Christ is Risen!

Hope you had a blessed Easter, everyone!

Good Friday

"O my people, what have I done to thee? or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer me."

~Improperia (the Reproaches) of Christ

Making Lent Meaningful for Young Children part 3

I ordered this Wooden Easter Play set from Oriental Trading and it was a big hit with Evan. We acted out the story using the little painted, wooden people. And when he's done, they store neatly in the little box that also works as the burial cave.

He played with these with me and then got them out again, to play by himself later. He enjoyed showing the girls his little Lent Surprise, too.

Evan and I made this little prayer box/center for Lent. I just made the pictures by gluing holy cards onto folded card stock. We use a piece of felt in the correct liturgical color for the altar cloth. And the candle we made by gluing tissue paper squares onto a clear, plastic cup. We then let the glue dry, trimmed the edges and Evan added stickers. The little battery operated tea lite works perfectly inside. This all fits into a photo box that I bought at the craft store. Evan can set this up anytime he wants to pray or just talk to God.

I placed some little Catholic picture books inside the box too.

I will change the "altar cloth" and we'll make a new candle holder as the liturgical seasons change. I'll probably include some different books and add a rosary during the month of May and perhaps a little plastic Blessed Mother Statue.

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Tomorrow will begin another busy week. I'll be posting our little "happenings" as much as I can.....with pictures. I love taking photos! I am one camera-happy Chickie. I might not be the best at it.....but I love it, so I'm not about to quit. :)

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Have a happy week, everyone! Make it special!

TTFN

~Tina

An Optimistic Daybook :)

For Today: Monday, April 4, 2011

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I am hearing:

The coffee maker making me some wake-me-up goodness. And Curious George on TV in the other room.

I am wearing:

Jeans, black stripey socks, and a brown long-sleeved T. I'll probably be changing the shirt, though. Supposed to get pretty warm today!

I am feeling:

Happy about today's weather and a very full week ahead. Also tired, from not getting enough sleep last night.

I am thinking:

I wish we had creamer. I'm not a fan of coffee without it. :( I do have deeper thoughts rolling around in my head, but this is at the front of my brain right now.

I am smelling:

Evan's cinnamon toast waffles, my blueberry oatmeal and coffee. Oh yeah.

Plans for today:

Today is nature club for all and Evan's first soccer practice is this evening (SO CUTE!) and usually Sky's karate, but we have to skip it to see how long soccer practice is. The timing might not work out and don't want to leave either child stranded.

Later this week:

an appt. for the younger girls, a meeting for me, more soccer practice, karate, preschool group for Evan, girls club for Alexa and Sky, a birthday party and also Stations of the Cross on Friday night. Saturday we want to go see HOP! and then Sunday the girls have their last CCD classes for the year so there's a party (note to self...buy ccd teacher gifts this week). Then next Monday the girls have a Lent Retreat after morning Mass.

The liturgical year:

Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, the girls upcoming Lent retreat, might go to confession this Saturday instead of waiting for the Penance Service.

I am hoping:

to get to my dads.....finally. thinking next Tuesday but have to wait on the weather to see for sure.

I am reading:

Not much. Does reading to Evan count? I'm just reading my lenten devotional, but I'm ordering some books from Amazon sooooooon. There are a couple in my shopping cart that I'm anxious to get!

Shopping:

grocery store for food for us. Also need to get end of year teacher gifts and a birthday gift for Skylar's friend. At some point soon I'll need to get our gardening stuff so we can plant veggies in big pots on the deck. Can't wait for that! And I should start thinking of what everyone will need to wear for Easter Mass, too. Too much to think about.....my brain hurts.

From the kitchen:

well, not sure. Grocery store tomorrow, so I better think fast!

Picture to share:

Evan made this tunnel for his train. He was very proud of it.....as he should be. It was awesome!For more Daybook entries, stop by Peggy's.

Have a great week, everyone!

TTFN

~Tina

Making Lent Meaningful for Young Children part 2

As I mentioned in this post, I have really tried to focus on finding things (activities, crafts, stories) to get Evan to feel the reality of Jesus this Lent. Not just Jesus as this "far away" or "a long time ago" divine person, but as someone in Evan's life now, today, every day.

Lent provides a lot of ways to accomplish this. Little by little, activity by activity, prayer by prayer, story by story, the connection grows.

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Some of these ideas are so simple, like the crown of thorns activity in this post. Evan continues to ask if he can remove a thorn when he knows he's been especially good at Mass or at Stations of the Cross or cleaned up his toys voluntarily.

This next little idea, well it comes across as pretty lame, but it mustn't be. Because believe me, Evan (unfortunately) has picked up the word "lame" and has used it to describe things in a rather rude manner. And he didn't say his "this is lame" comment during this activity.

(We're workin' on removing that little word from his vocabulary.)

