Planning for Lent

I realize we've not even reached Candlemas yet, and some of you are keeping your nativities out until that time not yet peeking ahead in the liturgical year, but...the inveterate planner in me can't stop myself. Besides, I saw that Laura had some really cute decorations up for St. Valentine's Day and, well, that was all it took.

I'm talking about Lent here, people.

In something like 3 weeks from today, Ash Wednesday arrives! There are a few ideas starting to form here on the Ark, some of which were done last year, but I'm wondering what else is out there. Michelle posted a lovely write-up of her Lenten preparations. And we want to continue the Blessing Box idea during Lent, but with a twist. The Blessing Box originally encompassed the time between Thanksgiving and Epiphany; during which we systematically donated the amount of money required by each daily reflection--amounting in nearly fifty dollars in *spare change*! Our parish food pantry, the poor box and the local animal shelter were each the recipient of a third of our collection. It was a wonderful family activity and really blessed us all tremendously. So now, we want to repeat it---but we don't want to re-do the original set of questions again.

What are good reasons to put money in an old coffee container, decorated with fading yellow construction paper and LOTS of scotch tape? Should we put money in for doing something? How about for NOT doing something? I'm at an impasse here.

I'm also putting together an activity on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy for Lent (which I'll post when I have pictures), so I'm thinking maybe somehow I could tie the two together? Hmmm...can you smell the wood burning yet?

Any great Lenten suggestions out there?

WWHHD?*



*What Would Hilary Have Done?
I'm not sure, but as her fellow sister in Christ, I sure hope she heard what she and her hubby are willing to commit to the 100%-100% school of thought---not a bad idea even if you don't wish to consider its scriptural etiology.

H/T AnneMarie

Helpin' Miz

My extremely talented-- read Mensa high-score holding--*baby* sister is working on a worthy project for her school, where her moniker, Miz, is now starting to grab the attention of not only her students, but also academia at large. I KNOW that many of you Ark readers are well-versed in a multitude of the areas about which she needs information.

She writes:

The quick of it:
I have received funding to create a project from GlobalKids - a community based organization that is attempting to infuse global perspectives to curriculum design and promote developmental assets amongst NYC youth.

I am attempting to create a "green" project at my school with a focus on sustainability education, environmental/social justice and community dialogues. Since we are a high school for the arts, it is also essential that I infuse arts projects into the action plan to focus on talent development and the giftedness of all students.

At this point, I hope to create a "sustainability concert" in late May/early June in cooperation with Fordham University and the Bronx Botanical Gardens. To create a final project, I must attempt to highlight the interdisciplinary possibilities for a school wide project that can manifest into something of value this spring.

How you can help:

To offer up palpable curriculum suggestions to my colleagues - brilliant (and occasionally jaded) educators, I am asking for contacts/links/reading-viewing materials on the following topics:

• working artists/arts-history related to social & environmental action and awareness
• green building/green business/urban gardening
• 21st century economy & media studies connections
• 20th century (or earlier) social/environmental turning-points and uprisings - essential content in recent American/world history
• nonprofits, CBOs, businesses, freelancers, organizers, political leaders interested in working with youth
• other schools that have taken environmental/social action
• any articles/essays/websites of high recommendation

Thank you in advance for your input and your brain!
Track our 'progress' here and forward this plea freely.

So that's my big ol' family-style bleg. Please post a comment in the com box if you know of any great resources that she might tap or feel free to email me offline at patjrsmom at yahoo dot com. And please, do feel free to link back to this post and/or forward this request on to anyone you think might be full of suggestions!

Blog Blessing! (Final Edition)

Thank you to Michelle, for blessing me with this! May God bless her right back!

The idea… it’s a game of tag with a difference, rather than looking inwardly, we look outside ourselves and bless, praise and pray for one blog friend. By participating in this endeavour we not only make the recipient of the blessing feel valued and appreciated, but we are having some fun too. We’re going to see how far the bloggin’ blessings can travel around the world and how many people can be blessed! Recipients of a bloggin’ blessing may upload the above image to their sidebar if they choose to. If you recieve a bloggin’ blessin’ please leave a comment on this thread here so that we can rejoice in just how many blessings have been sent around the world!

I bless...Eileen, Denise, Laura W. and Cathy (I especially bless Cathy because she tolerates the high levels of brain damage I exhibit on a fairly regular basis...but hey, what do you expect from a company grade officer's wife anyway?)

I bless Eileen, Denise, Laura W. and Cathy because.… they each bless me with their stories of what faith looks like when it's lived out in real life.

