Benjamin's Box

Today we began working with Benjamin's Box in anticipation of Easter. The book really held the boys' attention, which was nice. I liked how it told the story of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday all the way through to his resurrection from the grave - all from the perspective of a little boy. I think that helped Brian and Sean connect with the story.

For crafts, we worked on some crucifixes that I had picked up at our new Michael's. The boys used Do-A-Dots to add some color to the wood of the cross, and then glued on buttons. They both decided that they wanted to buttons to represent different parts of Jesus' body - eyes, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and even the nails.

Next, we used the Do-A-Dots again to make crosses on paper. Unprompted by me, both boys made 3 crosses on their papers. Brian even went so far as to explain to me how the really big cross in the middle of his page was for Jesus and the other 2 were for the other men who were there with Jesus.

Finally, we made our own treasure box, just like Benjamin. We started off cutting some "straw" to line the box with. Then the boys went around and found all the different items that Benjamin had placed in his treasure box. I was rather impressed with their ingenuity!
Brian later went back through the box, and through the box recounting each of the treasures. I was quizzing him on what each treasure reminds us of. He was pretty good at remembering.
Our finished crosses.
It was a good start to our Holy Week preparations. Looking forward to the rest of the week as well.

Holy Week 2009

This week, in preparation for the Easter celebration, we will be putting a hold on our Alphabet Path journey and focus on the miracle of Easter.

We will be reading Benjamin's Box and The Easter Story. I plan on having the boys make their own "box" and will will fill it with treasures just like Benjamin does. We will also talk about the importance of the Easter Triduum. The boys will be coloring pages that correlate with the institution of the Eucharist, and the washing of the feet. I found a wonderful coloring book of the Stations of the Cross that we will discuss and color on Good Friday.

Starting on Easter Sunday, we will revisit our Resurrection Scene. Brian and Sean just adored acting out the Bible story of Jesus' resurrection last year, and Brian has even been asking me about where the pieces are to his favorite story.

Since going on his retreat, Chris has made a commitment to participate in all aspects of the Easter Triduum this year. He is looking forward to attending Holy Thursday Mass and The Passion of Our Lord's service on Friday. I will be attending the live Stations of the Cross performed by the teens at our church on Friday evening, followed by confession. Chris will be attending the Easter Vigil, and watching one of his team members from formation come into full communion with the Church. And finally, I will be attending sunrise Mass on Easter Sunday. I'm looking forward to the day when we can go as a family to the Easter Vigil - I just think it's a little too much to ask of all the little people in our house at this point.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and most importantly a very holy, Holy Week and a joyous Easter!

Small Successes

I've been checking out all of these posts chronicling the Small Successes that people are achieving in their lives and I've decided to take the plunge and join the party.

1. I've come up with a bare bones cleaning schedule. It's based on cleaning a different room/zone each day. I've managed to stay on target for the past 2 weeks. Big success in my life actually. :-)

2. I managed to be a "single" soccer mom this past weekend and get 2 boys to 2 different games. All while toting a chair, backpack with shoes to change into after the game, snack for after Brian's game, and pushing a stroller.

3. I have been faithfully praying the St. Michael's chaplet and reading my Lenten Devotional book each night.

What Small Successes have you accomplished this week? Check out more Small Successes.