Turkey Craft

Today we made a colorful turkey craft for Art class.  The girls got to practice their cutting skills and work with glue.  We had a good time putting these together and we mixed our holidays a bit by listening to some Christmas music while we worked.

Cutting Circles

Such a Comedian!

Scissor Skills

Even Miss Busy slowed down to make a turkey

Thanksgiving decor

Bunch of turkeys!  (and the craft they made)

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!

Miss Musical lost her 4th tooth last night.  There was a little assistance from Mom because that little guy was holding on for dear life.  The tooth fairy felt so bad for her that she left a whole dollar!  Yippie!

Monday

Today we took a field trip to Baltimore.  Daddy had a meeting and we tagged along for the ride.  After dropping Daddy off at his meeting we drove to the Baltimore Basilica.  http://baltimorebasilica.org/  What a gorgeous Cathedral!  It was commissioned by Pope Pius VI after creating the diocese of Baltimore and naming John Carroll as the first Bishop of the United States.  It was the first Cathedral built in the United States (shortly after the constitution was adopted) and was designed by Benjamin Henry Latroube, the same architect that designed the United States Capital building

The Basilica was renovated and re-opened in 2006 and was restored to it's original vision.

We got there in time for the last half of Mass, which was a nice treat!  It also worked out that they lady sitting behind us worked there and offered to give us a tour.  The girls and I got a private tour and it was spectacular!

The Papal Umbrella

The girls said a prayer to Mary

The Altar

Fresco of the Ascension

These Frescos were uncovered during the restoration.  There are 4 of them and they are around the dome on the ceiling.  They say Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in Latin.  I wonder who covered them?

The dome - it is stunning and this picture doesn't do it justice.  At the very center is a white dove (the Holy Ghost/Spirit)  and around it in the mini dome are windows that you cannot see from directly below, only at an angle.  They call the effect "the mysterious light."  There were no artificial lights on at the Cathedral while we were there and it was very bright.  The painted flower carvings in the dome are not just beautiful but they add to the acoustics.  

Fresco of the Assumption

Organ

The Cathedral (chair)

Pre-Vatican II Artifacts in the museum

The Cardinal with President Taft (our distant relative)

The original Tabernacle and monstrance used by Archbishop Carroll

Bust of Pius X

Underneath the Basilica - catacombs.  This is a picture of the inverse of the upper Archways.  This was all uncovered during the renovation.  It was covered up over the years with dust and debris.  There is a chapel down here and it is a really neat place.

Statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe - she seems to be following me around these days, but I will do a separate post on that!  :)

Tabernacle in the chapel.  This was used in the upper Basilica before the renovation.

Statue of Our Lord.  Miss Drama took this picture and we thought the lighting effect was really neat!

Our Lady of Guadalupe

After our pilgrimage to the Shrine, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.  It was a gorgeous Fall day and we probably wont have too many of those left.  There is something to be said for spending a Monday afternoon at the zoo.  We almost had the place to ourselves.  Miss Busy was even given free reign to run around a bit instead of being confined to a stroller the whole time.  Yeah for homeschooling!

Miss Musical and Miss Comedian checking out the Prairie Dogs

Miss Busy and The Baby riding in style

Polar Bear or as Miss Busy kept shouting "Care Bear!"

Arctic Fox - he was so cute and sad looking.  

Gorgeous Tree

There were zebras, rhinos, and ostriches in this exhibit

Amazing picture that Miss Drama took of the cheetah.  You can't even tell it was through the glass

My Penguins - or most of them

This baby elephant was the hit of the zoo.  He was playing with a toy tire and it was so fun to watch.  He kept getting his legs in it and trying to yank it off the fence.

This giraffe came very close to us to see if we had any treats for him, then when we didn't he moved on.

My lovely ladies

Love this picture!  These frogs would climb the glass and follow our hands

Mother/Daughter Tea

So I took Miss Drama to a Mother/Daughter Tea at Our Lady of Czestochowa shrine in Doylestown on Sunday.  http://www.czestochowa.us/  It was sponsored by Fertility Care Friends of Philadelphia http://www.fertilitycarefriends.org/ and Generation Life http://www.generationlife.org/.  What a fantastic event!

We started with a slideshow about What it means to be a woman, including how a Woman's body works and how her fertility is a gift from God.  Fertility Care Friends follow the Creighton Model Fertility Care system and I think that I even learned something new!  :)  They had a teenage girl that talked a bit about her life and how she tried to stand strong against today's culture and they had an excellent speaker from Generation Life that talked about Chastity.  I could not begin to do her talk justice by trying to explain it but she was excellent and I am sure that she planted some good seeds in the girls that were in attendance.  The girls each got a copy of a book about living modestly and finding the right person.  http://www.howtofindyoursoulmate.com/  She is really enjoying the book and keeps reading small parts to me.

