I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Sticky Handprints and When You’re Not Ready for Easter
It’s Holy Week and I’m not ready for it. It’s been a busy Lent. It started out focused, but then life showed up. Did that happen to you, too? With our house on the market, trying to keep everything clean while homeschooling and raising three little ones is driving me crazy. Daniel was really busy at work and was out of town some for his second gig as a youth group leader. My lenten food … [Read more...]
9 Ideas for Observing Lent with Kids: Holy Heroes Review (and free coloring books for you!) {Sponsored Post}
This post is sponsored by Holy Heroes. Is it just me, or is Lent painfully early this year? I feel like I'm still recovering from Christmastide. On the other hand, I'm a big Lent fan. I love that the Christian Year offers us a time set aside to clean house. And no, I'm not talking about my dusty baseboards, although that would be a good thing to tackle during Lent, too. I'm talking about our … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: February 2015
I'm always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
The Freedom of Giving Up
We have a very mixed up idea of what freedom is. We think that freedom is choice, and more specifically in our consumerist society, we think true freedom is having a multitude of choices. We expect the t-shirt we want to be available in every color under the sun. We expect hundreds of flavors of coffee to be waiting for us at the grocery store. But on a deeper level, we think moral freedom is … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living At a Glance: April
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Bury the Alleluia and Other Last Minute Lent Resources
It's here. Lent. Ash Wednesday. After a rip-roaring Mardi Gras, Baby Gwen made it her special task to mortify my flesh by getting up at 4:45am...Pretty typical wake time. But it hurt a little more after eating too many cookies and staying up too late. So here I am gulping coffee while she chomps on banana and we wait in the dark for the rest of the family to wake up so we can go to Mass. Lent … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: March
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Have a Blessed Good Friday
Lamentation, Giotto Once upon a time I was in grad school for art history. I love the Christian artistic tradition and this image by Giotto is one of my favorites for Holy Week. Look at how the angels grieve for Our Lord, the way the Blessed Mother cradles Him, and how St. Mary Magdalene holds the feet she so recently washed with perfume. I also wanted to share part of T. S. Eliot's Four … [Read more...]
Holy Time: Lent and Cleaning Up My Whiny Soul
(Please join us in the Little HolyDays Lenten Link-Up by sharing your posts about this liturgical season. Linky below!) “I CAN’T do it! It’s TOO HARD!” whined my then 3-year-old son as he sat in the middle of his messy room and cried at the idea of having to clean up the toys, books, and stuffed animals scattered everywhere. Maybe I’m asking too much, I thought. He’s clearly overwhelmed. … [Read more...]