A Prayer for Eileen, Denise Laura W and Cathy. …may the blessing of almighty God, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you forever. Amen.

+++

and that’s it, nearly…

So, now my three four blessed buddies have to:

a) bless 3 blog buddies each.
b) Include the ‘God Bless you’ image in their post.
c) Explain briefly why they are blessing the people they are blessing.
d) pray/include in the post the prayer for the recipients of the blessing.
e)The recipient/sender of a blessing should type in the com box of this very post that a blessing has been sent to them to keep track of how many blessings are being given.

The nose knows

Once the three little ones were in bed tonight, we sat down with the older kids to play a game of Yahtzee. The Boy wandered into the kitchen, as teenage boys are wont to do, in search of food. Exactly two-and-a-half minutes later, bowl of Movie Theater Butter in hand, he settled in on the couch for his pre-snack snack. Suddenly, the cherubic, fair-haired little N, appeared on the balcony above--acting as resident spokesperson for the pink bedroom. Peering through the railings, she explained her impromptu visit:

"Mommy. Daddy. We can't sleep. The smell of popcorn is making our nose wake up."

Word on Fire!

A friend of mine passed along this website containing Father Robert Barron's homilies (which are also broadcast on Relevant Radio very-very-early in the morning...at least for this night owl). If you haven't yet heard him speak, he is engaging and is not afraid to tackle contemporary media or current events, among a host of other topics, in light of Church teaching.

From his website:

“Word on Fire” is a program of Catholic evangelical preaching. It is evangelical in the measure that it proclaims Jesus Christ boldly in the hopes of bringing men and women to conversion and new life in Him. It is Catholic inasmuch as it utilizes the tremendous resources of the Roman Catholic tradition – art, architecture, poetry, philosophy, theology, and the lives of the saints – in order to explain and interpret the event of Jesus Christ. It is my hope that this radio outreach can draw people into the body of Christ, which is the Church, and thereby give them access to all the gifts that Jesus wants his people to enjoy. -Fr. Robert Barron

Don't miss his discussion on the Sopranos. Or if it's easier...you can watch it right here---



H/T Teri

Ethiopian Christmas aka Epiphany

This time last year, we were just welcoming home our newly arrived Ethiopian children when the full blown Americanized version of Christ's birth hit them square between the eyes. In an effort to minimize this secular holiday bombardment, we went about celebrating the season in our typical quiet (okay, friends, I use the term quiet loosely when referring to the Ark) family way. But knowing that in Ethiopia, Christmas was celebrated on the Epiphany we purposefully transitioned some of our traditional Christmas customs to January. It was one of those times when I thought I was doing something so great and wonderful for my children, but, in the end, the one who really benefited from this change was me. I had, if you'll pardon the pun, my own little epiphany about the whole season and the ebb and flow of the Christmas season at large in the Church.
So this year, we made certain to repeat some of our Epiphany activities from last year, and the favorite one (I'm thinking because fire was involved and the Boy, fresh off his altar serving tour, came match in hand ready to help).

Here below, you can see the pictures of our house blessing, whose tradition commemorates the visit of the Magi to the humble dwelling of the Lord. With the blessing, we show our desire for the protection and the presence of Jesus in our homes, and our intent to reflect God's openness and hospitality to others.

Gather the family at home to share this home blessing:

Let us pray: O Lord, almighty God, bless this house that it may become a shelter of health, chastity, self-control, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to your Commandments, and thanksgiving to God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Upon this house and those who dwell here may your blessing remain forever, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here is the blessing that was read by B, at the main doorway of the house, while the Boy marked the slate:

Let us pray: O Lord, God, through the power of the priest you blessed this chalk to make it helpful for us your people. Grant that we who use it with faith and write with it the names of the saints--Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar--upon the entrance of our home, may through their merits and petitions enjoy physical health and spiritual protection, through Christ our Lord. Amen.



On the slate write the year and the initials of the names of the Magi, separated by crosses, in this manner:

20 + C + M + B + 08

Once all of that has happened, then comes everyone's favorite part. Together, we walk through the entire house, carrying the incense to bless each room. Usually the older kids take turns holding the incense (It gets VERY hot!), but we do help each of the little ones to bless their rooms. The smell of the incense is mild, but just strong enough to linger in the air for the rest of the evening, reminding each of us of the great gifts we have been given and the responsibility we have to share them with those around us.

