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Lacy over at Catholic Icing had a yummy idea of how to explain the Holy Trinity to kids by using a Snowman as a model. I love the idea of the three parts of a snowman (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) creating one God! Sadly my new healthy diet does not include those delicious powdered doughnuts!!  So I thought I’d share the Snowman Trinity Art project I did with my homeschool Art Co-Op. A few weeks ago, I was searching for a project to help teach the kids in my class about light direction and value I found this fun art idea at a lovely art blog called  For the Love of Art . The snowman, representing the Holy Trinity in its three parts, shows the light direction through its shadows and shading with the dark blue paper as its medium value. Here’s a step by step on how to draw this: On dark blue paper, use white to show the light areas anddark blue to show the dark areas. (A crayon, colored pencil, or oil pastel will work) Look at the finished snowman: Notice the light side and the shaded side of the snowman? Notice the shadow on the ground? You can see which direction the light is coming from. Here’s another one: He’s too cute! Okay, my oldest daughter and son went a little crazy on me! I guess the Holy Trinity could hold some of those signs!?! (My kids read a little too much “Calvin and Hobbes”) Well, I think they got the point! And they had a great time! It was easy for them to do! Even the kids who have a hard time learning art did a great job! Give it a try and have fun! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

We played a game at our All Saint’s day party a few years back called “ Simon Peter Says “. It’s just like “ Simon Says ” but Simon wears a miter and is called “Simon Peter” in honor of our first Pope. Simon Peter tells the other kids to kneel and pray, genuflect, make the Sign of the Cross, lie prostrate, along with the normal Simon Says commands. I don’t use this game at our All Saint’s parties anymore now that the number of kids has gotten so large, but it works well just for fun on our family game days! We made our miter from a large white shipping envelope and gold-trimmed ribbon. Enjoy! God Bless, ~Jen-Marie

I grew up in what most would call a “large” Catholic family. I was born fourth in a line of five kids. It didn’t seem “large” to me, but the open-eyed, mouth-dropping expressions on people’s faces as we all walked into a public area made me realize we were a little different. I was okay with that. I actually liked having my brothers and my sister around, even as annoying as they were! Now, to put things in perspective you must understand that I only had one brother younger than me and I almost never saw babies. As a teen, I had very little experience with young children or babies. So taking on a babysitting job was just not really my thing. My older sister took babysitting job after babysitting job, and she loved it! She loved the kids, she loved the babies, she wanted to be a teacher, and I didn’t want anything to do with kids! At this point in my life I imagine God laughed, and laughed, and laughed!! For the Almighty has a plan, it may not be the plan we like, but it’s the plan we need for our salvation. At the tender age of 17, I was discerning whether or not God was calling me to become a nun. I loved my God, I trusted Him. And since being a mother just didn’t seem like my thing I figured He must want me to be a nun. I prayed for guidance, oh how hard I prayed!! Then God hit me over the head with a spiritual 2×4!! I had a saints book laying on my bed while I was praying. The book slid off the edge of my bed and landed on the floor. I picked it up and a holy card fell out from in between the pages. It was a very old holy card that my mother found years earlier in the crack of one of the horse-hair plastered walls in our old Civil War farmhouse. She had given it to me, but I never really looked at it before that particularly special day. It was a picture and prayer to St Gerard the patron saint of mothers!! As if that wasn’t enough of a blow, I continued to read the card and at the bottom it said his feast day was October 16….that very day that this happened was Oct 16!!!! Oh, that hit hard! God doesn’t use a megaphone to tell you his plan but that day He got very close!  At that point, I said to God “Well if you think that’s best. But I would need to find a good guy to marry first. And those seem to be a bit hard to find.” I’m sure God laughed again because He knew how and where I’d meet that guy. And just three months later there he was! At the age of 20, I married the man that God sent to me, a sweet man, though we both had some growing up to do! We were both open to whatever God’s plan was and we left the door open in all ways for God to send us children. So God decided it was time to give us a crash course in parenting!! Just one month after we were married I became pregnant with our first! Eleven months after our first was born I delivered our second. And it continued like that for 13 years! I had 9 babies and three miscarriages in less than 14 years! The past 14 years of my life have been a huge struggle! Pregnancy after pregnancy, while learning how to be a homeschooling mom was hard. We live on one income, money’s tight, the house is in need of constant repair, the vehicles rarely run, stress is up and time is short. But God has taught me more about life, love, and faith through my children and husband than being a nun ever could have taught me! Now, I’m not bashing those who become religious… Not a bit!! But God knew I needed these kids as much as they needed me! Sure I had a choice to not have my kids in machine-gun style, but once again I let God do the driving in my life. And He’s proven to me time after time that not taking the easy roads in life can often be the most learned and scenic route of all! This past week was a huge turning point for us! I’ve had a medical problem during those past 14 years of having babies which have just forced me to get a hysterectomy. So God has made my ninth baby my last. After talking to the doctor about my personal situation he said that my large number of babies in such a short time was not the reason for my problems. That being said, God’s plan of giving me my babies one after the other was his way of giving me as many babies as He could before I had to get a hysterectomy at the young age of 34. God’s ways are always the right way! I may not have been a great baby lover in my teens, but it’s my children that have brought me to a point of understanding God’s love for each one of us! Each and every one of my children has taught me so much. They are truly a blessing! Sure learning to be a mom was and is hard, and following the way God has laid out for me was and is even harder, but as I look back on how things are unfolding I see that God had a truly important reason for doing things the way He did them! So when I see the reality of abortion in our society it seems so wrong! My kids saved my life, they didn’t take it! They have been my inspiration! I will admit that I faced each and every pregnancy with fear and trembling, but God always gives us the strength we need to make it through the tough times in our lives. To live out God’s plan is the only way to live a happy life, so there was no choice if you want to be happy! God is the choice ! Put God in the driver’s seat; the road is rough, the view is great, and I’m told the end is beautiful! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie Pray the Rosary to End Abortion!

