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May, the month of Mary, is on its way! Here is a fun art project for the kids so they can honor Our Blessed Mother during the gorgeous spring months. Supplies: Sheet of Paper A Flower catalog Picture of Blessed Mother Scissors Glue Instructions: Have the kids cut out their favorite pictures of flowers from the catalogs and glue them on a sheet of paper. The pictures should overlap so the paper underneath is not seen. You may also add a few pictures of bunnies, butterflies, and birds, etc. In the center of the flowering collage add a picture of the Blessed Mother. This can be taken from a prayer card, printed from the Internet, or cut out of a religious catalog. My daughter Rachel, who came up with this wonderful idea, helped Elizabeth make this example:   Simply Gorgeous! Just be sure to save all those flower catalogs you’ve been getting in the mail! If you’re like me you get at least one a week during the spring months!! Mother Mary, pray for us! ~Jen-Marie

Since we have so many little ones running around the house it has been hard to display projects that the older kids make. The little ones often get into things and disturb them or break them. However, I discovered that an old fish tank can serve as a perfect solution to the display problem. It works very well! The tank is just the right height so all the kids can see what’s in it, and they can tell each other and anyone who comes to the house about the things they found or made without fear of it being destroyed. Plus, the light makes it nice to see the items and the glass makes dust less of an issue. Only one problem: I can’t fit the really big stuff in the tank, but most of the things the kids make or find are small, so that’s not often a problem.

This is a project to decorate a blooming tree for the month of May. Because the month of May is the month of the Blessed Virgin Mary, decorating a flowering tree with images of Our Lady’s life and apparitions is certainly appropriate! Our kids had a grand time decorating the flowers for the tree! The tree turned out so lovely, but the my photos just don’t do it justice! Each flower has a center with an image of  Mother Mary, Mary portrayed in different nationalities, moments in her life, and her apparitions. The little ones loved learning more about Mary as we talked about each of the pictures. To make this tree you will need: small images of Mary  Flower shapes A tree to decorate ideas for a tree: indoor artificial or live tree, dead tree branches arranged in a flower pot or vase, tree shape cut out of colored paper and taped to a wall or bulletin board. Artificial flowers and leaves to decorate tree. (optional) Construction paper ~ purple, blue, pink, yellow, and orange for flowers (optional) Construction paper ~ Green for leaves (optional) Crayons, glitter glue, craft gems, and other craft items for decorating the flowers (optional) glue scissors thread needle Instructions: Once you have the tree to decorate and have added artificial flowers and leaves, if desired, decorate both sides of the flowers that have been cut out of construction paper using crayons, glitter glue, craft gems, etc. as desired. Then, glue a Marian image on both sides of the flowers. Use a needle and thread to make a looped hanger for each and hang the flower/picture on the tree. It so nice I’m not going to want to take it down after May!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog: Pondered in my Heart They are hosting a Marian Artist Trading Card swap. It’s open to all ages. Basically, You create 5 pictures of Our Blessed Mother and mail them to Kimberlee along with a self-addressed stamped envelop, and she will send cards from others of the same age. They must be postmarked by May 28. Sounds like fun, I’m sure some of my kids will love it!! Thanks, Kimberlee! Read her blog entry with all the information here: Our Lady Art Card Swap

Elizabeth and I made an altar for the Blessed Mother for the month of Mary. Unlike most Marian May Altars we tried to make it look more like Mary is in Heaven. First we took a cardboard box; cut, shaped, and taped it into a grotto that fit our Mary statue: Then we covered it with aluminum foil, secured it with clear shipping tape  and made a oval sun inside of it using permanent orange and yellow markers. We decorated it using flower shaped craft gems along the outer edge. Then, we added polyfill to the outside to create the look of heavenly clouds. The heavenly shrine for Our Lady turned out to be a fun and beautiful project! Enjoy and God bless!~Jen-Marie

Elizabeth as “Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha”

Hannah as “The Angel Gabriel”

This is a popular game at our All Saint's Day parties! This simple game was made using 2 liter bottles with Satan pictures and a soft ball. You should never let Satan try to get you to do something bad. The kids rolled the ball and knocked the 3 evil demons down!

