Saint David's Day

I have been making greater efforts to become more knowledgeable about Saints that I am not very acquainted. One of those Saints feast day is this Tuesday, March 1st. Saint David of Wales is a very intriguing Saint because there are many stories that are told of Saint David, including one about a sea monster and him standing on the ground as a small hill formed beneath him to raise him above a crowd with a dove on his shoulder! There is even another story about Saint David blessing poison bread and consuming it without being hurt. Being a mom of two boys I think these stories will be big enough to catch their attention while we celebrate this amazing man but insanely enough, there are even more stories. He is the patron saint of doves, poets and Wales. There are also a number of symbols used to represent Saint David such as the leek and daffodils! I think it would be a great experience to be in Wales on Saint David's Day to be included in the festivals and activities that are held on March 1st in his honor. 

SO... Here are a few of my thoughts on this feast day because I can honestly think of a million different things we could do to make this fun and memorable for my family!

Activities: 

Write a poem!! Saint David is the patron saint of poets and was known for the way he prayed, studied and wrote during his life. 

Only drink water today... Saint David only drank water and was even nicknamed "The Waterman". and never drank wine or beer! 

Plant some flowers because daffodils are a symbol of Saint David and his country of Wales. He was also a great laborer and said "every man is his own ox"... this would be the perfect day to start you Resurrection gardens too! There are still 3 weeks left in Lent for them to grow into beautiful displays for Easter.

Depending on your child's maturity, you could discuss Corpse Candles. Personally, my boys are a little too young but I am intrigued and may do some additional research on this subject for my own knowledge. 

Food:

Anything made with leeks or a vegetarian meal with some bread would be a great way to honor Saint David. 

Potato Leek Soup 

Spinach and Leek White Bean Soup

Rosemary Tomato Leek Soup

Some options other than soup:

Quiche with Tomato, Kale and Leek

Baked rice with leeks and bok choy

Vegetable Pot Pie (Including Parsnips, carrots, sweet potato and leeks)

I love to scroll through recipes on Catholic Cuisine and AllRecipes.com... AND Remember to drink some water with dinner :)

Tradition:

Obviously I won't be traveling on March 1st to Saint David's Cathedral but it is on my list of religious places I want to visit before I leave this world for the next but it is said that visiting the Cathedral of St Davids in Pembrokeshire where his remains are buried have become a popular place of pilgrimage. It was also said that two pilgrimages to St David's is equalled to one pilgrimage to Rome and three equalled one to Jerusalem. I am not sure of the validity of this statement but if anyone has some insight, I would appreciate it!

Prayer:

There are some prayers that you can start 9 days prior to the Feast of Saint David. I wish I would have done research on this really amazing Saint earlier so I could have done a Novena. Like I said earlier, he is a Saint I didn't know much about prior to my research I started the past few days. As a side note...The website linked to the Novenas is a great resource for any prayer you may want to find.

Video/ Audio:


There is a short YouTube Video that gives a short animation portrayal of how Saint David became a Saint. I think my boys will enjoy it. 

There is also a neat site called Storynory that has an audio on Saint David of Wales.

I really have enjoyed learning about Saint David as his Feast Day approaches. If you have any other information on Saint David or customs/ traditions used to honor this Saint, please let me know! Saint David is a great example of how to complete Lenten Sacrifices and reading about his life has inspired me to make this Lenten Season the best that it can be!

I leave you with with Saint David's last words...

"Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do those little things that you have seen me do and heard about."

Money Saving Phone Apps

With the season of Lent, I often think back to New Years when I create New Years Resolutions. One of my New Years Resolutions was to save more money on my families budget... especially groceries, clothes and our entertainment. In my quest to become a save saver, I have found many phone apps that assist me with my goal!

SavingStar:  I love this app! It has many cash back options on not only grocery items for a family household but hygiene and cleaning products too. Sometimes it can take a while to get your receipts processed but SavingStar offers a weekly HEALTHY OFFER and FREEBIES! Once you reach a $5 balance you can have the money transferred into your PayPal account! Another cool aspect is that you can link your loyalty cards to your SavingStar account.

