Book Week! & A Little Book about Confession

Welcome to Book Week!

wooooo-hoooooo!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week.

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

A Little Book about Confession for Children

Written by Kendra Tierney

Illustrations by Maria Ashton

As far as I'm concerned every Catholic home should have a copy of this book.

A Little Book about Confession for Children is ordered in a logical way, with all of its sections building upon the previous content: a glossary in the beginning, a QandA section next, a review of the Ten Commandments, saints who can help us prepare for and make a good confession, and an excellent examination of conscience. The book ends with a word-by-word write up of the dialogue in the confessional with directions for what to do and say and what the priest will do and say. Throughout the book are warm, sweet illustrations, my favorite being of the priest listening to a boy's confession.

Kendra wrote A Little Book about Confession for Children because she couldn't find a good resource to prepare her son for his first confession. Pamphlets and books did exist but none of them were really age appropriate. The reason, I believe, that this book is so perfect is because she wrote it not only as a catechist and educator but as a mom.

Because she is writing as an educator everything is clear, intelligent, and applicable. Because she is writing as a catechist everything is orthodox and written to illuminate the beauty of the Catholic faith and the Sacrament of Reconcilliation. Because she is writing as a mom everything is written in a warm tone and in a voice that does not speak down to the child asking the questions and preparing for the Sacrament (or even the parents!) but with much respect and encouragement.

Some of my favorite details about A Little Book about Confession for Children are the flaps on the book's cover that serve as easy-to-use guides to making a confession, praying an Act of Contrition, and doing an examination of conscience, and the excellent examination of conscience that reviews each of the Ten Commandments and gives age appropriate questions to make sure they're keeping the commandment. For example, "You Shall Not Kill" is followed by, "Did I try to make other people happy? Did I try to help them when they needed it?" and so on.

I know Kendra wrote this book for second graders but I think it is a powerful and useful tool for kids throughout grade school and on. I could see this book being helpful to converts, reverts, and even to non believers who just want to understand what Catholics believe about confession. Heck, I even got something out of the book and I'm a 32 year old woman who's been actively practicing the Catholic faith my whole life!

Do yourself a favor, enter to win a free, autographed copy of A Little Book about Confession for Children. And if you don't win, go ahead and buy one. You won't be sorry you did.

"Happy Confessing!"

Kendra Tierney

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Week! and I'm Bernadette!

Welcome to Book Week!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week. Be sure to go to Monday's post to register to win!

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

I'm Bernadette!
Written by Emily Grace Orgeta
Illustrated by Meg Ross Whalen

I'm Bernadette! is lovely. Absolutely lovely.

The chapter book tells the story of a first grader at a Catholic school. Her name is Bernadette and she needs to choose a saint to portray for her school's All Saints' Day party. Bernadette doesn't know who to choose, her brothers are driving her crazy, and she feels like she has no special talents. With help from her parents Bernadette ends up making a new friend and having a great All Saints' Day.

Now, there are SO many things I loved about this book.
It is very well written. Honest and simple enough to believably told from a first grader's perspective but clever enough that it's not dumbed down literature.
The pictures are wonderful - warm, cute, but not cutesy. My absolute favorite picture is from a scene that takes place at the dinner table. The baby is throwing noodles, the handsome dad is at the head of the table, the mom is drinking wine, Bernadette is in her Catholic school uniform, and there's a picture of St. Peter's Basilica hanging on the wall. It's like they took a picture of *my* dinner table!
Bernadette's parents - both of them! - play an important role in the book. Her dad is not a buffoon, her mom is kind and helpful, and they're both present and married to one another! It's kind of ridiculous that I need to applaud this but I'm so grateful for the portrayal of a happy, traditional family.
It is Catholic but not in a super pious way. This was such a real portrayal of what a Catholic home and Catholic school look like. I'm Bernadette! did a great job of writing about this girl and her family and her predicament in a normal way. I don't know if I'm conveying what I want to say so let me be blunt. A lot of Catholic art is pretty poor quality and I was afraid this might be too. But it's not. It is very well done. Like I said, it's absolutely lovely.

Now, for this review I wanted to share not only my perspective as a parent and adult, but the perspective of a member of the targeted audience. Fortunately my good friend Grete and her daughter Maria agreed to read it and do a little interview for me.

How old are you and what grade are you in?
Maria: I am 8 years old and I am in 2nd grade.

What did you like about the book?
Maria: I like that it had St. Bernadette in it.

Could you relate to Bernadette and her family?
Maria: I think Bernadette would be a good friend to me.

What did you think about having a book about a Catholic girl?
Maria: I haven't read very many books about Catholic girls and I like it.

Did you like the illustrations? Why or why not?
Maria: Yes, I liked them because they were in pencil.

