The strange things people google

I love blogging.  I began blogging when I realized my scrapbooks were ugly, unartistic and expensive.  Blogging is also better than scrapbooking because I can share my photos and insights with the entire world, and not just the people in my living room.

I’ve had more than 16,000 visitors to my blog since I began blogging four years ago.  I cannot tell who visits my blog, but I can tell what posts are viewed.  Also, if someone found my blog by typing something into Google, I can see that too.  Most people find my blog by searching, “Help!  My 3 year old stopped napping.”

This week, someone found my blog, my faith-filled, Catholic homeschooling blog, by typing into Google:  ”how to juggle marriage and extra marital relationship”.  Really?  Is that the advice I give here?

So, I tried it, and, sure enough, I also found my blog by googling “how to juggle marriage and extra marital relationship”.  However, I’m sure this person was really disappointed by what I wrote.

When I was a graduate student at the University of Chicago, I took classes with Bob Michael, the researcher who discovered the reason the U.S. divorce rate doubled from 1965 to 1975:  the invention of the birth control pill.  At the time, I was shocked:  I was a cradle-Catholic, but was learning about the drawbacks of contraception from an atheist!

I researched this topic extensively, and posted it on my blog: The Link Between Contraception and Divorce.

The Catholic Church, in its wisdom, has argued against the use of contraception since since its beginning.  Arguments against contraception start in the New Testament, and continue to the present day.  All Protestant churches also argued against contraception until the 1930′s and 1940′s.  By the 1960′s, the Catholic Church was the only church that still taught the Biblical argument against contraception, however unpopular that position might be.  Two great books that discuss this are: The Bible and Birth Control, by Charles Provan,  and Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception.

Read my blog post,  The Link Between Contraception and Divorce.   It gives no advice about how to have an affair, but it is still worth reading!

Memorizing Six Psalms

Our homeschool is a Catholic school.  There are so many benefits to a Catholic education.  Children who attend a Catholic school know their faith, and love it.

For example, when my son, The Naturalist, was preparing for his First Holy Communion, he attended a pre-Communion retreat called Jesus Day.  One portion of the retreat was a trivia contest.  The children divided themselves into 2 groups: boys vs. girls.  Unfortunately, our group was very lopsided, and The Naturalist and one other boy were pitted against ten girls.  Nevertheless, the two boys beat the group of ten girls, all because The Naturalist could answer almost every question posed to him.  It was one of my happiest moments as a parent!

My children also love praying the rosary and memorizing Psalms.  Really.  In fact, they insisted that I videotape them reciting the six psalms they memorized during the school year last year.  They memorized Psalms 1, 23, 27, 34, 100, and 128.  Memorizing psalms is actually not too difficult.  Every day at lunchtime, we read the daily Gospel reading and pray a Psalm.  In approximately one month (two months for Psalm 34), the children had it down cold.

Here are the kids reciting six Psalms.  Isn’t a Catholic education a beautiful thing?

Our choices shape our eternity

Our choices shape our eternity

In Muslim countries like Pakistan, many of the young men begin studying the Koran as soon as they can read. In fact, many of them learn to read using the Koran. They read and discuss the Koran every day, for hours each day, every day of the week until they know it by heart. Many of them can recite whole sections of the Koran without thinking. Little by little, like water dripping on a stone, it shapes their whole view of the world—what’s right and what’s wrong; what’s important and what’s not.

Here in America, we have a similar kind of training. It’s called television.  The typical American spends between three and seven hours a day watching TV and sees well over 2 million commercials in the course of a lifetime.

That’s a form of education. And most of what we see on TV teaches us that buying a lot of products makes us happy; that young is good and old is bad; that we should eat whatever we want but that we also need to be thin; that suffering doesn’t have any meaning; that relationships never last; that most families are dysfunctional; that authority is dangerous; and that religious people are hypocritical.

