St. Brigids Academy

Let Us Love One Another

2012-02-14T12:37:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Mark 12:30-31

- Children's Maze Printable: Love the Lord Your God…

Classic bible verses about God's Love, are easily learned through great songs I learned back in Sunday School! Click on the links to hear the songs on You Tube! They are very easy to teach your kids!!!!

Beloved, Let us LOVE one another 1 John 4:7-8

- Song by Maranatha Kids

Behold what manner of LOVE the Father has given unto us

That we should be called the sons of God. 1 John 3:1-2

- Song by Maranatha Singers

- Song by Psalty the Song Book

I LOVE You Lord, and I lift my voice to worship You. O my soul rejoice.

Take joy my King, in what hear. Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear.

- Song by Maranatha Singers

I Love You Lord sign sheet

And in honor of the beautiful baby joining our family tomorrow morning…

Only days away

2012-02-08T13:06:00.001-06:00

February and no snow, but a beautiful frost! We actually had a campfire this past week. Yes, that is very odd - even for Minnesota.

Counting down the days until our sweet little Eddie is born. I'm definitely in nesting mode, cleaning like crazy and trying to get all those last minute tasks complete. It's been a wonderful pregnancy, the easiest of seven. I am glad to say my third trimester nightmares have come to an end. But I must say, I am certainly ready to have this baby. I am ready to get my energy back, my flexibility back, my back back! Here are some things I've been working on that may be of interest to you while I'm kicking back for the next few weeks.

My ProLife Story: Unwed and Unplanned > to Planning for more!

Feb 14th: Will you be my Valentine? - marriage, crafts, gift ideas, etc

Coming soon… Melissa's Organization Quick Tips

What's new with us …

>Tom is home on a short work break, which works out for me! He's tackling projects and cleaning that need doing. It's hard to be a happy helper with kids tearing your tidiness apart behind you. I tell him he has something to offer up!

>I made a crocheted teddy for Eddie, and I'm sewing up a storm of projects for his arrival. That includes the memory blanket of fabric collected from our Sibling Shower guests. Just laid it out the other night. As well as a new nursing cover, playpen sheets, car seat canopy, bassinet sheets, and more. * While I still have two hands to do it!

Happy 58th Bday Mom! Thanks for the impromptu knitting class!

>Mikayla got glasses, and they really bring out those big brown eyes! She loves to read, so these will come in handy. She's working on her own sewing and knitting projects in her beginners class by Mom & Grandma. She's also lost so many teeth lately, people might begin to wonder if she brushes!? (she does) The girls just got a new wardrobe from Ikea to hold all their dresses separate from their tiny shared closet. Their room is finally feeling organized and feminine.

>Stanley has a new love for Legos, a recent project was a set that belonged to his Daddy many years ago. He's joining in on the 4H club's Lego Robotics group. Tom and I are working on creating and leading a 4H Woodworking class for him and his friends. Stanley's a shy, girly guy - but his interests are so boyish (engineering stuff) that more time with Dad is just what he needs. I love his little "Alfalfa" hair spike, it's so characteristic of Stanley.

>Sabrina is learning a lot from Leap Frog videos and toys we have. She's knee deep in baby dolls, legos, squinkees, princesses and coloring. She enjoys running around the house giving me motion sickness and keeping our first aid kit in good use.

>Jonathan thinks he's the man of the house; talking big, brushing his teeth, staying up late, sleeping in our bed, ~~getting~~ attempting to get his own snacks and drinks, putting in his favorite super hero dvds, basically doing as he pleases. Recently, we had an argument which he ended with "But I'm Iron Man and I could shoot you!" Reminder, he's about 2 1/2 years old, so this all drives me nuts and makes me laugh at the same time.

>Eddie is super healthy, and I keep asking him to come soon. Though a c-section is planned just 2 days before my due date.

> And the school room is ready for us to resume when ready…

Lent Plans for 2012

2012-02-01T13:10:00.000-06:00

Here are all my quick links to our past Lenten projects and inspirations. (Just click on the highlighted titles) We plan to repeat many of these, since they've been so successful in our home. Please be sure to comment on and share your favorites!

The Jesus Tree - a free Lenten/Biblical countdown to Easter printable by me - and more! Use as a calendar, flash cards, table setting, bookmarks, etc.

The Soul Diet - a great resource to prepare yourself and your family during Lent. More lessons plns for this coming soon!

The Crosses We Bear - Activities and lessons about carrying our cross

Bean Good - sacrifice beans activity

Bin There? - Making a Sacrifice Bin

Preparing yourself with Virtue - What is Virtue and how can I teach my children?

The Lenten Season Approaches - Mardi Gras, Sacrifices, and Holy Week Projects

Our Holy Week
-Holy Week Facts for Adults
-Palm Sunday: Parade for Jesus, St Brigid's Cross, Palm Weaving resources, movies, Palm Sunday Song
-Holy Thursday: Sweet Unleavened Bread with Family Activity

-Good Friday: Stations of the Cross for Children, Stained Glass Cross sun catcher craft, Stations of the Cross matchup, Stations coloring sheets, Decoupage Cross rosary holder craft

-Holy Saturday: Crown of Thorns into Colorful Crown project, Paschal Candle, Christ Light craft, and Easter activities!

Christian Crafts for Holy Week
-Stations of the Cross coloring sheets
-The Offertory Box
-The Resurrection Story

Don't forget - you saw this on St. Brigid's Academy!

Feast of St. Brigid - Feb 1st

2012-01-29T12:56:00.001-06:00

Our homeschool saint is Saint Brigid of Kildare, Ireland. Her feast day is February 1st. Here are some ideas we've found to celebrate on that day, or when celebrating Irish culture on St. Patrick's Day in March.

St Brigid, Mary of Ireland
Ask for us all today
The courage to do God's bidding
Whatever the world may say
The grace to be strong and valiant
The grace to be firm and true
The grace to be faithful always
To God, God's mother and you.

My Wooden Saint Brigid

Prayer of St. Brigid

BOOKS

The Life of Saint Brigid, Abbess of Kildare by Jane G Meyer

Brigid's Cloak, An Ancient Irish Story by Bruce Milligan

Saint Brigid and the Cows by Eva K Betz

Catholic Icing: How to make a St. Brigid's Cross with pipecleaners

Waltzing Matilda: Coloring Page of St. Brigid

Catholic Cuisine - food ideas for St. Brigid and all of February's Feasts!

Cherished Hearts at Home: St Brigids Feast Day Activities

-Including crossword, word search, and coloring pages

St Brigid's Academy: St. Brigid, Example to Many

About.com: Saint Brigid's Day

- Great links to articles, activities, recipes, pictures and more.

Fish Eaters: Info about St. Brigid and Customs

- including activities, and recipes for Colcannon, Boxty Cakes and St. Brigid's Oatcakes.

Homeschool Lies

2012-01-25T17:12:00.001-06:00

I needed a laugh, and maybe you do too?

Will you be my Valentine?

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Tom and Melissa July 2011

MARRIAGE CHIT-CHAT and ADVICE
A Wedding Homily for my daughter - written by Deacon Bruce (my Dad for my sister)
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
The 7 Year Itch
The Kissing Corner
Courageous Love - The Dignity of Women

VALENTINES DAY IDEAS
What kind of valentine will you give to your friends and sweethearts?

Here are some fun ideas for cards, gifts and crafts I grabbed from my past efforts…

Blog Post: Happy Valentines Day - A little tidbit about Valentine's Day and its patron saint. Prayers and Ideas.

Illuminated Ink Coloring Contest - Must be postmarked by Feb 7th. (Or just something fun to color!)

VALENTINE COUNTDOWN - Our Forever Tree

Using Catholic Icing's valentine countdown printable (Thanks Lacy), we hung the hearts on Our Forever Tree to be opened and read each day. Then we place them in a pocket made from www.HolyReflections.com valentines stationary.

UNIQUE VALENTINE CARDS & GIFTS
HolyReflections.com has some beautiful valentines that are prayer cards you can print for free. We used these in 2012, added to a bag of sweets.

Take a photo of your children/family with a hand extended. Print the photos, punch holes near hands, and weave through a lollipop - or glue on a candy to an open hand. This is our 2011 Valentine.

One year I found an M&M website that allows you to create candy characters of yourself. I made one for each family member, printed them and made homemade cards.

Find heart shaped baking pans, sometimes in a kit, and let the kids decorate with food color paints or sprinkles!

Cut out a few cardboard heart shapes. Let children trace the hearts on white paper, purposely overlapping edges. Have them color each section a different color, challenging them to consider what it would look like if they were balloons. What color would show when a red balloon and a yellow balloon cross paths? Then write words of affection on each heart!