Would you want to read more books about Bernadette?
Maria: Yes I would. There was a "sneak peek" for a new book that will be done 2014 about Christmas. There should be an Easter one, too.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?
Maria: No.


And Maria's got a good point. There's nothing else to say. I'm Bernadette! is fantastic and you should buy it.


I'm Bernadette! by Emily Grace Ortega is published by Half Moon Bay Publishing.
Don't forget to sign up to win an autographed copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children.

Book Week! and The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

Welcome to Book Week!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week. Be sure to go to Monday's post to register to win!

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl

Written and Illustrated by Ben Hatke

Ben Hatke is my absolute favorite illustrator. We own several of the books he has illustrated, including Angel in the Waters - a book every family should own. If we were rich I would commission him to turn a family picture into a Hatke-ized portrait because I *love* the way he sees the world. So you can understand why, when I recently discovered that Hatke not only illustrated others' work but had his own line of graphic novels for kids, well I knew I needed to get my hands on one of his books. 

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl is the third and newest book in a series with the original Zita the Spacegirl published in 2011 and Legends of Zita the Spacegirl released in 2012. It tells the story of how Zita, a girl from Earth who has been saving folks throughout space, now needs some help being saved herself and saving her home planet.

I read The Return of Zita the Spacegirl to my older children. My five and four year olds loved it, and so did I! The illustrations are great, the characters are wonderful, Zita (a girl!) is kind, brave, selfless, and modestly dressed and looks like a little girl! What a gift to have a sci-fi, adventuring role model for my daughter who doesn't look like a sex symbol! My kids and I started at the end of the trilogy but we cannot wait to go back to the beginning.

My favorite part about reading Zita, as a parent and a book lover, was a moment that happened when my kids and I were huddled on my bed, reading a chapter before bedtime. When the chapter ended I closed the book and told the kids it was time for sleep. My kindergartner, with big, excited eyes, asked if I could read just a little bit more into the next chapter. The cliffhanger was killin' her and she just had to find out what happened. It was such a magical moment for me, again as a mom and book lover, that I of course read on!

With the interesting illustrations and the bright colors even my 23 month old likes to look at Zita. In fact, all of my kids like to sit and flip through the graphic novel, looking at the pictures again and again.

Is this book for everyone? Maybe not. It is a sci-fi book but we love sci-fi here and I strongly encourage this book if your family is like mine in that way. I also want to point out that one of the characters is a friendly skeleton, the words "hate" and "stupid" are each used once, and an adult female character wears a midriff and cleavage-showing tank - if you don't have a problem with Ariel and Jasmine you won't have a problem with this. 

I'll say it again, we loved this graphic novel and I am so excited to read the other Zita books. Also! If you also like Hatke's illustrations and fairy tale creatures be sure to keep an eye out for Julia's House for Lost Creatures. I'm super excited for it!

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke is published by First Second and you should buy it. ;)

Don't forget to sign up to win an autographed copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children.

Book Week! and a Bundle of Books

Welcome to Book Week!

wooooo-hoooooo!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week. Be sure to go to Monday's post to register to win!

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

Recently I was given a small bundle of books from Ignatius / Magnificat to review. They each had their own little charms and I'm happy to share them with you. 
First up:

The Way of the Cross
Written by Juliette Levivier
Illustrated by Anne Gravier

During Lent we try to do the Stations of the Cross as a family, often using our Stations of the Cross box, so when Ignatius offered me a chance to see their own book on the Stations I was really excited.

The Way of the Cross has a wonderful introduction to Holy Week, praying the Stations, our belief in the Resurrection of Jesus, and what it means to be a follower of Christ. The book is colorful, kid-friendly, and has wonderful illustrations. I really like that each station begins with a line of corresponding Scripture, then moves to a reflection and a prayer.

When we used this book I announced the station, read the Scripture, and read the reflection, changing some of the words (my kids don't know what "brutality" means, for example). The language is more appropriate for children slightly older than mine (my oldest is a kindergartner) but I like that it's something my kids can grow into.

We didn't read the prayers because my kids couldn't sit that long, but I felt like it was fruitful reflection. I'm guessing that this book would be great for 1st - 4th graders who are doing quiet time on their own but it also works just as a picture book for younger kids to follow along with.

It's a nice addition to a family's Lenten book basket or church bag.




The Illustrated Miracles of Jesus
By Jean-Francois Kieffer and Christine Ponsard
Translated by Janet Chevrier

My family has had a first hand experience with miracles and so I was also interested in seeing The Illustrated Miracles of Jesus and seeing how my children would respond to it.

The book is set up as a series of comic strips, each one illustrating the story of a different miracle. The wedding feast at Cana, the major healings, the multiplication of the loaves, and the raising of Lazarus are all included.

