Pio Prints: Set the World on Fire

I received a workout tank top from Pio Prints in exchange for an honest review of their product. The opinions shared in this post are my own.

As a mommy, I wear a lot of hats. Chef, accountant, secretary, chauffeur and many more. Wearing all these hats can be difficult but is necessary. I am a mommy and taking care of my family is the biggest blessing the Lord has given me. It is easy to get lost in the responsibilities that come with raising a family. Since we are responsible for so much, it is important that we care for ourselves: mind, body and soul. How can we help raise the future if we are not mindful of the present?

Scripture says:

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come."
1 Timothy 4:8

Working out is a great way to treat yourself right. It keeps your body working properly, helps eliminate stress and you can experience some of those amazing "feel good" endorphins that are released when you work out. I think the BEST part of working out is the clothing! I love wearing clothes that are comfortable and allow me to move. There are many jokes about people who rock their workout clothes all day long but if you have found something that is comfortable and doesn't get in your way while you are setting the world on fire, I say wear it for as long as you like.

Pio Prints clothing materials are extremely soft and do not "cling" to you while you are moving. The material allows air to circulate and fits nicely. I love that I can wear this to run, lift weights or even to my son's football or soccer games so I can keep up with the team on the field and take pictures. It is versatile and high quality. The "Set the World on Fire" tank has already become my most favorite workout shirt. My husband has been warned because I will definitely be placing an order for some more of these tanks soon!

Inspiration comes in many different forms and these shirts are not only motivational to those who are working out but they also help to spread our beautiful Catholic faith. These could make the perfect gift to share with a First Communicant or someone newly Confirmed. How about just getting one for yourself so you can rock one of your favorite saint's quotes? Pio Prints offers different styles, sizes and a large assortment of quotes to chose. Whatever your reason, you should try this wonderful clothing out at least once. 

If you decide to try out this amazing clothing line, I would love to hear about how much you love it too! Share your #PioPrintSelfie with me. Tag @PinotNoirPrayers and @PioPrints on Instagram! It's only fair that I share my #PioPrintSelfie with you too...so here's mine!

God Bless!

#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 :)

My Sunday Best: Divine Mercy Sunday

This post may contain affiliate links that I receive a small commission. It does not change the price for you but it is a small blessing to my family. All opinions are my own.

Today is one of my most favorite days in the Liturgical year! Divine Mercy Sunday. I have always had a deep love of this Feast day, especially after I read Saint Faustina's Diary:Divine Mercy in my Heart. It is one of those books that talks to your soul. As I grew older, I also became attached to the Divine Mercy Chaplet. If you haven't had the pleasure of chanting this mesmerizing prayer, today would be the best day to try it out! 

I especially love that the portrait of Divine Mercy is placed near the altar for all to see. The portrait of Divine Mercy is among my favorite painting of Jesus. The symbolism and simplicity of the portrait speak to my heart. 

“The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls... These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him”. (Diary 299)

I have always struggled with Reconciliation. It scares me. I do not feel I deserve pardon from my sins. I fight myself each time I participate in this Sacrament. I am a sinner. I always will be because I am human but I am so grateful that God has given me a way to clean my soul, even when I don't deserve it. Divine Mercy Sunday is one of the best days to participate in Reconciliation because of the special graces that you can receive today. 

Our Lord Jesus said, "The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet.... Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy." (699) The plenary indulgence that was issued for Divine Mercy Sunday does not change the promises of Our Lord. Rather it provides the Church's highest mark of approval and endorsement and gives souls more time to go to Confession.

Now for some exciting news! For the past few years I have been praying about whether or not to veil. Today I made the jump and wore my first mantilla to Reconciliation, Adoration and Mass. It was an amazing experience. I felt more reverent and I felt a deeper love and connection between myself and Christ today. Do you Veil? Or perhaps know someone who does? If you have been feeling the pull to try out this beautiful and meaningful devotion, I feel you should give it a try. 

The Mantilla I am wearing I purchased from an adorable Catholic shop in Manitou Springs called Windows of Heaven. It is a Mantilla made by Veils by Lily and I think it is gorgeous. I love the design and the contrast of colors. Goalie, my youngest, kept telling me I looked like Mary. That was the biggest compliment he could have ever given me and I'm sure he doesn't understand that looking like Mary... reverent, modest and and all those wholesome things is part of the reason to veil.

Here are some scripture and quotes to consider during your decision about whether or not to veil:

Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.