According to scripture and the Second Commandment, the Lord’s Day (Sunday) is meant to be a day set apart from every other day. It’s a day to be together as a  family, a day to rest, and, most importantly, a day to be with the Lord. 1. A day to be with God Because the Lord’s Day is a day to be with God, going to church/Mass every Sunday just makes sense. It shows our love for Him and His family on earth. Plus, if you don’t go it’s a mortal(serious) sin! 2. Day of rest Just as God rested on the 7th day after creating the world, our Sabbath is meant to be our day of rest from all unnecessary work. Even though God made man on the 6th day with the animals, man was called to rest on the 7th day in order to show that he wanted to be more than just an animal. By resting on the 7th day we show that we are not like the animals and that we are a child of God. Sunday ~ A family day. Due to the fact that we are not to be working on Sundays, it’s a perfect day to spend together as a family! It can often be a challenge to find new and interesting things to do together as a family, particularly if you want to avoid making anyone else work on the Lord’s day of rest. By going to the amusement park, the movies, golfing, to a restaurant to eat, or even shopping you are encouraging a business to stay open on this special day and force their employees to work on Sundays. The Catechism states 2187 “Every Christian should avoid making unnecessary demands on others that would hinder them from observing the Lord’s Day” While this is often never considered by most Christians, it is a truth of our faith. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, and other emergency personal are an exception. Face it, accidents happen, and you can’t tell sick bodies to rest from being sick on Sundays!!! As nice as that would be! 😉 Here are a few of our favorite Sunday activities: Sometimes after Mass, we make breakfast (eggs) over a campfire, or we have a campfire in the evenings and make Mt. Pies. We visit one of our local state parks or battlefields. Visit family or friends or a shut-in. Make our own “I Spy” art with our toys and other things around the house, (just like in the books). Make a huge, elaborate train track for Thomas and his friends Board games, crafts, play-doh, painting pictures, etc. Fly a kite. Decorate for the up-coming season/feast days. Go to a local playground. Make-up and perform simple plays (from stories in the Bible or stories of saints) Fishing at our neighbor’s pond “Sunday Party” -No, the other Sunday- Ice cream! Set out lots of different items like sprinkles, crushed Oreos, nuts, chocolate chips, etc, and let the kids make their own special Sunday dessert! Family movie night, with popcorn! *For us, almost all of our Sundays are crafting Sundays. We normally make a Catholic craft to go along with what we are learning! Feel free to add a comment and share what your family does on Sundays. God bless you and your family!~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)