In my opinion, because of the comic strip format the book works better as a something a child would read to themselves instead of a story time type book but that's not to say it can't be read aloud.

With all the clean, bright, attractive illustrations The Illustrated Miracles of Jesus has been a great book for my kids to sit and flip through on their own and it has also been a fantastic book to reach for when I want to do more of a Bible lesson story time with my kids, complete with discussions.

The Illustrated Miracles of Jesus, with it's soft cover and simple wording would make a great addition to an Easter basket for a child aged four or older.  


Peter, Apostle of Jesus
Written by Boris Grebille
Illustrated by Herve Flores
Translated by Janet Chevrier

Peter, Apostle of Jesus is a member of the The Life of a Saint series, which also includes Bernadette, John Mary Vianney, Therese of Lisieux, and Francis of Assisi. St. Peter is a personal favorite of mine, which is why two of my sons bear his name, and I was looking forward to this book. It did not disappoint. Of the three in this bundle, this was my favorite.

The illustrations are soft, attractive, and really well done. The book is divided into three sections: The Fisherman of Galilee, The Apostle of Jesus, and the The Head of the Church, each focusing on the biblical stories about Peter that correlate to those titles, along with a little glimpse of Peter as a boy.

I really liked that the story shows how Peter's relationship with Jesus developed and how he came to become not just a follower of Christ but the leader of the Church. The last page also talks about the line of popes and has a sweet picture of St. Peter's Basilica - I loved that touch.

This book is a fabulous way to spend time reading to your kids while also teaching them about St. Peter, Jesus Christ, and His Church. I highly recommend it!



All these books are published Ignatius Press and Magnificat.

Liturgical Living Fail and Miscellanea

St. Paddy Fail
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and tomorrow is St. Joseph's Day. For a woman who has a whole video series on liturgical living I'm kinda failing with these March feast days.

While Molly's day was super cute, Britt's food was super green, Tess had a lovely little gathering, and Kendra's family had a whole hooley we had green polka dotted napkins, lumpy mashed potatoes, and cabbage that only I enjoyed. I tried a new basically-not-Irish soda bread recipe, misread the directions and baked it in a 9x13 dish instead of 3 9xsomething loaf pans. It looked like this:

At least it tasted good... when it finally baked through.

Who's Your Daddy?
And then there's St. Joseph's feast day tomorrow. I know that the traditional thing is so have a St. Joseph's Altar but I don't have a lick of Italian in me and I just don't get it. It's also, obviously JP's feast day (like my son, Little Joe, ya know) but I think we'll just be celebrating with Dr. Pepper and ice cream cones (what the kids and I are fasting from this Lent).

Also, it seems like it would be totally appropriate to have a big, hearty dinner of steak and beer and other things St. Joseph would have liked had he been born in America in the twentieth century, so we might just do that, too. Because it's easier for me to tell my kids, "We're eating steak because daddies like steak and St. Joseph is the father of the Church."

Argh! It's Captain Orangebeard and his matey.

Yay for Mary W. who won the free photography session from Steph Zimmerman Photography! Remember that anyone who mentions A Knotted Life when they book with Steph will get $25 off their session. So we're all winners!



Today I read/watched:
Marriage: the 100-100 Principle by Olivia Spears at Ignitum Today
Priest, Prophet, King a six part study series from Fr. Robert Barron and Spirit Juice Studios.
The Walking Dead Recap: The Grove by Cari at Clan Donaldson
Lent with St. Mary Magdalene by Haley Stewart at Catholic Exchange



Book Week!
I've recently gotten a bunch of books and I'm really excited to tell you about them on ye olde blog because they're really good. I decided to do a whole week of reviews - I'm gonna be creative and call it "Book Week!".

Book Week! will be kicked off with a giveaway: a signed copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children. And then the awesome will just keep comin...

proof that it's signed!

A huge thanks to Rhonda from Real Housekeeping for helping me out and making a Feedly button that matches my other buttons. Because I'm particular and inept and she's helpful and capable like that. I still need to get it up in its place, along with the Instagram button, but I don't have my laptop and things are wonky with the desk top. It'll come, it'll come.


A Q&A Vlog
Remember when Grace and Simon did that vlog and they answered questions submitted by Grace's readers? That was so great.
And so I thought I'd do a lesser version of it. Best form of flattery and all that...
If any of you have any questions for me - about JF, about Sheen, about anything else you may possibly find interesting about my life - go ahead  and ask in the comment box.


Cheers!

Book Week! and Pope Awesome

Welcome to Book Week!

