Make a Mary Garden (& Enter a Contest, Too)

May is just around the corner.

So, I am already thinking about what we might do for our annual Mini Mary Gardens. I am also dreaming about finally putting together a full-size Mary Garden in our yard. 

Even if time, resources, and life do not line up for me to create a beautiful outdoor Mary Garden, though, I am excited at the possibility of inspiring my children in the creation of this years' Mini Mary Gardens by sharing with them news of  a contest the Museum of Family Prayer is running, which you might be interested in, too.

On the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church (May 24), the Museum of Family Prayer will launch its 2nd Annual Mary Garden Contest!, which aims to  encourage gardeners and gardener wannabes to do something concrete to give witness to Christ our Life by creating beautiful spaces for personal meditation, family prayer, and observing the glorious natural wonder that God created.

Whereas traditional Mary Gardens have historically been enclosed gardens filled with flowers and herbs whose names connect to Our Lady which are planted around a statue of the Holy Virgin, the Museum of Family Prayer is opening the  proverbial field to include any space filled with plants and flowers where you and your family might go with Our Lady to focus on prayers, peace, and beauty.

A porch, a corner of an apartment, a spot in your yard...  Anywhere where you can grace your hearts and home with God's presence by creating your very own Mary Garden is fair game.

What a fun way to encourage some creative springtime planting fun and some summer-into-fall peaceful prayer.

Be sure to keep watch of the official contest page for forthcoming details. In the meantime, happy planning and planting.

Blessed Virgin, pray for us.

Please Take a Few Moments to Help Us Win $250 for a Sensory Smart Schoolroom

Dreaming of the $250 You Can Help Us Win

The other day I gave a little tour of our Fall 2011 Classroom.  As you can see, it works for us, but I'd like it to be even more sensory smart for our kids.  Thus, I entered the Super Sensory Makeover Contest at My Special Needs Network, a great online network for teachers, therapists, parents and all others to discover learning solutions that kids with special needs will love.   Now, I need YOUR HELP to win a $250.00 gift certificate for Abilitations, Integrations and Speech Bin products that will help make our homeschooling experience even better.  


How You Can Help


Join My Special Needs Network (which respects your time and privacy and won't spam you, send you emails you don't want, etc.) and then go to the contest page to vote for me.  (Yes, I am listed under Martianna Stanger not Martianne).  Then ask others to do the same.  Any comment on my entry album is counted as a vote and the entry with the most comments at the end of the month wins.


What's In It For You?


Besides knowing you helped a mama go from looking like this:

to silly-happy, like this:

you'd earn HUGE thanks of me and my kiddoes.  Plus, you'll have the chance to join a great network of folks centered on special needs that not only offers discussion forums, blog entries and other good info all without hassle or cost, but also offer members a chance to win regular prizes just by offering feedback within the network.


(And, hey, I know not everyone has the time nor inclination to be a part of an online network like this, so might I ask -- okay beg -- you to consider taking a few minutes to at least try it long enough to leave a comment/vote for us an maybe a moment more to ask friends to do the same, and, then, if you're not pleased with the network to opt out later?  Although, in all honesty, I cannot see why you wouldn't be pleased.  It's a sire you can visit when you want, as you want, without getting annoying emails, spam, etc.)


As a Thank You and for a Happy Birthday


Really, we'd love your support with this and know that even time is hard to give away on busy days, so, how about this just to make things fun:


It's my birthday at the end of the month.  If we win this contest, it would be a super birthday present.  So, as a thank you to those who help us win (if we win), I will try to create a free printable to offer here.  It seems some of the other ones I have offered here have been quite popular, especially the Three-Part Life of Mary Sequencing Cards, Alerting Activity ABC Cards and I Can Calm Myself ABC Cards.  If you have an idea of something you think I might be able to create and offer, leave a suggestion in the comments.  I will see what I can do.


Thank you for your support!


P.S.  The goofy pictures were taken by my kiddoes this past summer one day when we were out on the lawn playing emotion faces.