#WorthRevisit: Easter Calendar Craft

The Easter season is underway and there are so many fun and exciting things to do with your families to bring it to life! How are you celebrating the 50 days leading up to Pentacost?

Here is my #WorthRevisit with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb.

Easter Calendar Craft

Decorating my home with the colors and smells of the season make me so happy! Easter is definitely one of my favorites because it symbolizes a renewal and cleanness that extends throughout the house. I also love that we have 40 days of fasting, praying and alms giving that ends with 50 days of Easter celebrations! To aid in our celebrating I created an Easter calendar that has something fun for the family to do everyday during the Easter Season.

Here are the 50 ideas I came up with for this Easter Season, Day 1 starts on Sunday, March 27, 2016:

1. Easter: Hang the Alleluia Banner and have a Resurrection Party

2. Dyngus Day: Slovakian tradition on Easter Monday to celebrate with a water fight (snowball fight here because it is still SNOWING!)

3. Make some White Hot Chocolate

4. National Take a Walk in a Park Day: Let's go to a local park we have never been to before

5. National Agricultural Day: Let's checkout a local farmer's market today

6. April Fools Day: Dress up in something silly

7. International Childrens' Book Day: Go to the Library and find some good books to read together

8. Divine Mercy Sunday: Celebrate with the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3pm and color a Divine Mercy Coloring page

9. Annunciation of the Lord: also known as "Waffle Day"! Have a Blueberry Waffle breakfast

10. Feast of Vincent Ferrer and National Deep Dish Pizza Day: St. Vincent is the patron saint of brick makers and construction workers so let's build something with Legos and enjoy some pizza!

11. Family Game Night

12. Feast of Saint John the Baptist de la Salle and National Beer Day: Bring your teacher a special treat and drink a Root beer in honor of today

13. No School Today! Mommy and Sons Date :) 

14. National Chicken Little Awareness Day: Read and watch the story of Chicken Little

15. National Siblings Day: Do something EXTRA nice for your siblings!

16. National Pet Day: Get Lemon and Felix a special treat like catnip to celebrate them today

17. Scrabble Day: Tomorrow is actually National Scrabble Day but we have something extra special planned for tomorrow, so lets play it today.

18. Friends and Family Night at Daddy's Restaurant

19. National Pecan Day: Enjoy some pecan ice cream 

20. Movie Night complete with candy, popcorn and soda

21. Historical Feast of Saint Bernadette: Watch Saint Bernadette cartoon and enjoy a jello "spring" snack 

22. National Haiku Poetry Day: Let's write a beautiful poem together

23. The Boston Marathon is today! Go on a Family Run

24. Breakfast for Dinner tonight

25. Feast of Saint Bueno: He is the patron saint of sick children. Let's bring a special treat to the children at Memorial Hospital

26. Ice Cream Sundays for dessert tonight

27. Earth Day: Let's plant some flowers on our patio and watch the Lorax!

28. Feast of Saint George the Dragon Slayer: Enjoy some fish and chips while we learn about this really amazing Saint

29. Let's go to the zoo today. Don't forget your zoo passports!

30. Feast of Saint Mark: Enjoy a bowl of cherries like Saint Gregory the Great and read about Saint Mark and the legend of the cherries

31. Our Lady of Good Counsel: Learn about the Battle of Lepanto today 

32. Feast of Saint Zita "The Little Cook": Let's bake some bread in honor of this little saint

33. Feast of Saint Gianna: Let's have an Italian dinner in honor of this Italian mother

34. Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena: Saint Catherine had her hair cut for respecting her chastity. Today is a good day to honor her with some new haircuts

35. Feast of Saint Walburga: Celebrate Walpurgis Night with a fire, sparkling juice and prayers for the summer season to come

36. Saint Joseph the Workman: Let's do something special for daddy today

37. Send letters/ cards to friends and family! Remember Mother's Day is coming too!

38. Saint James: Saint James is the patron saint of hat makers! Its the perfect day to create our Kentucky Derby Hats and chose our bowties for this Saturday