None of us lives forever. Or rather, all of us live forever, but only for a very short time in this world.  If we lose our money, we can often earn it back.  But if we misuse our time, we can never get it back.&nb sp; Where we put our time shows the world what we really value and believe. What we really believe shapes our choices.  And our choices shape our eternity.

Muslims didn’t develop their admirable piety in a vacuum.  They borrowed their reverence from Jews and early Christians, who had a profound love for the written Word of God in the Old and New Testaments.  The lesson for us today is simple.  American Catholics have the one true Word of God in the Bible.  If we took just one hour of the time we waste on television every day and used it to study and pray over the Gospels, we’d be fundamentally different people, and our country and our world would be transformed.

We were made for better things than silver and gold.  We’re more than what we own or think we want.  We’re children of God bought back from slavery by the blood of God’s son.  Somebody infinitely good, willingly died to make us free.  That’s how precious we are in the eyes of God.  God loves us infinitely.  That’s the source of our faith and hope.

God’s love is not something anyone can buy.  It’s a free gift.  But it comes with consequences.  If we really believe that God raised his son from the dead in order to raise us along with him, then we need to act like it.  We need to submit our time and our actions to what we claim to believe.  A meaningful life is a life conformed to imperishable things.  And a futile life is a life that puts its time in the wrong places—into things that perish; things that lead us away from conforming our lives to Jesus Christ.

Those are the two options.  We get to choose.

 

This article was originally published at: http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/6404

 

Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M., Cap. is the archbishop of Denver. To read more writings and discourses by Archbishop Chaput, click here.

 

May Crowning

Problems with the Girls Scouts (GSUSA)

I am so happy to be a Little Flowers Girls’ Club leader!  Little Flowers is a wonderful, Catholic alternative to the Girl Scouts.  My son is a Cub Scout and belongs to a wonderful, authentically Catholic pack.  However, the Girl Scouts are quite a different organization than the Boy Scouts.

The Girl Scouts (GSUSA) is an extremely liberal, feminist group with strong positions on sexuality, contraception, abortion, and other radical, left-wing ideologies.  (Check out:  www.girlscoutswhynot.com  or  www.honestgirlscouts.com or www.speaknowgirlscouts.com).

The Girl Scouts openly support Planned Parenthood. In fact, on an episode of The Today Show, Kathy Cloniger, CEO of GSUSA, admits the partnership with Planned Parenthood in this video.

The Washington Times also wrote a great article about the types of sexual literature passed out at various GSUSA meetings.

A great compilation of all the evidence of GSUSA’s connection with Planned Parenthood can be found at Lifenews’s website.

In fact, the relationship between the Girl Scouts and Planned Parenthood is so prominent that many Catholic bishops have felt the need to offer guidance to their flock.

Recently, a young high school girl wrote a letter to her bishop, explaining many of the offensive positions of the GSUSA.    She maintains that GSUSA is so contrary to everything that the Catholic Church teaches, that the Church needs to pull all support from the GSUSA.  Her letter is compelling and well-written, and has begun a firestorm of discussion on the topic.  Many groups are looking to the Little Flowers as an alternative to GSUSA.  I am so excited about this!

I was so impressed with the girl’s letter that it is copied below.  I hope many people will read it.  I have deleted her personal information, but otherwise her letter remains intact.  Enjoy!

—————————————————————————————–

From: SV

Subject: Betrayal of the Catholic Church from a Teenager’s Perspective

My name is SV. I am a high school freshman from XXXXXX. I am writing to express my deep trepidation over some new information that has come to light with regard to Girl Scouts USA and their betrayal of the Catholic Church. I have been involved in Girl Scouts since 2002, when I was in first grade, but I found it necessary to withdraw from the organization in February 2010 due to information that I discovered. I am concerned about the large number of Catholic parishes that are involved in this pro-abortion organization, and I would like to share with you some of the most newest and most pressing issues.

