Lent On The News::Must See

I am hoping this video link works. I have wanted to come on and share some lenten thoughts, but my new computer (blessing that it is) has slowed me down quite a bit!! In the meantime, please look at this video. If you homeschool, you have to look at it!! The young man whose news story this is is a former homeschool student. He is an awesome young man (one who mentored my son through his sports programs and classes)- your kids would love watching him as well.

Lenten blessings to all!! :) 

Pondering Lent

    

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday was the Feast of the Presentation and Lent was weeks away? 

Click here to see how our plans looked last year (2011). 

We started doing these Lent fortunes a few years ago- my boys love them. (because I linked it to Catholic Icing, this is my most viewed post ever on this quiet little blog )

Put together when my boys were younger, we used these rather less than brilliant (yet still effective) Stations of the Cross. I anticipate being able to get to church to do the stations more often now that I have big boys!

My boys might be getting too old for this Stations of the Cross game, but I will pull it out anyway. Another post showing that my boys really did enjoy playing the game.

Our Lenten plans from 2010 are here. 

This year we have a devotional to read together as a family: 

Characters of the Passion: Lessons on Faith and Trust by Fulton J. Sheen

I was able to browse through the books at the local Catholic store and this one caught my eye. I am not sure how much my 8yo will understand, but we can reread it when he is older.

This passage is what first got my attention:

"Neglect of Prayer: No soul ever fell away from God without giving up prayer. Prayer is that which establishes contact with the Divine Power and opens the invisible resources of heaven. However dark the way, when we pray, temptation can never master us. The first step downward in the average soul is the giving up of the practice pf prayer, the breaking of the circuit with divinity, and the proclamation of one's own self-sufficiency."

The book has 7 chapters: 

Peter: A Lesson on Falling and Rising (the above paragraph is from this chapter)
Judas: The Lesson on Self-Pity
Pilate: A Lesson on Political Power (can't wait for this one!)
Herod: A Lesson on Self-Love
Claudia and Herodias: A Lesson on Opposites
Barabbas and the Thieves: A Lesson on True Freedom
The Scars of Christ: A Lesson on Enduring Faith

The boys and I are reading Slaying Dragons right now- it is a good Lent preparation read! 

When we are done learning how to slay dragons, we will begin: 

A Life of Our Lord for Children by Marigold Hunt

http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com/liofourlofor.html

                 

Here is where the pondering comes in- much like during advent, I realize that we are no longer a family of littles. We can stretch ourselves a bit. I need to look around for some ideas. I picture doing something outside the home- some good old fashioned works of mercy! I know if we ask God, He will send some opportunities our way. And usually far better ones than I could ever think of.

And, I am going to participate with Gardenia in her Lenten Project- "Shake off the Bonds of Stuff". I love this idea.

I'll try let you know where this pondering leads.

My Pretty Table

I introduced my very pretty "freecycled" table in December. 

It is so nice to not have to move everything off the
kitchen table when we want to eat! 

For the feast of St. John Bosco and the month of The Holy Family 

(end of January/beginning of February). 

This week for St.Valentine's Day, the month of the Holy Family, and 

in honor of The 7 Sundays of St. Joseph (new to us). 

Erin brought home these balloons from the dollar store and
made a bouquet for us!

So cute!

Happy Feast Days! 

Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Valentine's Day

Sometimes things don't go how we plan- at all. That is okay. We are meant to celebrate the church year. Not to fret over it.

Friday, for Our Lady's feast day, I had all kinds of things bookmarked to do. I had a few off days and then was under the weather, so we simply read a beautiful story from our Catholic Heritage Curricula reading comprehension book. We did not even make it to mass. :( That is okay.

For St. Valentine's Day, again, we had lots of stuff planned to do this weekend in preparation of this special day. That was when I went full on out of commission. Again, that is okay. In Susan Fowler's Building the Family Cookbook, she writes that "St. Valentine's Day is a wonderful day to show your family how much you love them!". So, my plans may have flown out the window, but, with a few simple things, it was not hard to impress my family (they impress easily ;)) and make them feel loved.

 Pretty flowers for the table.

 Our table all set (missing a few chairs still). I love the banner

(we usually make one) that I found on sale at Target.

 And I love dollar store balloons!

 Cupcake brownies that the boys made with their big sister. (so glad to have
daughters that care to make memories with their little brothers)
                                                                                                                                                                                

We read this sweet book that I ordered earlier this year. 
                                                                                                                                            

 My boys' favorite meal- chicken packets. Basically, it is chicken, cream cheese, and
milk mixed together and wrapped in a refrigerator roll that is buttered and rolled in bread crumbs.
                                                                       

And, a small gift. What Ninja Lego stuff has to do with Valentine's Day is- well, nothing. But, my boys love Legos. We have a tradition of placing a small gift on each child's plate at dinner time on Valentine's day. Mark already found "friends" for his new Lego guy and put them on the plate too.

This picture turned out totally blurry, but I thought it showed that the boys are pretty pleased.

Happy Saint Valentine's Day to All!