Beaming!

For a year or so now, whenever Nina has accompanied me in the Communion line, our pastor has blessed her and said, "Soon and very soon," as Nina eagerly looked up at him. 

So often, afterward, Nina has asked me, "How soon? How much longer until I can receive Communion?" 

This past week, she counted down the days...

Nina beamed when she woke up yesterday.  She beamed when she donned her dress and veil...

She beamed when she got to the church...

She beamed when she picked up the hosts she was going to later bring up to the altar...

She beamed when she sat in her pew...

She beamed as she waited the final moments for Mass to begin...

Then, she squeezed my hand throughout Mass, telling me she was clenching it so that she would not simply jump out of the pew with her eagerness.

Finally, the moment Nina had been preparing for for so long arrived: Nina received Jesus for the first time ever!At that moment, Nina beamed - glowing with gratitude, excitement and love.  Filled, yet hungry for more.  For the next steps on her faith journey.

As for me, I was warmed by the radiance of it all! 

We were gifted such such a glorious day to celebrate Nina's First Holy Communion. 

Nina had waited so long, prepared so well and been so ready to receive Jesus. 

The beauty of it all was made even more special for me since Nina wore the dress my mother had made some 40 years ago for my big sister. 

It was worn by my two sisters and I when we first received Jesus, as well as by two of my nieces before Nina.  My hope is that future generations of sweet souls will wear it, too, as we pass down the tradition of faith that is far more than dresses and celebratory days.  It is truth.  It is love.  It is there waiting for you.

Seven days a week on all seven continents, it is there.  Won't you join us at the table?  Won't you be nourished? 

And, please, will you also join me in praying for for all communicants?  May each of us be fortified forever as we continue our journeys with Jesus with joy!

What Simple Spring Fun Can You Enjoy?

(written with help from dandelion model and crown creator Nina!)

The winter snows have finally melted and sunshine bathes the ground in color.  Happy yellows dot green fields beckoning all to enjoy timeless spring pleasures.

Recently, when taking Nana outside at her nursing home, Nina and her cousin delighted in dandelions.  They picked bouquets, sent loads of "gold" on paper boats down a little river and fashioned their very own dandelion crowns!

Nina would like to share how she made hers:

1.  "First, you pick dandelions.  How many you pick depends how big you want your crown to be.  You should look for ones with long stems."

2.  "Then, you begin to tie or braid the dandelions together until you get a rope of dandelion flowers.  You also can tie some extra extra ones in the knots."

3.  "Once you have a rope, you tie it into a circle and place it on your head.  There you have your dandelion flower crown!"

"Have you made a dandelion crown before?  Do you like mine?"

3 Favorite Resources for First Reconciliation (and One Noteworthy Celebration!)

Guess who received her First Reconciliation at the tail end of Advent?
 

That's right!  Our Nina.

Among the resources we used to prepare Nina for First Reconciliation were the following:

Please Note: I am providing links for for your convenience.  Some are to Holy heroes and Amazon and are affiliate ones.  Should you choose to click through these to make purchases, we may receive a small amount of income at no extra cost to you.  Thank you.

~1~

A Family Favorite Altar Gang CD:  We've Been Wronged

Image Credit: Holy Heroes

The children received Lumen Entertainment's  three Altar Gang CD's for Easter last year, which they quickly became enamored by.  As Nina prepared for First Reconciliation, We've Been Wronged became regular mini-van listening.  This silly, yet meaningful, audio drama features AJ the Aspergillum, Skiff the Incense Boat and the rest of the Altar Gang in a story - laced with song - that helps children focus on the value of forgiveness and the importance of God's Mercy.

~2~

The Super Child-Friendly Living the 10 Commandments for Children

Image Credit: Amazon

Nina and I reviewed parish-provided materials, the classic Lovasik's The Ten Commandments book and more as we prepared for her First Reconciliation.  However, the book that we found most useful in helping her with an Examination of Conscience was Living the 10 Commandments for Children.  In fact, Nina chose to bring this sweet, spot-on, child-friendly book with her to the Reconciliation Service, where she ended up sharing it with the teary, nervous little girl who stood behind her in the Reconciliation line.  

Brief, yet thorough explanations, with real-world examples and darling illustrations make Living the 10 Commandments for Children a true favorite for catechesis here.  Truth be told, I even use the book alongside my children sometimes when preparing for Confession.