39. Star Wars Day: May the 4th be with you and watch some Star Wars Shows

40. Ascension Thursday: Enjoy an Ascension Picnic Dinner

41. Cinco de mayo was yesterday but let's have a Mexican Fiesta for dinner tonight

42. Kentucky Derby: Ladies wear your big hats and boys your bows! Time for a Derby Party!

43. Mother's Day: Let's have a May Crowning Celebration in honor of our Blessed Mother

44. Celebrate this beautiful spring day with a delicious smoothie 

45. Blessed Damien of Moloka'i: Have a Hawaiian Luau and call Papa D today because Saint Damien is one of his patron saints

46. Start writing a summer bucket list in preparation for the end of the Easter Season

47. Blessed Imelda Lambertini: Listen to the Holy Heroes Blessed Imelda CD and reminisce about our family's First Holy Communion

48. Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and Friday the 13th: Pray a rosary together as a family and watch a Tim Burton Movie for a movie night

49. Letter Carriers Food Drive Day: Donate canned goods through this food drive or at a shelter

50. Pentecost: Celebrate the Church's Birthday with a party

I wrote all these ideas on individual blank egg shaped paper I found at coloring-page-art.blogspot.com  and I am going to cut them out and decorate a white poster board throughout Easter. It is still a work in progress so I will post about the final product later :)

