Showing posts with label Roundup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Roundup. Show all posts

Sunday, May 5, 2019

31 Way to Celebrate Our Lady in May

Happy May - the Month of Mary!  

{Some links which follow are affiliate ones.}

I pray that it's unfolding as a lovely month dedicated to Our Lady.

Whether you are looking to honor Mama Mary through prayer, reflection, crafting, or learning endeavors, I pray one of these 31 ideas will help enrich your experience this month.

Prayer and Pious Practices

1.  Begin your day with an Act of Consecration.

 Start your day off with a gesture of prayer by praying a consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary:
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary,I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and suffering of this day in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world. I offer them for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart: the salvation of souls, reparation for sins, the reunion of all Christians; I offer them for the intentions of our Bishops and of all Apostles of Prayer and in particular for those recommended by our Holy Father this month. 

 If you'd like to learn more about fuller Consecration to Mary, the Rooted Mom offers a succinct and helpful Consecration 101. (She also sells a variety of Marian-themed products.)
2. Make a Consecration to Mary with your children.
Source: Amazon

If you have little ones, the book Consecration to Mary for Little Ones by Kimberly Fries from My Little Nazareth is wonderful!

I have read through it myself and will be beginning a consecration with my children on May 13 - the Monday of the 4th week of Easter -with it.  If you'd like to do the same, now is the time to purchase this lovely book which I will be doing a full review of soon.


3. Add the Regina Caeli and the Angelus to your day.

This prayer is traditionally prayed at 9:00 a.m., noon, and 6:00 p.m. in order to sanctify our morning, afternoon, and evening hours through the sweet and holy presence of Mary.

 The wonderfully helpful site Crusaders for Christ offers free printable handwriting sheets with the Angelus and Look to Him and Be Radiant with Joy has a super cute mini-book for each prayer.
4. Sing Prayers to Mary with Little Ones
Source: Amazon

The Bible often speaks about lifting our voices in song and prayer.

If you and your little ones like to do this, may I recommend Joyful Noises by Jennifer Sharpe of Hearts True Devotion?  In it, Jennifer has included two super sweet prayers to Our Lady that children can easily learn and sing.

I am a grown up and I've even begun singing them myself sometimes.

(I'll have a full review of this book coming, soon, too!)
5. Gain a fuller understanding of the Hail Mary.

 Burning Hearts offers a wonderful line-by-line reflection on the Hail Mary.

 You can also find lovely free copywork to for the prayer at Crusaders for Christ.


6. Begin a Devotion of the Three Hail Mary's

Source: Training Happy Hearts

To pray the Devotion of the Three Hail Mary's, we pray one Hail Mary in honor of each person of the Holy Trinity and ask our Our Lady to intercede for us with specific graces needed to live each and every day.

You can find our more about the devotion and how to introduce it here.



7. Wear the Miraculous Medal

If you do not already do so, consider wearing the Miraculous Medal.  Amy from Prayer, Wine, Chocolate shares 5 reasons to do so.
Source: Training Happy Hearts

If you're just introducing the Miraculous Medal to your children, you might also like to borrow ideas from a Miraculous Medal gathering I enjoyed with friends.



8. Pray the Memorare.

The Memorare is a wonderful prayer to learn and pray whenever you have a particular need.  
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly to thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother; to thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

You can find free copywork of this one at Crusaders for Christ, too!
9. Wear the Brown Scapular.

If you don't already, you might consider wearing the Brown Scapular. 


Source: Training Happy Hearts

If teaching your children about it, perhaps you might glean ideas from our July liturgical shelf and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel snack time.

Source: Training Happy Hearts

10. Pray the Rosary

It almost goes without saying when speaking of Our Lady and prayer, that we can refocus ourselves on praying the Rosary.

Source: Training Happy Hearts

Gracewatch Media's Illuminated Rosary (reviewed here), can be a beautiful tool to help families do just that.

Source: Training Happy Hearts

Joining the Children's Rosary Prayer Movement is a worthwhile idea, too.