Most of the recent concerns I have are over the new material that Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) has published. The most flagrantly offensive item (especially to the Catholic Church) is a play that was featured in Journeys, material for Junior Girl Scouts. GSUSA honored the playwright, Josefina Lopez, and the play, Simply Maria. (A copy of this page is included as an attachment) This play, which I have included excerpts from at the close of this email, ridicules the Catholic Church, childbirth, motherhood, homemaking and marriage. It is the complete opposite of what I am taught in my Lifeteen program about chastity, respecting one’s body, and putting God first.

Another highlight from GSUSA’s new printed material is the honoring of Carol Jenkins, current President of Women’s Media Center, in the Cadette Media Book. (A copy of this page is included as an attachment) The GSUSA material refers readers directly to www.womensmediacenter.com. “The Women’s Media Center was founded in 2005 as a non-profit progressive women’s media organization by writers/activists Jane Fonda, Robin Morgan, and Gloria Steinem.” This is an ultra-feminist liberal media site. It lists Planned Parenthood, NARAL, The Abortion Access Project and other pro-choice groups as partners, and contains live links to each of their sites. (http://womensmediacenter.com/index.php/about-wmc/partners.html)

Though GSUSA and World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) have claimed that they have no position on abortion, this statement by members that attended the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) hosted by the United Nations Population Fund Committee leads me to think otherwise:

“ We demand access to comprehensive sexuality information, services and supplies for all young people. We need it today – and today needed to be yesterday.

The young people from more than 20 countries and every continent collectively demand their sexual and reproductive rights:

All young people must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and emergency contraception, in order to avoid unintended pregnancies.

Accessible, affordable and safe abortions should be made part of the minimum packages of sexual and reproductive health services. ”

This statement is posted on WAGGGS’ website.   http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/CSW54/Day6

If they did not support this statement, why would they put it on their website?

It has disheartened me that I, a 15-year-old girl, seem to care more about this issue than some adults, including some of the parish staff. Looking at everything, it makes me sick to think that I was once a part of this organization. It also sickens me that some people are choosing to ignore this. If we, as Catholics, don’t take a stand on this issue, who will?

I am very confused and saddened by this situation. My family and I are committed to communicating this information to each Bishop, Youth Director, and Scouting Committee Chaplain/Chair of every Diocese in America. Would you please consider getting back to me to tell me how we can work toward fixing this problem within our Church? Or, if this is not a major issue, could you please help me to understand how the Church can support this organization that seems so out of line with its teachings? You can reach me by XXXXXXX.

Sincerely,

SV

Simply Maria.

Satirical comedy. By Josefina Lopez.

Cast: 4m., 6w. This wildly funny play tells the story of Maria, a young, precocious Latina aspiring to be an actor, and her dream of going to college. The story begins in Mexico with Maria’s parents eloping. Maria is born, and shortly after they leave for the U.S. her father, Ricardo, tells Maria that in American, with an education, she can have the American Dream. Maria believes him and studies hard. However, when she tells her parents she wants to go to college, they order her to get married instead. Maria is so upset she cries herself to sleep and has a nightmare in which her American self and her Mexican self wrestle with each other. She gets married and gives birth to six babies. Her wedding dress attacks her and a giant tortilla squashes her. Maria is awakened by her mother’s crying and overhears her confronting Ricardo about his affairs. Maria is shocked by the news and realizes she has to go to college in order to be economically independent of men and have the life that she wants, one that combines the best of her two worlds. Area staging.

Excerpts from Play:

ALL. María

GIRL 1. As a girl you are to be:

GIRL 2. Nice,

GIRL 3.     forgiving,

GIRL 1.            considerate,

GIRL 2.                       obedient,

GIRL 3.                                 gentle,

GIRL 1.                                       hard-working,

GIRL 2.                                                   gracious.

GIRL 3. You are to like:

GIRL 1.               Dolls,

GIRL 2.                  kitchens,

GIRL 3.                          houses,

GIRL 1.                                 cleaning,

GIRL 2.                                      caring for children,

GIRL 3. cooking,

GIRL 1.        laundry,

GIRL 2.            dishes.