Sunday, March 27, 2016
Easter Calendar Craft
Decorating my home with the colors and smells of the season make me so happy! Easter is definitely one of my favorites because it symbolizes a renewal and cleanness that extends throughout the house. I also love that we have 40 days of fasting, praying and alms giving that ends with 50 days of Easter celebrations! To aid in our celebrating I created an Easter calendar that has something fun for the family to do everyday during the Easter Season.
Here are the 50 ideas I came up with for this Easter Season, Day 1 starts on Sunday, March 27, 2016:
1. Easter: Hang the Alleluia Banner and have a Resurrection Party
2. Dyngus Day: Slovakian tradition on Easter Monday to celebrate with a water fight (snowball fight here because it is still SNOWING!)
3. Make some White Hot Chocolate
4. National Take a Walk in a Park Day: Let's go to a local park we have never been to before
5. National Agricultural Day: Let's checkout a local farmer's market today
6. April Fools Day: Dress up in something silly
7. International Childrens' Book Day: Go to the Library and find some good books to read together
8. Divine Mercy Sunday: Celebrate with the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3pm and color a Divine Mercy Coloring page
9. Annunciation of the Lord: also known as "Waffle Day"! Have a Blueberry Waffle breakfast
10. Feast of Vincent Ferrer and National Deep Dish Pizza Day: St. Vincent is the patron saint of brick makers and construction workers so let's build something with Legos and enjoy some pizza!
11. Family Game Night
12. Feast of Saint John the Baptist de la Salle and National Beer Day: Bring your teacher a special treat and drink a Root beer in honor of today
13. No School Today! Mommy and Sons Date :) 
14. National Chicken Little Awareness Day: Read and watch the story of Chicken Little
15. National Siblings Day: Do something EXTRA nice for your siblings!
16. National Pet Day: Get Lemon and Felix a special treat like catnip to celebrate them today
17. Scrabble Day: Tomorrow is actually National Scrabble Day but we have something extra special planned for tomorrow, so lets play it today.
18. Friends and Family Night at Daddy's Restaurant
19. National Pecan Day: Enjoy some pecan ice cream 
20. Movie Night complete with candy, popcorn and soda
21. Historical Feast of Saint Bernadette: Watch Saint Bernadette cartoon and enjoy a jello "spring" snack 
22. National Haiku Poetry Day: Let's write a beautiful poem together
23. The Boston Marathon is today! Go on a Family Run
24. Breakfast for Dinner tonight
25. Feast of Saint Bueno: He is the patron saint of sick children. Let's bring a special treat to the children at Memorial Hospital
26. Ice Cream Sundays for dessert tonight
27. Earth Day: Let's plant some flowers on our patio and watch the Lorax!
28. Feast of Saint George the Dragon Slayer: Enjoy some fish and chips while we learn about this really amazing Saint
29. Let's go to the zoo today. Don't forget your zoo passports!
30. Feast of Saint Mark: Enjoy a bowl of cherries like Saint Gregory the Great and read about Saint Mark and the legend of the cherries
31. Our Lady of Good Counsel: Learn about the Battle of Lepanto today 
32. Feast of Saint Zita "The Little Cook": Let's bake some bread in honor of this little saint
33. Feast of Saint Gianna: Let's have an Italian dinner in honor of this Italian mother
34. Feast of Saint Catherine of Siena: Saint Catherine had her hair cut for respecting her chastity. Today is a good day to honor her with some new haircuts
35. Feast of Saint Walburga: Celebrate Walpurgis Night with a fire, sparkling juice and prayers for the summer season to come
36. Saint Joseph the Workman: Let's do something special for daddy today
37. Send letters/ cards to friends and family! Remember Mother's Day is coming too!
38. Saint James: Saint James is the patron saint of hat makers! Its the perfect day to create our Kentucky Derby Hats and chose our bowties for this Saturday
39. Star Wars Day: May the 4th be with you and watch some Star Wars Shows
40. Ascension Thursday: Enjoy an Ascension Picnic Dinner
41. Cinco de mayo was yesterday but let's have a Mexican Fiesta for dinner tonight
42. Kentucky Derby: Ladies wear your big hats and boys your bows! Time for a Derby Party!
43. Mother's Day: Let's have a May Crowning Celebration in honor of our Blessed Mother
44. Celebrate this beautiful spring day with a delicious smoothie 
45. Blessed Damien of Moloka'i: Have a Hawaiian Luau and call Papa D today because Saint Damien is one of his patron saints
46. Start writing a summer bucket list in preparation for the end of the Easter Season
47. Blessed Imelda Lambertini: Listen to the Holy Heroes Blessed Imelda CD and reminisce about our family's First Holy Communion
48. Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and Friday the 13th: Pray a rosary together as a family and watch a Tim Burton Movie for a movie night
49. Letter Carriers Food Drive Day: Donate canned goods through this food drive or at a shelter
50. Pentecost: Celebrate the Church's Birthday with a party


I wrote all these ideas on individual blank egg shaped paper I found at coloring-page-art.blogspot.com  and I am going to cut them out and decorate a white poster board throughout Easter. It is still a work in progress so I will post about the final product later :)

#WorthRevisit: Saint David's Day

The beginning of March was the beginning of Lent, also known as Ash Wednesday. What some may not have known, is that it was also Saint David's Day.His feast day is celebrated on March 1st so it is almost always within the Lenten Season. Here is my #WorthRevisit with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

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."

#WorthRevisit: Saint Brigid of Ireland

I'm a little late but I really wanted to share a post from the archives about Saint Brigid of Ireland! Her feast day was yesterday but I think it is acceptable to recognize her throughout the month of February.  I am still playing vatch up from not having a working computer and planning our Lenten season ! Here is my #WorthRevisit with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You:

The Feast of Saint Brigid of Ireland

Today is the Feast of Saint Brigid! Yesterday was the Feast of John Bosco too but we were unable to do more than a coloring page and read a few stories in his honor. 

As a side note, I would really like to watch Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love and Don Bosco! I have heard amazing things about these movies but have not been lucky to find somewhere to rent them. 