I made this door hanger pillow for my sister, but it is a fun gift for any couple. Take apiece of fabric and draw or embroider something like "Shhh… Honeymooners" or "Knock First." Then add hearts, buttons, flowers and other fun designs. I added buttons to look like Minnie and Mickey Mouse because they were honeymooning in Disney World. Sew with another piece of fabric as a mini pillow and ribbon to hang.

I'm loving crocheting, and here is a picture of a bouquet of crocheted washcloths I made. For the full bouquet look, use red/pink for the small cloth rose, shades of green for the medium cloth of leaves, then the multicolor large cloth for the vase (held together with rubber bands).

One year we registered at a bank for a prize, which we gladly won. It was a basket filled with a blanket for two, wine glasses filled with chocolates, wine, popcorn, movie rental certificate, pizza certificate, and decorated/displayed so cute. What a treat that was. Years later, we still love that blanket.

Don't forget to play Bingo using conversation hearts as the place markers!

TABLE SETTINGS and CENTERPIECES
I love to decorate for each holiday. Here are some images of my past settings.

Red and Black are the classiest colors, with hints of pink and white lace. Add some sparkle with candlelight! For an adult table there's room for wine glasses and treats. For a children's table, set up a tea party or craft. Don't forget, a chandelier is another decorating space!

A day of wine and roses. If you're a man, certainly consider the surprise bouquet of roses for your lady. She most likely deserves it. I always have a spot cleared for mine!

Lent is nearing, so the "Bean Good Jar" (Being good) is out. In this picture I wrapped a heart necklace around the jar and added a prayer card. In the other picture is my valentines dishes filled with festive cookies, chips and salsa, lots of candle light and some grenadine (cherry juice) to add to our soda!

More Valentines Ideas

Plan for Fun

2012-01-17T12:26:00.001-06:00

In this last month of being pregnant, I'm exhausted and my kids are getting the rough end of the deal. We recently hosted a Sibling Shower in our home, preparing our children for the JOYS of being a big brother or sister. It lifted their spirits and gave them the playtime they were longing for.
Of course the morning of the party, two families called in sick. My stomach dropped, feeling sorry for those little ones laying helpless in their moms arms while the well children grieve the loss of a fun day here. A party minus 9 kids - that's a party in January for ya! [We really missed seeing you gals and kiddos!]

But the show must go on! The house was clean (cleanest ever), my mom and sister were here to help, and I wasn't about to reschedule. We still had 13 other kids to entertain.

Following my Sibling Shower party directions with printouts made it a breeze. I had seen the idea on a few websites, but no one had created kid-friendly instructions or game sheets. So it is all done for you > HERE.

We hung up our baby pictures and collected scrap fabric squares to make a quilt for Baby Eddie. Just awaiting the fabric of our ill guests before I begin sewing.

We played - oh so many - games! The kids had an absolute blast, enjoying the games and prizes. The moms joining in here and there.

Everyone went home with a full goodie bag. My mom was running the stairs for this and that, so much she's not in the pictures! :( Oh my goodness, we slept good that night. But it was soooo worth it. What a wonderful occasion to spend time with friends and family.

Even the after party with Daddy was fun. Since our kids were so good, I gave them each a special prize to play with. Squinkies, Bizu beads and Playdoh are their current favorites. We enjoyed the leftovers for supper… mmmmm!

- - - - - - - -
In other news, the kids have been enjoying their Christmas toys and other toys whose bins have been dusted off.

They are addicted to their Vsmile Pocket and Super Hero movies.
Mom and I got the pictures hung that have been leaning on walls around the house for one year since we moved in! And Tom finished the office cabinets so I can be MORE organized.

I am officially ready for Baby Eddie to come. In the meantime a dolly is saving a spot for him in the bassinet and the cocoon I crocheted for him.

I swear, sometimes it looks like it's breathing.

The Sibling Shower

2012-01-17T11:23:00.001-06:00

The invitations were sent…

Create your own:

That’s when the creating, shopping and sewing commenced…

How to Sew a Gift Bag (Diaper Bag)

We decorated our home…

My daughter drew sketches of baby things. Then we printed similar graphics, colored and glued them on paper plates to hang from the ceiling. Add pink and blue, or festive table cloths as well as some misc decorations.

We also made centerpieces with silk flowers floral taped to pens.

And the guests arrived…

As guests arrive COLLECT FABRIC SCRAPS. These will later be sewn into a memory blanket for baby. Be sure to take a picture of the sewn quilt to send with thank you cards. This is the guests’ gift to the new baby.

You can print these labels to add guests’ names and pin to fabric.

Also COLLECT BABY PICTURES and randomly arrange on a board and number. It would be best to number with removable post-it notes. Display during party, and possibly play ”Baby Faces” game at the end when everyone has been able to get to know the other guests.

Have everyone enter and guess the QTIP COUNT !

Add cotton swabs to a baby bottle, making sure to add tissue paper on the bottom so the ends cannot be counted. I had a formula can to drop in the guests’ guesses. For a prize, I chose a Nativity Play Set. Other ideas may be a bottle of bubbles, character washcloths, or anything related to “cleaning baby.”

{Click here for a How many gummy bears are in the bottle? printable}

This is also a good time to guess the BABY FOODS.

Label the jars before guests arrive. Decide if you want to cool or heat any of them to enhance flavors. Use the kid-friendly handout sheet to mark which flavor is in each jar. For prizes, I selected Sandwich Cutters which cut sandwiches into fun shapes, as well as snack containers.

Getting Ready for Baby!

When they are done, they can PACK THEIR "DIAPER BAG" gift bag. I had ours all ready before guests arrived to save time. It includes a baby bottle with their name for drinks, a plastic or (candy) pacifier, and (fruit rollup) wet wipes. They'll also use this to hold prizes won during the games.

Dolly Diaper Bags: Buy mini canvas bags at any craft store, or sew your own using my basic bag pattern. Embellish yourself, or make it a kids craft project!

The plastic pacifiers came in four colors. I used these to separate the kids into groups. This could be by age, gender or mixed. Strung on colorful yarn, worn around the neck - each one has their name.

Children are a Gift from God - bag insert

I chose to include a flyer that had several quotes from the Bible about God being the maker of ALL things, especially the children in the womb. Taking plastic baby party favors, they are rubber banded to a rolled up flyer. The guests later “dressed” their babies in play dough.

My mom was such a helper at this party, me being 8 months pregnant and worn out. She did a bonus help by creating mini name cards that say "I Have Called You By Name: You Are Mine… Isaiah 43:1." Then the guest's name and meaning of the name. She even laminated them! :)

LUNCH includes many baby themed foods:

Let’s feed the babies! It’s time to eat!

Babies in a Blanket - Hot Dog Halves wrapped in Croissants. Use food coloring and toothpick to make eyes.

Baby Fruit Blocks

Baby Bottle with apple juice (name on bottle or sippy cup). If using baby bottles, have clean scissors to cut the nipple hole bigger.

Baby Carrots - Bought in kid size packs. Had ranch dressing available.

Poo Pudding - Chocolate sugar free pudding

Potty Break Anyone?? Move on to the CHANGING TABLE!

After the babies have been fed, it’s time to change those dirty diapers!

An assortment of diapers with sweet smelling doo-doo awaits them! Each guest guesses what candy bar is melted in the diapers by looking at and smelling each diaper. The prizes were Tootsie Rolls, Stickers and Candy Bars!

Then wrap up those dirty diapers and have a DIAPER TOSS challenge!

We allowed each guest to toss 3 diapers into the pail, then moved it back another 5 feet and gave another 3 tries. We continued until the max distance was difficult. Any ties were solved by additional throws at a closer distance. Prizes were for Top Tossers - 1 girl and 1 boy. Even the moms tried this game!

PLAYTIME!

Baby's all clean, so have everyone sit down for playtime. Have little ones sit in an area with a BABY DOLL STATION and NIBBLE NECKLACE snack craft.

Nibble Necklaces are licorice laces strung with cereal and fruit snacks with holes in them.

The older kids will play BABY BINGO, DRAW A BABY and CLAYTIONARY.

BABY BINGO

Preparing for this game was easy. I had the baby feet shaped candies in party favor boxes (25-30 per box, a bag allows for 12 boxes). In small cups were kid scissors and glue sticks. Each guest cuts the images and pastes them onto their board at random. One sheet is cut and used to draw pictures and called out by host. I chose to describe the word using questions, such as "What does a baby sleep in?" or "What do you bring the baby home from the hospital in?"

Prize bins were displayed with several inexpensive gifts from party stores and dollar sections, as well as a collection of sale items I’ve purchased over time. The kids went crazy over the selection!

DRAW A BABY

Everyone takes a paper plate and crayon, writing their name on the (eating side) bottom. Time this activity around 2-5 minutes. Kids put the plate on their head and draw a baby with as much detail as they can think of. Host will list point values for things drawn and points for them being in place! Another option is Host choosing their favorite for a prize.

