A Sweet St. Valentine Gala

Banners, cake, a story and lots of sweet faces!

I'm glad the projects were started early.  One day a cricut machine will 'magically' appear in my house; and make the crafts a whole lot easier.

Our St. Valentine Gala was yesterday.  A few days prior to the actual feast day, but since the 14th landed at the start of Lent, and on a Thursday (crazy days for us); an early celebration was the best idea ever!

I made the banners using each a picture of each child.  Then I wrote a verse from the bible regarding love around the hearts.  All together the banner looked really cute and they were scattered through out the living room and dining room.  A gift for each family to take home and place in their own space.

We had the focus of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary as well as St. Valentine.  Keeping this feast Catholic is always important, especially in these times were in.

When the kids arrived, it was PARTY time!

We first read the real reason for St. Valentines' Day.  As, I'm told by my Lucy (who was celebrating a very grown up Jane Austin Valentine Tea down the street) I get into my 'teaching' modes easily.  Hey, aren't I a home schooler?  So, yes we talked briefly to the kids about true love.

Loving the way God loves.

Love is hard.

Love takes work.

Love should be cared for.

Love should be shared.

Because we have the best example of what love is, and how to love.  We have Jesus on the cross.  We have the knowledge that God so loved us, that he created each of us to love and be loved.  He loved us so much that he was willing to die for us.

Beautiful LOVE!

We promptly went from reading and talking to EATING

and crafting!

Each child planted an ivy around a wire heart.  I had meant to decoupage the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary.  But, I couldn't find my decoupage stuff.  To bad too because the images were so cool!

But during the planting, I told the kids that like this ivy, if we care for our faith by staying close to the sacraments and Jesus our faith would grow just like the ivy. 

Strong. 

Vibrant.

We just didn't have food and crafts though.  There was a scavenger hunt.  What were they hunting you ask?  Rabbits? Eggs? Dogs?

NO!

They went hunting for HEARTS!

Each heart had a number on it.  Once all the hearts were found they had to line up in according to their numbers.  That was funny!  Who would have thought that finding the #3 and where he should go would be so hard...  Us moms just laughed; they received NO help from us.

The hearts had a verse from

1 Corinthians 13: 1-13

Each child had to read aloud the verse written on their heart. 

This was cool!

Ending our day with the St. Valentine exchange and play-play-play

 

  

 

It was an awesome afternoon among friends!

Dear Saint and glorious martyr,

Teach us to love unselfishly and to find great joy in giving.  Enable all true lovers to bring out the best in God and in each other.  Love.  Love is patient and kind, it doesn't envy or boast and it's never pround.  Love is not rude or selfish.  It doesn't get angry or keep track of wrongs.  Love doesn't delight in bad things, but it rejoices in the truth.  Love always protecdts, trusts, hopes, and preservers.

Love never fails.

St. Valentine, Pray for us!



Envisioning Hearts, Pink, & St. Therese

I'm hosting a St. Valentine Gala soon (like this Monday) and my head has been swimming with ideas.
If you can picture this; it'll be an afternoon of several families between the ages of infancy and 11ish.

The older siblings will be up the road celebrating a Jane Austine Valentine Tea, dressed in Regency sweetness.

Back at this manor, though, we are looking at ideas for our younger group.  Something that focuses more on the love that is God rather than the amounts of sweets in our bags.
(though that is important to a 7 year old for sure ;0).

I've scanned the boards and have one too many ideas lingering in my head.  So, I'm narrowing it down to a manageable few.  I'm thinking along the lines of:

The Sacred Hear to Jesus

 (I mean how perfect is that)

St. Therese's examples of love

(including her quotes everywhere)

That'll be our focus but, I can't put down any other details, as there may be some lurking here; who may spill the beans.

Until then here are some quick pictures of the things/crafts happening around the house...

Lacy @ Catholic Icing shared this free St. Valentine countdown. 

As the kids take down a heart; we read it after morning prayers and then the scripture is placed on the door.  That way we can return to read them throughout the days leading to Lent.

We've already read some beautiful verses!

Rose is sewing these felt heart pockets for her friends.  This was the kind of practice she needed to master her running stitch. 
According to her, she's become an expert!

This is a little peek at my project of the week

Now I'm off.  

I have lots of hearts to cut out and some goodies to bake...

Over Coffee & Phonics

As a homeschooling family the events and discussions around the table never fail in the area of imaginative and intriguing.  There are vast topics for each child to choose from; especially since the age range in our family is spread across the spectrum, high school to first grade.

So it came to no surprise when Cecilia seriously asked Lucy this morning, "So Lucy, tell me what you think your future children will look like?"  She continued to inquire about 'how many boys she'd like to have verses the girls'. 

Lucy thought for a while, perking up her head from the isosceles and the 30 degree - 60 degree triangles staring at her from the geometry book.  Which, by the way, are just additional ways of finding the lengths of an isosceles triangle, per Lucy. (insert a confused mother's look here with the words "HUH?" over it... that would be me)

But, Lucy answered Cecilia, that she may be called to be a sister and thus, have no children of her own. 

I glanced up from my coffee and history paper I was reviewing from another child, who was patiently waiting for his paper back. 