Anyhoo, I pulled out some colored string and I had Evan go on a search for some sticks in the yard. He brought them inside and we put together a very simple, little wooden cross. It sits atop our altar behind the crown of thorns. Another project is to cut a cross out of lavender paper. Choose (or have the child choose) a holy card to place in the center of the cross. Also, cut out little white sheets of paper that will be glued on the cross around the holy card.

Once the cross and holy card are glued down, think with your child, about what sacrifices they can make this Lent.

What would be some good behaviors they can offer up for Jesus? Write these out on the white sheets and have the child glue them on the cross.

Use this throughout Lent as a reminder of things they can do that will make Jesus happy. They could also decorate around the cross with stickers (Evan likes his without stickers).

The last project for today, comes from The Catholic Icing Blog. This is an awesome blog for sharing our faith with the littles. The link to this printable is found here. You are supposed to color a square each day, but Evan doesn't like coloring....at all.

So we got stickers. Heart stickers to show his love for Jesus every day.

He's enjoying watching the hearts get closer and closer to Easter. :)

Keeping Lent simple has been key this year. Planning too much or too many complicated things just leads to stress and unnecessary pressure that I place on myself.

There is beauty in simple things.

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TTFN

~Tina

Spontaneous Prayer

This is the first year that I've really made an effort to get Evan to understand, on whatever level he is capable of, what Jesus did for us and why Lent and Easter are so important.

He's responding well overall, especially for his age.

There are quite a few activities and books out there that really touch children at this age......more than I realized and I'm pleasantly surprised.

I hope to compile a list of what we have been reading and doing this year, and share it with you.

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After reading this story to Evan, we went to the desk to do some Lent activities. I was flipping through some holy cards and he saw this one and grabbed it. He looked at it for a second and said, "OH, poor Jesus!"

Then he set it down and did this. He stayed that way for 5 or 10 seconds. I almost felt bad taking a picture, because prayer is a personal thing, but I wanted to capture that moment with something more than my failing memory.

He didn't seem to mind. And we went on to discuss the picture some more.

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Sometimes I feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall when I try to pass on my faith to my children. But I can never give up.

The battle is too important, and it's not just me in the ring.

God is right there with me, reaching out to my kids in powerful, and sometimes unexpected ways.

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Have a wonderful weekend!

TTFN

~Tina

Making Lent Meaningful For Young Children

This is an activity/craft that we started last year. It takes a few simple, inexpensive items from the craft store.

• toothpicks
• a 10 inch foam wreath
• foam block
• a wooden cross
• brown acrylic paint

This is pretty inexpensive, but very visual and meaningful to children.
You begin by painting the wreath brown. Let it dry, then poke holes in it with either a small nail or some other thin, sharp object. I made this little makeshift gadget and it worked okay. It's just a large, bent paperclip with tape around the "handle" so it's more comfortable to use.

Poke holes in the wreath all over in no particular pattern. Then fill those holes with toothpicks that have been broken in half. Put them in with the "pokey" side facing out.

This resembles or at least reminds us of the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore. It is a physical reminder of His suffering and sacrifice.

I put this on our family altar, now that Evan is almost 5. When he was younger, I had to put it up higher for safety.

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How it works:

Very simply, I read this story to Evan

and explained, as gently as I could, what Lent and Easter are all about. And how Jesus loves us so much He died for us. And because He did that, and rose again, we can enter Heaven when we die. And that we do still make mistakes and make wrong choices sometimes, but as long as we're sorry, we will be forgiven.

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Then:

I showed him the crown of thorns which he recognized from the story. I explained that our sins are hurtful to Jesus, but in the same respect, our good actions (sharing, helping, cooperating, etc) make Jesus happy. So every time he does an especially good deed, he gets to take a thorn out (and throw it away promptly, so it doesn't end up in someone's foot).

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On Easter:

He awakens to find all the holes that originally held "thorns" now hold flowers and in the center is a cross that says "Alleluia", sitting atop a flowery base. It's a very recognizable change from the cold, harsh crown of thorns.

Evan is doing well with his good deeds and sacrifices. And when he does an especially good deed, he asks to take a thorn out, then says, "There ya go, Jesus!" :)

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Hope your Lent is bringing you and those you love closer to Jesus.

TTFN

~Tina

~~Mardi Gras Party~~

I was going to call this a Mardi Gras Teatime, but that wouldn't be accurate. No one had tea and I didn't stress the "dignified atmosphere" as I do with our regular Teatimes. So we'll just call this what it was...a party. :)

We set up with a little bit of decorations, some were quite spur of the moment.

The kids made some festive placemats out of construction paper and construction paper crayons.

Then we found some party blowers and noisemakers leftover from New Years Eve.

Next step:

Off to the pantry.....we took out all of the goodies and displayed them ever-so-nicely before we devoured them. (heeheehee ~that's my evil laugh). It didn't take too long to finish them off....saving some for Taylor, of course.

After the sugarfest, we got out every sparkly, bright and colorful craft item we could find. The kids made these awesome masks.