1 Corinthians 11:4

Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head.

1 Corinthians 11:5

A man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

1 Corinthians 11:7

The woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

1 Corinthians 11:10

St. John Chrysostom also spoke both of angels and the veiling of women:

“The angels are present here . . . Open the eyes of faith and look upon this sight. For if the very air is filled with angels, how much more so the Church! . . . Hear the Apostle teaching this, when he bids the women to cover their heads with a veil because of the presence of the angels.”

 Today was an amazing day and I feel blessed that I was able to receive absolution from my sins, receive Communion and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy with my children. I began a new devotion that makes me grow in my relationship with our Lord and I feel renewed after a hard Lent. I hope the blessings of today have touched you the way they have me. I am linking this with Rosie over at A Blog for my Mom.

If you have a portrait of the Divine Mercy in your home, here is a blessing that you could do to end your Divine Mercy Sunday:

Image Blessing on Mercy Sunday

Almighty and Eternal Father, in your goodness, bless and sanctify this Image of The Divine Mercy, Your dearly beloved Son, which has been fashioned to reveal to us the great love of our Crucified and Risen Savior, The Divine Mercy Personified. Help us recall to our minds the streams of Blood and Water that had gushed forth from His pierced Heart to be for us a continuous fount of mercy.  Grant to all who invoke Your Mercy with this Image before their eyes, the grace of true repentance, pardon and peace.  Shield them from every danger to soul and body in this life.

Jesus, our loving Savior, establish in this Image the Throne of Your Mercy.  Pour out upon all of us, who approach it with faith and trust, the purifying, healing and sanctifying rays of grace ever emanating from it as a blazing star.  Gaze upon us as you did from the Cross with your great love and mercy so that we may be filled with your grace.

Through this Image, may Your Divine Mercy triumph over all the powers of evil.  May all who venerate this Image never perish.  May it be their joy in life, their hope in death, and their glory in eternity for ever and ever.

This we ask through Jesus Christ Our Lord.  Amen!

Our New Beginning in Colorado: 2016 in Pictures

I have read and seen so many negative comments about this past year. It breaks my heart. I truly believe that you have to see the good in the world and when we marinate ourselves in the negativity, it changes our perception on everything. I am refusing to allow the negativity into my house and into my mind. Life is full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, it is what makes us human and this time on Earth meaningful. This year was amazing for me and my family and I would love to share how and why!

In January.... I met my cousin Sheldon because we so happen to live in the same state now! This was actually a picture taken on New Years of 2016! My kids still try to call him "Uncle Sheldon" all the time and it makes me giggle but this was an amazing milestone for our family! I honestly could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year and I am looking forward to continuing this again this year!

I also became a Nanny to help with my families finances and my kids registered for school here in Colorado for the first time! This is also about the time I started contemplating on bringing back and revamping my blog... at least the first time I mentioned it to my family out-loud.  

In February... everything was CRAZY! We experienced our first Snow Storm and the boys had their first taste of a snow day! There was actually snow non-stop for 3 days! The picture above was from the first day... maybe I should have shared the last day where our car was buried?! LOL

Spring Football for Little Man and Spring Soccer for Goalie also began, although it did not look or feel like spring at all! This was their first experience with sports in Colorado.

We also enjoyed a fun Super Bowl party (again with my amazing cousin, Sheldon) and he was pied in the face MULTIPLE TIMES because of his Super Bowl bets.

I also made the big decision to bring back my blog and renamed it, Pinot Noir and Prayers!

In March... We enjoyed our first Easter in Colorado! Unfortunately, we missed Mass because I was new to the whole "defrosting your vehicle before you can drive it when it's freezing outside" thing. I learned some valuable lessons in cold weather living.

This is also the month we surprised the boys and redid their entire room with Star Wars bedding and decor! They were the happiest little boys in the world!

Our first Easter in Colorado Springs was absolutely amazing and a wonderful way to end March.

In April...  we were able to enjoy the outdoors more and I spent more one on one time with my baby boys. We did a lot of Kids in the Kitchen and Clean Eating too.

This was my final month as a stay-at-home mom. I did Nanny a few times during the week but it was only for a few hours. I volunteered at the school as much as possible and finally got Goalie back on track for his therapies.

In May... we attended our first ever baseball game! It was an awesome experience! Check out Colorado Rockies: Our First Baseball Game for more pictures and fun. 

This was the end of the school year for the boys and the beginning of our first summer vacation in Colorado. I began my new job this month too!