Scheduling Crisis

"I just don't know about this half day kindergarten bit," I overheard a young mother lamenting to her friend. "He comes home from school and eats lunch, but then the afternoon just stretches out in front of us forever," as she feigned a dramatic collapse. Her friend smiled and nodded sympathetically, "I know what you mean. There are a few library programs or occasional swim lessons, but really, what are we supposed to do to keep our kids entertained for all that time between lunch and dinner?"

I looked around at my own three little ones wandering about my feet. One was busying himself with the contents of the diaper bag and the other two had created an impromptu game involving princesses and some derivation of ring-around-the-rosy. Was I, or more importantly, my children missing something in the afternoon hours spent at home with me, their pint-sized calendars full of white space?

As I gathered my brood to leave, I overheard the son of the distraught mother whining to her, "Mommy, what are we going to do now???" And my heart went out to her as I saw her shrug her weary shoulders and gesture to her friend, "See what I mean?"

When did it become our role as parents to also act as cruise directors for a ship ready to mutiny if our activity schedule doesn't entertain 24-7?

My older children recall not the time spent with me at some exotic location or trendy kidspot, but the memories born of a lazy afternoon where boredom provided inspiration. They remember walking through our yard, barren but for a dozen or so young saplings to check on their growth and discovering--much to our surprise--a family of birds nesting within. They remember their decision to hand wash the car on a hot summer's day that turned into a full-blown water fight. They remember the time we opted to take all of the recycling boxes in the house and turn them into makeshift doll (and in the case of the larger boxes-people) houses. There have been tea parties, picnics, story times and containers of play-doh that have wrought bonds stronger than any super-glue could ever hope to do. And there have been quiet times talking, sharing memories or poking around my old jewelry drawer as they tried on their great grandmother's engagement ring and pondered their connection to someone whom they only know from pictures.

Have my kids missed out? I don't think so. And when they get older, I hope they'll look back and say they agree.

Don't miss this! Many of you have probably seen or already subscribe to this gem of a magazine. For those of you who haven't, here's an opportunity to page through the new January/February issue and see what you're missing. Here's a recent advertisement, including the link to preview the new issue... As a new year unfolds, many of us have our good resolutions to honor for the coming year. For Catholic parents, and especially for mothers, some of those resolutions undoubtedly have to do with the challenging task of raising happy, wholesome, and holy children and fostering a happy marriage. What better resource than Faith & Family magazine for a year-round source of inspiration and guidance? This beautifully presented magazine has won the 1st place General Excellence Award from the Catholic Press Association for the past 6 years in a row for its content and layout. Just click here to preview a few pages of the current Jan/Feb 2008 issue.

Each issue has specific sections designed to help couples with tips on marriage and parenting, resources and guidance for the spiritual life, tips on how to live Catholic traditions in the home, positive testimonials about real people who share their triumphs and struggles, entertainment guides for all ages, delicious recipes, practical household tips, and much more. In collaboration with Catholic Radio International, Faith & Family Magazine has also sponsored a series of Christmastide reflections on the family, available for instant listening here. For subscription information click here.

What's in a Name?

Apparently quite a bit if you ask Maryanna Korwitts, who is a self-proclaimed nameologist. An article ran in our local paper about her work yesterday. Besides reading about the anatomy--or history--of your name, or trying name *therapy* for a name that has just never quite suited you well, you can plug in your name to find out what personality traits are associated with your name. And if that wasn't enough, she even offers psychic intuitive readings.

How did I ever survive this long without knowing that instead of Jane I might make for a better Janie or Janel or Joan? Better still, how could my parents in all decency give me a name that might sway my personality one way or another before I even had a chance to offer my name suggestions. And what about that kid who changed his name to "Trout Fishing in America"? Where do you think he falls on the nameagories scale?

Stay tuned, dear friends, these and other questions along with the announcement of my new--and improved--name, still to come.

Tongue inserted firmly in cheek here. I mean you can't really believe I'd do a psychic intervention, could you? Now a chocolate intervention, that's a whole different story...

Please pray...

for the repose of the soul of David Eversole, who together with his wife owned and operated the amazing Catholic Christian store On A Wing And A Prayer. Their store has blessed many families in our community and the outreach that Dave's Daniel's Den provided was second to none. His family and friends and the Catholic Christian community at large will miss him greatly.

Also pray that their store's ministry and evangelization continues. Dave will be smiling from heaven to see that even in death, the work he began continues to bring others closer to Christ.