POINTS:

1 Point for each body part = Head, Body, Arms, Legs

1 point for any fingers or toes drawn

2 points for eyes, 1 point extra if drawn on face

2 points for a nose, 1 point extra if drawn on face

1 point for a smile or each ear drawn

5 points for a Belly Button! 2 bonus points if on the belly.

3 points for a Diaper on Body, or Hair on Head.

3 points for any clothes drawn (shirt, booties, etc.)

3 points for a pacifier, rattle, blanket or toy drawn.

*Winner gets a new box of crayons! Additional winners can chose from the leftover prize baskets.

SNACK TIME includes a dessert or treat, such as fruit snacks, animal crackers, or these window cookies found at Se7en's Blog.!

CLAY-TIONARY

Claytionary is Pictionary using clay. A list of baby themed words has been made for you. The host will whisper the word into the ear of the team’s artist. The first team to guess the word gets a point. Because everyone is a winner, the team with the most points gets to pick out their prize first.

Everyone's a winner - hand out mini or regular containers of play dough to each guest! If time is running short, this can be a quick pick gift to send home with each guest without playing the game.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU:

Before anyone leaves, be sure to guess their new friends' BABY FACES.

Consider having a list of names nearby for spelling, or add names to the list randomly before printing. Guesses can be made by each guest or perhaps each family. Prize could be a photo album.

On a board I displayed baby pictures of Mom and Dad with Baby’s Ultrasound. Included is a poem entitled “I Loved You From The Start.”

*-*-*-*-*

For more ideas for teaching children about babies, and sibling shower ideas, see my blog post:

Preparing Children for a New Baby

Why a Sibling Shower? SmartParenting.com

Thankful Thursday

2012-01-05T09:55:00.001-06:00

Thankful for guidance from the Holy Spirit:

Incase you missed it, we're on a Soul Diet. A New Year's Resolution with nothing to lose, but much to gain. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, written by my hand. May be helpful for your new year?

Thankful for dream interpretations that are helpful:

Most of you know I am pregnant. About 8 months along now. If it interests you, here is a link to my current Third Trimester Nightmares and the interesting interpretations that have lead me to believe they actually have something to tell me about myself.

Growing in Grace: Third Trimester Nightmares

Thankful for a sense of humor:

On that same note of being pregnant and insightful, apparently I have a "famous face" detector built in…

Growing in Grace: My Famous Family

Thankful for my marriage:

My Dad, who looks a little like VP Cheney, is an excellent philosopher and Catholic Deacon. This past summer he gave an inspiring homily at my sister's wedding. If you want some inspiration for your marriage, or want to share a message with an engaged or "should get married" couple….

A Wealth of Wisdom: Wedding Homily for My Daughter

Thankful for my creative abilities:

Modest Mommies

Thankful for leftovers:

The Michalek Kitchen: Savory Sausage and Egg Bake

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Feeling more tired but less tangled

2011-12-28T14:23:00.001-06:00

This is me (at 24 weeks), minus 8 inches of Hair (at 32 weeks)

I held it up in the air as high as I could reach, and CHOP! And amazingly, I like it. At least while my hair is still pregnancy thick! No more old lady bun to my husband's delight. :) But now I have the detail curling and primping to do each day…. oh well.

Little baby Eddie isn't so little anymore.

Feeling more and more pregnant at Christmas - we're taking it lighter on schoolwork for awhile. It's more fun to be crafty, bake cookies, and practice handwriting on cards [than do basic math and learn English lessons I've never used in my adulthood]. This week seems to be clean up and play with all the new toys week.

One of the highlights was our homeschool group's Christmas Party. We had quite a turn out and was super fun. They were so happy to be there, many didn't even stop to get in the picture, including our Jonathan.

Oh, there he is!

I had a Crocheting Christmas (you can read about here).

Christmas time has been a real adventure. Now everyone is so excited for the new year and all the adventures it hold for us! Including Baby Eddie coming in February, parties, sledding, camping, building, and whatever we put our minds to!

We love you all!

Good Tidings in 2011

2011-12-20T13:47:00.001-06:00

What Gift Will You Give Him?
By Melissa Michalek 2011

Our lives here are for just a moment. How we spend that moment will determine where we will spend our eternity in the afterlife. Each year we write about our endeavors, our trials, and our triumphs. But we do not regard them as just memorable moments. Rather, we believe we are becoming worthy of an eternity in Heaven with each good decision we’ve made in those moments.
We are taking our New Year’s Resolution up a notch in 2012, and wish to write to you about our family’s new diet. It is a diet which you have nothing to lose, but much to gain. No counting calories or carbs, nor exercise required. If you decide to join us, you can begin anytime.
Most of our family and friends believe in life with a greater purpose. We also agree it is a daily struggle. Making our everyday life a prayer to God requires sacrifices of our desires, our time, and our human opinions. Trusting in God’s will for the purpose of salvation can often conflict with our own will…
A New Year's Resolution: Nothing to Lose, But Much to Gain!
Click to open our full Christmas Card: A Soul Diet Plan

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love, The Michalek Family @ St. Brigid's Academy 2011

By Mikayla Age 9

By Stanley Age 7

Links about Epiphany and The Wisemen (Celebrated in January):

Preparing for Jesus' Birthday

2011-12-07T11:29:00.001-06:00

Joyfully participating in a linky party at

Here is a checklist of what we do to prepare for Christmas Day, the Birthday of Jesus. And we're still a young family, adding new traditions every year!

DECORATIONS:
Right after Thanksgiving, we begin our advent preparation with the usual holiday decorating. Lights up, Christmas Tree out, and other fun decor. This year I gave up the ornament hanging to our kids, who did a wonderful job covering the entire tree, not just the bottom! Ever since I was a little girl, we decorated a ceramic tree with plastic lights that lit up from inside. Now we have our own for our kids to continue that tradition.

We put out the Nativity Set with Jesus and Wise Men hidden until Christmas and Epiphany. Jesus is put in a red box under a tree near the set with a "Do not open until Christmas" tag. {Make your own Nativity ideas at Equipping Catholic Families}

ADVENT CALENDAR AND WREATH:
The Advent Calendar changes year to year. But this is our favorite. We made it using neon green poster board, holiday foam stickers, and a moving piece. The Santa (St. Nick) of course was on day 6. Now I just need to find a Nativity Sticker to put at the top in place of the reindeer. Each day they can draw a good deed idea from the bucket and color something from Holy Heroes Advent Adventure.

The Advent Wreath below is a collector piece I found at a Hallmark store. The children get so excited to light the candles at supper time. I put it on a lazy susan so the kids can get a new view at each meal.

*Click here for a Jesus Tree printable that I found at JesusTreeDecorations.com

SAINT NICHOLAS TRADITIONS:
Stockings are hung for St. Nicholas to come Dec 6th:

One year we had the kids make their own, which was also fun!

There is always some place to visit St. Nick to say thanks!

BAKING & CRAFTS:
Everyone loves a good cookie exchange, or cookie eating frenzy! If you're a health conscious family, but still want the smell of baking in your home... I suggest putting those cookie cutters to making Cinnamon Ornaments {or this one by Martha Stewart} or Salt Dough Ornaments.

And while they bake, it's a perfect time to make other crafts such as snowflake paintings, beaded ornaments, and other winter fun activities. The pictures below are some we made this year using pipe cleaner and berry beads we had in our craft stash. Notice I bent the pipe cleaner to form a nativity scene.

For a snack or meal, we had a great time a few years ago doing the Jesse Tea Party as inspired by Shower of Roses. Each food helps tell a story from the Bible. These were simple to make and fun to eat. I think they even enjoyed the bible stories. Our Meal Plan and Photos Here!

CHRISTMAS DAY:

Christmas Day gets filled with Mass and family gatherings. But when we squeeze in time for our little family Christmas, we try to have the following occur…
1. Add Baby Jesus to the nativity set and eat Birthday Cake for Jesus.
2. Opening gifts from under the tree.
3. [Gifts Given to Church Giving Tree a week before.]

OUT AND ABOUT:
Driving every back road to see outdoor lights! (a house we like to visit below)

Snow play and sledding as soon as the snow decides to fall… :(

Maybe you've thought about Caroling?
> The 12 Days of Christmas - according to the Bible
> Go caroling at the local nursing home - they love that!

St. Nicholas Day Traditions

2011-12-02T13:40:00.001-06:00

December 6th marks the feast of Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. St. Nick visits our home the eve of Dec 6th and fills our stockings with goodies, chocolate coins, [and sometimes reindeer poop (chocolate covered raisins) or coal]. It's much more linked with the original story of St. Nick who filled the stockings of 3 girls with coins. We do this on his feast day rather than Santa on Christmas Eve - a day to celebrate Jesus' Birthday.