We also enjoyed a Kentucky Derby Party. 

In June... we always celebrate A LOT! We have Little Man and my husband's birthday plus our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and Father's Day all within two weeks! It was Harry's 31st and Little Man's 9th birthday this year and we celebrated them together with a Finding Dory theme and went to watch the movie as a family.

We bought a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and went on several breath taking hikes, including the Seven Falls. 

 In July... Little Man was able to train as an Altar Server at our new parish. In Florida, he had already been serving for a year so he was excited he was able to start in our new church too!

This month was full of Reading, swimming and working out!

In August... we had a 4th grader and a kindergartner! This was the start of the boys first full year at school in Colorado. 

My husband and I made a promise to plan dates to have special time together too.

This was the month I was invited into The Zelie Group and it has been an amazing experience so far!

In September... our family grew! We adopted two more cats, Shadow and Cloudy because we felt that they would be special additions to the family even though they were 10 and 6 at the time of their adoption. We were right! You would never guess they were older because they are just as active as our spunky 2 year old cat, Lemon!

We had our first experience at the Labor Day Lift Off!

We also became a scouting family and joined the Cub Scouts! We have a Lion Scout, which is a pilot program, so we are one of the first! And a Webelow! I'm still new at this so I would love some suggestions on how to help the boys with their badges etc.

We attended my cousin's wedding in Kansas and Little Man was an Altar Server! I also volunteered to be a catechist at the church.

In October... we finished our second seasons of football and soccer! Both boys had an amazing season! They learned so much and made some amazing friends. 

I received my first Little Catholic Box this month as a gift from my dad! 

The boys received their Cub Scout uniforms and attended their first big event as a Scout, the Boy Scout Centennial Campout! They shot BB guns for the first time and made their very own emergency cable bracelets. 

This was Goalie's birthday month and he turned 6! To celebrate we visited Diana's Pumpkin Patch and the boys even earned a Cub Scout Patch for completing the corn maze!

We were forced to buy a new car this month as well because our older one decided to crack an engine block while my husband was driving home from work one night.

This was our first Halloween dressing up together and we decided on a Star Wars theme: Little Man was a Flame Trooper, Goalie was Captain Rex, my husband was Darth Vader and I was a Storm Trooper. It was so much fun, I can't wait to plan another family costume.

In November... was filled with amazing food! We were blessed to attend a Friendsgiving and still do a traditional Thanksgiving at home and invited new friends to share the experience with us! 

We also participated in our first Turkey Trot (yes, we did dress like turkeys!)

Let's not forget...Goalie lost his first baby tooth!

This month was the end of our OFFICIAL first year in Colorado. We have learned so much and are ready to fill this next year with more neat experiences!

In December...there is so much to share, I barely know where to begin!

I was asked to join the committee at church to help with our Parish Faith Nights and this month was my very first one! It was Advent themed and we made Craft Advent Wreaths and sang songs.

I won a Mass Box during a Giveaway and hosted my first ever Giveaway during December!

We attended the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Electric Zoo Safari as a family! So many beautiful lights and even got a chance to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus while we were there.

Goalie was in a Winter Musical Production called the Big Chill at school and both boys won awards for Outstanding Student and their participation in the 100 Mile Club!

I also have found myself pulled into the Bullet Journal craze and am currently working on my first ever Bujo and adding some Liturgical Pages and trackers along with so much more!

To end this month, I was able to watch my children sing in the Christmas Eve Christmas Choir and it just made my heart so full, I could have burst! There were so not so fun things that we endured this year but as you can see, the good far out weighed the bad! And it will continue to be that way as long as we realize all the amazing blessings around us and never forget what is important! How was 2016 for you and your family? I hope it was filled with many blessings and that the upcoming year is even more amazing. You still have a couple more days before the end of 2016... let's go out in a bang! I am linking this with Revolution of Love.

God Bless!

Walpurgis Night

First... I am so sorry it took this long to get this post completed. I actually had this almost done and just forgot to post it! Oops! Mommy brain strikes again!

Saint Walpurga's feast day is May 1st but it is more celebrated on it's Eve on April 30th. She is the patron saint against storms, plagues and famine. Walpurgis Night is celebrated mostly in Europe in Germany. We celebrated with a fire inside since we are still getting snow... but it is a tradition to have a bonfire. I have to be completely honest here, I COMPLETELY mom failed our feast day plans. Originally, I wanted to roast some hotdogs and s'mores but I didn't think to double check to make sure we had all the ingredients. We have been on a clean eating menu so we have not been keeping hotdogs, chocolate or other sweet or processed foods in the household. Thankfully, my boys were so forgiving and didn't hold it against me what I had to break the news. I ended up having to make chicken strips and hot chocolate.