And, of course, there are oodles of ideas and resources for introducing, re-introducing, and making a holy habit of praying the rosary.  Many of ours can be found here.

You might also start slowly with Elizabeth Clare's Rosary in a Month challenge.


 Reflection Time
11. Imitate Mary.
Source: Amazon

 In St. Louis de Montfort's classic True Devotion to Mary, he gives us a list of 10 principle virtues of Mary that we might imitate to help in our holiness.  They are:
  • deep humility
  • lively faith
  • blind obedience
  • unceasing prayer
  • constant self-denial
  • surpassing purity
  • ardent love
  • heroic patience
  • angelic kindness
  • heavenly wisdom

Being so very human, I have a hard time with many of these virtues. Perhaps you do, too. So, perhaps, pick just one at a time to work on.

Source: Amazon

Or, start simpler by reading the children's book Just Like Mary - a favorite of mine - with your children and see how it moves you all towards imitating Our Lady.
12. Reflect on Mary's Great Love for the Holy Trinity.

Sara from To Jesus, Sincerely shares beautiful reflections ideal for Mama (Dada, Grammy, Grampy, or Anyone) alone-time.



13. Get real about motherhood reflecting on Mary.

A Beautiful, Camouflaged, Mess of Life offers a brief, yet powerful reflection about Our Lady as the ultimate example of motherhood and Everyday Ediths shares the Messiness of Mary's Motherhood.



14. Color while you listen.

Everything is Grace and Kennedy Adventures share some free, printable Marian coloring pages that can keep little hands content while you listen to stories and reflections about Mary. 
Source: Amazon


I suggest Jesus and Mary and Leading Little Ones to Mary as read alouds for young ones this month.  We have read both in my home more than once!
Source: Amazon

15. Keep reminders of Mary at hand.
Rosa Isabel and Susana of Mary with You design everyday-wear jewelry including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and Immaculate conception scapular bracelets and rosaries which can make a practical and lovely physical reminder to pray for the intercession of Our Lady.


Rose from Relics by Rose offers both classic and vintage jewelry, including some gorgeous Catholic Rosary bracelets. I would love to get ones for my daughter and myself. I bet you might like them, too.


16. Let a quote lead your meditations.



Crafting and Learning
17. Plant a Mary Garden.

Source: Training Happy Hearts

Mary Gardens have a long history and whether you make a permanent one or an annual Mini-Mary Garden, you are sure to enjoy the experience.



18. Gift a Mary Garden Basket.
Source: Training Happy Hearts


Along the same lines, you can make a real or paper Mary Garden to share with others - a lovely gift and a way to evangelize.

For further ideas about Mary Gardens, including some plant ideas, see Burning Hearts.  You can also get plant labels from Look to Him and Be Radiant with Joy.



19. Meditate while Embroidering

 Happy Nest Home Goods has loads of lovely products for sale on her Etsy shop, including a beautiful Madonna & Child pattern that would be perfect for Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschoolers and others who like handicrafts.



20. Set Up a Marian Prayer Space

A rosary, a small statue or image of Mary, a vase of flowers can make a simple, yet effective Marian prayer space.

You might also decorate your space with Schroeder Stitchery's Marian embroidery hoops on Etsy or the Benedicta Boutique's beautiful Catholic Marian Wall Art.

21. Paint Marian Peg Dolls.

Painting peg dolls can lead you to learning and meditation - and the end product is perfect for your prayer space.
Source: Training Happy Hearts

Get ideas for Marian Apparition sets...
Source: Training Happy Hearts


...and monthly Marian dolls.


 22. Focus copywork on Our Lady of Fatima.
Our Lady of Fatima's feast day is this month.  

Source: Training Happy Hearts

Add some free related copywork to your learning time.


23. Create a service craft for Our Lady of Fatima's feast day.

Source: Training Happy Hearts


If you're looking for a craft to share with people in nursing homes, VA hospitals, or the like, you might like the one we did a couple years ago.