GIRL 3. You are not to:

GIRL 1.           Be independent,

GIRL 2.                        enjoy sex,

GIRL 3. but must endure it as your duty to your husband,

GIRL 1.                    and bearing his children.

GIRL 2. Do not shame your society!

GIRL 3. Never,

GIRL 1.    never,

GIRL 2.      never,

ALL.               never!!!

GIRL 1. Your goal is to reproduce.

GIRL 2. And your only purpose in life is to serve three men:

GIRL 3. Your father,

GIRL 1.         your husband,

GIRL 2.                    and your son.

GIRL 3. Your father.

Spotlight on MARIA. MARIA goes to the mirror, GIRL 3 appears in the mirror. MARIA brushes her hair and so does GIRL 3. Then GIRL 3 begins to touch herself in intimate ways, discovering the changes through puberty, while MARIA remains still, not daring to touch herself. Finally, when MARIA does dare to touch herself, CARMEN comes into the room and catches her. Lights quickly come back on.)

CARMEN. María, what were you doing?

MARIA. Nothing.

CARMEN. María, were you.? (Before MARIA can answer.) It’s a sin to do that. Good girls don’t do that.

GIRL 3 (goes behind MARIA. Whispers). Why? Why? Why?

MARIA. Why?

CARMEN (shocked). Because it’s dirty. Sex is dirty.

GIRL 3. Why is it dirty? What makes it dirty?

MARIA (suppressing and ignoring GIRL 3). I’m sorry I didn’t know what I was doing.

CARMEN. María, I’m telling you for your own good. Women should be pure. Men don’t marry women who aren’t unless they have to. Quieren virgenes. It’s best that way, if you save yourself for your own wedding night. Be submissive.

GIRL 3. Why? Why? Why?

MARIA. Yes, but.why?

CARMEN. That’s the way it is. I know it’s not fair, but women will always be different from men. Ni modo. (CARMEN exits to kitchen.)

MARIA & GIRL 3. I don’t understand. Why must a woman be a virgin? Why is sex dirty?

(GIRL 1 appears.)

GIRL 1. María, stop questioning and just accept.

GIRL 3. No, María! God gave you a brain so you can think and question. Use it!

GIRL 1. But it is not up to us to decide what is right and wrong. Your parents know best, María. They love you and do things for you.

GIRL 3. María, they are not always right.

(RICARDO enters, he is in the kitchen.)

RICARDO (interrupting the argument). María! Come and help your mother with dinner right now!

MARIA. All right! (She goes to the kitchen.)

RICARDO. What do you do in there all that time?

MARIA. I was doing my homework.

RICARDO. It takes you all that time? (He has the mail and pulls out a letter from the pile.)

MARIA. Yes, I want my work to be perfect so that I can win an award.

RICARDO. All for an award? How about if I give you a trophy for washing the dishes when you are suppose to, and for doing the laundry right? (He begins to read the letter. MARIA searches for her mail. She finds a letter, reads it, and becomes excited.)

CARMEN (to RICARDO). Who’s the letter from?

RICARDO. My cousin Pedro.

CARMEN. So what are you going to tell him?

RICARDO. The truth. I’m going to tell him his Martita did a pendejadita and is due in three months. (To MARIA.) What do I tell you?

CARMEN. ¡Que verguenza!

RICARDO. ¡Tanto estudio y para nada! It’s such a waste to educate women. How is all that education helping her now that she’s pregnant and on welfare.What’s that smell?! The tortillas are burning!!!

MARIA. ¡¡¡Ayyy!!!

CARMEN. When you get married what is your husband going to say?

MARIA. I’m sorry, I completely forgot.

CARMEN. You can’t cook, you can’t clean.

MARIA. I try to do all the chores you ask.

CARMEN. You can’t do anything right. Not even the tortillas.

MARIA. I really try.

RICARDO. No Mexican man is going to marry a woman who can’t cook.