On the Eve of Saint Brigid (Saint John Bosco's Feast Day) there is a tradition in Ireland to tie a piece of cloth and leave a piece of oaten bread in the shape of a cross outside for Saint Brigid. The story says that Brigid will bless the cloth (becoming Brigid's Mantle) and her red eared cow will enjoy the bread during their journey. I really wanted to start this special tradition but had to work with the materials I had available for the cloth outside I used leftover red ribbon. I tied it to the mailbox. We also did not have the ingredients to make oaten bread so I used one of the extra not iced cupcakes from our Baptism Anniversary and drew a cross on top and placed it on the porch. 

In the morning, Little Man checked the front yard after I woke up to check and see if Saint Brigid had come with her cow. It was so cute, Squishy ran after him and said "WOW! Mommy, where'd it go?!" The cupcake was gone and the ribbon had been untied and placed in our mailbox. I was surprised myself but I know this will have to become a regular custom on the Eve of Saint Brigid. Next year I'd like to bake some oaten bread!

Today we also went Goofy golfing with some great friends! Squishy did such a good job following the rules and taking turns! After two rounds of golf we ended our visit with Root beer floats and headed home to make our Saint Brigid Crosses and color our coloring pages.

At some point, I would like to make Saint Brigid's crosses to pass out at a Nursing home or at the Hospital too. Saint Brigid had such love for the poor and elderly and I think would make the boys smile to see how an act of kindness can help someone, even someone they don't know. This year was my first time trying to make a Saint Brigid Cross and it was much simpler than I thought. At the top is a picture of the cross I made for my house and the one below is a picture of the one Little Man made. The pipe cleaners we used made the construction a little easier but Squishy did not have the patience to build one and fell asleep on the couch for his afternoon nap while Little Man and I worked. While we were crafting, I found the cutest youtube video with a retelling of Brigid's Cloak. I tried to find a copy at our local library but they did not have a copy so I will be purchasing it soon.

After we completed our crosses we blessed them with holy water and prayed Saint Brigid's Blessing. I still have not had the time to go grocery shopping since the bad weather so I will have to try some of the traditional Irish recipes I found another time. 

May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell

Bless every fireside every wall and door

Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof

Bless every hand that toils to bring it joy

Bless every foot that walks its portals through

May Brigid bless the house that shelters you.

Amen.

Saint Brigid, pray for us!

#WorthRevisit: Saint Perpetua and Felicity

I have been sucked into the bullet journal craze recently and I will be sharing my special faith page layouts and other ways I have decided to utilize this great organizing system to help me grow my faith. While I have been contemplating these things, I thought I would share a post from the archives about two saints that always revamp my dedication to my prayer journal and planners. Here is my #WorthRevisit with Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You:

Monday, March 7, 2016

Saint Perpetua and Felicity

Monday already!

Wow... My family has an insane week ahead of us! Football and Soccer start this week for All Star and Goalie. I am waiting on the soccer schedule but football is 4 days a week! All Star also has Picture Day and a Reading Goal party to attend this week. So while I wait for the rest of our scheduling to fall into place for this month, I REALLY need to clean out our vehicles, sanitize all the team sports gear and pack one of the vehicles with seats, blankets and the sports gear :) Its going to be a fun day because, of course I waited until the day before everything starts to get this accomplished. At least I will easily complete one of my 40 bags today for Lent. 

Moving forward... today is the feast of Saint Perpetua and Felicity. They have a wonderful animated movie that portrays the story of these two amazing Saints. If you click the link above you will be taken to a website where you can purchase the movie and find some great resources for today, including coloring pages, word search, games and other fun activities. 

Personally, Saint Perpetua is renowned for the journal she left behind after she was martyred. She started the journal while she was imprisoned and it was completed by a friend after her death. I think today would be a good day to start a prayer journal. Or renew your commitment to write in your prayer journal you already have... I will be renewing my commitment to write in my journal to at least 3-5 times a week. As of right now, I haven't written in my prayer journal since Advent! 