 ~3~

 A Free Youtube Videos: Sacrament of Reconciliation

 
and
 

We found the frist video last year when Luke was preparing for First Reconciliation and revisited it in Nina's First Holy Communion Prep classes at our parish as well as at home this year.   It's great for children and adults!

I like the second one, too!

Celebrating Nina's First Reconciliation

After all of the First Holy Communion Prep children recevied their sacrament, Luke asked if he could receive, too.  Then, he eagerly gave a family gift to Nina, who was thrilled to a box of GFCF cookies and the book Clare's Costly Cookie from us in addition to the meaningful medal our parish gifted her.

In fact, Nina got a little silly as she stepped outside the church, literally dancing and jumping with excitement over having received both sacrament and gifts.

Then, in true Nina fashion, she promptly opened the box of treats when we got into the car and began sharing cookies with her brothers, Daddy and me.  The cookies lasted but two days in Nina's hands, but the grace of receiving sacraments will last a lifetime, we know!  And, the impact of Clare's Costly Cookie is lasting, too.  The kids and I have been reading chapters of it daily and are finding it absolutely fabulous!

Image Credit: Holy Heroes

Clare's Costly Cookie, available at Amazon or Holy Heroes is tops for teaching children how to pray to Jesus.  In it, nine year old Clare chats with Jesus, revealing spirit and spunk, as she grows in faith.  My children always ask me to read at least two chapters in a sitting, and I gladly agree, as I find the book a "living book" of catechism.  It includes themes such as:

• resisting temptation
• humility
• redemptive suffering
• the armor of God
• the Real Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament 
• the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary

...and more.  It also includes brief stories about saints within Clare's prayer monologues.  Truly, Clare's Costly Cookie is a perfect book for First Holy Communion prep and beyond!

Through reading Clare's Costly Cookie and watching  Inside the Sacraments: The Holy Eucharist DVD (which Nina received for Christmas and which all the kids and I thoroughly enjoyed earlier tonight), I have no doubt that Nina is well on her way to being prepared for her next sacrament.

And, yes, if it is not already obvious: we just love Holy Heroes for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion Preparation materials, as well as for faith-based fun and learning all year long!  Holy Heroes free Mass prep videos and printables, as well as the CD's, books and videos for sale, sometimes as Deals of the Day, enrich our family's faith-based learning and fun so much! 

 

I am grateful to the Holy Heroes Adventure Guides for helping my kids prepare for their sacraments and more deeply understand the richness of the Catholic faith!

What are some of your go-to resources for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion Preparation?

Guess Whose Dream Has Come True?

When I was uploading pictures to my computer yesterday, I was pretty bummed that the one above came out so fuzzy.  It had looked clear on the back of my camera after I took it.

Still, fuzzy or not, I am sharing it.

Why?

Because it marks an occasion our sweet Nina has been looking forward to for years!

Yes, our girl finally got to sing in the church children's choir!

After years of making microphones from pencils, magnet toys and even balloons...

And, singing praises as she played cantor...

Nina overcame her still developing reading skills to practice, practice, practice, and, thus, memorized songs for this past Sunday's Mass.

What a delight it was to capture her sitting in the front pew of the choir section eagerly awaiting the beginning of the Mass after I came out from helping her big brother get ready to serve on the altar.

Nina was beaming -- before, during and after the Mass.  So pleased to be offering the gift of song up to our Lord.

I, of course, beamed, too.  So happy that my girl truly wants to sing for Jesus and is now old enough to do so with the choir.

I, admittedly, also cried.  During Mass, I got grateful-teary as Nina served in the choir while Luke served on the altar and was later overcome with sad tears as I looked up at the crucifix and the stained-glass window of Mary and prayed for the young girls our extended family has recently lost to suicide. 
 
Why did their girlish excitement and gifts to give have to be extinguished so soon by their own hands?  How many prayers must be offered in reparation?  how long will healing take?  

Sorrow weighed heavily on me.

Then, I caught Luke smiling and waving from the altar at his sister, who waved back.  It was all I could do not to laugh as I shot Luke a look of redirection and then redirected myself to the what I should have been focusing on all along -- the Mass.

What a gift it is to us.  And how happy I am that my children are choosing to share their gifts of service as a part of the celebration.

May their smiles and song keep going and growing.

One of Nina's dreams came true this past Sunday.  Through mercy and grace, so many other dreams will, too, I know!

Might you join me in prayers of praise and petition for all little girls on earth and those dearly departed?

7 Words for This Week

H.I.I.F.