CARMEN. You’re almost eighteen. (Looks to RICARDO.) I married your father when I was eighteen and I already knew how to do everything.

MARIA. Mamá, Papá, there are more important things. (MARIA holds the letter, but decides not to say anything.) I just don’t care for housework.

MARIA 2. Her husband.(The couple kneels and a wedding lasso is put around them.)

PRIEST. Dearly beloved, we are gathered here, under the Catholic church, in the holy house of God, to unite these two people in holy matrimony. Marriage is sacred. It is the unification of a man and a woman, their love and commitment, forever, and ever, and ever, no matter what! Well, then let’s begin.María, do you accept José Juan Gonzalez García López as your lawfully wedded husband to love cherish, serve, cook for, clean for, sacrifice for, have his children, keep house, love him, even if he beats you, commits adultery, gets drunk, rapes you, lawfully, denies your identity, money, and in return ask for nothing? (MARIA thinks about it and then turns to her parents who mouth to her “I do.”)

MARIA. I do.

PRIEST. Very good. Now, José. Do you accept María García Gonzalez López as your lawfully wedded wife to support?

JOSE. Simón, que yes.

PRIEST. Good. Well, if there is anyone present who is opposed to the union of these two people, speak now, or forever hold your truth. (RICARDO stands up, takes out a gun, and brandishes it to the audience.) Do you have the ring? (JOSE takes out a golden dog collar. The PRIEST gives it his blessings.) 5, 6, 7, 8. By the power vested in me, under the Catholic church, in the holy house of God, I pronounce you man and wife. (The THREE GIRLS take away MARIA’s veil and bouquet. They place the dog collar around MARIA’s neck. Then they get the wedding lasso and tie it around her to make the collar seem and work like a leash. PRIEST speaks to JOSE.) You may pet the bride. (The lasso is given to JOSE. He pulls MARIA, who gets on her hands and knees. They walk down the aisle like dog and master. The wedding march plays, people begin to leave. Lights fade out.)

SCENE TEN

AT RISE: Lights come on. MARIA goes into labor. JOSE walks her to the hospital. MARIA sits down and spreads her legs wide open. She is covered with a white sheet. THREE NURSES run in. A SALESMAN in a plaid jacket also enters.

SALESMAN. Here we have it. Direct from Mexico. The “Reproducing Machine.” You can have one by calling our toll-free number. Get your pencil. It’s 1-800-AJUU-AAAA!

HEAD NURSE. Now, relax. Just breathe like this. (Exemplifies.) Ahh!!! All in good rhythm. Good! Don’t worry, millions of women have Mexican children, especially Mexican women, they have millions. But you’ll get use to it. After your fourth child they’ll just slide right on out.

MARIA. ¡¡Amá!! ¡¡Mamá!!

HEAD NURSE. There’s nothing she can do. She went through it herself. Now, isn’t that pain great? You’re giving birth! Why it’s the most satisfying feeling a woman can feel. Okay, I think it’s coming! Push, push, push! (A baby pops up, flying into the air. It is caught by one of the NURSES. She presents it to the HEAD NURSE.)

HEAD NURSE (disappointed). Oh, it’s a girl.

NURSE 2 (presents the baby to JOSE). Here’s your baby daughter.

JOSE. A daughter? (To MARIA.) How could you do this to me? I’ll have to call her “Sacrifice.”

MARIA (screams again). There’s another one inside; I can feel it!

HEAD NURSE. Nahhh! Well, I’ll check just in case. (The HEAD NURSE peeps inside the sheet.) Well. I’ll be! Yeah, there’s another one. Push! Push! Push! (Another baby pops into the air. The baby falls to the floor and NURSE 3 chases after it and picks it up. She passes it on to NURSE 2. NURSE 2 presents the baby to JOSE.)

NURSE 2. Here’s another lovely daughter.

JOSE. Another daughter?! I’ll have to call her “Abnegation.”

SALESMAN. Here we have it! The world renowned Reproducing machine! (MARIA screams again.)

HEAD NURSE. What is it?

