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Reusable Lent Calendar + Giveaway

March 5, 2015 By Jenna 35 Comments

Fun Fact:
Lent will be halfway over on March 12. Half. Way. I seriously just rolled up our Advent calendar. Have you thought about how you are doing with your commitments? I know I tend to stay on course more easily when I have tangible things to use as tools. I’m working my way through the Blessed is She Lenten Journal, and I also contacted Jesse Tree Treasures on Etsy about their Jesus Tree.

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What It Is:
“The Jesus Tree is a daily family devotional tool to observe the days of Lent. Follow this devotion through Jesus life, whether during Lent or any time of the year.

What is Included:
“47 disks for the 40 days of Lent and 7 Sundays, and 10 days to walk from Ascension to Pentecost. We have also included 7 bonus disks, including various holy days. Sort the ornaments by color to coordinate the weeks according to the enclosed card. Included is a chart listing the stories from each of the gospels to assist in devotion.”

How They Work:
Easy. During each day of Lent, draw the corresponding coin and read the Bible passage suggested. Since Lent is, date-wise, an ever changing season, a set in stone calendar is difficult to pin down. This method allows you to track the days of Lent in a meaningful way, but also lets you reuse the calendar each year to create a tradition for your family.

How to Use:
There wooden coins can just be drawn and returned to their pouch each day. They can also be made into magnets, ornaments or any other way you can dream up to display.

Perfect For:
I might be biased, but I feel these are great for young kids who don’t have a concept of time. We have a tangible way to count the days of Lent while learning about the life of Jesus.

Where to Buy:
Jesse Tree Treasures on Etsy

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Jesus Tree Giveaway

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Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living, Reviews & Giveaways

How to Live Lent as a Busy Mom

February 17, 2015 By Jenna 15 Comments

We moms who want to nurture our relationship with God—but also lead busy lives with children—often find ourselves caught between a rock and hard place. Prayer practices seem to require 1) undivided chunks of time; 2) quiet; 3) a peaceful environment. I don’t know about you, but those three almost NEVER occur at our house, at least not at the same time!

So I’ve learned that realistic expectations for prayer are essential as a parent. Lent is no exception. Over the years I’ve tried to live by these 3 simple ideas, and each year I find that they lead me in surprising ways to a deeper Lent.

You may be looking for Lent ideas for kids, or you might be thinking, “I’m drowning and don’t have time for this!” Instead, learn how to live Lent as a busy mom. | catholicism | easter | 40 days of Lent

© diavolessa / Dollar Photo Club

 

  1. Lower your expectations.

Every year, Lent becomes the Same Story. I set all these lofty goals: I will pray this much! I will read that book! I will give up this bad habit! I will give more to those in need! Then life intervenes in its usual busy, frantic ways, and I wind up feel utterly deflated by my inability to make any progress in my Lenten disciplines.

I want to do All The Things, and then I set myself up for failure.

So for the past few years, I’ve deliberately tried to be cautious about my plans for Lent. Honestly, I set the bar low and I refuse to beat up on myself. Surprisingly, this has led me to stick to my Lenten disciplines better than I ever did in the past. I try to care for myself like I think God would: gently, lovingly, with forgiveness and understanding. So I let myself stumble, and then I celebrate when I pick myself up.

Lent is a time for growth, for discipline and self-reflection, and for deepening our relationship with God. It’s not a time to feel lousy about ourselves for not doing enough.

I also think it’s important to remember that as parents, we make sacrifices all year round. So our living of Lent goes beyond 40 days—we don’t have to do everything right now!

  1. Make short time for small prayer.

My spiritual director always reminds me of two truths: your work as a mother is prayer and your desire to pray is prayer. This last one took me a long time to accept. At first it seemed like a cop-out—don’t I actually have to PRAY to please God? But I have come to understand that God knows the deepest desires of our hearts. God knows that our longing for prayer is itself good and holy.

So I try to welcome the desire for prayer when it comes, and then carve out time and space to attend to that desire—sometimes later in the day after the kids are all in bed, or sometimes right in the crazy moment with three little boys tugging at my sleeve.

But I try to let go of the expectation that I can pray like a monk in an abbey with all the time, space, and place set neatly before him. That’s not my life. Nor is it my call.

Instead, I can pray like a busy mother. 

Instead, I can pray like a busy mother.

I can take two minutes to greet the day with a whispered word of thanks. I can share a short morning prayer with my kids when they wake up. I can bless our food at meals and remember those who will go without today. I can pray with my kids on the drive to school and in the quiet of their rooms before bed. I can slow down in the day’s whirlwind to give thanks for the gifts in my life.