They had a modest fashion show and asked Miss Dramatic and her friends to participate.  She chose an outfit that met their guidelines for "hanging out with friends."  This is what she picked:

Overall it was a lovely day.  Wonderful company with my daughter and friends and an excellent presentation of a subject that is just not well presented to our girls these days.  I will definitely attend it again!

Test Update

She said that the test went well.  All three girls said that it was easier than they thought it would be and much easier than the practice tests.  Now it is just in the Lord's hands.  I took them out for a pizza lunch to celebrate and then we ended up going out to the Movie Tavern with the three girls and Moms.  It was fun.  We saw Puss in Boots.  We were hoping to see the Mighty Macs movie but it wasn't playing anymore.  Puss in Boots was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  There were some off-color references but it was also cute and redeeming in some places.  The girls enjoyed it!

Friday - Test Day!

Prayer for my 8th Grade Miss Dramatic and her two good friends who are taking the High School placement exam as I type this.  May God bless them with the Grace to do well and to accept whatever the end result may be.  Love and blessings girls!!!

First Prayer

O Great St. Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

Through Christ our Lord.

St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for us.

Amen.

Second Prayer

O St. Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (here mention the name of Examination eg. History paper I ) examination.

In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

O St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me

O Holy Ghost enlighten me

Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me

Sacred Head of Jesus, Seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me.

Remember, when you succeed in the exams then you should thank St. Joseph of Cupertino.

Monday - School

I haven't done a "back to school" post yet and we are already 9 weeks in!  Goodness the time goes fast.

Miss Drama is in 8th grade this year and she is taking classes through our co-op.  She goes to the school building for 2 academic days and one enrichment day.  She works at home the other two days and it is going really well.  This year is a busy one involving Confirmation preparations and thoughts of high school.  We have been visiting high schools and trying to discern what we should do for school next year.  She is sitting for an entrance exam on Friday for an all girls private Catholic high school.  It has a good reputation and we have gotten a strong recommendation from one of our fellow parishioners.  They have a great music and drama program and the academics are top notch.  This is Miss Drama's top pick.  We also are considering a school that was started as a homeschool co-op and has grown.  They just opened their high school program a couple years ago and are adding grades as they go.  It is a Classical approach and I love it!  It seems to be a strong faith filled community, which is paramount to me.  I am leaning towards this one as being my top choice.  I see many rosaries and prayers for discernment in my future.  I am still trying to come to grips with the fact that I will have a child that is old enough for high school next year!

Miss Musical is in 1st grade this year and is going wonderfully!  I think that I am enjoying it as much as she is.  We changed this year from Seton to Catholic Heritage Curriculum and we are loving it!  Not that we didn't like Seton - I just really really like CHC.  We have incorporated some elements from Mother of Divine Grace and Charlotte Mason as well, but we are mostly doing CHC. Our daily core subjects are: Religion, Reading/Phonics, Math, Handwriting.  We do Science twice a week and Social Studies twice a week.  We use our Art Curriculum weekly but do lots of projects during the week.  She attends her piano lessons weekly and practices daily.  She goes to the same enrichment program that Miss Drama does.  (We all do - I work in the baby room with the littles.)  She has a music class, gym class, and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  She LOVES enrichment day and has made lots of friends.  Next week we are adding Spelling and Latin to our studies.

Miss Comedian is our preschooler.  She is probably my most eager student and just loves to learn.  She wants to do whatever Miss Musical is doing.  I incorporate her into our religious studies and all of our art projects.  She has her own curricula for handwriting, numbers, colors, shapes etc... We have been using the Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons book and it is going really well.  She read her first real words the other day.  She also loves enrichment day.  She attends the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd with other 4 year olds and then she has a preschool class.  She has always been our shy child and it is wonderful to see her coming out of her shell and making some friends.

Miss Busy keeps us on our toes!  School is never boring with her around and she makes sure that we get breaks when we need them.  I also incorporate her in any art projects that we do and we try and work on our colors, letters, and numbers.  She learns so much just from playing with her sisters.  She has a great time at enrichment day and has also made quite a few friends.  I spent the first couple Wednesdays trying to chase her around and keep her out of everyone's lunches, but now she is starting to play and interact with the other children.

The Baby is my teacher's assistant.  She usually plays in her pen, jumps in her jumperoo, or sits on my lap while we learn.  She is working hard on new skills like standing, cruising,  and trying to follow her sisters.  She is crawling like a pro, sitting up, climbing.  She seems to be following closely in the steps of Miss Busy.

This is what school looks like around here:

Elementary and preschool.  We all sit around our cool, kid sized table and learn about things.  We like to use the chalk board for math.