MARIA. There’s another one!

SALESMAN. Ahh, but if you were watching earlier, you saw the other amazing function. It can also be used as a sex object.

HEAD NURSE. Push! Push! Push! (Another baby pops up.)

NURSE 1. I’ll get it! (The baby lands someplace far.)

SALESMAN. Yes siree! You can be the boss. It’s at your disposal and control. Hours of pleasure. And if it ever does go out of control, a kick and a few punches will do the job, and it will be back to normal.

NURSE 2. Here’s another one.

JOSE (to MARIA). Another girl? Why are you doing this to me? I’ll call her “Obligation.”

SALESMAN. It’s made in Mexico. It’s cheap! It cooks! It cleans! (MARIA screams again.)

HEAD NURSE. Push! Push! Push! (Three babies pop up into the air. Some land in the audience. All the NURSES collect them.)

SALESMAN. Its stretch marks can stretch all the way from here to Tijuana. Not even a Japanese model can beat this one.

NURSE 2 (to JOSE). Guess what?

JOSE. No, don’t tell me; another girl?

NURSE 2. Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

JOSE. Three girls?! I’ll call them “Frustration,” “Regret,” and “Disappointment.”

SALESMAN. It delivers up to twenty-one children. It feeds on beans, chile, and lies.

HEAD NURSE. Are there any more babies in that Mexican oven of yours?

MARIA. I don’t think so.

HEAD NURSE. See you in nine months for your next Mexican litter.

SALESMAN. You can have your own reproducing machine! 1-800-AJU- AAAA! (Blackout.)

What is Little Flowers?

Little Flowers Girls’ Club® is a Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of nine, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance’s Catholic Girls’ Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Girls meet nine times during the year.  During each meeting, girls learn about the faith, have fun, and make friends.  Each meeting involves games, crafts, snacks, and the ability to earn patches for learning lessons.  Girls will learn about a saint, a virtue, the Catechism, and a flower at each lesson.

Many Catholic parishes, Catholic schools, and Catholic homeschooling groups offer Little Flowers Clubs for their young ladies.  Little Flowers is very similar to the Girl Scouts, but without any cookies to sell!

Many clubs meet once per month.  Our club meets once a month for an hour and a half each meeting.   Girls receive the member guide, a blue sash, and patches.

Little Flowers Girls’ Clubs do not replace the PSR/religious education program.  It is an additional program for girls who would like to have fun with other girls of the parish and learn more about the saints.

Approximately 5,000 girls belong to Little Flowers Girls’ Clubs worldwide.  Groups can be found in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, Europe and many U.S. military bases around the world.

More information about Little Flowers Catholic Girls Clubs can be found on their website: www.eccehomopress.com.

Praying the Rosary with young children

I was lucky enough to participate in an online discussion with other
Catholic moms about praying the rosary with young children. Here is some
of the advice they offered:

Start small. Instead of praying an entire Rosary, start with only a
decade. Praying only one decade of the Rosary successfully is better than
praying an entire Rosary and having the children hate it.

My kids love to color, so a rosary coloring book is a fabulous way to keep
the children “busy”, yet still focused on prayer. You can find some at The Catholic Company.

Another helpful item is using a rosary CD (as opposed to Mom or Dad saying
all the prayers). That way, the little ones don’t break the “rhythm” or
the “flow” of the rosary every time they drop a crayon. Most Catholic
bookstores or Catholic Internet sites sell them.

Another mom suggested keeping a Rosary CD and cheap, plastic Rosaries in
the car during Advent and Lent, and praying the Rosary whenever the car
ride was more than 20 minutes. The car is a great place to pray the
Rosary – the kids are a captive audience!

If the children share a bedroom, another option is to pray while the kids
are actually in their beds. A mom friend with three boys (who all share a
room) prays the Rosary with her sons after she’s already tucked them into
bed. It settles them down and helps them fall asleep, much like a bedtime
story might.