My mantra has become “make short time for small prayer.” I don’t have an hour to meditate, but I have hours with many small moments I can fill with a word of blessing, praise, or petition. In this season of my life, that is what I have to give. And I think God, who cares for us all like a loving parent, understands and blesses that truth.

  1. Get creative.

Shake up everyday habits in little ways. Change your homepage from email to something more meaningful, like a website with prayer and scripture for daily reflection. Stop yourself before turning on the radio or TV first thing in the morning, and simply sit in the silence. Make your cup of coffee at home instead of grabbing a latte while running errands, and donate the extra $3 instead. Even in the busy whirl of work-kids-home-repeat, we can all find small ways to break out of our routine and become more mindful of how we’re living during Lent.

Give your “alms” online. What busy mother hasn’t turned to online shopping for diapers, groceries, clothes or other necessities? Do the same with your Lenten giving. In past years I’ve been able to organize our Lenten donations online at night once the kids are sleeping. So much easier than frantically trying to dig out my wallet from the diaper bag when they’re taking up a collection at church!

Multi-task: Combine Lenten practices with spring cleaning. I’ve been inspired by the “40 Bags in 40 Days” challenge to rid our home of extra clothes and household goods. What haven’t we used in years? What could someone else use that we don’t want? I’ve always been haunted by the teachings of the early church fathers that the unworn clothes in our closets belong to the poor. So digging through and giving away has been a wonderful Lenten practice—and jumpstarts our spring cleaning, too!

What works for you? How are you living Lent this year?

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Laura Kelly Fanucci is a writer and mother of three young boys. She writes about faith and family life at Mothering Spirit and is the author of Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting.

Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living

7QT: she is still banking Lenten sacrifice hours

February 13, 2015 By Jenna 5 Comments

chatter

Still* pregnant over here. Don’t worry. I’m due Thursday the 19th, but Sam was 12 days early, so I am considering myself on overtime right now. That’s how it works, you know. Let me spare you the rest of what I was going to type and sum it up here: wah. wah. wah. womp. womp. womp. wahhhhh.

*Author was still pregnant at time of writing this post. If the universe has had mercy on her ribs, she will be in labor at this very moment. Otherwise, she is still banking Lenten sacrifice hours…which are totally a thing.

instalife

my gram

 

 

this week

I care enough to make sure you don’t miss out on anything I posted earlier this week. Obviously you have a good excuse for why you didn’t read. I forgive you. And I update you:

Twitterature

#5Faves: Steps for Brushing Your Teeth

Lent in the Time of a Newborn

in photos

daddy-daughter dance

daddy-daughter dance

while Sam and mom ate our ever-increasing weight in pretzels while watching "Go!" aka name that movie.

while Sam and mom ate our ever-increasing weight in pretzels while watching “Go!” aka name that movie.

lots of audiobooks in these parts these days

lots of audiobooks in these parts these days

new designs in shop

new designs in shop

finished this charming book for the first time ever

finished this charming book for the first time ever

blawgtip

If you’re looking for a little popup box to add to your wordpress.org site, try these two:

  • WP Greet Box: Puts a little greeting at the top of your posts and is tailored to the site your visitor arrived from. Also, I am well aware of the rule about ending sentences with prepositions, and because I know the rule, I can do whatever I want to. ha.
  • Scroll Triggered Boxes: When you get about halfish way down my page, you’ll see a box pop up with an option to subscribe via email. That’s what that is.

 

inmybloglovin

I’m not the only bard in this neck of the Internet. Check out some gems that I didn’t Mark as Read before even getting to. In fact, I saved them to savor later. So, are they good? I don’t know. Let’s find out together:

50 Shades of No Thank You

Let Us Keep the Fast?

43 Favorite Fictional Couples

Read More Books Now

currently

with Joyful Life

Reading: Lizzy & Jane (on sale for $.99 right now!)

Eating: scones and leftovers, baby

Listening: George Ezra Radio on Pandora

Wearing: pass.

Praying: for an anxiety-free delivery; for strengthened faith and hope

 

 .

Squaking With Kelly
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Filed Under: 7 Quick Takes

Lent in the Time of a Newborn

February 12, 2015 By Jenna 12 Comments

There’s a saying that gets batted around every Lent: Sometimes you choose a sacrifice for Lent, but sometimes God chooses it for you. Never more is that true, for me at least, than during times of pregnancy or when I’m caring for a newborn. Whether it’s all-day nausea during early pregnancy, the constant backache of late pregnancy, or cracked nipples and extreme lack of sleep during the newborn weeks and months, Lent gives mothers plenty of opportunities to offer up our sufferings in unity with Christ in the desert.