At Home Date Nights

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my husband and I enjoyed a wonderful time together in Chicago last weekend. It was so great, in fact, that we're walking around the house now saying things like, "Gee. That was really fun." "Yeah, we should do that more often." But the reality is a big weekend like that isn't in the cards (or the Ark's budget) for a weekly date night. It left us thinking about when we were newly married, stationed in Germany, with a newborn in tow. Wanting desperately to have occasional date nights, we resorted to taking turns planning "at home" date nights once the Boy was asleep. Themed dates like Poker Night, Home Brewed Coffee Shop and Movie night-in were created--and enjoyed--very much. We've decided to try and resurrect this ancient Ark tradition, but I thought I'd ask for a little assistance.

So, friends, any great date night ideas out there? I know that Laura has been doing a series on frugality and I think the "at home" date night idea scores big points in that category. Perhaps there are some frugal, yet fun, and still romantical (as Paula Deen says) ideas out there? Suggestions, please---Date night is less than a week away!

Back-to-school

6:45am Wake early and congratulate self on crawling out of bed before kids leave for school.

7:00am Plan to change out of pajamas and into *grown-up* clothes. Wonder why we decided against homeschooling.

7:30am Thank God for husband, who is driving the early morning altar serving Boy and his sisters to school on this first day back.

8:00am Get online to respond to email and update blog just as three little voices called, "Good Morning."

8:30am Fix breakfast and vow to change out of pajamas right away at least by noon. Notice that laundry has not folded itself overnight and prioritize folding it-AFTER suitably dressed for the day.

9:00am Talk to Mom on phone, discuss important current events--primary in NH, unseasonably warm weather, and the "Look at the purty, tall buildings" look on my face that evoked smirks from the two young ladies (who would never believe that I spent much of my senior year in college running around NYC) followed by a mournful "When did I get old?"

10:00am Call for the big girls to help dress the little kids. Wait in silence for response. Curse the end of Christmas vacation.

11:00am Finish cleaning up kitchen from breakfast and wonder why the little kids are already asking for lunch. Look at clock and sigh.

11:30am Finish household administrative tasks, phone calls and paperwork. Worry that tomorrow is not looking promising for any major accomplishments.

11:31am Decide that getting dressed qualifies for major accomplishment.

12:30pm Throw hands up in air and laugh. Attempt to document this first morning back to school--because when I'm having a TRULY bad day--this is one that will make me smile.

Happy Back to School!

Get Away!

For his Christmas gift this year, I opted to schedule a get-away mini-weekend for my husband and I. (Yes, I know, this ranks right up there with giving him a copy of my favorite book or movie as we both enjoyed it tremendously--but hopefully, he was enjoying himself too much to notice...) Regardless, we spent a lovely evening in the city at a historic Chicago hotel and dined at one of our fair city's famous steakhouses, where we were thrilled to realize that the "smoke-free" restaurants rule was now in effect. (There really is nothing like eating a meal that has NOT been sauteed in someone's second hand smoke!)

Much to my surprise, when we arrived a bottle of champagne was chilling in our room and a complimentary breakfast for two delivered via room service was scheduled to arrive the next morning. Honestly, I don't know how that happened, but I must admit I was quite happy it did!
Needless to say, having an unlimited amount of time in which to shower, dress and get pretty (minus the standard interruptions of "Can you wipe me?", "Can you sign my homework?", "I neeeeeeed more fill in the food/drink favorite of the day," or my favorite, at 7 in the morning, "I have to ask you something important---what's for dinner tonight?") left me feeling refreshed and ready to head back to the troops waiting at home. It also reminded me that it is possible that my husband manages to see the leisurely showered hotel woman through the pony tails and sweat pants that usually greet him at the end of his day, but for good measure, I suggested he snap a mental picture--just in case.


But the best part of leaving, as always, was coming home. Remembering that the little ones who waited there for us were the actual, physical examples of all that was good about being away.

(A few of the photos of the hotel lobby--I couldn't get a good picture of me with my jeans and well-worn shoes from Target clutching my enormous Mom-purse and looking like the suburban mom I am spending a night in the big city)

Thanks and Praise

for another precious soul welcomed by the Elm City family. If you have a chance, stop by and wish them all well.

Thumbs Up!

Found all over the little corner of the blogosphere I haunt is the announcement of the new Catholic Media Review blog. A group of bloggers, including Julie D., from Happy Catholic, will provide their take on current releases with an eye toward Church teaching. Looking for a place to see if a movie would be a good fit for your family? Look no further, here it is. Don't forget to bookmark it!