Our parish priests put forth so much effort for us! They have a life of sacrifice, stress, and heartache with very little appreciation from we parishioners. We need to show these devout men that we are thankful for their sacrifice and living witness. How? Host a Card Shower! For those who don’t know what a card shower is… It’s when a large group of people join together to send cards to someone. Each individual should take a few minutes to send a store-bought card or a hand-made card to your parish rectory. Normally, the time frame for this would be over the course of a week or month. As the host, you simply need to get the word out!! I tried to get a Card Shower started for our parish priest. Of course, I had to recruit a few helpers. First I typed up, printed off, and cut out some slips of paper to distribute to parishioners. They looked like this: Then I gave a stack of them to a few people to pass out secretly after Masses with the hope that the papers would make it into the hands of parishioners who would send a card.  Distributing them can be a challenge if you are trying to surprise your priest, but that’s part of the reason I kept the fliers small! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ This is a perfect activity to do during February for St. Valentine’s day!!! After all, they don’t get a card from a wife! ~OR~ How about in June for Father’s Day!! We are all their children! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ My kids each made a card for our priest.A few years ago I was lucky enough to acquire some wallpaper samples. They worked well for this.They also used construction paper.Here are a few pictures: I helped my 3 and 4-year-old girls make these. We used wallpaper, old holy cards, and other pictures. Get the word out! Start a card shower for your parish priest! And tell your friends to host one for their priests! Let’s show them we care! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

An active game to teach about sin and the need for confession. Are you looking for a fun way to teach kids about sin and the need for Confession? Well, I’ve created a new game to help teach the effects of venial sin, mortal sin, and Confession. It’s not a board game, but an active game where the kids walk along the “Life Path” and follow what the cards tell them to do. Along the way, they can help the souls in Purgatory. Then at the end of the “Life Path” (at death), they see if their actions on the “life path” are actions that send them to Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell. This is a game that I created (with some help from my loving hubby) to teach our kids about sin and confession. Our kids loved it. So I shared it with our local homeschool group. The parents and their kids loved it, too. It’s a game designed for 2nd graders and up. Even the homeschooled teens enjoyed this activity! Younger children played, too, but needed assistance. Every one of the kids, young and old, wanted to play this game again and again! It’s a perfect game for those who are receiving their First Penance and First Holy Communion, any RE class, youth group, or a fun party, like an All Saints Day Party! So I want to share this fun game as a printable e-file for purchase. This E-file comes with instructions, cards, and signs for heaven, hell, and purgatory.  You need to supply the “Life Path” which could be 3 – 2×4 boards or painter’s tape, and 2 carry bags with 5 lb. of dried beans, sugar, or any other dry 5 lb. item in each. Also, the bottoms of 5 half-gallon milk jugs are used to hold the cards, but this is optional. It’s only $4.99 to purchase this e-file.  FAQ Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions….. 1.How many kids can play at a time? It can be as many kids as you like, but this game works better in larger groups. The players are all independent players. Only the “souls” in purgatory need the help of the other players. The homeschool group I did this game with was about 40 kids of all ages! If you have a helper at each card area. (About 4 helpers) You can have about 6-8 kids physically playing at one time. If it’s just one person in charge, the number of kids on the “life path” will need to be less depending on that person’s ability to manage them. A group of young teens should be able to do this with only one teacher/parent.  2. About how long does the game last? It can be as long or as short as you like! For each child, the game will only last a few minutes, but the fun is in replaying and trying again! If it’s a large group of kids, they can line up at one end of the game’s “life path” and when it’s their turn they play the game. Then they get back in line to play again! If the line of kids waiting to play can stand beside the “Life Path” it can be fun so the other kids can cheer on those playing! It’s kind of a fast-moving game. 3. If the moms help the smaller ones, is it a game they could play? Yes, but you may need to make their “journey” a little easier than the card says. Kids younger than 7 don’t seem to understand the concept as well, it’s just a fun game to many of them! Here are some reviews from our old Store page: Parental Note: This game does mention hell and the children can end up in “hell” in the game. It is meant to show the severity of sin. If you feel your child can not handle this concept at this time please consider another activity or game.