In the past, we've had one special chair that we all take a picture in, holding our stockings. It's fun to watch the babies outgrow the stocking! We've also set up a Jesse Tea Party to read bible stories with themed food. And of course the Christmas Tree and Advent Wreath are all ready the weekend after Thanksgiving.

We will also enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and candy canes while we watch Veggie Tales' St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving. Amongst other winter and Christmas movies in our DVD collection and Netflix instant que! We may also color advent sheets from Holy Heroes Advent Adventure.

>>My other posts about St. Nick as well as Advent and Christmas

>>Catholic Icing's St. Nicholas Traditions

Snowflake Painting

2011-12-02T13:39:00.001-06:00

As winter approaches (Dec 22nd), we have our first art pieces ready to display.

1. Cut a snowflake from Con-tact clear laminate. Remove paper backing and stick to a canvas. Paint with grey, white and blue acrylic paints and sponge brushes.

2. When slightly dry, peel back tape to expose white snowflake underneath! You can leave it as is, or touch up with white paint, or even glitter!

3. Used dried laminate snowflakes for window decor or stick on aluminum foil for a table runner or wall banner.

Teaching children about Thanksgiving

2011-11-08T00:10:00.001-06:00

Thanksgiving really pays tribute to God, Family and Gratefulness. Not ships, pilgrims and natives. Nor food or football! The next day seems to be the end of autumn and the beginning of the busy holiday season… a time often spent dreading seeing extended family again and a season of selfishness. So terrible, some wake up early for "Black Friday" to indulge themselves in it. What an example we've set??
Thank the Lord for Advent to help us refocus. Perhaps if we spend that one Thursday with many reminders of the goodness celebrated, it will thrive through the holidays?? How can we teach our kids about Thanksgiving? By example.

Our Forever Tree is about to be transformed! Thanks to inspirations from The Crafty Crow, this one came about simply! We will have a "Gratitude Tree" featuring all our blessings of the year and daily life. It has paper leaves and acorns written on and hung. Here's those inspirational ideas:

"Seeds of Gratitude" by By Sun and Candlelight

Using acorns to represent "seeds of gratitude" was rather clever. Print out this acorn at FithFath.com. Then have your family add them to the tree with their notes of gratitude.

"Gratitude Tree" by Green Jello

I like that she cut the papers out as leaves, ready to be hung. Here's a printable I found online below with some autumn variety. [Crayola.com]

Since our leaves are all dried and mulched up, I thought the idea below was a clever way to "make" leaves, which would look rather pretty on our indoor tree!

from "Paper Bag Leaves" by Creative Kismet

Easy Paper Leaves by Momichka - just use varied colors of paper, jagged edged scissors, and a gel pen.

Squirrels are a symbol of this time kids can understand, as they hustle about gathering all those acorns. But it is in preparation, and are we preparing? Since my kids are nuts about the squirrels in our yard, the kids table will probably be decorated something like this…

from "Nuts about Thanksgiving Kids' Table" by No Fuss Fabulous

Found through CatholicIcing.com, are Pondered in My Heart's virtue coloring pages. A good time to discuss VIRTUES is while they color! Courage, Perseverance, Responsibility, Work, Self-discipline, Compassion, Faith, Honesty, Loyalty, and Friendship are all good character traits we want our kids to have! It's these things that we are grateful for. Ehow.com has a simple description of the Catholic Church's Virtues and how they are not just for Catholics!

And of course the biggest Thanksgiving Celebration of all…
The Mass with the Holy Eucharist!

Daily celebration, not just once a year. The Catholic Catechist has some printables on the subject worth checking out. Consider adding a mini monstrance to your thanksgiving tree! Catholic Icing cut hers like a snowflake.

Remember :

[from Life Teen]

Early US History Lesson Plan - 1st Semester

2011-11-02T16:42:00.001-05:00

This is an overview of the lesson plan I created to teach my 1st and 4th graders their early USA history. I opted for the online and library approach instead of the traditional one school book. I hope you enjoy the resources!

(Second Semester US History coming soon! Includes Revolutionary War, Trades and Slavery, and US Government and documents.)

First Semester Lesson Plan:

Early America, Pilgrims and Pioneeers

Native Americans (Tribes & Traditions)

US Geography - Regions, States, Capitals

Our State History (Minnesota)

CLICK HERE FOR A FREE PRINTABLE PDF of this lesson plan.

PILGRIMS - COMING TO AMERICA

The Mayflower at Sea by Margeson

Life on the Mayflower. A journey we’d never forget or want to take twice! Doesn't that painting remind you of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?

If You Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 by Ann McGovern (Grades 1-4)

Answer children's questions about the Pilgrims with an enlightening Thanksgiving story. With the beautiful illustrations, young readers can imagine being right on the ship, waiting to arrive in a new land. As a part of the If You series, this book helps bring history to life and nurture imagination.

The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce: A Pilgrim Boy, Plymouth, 1620 by Ann Rinaldi (Grades 4-8)
By promising seven years of labor to a fellow traveler, Jasper earns passage aboard the Mayflower and closes the door on his troubled past. His account of the arduous ocean crossing and first year in the New World shows young readers his physical and spiritual growth as he learns the strengths and weaknesses in himself, his Puritan people, and his Native American neighbors.

You can learn how to draw such a marvelous ship in the Draw and Write Through History book by Gressman and Dick, as well as draw pioneers to pirates to patriots of the day [1492-1781]!

The First Thanksgiving - an interactive online experience for kids by Scholastic.com. On this website are Teaching Resources, Thanksgiving Lessons for PreK-8. I tapped into their reading list, and borrowed them all from our local library.

http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/

Magic Tree House: Thanksgiving on Thursday by Osborne

Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series—the Magic Tree House! It's a time for giving thanks . . . when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to 1621 on the first Thanksgiving Day. The Pilgrims ask them to help get things ready. But whether it's cooking or clamming, Jack and Annie don't know how to do anything the Pilgrim way. Will they ruin the holiday forever? Or will the feast go on? - - Jack and Annie travel in their magic treehouse to the year 1621, where they celebrate the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians in the New Plymouth Colony.

THE LIFE OF THE PEOPLE

Magic Tree House: Pilgrims and Sarah Morton’s Day are also some of our favorite books.

Colonial Kids is an interactive website for kids to explore life in the 18th Century.

Sew a Davy Crocket or Native Doll:

--Wee Wonderful Dolls Pattern sewn with short hair

--Kakhi Fleece

--Brown ribbon or leather-like fabric strip

--My simple sewing pattern (above)!

--A feather or mini coon-skin cap

Colonial Paper Dolls

Read about the American Saints: http://allformary.org/americansaints/

Father Damien

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Blessed Junipero Serra

Blessed Francis Seelos

Blessed Mother Marianne Cope

“In Catholic theology, all people are potentially saints by God's grace, and all those who have completed their earthly sojourn and enjoy the Beatific Vision merit the title. But the Church recognizes in a special way particular men and women (and boys and girls) who have exhibited holiness in life to an exemplary degree. Recognition as saints happened in various ways throughout the history of Christianity, but in recent centuries an elaborate canonization process has developed and has become the norm...”

- Catholic History.net [more history on their website]

EARN BADGES!

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting ® has created a program called “Footsteps of American Saints.” http://www.nccs-bsa.org/activities/FootstepsOfAmericanSaints.php It comes complete with activities and patches, which you can order for official presentation or print out to award your children at home.

PIONEERS - MOVING OUT WEST

If I'd chose my favorite history lesson from elementary school, it would be playing Oregon Trail in the computer lab. Yes, back when the screen was green and black on an Apple PC.

http://oregontrail.com/ - This website is home to the original game. It also has lots of history information for kids and links to Facebook games! Travel back to 1848 and travel west on the Oregon Trail, hoping you survive!

· Dynamic2Moms.webs.com is my new favorite place to look up ideas for American History lapbooks. Westward Ho has many printables and pictures about the pioneers of the early US.

· The adventures of Lewis and Clark are documented very well by National Geographic. Read about it at this link http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/ , and watch on Netflix!

· America's Story by The Library of Congress has some links that reminded me of our local treasures.

· Print out a paper doll set of pioneers on the trail at http://tinyton.org/pioneerstocolor.jpeg

DVD Pioneer Life for children: Daily Pioneer Life and The Pioneer Journey Westward and Westward Expansion in the US (found at our Library) was an excellent “in the car” movie. Our children ages 4-9 enjoyed it very much.

America's Story by The Library of Congress has some links that reminded me of our local treasures. Here in the central states we host all sorts of info about Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books. We were enthralled with Disney’s Little House on the Prairie 2 Disc movie. While I enjoyed the TV show in the 80s, this was based on their journey from Wisconsin to Kansas!