MobiSave: This is the easiest app to use because once you claim a cash back offer and it is approved, the money is automatically transferred into your PayPal account no matter how small the rebate! Instant gratification always makes me motivated...especially when it comes to saving money!

Ibotta: This app has the greatest assortment of cash back items available at a time. It also includes... WINE! One of the coolest ways to make money from this sight is to collect bonuses by referring friends and creating a team. The site has monthly team challenge bonuses that you receive when you claim a certain number of rebates or reach a set monetary amount for the month! If you click the link and join you will be joining my team and they offer a signup bonus too! You get a $10 bonus for joining my team! In addition to team bonuses, you can reach other bonuses with purchasing similar products or purchasing the same item several times throughout a period of time. This was one of the first Cash Back apps I tried and I am hooked!

Checkout 51: This is similar to MobiSave except you must reach a $20 savings balance before you can redeem your cash back. Although it is hard to wait, having an extra $20 to spend on whatever you want is really nice!

Snap: Just like Checkout 51, Snap by groupon needs a $20 savings balance to redeem your cash back. However, on March 1, 2016 the app will be updated and to be honest I am not sure how it will work other than it will incorporate retail specific discounts versus product specific. Either way Groupon is a great company and I am sure this will still be a great app to use as a money-saver!

Receipt Hog: This is the easiest way to make some extra money! All you do is take a picture of your receipts from shopping, eating out, even getting gas! After you take a picture of your receipt you are given either coins or a chance to play the "Hog Slots". Once you reach a certain number of coins you can redeem either an Amazon or PayPal credit! Every receipt also enters you into a monthly drawing to win even more money!

Find&Save: This app I just found about a month ago and I already have received over $25 in "Cash Dash" Money! Look through the Cash Dash Offers and you will see that you get money just because you spent it! For example, I went grocery shopping at Safeway and I selected an offer for money back on my Safeway receipt. The requirements were that I needed to spend at least $75 and I could receive 3% of my total receipt back! This app does have a $25 cash out requirement but unlike several of the other money saving sites, they will automatically transfer the money into PayPal when you reach the finish line! My SHARE CODE for this site is 65JF

BerryCart: I highly recommend this site to those who have strict dietary needs or purchase grocery items that are Non-GMO, Vegan and Organic products! As I mentioned before, my family and I like to use "healthier" items when they are available and not too pricey, so this app helps me out a lot! My youngest son is also ADHD and products with red and blue dyes affect his behavior so sometimes these types of products are a necessity for me as well. 

Favado: I use this app to create my weekly meal plan and grocery list! It contains the weekly ads to all my favorite shopping locations and even tells me when there is a coupon available to help me save even more on the great deals that are being offered for the week. I am not a great coupons so having the app tell me there is one available, I can normally print it off coupons.com or from the store website. Knowing is half the battle!

Shopmium: I actually just found this app by a referral and I have not had a chance to use the app yet so I will have to come back with my observations a little later. If you are interested in trying this out please use the REFERRAL CODE: KMCCCYMU to receive a FREE LINDT CHOCOLATE BAR :)

Shrink: This is similar to BerryCart but is offers a larger variety of healthy and unique product rebates! They offer a signup bonus that is equivalent to $1 (1,000 Shrink points). This app works like Receipt Hog, except you gain Shrink points instead of coins, and they are redeemed for cash back or you can claim cash back with the listed products as well! Please use the REFERRAL CODE: MXJXMX to receive your first 1,000 Shrink points!

I know there is A LOT of information here but I hope it helps you put a little more money back into your pockets :) There are other ways I use my phone to help me save and earn money but I'll save that for another time. 

The Lenten Season

The Lenten Season is in full swing and I have already managed to get behind on some of the activities I was attempting to incorporate this year. In a way, this is what Lent is really about... simplifying our insanely crazy lives from all the distractions and learning to focus on what is really important. There are so many different ways to emphasize this special season of praying, fasting and alms giving. I love this season pf preparation because even though I often struggle to make changes, I am highly motivated and when I fail, I am able to refocus and try again with discouragement.

