Introducing our newest son

Ian Benjamin

born: June 26, 2009
7:31 p.m.
7 lbs., 4 oz.
19.5 inches

Paul in a Basket

I recently joined the Catholic Company's product reviewers. My first time up to choose a product and I chose Paul in a Basket, which is a musical production created by Rob Evans, The Donut Man. This wonderful compilation of music can be performed by a church group, or just listened to for the sheer enjoyment of the music. Plus, it's a wonderful teaching tool for your children to learn about St. Paul. And, as an added bonus, Mommy gets to learn some things too! :-)

What my kids and I love about this CD is the incredibly upbeat, catchy tunes. Brian's favorite song on the CD is the ending song, "Faith, Hope, Love". It's a short little ditty that drives home the message behind 1 Corinthians 13 - that the greatest of these is Love. Sean's favorite song is "My Name is Paul", which is the opening number. I have to admit, this is one of my favorites as well. The boys like to march around to this song. Despite this being one of my favorites, I honestly can't think of one song on this track that I don't enjoy. I have actually memorized certain bible verses as well - a big feat for this lady!

Paul in a Basket is reasonably priced, and such a wonderful addition to our time in the car, that I would highly recommend it to anyone. Be sure to check it out!

Motherhood and the Chalice

MOTHERHOOD AND THE CHALICE

A good mother’s life is like a chalice. It is a precious vessel dedicated in the deepest sense to the service of God. Sometimes, as with the chalice, its depths are glowing with the wine of joy. And sometimes it feels the tiny splash of a few drops of water that fall into it like tears. Like a chalice, too, sometimes it is lifted up and sometimes brought low. But always it is sanctified by the Presence, undoubted, though unseen, of Our Blessed Savior. Because a good Mother’s Sacrifice can be repaid only by the Sacrifice of the Mass, I send this Mass to you. God Bless! Father Eamon

This was written by our pastor and sent out to all the members of our parish. What a beautiful tribute and reminders to mothers everywhere. Happy Mother's Day!

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!