The Prairie Primer by Margie Gray is a literary unit study based on the Little House books for homeschoolers. I’ve heard excellent review about this book and its companion books for cooking and crafts.

Our children enjoyed our summer long project of building a clubhouse using mostly old barn wood. We reminded them that this was a similar size to some families homes back in the pioneer days (well, a bit bigger than ours). Watching Little House on the Prairie reminded us how special even glass windows were back then. A luxury.

PIONEER / COLONIAL CRAFTS

www.CraftyCrow.net Pioneer Crafts for Kids

Build a Log House with Lincoln Logs (or sticks)

Make Nettie Dolls: Rag or Yarn Dolls

Sew a Mini Quilt (Read: Papa and the Pioneer Quilt)

Make a Covered Wagon

Knitting or Crochet

Weaving

Search Online for “Pioneer Crafts”

NATIVE AMERICANS - THE FIRST SETTLERS

Native Americans - such a broad subject. I suggest researching local tribes. We are studying local tribes, trades, etc. The early settlements and tribes map can be seen here and the map above-right can be found here. A home school co-op took time to put together a great resource on the Plains Indians on her blog Dynamic2Moms.webs.com complete with printable lapbooks, notebooks and units for homeschoolers. The Homeschool Club also has some great links for Native American lapbooks.

Also, read up on famous natives including Squanto, Pocahontas, Sackagawea and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha. The Draw and Write Through History book series has a how to draw Squanto that is impressive.

The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe are in central MN, casually known for their reservation’s lake and casino. We're going to learn a bit more than that… Starting with an Ojibwe Shoulder Bag craft.

The Sioux Indians of the Dakotas are close, and I found great links for kids here and Plains Indian Crafts here. All found at the Regions of the US link. I like the idea to make a peace pipe out of paint sticks! How clever! Home Depot let us take a handful of the bigger ones they use for their 5 gal paint.

We'll take the kids outside to try to shoot their bow and arrow. Here's Boys' Life Magazine's directions to make your own arrow the old fashioned way!

http://media.scouting.org/boyslife/workshop/arrows.pdf

PVC Pipe Bow and Dowel Arrows by You Craft Me Up

I’m sure we’ll dabble in other crafts such as leather art, pottery, dream catchers, weaving, corn husk dolls, etc. We read The Mud Pony by Caron Lee Choen. It’s a traditional Skidi Pawnee tale of a boy who’s clay horse comes to life. We too used clay and learned how to sculpt it. Kids 7 and under I recommend playdoh instead of natural clay.

Since we have lots of trees down in our woods, we spontaneously made a teepee. Weaving branches into each other and wrapping a tarp around it. The kids had a blast, and we also had a campfire nearby.

My daughter’s fascination with the native lifestyle inspired her to dress as Pocahontas for a costume party. A simple and comfortable native dress was designed by me, and easily made by you! I used a khaki tie died fleece, sewing machine/thread, elastic and scissors. Optional fringe includes fake leather fabric, native style ribbon (looks beaded but not), and pony beads. Add braids, mukluks (suede boots) and a blue beaded necklace and you have a native girl costume!

More Book Suggestions:

The Indian School by Gloria Whelan

Squanto, First Friend of the Pilgrims by Cathy Durowski

The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush by Tomie dePaola

> This is a great read before painting with nature found inks or watercolors.

PIONEER & NATIVE AMERICAN MEAL IDEAS

Check out the book American Indian Foods. It is interesting enough for my 1-4^th graders, and gave me many ideas.

Breakfast: Cooked Oatmeal with Dried berries or Preserves and Nuts (or as a snack)

Lunch: Fry Bread Tacos (recipe and how to video) [Similar to Taco Bell’s Chalupa]

Snack: Jerky and Nuts with Milk - Try making your own dried foods!

Supper: Oregon Salmon Patties with Wild Rice Pilaf and Sweet Potatoes

REGIONS & STATEHOOD

Study the Regions of the US at this link. There is a plethora of resources and links here. I just kept on clicking and printing the day away! Mikayla liked the HarcourtSchool.com adventure activities that will help her learn more about the US regions. Cute and interactive online adventure.

The Catholic Geography Bee is a wonderful program for children to learn a lot about each state. This is an exciting program that will enhance your U.S. history and geography studies. Great for individual family study or for larger groups in the form of a Geography Bee.

The US Census Bureau has a fun way to learn about each state. Of course that includes the population of 8-12 year olds in 2000 and 2009.

Do you remember "Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?" Check this link out for more geography fun! http://carmensandiego.com/hmh/site/carmen/ and play the game on Facebook with all your FB friends!

OUR HOME STATE:

Check out your state's website. MN has our Governor's dog telling the tales of our history and fun facts to kids.

TIMELINES:

The big theme this year seems to be Timelines. Once we started discussing them, we see them everywhere!

Little House timeline

MN History Timeline

American History Printable Timelines

Other good links include:

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/

http://www.world-history-movies.com/colonial-times.html

http://www.historyplace.com/films/index.html

MOVIES

Pioneer Life for Children ( a 3 disc series found at Library)

Little House on the Prairie (Disney, avail on YouTube)

Pocahontas (1995 Disney, movie trailer)

Davy Crocket (2004 Disney)

The Alamo (John Wayne 1960 trailer)

Parent’s movie flicks, not for children…

Black Robe (on Netflix instant)

The Scarlet Letter

The Crucible (Fiction - The Salem Witch Trials, Catholic Review here)

The Last of the Mohicans (on Netflix instant)

[A list of John Wayne Movies here: http://johnwaynemovies.org/]

American Saints

2011-11-01T16:36:00.001-05:00

A blessed All Saints Day to all my friends! Enjoy these links to some saintly ideas for your classroom!

- Catholic History.net Visit their website for info on the American Saints.

All For Mary: American Saints

Saint Mother Theodore Guerin

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha

Blessed Junipero Serra

Blessed Francis Seelos

Blessed Mother Marianne Cope

ACTIVITIES:

Earn Patches as you learn about the saints!

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting ® has created a program called “Footsteps of American Saints.” It comes complete with activities and patches, which you can order for official presentation or print out to award your children at home.

http://www.nccs-bsa.org/activities/FootstepsOfAmericanSaints.php

Saints Fun Facts in preparation for All Saint Day

Directions for an October countdown to All Saints Day.

This is a fun new version of "Guess Who?" I found by

Arma Dei and Shower of Roses. Can't wait to play!

For those of us who are crafty…

S is for a garden of Saints, directions here.

Wooden Saint Dolls ideas here.

Embroider your favorite saints! Directions here.

Admiring the Saints who've gone before us.

My very own St. George and Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha.

We also have a Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, St. Joseph and St Therese amongst us!

For parents, has anyone read and have a review for:

American Catholic : the saints and sinners who built America's most powerful church / Charles R. Morris

Preparing Children for a New Baby

2011-10-27T18:50:00.001-05:00

We are enjoying this experience of sharing our pregnancy with our four children. I've come up with some wonderful ideas how you too can celebrate this miracle of pregnancy as a new mom or mother of many.
- Calendar - Growth Chart - In the Womb Movie - Reading List - Board Game - Sibling Shower -

A "Baby's Growing" Countdown Calendar
Use the weekly calendar idea I created or your own calendar. The designed calendar can be redrawn on construction paper or printed on your choice of paper, perhaps blue or pink!? Cut and paste the corresponding image when that week has arrived, covering the number. Be sure to read all the fun facts about your baby’s development! I recommend ParentsConnect.com or BabyCenter.com for weekly development information.

Fetal Growth Chart with Fun Facts
Is your baby a blueberry, a pickle or a pineapple? Find out these interesting size comparisons as the embryo/fetus grows within the womb. Click on an image below to see up close or print. I compiled this information and images from TheBump.com, BabyCenter.com and MayoClinic.com.

Movie about Pregnancy
With parental guidance, my children were thrilled with the movie In the Womb by National Geographic. The only shocker was the last few minutes when she gave birth - the sounds and a quick shot of "down there." Perhaps preview it first? Incredible real and computer graphic images of baby's growth and new discoveries!

Books to read to your children:
Angel in the Waters by Regina Doman, ill. Ben Hatke

Baby Margaret Mary: My Journey to Birth by Gale Crush

The Miracle of Me by Amy B Pedersen

The New Baby by Mercer Mayer

List from Amazon.com

What's Inside Your Tummy, Mommy? - by Cocovini
Before You Were Born - by Davis
My Mom's Having A Baby - by Butler
What to Expect When Mommy's Having A Baby - by Murkoff

List from About.com

Happy Birth Day
Baby on the Way
Julius, the Baby of the World
What Baby Needs
How Was I Born
Arthur's New Baby
Our New Baby
Welcome with Love
We're Having a Homebirth!