Another good activity for today would be to visit a zoo. Saint Perpetua and Felicity were thrown to wild animals in an open arena. Point out the animals that would have been in the arena with them and explain how dangerous those animals are, they are in cages and have large spaces between them and you to keep everyone safe. We haven't been to the zoo in quite awhile so I will have to plan an outing soon. Using a Zoo Passport could help keep the focus on finding animals. You can find printable Zoo Passports on Pinterest and sometimes you can find them on your local zoo's website.

Saint Perpetua and Felicity are two saints that really touch my heart. They were both young mothers, like I was myself, and imagining the difficulty of sacrificing your life and giving up your child would certainly be difficult but they did all this graciously for God. I pray that God can give me a heart like these two saints. 

Reading the book Perpetua: A Bride, a Martyr, a Passion would be a wonderful addition to your Lenten journey. I will be heading to the library later today in search of this gem so I have something to read this evening after all the hustle and bustle of the day. My family should be learning some news about my husband's job sometime this week so I would greatly appreciate any prayers you could send our way. We are praying that we are staying on the path God has intended for us as a family.

"Stand fast in the faith, and love one another, and don't take offense at our suffering."

-- Saint Perpetua

#WorthRevisit: Baptism Anniversary

This month is extra special for me because January 29th is the anniversary of my boys receiving the Sacrament of Baptism together. I wanted to share how we celebrated in the past and I would love to hear about your family traditions and other special ways to make this day amazing for my boys! 

It's also funny to see that in Florida we had two snow days ever and it just so happens to coincide with this anniversary. What makes this even funnier is we are in Colorado now and we are getting hit with a snow storm tonight! Crazy Coincidence? Here's my #WorthRevisit with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb:

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Little Man and Squishy's Baptism Anniversary!

January 29th is Little Man and Squishy's Baptism Anniversary!

We of course had to celebrate! The day my kids were baptized was one of the happiest moments of my life.

I was disappointed it took so long to get Little Man this special Sacrament but its so nice that Little Man can remember his special day just like me. It became a blessing in disguise. Father John did an amazing job explaining what was happening during the baptism to Little Man. He asked him questions and told him he was old enough to respond. There is nothing sweeter than hearing your child's sweet little voice say "Yes, I believe God!"

The picture to the left is Father John lighting Little Man and Squishy's baptism candles for the first time. I keep their candles in the boxes until their special day comes around. I take them out and display them all day and we light them for the beginning of our dinner. The boys always want me to keep them lit but I would like the candles to last for a long time.

January 29th was the second snow day that we endured and as I'm sure you guessed, changed our celebration slightly. All the roads were closed because they were iced over and we do not have salt trucks around here to help out so we were all battling cabin fever. I would have loved to have bought some picture frames and pulled out some shells to glue to the outside of the frame to display pictures from the baptism. Instead we looked at pictures on Facebook. Thank God we were blessed with power during our winter storm so we were able to access the Internet and our family.



For dinner I made ricotta stuffed shells covered in a spinach mushroom alfredo sauce and covered with Italian cheese. I loved the symbolism with the shells. Their are small shells carved into the baptism candles too. I also had leftover spinach dip from a get together we had earlier in the week that needed to be eaten as well. It was delicious!! Everyone in our home loves the everything Italian loaf as a side too. For all the super special celebrations we have sparkling juice! Little Man and Squishy love drinking from their wine glasses  plastic flutes. They are so cute tapping their glasses together to "cheers"!



For dessert we made white cupcakes for the cleanness that is restored with the waters our of baptism and blue vanilla frosting to symbolize the water used to baptize us in God's name. We topped the cupcakes with blue sugar crystals because what is a celebration without sprinkles?!

Are there traditions to celebrate baptisms? I would love to hear your traditions or suggestions too!