May Wine is a traditional drink served on this night or in celebration of May Day as well. If you click the link it will take you to a website that describes May Wine and gives you a pretty basic recipe if you are interested in trying something new this springtime! I personally haven't had the pleasure of trying this drink out yet but I certainly intend to this Mother's Day! Walpurgis Night is the beginning of all the May Day celebrations and often leads to May Crownings or other spring time celebrations.

I actually tried doing some research on this fun feast day and had a hard time finding information. I did find that Walpurgis Night was connected to a pagan celebration involving witches but obviously that is not what I want my children to associate this amazing saint with so if any of you know anything more about customs or traditions about this feast day I would love to hear about them!

Here is a great prayer asking for her intercession:

O holy St. Walburga, you most pure bride of Christ, from your very childhood your innocent heart was dedicated to God, and you did endeavor by fervent prayer and constant watchfulness to keep yourself pure and undefiled. Do you help me to keep the bright example of your innocence ever before my mind. You are now in heaven, in the company those virgins who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. Pray for me, O holy virgin, that I may esteem chastity above all else, that I may rather lose all things than commit a grievous sin against the holy virtue. Protect me in every danger. Grant that under your patronage and the protection of my heavenly mother Mary and my holy Guardian Angel, I may courageously overcome very temptation, and may preserve the wedding garment of innocence, pure and undefiled, and may see and enjoy God eternally with you and all pure souls. Amen

Saint Walpurga, pray for us!

Saint Catherine of Siena

I will probably be flooding my blog with the unfinished posts I have stacking up in my draft box this upcoming week! Just a warning! This week I should be able to get caught up and still with a couple blogs that I have been thinking about doing as well :)

This past Friday was the feast of Saint Catherine of Siena. She is the patron Saint of Italy, Fire Fighters and miscarriages. In honor of Saint Catherine I took the boys for haircuts since she is known for cutting her own hair to keep any man from wanting to marry her because she made a vow to completely dedicate herself to God. It was nice to be able to correlate the story of Saint Catherine with this act because I think these memories of celebrating our faith in our daily lives will ultimately be what my children use as they grow into young men of faith. I wish we could have gone to the Firefighter museum as well but as you can see in the background of Little Man's picture we received more snow and I am still not comfortable driving around in it. We were able to go to Swirly Cow for a frozen yogurt treat to celebrate Little Man's straight A's on his progress report and Goalie's great progress in therapy!

Saint Catherine is such an inspiring saint and she wrote so many inspirational quotes. Some of my favorite are listed below:

"Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

"The human heart is always drawn by love."

"Out of darkness is born the light"

"Love transforms one not what one loves."

"Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don't look at your weaknesses. Realize instead that in christ crucified you can do everything."

I love that I get a chance to learn more about these amazing saints as I teach my boys about the over abundance of love that God has for all of us and giving them examples of mean and women who did so much to help people realize the immensity of this love.

Saint Catherine, pray for us!

Saint Zita, The Little Cook

Today was an insanely crazy day! I started the day at my Nanny job and then it was a whirlwind of dropping our cat at the vet for shots, taking Goalie to therapy and then to school and then jumping to preparing for our apartment inspection and the kids sporting events today. Did I mention the boys had soccer and football at the same time today! All in all, today might have been crazy but it wasn't all that bad. I am disappointed I was unable to hit the gym today but that means I'll just have to run even father tomorrow to make up for it!

It is funny how today is the feast of Saint Zita because she was a servant and I am sure her days were much more busier than mine could ever possibly be. Her motto was "A servant is not holy if she is not busy; lazy people of our position is fake holiness". She is the patron saint of maids and domestic servants/workers. I was shocked to learn that she is also called upon to find lost keys! There is a beautiful story of a day she stayed at church longer than intended on her baking day but when she returned home she found that angels had prepped all the dough in neat rows and all she needed to do was place it in the oven. This is how she got the nickname "The Little Cook"

In honor of Saint Zita, I thought it would be fun for the boys to be their own "little cooks". Goalie and I attended a "Kids in the Kitchen" class about a month ago and we received the cutest little recipe book for attending the class. 