A Pregnancy Education Game for Families

Thanks to The Catholic Toolbox Blog, you can print out your “Look Who’s Growing” game board and playing cards at:
http://catholicblogger1.blogspot.com/2010/01/look-whos-growing.html

**A SIBLING SHOWER**
For mom's like me, who had their first baby shower oh so long ago, I discovered there are many who enjoy throwing a shower for their children who are to be the new BIG brother or sister. Read these 5 topics to start planning! Thanks to those bloggers who shared their ideas to inspire me!

LINK TO OUR SIBLING SHOWER:

http://stbrigidsacademy.blogspot.com/2012/01/sibling-shower.html

Game Plan & More Good Ideas I Didn't Use
1. Plan ahead: Create invitations, plan a meal, clever snacks, etc. Once young guests arrive, there is no time for dilly-dallying! Invitations should include a start and end time. If open for gifts, consider ideas such as story books or other items the big sis or bro can share with the new baby.

2. Food Ideas: Mini Burgers, marshmallow fruit salad (pastels), drinks in baby bottles, fruit blocks (cubed fruit), alphabet crackers, Bathtub Punch, Babies in a Blanket (hot dog crossaints), baby carrots, …

Snack: Nibble Necklaces made with Cheerios, fruit loops and life savers. String on licorice rope or plastic craft rope.

Snack: Marshmallow Babies

Dessert: Cupcakes or cookies are a classic choice!

Dessert in a jar: Consider baby food - the dessert jar selection is quite yummy. Gerber's Blueberry Buckle and Peach Cobbler! Or fill baby jars with pudding. If you don't have the jars, you can buy small canning jars.

3. Craft Ideas: One craft could be something all the kids make for the new baby. Other crafts for them to take home would be simple and inexpensive.
> Guest Gift: Children's Diaper Bag. Have each child decorate a bag (sewn or purchased) to use as their "diaper bag" for the day, holding their game sheets, prizes won, crafts, etc. This would also be a great door prize.
     *Oriental Trading's design your own tote
     *Pattern to sew a pretend diaper bag and accessories


> Tie Dye Spit up Cloths or Cloth Diapers.

> Decorate a floor blanket, or keepsake onesies or bibs. - Use stencils, fabric markers, fabric paints, iron ons, etc. [Many ideas sparked by Google Images] For the blanket idea, have kids do hand prints in different colors, with their names written by it. Onesies should be individual, good for smaller parties.
[Isn't That Cute Blog idea]

>Make homemade baby blocks.

>Make Hand Puppets. Older kids would enjoy this project. Be creative with socks, paper bags, felt, etc or purchase a kit.

These adorable puppets are available for purchase at The Land of Nod online. Oriental Trading has a basic set you can decorate.

> Snow Baby Ornament: Cute directions for an easy baby ornament for any season.

4. Game Ideas:

Whose Water Breaks First - Prior to the day of the baby shower, fill each of the cups with water enough to cover the plastic baby toys at least halfway (since they may float). Place the cups in the freezer until frozen stiff (you need to prep the night before). The day of the baby shower party, give a cup to all the women who attend the shower as they arrive. Whoever can melt the ice the quickest or their water breaks gets the prize. The baby shower attendees can try to melt by blowing hot air on it or putting it in the sun (everything goes, let them get creative). It's a game that everyone can play at the baby shower no matter what age or physical limitation they may have.
>Can also have babies frozen in ice cube trays, then added to drink at the same time for faster game play.
>Suggested prizes: Water Balloon Kit, Snowglobe

Diaper Toss - Wet a bunch of diapers and fold them up. Set up a diaper pail and let the kids toss them in, starting close and further away with each turn. Winner has most diapers in at the furthest distance, or a team win of tallied most in the pail.
> Prize ideas: Sand shovel and Pail, baseball, suckers…

5. Playtime Fun

Baby Food Jar Lid Game - A simple memory game to have on the table for intermittent play time. This blog has directions and a cute print out.

My Water Broke - if weather permits, try to break the water outside in a traditional water balloon fight!

Baby Station - For playtime, simply have a baby care station with dollies, diapers and doll clothes. Great for really little guests.

Snow Babies - Winter fun making a snow family!

MORE SHOWER IDEAS… as if that wasn't enough :)
http://stbrigidsacademy.blogspot.com/2012/01/sibling-shower.html
http://www.101babyshowerideas.com/big-brother-sister.htm
http://www.marthastewart.com/276963/baby-shower-ideas

Sew much going on

2011-10-19T15:33:00.001-05:00

Priorities: Those things you need to do before anything else gets done.

Procrastinator: Someone who lets their priorities get put on the backburner, until the last minute arrives. Leaving them anxious.

Homeschooler: A person who's priorities are changed by the minute because LIFE HAPPENS. And they're okay with it.

There is so much going on here, I need to stay on task. I've revised our successful chore chart to be in order of daily to-dos.

CHORES INCLUDE:

Make Bed & Get Dressed

Eat Breakfast & Brush teeth

School Work & Reading

Playtime & Chores (listed by the day)

Homework Complete

Bedtime 8:30pm

Immediate Obedience

Mommy's Happy Helper

Daily Musts for Sanity and Sanitary needs:

Sunday Service (Good Behavior at Mass)
Monday Messes (Major toy cleanup)
Tuesday Toilets (Bathroom cleanup)
Wash it Wednesday (Wash Floors & Windows, after craft time)
Thursday Trash (Get garbage out)
Friday Folding (Laundry Day)
Saturday Shoe Closet (Entry Way Cleaning)

REWARDS:

**Person with name on chart the most gets to pick the next Red Box movie for the weekend, or can opt for the $1 bill. [Mom & Dad not included, or we'd win every time!]

*Everyone gets a treat for their efforts.

A friend of mine also suggested FlyLady.com if you like email reminders and helpful hints. And of course there are many self help books on the subject.

Side note: Sewing has been slipped in the schedule for our multitude of costume days ahead! You can read all my ideas at my sewing blog, Modest Mommies!

Countdown to Saints Day

2011-10-11T13:58:00.001-05:00

I know I've been slacking on my idea posts. Well, I came up with this one with Mikayla's help. But just got started today.

Anyone else tired of being asked "How many more days until Halloween?" How about a countdown to the following day, All Saints Day on Nov 1st? Our Forever Tree is where we host our seasonal countdowns.

October Countdown to All Saints Day!

What you'll need:

A Forever Tree or Hanging Spot

31 Mini Pumpkin Baskets, labeled #1-31

31 Names of Saints or Saint Fun Facts (Catholic.org Saint Printables)

Perhaps a small treat in each basket too?

Take down and read or research one per day during October to prepare for All Saints Day on November 1st.

Click Here for a PDF of what I printed and cut out to fold up into the baskets.

Autumn Scenery

2011-10-11T13:42:00.001-05:00

It was beautiful here, all the fall colors just outside our front door. I love our new place. This is just what it looked like one year ago when we made an offer to buy it. Fall, my favorite season.

Instead of snow days, we have nice days off. Then the wind came and blew it all away. Anyone else who doesn't like that brown season between fall color and snow!? We made up for the loss with many leaf piles to jump in. And shish-kabobs of leaves?

and dirty little boys. Wait, that's year-round. :)

But that cold, windy and rainy part of autumn seems to have taken that away too. So we get back to school work. Can you see how much she likes math?

Close enough

2011-10-01T21:06:00.001-05:00

We're not finished redecorating our house after the remodel and finding out the gender of our next little bundle of joy. But done enough to show you all!

We decided that we aren't the best family to have a table and chairs with painted top and padded seats. It's just been met with spills and scratches. So when we came across this beauty, I was sold! My favorite part, the hickory top to match our cabinets and a bench for the little ones to share! This plus a highchair and we're ready for a Table for 7, at home anyways.

The girls' room is still a work in progress. I took off those awful doors and draped Sabrina's fairy curtains in their place. My girls got a lot of clothes, so we brought down Sabrina's dresser too. I plan to paint a fantasy tree and flowers on the wall, it's all in my head. We sold the bunk beds, and we decided to search for a twin over full bunk bed. So the girls are bunking upstairs with the boys for now.

As if we didn't have enough to do, I nudged Tom to paint the fairy pink room over with serenity green. Not for the baby, but for Stanley our 7 year old.

As you can see Stanley didn't waste any time moving in. He also loves his new big boy bed with the best view in the house - all those colorful trees. Lots of room for those Zhu Zhus and army men.

Now why would we do that!?

Because we had to make room for Edward (Eddie) Joseph Michalek!

When he's not in the bassinet by Mommy, he'll eventually be bunking with Jonathan in the blue Disney characters room.

The name is still up for debate. We've also considered "David Michael" and "Daniel Joseph." But we have until mid-February for that to be settled on.