Over the last month or so I have read a handful of books that were each so very good I knew I wanted to tell you about them. I decided to set aside a week to do a review each day and, thanks to the generous folks at Ignatius Press and Magnificat, I also have a free copy of Kendra Tierney's A Little Book about Confession for Children to give away at the end of the week. Be sure to go to Monday's post to register to win!

If you have read any of the books I'm reviewing I'd love to hear your thoughts, too! Leave a comment or link to your own post in the combox.

Pope Awesome and Other Stories
Written by Cari Donaldson

I will be honest with you and confess that I kind of had low expectations for this book. I thought it would probably be a bunch of old blog posts rehashed and stitched together. Since I love and loyally read Cari's Clan Donaldson blog I was okay with that and I thought I'd still enjoy it and be super proud of my blogging friend.

Let me tell you something: I was wrong. So totally way wrong.

Pope Awesome is not the recycling of a bunch of old blog posts. It does not read like a bunch of blog posts stitched together. Pope Awesome was a fun and touching memoir, recounting Cari's conversion to Catholicism through stories of marriage, babies, friends, and family.

I know that when the book first came out there were many reviews written for it but I still wanted to share what I liked about Pope Awesome and why I so thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

First, Cari writes in a clear, strong voice. This is true of her blog, too, but while I read the book I really felt like Cari was telling me all these crazy stories from her past over a cup of coffee at a playdate. The writing was so personable yet intelligent.

Since I read her blog I know that Cari has a great sense of humor but I was still pleasantly surprised at how funny her memoir was. Really, I laughed out loud several times. Books usually don't do that for me but this one did. (My mom laughed out loud too.)

Finally, many of the smaller stories that make up the main story of Cari's conversion are incredibly moving. The entire work is very touching and several sections I cried. The balance of laughter and teary-eyed emotion was perfectly struck in Pope Awesome and as a cradle Catholic I truly was encouraged by her search of God.

My recommendation: get it from your library, put it on your Kindle, borrow it from my mom - just read the book. It was a delight.


Pope Awesome and Other Stories by Cari Donaldson was published by Sophia Institute Press.

How to be Catholic: a few things to help create a Catholic culture in your home

In my How to be Catholic: Tips you may not get in RCIA post, tip #10 was
Building a Catholic culture in your home should not stress you out. You don't have to do all the things and you don't have to do things exactly like the person next to you. Give yourself time to figure out what works for you, your family, and your season in life.

That is totally, 100% true. I'm a cradle Catholic and I'm still figuring out that what worked one year might not work the next. (Like this, for example.) I've  also noticed that the following five things have all made a huge impact in how I and my family live out our faith and build a Catholic culture in our home:

-an Advent wreath
- a Nativity
- Catholic art
- Sacramentals
- Catholic books

Those items have been incorporated through all the liturgical seasons of the Church and have created a home that is distinctly different than non-Catholic homes. My hope is that they will fill my children's memories and will help them identify themselves as Catholic Christians who know, love, and understand their faith. My hope is that it will help us all love and serve our Lord better.

I am most definitely not saying that only good Catholics have these things and I am also not saying you need to have all of these things in your possession right now. If you think that they would also add to the Catholic culture of our home then do buy them!* But! I've acquired these over years; you can too. :)

What to have: An Advent Wreath
This can be as simple as one pink and three purple candles arranged in a circle on your kitchen table. You can add evergreen boughs or you can buy a wreath to use year after year. (Ours has a white Christmas candle in the center but that's not necessary.)

Why: The Church uses the Advent Wreath to mark the four weeks of Advent. You should see one in your own church. The purple color reminds us of Christ's royalty, the pink color reminds us to rejoice for our Savior has come and will come again. The candles light up the dark, winter nights and remind us that "the people who walk in darkness have seen a great light."

What to do:
Beginner: Light the candles of the Advent Wreath. Try to do it every night or at least once a week. We like to sing "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" while we light them. You can sing or do it in silence or find a prayer you like. Sometimes we blow them out right away and sometimes we let them burn throughout dinner.

More Advanced: Try using a prayer book to help guide your dinner conversation. We like O Radiant Dawn by Lisa Hendey.

Bonus: You can switch out the candles to four white ones for the Season of Christmas. We sing "O Come Let Us Adore Him" while we light the candles during Christmas. Silence, other songs, or a prayer works too.



What to have: A Nativity
There are nativity sets (or manger scenes or Christmas creches) to fit all kinds of preferences and decorating styles. You could even ask around - maybe one of your relatives has an heirloom stashed away that they don't use. There's even toy ones your kids can play with and you can use to reenact and explain the Christmas story.

Why: A nativity is a beautiful way to keep the Christmas story present in your home.

What to do:
Beginner: Find a place of honor in your home, preferably in a place where the family frequently gathers, and set up the stable and figurines. Use it as a tool for prayer - meditating on the meaning of Christmas or reading Scripture in front of it.