I thought making little pizzas would be the most time efficient and since Saint Zita was Italian, it seemed appropriate! Baking bread is a traditional way to honor Saint Zita but the boys only had an hour before it was bed since we had so many extracurriculars today so bread would have taken a little to much time for us to enjoy tonight. 

The boys had a blast making their mini pizzas! I also really enjoyed it because we had leftover veggies that needed to be eaten and there was little prep and mess! I highly recommend having a mini pizza party with your family.

Lately I have been allowing my daily duties to become "burdens". Reading about this patient, kind and hard working Saint has reminded me that I should complete my duties in a prayerful manner and be gracious for the abundant blessings that have been given to myself and my family. 

Dear follower of the Son of God,

You desired to become a servant

And died the death of a slave.

You were not only a faithful maid-servant

But a practical lover of the poor.

Like Mary You could have said:

"Behold the handmaid of the Lord."

Prompt domestics to be just and charitable,

Seeing in their employers children of God

And setting an example for them

as servants of God.

Amen

Saint Zita, pray for us!

Feast of Saint Mark

I feel like it has been forever since I've finished a post! I have a ton that will be completed before the end of the month ranging from The Kentucky Derby, our Liturgical Feasts and some new activities that my family will be getting involved in. We have had some craziness with Goalie having IEP revaluations, kindergarten transition meetings and starting therapy again this past week. Transitions and changes are really hard on Goalie so it has been my focus to help him during this period of change. We recently purchased a weighted vest from a friend who was able to make him one with Spider-Man material and it has really helped him so much during this busy week! Thank you so much Amy!! If you are interested in a great quality product check out Crunchybums, Bands and Blankets on Facebook! I will be ordering some weghted blankets soon!

Well back to the topic of this post. It is the feast of Saint Mark! I honestly have been overwhelmed with our schedules lately so I was only able to plan a vegetarian dinner because during the feast of Saint Mark it is tradition to say prayers for the crops. I made a Vegetable Quinoa Casserole. It actually wasn't all that bad except I thought it was a little dry so I will be adding something to the ingredients I threw together tonight to help with that next time. 

It is also traditional to enjoy some cherries on this feast day. I found a recipe that allowed you to make a cherry cobbler in a mug but I was unable to make it tonight for several reasons including that I need to go to the grocery store and it was late because Goalie had a late soccer game. I still intend to make this dessert sometime this week because it sounds too delicious not to try and the boys overheard me talk about it and were rather disappointed they would have no treat after dinner tonight. 

Here is a list of some posts I have been working on and hope to have finished soon:

Skype Book Club: We are reading Rising Strong! 

Summertime Bucket list: Fun activities for families and couples. 

Saint Zita the Little Cook

Saint Catherine of Siena

Saint Gianna

Walburgia Night

{pretty, happy, funny, real} 

Summer Garden

Mindfulness 

As you can see, I have been working on quite the assortment of topics. If you have any ideas or suggestions please don't hesitate to share!

Saint Mark, pray for us!

Saint Stanislaus of Kracow

Monday was the Feast of Saint Stanislaus of Kracow and I wish I could have gotten this post done sooner. Before I started researching this intriguing saint, I did not know anything about him. He is the patron saint of Poland. He became a martyr by standing up to a corrupt king who became filled with hatred for Saint Stanislaus. This king's hatred became so strong that he killed him at the altar and had his body dismembered and scattered. Interestingly Kracow is where the next World Youth Day will be held this year in July!

If you have had a chance to read my blogs about my new workouts, new diets and healthy challenges my family is trying out to make our lifestyles more healthier, We have decided that we would incorporate a Vegan recipe night once a week and Fridays would be a No Meat recipe night. Excluding meat from our family dinners a couple times of week will increase our vegetable intake and lower our weekly grocery bill. We also are extremely busy right now with sports 6/7 days in the week in addition to our regular appointments and to dos and planning simple but healthy meals are very important... so it's really a WIN WIN WIN no matter how you spin it. So in honor of Saint Stanislaus I have chosen a Polish Sausage and pepper recipe to try out tonight. 

Father, may the example of St. Stanislaus of Poland inspire the people of Poland and throughout the world to follow Jesus Christ even in the midst of oppression form ungodly governments. May his holiness of life and dedication to prayer be an example to each one of us in our own state in life and vocation. May his holy priesthood and Episcopal service inspire priests and bishops in our own time to care for the faithful and stand up to those who persecute the Church, without fear for their own safety, willing to even shed their blood if called to do so. Amen