So yes, it's a boy! We are so excited to have our boys just 2 years apart - playmates. While our girls are currently 5 years apart, and so are the older boys. We are still soaking it all in, having 3 boys. Tom's first comment was "at least they won't be arguing who gets to use the bathroom." Implying, if it's busy - they'll just go outside in the bushes. Luckily I have two girls to do lady things with.

Love you all - got so much more to do before bedtime. Oh wait, it is bedtime! Goodnight!

My how they grow

2011-09-30T18:21:00.001-05:00

7 Weeks (July 2011)

20 Weeks (Sept 2011)

We'll bring him/her home in about 19 weeks. So very excited to kiss that button nose. Do we know the gender? Of course. Are we telling anyone yet? Nope! We'll let everyone know when the room is ready for the big reveal.

Branson Missouri - For the Young Family

2011-09-10T16:06:00.001-05:00

When we thought of Branson, MO we thought of country music shows, hills of trees and lots of old people. We were surprised to find a wealth of fun for young families like ourselves. So we booked our trip for end of June. Here are a few of my favorite photo memories! Don't overlook this place for your next adventure!

DRIVING TO THE OZARKS - Branson or Bust!

Only 110 degrees. (90-100 average)

Our resort with a river view, luxury interior and cooling pools.

The perfect view from a screened in porch - also the perfect lock out time out for the kids.

And free mini golf and other fun stuff!

Don't have pictures, but we had an absolute blast at Dolly Parton's DIXIE STAMPEDE. All four course finger lickin dinner and show, with southern belles, trick horse riders, pig races, red neck humor and North and South rivalry. Never had such a fun time eating out.

SILVER DOLLAR CITY

Buy a season pass (1 week) at SDC and you don't need anything else to stay entertained! A portal the the good old days in America. Half Dollar Hollar for toddlers, Tom Sawyer river boats, craftsman of all trades, country fair rides, circus shows with dog tricks and high wire walkers, splash pads, ball pit, shoot outs, music and comedy shows, shopping and excellent dining and so much more.

Lots of water fun on these hot days. :)

Pushing this solid granite ball on top a water fountain with ease.

A break to cool off and text friends?

Good eatin' at Milly's Mill or the Miner's Basement. The difference? The food's the same but it's either ceramic plates or tin dishes!

You could go and grab a bit of jerky -

Alligator, Kangaroo, Buffalo, Ostrich anyone? mmmm good

or perhaps a sip of filtered water?

Simple fun at the new Half Dollar Holler and splash pad/ball pit!

All trades showing off their skills!

If you want the good ol' Branson entertainment, it's all inclusive at Silver Dollar City!

And don't forget to visit Marvel Cave and the old Train Ride complete with train robbers! A real hit with our kids, and fascinating for adults too! Something for everyone here!

And on your way, you gotta check out the Bass Pro Shops main locations!

Quite a Dam View too…

Wish I could write it off as a field trip!

Only thing I wish for you, that you don't arrive home to a tree in your house like we did! :(

My Teacher

2011-09-06T15:29:00.001-05:00

IN CHEMISTRY, HE TURNED WATER TO WINE.

IN BIOLOGY, HE WAS BORN WITHOUT THE NORMAL CONCEPTION;

IN PHYSICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF GRAVITY WHEN HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN;

IN ECONOMICS, HE DISPROVED THE LAW OF DIMINISHING RETURN BY FEEDING 5000 MEN WITH TWO FISHES & 5 LOAVES OF BREAD;

IN MEDICINE, HE CURED THE SICK AND THE BLIND WITHOUT ADMINISTERING A SINGLE DOSE OF DRUGS;

IN HISTORY, HE IS THE BEGINNING AND THE END;

IN GOVERNMENT, HE SAID THAT HE SHALL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNSELOR, PRINCE OF PEACE

IN RELIGION, HE SAID NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM;

SO, WHO IS HE? HE IS JESUS!

JOIN ME AND LET'S CELEBRATE HIM; HE IS WORTHY.

The Greatest Man in History Jesus had no servants, yet they called Him Master. Had no degree, yet they called Him Teacher. Had no medicines, yet they called Him Healer. He had no army, yet kings feared Him. He won no military battles, yet He conquered the world. He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him. He was buried in a tomb, yet He lives today.

Thanks to my friend who emailed this to me, I just added these pictures from Google. A great reminder of who our real Teacher is.

Pieces of August

2011-08-31T11:13:00.001-05:00

Happy 85th Birthday Great-Great Auntie Lolly

Ready for Church Pictures? Sure am!

Snowballs in the Summer - oh yes. Wish we had found these on those 90-100 degree days a few weeks before.

Playhouse is coming along nicely! Now that construction is ending, we can work on the other projects.

Giant Mushroom dissection, ew! Time for the birthday girl to get some girly time with mommy. Her first massage and a hair cut to start the school year.

Carpet is in, so it's time to reassemble beds, move in (again) and dance on the plushest carpet ever!

Cleanest our room has ever been. Hope to keep it that way!

Before: After:

I now have a ceiling, a chandelier and the best new patio door! It glides. Already had my first dinner party… lasagna of course.

Celebrating (Mikayla &) Sabrina's bday a little early, we helped Arial the ~~chewed up and broken~~ little mermaid, turn into Arial the human princess with legs. She promises to take good care of her.

Papa showed us his newest toy…

and certainly more snuggle time on the new carpet.

It's been a great August, thanks to some great workers and supporters. Love ya all! I got more zucchini bread if you come to visit again!

June-July's events will have to be posted later. We are still gathering pictures of the wedding and all the fun in Branson MO.

Pregnancy Cravings

2011-07-25T12:43:00.001-05:00

I am actually excited for pregnancy cravings this time around. We have a small eating out budget due to our remodel. This allows me to say, hmmm I'd like:

Sparkling Lime Water (that's a first…water craving?)

Taco Bell Chalupas

or LeAnn Chin's rice with a little of every entree!

or Olive Garden's Mixed Grill and salad, Applebee's anything, or TGIF's Japanese Hibachi Angus sirloin skewers

or Denny's chicken noodle soup or Grand Slamwich.

and some plums for dessert

Of course carb counting for a diabetic diet puts some reigns on this gal.

Oooooh - now I'm hungry! See ya!

note: all pictures are borrowed from Google Images.

What a pain in the house.

2011-07-25T11:50:00.001-05:00

You all remember this picture?

This tree has been "a pain in the house" for a few weeks now. Last week we had a lot of people giving estimates, measuring, turning on loud fans and humidifiers, etc. The guys started residing the wind and hail damaged sides - the shaded side! It's cypress green dutchlap. It looks spectacular!

Today we begin the roof demo. Inside the cabinets are either moved or covered. Appliances in the living room. And my entire craft room is packed into the play area downstairs. It's such a mess in here, it's driving me crazy. I keep telling myself and Tom, at least we were lucky enough to pack up our things - many don't have the opportunity.

It's not too hot outside, but hot/humid enough. I feel bad for them getting their sweat dripping clothes and arms covered in fluffy, itchy insulation.

Today we pack up and move into the local hotel for at least one week. A perfect opportunity for us to come visit some of our friends!

Getting Ready

2011-07-20T16:26:00.001-05:00

Even though your world can get turned upside down, as with our current restoration of our house after the storm… Life still moves forward. While I pick out the new flooring and keep the kids away from the construction crews, I am also prepping for my sister's wedding this weekend.

SPOILER ALERT, if you are family and want to wait until after the wedding to see some things, read this later!

One of the big to-do's for us girls is the hair and makeup. So Sabrina, the flower girl at just 3.5 yo, has hair just long enough to add her first curlers. She is pretty wiggly, but she loved the experience (and mommy's attention). After all, she is my princess. This is her test run.

I had curlers leftover, so Mikayla got a makeover too. She'll be a greeter at the wedding. A perfect job for my most social and caring child.

Hello Shirley Temple!

The next day, all curly, we joined my mom and sister for lunch at Olive Garden, and then onto the nail salon to have those boyish dirty toes spiffed up. They got their daddy's nails, and I hate trying to give pedicures. So I spoiled them with their first spa pedicure experience. Worth every penny!

BEFORE (ewww!):

AFTER (much better):

Reminded me of when I first painted Sabrina's nails……

The whole gang's here….

Once we got by the nail area, I couldn't take the smell. This pregnancy my nose picks up everything. But the nausea is gone, if I eat frequent small meals and stay away from the stinks of this world.

SPOILERS BELOW

Since most people don't take the time to look at the Bride-to-Be's toes, here's my sister and her pedi that screams "I'm getting married!" Can you tell which baseball team she likes?

Mine and my Mom's turned out really cute too! So classy in red.