More Advanced: Keep the stable empty and place the figures around your home or living room. On Christmas Eve bring Mary, Joseph, and the donkey to the stable. After Christmas Mass put the Baby Jesus in the manger and then bring the shepherds over. On Epiphany (January 6th) move the Magi to the stable.



What to have: Catholic Art
When I say Catholic art I'm talking about print copies of old classics, statues, holy cards, or beautiful paintings by modern artists, like these. Heirloom rosaries, family Bibles, and prayer books also fall in this category.

Why: Incorporating some pictures, statues, or even simply framed holy cards in your home's decorations is a really easy way to surround yourself with items that are beautiful and will help you refocus your day / thoughts / heart / inner dialogue / potentially gossipy conversation to something holier. It's hard to be a jerk when you're looking at Christ on the cross.
Catholic art also serves as a simple way to incorporate the liturgical calendar into your home.

Beginner: Hang a Crucifix, display an image of Mary, and keep on using all the seasonal decorations you already own.

More Advanced: Find images or statues for other saints who are important to you and display their image in a place of honor for their feast days.  For example, May is the Month of Mary, so move your image of the Blessed Mother to a prominent place in your home and place a bouquet of flowers near it. For St. Patrick's Day in March use the green decorations you may already have but also pick up a holy card or statue of St. Patrick and display it on your mantel or other place of prominence.

Even More Advanced: Hang a crucifix in every room of the house, beginning with the bedrooms and family room.



What to have: Sacramentals (and things that go with them)
A sacramental is basically a holy object or action that leads you to more actively live out your faith and makes ordinary life more holy. Holy water, making the sign of the cross, a wedding ring, fasting, genuflecting, shrines, scapulars, a crucifix, statues, ashes, medals, blessings... all these things are sacramentals. They do not bestow grace like a Sacrament does but they do remind us of the Sacraments.

Why: Sacramentals will help you incorporate your faith into your daily life and your family practices. They act as a constant reminder to pray, to strive for holiness, and to seek God who loves you.

Beginner: Get a Rosary and a guide on how to pray the rosary and a guide on how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Use the guides to help you pray and be sure to take your time! You may fumble your way through it for awhile. Also, don't be afraid to ask a friend for help. The Divine Mercy Chaplet is also prayed on rosary beads and is often prayed during the 3 o'clock hour, which is when Christ died on the cross. But you can pray it whenever you want.

More Advanced: Find a holy water font to hang by your door and a Miraculous Medal to wear. Your font will likely come with a small bottle marked "Holy Water" which you can take to your parish and refill - there should be a sorta water cooler looking like thing in the back of church just for this purpose. However, I've just bought a gallon of distilled water, taken it to my priest, and asked him to bless it. I labeled the gallon jug "Holy Water" so no one would drink it or water house plants with it and all was well. You and your family and friends can now bless yourselves as you come and go.
Wear the Miraculous Medal as a reminder to pray for conversion and grow in holiness. Mary will lead you and others closer to Christ - let her help you.

Bonus: The Catholic art from above qualifies for this, too!



What to have: A Few Catholic Books
Catholics love a good library!

Why: There is so much to know about God and our Catholic faith - we are never done learning! Begin building a Catholic bookshelf for yourself and book basket for your children.

Beginner: Make sure you have a good Catholic Bible, a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ for yourself, and The Weight of the Mass for your kids. Also, if you're looking for a book with ideas to celebrate feast days without overwhelming you, I recommend Feast!

More Advanced: More books to slowly add to your library include Bernadette books, Take It to the Queen, Catholic Children's Bible, The Little Oratory, A Little Book About Confession, and 33 Days to Morning Glory. These titles will help you share the Catholic faith with your family and 33 Days is a fabulous book if you're looking to understand Mary.


So that's what I would suggest, but this is by no means an exhaustive list! What do you think I've left off?

And I've gotten a lot of questions from the Tips you may not get in RCIA post. Some of them were answered in this post, but I"ll be doing another quick list next week. If you have any questions please let me know!


*I'm an Amazon Affiliate. That means that when you buy a product through one of my links I will make a very, very small amount of money, for which I will be very, very grateful. However, this post and its links are more about giving you ideas than making me money. Hope you understand.

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"I think I'll go to Boston..."

I'll be gone for the weekend; enjoy a little Augustana and some really good reads while I'm gone.

First up, Leila at Little Catholic Bubble has a wonderful post by Steve Gershom, a Catholic man who is also gay.  A little teaser:  When I go to Confession, I sometimes mention the fact that I'm gay, to give the priest some context. ... I've always gotten one of two responses: either compassion, encouragement, and admiration, because the celibate life is difficult and profoundly counter-cultural; or nothing at all, not even a ripple, as if I had confessed eating too much on Thanksgiving.
I also encourage you to check out Steve's blog.  It's a really good read.