We had a good afternoon, but it's a new day now. And the start of a new season in the liturgical year.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. I, for one, have been looking forward to this. More on that later.

Have a great day, everyone. And try to stay dry. We are due to get some soaking rains, yet again, for the next couple of days. It's kind of fitting, in my opinion, for the first week of Lent.

Still looking so forward to Spring. :)

TTFN

~Tina

***Simple Woman's Daybook***

For Today: March 6th, 2011

Outside my window..... cold, dark, windy and veeerrryyy rainy. It's just been pouring down a cold, cold rain all day. Unfortunately we were in and out all day. It's good to finally be all snug in the house for the night.

I am hearing..... the heater running, clothes dryer was running but the buzzer just buzzed telling me the load is finished (that's gonna hafta sit till tomorrow), and the wind howling outside once in a while....

I am wearing.... plaid flannel jammie pants, and a green long sleeved T, my hair is up in a ponytail and I took my contacts out so I'm wearing my glasses

I am thinking..... that we will do a Mardi Gras Teatime this Tuesday. Just something low key with mask-making and music and maybe even some dancing. And of course eating some junk food before Lent begins the next day. I love Hostess Ding Dongs!

I am hoping.....to get up to see my dad and his wife soon. Been trying to make this happen for a couple of weeks now, but illnesses and weather keep getting in the way.

From the kitchen..... the usual.......And Ding Dongs for Mardi Gras!

The liturgical year..... Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, so we will go to Mass in the morning and begin our sacrifices. Everyone has been really thinking about these for the past week or two. I think we've all made up our minds. I am really looking forward to Lent. The kids think I'm nuts. I'll try to explain why I feel this way in another post. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

Later this week.....Taylor's birthday is Saturday! My baby will be 15! What?! And she is planning a sweet little party that I'll have to explain later. It's very thoughtful.

Also, we have karate for Sky, Girls Club for Sky and Alexa and PreSchool Group for Evan

Looking forward to.....Lent, Taylor's Birthday, seeing my dad and his wife, Spring....

From the schoolroom..... need to order tests. We are moving right along and beginning to see the end in sight. Some books have already been finished for the year. Alexa's Tour A Country is coming along nicely.

The Month of March..... Lent begins, Taylor's Birthday, Saint Patrick's Day, our "legal" wedding anniversary (long story), Sky has to help with Lenten soup supper at church, (and she volunteered to be a reader at Stations of the cross this week!), Spring begins!,

A picture thought I am sharing....

(Daddy and Evan played a little "Go Fish" tonight. Evan won fair and square.)

Hope you have a wonderful week ahead! We started seeing the robins in our yard last week, and many buds on trees and plants breaking through the ground. Spring is coming!

TTFN

~Tina

What a blessing!

Look at that beautiful forecast! We have had consistantly cold Easters for as long as we've been in this house, which is at least 5 or 6 years. No winter coat over a summer dress this Easter! Yes!

Hope you are expecting wonderful weather, too, for your Easter! Have a blessed Holy Week and joyful Easter!
TTFN
~Tina

Click to Help the Poor

Please click HERE to help SERVE, which is a food service here in Manassas that helps local families in need. For more details, watch the video below. Then click, every day if you can!




Thank you!
TTFN
~Tina

Sacrifice

Part of Lent, probably the part most non-Catholics associate with it, is sacrifice. Sacrifice is an important part, but not the only part. I realize that sacrifices can be personal and don't need to be shared with others, but for us this year, I've decided to post what the kids and I are giving up this Lent.

Alexa: computer
Skylar: candy
Taylor: all sweets, junk food and TV
Me: Facebook (gulp), junk food and sweets

Everyone chose their own and I encouraged them to think it through first. It was supposed to be something they'd miss, but they are still young, so I didn't want them to choose something they'd struggle with through all of Lent.

In addition to the sacrifices we are making this Lent, we will also be working on nurturing our relationship with Christ through prayer and charity. I'll try to post about how I plan to do that another time.


TTFN
~Tina

A Quiet Teatime on Good Friday

We did an "impromtu" teatime on Good Friday. We read the events of the day from the Bible, and kept it kind of quiet. Taylor made hot cross buns. Ours are not so traditional, although they are very creative. We used Little Debbie Honey Buns and she "carved" crosses into them. She also made the crown of thorns out of palm from Palm Sunday Mass. We also did a Stations of the Cross around the downstairs.

Tea and Crafts for Saint Patrick's Day

The treat, this time, was not so homemade or festive. It was Little Debbie brownies. I put the foam shamrock in the middle just for "effect". Each girl got a copy of part of St. Patrick's prayer at their plate. We said it together, it was used later in a craft.

We also read these stories.....both accounts of St. Patrick's life, just presented in slightly different ways. We own the one on the left, but I'm partial to Tomie DePaola. It was borrowed from the library.Evan's favorite part of Teatime!