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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.

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

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

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

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 created a Fire Safety book for my 3 oldest kids a few years ago, and I dug this file out of “moth-balls” for my two third-graders. When my older kids illustrated these books they had a blast!!  So I’m hoping Elizabeth and Joshua will enjoy this. too! How does it work? As they/you read through each page of the book the child can add an illustration to each page. This will help them to remember the rules of Fire Safety. My three oldest, Rachel, Rebekah, and Jacob, just couldn’t quit laughing as they drew funny pictures for this book! Yes, they take fire safety seriously, they just like drawing crazy pictures!! It’s always good to make learning and work fun! Download the Fire Safety Book Here: God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

I’m sure most women would think I’m a complete nutcase for wanting more children after having 9 babies, but I assure you that before I had children and after I had my first, second, and third I too would have thought that anyone wanting to have more kids after 9 was some kind of crazy person!! I love my kids and I thank God for them each and every day. They each have such amazing personalities, all with their own little twist of fun and intrigue. They all have different gifts and talents, different loves and hates, different personality traits that make them each so special and unique! I didn’t give them those traits. Sure I carried them and raised them and loved them, but I didn’t make them to be who they are. Human life is truly awesome to behold, God has created so many different looking people with so many different personalities. God truly has amazed me with each and every one of my children. They are all so special in their own little ways. The old saying that children are a gift from God is a saying that so many people just can’t see in our society today. They see all the work that children bring and all the trouble that they cause. Yes, they are work and they can cause trouble, but they are so much more than that!! Now that I’ve had 9 I see a small glimpse of the beauty that God sees. He has a plan for each human being. Each one was created with a special personality to do a special task. But it takes brave couples to bring these special little humans into the world. So often our worldly desires get in the way. We forget God and we focus on the things we want to do. Many times God’s will is just a pill that is too hard to swallow! So we search in a different direction for our heart’s desires. But if we do the will of God we will realize it is his will that will fill our hearts with joy. God’s will is our very foundation!! It is the reason he gave us the personality we have. It is only up to us to perfect ourselves by becoming more selfless and less sinful. Then we truly can find the road to our destiny and to true happiness. So how will my children turn out to be? That is completely up to them. I can only give them the knowledge of God and the discernment to know right from wrong. God has given them the ability to handle the task they are made to do. Only they can choose to listen and do it! So for now I will take the strength I have to raise them to honor God and in doing that, I will be doing one of the tasks God has created me to do. To my children: I love you, each and every one… May you grow in the love of God and in the wisdom of the path that He is laying out for you. ~Love,Mom (Jen-Marie)

This article on discipline was sent in an e-mail from CHC back on February 16, 2010. The way it explains how to handle children is wonderful! I just wanted to share: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since it is almost impossible to homeschool in the absence of discipline, we offer ‘The Five C’s to a Happy Home.’ The first step in effective discipline is verbal correction . When an undesired behavior is first addressed, point out what the child did wrong, why it’s wrong, and an alternative, positive behavior. “We don’t hit the kitty; instead, we pet him, like this.” Now the child knows what behavior is not acceptable, and what is. The second step in effective discipline is that it is conversation-free . There is often a temptation to think, ‘well, maybe he didn’t understand the first time I told him not to hit the kitty, so I should explain again.’ Discussing the issue again invites the child to talk back, and can develop into a power struggle. Limit talk to a single, brief statement— ‘Remember, we don’t hit the kitty’– as you lead the child to time-out; do not respond to any outburst from the child. Words alone are not discipline; they are just words. The third step in effective discipline is consequences . Time-out can be an effective consequence if it is used consistently. Another excellent consequence is to remove the child from the scene. [He has to get down from the table and wait to resume eating until he is in control of himself and everyone else is done.] If the behavior centers around a toy or an object, the toy or object can be taken away for 24 hours. The fourth step in effective discipline is consistency . A child who has been disciplined inconsistently usually ignores correction, because he knows that he can get away with the behavior several times before anything happens. This is reward enough to keep the bad behavior alive. In contrast, a child who burns himself on a hot wood stove will not touch the stove a second time, for he realizes that the stove will consistently burn him each and every time he touches it. If a child has been disciplined inconsistently, he may test vigorously when a firm plan of discipline is put into place. But, if correction and consequences follow each time, the behavior will die out. Each time he hits the kitty, he goes to time out. The final step in effective discipline is “catching the good.” It is of paramount importance to be observant, catch the child doing the good behavior, and praise him for the improvement. “See how nicely you have learned to pet the kitty. Good job.” Praise stresses the correct behavior, demonstrates to the child that he can do it, and warms little hearts. If undisciplined children are ‘running the household,’ you may wish to drop school for a week and focus on the Five C’s. Pray for wisdom and the graces that Our Lord promises to all parents, then identify the worst behaviors and address those first. Announce to the children what will be expected from now on, and begin taking those five steps to reclaim your happy home. We keep all of you in our prayers and regularly have Holy Mass offered for your intentions. We truly appreciate your prayers for the CHC apostolate, also! In Their Hearts, Theresa Johnson http://www.chcweb.com/