Thank you for all your prayers! The surgery went very well.  They had a hard time waking me up after the surgery. Then, I couldn’t keep anything I tried to eat down. So the first 24 hours were rough. I’m feeling much better now and I’m ready to go home!  Of course, I must consider that my belly will suddenly have a gigantic target on it when I see all my little darlings! You know how young children have a built-in sensor for an adult’s most tender spots, and then they have to pounce on it!! 😉 By God’s grace, I was able to keep my one ovary. So I won’t go through early menopause, I’m very happy about that!   Thanks again for all your prayers! And in a few weeks, I hope to be conquering the world….or at least my “Things I need to do” list! 😉  May God bless all of you for your kindness! ~Jennifer

Okay, tomorrow is my big day. I have surgery in the afternoon. As for today, I started fasting after breakfast!! Yes, that’s correct, it’s 30-hour fasting for me! I’ve had several people tell me that can’t be right, but I triple-checked. So, if I make any silly mistakes while typing this I have an excuse! 😉 While I was preparing for this surgery over the course of the last few weeks I decided it was time to re-pot those poor old inside plants that were in desperate need of a bigger pot! After all, I’m likely to forget to water them over the next few weeks after the surgery, and they would die from lack of water in those tiny pots. Well, my husband,  my mother, and many of my friends say I can’t do anything simple…I think they are trying to compliment me! (I think!) So, being me, I had to spice it up a bit!  I took a wire hanger and cut off the hook. I bent it into a heart shape on the top.   Then, I twisted the bottom together and cut off the ends. I pushed the bottom into the dirt close to the stem of my newly re-potted Rose Mary . Then I took two-branched and wrapped them around the metal heart shape: one around one side and the other around the other side.  I added a little statue of Mary, which I had bought a while back at the dollar store.    And that’s it! Now I’ll have something pretty to look at while I recover! ☺ May Mother Mary help me these next few days! Please, pray for me and my family in this time of struggle. God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

Noreen at “ Rosary Mom ” has graciously given me the Liebster Blog Award! Noreen is such a sweet lady, who is always ready to hand out a kind word or two! (Except to those who would kill our sweet unborn babies!!) She truly desired this award and I’m honored that she thought of me to pass this award to. Thanks so much Noreen!  Now it’s my turn to pass it on with these simple rules: Add the award to your blog. Thank the giver with a link back to them. List your top 5 picks and let them know they\’ve been given an award by leaving a comment on their blog. Hope that your followers will spread the love to the blogs you\’ve spotlighted. My picks are: Erika at  Raising and Teaching Little Saints Gardenia at  My Little Flower Holly at Three Sided Wheel CeAnne at Sanctus Simplicitus Tiffany at Family at the Foot of the Cross ***These are all Catholic bloggers who witness to the faith in their daily lives. They try to bring their family and those who read their blog closer to God and to a better understanding of the Catholic faith.  There are many blogs out there that are deserving of this award, and I’m sure these ladies will all pass this award to other blogs who are also just as worthy of this honor!  God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

Here is another felt doll/statue! It’s Our Lady of Lourdes and she’s perfect to make and/or display on her feast day- Feb 11th. This doll/statue is a project that will require some assistance from older crafters who can use a hot glue gun to add the gold trim to Mary’s veil.  Or if you sew, you could sew it on, too! Materials: white felt dress * (see felt cutting instructions) white felt head covering  * the head covering for this doll is floor-length so don’t follow the pattern. Make it long enough to cover her head and reach to her “feet”.   wooden old fashioned clothespin 6-inch piece of blue ribbon gold ribbon for the edge of the head covering 2 tiny roses for her feet ~we used the gold ribbon to make them, but you can buy some.  wooden ring (to help the doll stand, if it needs help) Hot glue *Felt Cutting instructions: Materials: After cutting out your felt pieces, push the round clothespin head into the small head hole in the dress. You may need to add a drop of hot glue at the upper chest and upper back of the doll clothespin to keep the dress from sliding down the clothespin.  Example: Pull all the dress parts down against the clothespin and tightly knot the ribbon around its waist. You may need an extra hand to hold the dress down while you knot the waist ribbon. Make sure the extra is hanging in the front of her. (as pictured on the completed doll) If the dress is too long, cut it to the correct length. If the opening on the sides of the dress are showing, hot glue it together.  Example: Add hot glue to the top and sides of the dolls head and cover the top of her head with the head covering. Note: You may have to cut a slit in the back of the veil, (from the bottom of the veil up to the head)  so it will lay down properly. Then hot glue the back of the veil down in a way so you don\’t see the cut. Now, cut the front of the veil so the corners are rounded. Add some hot glue to the front edge of her head covering/veil and add the gold ribbon. Now for the final touch add two mini roses to the bottom edge of her dress, as pictured. If the doll has trouble standing on it\’s own hot glue a wooden ring to the bottom to stabilize her.  Now you’re done! I’m sure she’s beautiful! May God bless you! ~Jennifer