A sister!  Really!  Cool!  First, I've heard about this new thought to her future.  Sweet!!

Cecilia must have been equally as shocked as I was because her answer was classic, Cecilia. 

"But, Lucy you already are a sister!"

Foolish 15 year old, Cecilia must have thought.  LOL

Lucy went on to tell her she was open to God's calling for her, whatever that would be.  But, that being a sister would mean she would be Jesus' bride forever and thus join an order of religious sisters.  She didn't know yet whether she was called to be one or not, but she was open to it. 

And here is the real kicker!  "So Cecilia, you should also be open to what God calls of you", continues Lucy.

Yes!  The mother in me wanted to yell out.  I didn't of course because I was still deep in the Paleolithic Era in that paper.  Plus, the conversation wasn't with me.  I'm polite that way.

Cecilia has been around many religious sisters, Carmelites of Alhambra mostly.  So she got it.

The conversation ended.  And Cecilia went back to wondering why, oh why, does the TH tickle when you sound it out.

I love the homeschooling table... such fun topics!

Of course, within the hour two of the four were then arguing over the loudness of the piano player and the other was upset that she still had to work on subtraction.  Uh well, the morning was good :-)

Martha Showed Me...

I was skimming through a December 2008 issue of Martha Stewart's Living magazine the other night; and I saw something...
Something that I could actually do.
Something that used items I already had in the house.
Something that wouldn't cost me a single cent.

In the old house we use to hang our Christmas cards around the piano; or on the inside of the front door.  Our cards looked scattered though.  Not like the gallery displays I would see in the Better Homes magazines. 

But with a few supplies... 
I made a super cute, and easy display.

What you need:

1.  Get all the scraps of that Christmas paper around the house

2.  Clothes pins

3.  Glue stick

4.  Ribbon

5.  Scissors

The pictures are pretty self explanatory. 

Using the scraps of paper, measure out the approximate size of your clothes pin

Cut the paper to size

Using a glue stick, spread it on the side the paper with be glued too

and

just in minutes you have...

A pretty display for all those Christmas cards coming your way...

Evidently mine are slow to arrive...

Thank you

Martha Stewart!

Cecilia Recapes

I've lost my tooth

and this is how it happened!

7-4-12

 Fourth of July

good food

lovely company

and

an awesome fireworks show!

(too bad I don't know how to rotate the clip)

End of the year recap (interviews)

Following the likes of Sarah, Charlotte, and Jessica; we revamped our old-fashion-looking school folders.  Charlotte is right, Sarah just blew up the pincrest boards with her post.  Each of these ladies have done awesome covers and the directions on what to do are on Sarah's post here.  It's easy as pie!
Here are ours for 2012:

We are on SUMMER BREAK!!!

Cheers are roaring in the background...

Kids are running like mad...

No, just kidding.

We are on summer break but this is

CLEAN UP WEEK!

So there are NO cheers, yet.

Kitchen Science

It's the last week of school (officially anyway).  The kids are excited over the relaxed days of summer fun.  I'm looking forward to getting to those 'undone' and 'need to start' projects laying around the house.  But, since we are a home educating family; school never really goes on break. 
We just tweak things a bit.

Yesterday, we had some kitchen science fun

It was chemistry,

but with taste!

Why does soda pop fizz?

After pouring the water into the test tube of

citric acid and baking soda

they watched the fizz grow.

And had their answer..

"It's the white stuff, it's the white stuff that make the bubbles", yelled out Cecilia.

But how does it taste?

They added some 'artifical' flavoring....

Max chose raspberry and wasn't impressed.

Rose liked her grape and drank it up.

Cecilia took one look at Max and ran out of the room.

Suits me just fine.

The kids don't drink soda anyway.

I think we're off to a good start on our 'summer break'

Next up,

Why do cupcakes rise?

Alleluia!

It was a blessed Easter Sunday!

As soon as we got back from morning Mass I gathered the kids to take some pictures. 

 Our camera is still in Big Bear!  Ugh!

But I have Lucy's little camera for shots.

What is it with kids?

My kids are pretty good about posing for pictures.  But, I have to admit this time I really had them wait for a loooong time.

Look at my Max!  He's is such a poser!

As are these two cuties.

Early morning, the table waited for the kids.

Their basket filled with cookies and a few little gifts.

Then,

after finishing up some last minute appetizers at home, we headed off to the cousin's house.

Max is considered part of the 'big' kid group.  So, he got to help hide eggs for the little ones.

A job he takes very seriously.

On a serious note. 

When you yell for the kids to get ready and come out for the hunt.  You better watch your distance.  They jammed out of the house so quick, if I had been any closer; I would've been taking this picture from the ground. No kidding.

The race for the eggs was on!

After the young ones had their hunt, the dads took their turn to hide the eggs.  We need their height and strength for some 'real' tough hiding spots. 

Poor kids, it's so hard for the 10 and above age group...

I mean, look where they hide these eggs!

Having kids climb trees!  Tough dads!

Lucy didn't mind though.

But, I didn't see her climbing ant infested trees either.

We all laughed, ate,

played basketball, ate,

spent time with one another, oh and

ate!

May the blessings and grace that comes from the resurrected Christ be with us, always!

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

There is a linky party over at Catholic Cuisine...check it out!