Here's a quick pic of Bride-zilla…

getting her manicure. love you sis!

- yes those are fake claws that get clipped down to size.

Yesterday and today I've been sewing in my makeshift crafting area in our MBR since my craft room is being demo'd.

After much research and debate, I decided to add sleeves to my strapless bridesmaids dress. I followed a pattern I found on ModestProm.com's blog. Normally it would be easy, but this required me to unstitch some sections of an expensive dress days before the wedding. I was shaking the whole time. Having my inexperienced tailor (husband) do the pinning didn't help my nerves. It looks better on me than on the hanger. (That's a first!)

Spoiler… I made the cutest apron to cover my daughter's flower girl dress during the reception. If you peeked, Isn't it the cutest!? It's the same material I made my sister's bridal shower dress from. Added white lace and beading. It's basically half a dress. Super easy to make.

SO SUPER EXCITED!

Our little beanie baby

2011-07-08T10:16:00.001-05:00

It's been a rough week, but today I had a wonderful moment. I wanted to share it with you all!

Baby7 is 7wks 4 days old, and 1.28 cm long. He or she is a little kidney bean with a healthy heartbeat. It's exciting every time, an amazing miracle!

I am sure to many this is just a indistinguishable blob, but that's a baby with a strong heartbeat, a growing brain and nervous system. It just blows me away.

BabyCenter.com

St. Gerard Majella, patron saint of expectant mothers, watch over us all.

For Mother with Child

O almighty and Everlasting God Who through the operation of the Holy Christ, didst prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mary to be a worthy dwelling place of Thy divine Son; and, through the operation of the same Holy Ghost, didst sanctify Saint John the Baptist, while still in his mother’s womb; hearken to the prayers of Thy humble servant who implore thee, through the intercession of Saint Gerard, to protect her (me); that it may be cleansed by the saving water of baptism and, after a Christian life on earth, it may with its mother, attain everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen.

There's a tree in our house!

2011-07-02T10:51:00.001-05:00

Pictures from our Branson, MO vacation later. Here's what we found when we came home last night around midnight. We got a call about 5 hours before we arrived from our neighbor, but we were still shocked.

Then we went inside…

This was after we cleaned up the piles of insulation, wood and leaves all over the dining room table, chairs and school books. The water that came in has swelled up the floors and leaked into my craft room below.

The ceiling tiles are mush, and water might be in the insulation behind the walls. I think my sewing machine is safe, but my patterns and satin aren't. It stopped dripping just inches from my thousands of dollars of scrapbooking supplies. Luckily my albums that have pictures are on the other side of the room.

We had to wait until morning to assess the rest of the damage and call in the pros. They should be here soon.

Before we left, our microwave burnt out and our van a/c stopped working (nice for a 105*F drive). Everyone got strep throat, except me who had a cold. We found out we're pregnant with #5, and I was feeling yucky during the vacation. So this is just the cherry on top.

The big branches just missed our house a/c and my new perennial gardens. My new peony was missed by one inch of the big piece of sofit and 2x6.

My curious kids have no idea what's about to happen at our house. The tree removal service and remodelers will be here soon. So much for going to my cousin's wedding today, unless they get it wrapped up soon.

It could be so much worse. These 80mph winds could have ripped through other parts of our house, or we could have been sitting down for supper under that mess. But God was gracious and told us to sleep in before making the 12 hour drive. He steered us towards sightseeing, instead of home. He watched over our house and kept all the little squirrels out. Every area that was damaged was next to either a Mary Statue or our Last Supper image, unharmed.

God be with all those who have to spend their holiday weekend cleaning up the messes. May they find peace in the help that comes, and the ability to see the blessings amidst the chaos.

Precious Moments

2011-06-18T00:31:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day Weekend!

I just love babies. The ones that make us "Mommy" and "Daddy" forever. Most of this year I've been having the baby cravings, holding them every chance I get. I love their little fingers and toes, they way their mouth and eyes move to say I'm hungry, I stink or I love you. I love watching ours grow up, slowly, and all their joy in the little things. I love the bond we share as we breastfeed, as we rock them to sleep, or just when they want to cuddle. Though they are still little, I will miss these moment they tend to grow out of. But look forward to all the new memories we'll share in the next phase.

I know, I got 2 girls and 2 boys whom I homeschool. I should be set, right? 4 parent hands, 4 kids. It took me a long time to just put it back in God's hands. He seems to know what I can handle more than I can. It's just nice to have that true prolife spirit, and use Natural Family Planning. Though I must say, we didn't PLAN any of these kids. Here are some snapshots of each beautiful child of ours.

Mikayla is a preteen coming up on 9 years this August. She's my best bud, best helper and a mini me. It's no secret she was conceived before we were married, but I can't imagine my life without her in it.
20wk
4days 1yr
2yr 3yr
4yr 5yr
6yr 7yr
8yr 9yr

We tried getting pregnant for a few months. During a 2nd trimester ultrasound we realized we were a month further along than we thought! So thrilled since so many couples try for years, and even my parents had 15 years between pregnancies. My silly Stanley just turned 7. He's my spirited child, full of energy, emotion and curiosity. Everything is a BIG deal to him, and we wonder what kind of a man he'll be.
20wks
3days 1yr
2yr 3yr
4yr 5yr
6yr 7yr

I still pray for our two little angels (Baby Joseph and Mary) who were miscarried around 5-6 weeks in July and Nov 2006. Those were some hard times. It's when my depression hit it's lowest point, and I finally got help. The baby may look like a blob and I may have only known I was pregnant for a few days or weeks… but they are our babies. There was a time of joy, and a time of sorrow. But we are back to the joy that they are in Heaven, waiting for us. Lucky buggers.

I decided not to try to get pregnant again after the miscarriages. Turns out, God knew better. We're coming up on Sabrina's 4th Birthday in Sept. Our princess as always, but a Belle or Rapunzel independent princess. She agrees, "those princesses have brown hair like me." She went to bed tonight covered in glitter powder.
20wk
4days 18m
1yr 2yr
3yr 3.5yr

The first few years, we didn't worry if we got pregnant. The next few years, we were more tuned into NFP to keep it "planned" and "spaced out." Finally after talks with my best bud Jamie, she convinced me to just not think about it so much, and if it happens… it happens. A true prolifer. Only took one relaxing evening. [Jamie got pregnant the next month.] It's been almost two years since Jonathan was born. He's such a serious, tough guy. He's the only one I breastfed past 2 months, I think we made it to 7 months. Now he's officially done with the highchair. His favorite place is in Mommy's arms.
5w 6w
20wk 28wk
1day 1wk
2m 9m
1yr 2yrs
Like some moms would say, "Isn't he a ham!?" Whatever that means?

What's this, another positive test? Who does this belong to?

Oh yes, that'd be baby number 7. A faint line at just 4 weeks, but it's there. Surprise!
What happened? or What the heck are you thinking??? 5 kids!
We packed up the baby stuff and crib in prep for the future mommy… my sister, since she's getting married this summer I figured she'd be next…. Sold the double stroller. Had Mom take the bassinet and carseat to store away. I better stick to breastfeeding, because I sold all the bottles too! Isn't that how it works, give away the crib and get pregnant? Sorry Annie, I guess I get dibs.
I also got talking to my close friends Kathryn and Jamie about babies. We seem to have the same fertility cycle. Jamie's pregnant with #6, and Kathryn will be soon enough with #5! Thanks gals.
So what are we doing about it at only 5wks out of 40? Have we freaked out and considered abortion, adoption or hoping for a miscarriage? NO. We are thrilled to pieces. It's a shock, don't get me wrong. But every child is a gift from God. I'd never return a gift from God, would you? We have so much more love to give, and need a lot more practice with patience and humility.

Other stuff? We now have a deadline for all the little projects around the house. We're letting go of all the extra stuff we keep hanging onto. We pray God will help us find time to work on the baby books we're way behind on.
We're building a giant playhouse for the kids to escape to (or Tom and I).

We've already moved the "Sleepover Girls" into the basement room with bunkbeds. They love the idea of a permanent sleepover. For now.

Then today, found new doctors for the first time since 2001. Don't worry, we got to test the clinic out today - everyone but me has strep throat. I got blessed with a cold virus. My heart goes out to Jamie's family with a 3-week Bad Hair Day… the week after we visited her family she told us they all have lice! I'll take my box of tissues over that, and luckily they didn't jump on us. Can't wait to see their new haircuts though!

Time to dust off the car seat and reassemble the crib.

Do you think the nursery should stay pixie pink?

Maybe a little ahead of the game, but it's my way of coping and I'm stickin to it… at least until the morning sickness begins. I was going to wait until 10-12 weeks to announce, but I just can't keep a secret this big. This post is my way of telling my family, so let's see who calls me screaming in excitement or shock first!?