This ring toss game would be a great game for an All Saints Day party or St. Valentine’s day!! This is a good game for big and little kids. It’s not as easy as it looks! You will need: 2-liter bottle (empty) sand to fill the bottle wooden dowel rod (about 2 feet long) painters tape or duct tape clear shipping tape red and black paint rings to toss (or large plastic lids) cardboard (for hearts) labels for rings and heart hot glue scissors paintbrush To make the heart, first, place the dowel rod into the top of the 2-liter bottle. Add the sand to the bottle, but be careful to keep the dowel rod as centered as you can while adding the sand. Use the painter’s tape or duct tape to tape up the top of the bottle and wrap the tape around the dowel rod to secure it. Paint the whole thing black. While that dries, cut two hearts that are big enough to cover the bottle. (Need one for each side). Paint them red. When the bottle and hearts are dry hot glue the hearts to the bottle. Add a label to the heart = “How Many Virtues Can You Add to Your Heart?” Now create and cut out the virtue labels to add to the rings and use the clear shipping tape to tape them onto the rings. ( I bought my rings at the dollar store, but if you can’t find any rings at the store you might be able to use some large plastic lids from oatmeal or butter containers. Just cut the middle out of them.) Now, let the kids toss the rings to see how many virtues they can add to the heart. If they get two in a row onto the heart have them take a step back! God Bless!~Jen-Marie

Here’s an activity I was able to squeeze in on a morning when my older kids were out and I was alone with my younger “bored” kiddos. My sister had just given me some peppers and with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d take the opportunity to talk with the kids about the Trinity. Download Craft Instructions Here: Materials you’ll need: Download Instructions -if desired Pepper with three bumps (like a clover) green paint (I used acrylic/craft paint) green paper scrap paper or old bowl to hold paint knife to cut the pepper paintbrush green glitter (optional) Cut the bottom off the pepper. Make sure the cut end is flat and will sit without rocking and has no gaps if it’s set on a flat surface. Add some paint to a piece of scrap paper or old bowl and spread it out so it’s a larger area than the pepper and be sure it’s kinda thick. Dip the cut end of the pepper into the paint. Make sure all the edges of the cut area are covered in the paint. Now “stamp” it! My kids had better luck if they gently pushed down and gently wiggled the pepper at the same time. With a small paintbrush and some of the green paint, they added stems to each clover. They had lots of fun with this simple art project! I thought after ours had dried, these would have been a little extra fun if we would have added a bit of green glitter while the paint was still wet. It was too late…maybe next time! St. Patrick pray for us and God bless. ~Jen-Marie

I made this for my kids so we could celebrate Our Lady of Lourdes feast day (Feb 11). It’s made with a paper picture of Our Lady of Lourdes, a half sheet of black construction paper, a bunch of cloth roses,  and a batch of “No-Bake Chocolate Cookies”!  YUM! These were my favorite cookies when I was a child and all of my kids LOVE them, too! No-Bake Chocolate Cookies 2 c. sugar 3 Tbsp. cocoa 1/2 c. milk 1 stick of butter 1/2 c. peanut butter 1 tsp. vanilla 4 c. quick oats Combine sugar, cocoa, milk, and butter in a saucepan. While string, bring it to a boil for 2 minutes; remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter is melted in. Add the oats. Stir until well mixed. Use a tablespoon to drop onto wax paper and allow to cool. (About 3 hours) Makes 2 dozen cookies. After making the cookies and letting them cool, I placed a half sheet of black construction paper on a small pizza pan and placed Mary in the middle. You could glue her down to the paper if you wish. Then I arranged the cookies around the edge of the black paper to create a grotto. I added some roses at Mary’s feet and a few along the sides.  This works well for parties, too! (Like an All Saint’s Day party) They are easy for kids to pick-up and snack on! But I think a few of my little girls would say the best part is cleaning the bowl with their sisters! Our Lady of Lourdes, Pray for us!God Bless,~Jen-Marie