Also, a little victory dance is happening over here in the Diocese of Peoria.  A judge has ruled that DCFS was wrong to end its relationship with Catholic Charities for foster care.  You can read a nice little summary article about the good news here.
Looking for someone else to do the cooking?  Megan Brent is a personal chef and owner of in good taste in central IL and she's dang good at what she does.  A friend gave us a gift card for her business when JF came home from the NICU and, while we have not yet used it - I just kept saving it for something special! - I have had the privilege of eating her fish tacos.  Megan is warm, smart, and talented.  Her website is here and you can find her on Facebook, too.

Lastly, here's a thoughtful post from CatholicMom about the book Premarital Sex in America by Jeremy Uecker.  A teaser from the post:  Yesterday’s premarital sex was generally “pre-marital”—sex before marriage between two people who did, in fact, get married to each other.  Today’s premarital sex is typically not pre-marital and may occur pre-relationship or with no-relationship. It almost certainly occurs with a succession of partners, well before marriage enters the picture.

A post with a related topic is Fr. Longenecker's "Comments on Cohabitation."  It's a list of things priests might like to say to cohabiting couples who come in for marriage prep.

I Feel Holy by Jennifer Sagel

There are a lot of things about the holiday season that bring on warm and fuzzy and oh-so-good feelings: twinkle lights, sugar cookies, children’s laughter, age old Christmas carols, the smell of pine, and a general feeling of goodwill towards one another. All of these are great things, but I have to say, I do not seem to amass these same feelings when it comes to my spiritual preparation.

Usually these last few days before Christmas I spend feeling guilty for all of the well-intentioned plans I had for religious devotions and prayers and reflections and discussions that would inevitably lead to holiness. To appropriately welcome baby Jesus into my heart and into the world. To be set apart for others to see that Advent is preparation time; Christmas is celebration time. So, my little brain tells me, if I haven’t accomplished those noble goals, then I am not attaining holiness.

Well, Get Behind Me Satan.

I will tell you this: I have ideas in mind of what I want Advent to look like, both on a practical to-do level and a spiritual growth level.* But I can’t let those ideas dictate the success of how the Lord has actually prepared me.  At the beginning of Advent I had the intention of reading a daily five to seven paragraph reflection book. This is what it sounded like the first day (I kid you not…exactly like this):

                We can’t properly app[“but if you say it like, poopy poop poop poop…]reciate the presence of God as [hahahah! Now you say…] man. It indeed is more hea[MOM!!!  Will you get me the remote?!]ven-shaking than the “signs in the sun, the moon, and the starts.” To contemplate it is to sat[Max poop butt, Max poop butt! AHHH!! IT’S NOT FUNNY!]urate our minds with a picture of God’s [Anthony-don’t throw that.]redemptive love. It is a love that defies [Mom. I need help. Open my banana.]all expectations.

Isn’t that such a nice and warm fuzzy feeling? Don’t you feel holier already? Exactly. (And for full disclosure, I really did sit down when things were quiet. How do they know?!) This is my state in life, and maybe you can relate, and maybe you can’t. But there are always things that get in the way of our plans- whether it’s kids or work or illness. As a mom of four under the age of eight, I like to be realistic in what spiritual preparation actually looks like:

·         Did I at least try to find the meditation book I set out to read each day?
·         Did I engage my children about the homily given at Mass on Sunday?
·         Did I say a prayer to the Holy Spirit instead of yelling at the kids when they didn’t listen the first three times I told them to pick the toys up off the floor?
·         Did I worry less about the Pinterest-level looking Christmas tree I was aspiring to and instead enjoy the music and family time together as we decorated the tree?
·         Did I give my husband the benefit of the doubt when he didn’t get to the dishes but normally does?
·         Did I turn off the television for even five minutes of quiet when I had the opportunity?
·         Did I turn to God to show me the goodness in my children/co-workers when all I can see are their shortcomings?
·         Was I there for someone who lost a loved one during the most wonderful time of the year?
·         Did I forgo Starbucks Mocha Latte Skim Double Espresso Machiotto so I could make a charitable donation instead?
·         Did I make time for reconciliation?**

These are things the Lord is looking for from us. Quite frankly, our feeling of being prepared is not an indication of how we have grown spiritually (or helped our little ones to grow) during this time of Advent. I can say with certainty that I don’t feel holier than I did four weeks ago. But I can look back and say that I relied on the Lord more. I sought Him out more. I tried to love Him and those around me more.