#WorthRevisit: Money Saving Phone Apps

The New Year is right around the corner! With that in mind, I have been focusing on what I want out of this new year and how I can accomplish it. Financial stability is something I have been attempting to achieve for the past several years and I have finally started making headway. These apps I have used for close to a year and I am very happy with the results of my savings adventure. You are still able to use coupons and capitalize on the great sales and then be rewarded with these cash-back options. You will hopefully be pleasantly surprised with some of the exciting plans I have for my blog this upcoming New Year. This is my post I am sharing with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb for the #WorthRevisit:

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 savvy 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! Please use my Promo Code when you sign up! The Promo Code is: LOASXCTS

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! You also have to save the products to your MobiSave account prior to purchasing them to be able to redeem the offers.

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. 

#WorthRevisit: Getting in the Holiday Spirit

A lot has changed over the past few years and man oh man has this family learned some hard lessons about being humble, frugal and appreciating what you have. The true meanings of Advent and Christmas are about love, family and sacrifice. This holiday season has been amazing and I still have much to share about all of our experiences since I have been on a small hiatus. I promise to bombard you with recipes, ideas, crafts and pictures in the upcoming weeks! For my #WorthRevisit post with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb, I thought I would share about one of the most difficult Christmas seasons we had as a family. I was a single parent, completely broke, I was working three jobs that took so much of my time. We were blessed with giving friends and family and we would never be able to fully give enough thanks to the ones that were there for us while we struggled to find happiness in the struggle. I am beyond grateful for the time I have been given back to enjoy my children and husband and that God always provides.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Sorry I have not been blogging much lately but thank you for the kind emails asking how myself and my children are doing. Your prayers have touched our hearts! I am finally getting settled into a new routine with my kids. I am hoping to incorporate blogging more but since it has been such a long time here is a summary of our Advent and Christmas preparations and celebrations.

God truly provides. My kids and I have been blessed with my friends and family members coming to aid us during our greatest life change. At times it's hard to imagine what plan God has for us but I am beginning to see that his plans are more amazing than anything I could plan for myself and my family. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue down our new path.

Since I have not been blogging consistently there is so much I would like to share so I will apologize in advance because the rest of this is going to look like a mini scrapbook with random thoughts and pictures. I will try to keep everything short and sweet :)

Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree
We decided to purchase a real tree this year and the kids were so excited running through the forest or trees on display. It was a beautiful night and the smell of the Christmas trees and wreaths was amazing. I hope one day I can take the kids to actually cut down a Christmas Tree. 

Decorating the Tree
We were going to wait to decorate our beautiful tree but the boys were so excited after buying ornaments and lights that we couldn't say no. I think putting our gorgeous Star on the top was their favorite part of the entire experience.

Feast of Saint Nicholas

I absolutely love reading Jessica from Shower of Roses blog on all her traditions with her family. I wanted to write letters to the boys from Saint Nick but I had been working extra shifts due to the seasonal rush this time of year and starting a second job.

This year Saint Nicholas brought the boys some Christmas books, The Legend of the Candy Cane and A Christmas Prayer. There was also chocolate coins and candy canes with Christmas socks filled with several real gold $1 coins.

Squishy's Holiday Program

Squishy had the cutest holiday program at his daycare for the children ages 3 and under.

His class sang Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. Although none of the children really sang, it was more the parents in the audience since the children were overwhelmed. Squishy was sitting next to a little boy wearing a Rudolph nose and stared at the blinking light on the little boys face until half way though the song he decided to poke the poor kid on the nose. It was hilarious! I will always remember this production and I am so excited to see Squishy participate in more programs like this soon.

Baking Gingerbread Cookies
Decorating cookies has always been a favorite activity for Little Man during the holidays. This time Squishy was able to participate but he chose to eat the cookie decorations instead of decorating his cookies.

I am hoping to post about Christmas Day soon... I have until Candlemas though right? In addition to the activities above we also decorated gingerbread houses and went for a walk through Christmas Reflections. I tried my best to incorporate our normal traditions but this Christmas was a very simple one due to lack of time and money. I think it actually made it one of the most meaningful Christmases we have shared as a family. I also have some ideas about celebrating The Baptism of the Lord this upcoming Sunday I would like to share along with a review of The Big Book of Catholic Customs and Traditions. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas with their friends and families!

