monday morning.  The F3 tornado came within 1/2 a mile from our home!  Pretty scary!!!  Poor Buck gets so frightened during these storms.  I know God was hearing his little prayers~

Praying for ~

The families who lost loved ones on Monday.  Also for many, many special intentions.

From the kitchen ~

Hot tea, tissues and chicken noodle soup....  Yep, we are passing around a nasty cold :( 

Living for God ~

Buck and Honeybee are preparing to receive their first  Reconciliations on Saturday.  Please keep them in your prayers.  They will receive First Holy Communion in May. 

Snuggle Bug is preparing to receive The Sacrament of Confirmation also in May.  I am planning on making this lapbook with her as we prepare.

It is an exciting time for all of us.  Our babies are growing up.  We are so very blessed to have one another and our beautiful faith to keep us going strong on this journey!

Sealed with the Holy Spirit

Congratulations Mary Faustina!

A Triple C Day!

One down 2 to go!

Confession - check!

Confirmation ~ about 7 hours away for the House Cat!

Communion ~ right after Confirmation.  What a blessed day we are having today!

I received special permission from The House Cat to share her patron saint report with you.  Keep reading if you'd like :)

ST. FAUSTINA


1905 - 1938
Name means: Fortunate (Latin)
Nickname: Apostle of Mercy
Patron Saint of: World Youth Day

Feast Day: October 5th

St. Faustina is well known throughout the world as the woman who communed with God and brought to others a deeper realization of His infinite mercy. She was born on August 25th, 1905, in Glogowiec, Poland, and baptized with the name Helena. At the age of seven, she received a definite call to a religious vocation. However, her parents refused her request to enter a convent at age18. From then on, she tried to ignore God's call, and forced her interests to focus on the world. But when the suffering Christ appeared to her, He asked her, "How long shall I put up with you, and how long will you keep putting Me off?" The next day, she left her home for the city of Warsaw in search of a convent. After more than a year, she was accepted into the order of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. In that order she was to spend the rest of her life, physically and spiritually communing with the Lord. During the next 13 years, she endured persistent illness (which became tuberculosis), and also personal injuries from inside the convent walls. She battled severe attacks of despair and spiritual dryness, and the overwhelming fear that Christ had rejected her. The challenges of propagating devotion to His mercy were also great, and spiritually and physically taxing. It was during these years that she wrote her Diary, out of obedience to her confessor. Our Lord also ordered her, saying, " . . . be diligent in writing down every sentence . . . concerning My mercy, because this is meant for a great number of souls who will profit from it." Through all her suffering and doubt Christ remained with her, and on October 5th, 1938, He took her to her eternal reward. Maria Faustina Kowalska was canonized on April 30th, 2000, by Pope John Paul II.


I have chosen St. Faustina as my patron saint because I feel that Jesus drew me to her in many ways. During my 7th grade year, I was able to make a holy hour each week. Throughout the time I spent at the chapel, I read St. Faustina's diary and felt closer to her each time it got into my hands. I admired her heroic charity, and also felt that she could help me to be humble during rebukes and not to defend myself so much. Also, I find myself fearing at times what my vocation will be, and what God's will is for my life. She endured a similar type of struggle, and the way that she participated in Jesus' grace to live out her vocation is inspiring and encouraging. Her gentleness and patience while suffering is something that I want to imitate as well. When I find myself going through dry spiritual periods and struggling to meditate, I know that she will help me, since she was attacked with these crosses. These are connections that draw me to St. Faustina, and inspire me to take on her name and cultivate a personal relationship with her. Even if I am not called to the religious life, as she was, I feel that she will stregnthen me to accept whatever God wants for me in life.

I plan to keep her diary close at hand, and to read it as often as I can. Also, I want to increase my recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and to continue to participate in the novena each year. I hope to compose a special prayer to her, and to pray it every day, along with the St. Gertrude prayer, as we share a connection in praying for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Reflecting her meditation, sorrow, and frequent visions concerning Jesus' passion, I hope to pray the Sorrowful Mysteries more fervently, to make the Stations of the Cross, and to watch the Passion of the Christ once a year. Through this, and Jesus' mercy, I pray that our relationship will grow and I will be brought to greater holiness for the rest of my life.
 
Saint Faustina ~ PRAY FOR US!