I don’t ever recall a time in my life when I didn’t know who Jesus was. I grew up in a family who knew and loved Christ. But, as I look back on my childhood I wonder how well I actually knew Him. Sure, I could recite all the stories and I knew that through Him I was saved, but outside of that I don’t … Continue reading Journey to Rediscover Jesus Day 2: Getting to Know Jesus
Lent is a time of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is a time of deep self-examination. The Lenten season encourages us to begin to make inner changes to our hearts, our minds, and our souls. I like to try to take the time during Lent to help my children move closer to Christ and to each other as well. While most of the time my … Continue reading To Wear His Crown of Thorns: A Lenten Activity
As Lent approaches I thought it would be nice to share a craft that my children and I did last year. Because we have little ones, making it to the Stations of the Cross on Fridays is difficult. This craft allows us to meditate on the path that Christ walked during His Passion and reminds us of why this season is so reverent and penitential. … Continue reading A Lenten Craft: The Stations of the Cross for the Home
A few years ago I was going through some boxes I had packed up and stored in the closet. They were filled with things I didn’t know what to do with. As I opened the boxes and went through them, I was overwhelmed at all the Christmas cards I had saved. Pictures of friends and their children smiled up at me. I read through old … Continue reading Spreading Christmas Blessings and Graces All Year Long
When I was growing up Advent was never a big deal. I went to Catholic school, but to be honest our Catholic education was lacking. I remember learning about Advent, but the beauty and necessity of readying our hearts and minds was never stressed to us. Our Catholic home was even worse. We prayed before we ate and we went to Mass each Sunday, but … Continue reading The Gift of Self: An Advent Tradition
With Advent just around the corner (less than a week away!), I thought this week I would share a few Advent traditions that we do at our house. It is important to me that during this time we make sure our children understand the true reasons we are preparing to celebrate Christmas. In a world where commercialism reigns, these little family traditions can help us … Continue reading An Advent Tradition: The Jesse Tree
I don’t know that many words are necessary. This is what happens when you have an Advent wreath and 2 little boys who love to touch everything. This is the second set of candles they have gone through so far. I was frustrated at first, but then just had to laugh. I think we are just going to continue to keep it real and not … Continue reading Advent with Little People
The kids were excited last night to put out their shoes for St. Nicholas to come and fill with goodies. It is a tradition they look forward to each and every year. Our kids know that St. Nicholas is Santa and Santa is St. Nicholas. His feast day is December 6th and on that day he comes to remind them the reason we are preparing for … Continue reading St. Nicholas’s Surprise
It’s hard to believe that Chris, our elf, has been a part of our family since 2006. I saw him sitting in a little boutique in Marietta before he ever sat on shelf in Target. Not many had heard of him at that point, in fact, no one we knew had ever heard of him. I looked him over and worried about the cost. He was … Continue reading Just Elfing Around
tales from the side of the tub 