God Bless!

#WorthRevisit: Saint John Vianney

Advent is more than half way over and we are quickly approaching the Christmas season. In a recent post, Seven Reasons to Write and Send Christmas Cards, I discuss how writing cards, notes and other handwritten things are falling out of style and are important. I felt that sharing the idea of celebrating your priest throughout the Liturgical year is important too. I thought this post would be a good reminder to not forget the priests at your parish while participating in your family activities throughout Advent and Christmas. Here is my #WorthRevisit with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb:

Also I am running a Christmas Giveaway and you still have eight days to join! Checkout Keeping Christ in Christmas for access to the Raffle.

Feast of Saint John Vianney: Celebrate the Priests in Your Life

Today was a beautiful day! We woke up to a partly cloudy sky but a nice cool breeze has been blowing all day giving us some relief from the crazy hot summer days we've had recently. I am so excited for the crisp autumn air to finally arrive here in Colorado! Autumn is my most favorite time of the year and this will be my first experience in the mountains. We just got word Little Man's first football practice will be tomorrow and I have to finalize school registrations too. Still waiting to hear about Goalie's soccer team. All of these fall activities reminds me of the quote from The Great Gatsby, "Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall."My anticipation for all things autumn got the better of me and I already pulled out the fall decorations.

Besides getting to enjoy my newly fall decorated home today, we are celebrating the Feast of Saint John Vianney. Saint John Vianney is known for the many hours he spent hearing confessions, sometimes over 16 hours a day! He was tormented by the devil for converting many sinners. The torment was known by many who knew Saint Vianney and they witnessed his bed frame even having singe marks on them. It is said that the Devil told St. John Vianney, “If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom would be ruined.” The Saint, for his part, developed a remarkable sense of humor about the supernatural assaults, saying, “Oh! the grappin” – his nickname for the Devil – “and myself? We are almost chums.”

He is the patron saint of priests so a good way to honor the day is by celebrating the priests that have inspired and motivated you in your faith. We are new to the parish here in Colorado so I felt it would be a great idea to write them thank you notes for helping us feel so welcomed and helping Little Man get back into Altar Serving. In addition to the priests at our parish we wrote another thank you note to a priest that helped me and my family through the toughest time in our life (up to this point). Father Dominic was our priest in Florida and to be blunt, he saved me and my family. I was drowning in sadness, pain and confusion and he brought me back to an understanding of faith and trust. He had a special connection with my children and we all cried when he was relocated just a few months prior to us moving to Colorado. I hope everyone has a Fr. Dominic in their lives. A priest who has truly touched their lives in ways that words can not describe.

Because of the cloudy weather today we decided to color as a family and watch a few movies. It was a nice peaceful way to spend the day. Especially since Goalie had behavioral therapy and was super energetic this morning.

Saint John Vianney lived in France and fasted often. He would boil potatoes and eat a few each day until they were gone... even when they were often times moldy. I wanted to create a French dish that included potatoes so I decided to make a French Pot Roast! A small simple meal would suit this feast well considering Saint Vianney's tendencies to fast. The Pot Roast was super simple to make. I threw in the roast, carrots, potatoes, onions, celery and then I made a French onion gravy and poured it over the roast in the crock pot. I set it on high for 6 hours because I forgot to start it after I returned from Goalie's appointment this morning. You could cook it on low for 10 hours for a more tender meat.

“Private prayer is like straw scattered here and there: If you set it on fire, it makes a lot of little flames. But gather these straws into a bundle and light them, and you get a mighty fire, rising like a column into the sky; public prayer is like that.” 

