What We’ve Been Reading – November

I wasn’t very good about keeping track of what we read this month. Preschool – Second Grade Read Alouds A Bargain For Frances by Russell Hoban Bible Stories for Little Children under the approbation of Cardinal McCloskey (excerpt here) Blaze Finds Forgotten Roads by C.W. Anderson Catholic Children’s Treasure Box Books by Maryknoll Sisters A Child’s Garden of Verses by…

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Multiplying Love

“I am so happy that my mom is pregnant. Every time my mom has another baby, the love in our family grows.” ~ Katheryn Lyon ~ These words were shared with me by a 15 or 16-year-old girl shortly after learning that her mother was pregnant. When I first met Katheryn, she was the oldest…

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Laudamus Te

On Sunday, I was delighted to finally see a copy of Laudamus Te, a new magazine for those who assist at the Latin Mass. Our pastor surprised many of us when he announced that he had ordered a bulk subscription to the magazine for our parish. I had been toying with subscribing to the magazine,…

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A Plea for Intolerance

America, it is said, is suffering from intolerance. It is not. It is suffering from tolerance: tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so much overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded. The man who can make up his mind in…

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Applesauce and Cinnamon Christmas Ornaments

We’ve been making these ornaments since my oldest was three years old. We don’t make them every year, but we will need to make some this Advent, as Heidi chewed several of them last year. What You Need: 1 ½ cups ground cinnamon  1 cup applesauce  ¼ cup white non-toxic school glue (optional; if you…

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Christmas Books

Each year for Christmas, the children receive a Christmas-themed book. As our older children have grown, we have moved away from giving them picture books. Some of the “chapter books” that they have received and liked are: The Birds’ Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin We have a different copy of this book. Christmas by Alice Dalgliesh (out-of-print) A…

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Six Months Old

Our little boy is six months old, 20 pounds and 28 inches. He can sit up and give kisses. He tries to swim on the floor. He likes to eat mashed banana and pureed baked sweet potatoes. He laughs when we play peek-a-boo with him and occasionally tries to initiate playing the game by covering…

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But the men signed of the cross of Christ go gaily in the dark…

My friend, Peggy Sue, shared this with our homeschool group today. The Ballad of the White HorseBy Dale Ahlquist Chesterton may have considered The Ballad of the White Horse his greatest literary accomplishment. I have two reasons for saying that. First of all, it is a masterpiece. But it was the only one of his works that…

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Guidelines for Voting and more…

The following announcement was read from the pulpit on Sunday and appeared in our parish bulletin. I thought that it might be beneficial to share here. As Tuesday is Election Day, a reminder that Catholics are morally obliged to uphold Church teaching in the selection of candidates and voting on public initiatives. In regards to conscience, remember that…

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Vote for Life, Marriage, Family, and Religious Freedom

Photos courtesy of Theresa. During this election year, Brendan decided that it would be appropriate to carve a pro-life pumpkin for All Hallow’s Eve. Yesterday, my husband mailed in our ballots. Today, I am praying for our country, that Romney and Ryan win this election, and that R-74 is rejected. Election Prayer O Lord Jesus Christ,…

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Gifts for Tweens and Teens

As Advent approaches, I am thinking about what Christmas presents to get for my children. Last year, my father-in-law asked us to buy Christmas gifts for the children from him. I have to share that when it came to my older children, it proved to be a challenging task. Below are some presents that my older children…

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