So be at peace with what the Lord has accomplished in you this Advent. Enjoy your remaining days of anticipation and then the eight days of celebration with your families and friends. You are a child of the Lord, and He adores what you set out to accomplish during this holy season, just as Mary and Joseph adored the sweet Babe of Bethlehem so many years ago.

*For those more practical minded how-to people, here are a few concrete things we do to during Advent:

·         We use an advent wreath and sing “O Come O Come Emmanuel”, say a prayer for families, then say grace.
·         We purchase a real Christmas tree, but we wait until a couple of weeks before Christmas to purchase it so we can keep it up for the Octave (eight days) of Christmas.
·         My husband and I each try to do some sort of spiritual reading/reflection.
·         We make time for confession.
·         We emphasize the man St. Nicholas and minimize the Santa Clause character. (And we totally blow the naughty or nice list out of the water.)
·         I immediately throw all fliers and catalogues in the recycle bin to avoid the “I want that” syndrome. Then we can focus on what we have and what we have to give.

**I realize it is late in the game for making it to confession at this point, BUT, if you haven’t, and there is a last-ditch opportunity, then GO. Even if it’s been ten years. Even if you don’t know what to say. Even if you aren’t sure how the prayers go. Even if you are sure that everyone there can tell you are super crazy uncomfortable. Even if it is a regular pattern for you. Even if it seems like you are saying the same things every time you go. I am not one of those Catholics that really enjoys going to confession. I have to force myself to go-every time. And this is my one, no-excuses-what-so-ever promise during Advent. During Advent, I go. It is uncomfortable. But it is good for me. It is good for our fellow man. It is good for the Church.

Jennifer Sagel has four great kids and a principal husband.  She's pretty apathetic about growing up in the boyhood home of Ronald Reagan but she is passionate about her Catholic faith.  After graduating college Jen worked in campus ministry and is currently the helping with several ministries at her parish.  She has a dry sense of humor, a great taste in fashion, and really likes beer.  Jen is not a blogger though you can occasionally find her reviewing products over at Momma In Flip Flops 2. 

For more posts on Advent traditions and reflections check out the Advent series.

On Moms' Groups and Glasses

Let's talk about moms' groups. Are you in one? Do you want to be? 

As a new mom I needed people who were right where I was. All of us almost drowning together, white-knuckeling all the parenting decisions we knew were the best. Laid back older moms - they scared me, mostly because I didn't know how to do what they did and I felt like my failures were so obvious standing next to them. Now I want those women in my life, mentoring me and helping me. But I also just crave the fellowship of women and I don't mind your baggage, wounds, or burdens. 

The only thing I need now is an understanding that no matter what we're actually doing there is a reachable goal that is living out the faith as the Church asks us to do. In other words, orthodoxy. And please note that I didn't say an "easy goal" but a "reachable" one. There's a big difference between those two and in that room is where we become saints. In that room is where I want to foster friendships.

A couple of months ago I was fortunate enough to spend the morning with the lovely ladies of Morning Star Ministry in Rockford, Illinois. 

Guys, they are doing such a great job. Women are invited to spend one morning a month relaxing at a mini retreat. There's lovely decorations, wonderful refreshments, morning Mass, a chance for confession, music and worship, a speaker, prayer, chatting, free babysitting for those who need it. They've thought of everything. (And this coming December 10th they're hosting it in the evening so working moms can come, too. See! They're thinking everything through!)

I'm part of two moms' groups. One is at my former parish and I don't know if I'll ever give it up. It's a mix of older moms and younger moms. We bring food (and keep a stash at the church hall), eat, chat, pray, discuss a podcast or book chapter, and our kids eat, pray, and play too. It's amazing.

The other one is still pretty new to me. Moms from my new parish, and all of them parish-school moms at that, gather once a week, watch a bit of Women of Grace, and chat while our kids play all over the hostess' house or our laps. I love it. Recently we've been watching episodes where they talk about "the daily duty" which makes us all smile and chuckle a little because: poop jokes.

I think about moms' groups a lot. What should they look like, what should they do? Exclusive? Kids? Books? Wine? Also, how do we make sure that orthodoxy is understood without distancing those who are struggling with it? And how do we take care to build up the leaders while they build up the rest?

And then, on the most personal level: How will I fit in? 

Take, for example, my new glasses. 

I've been wearing a super old, not the right prescription pair for a few months because the kids broke my last pair. I've been wanting a pair of big, thick framed glasses since I was in middle school and loved Buddy Holly, but it wasn't until hipsters made them cool again + five more years that I finally did it. 

The women in my new-parish moms' groups were the first to see me in them, besides Travis and the kids. Every time I had looked in the mirror I would tell myself, because I'm super lame and talk like it's still the '90's, "These are hipster glasses and you look like a poser."