One mom said that she gives each kid an egg carton, cuts off the last two
egg holders (leaving ten places to store things) and gives each kid a
small bowl of M&M’s. The kids place one M&M in each of the ten egg carton
holes each time they pray a Hail Mary, then the children may eat the M&M’s
once the Rosary is over.

My four year old gets confused about when to advance to the next bead.  I told her to move to the next bead every time she hears the word “Amen”.  This has done wonders for her.  Sometimes I’ll even be a bit dramatic and say the “Amen” a little louder than the rest of the prayer.  Then she knows to advance a bead.

Finally, I always considered 3 to be the minimum age to say the Rosary.
Prior to that, the Rosary would be prayed during naptime!

Great Bible Study for Kids

I have used the “Come and See” Kids Catholic Bible study for two years now, and I absolutely love this series.  I have used these both for homeschooling and at our church for religious education classes.

The series contains three books, The Life of Jesus, Friends of God, and In the Beginning.  I have used the first two books, but I have not yet used In the Beginning.

All three books contain the same format:  Each lesson includes a Bible story, a coloring page, and a craft.  Two years ago, I used The Life of Jesus as part of our religious instruction for homeschooling.  My kids loved it!  Not only did we learn the lessons, color the pictures, and do the craft, but we also made a lapbook, so that we could go back and review what we had learned about Jesus’ life.  (The lapbook was also a great way to show the grandparents all they had learned about Jesus!).  It was a lot of fun.

Last year, I used Friends of God both in my Kindergarten CCD (or now called PSR) class, and I also used it in our homeschool.  The Friends of God was easy to use because it closely followed the liturgical year.  The book begins with Bible figures from the Old Testament.  Around Advent, we began studying the New Testament, and the first lesson of the New Testament was Jesus’ birth.   Lessons about the apostles John and “Doubting” Thomas were studied around Easter, and the last lesson deals with Paul and Pentecost.

With my Kindergarten CCD class at church, I collected all the coloring pages at the end of each class.  Then, at the end of the year, I bound them all together, and it made a wonderful book for the kids to keep to remember the year.  Additionally, I typed up shortened versions of all the stories, and at the last class, the kids glued all the stories into their books.  I really liked this idea, because I sent each kid home with a book containing a picture and story of each Bible figure we studied that year.  The two photos below are the cover and the inside of my daughter’s book.  (If this idea is appealing to you, and you’d like to have my Word document, post a comment to this post, and I will have your email address and I will email it to you.)

To make things a bit more challenging for my second grader, I would have him retell the Bible story in his own words for his book that he was making at home.  (Yes, I’m big into narration in our homeschool!)  He seemed to like it, and it helped him remember the stories and practice his writing skills at the same time.  He also collected all his pages and bound them in a book to display at the end of the year.

If you’re looking for a fun way to study the faith, either at home or in a parish setting, I highly recommend these books.  They are fun, easy to do, and the crafts use materials that are easily found in the home.  It is a simple and joyful way to learn about God!  My kids loved it!

The Joy of a Catholic Education

Today, after Mass, The Dancer went into the backyard and wrote a psalm.  Really.  It is so sweet it almost brings me to tears.  I’ve fixed the spelling errors, but otherwise, here’s exactly what she wrote:

 

Bless Us, O Lord

R:  Bless us, O Lord, for I will go to your house.

 

When you were little, you were so happy.  R

I wish I can see you.  R

Now you are a man, so you can make things.  R

I am so happy you died for me Lord.  R

I love you Lord, and you love me.  R

I will come close to you, Lord God.  R

Everything you want me to do, I will do.  R

O God, you are the best person in the world, O God.  R

 

Actually, I did make one change:  Instead of using a “R“, she drew one heart inside of another.  One heart inside of another….  <sigh>

Songs about Motherhood

I love Marie Bellet.  She well-educated,well-traveled, and the mother of nine children.  Her four albums are all wonderful – all the songs are about everyday life as a mom.  She now has a video on her website, www.mariebellet.com :