As a child, I rode home from school on a bus stuffed-full of public school kids. My siblings and I were the only Catholic school kids on the bus. I was a petite girl and my fashionable Catholic-school uniform was a mark to show all the tough public school kids I was free for the taunting. The good news is I was lucky enough to befriend a public school girl just about my age. She was very sweet. After years of sitting next to her, we became very good friends. She told me one day that she asked her mom if I could come over for a slumber party. But her mother refused because I was one of those “statue worshiping Catholics”. After explaining that her mother was 100% wrong and that we really DON’T worship statues, she took the explanation home to her mother. Later that year her mother was kind enough to allow me to sleep-over. I was an ecstatic young girl who had just begun to learn the true depth of the common misconceptions that circle around the Catholic faith. Even most so-called Catholics seem to think that statues are pointless and find it odd to have them….I’ll say it again, Catholics don’t worship statues, BUT we do have a personal need for them. The Catholic beliefs are very deep and for the average non-catholic the idea of statues seems a bit strange, but once a true understanding of the faith is revealed it’s not as strange or as pagan as it may appear to be… Most people have pictures of their family members or friends hanging on their walls, on a fridge, or they may carry them around in their wallet, on a key-chain, or carefully preserve them in an album. Why? It’s a way to remember those who we love or it may be a way to honor them. When you kiss a picture of your dearly departed love ones, and hang their image on your wall or sit it next to your bed are you worshipping them? No, of course not!! It is your way of remembering them. Just like these family pictures the statues that a Catholic keeps are nothing more than an image of someone they admire and/or love. They are NOT a God worthy of worship. They are only an image cast of plaster, concrete, wood, or paper, but having these statues, crucifixes, or pictures of Jesus, Mary, or other holy people help remind all who see them what is important in life and how we should be acting. They are a gentle reminder to all. That is why so many people hate to see them, especially those who are not religious. Years ago there was an old tradition of hanging a Crucifix in every room of your home. Sadly, today that tradition has died out, but the reason for keeping a crucifix in each room was to remind us that God is always watching and with us. It was a reminder of the wonderful deed Jesus did for us, and that our personal sacrifices are never in vain. So the more images one has in their home the more often they can be reminded of what is right and what is wrong, of what is a good action and what is a bad action. They are also a reminder that we should always put God first, and that we should always think of God throughout the day and pray to him for every need. Who would be crazy enough to worship concrete, plastic, plaster, or any other man-made item in our modern society!!! Do you worship those cute little figurines you have on your shelf? No, and Catholics do not worship statues or images either. The statues are nothing more than a reminder of the ones who have gone before us and their holy lives. At times it can appear that Catholics are worshipping statues, but we are only honoring the person who is in heaven. We can not honor the REAL person, because they are not here on earth with us. So a statue is the “stand-in”. It’s kind of like when you put flowers on a grave. You are remembering and honoring a deceased love one. To a person who doesn’t understand, it could look like you are giving flowers to a stone, but things are not always what they appear. Although those who do not fully understand the Catholic faith statues can seem sinful or crazy, they are really a tool to help remind us to stay on the correct spiritual path that Our Lord placed us on.  _____________________________________ Biblical Writings about Statues Some have criticized statues (also known as graven images ) as being a straight-up defiance of the second of the ten commandments: Exodus 20:4 “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” But elsewhere in the Old Testament, King Solomon himself had no problem with graven images. He used them in the making of the temple: 1 Kings 7:36 “He engraved cherubim, lions, and palm trees on the surfaces of the supports and on the panels, in every available space, with wreaths all around.” So the idea of having an image is okay according to the Bible, but problems creep in when someone believes the plaster image is actually a real true God. ___________________________________________ Buying Catholic Statues, Crucifixes, and Pictures Buying statues, crucifixes, and holy images can be a bit costly, but buying from non-catholic sellers is often cheaper. I’ve bought, Holy Family statues, a Palm Sunday set, an Easter set, Jesus with his disciples set, St. Frances, Jesus with the children statue, Stations of the Cross statues, outdoor garden statues, and more from secular catalogs. Also, Check out Catholic and non-Catholic Thrift shops and garage sales! ____________________________ The Statues In Our Home Personally, we have an over-abundance of statues in our home, but we only display the statues and pictures that are appropriate for the season or month. The other statues are kept in a locked cupboard,  so the little kids can’t break them.  They are safe there until the season/month they are to be displayed. This helps to keep the interest of the kids since the statues are always changing, and as we change them from one month to the next it gives us an opportunity to talk about the virtuous people the statues represent. _______________________________ God Bless, ~Jen-Marie .

Here is a craft that would be perfect for the feast of Jesus Baptism in January, the feast of John the Baptist (June 24), or the martyrdom on John the Baptist (Aug 29). I laminated the pictures so they could be hung on our front door or in our bathroom. After reading about St John the Baptist in the Bible this is a fun craft to make and display in your home particularly during special feast days that center around Jesus baptism and John the Baptist. You will need: A grapevine wreath  Images of Jesus Baptism printed on stock paper Sea Shells ~ I bought a small basket of shells from our local dollar store Raffia ~enough to make a bow Hot glue Laminate or contact paper if you are planning to hang it in a spot that could get wet. Instructions: Print, cut out and laminate your baptism pictures. Find a good spot on the wreath to place the image. The bottom side may work nice: Hot glue the picture down. Make a bow out of the raffia and hot glue it to the bottom next to the baptism picture. Arrange the shells and dove image around the wreath.T he kids can help you arrange the shells.  Note: When arranging things like seashells, they often look best if they are odd-numbered clusters. (Groups of 3 or 5 shells of various sizes and shapes.) Once you find the desired arrangement, hot glue it all down. A black/brown twisty or wire works well as a hanger to hang the wreath. Optional extra: Find a good book on seashells at your local library, and you can also talk about all the different kinds of shells God has designed and created. Now hang up your beautiful new wreath! God Bless, ~Jen-Marie