The fear that I'm not good enough, the fear that those other moms will see me as totally lame, whatever, as if, the fear that fat Midwestern moms just shouldn't try for cute and hip made me worried to attend the next group. But instead, those other women smoothed my feathers, ruffled from worry, and spoke to my angsty heart. "Bonnie, you look so cute! I love your new glasses! They really suite you!"they said and I was so relieved.

It felt like they said, "I see you, Bonnie. I see what you're going for and I want you to know that you're there. I'm happy for you, friend." As silly as it may sound, that was when I felt like I finally did belong, like I was a part of them. From that point I have felt like I can go forward with them, becoming more who I am supposed to be while we all support one another in our vocations. 

PS - I got my glasses for free from Firmoo. I really do love them and had a really great experience ordering them. The website is easy to use and the customer service was great. All I had to do was get a copy of my prescription from my eye doctor and the rest was easy peasy.

If you want a free pair of glasses you can get some, too, Check out their First Pair Free program!

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7 Quick Takes

1 - Love this song. I know some of you play the songs for your kids and if you're not already familiar with this be warned that "Give them hell" is part of the chorus.


2 - I give that warning in case your kids are like my kids. Because Ben walks around the house saying, "Oh damnit." And his dad doesn't cuss.


3 - Last night my friend Katie was over and she was asking her goddaughter, L, what she wanted to be when she grew up. "Well, my first choice is to be a princess in a large castle. Or a farmer." Katie, who grew up on a farm and is very much a farm girl asked her what kind of farmer she would be.  L rattled off some veggies she would grow and then changed her mind.

"Maybe I will have unicorns and they'll make rainbows," she said so sweetly. And then I lost it and started laughing because I thought "out their butts." Except I didn't think 'butts'. What kind of mom am I?


4 - The reason Katie came over was to help make invitations to L's 5th birthday party. Here's a little glimpse of the cards for the Lorax themed party.

I don't know if people will get the whole "We thneed to celebrate" or the "where the grickle grass grows" parts but hopefully they'll just assume it's from the book/movie and roll with it.

Roll with it, people!


5 - Confession: I finally watched Les Mis... and I only sorta liked it. I had never seen it before and didn't know that it was a musical in that every blessed thing was sang. There were many parts where I thought, "If only this were dialogue I wouldn't be bored."

Are you gonna throw something at me?


6 - Earlier this week I visited Katie's 5th grade classroom (she's a teacher at a Catholic school, a DRE, and her parish's youth group leader, which is why she has so many awesome crafts/lessons for so many age groups for free on her blog). They've been learning about Fulton Sheen and so I spoke to them about JF's alleged miracle and the canonization process. They were awesome, awesome kids and I had a lot of fun.

7 - And here it is, your moment of Zen:

What I Wore Sunday - St. Patrick's Day edition

We are climbing out of the stink and yuck of the flu in these parts. L and Ben gave it to Travis and me and then JF succumbed. I was a little worried, as we headed to Mass this morning, that JF wouldn't be over it the way I thought he was and do another holiday treat for us like he did on Christmas morning. But luckily we seem to be all good!

The kids' Mass behavior was pretty good. Short homilies help so much with that! Afterwards we treated them to Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's... some day it'll be green beer. 

We all wore green, because we're like that, but we were so late we had to sit in the cry room.

It's a bit chilly here still and the girls wore cardigans and tights and looked so, so cute.

Poor Resa was so tired. "Just let me nap, Mom!"

I don't love this outfit.

I don't really love how I look any more.

But soon I'll be holding a newborn and then maybe I can lose all the weight once and for all.

Lastly, thank You God, for hand-me-downs and gifts. My kids would have been naked today without them.

Black jersey dress: hand-me-down

Greenish tank: hand-me-down

Same brown boots: same old boots

White cardigan: Mossimo from Target

Quick confession:

I have been failing as a Catholic mom lately. I'm behind on homeschooling and this would have been a great week to do the letter 'P'.  Granted I was sick but - come on! - "Pope" and "St. Patrick" all in one week.  Instead we're on "O" for whenever I get around to that.

I'm pretty sure my kids have no idea what a pope even is, let alone that we have a new one.

Also, despite the fact that I have a great book

to explain everything secular and religious about St. Paddy's Day we've barely read it. (Opting instead for the super easy Brown Bear and Freight Train reads.)

But today I read it super quickly while the corned beef roasted and I served it with mashed potatoes and peas... because I felt like there should be something green on the plate.

Dessert was totally JF-friendly cupcakes! No eggs, no dairy, baby!

(You can see the recipe here if you want.)

The rainbow cake will be served at my Tuesday mornin Mom's Group.  Come if you're in the area. :)

 

Thanks Fine Line & Purple for hosting What I Wore Sunday!