Another view of the elementary school area.  The girls each have a colored fabric "cubby" to keep their books and supplies.  My books and teacher guides are on the top shelf.  I have a cup of pencils, pens, and rulers.  There is another cup with math manipulatives and coins.  A bin of dominos, a basket of flash cards, construction paper, pencil sharpener, crayons, markers, paper clips, puzzles, math and sight word games, etc...

The computer area.  We have some cabinets that need to go up as soon as they are stained.  We also need to tidy up the cords a bit underneath.  We have another chair for the other "station."  I found that table on craigslist and it fits the space perfectly.  We got the big decal whiteboard calendar at Pottery barn and the cork boards at Staples.  

Miss Drama usually does her book work and reading in her room aka Middle School.  She has a desk and supplies in there and it is quieter for her to be away from siblings and distractions.  I am afraid to post a picture of that area at the moment!  :)

First Saturday

Happy First Saturday!  A few months ago I started doing the Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  I have seen so many blessings in our lives since I started.  Here is the prayer:

A Solemn Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Most Holy Virgin Mary, tender Mother of men, to fulfill the desires of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the request of the Vicar of Your Son on earth, we consecrate ourselves and our families to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, O Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and we recommend to You, all the people of our country and all the world. Please accept our consecration, dearest Mother, and use us as You wish to accomplish Your designs in the world. O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, and Queen of the World, rule over us, together with the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ, Our King. Save us from the spreading flood of modern paganism; kindle in our hearts and homes the love of purity, the practice of a virtuous life, an ardent zeal for souls, and a desire to pray the Rosary more faithfully. We come with confidence to You, O Throne of Grace and Mother of Fair Love. Inflame us with the same Divine Fire which has inflamed Your own Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. Make our hearts and homes Your shrine, and through us, make the Heart of Jesus, together with your rule, triumph in every heart and home. Amen. --Venerable Pope Pius XII

Devotion to the Immaculate Heart became even more popular after Mary appeared at Fatima, Portugal to the three young shepherd children in 1917 (before the Russian Revolution).   She asked that Russia be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart to prevent the spread of "the errors of Russia." Eight years later, in 1925, Mary appeared to one of the visionaries -- Lucia, who'd since become a nun -- and requested reparations for the various ways in which her Immaculate Heart was offended -- such as attacks against her Immaculate Conception, virginity and divine maternity, and for those who teach their children contempt of Mary or who insult her by desecrating her images.

To make these reparations, she asked that we do 5 things, all with the intention of making reparation to her Immaculate Heart: 

• recite at least Five Decades of the Rosary every day
• wear the Brown Scapular
• offer our daily duty to God as an act of sacrifice (ie., make the Morning Offering)
• make Five First Saturdays of Reparation to Her Immaculate Heart (see below)
• the Pope, in union with all the bishops of the world, must consecrate Russia to Her Immaculate Heart. Russia would be converted through this means, and a period of peace to be given to the world. If this is not done (and it hasn't been done), Russia will "spread her errors throughout the world." This consecration must be of Russia -- not "the world," but Russiaby name.

The "First Saturdays of Reparation" was not a new devotion, but it was even more popularized after Our Lady appeared at Fatima. It consists of, on the first Saturday of each month for five consecutive months: 

• going to Confession (may be 8 days before the Saturday as long as one stays in a state of grace)
• receiving the Eucharist
• praying 5 decades of the Rosary, including the Fatima Prayer
• "keeping her company" for 15 minutes while meditating on all of the Mysteries of the Rosary with the intention of making reparation to her. This can be done by reading Scripture or other writings relevant to the Mysteries, meditating on pictures of the Mysteries, or simple meditation.

The promise given by Mary to those who make the First Saturday devotion is her assistance at the hour of their death.

Feast of All Souls

The Feast of All Souls has been celebrated since the eleventh century.  Catholics believe that we are all united in a spiritual bond.  The faithful on earth, the Saints in Heaven, and the souls in Purgatory.


Through prayer we communicate,  since we never die, but live forever through the death and resurrection of Christ.   As believers on earth, we can pray to and for our brethren who are in Heaven or Purgatory. Those in Purgatory cannot pray for themselves, so we need to remember to pray for them. 

On All Souls Day we can remember St. Gertrude the Great.  She is invoked for souls in purgatory and for living sinners. Our Lord told St. Gertrude that the following prayer would release 1000 souls from purgatory each time it is said. The prayer was extended to include living sinners as well.

Prayer

"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

How we celebrated:

We went to Mass in the morning and we made a poster in remembrance of those that have passed from this world before us.  We hung the poster in our kitchen so we could remember to pray for the souls of those we know, love, and care for.

The Girls with the poster they made.