 25. Prepare for Apologetics

If your kids are at the stage where they are being questioned about what is up with we Catholics and Mary, this brief piece by Lord, Make Me a Saint can make a great jumping off point for apologetics. It succinctly offers Biblical verses for the Hail Mary, links to deeper resources, and sums things up!


 26. Plan and Host a Marian Tea Party

A Marian Tea Party can bring together practical life skills, social skills, socialization, and so much more - all with a central theme of Mary.

Catholic Inspired provides some ideas and photographs to get you started, or you can browse the many liturgical tea, saint-teas, and liturgical meals and snacks we have enjoyed.


27. Plan a May Crowning

Source: Training Happy Hearts

Catholic Icing takes you through how to plan a May Crowning.

We've done them ourselves with friends a number of times, and elaborate or simple, they are always a wonderful experience.
28.  Get Cooking with Mary.

 Catholic Cuisine has loads of ideas for the Month of Mary.
29. Let free printable guide the way.

Real Life at Home offers a host of free printables (and some paid ones) to keep you focused on Mary all month long and Catholic Toolbox has oodles more ideas and printables for fun and learning.


30. Enjoy coloring a Marian Quote.

Life, Love, & Sacred Art offers many free printables. Among them is a lovely quote to color and meditate on.
31. Have a Poet-tea.

Use the catalog of May poems found on the University of Dayton website over a tea time to celebrate Our Lady.

I'd love to hear, which, if any of these ideas spark observances of this Month Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary in your home.

Mary, Our Mother, pray for us.


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Sunday, February 24, 2019

A Poetic Round Up of Tried-and-True Lent Ideas from 15+ Families



Can you believe it?  Lent is just 10 days away. Have you decided how you and yours will give, fast, and pray?

I am still creating an outline of how I plan to live this season of the liturgical year with my family. In doing so, I've been praying and thinking... revisiting my past Lenten posts and drawing inspiration from friends and fellow bloggers.

This morning, I also bean musing poetic about Lent as I did once about Advent. 

Thus, now I share a Lenten poetic round up to help you find ideas and inspiration for how you and yours might live Lent this year.

Please enjoy this collection of thoughts linked to ideas and printables from different Catholic bloggers and websites. 

Perhaps the Spirit will use a phrase from the poem or a linked piece to whisper to you about the Lord's intentions for your family's Lenten journey.


'Twas 10 days before Lent
and across blogosphere
folks have been asking:
What are you doing this year?
To fill this liturgical season
with prayer, fasting, and giving, 
which Lenten practices
will you include in every day living?
What might help your family pray
for people from every nation?
Will you make time to pause each week 
to pray the Stations?
Might you pick a Pretzel Prayer Pal
 or focus on a special intention?
Will you begin a prayer journal,
and be open to divine intervention?
Will you have your children color
through the Mysteries of the Rosary as you pray?
Or make a book out of paper bags
to use for Stations of the Cross each Friday?
Will you get out into nature
with the New Way of the Cross?
Or spend time with Lent for Children-
a beautiful resource offered at no cost.
In what ways might you fast
and encourage your children to fast too?
Is a 5-minute sacrifice 
the right fit for you?
Will you make an extra effort
to love more this Lent?
Or aim to make dropping a bean
in a jar more frequent?
Will you make a crown of thorns
to encourage daily sacrifice?
Or will forgoing screentime 
to spend time with read alouds suffice?
Will you challenge your children to
to show 40 acts of love to others?
Or pause to share a three o'clock hour tradition
with sisters and brothers?
Will you bury the alleluia?
Make a Pray, Fast, Give Chain?
Or, perhaps, set up 
a Lenten feast table again?
Will you use a Jesus Tree?
Will you count, pray, and give
with a free printable as an aid
as you learn, love, and live?
Will your use a Lenten candle cross
to focus meditations?
Or maybe gather 40 bags
of Lenten donations?
Will you print out free daily planner pages
to help keep you on track,
knowing that the Spirit 
has always got your back?
As we enter this Lenten season,
surely choices abound-
But, they matter little
unless meaning is found:
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
help us devote ourselves to the Lord,
as we seek true conversion of hearts and minds
moving forward.
This Lenten season
may we each come closer to Jesus Christ,
giving thanks for His merciful love
and ultimate sacrifice.
Thank you to the following folks for blessing folks forward with ideas like those shared through the links above:

May you have a blessed and beautiful Lent which prepares you well for a glorious Easter!
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Sunday, November 26, 2017

A Poetic Round Up of Tried-and-True Advent Ideas from 12+ Families


Happy Christ the King day!  As we celebrate our Servant King, I am reminded that the beginning of Advent is but one week away.  If you're still deciding how you'll approach life and learning during this beautiful liturgical season, you are not alone.  Many other folks are, too, including me!  And, if past years are anything to go by, some of us may be preparing to prepare right up until Advent begins next Sunday, or even a bit beyond that.

 To help us all, I thought I would share a poetic Advent season round-up.

Please enjoy this musing I wrote earlier today, which I've since linked to oodles of Advent ideas and inspiration from different Catholic bloggers.  Perhaps the Spirit will use a phrase from the poem or a post linked to it, to speak to you about how you might begin your Advent journey this year.



    'Twas a week before Advent
    and across blogosphere
    Mamas were asking:
    What are you doing this year?
    To keep this liturgical season
    in its rightful place, 
    which Advent traditions
    will you and yours embrace?
    while 'Christmas is here!' madness
    seems to sweep across the nation?
    How might we kick off 
    Advent observances this year
    How best can we celebrate Jesus' coming-
    present, future, and past?
    What will help us create meaningful
    How do we find balance
    in the sometimes chaos of this season,
    with all the blessings that brings?
    Might we help children move from "the gimmes"
    to simple gratitude,
    modeling thankfulness, joy, and humility
    in our own attitudes?
    Might we enjoy activities
    that focus on time spent together?
    Might we add new tweaks
    to past traditions that we treasure?
     Might we mark the days with Scripture
    that points to our Lord,
    as we hang up ornaments
    and spend time reading the Word?
    Might we each unplug and make time
    to let the Spirit's voice come through?
    ...Yes, the questions are a-flying,
    and some answers are, too.
    cautionary tales...
    Wisdom and reflections...
    prayers, ponderings and practical advice
    for managing daily life
    and preparing for heavenly paradise.
    In heads, hearts, and homes,
    thankfully, persists:
    Advent is nearly upon us,
    and that means it is time
    to prepare to celebrate our Lord,
    so merciful and sublime!
    However we do that,
    and may our response to God's will
    ring out with a resounding, "YES!"
    Thank you to the following folks for ideas shared through the links above:


      May you have a blessed and beautiful Advent!
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      Sunday, November 17, 2013

      Highlighting Virtues with A St. George Resource Round Up (Or What Mama Has the Kids Do When She Is Sick)

      Luke's St. George and the Dragon Scene
      On Friday, I woke to find my voice gone, my eyes burning, my head aching and my mind realizing that I needed a different plan for the morning than I had gone to bed thinking about. Read-togethers and Endangered Species Fair preparation just would work considering my laryngitis and lousy head cold.  I needed another set of morning activities to engage the kids.

      With praise be to our Lord for generous folks on the Internet, I put together a new plan rather quickly: a mini-book on the virtues of St. George.

      The inside of Jack's finished mini-book.
       
      The flap of Jack's mini-book before he opens it to the inside.
      Inside Nina's mini-book with a happy, grateful, loving princess and St. George leading a dragon away with a rope.

      Why Saint George when we are nowhere near his feast day?

      Well, because, Jack and his big siblings are enamored with knights and castles right now and youtube has an Adventures from the Book of Virtues video with the story of St. George and the Dragon in it.



      So, while I did breakfast dishes and some laundry, the children watched that.

      Then, I squeaked, "What virtues did St. George show?"

      Once the children had shared their ideas, I  gave each child a blank tri-fold mini-book, set out pencils and googled for knight how-to-draws.  The children and I decided that we'd try this one:




      Nina's in-progress drawing of St. George.