-- Saint John Vianney

I will be praying a novena to Saint John Vianney starting today. I hope you decide to join me and pray for your priests and future priests along with any other special intentions you may have. Here is Day 1 of the Novena:

Saint John Vianney, you were blessed with a loving and devout family who supported your desire to increase your faith and devote yourself fully towards imitating the life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In your quest to pursue your holy vocation, you were not deterred by the many obstacles that came your way. Your strong faith carried you through all of life’s trials to your place in God’s kingdom.

Obtain for me the same courage and faith that allowed you to give all to God without counting the cost. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide me to the right decisions that will best serve God and my neighbor.

Believing in the power of your kind intercession, I humbly ask you to pray for me and the special intention I am hoping God will grant me through this novena...

(Mention your intention here)
Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 
St. John Vianney, Priest of Ars, pray for our priests, and pray for us. 

Saint John Vianney, pray for us!

#WorthRevisit: Mothering Sunday

Have you ever noticed how similar Advent and Lent are? Both are periods of waiting, preparation and anticipation and they also follow a similar flow through the liturgical year. This upcoming Sunday is Gaudete Sunday and the vestments worn during this day are rose just like the vestments worn during Mothering Sunday during Lent. Advent is suppose to be a mini-Lenten season and sometimes that is overlooked or not noticed. I hope your Advent has been prayerful and meaningful. Take a look at Mothering Sunday from Lent and see just how similar it is to the celebration of the third Sunday of Advent. Here is my #WorthRevisit with Reconciled to You and Theology is a Verb:

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Mothering Sunday 2016

Laetare Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent. It is also known as Mothering Sunday and Rose Sunday. Laetare means "rejoice" and as the name "mother" insinuates, the mood of this day is more hopeful and a reminder that Easter is almost here. It was once a custom to visit the cathedral, or Mother Church on Mothering Sunday. The vestments for this day are rose/pink not violet. The rose color is symbolic of the hope and rejoice of the day but is also in reference to the Golden Rose, an ornament made of pure gold that the popes have blessed each year on this day and is a symbol of the Risen Christ. Traditionally, I try to have everyone in our family wear something pink to Mass on this day to help set the tone for the day.

In celebration of this day, I have our usual big Sunday family dinner planned with the addition of a Simnel Cake. A Simnel Cake is pretty much a yellow cake that contains 2-8 layers and covered with almond paste icing and decorated with 11 or 12 almond paste balls. The almond paste balls symbolize Jesus's apostles but exclude Judas. If you decide to make a cake with 12 almond paste balls, the 12th is Jesus himself. Traditionally I am sure these cakes took many hours to prepare because they were prepared in a special way for children away from home to bring a gift to their mothers With the convenience of yellow cake mix I will be saving a lot of time! Sometimes I like to do things the more traditional way to fully understand the experience and make the celebration more interesting but during weeks like the one we have been having I am so thankful for the boxed mix! There are many different recipes you can find at CatholicCulture.com including traditional and ways to use the box mix :)

A fun craft would be to make your family a Golden Rose to have on display on your home altar or dinner table. You could purchase some fresh yellow roses and adorn them with gold glitter or you could purchase some craft roses from the dollar tree and spray paint them gold to reuse ever year! Today would still be a great day to make your Resurrection Garden too! There is still 3 more weeks for them to sprout before Easter.

Sundays in general are my FAVORITE day of the week! It is the day my family goes to Mass together and we try to do something fun together like hiking, going to the movies or bowling. No matter the activity we plan, we always end the day with a nice big family dinner {I really enjoy using my crockpot on Sundays to because I can throw the ingredients in before Mass and dinner is ready when we return home in the evening}! I try my best to eliminate any chores or errands that may interrupt our family time throughout the week. Sunday is my "reset" button to shake away the stresses of the previous week and it helps everyone in our household to start fresh the following week. I hope everyone enjoys their Mothering Sunday with their families and is starting their preparations for the feasts of Saint Perpetua, Saint Patrick and Saint Joseph. Palm Sunday and Holy Week are quickly approaching too!

"There shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root."
--Isaiah 11:1