What, you do not know that acronym?

Don't worry.  I just made it up, because although I could say T.G.I.F, as in "Thank God it is Friday, (the week was so blessed!)

Instead, I find myself thinking, "How is it Friday?" as in, "Where did this week go?"  (Or, as the case may be now, H.I.I.S, since I began writing this on Friday, paused, and now find Saturday almost done!)

Truly, the week flew -- fast, fun and full of discovery! (Okay, there were moments of being frustrated, tired and whatnot, too, but let's focus on the more positive stuff!)

This past week there was...

~1~

Community

Sunday, we were blessed by spending time with part of our church collaborative community enjoying simple timelsss pastimes.  (More on that tomorrow!)

~2~

Tradition

Before I ever met Mike, I began going to Honeypot Hill with my brother, my sister and their families.  I would love it if we all could still go there together now that I have my own children, timing never works for that.  Thus, Mike, the kids and I simply continue the tradition on our own.

How we love climbing ladders to pick apples, feeding the animals, doing the mazes and appreciating the beautiful scenery! 

~3~

Animation

One thing I love about homeschooling is having time to learn alongside my children!  Part of that learning this week included the Outside the Box crew mentoring the kids and me in creating our first stop motion animation videos as a part of a DIY.org Animator badge work.

The children were so proud of their work (and I was pretty amazed by how relatively simple stop motion really is.)   

~4~

Butterflies

Nature study (insects and plants), physical education (hiking and jumping off rock walls) and faith (marveling at God's amazing creation) this week included a fabulous free monarch butterfly tagging program at Allen's Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, a place that makes me feel so lucky to live in the area I do.

Isn't it gorgeous?

~5~

Teeth

... or lack thereof!

Nina bravely pulled out another tooth this week and now has a 4-space gap that makes me laugh every time she smiles.  How she can articulate at all, I do not know, but her chatter and song have not slowed down!

In fact, Nina had her first church choir practice ever this week and came away from it beaming!  She's so excited to finally be old enough to join the church choir and has been telling me she wants to serve our church in every way she can as she grows.  Yay!

~6~

Geography

A geography club seed began germinating in my brain long ago.  It was more recently watered and fertilized by similar desires by my friend Dani and just this week grew into a seedling I am delighted by.  Children from five families got together for our inaugural meeting this week and had so much fun!

~7~

Forts

You might recall from one of the reasons I listed last week about why I am hesitant to call myself a homeschooler that my children have begin a completely self-initiated fort building project.  Well, it is not just their anymore.  

Luke recruited a friend to be in his army, using paperwork and all, and then, together with that friend, his siblings and the friend's little brother, worked happily away pounding nails, layering mud and bricks and fortifying their fort walls.

~Plus~

Mini-Lessons

Plus, of course, there were plenty of mini-lessons, including Nina choosing to create simple sentences, and...

(Note:  There are two Amazon links below for your convenience.  If you choose to click through them to make any purchase, we may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.  Thank you.)

Jack combining Montessori Sandpaper Numbers with a favorite open-ended toy (the awesome MindWare Q-Ba-Maze ) to practice numbers.

What a week it's been!

Did your week fly, too?  What fun and learning have you been enjoying?

Sharing at Conversion Diary, Managing Your Blessings, Pebble Pond,  Weird Socialized Homeschoolers and Home to 4 Kiddos.

3 Gifts that Made My Girl Sing Praise

For years now, Nina has loved to pretend she is a cantor.  

So, the other day, when a friend who was moving posted on Facebook that she had a music stand to purge, I quickly requested it.

No sooner did Nina see the music stand than did she fine a pen, take a piece of origami paper and ask me how to spell "Jesus" and "praise".   

I was not sure why Nina asked me to help her spell these two words until she took her newly written lyrics over to the music stand and began to sing them.

A second-hand music stand, a mic stand that Nina received for her birthday and an inexpensive plastic echo mic (which she'd received earlier and which we'd jerry-rigged with a stick and some duct tape to fit into the mic stand).  Three simple gifts added up to a morning of praise and delight.  With them, our little girl shared a special gift she's been given -- a desire to sing praise!

What inexpensive or thrifted items might inspire your child to share his or her own gifts with others?

Please feel free to share about them in comment here or on our Training Happy Hearts Facebook page.  If you leave a link to an idea, I will pin it on the Training Happy Hearts: A Call to Faith Formation in Young Children Pinterest board, where you can find many ideas for growing and sharing faith with little ones.