      Once we completed our "St. George"s, Luke asked me to find a dragon how-to-draw.  He chose one here for him and I to do, while Nina chose a sleeping one:



      Then, the children asked for a princess how-to-draw.  We chose this one.

      Drawings done, each child did basic copy work to write, St. George showed bravery, kindness and faith.

      Luke chose to embellish his lettering with dragon-fire and swords.
      Nina showed persistence each time she wrote words on Friday.

      Then, the children proceeded to add color to their mini-books before setting up for and creating their own St. George and the Dragon drama improv in the hallway.

      Jack coloring what he'd asked me to draw for him.
      What a blessing it was to have them all so engaged in learning about saints and virtues, while reinforcing writing, drama and creative skills without me having to use my almost-gone voice!

      Better still was that, as the day unfolded, each child demonstrated personal virtues of kindness, faith and more, and they also decided to begin their own medieval lapbooks using other how-to-draws that they found online.

      What are your go-to resources for teaching about St. George?  Virtues?  And how to you keep your children engaged, learning, practicing skills and enjoying when you're feeling poorly?
       

       (If you receive this post via email and cannot see the linky, be sure to actually click over to the blog to read browse the rich catalog of ideas there.)

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      Sunday, October 27, 2013

      10 Favorite Sites that Offer Free Catholic Printables

      Our own free Life of Mary printable cards helped decorate our table for our Seven Sorrows of Mary feast Day this year.
      The other day on the Catholic Homeschool Moms yahoogroup that I am a part of, one of the moms asked for a list of websites that offer Catholic printables.  As I went to respond, I realized that I do not have all of my favorite sites listed for myself in any one single location, but rather have some in a file here, others bookmarked there and still others noted somewhere else.

      Thus, after pausing to pray, Lord, please help me to rediscover the organization and order I once thrived with, I felt prompted to begin gathering all the sites in one locations.  When I got to ten, I stopped, because that was all the time I had that day.

      Now, as much for my own future reference as for your click-through exploration, I thought I would share those 10 favorite go-to sites for free Catholic printables.  Please let me know in a comment on this post or on the Training Happy Hearts Facebook page if you find this list helpful.  For, if you do, I will list more in a post to come!

      Now, with no further ado...

      10 Go-To Sites for Free Catholic Printables
      1. Elaine at Commotion from the Ocean of Life is truly gifted with a talent for making faith-based games, booklets and more and, generously, gifts forward by sharing much of her work freely online.
      2. Awesome file folder games, lessons plans and other aids can be found at The Catholic Toolbox.
      3. Raising & Teaching Little Saints offers some free printables, to include an Act of Reconciliation prayer with picture cues that we will be using to help our son learn the prayer.
      4. Holy Heroes offers Sunday Mass quizzes, coloring pages, awesome Advent and Lent programs and more.  They also have Sunday mass prep videos!)
      5. The Saint and Marian coloring pages offered at Waltzing Matilda are favorites of my children!
      6. Angie was offering monthly printables at Catholic Mothers Online, where you can still find the old ones.  Now, she is doing so at Many Little Blessings, where you can find other fantastic faith-based printables, too.
      7. St. John the Baptist Religious Ed offers coloring and booklets for the rosary, saints and more.
      8. New to me recently is The Catholic Playground, with gorgeous coloring pages and a plethora of other fun faith-based ideas. 
      9. Catholic Mom has links to many types of faith-based printables.
      10. That Resource Site is exactly what its name implies, a wonderful resource site for printables and more, many religious and academic ones included.
      And, of course, I have some free printables available here at Training Happy Hearts, too!

      As I mentioned before, these are just ten of the sites I tend to go to to enrich our family faith studies.  If you'd like me to share more, just ask.  And, of course, if you happen to be a blogger or organization with a page of free Catholic printables, or if you simply have a favorite site that you visit that is not listed above, please share in a comment.  It might be new to us and we love learning about such resources!

      What are your go-to sites for Catholic printables?

       

       (If you receive this post via email and cannot see the linky, be sure to actually click over to the blog to read browse the rich catalog of ideas there.)

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