Much success, ladies. And a great big thanks for taking on this endeavor!

Online Bible Study

Beginning Monday, Catholic Exchange starts "Renewing Your Christian Self" a ten-week, online study designed for women, who may be unable to attend a regularly scheduled study.

From their site:

From the website: "Are you interested in participating in a bible study but don't always have the time to attend a regularly scheduled meeting?

Would you like to connect with women around the world and share insights, support, encouragement, and opinions?..." For more details go here.

On Looking Good Enough To Eat

Have you ever made those cute little chocolates that you can form into a million different shapes? Craft stores everywhere sell molds for every occasion and every holiday (and I think we may own them all).
And then there are the chocolates--dark chocolates, milk, light, and white chocolates in every shade of the rainbow. All so delicious that it is an effort to keep them in the cupboard long enough for their intended use.
Well, my kids know their homemade, multi-colored, thematically shaped chocolates--and so do I. Or so I thought. When these beauties (featured right) appeared in festive bags as Christmas gifts. I encouraged them (You can start cringing now, Dawn) to grab one out and take a big bite of the new treats. I stepped out of the room for one second--and suddenly a panic was ensuing behind me. Children were running amok everywhere I looked. Screaming and yelling that they had soap in their mouths. Guzzling water straight out of the water cooler as bubbles flowed down their chins. Soap? I was dumbfounded. Where on earth could they have gotten into, let alone eaten soap in the mini-moment I turned my back. Then it hit me. (I'm a little slow on the uptake in some of these situations.) Our beautiful, sea-shell shaped chocolates were--you guessed it--beautiful, sea-shell shaped SOAPS.
So, minus the bite-marked ones, these lovely gifts will be located in our girls bathroom. Just so you know. In case you ever visit. And were thinking about tasting one of our conveniently located bathroom chocolates.

New Year's Eve Countdown In Word and Pictures

At 6pm, our small crowd of guests arrived for dinner. But before we ate, each of us wrote one thing we want to improve or change or a bad habit to stop from 2007 on a small slip of paper and sent it into a roaring fire. Then, we each lit a candle, off a tray of votives, as we said a silent prayer for the coming year.

At 7pm, for the fourth time in as many years, we wrote our Ten Year Predictions with sometimes humorous (the invention of Baby T's new line of hair products--Fro and Go) and sometimes sweet (CB's prediction that in ten years, Mom and Dad will still be loving us just like today.) Then, despite the blowing snow coming down, everyone traipsed out onto the front porch to blow bubbles in the dark.

At 8pm, mini bags of M & Ms revealed our Sweet Fortunes and we began the first of several rounds of card games (Spoons, Go Fish and Scr*w Your Neighbor--which I'm sure must have a nicer name) provided lots of laughs.

At 9pm, the Boy cranked up the ITunes CD he made for our "Blast from the Past" Dance Party. Everyone tried their hand at guessing which decade the songs came from, while the youngest revelers cut some serious rug. By special request, the last song was The Chicken Dance, which provided background music for many rounds of musical chairs.

At 10pm, we lit the sparklers on our Confetti Cake and enjoyed our final dessert of 2007. We also watched Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest (along with Hannah Montana and co.) at the ball drop in NYC.

At 11pm, we chose from a list of games and played until just before midnight. Santa's gift of the popular dice-rolling game, Yahtzee, was chosen hands down over "Memorable Events Charades" (charades of defining moments of 2007).

At 11:50, we donned party hats and scrambled for noisemakers and party poppers. As the Boy dropped balloons (decorated with fortunes for the New Year) from the balcony, we raised our glasses and toasted one another---even the little ones stayed awake!



From all of us on the Ark,
May God fill your 2008 with abundant grace and blessings!

Remember us, 0 God; from age to age be our comforter. You have given us the wonder of time, blessings in days and nights, seasons and years.

Bless your children at the turning of the year and fill the months ahead with the bright hope that is ours in the coming of Christ.

You are our God, living and reigning, for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessing for the New Year from Catholic Culture

Betcha Didn't Know

Ordinary, everyday rubbing alcohol will remove the contents of an exploded red ink pen from neutrally-colored berber carpeting.

Don't ask me how I know, just trust me when I say it works!

The Ocean Called...

it's out of---

Don't say the people at the SHRIMP Company, who packaged this bag of cooked SHRIMP, didn't warn you that there might be--you know--SHRIMP in the bag, which could be dangerous if you were allergic to SHRIMP and unaware.