Lenten Promises: This was something new I added to our usual Lenten traditions. Everyone in the family wrote out their Lenten promises and displayed them on the mantel. We have two boys in need of writing practice and this gave us a great way to do it! I am still brainstorming but I think I could incorporate these Lenten Promise papers into our Family Command Center... just a thought.

Lenten tree: My boys love this tradition and we have done an "OK" job of keeping up with our daily evening of reading the scripture included on the ornament and hanging it on our Lenten Tree on the mantel place. We've had a couple nights were we had to double up on ornaments to catch up but I have all intentions of completing this on a nightly basis moving forward. If you click the link, you will have access to the same ornaments my family has used the past few years. On a side note: I am hoping that I can reprint these ornaments on card stock and laminate them so we can reuse them instead of me printing the ornaments each year and cutting them as we go. Or maybe transfer them onto wood...

40 Bags in 40 Days: This is my first year doing this and it is great! It is an awesome way to spring clean and reorganize your whole house.  It is a great way to jump start your alms giving as well. I even gave the kids each a bag to go through their toys.

Stations of the Cross: I created a display on a purple foam poster board with the printable Stations of the Cross I found at Family and Feast in Feria. This is still an art project *under construction* but it is displayed on our mantel and is coming together.

Sacrifice Beans: This is actually sad for me to admit but I still haven't bought any beans for my kids Sacrifice Beans... this is one of the areas I am lacking right now because my to-do list is overflowing. Throughout the day the boys do extra chores, prayers and acts of kindness so that they can add "sacrifice" beans to their jar that will turn into jelly beans on Easter Sunday!

Bury the Alleluia: We have an "ALLELUIA" banner that I made several years ago that we normally put inside a gift bag that says DO NOT OPEN UNTIL EASTER... however, this year it is folded under the plate that is holding our crown of thorns. No mater how you do it, the kids always love displaying the banner on Easter until the Easter season is complete.

Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure: This is my absolute FAVORITE activity to do with the children. To begin with the program is FREE, They have so many resources to accompany the program as well. You can purchase the activity books (which are cheaper than printing multiple copies of printables everyday) and audio CDs you can take on the go.

Resurrection Garden: There are many different variations of this craft but I am hoping to purchase the necessities to do this craft from the Dollar Tree and create some gardens with the boys this weekend!

Welcome

Hello World...

I was hoping to entertain myself and maybe a few friends with this idea of a blog. Please forgive me because this will MOST DEFINITELY be a work in progress.. so grab a glass of wine and while you are reading about the crazy, fun and dramatic adventures I experience in my life via being a mother of two young boys and the wife to a man, only as half as crazy as me. **wink wink**  We are NOT perfect but we are not boring either. We dabble in healthy lifestyles and attempt to eat home cooked meals and stay active but we equally enjoy sitting around and stuffing ourselves with delicious treats and hanging out at the house. I love food, family and friends! I don't want to forget that I love books and my husband is a movie buff. My children are still in active searches for their likes and hobbies.. and they ALWAYS change their minds! The most important aspect of our lives is our faith. We are a Catholic family and that is incorporated to every aspect of our lives as much as possible but we are also human and do not always reach the bar we set for ourselves. We are a family built from Hispanic, Hawaiian and Filipino background... that explains the love of food and family right? We just love trying new things and having new experiences!

This brings us to the point of this blog! I wanted to intertwine two of my favorite things... wine and prayer! I hope you join me on my adventures and I wouldn't mind any comments or suggestions on anything! 

Some upcoming posts I am working on are...
The Lenten Season 2016... and how I am already behind! Hate to admit it but it hasn't even been a full week yet but still plenty of time to get the derailed train going again.
Relay for Life: My goal to raise awareness and hopefully some money for a great organization!
Spring Sports: Football and Soccer! Yes, I am that crazy mom that jumps up and down every time my boys wants to get involved with team sports!

There are actually a few more but why lay all my cards on the table? 
Now you 'll have to come back and see what we are doing! I'll leave you with this "almost" perfect picture I took of the family a couple weeks ago... my poor husband is hard to see because of the beautiful rays of sunlight that are beaming over him but I think it is a good visual of our lives and how we envision things and the beauty of imperfection :)