But what exactly is expected of pregnant and nursing moms during Lent? And how can we have a meaningful Lent while still living out the vocation of motherhood? (No, we can’t run away to a mountaintop for 40 days in order to sleep, pray and avoid laundry, but we can still do something, right?)

First, the technicalities: pregnant and nursing moms are not required to fast, or even abstain from meat during Lent. Possibly more importantly, we shouldn’t waste precious time and energy feeling guilty for our needs during this time in life. It is what it is, and God understands your struggles more intimately than anyone else.

How should we celebrate Lent then? If your life is feeling off-kilter while adjusting (or readjusting if this isn’t your first) to the demanding presence of a newborn, let’s brainstorm Lenten practices that will clear the insanity, not add more.

You may be looking for Lent ideas for kids, or you might be thinking, “I’m drowning and don’t have time for this!” Instead, learn how to have a fruitful Lent in the time of a newborn. | catholicism | easter | 40 days of Lent

© Jose Gil / Dollar Photo Club

Mindfulness

I often think about how, with my older children, I didn’t have a smart phone or iPad. When I sat down to nurse, I spent most of my time gazing at them. Whatever book I was reading at the time, if it was handy, took second place. Now, I find that it’s an automatic reaction to grab my phone or iPad when I sit down to nurse the baby. I’ll just check my messages, I think. But it never really works out that way does it?

When did our mindfulness give way to busyness? I suppose every recent generation has asked that question, but it’s worth revisiting. Are we really bettering our lives by skimming the surface of other people’s lives? Would being present with the life God has given us give us more peace?

Lenten practices to try:

  • Put away your phone (and all devices) during a set time. When you sit down to nurse/bottle feed, or for a few hours in the afternoon, for example.
  • Restrict internet usage to certain hours of the day.
  • Set times during the day when you focus on just your child(ren). No housework, no lists, no devices. Just be with each other.

Prayerfulness

As much as I love Jesus, I find that quiet prayer time is the first thing to go during times of stress or change. A part of me knows that it’s okay to pray differently when my vocations is demanding different things of me. But another part of me knows that if I’m being honest, I’m not making proper time for prayer.

I need prayer like I need to breathe. (We all do, I think.) If I hold my breath too long, I’ll lose consciousness. If I go without praying for too long, I’ll lose the connection that matters most. But how, when I’m in the midst of upheaval during the newborn phase, should I make time to pray meaningfully?

Lenten practices to try:

  • Attach a Hail Mary (or a whole decade) to each nursing/bottle session. (Hey, you might be able to sneak in a whole rosary throughout the day!)
  • Say an Our Father plus a heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving at each diaper change.
  • Keep a Lenten prayer journal near where you nurse/feed the most.

Joyful Acceptance

When all else fails, when the crazy piles of laundry and the baby weight have got you so befuddled you can hardly get yourself out of the house, much less to daily Mass, consider that Jesus knows your heart. He knows when you can do more and when you’re stretched to the breaking point. He wants us to find the balance of being with Him in prayer and service to our families as a part of our vocation.

Lenten practices to try:

  • Choose one thing you know you can do during Lent, and do it prayerfully. Even if it seems like a small thing compared to what you’ve done in the past, Jesus will know the sacrifice you made for Him.
  • Say “Jesus, I trust in you” as many times throughout the day as you can manage.
  • Ask your husband to help you get to Eucharistic Adoration once week. (An hour with Jesus does wonders for the tired and distraught mama.)

The One Thing I Wish Everyone Did During Lent

Listen, friends. God knows when we screw up, but He also loves us unconditionally. Picture this: God is the dad on the sidelines rooting for us to get up and finish the race, not the opposition mocking us while we’re down. You know who that is, right? The opposition? He’s a big old jerk, and not worth our time, okay? So if I could ask everyone to do just one thing this Lent, it would be this:

Make a commitment not to berate yourself mentally.

Here’s the thing: Lent is hard. It’s difficult when we’re young and single, and it’s difficult when we’re old-ish and have a houseful of kids. Get this: God is waiting for us at the end of this road, in the Resurrection. He’s not going to leave. So even if we stumble, getting up and making the trek is going to get us there. Not only is there no point in berating ourselves, it’s actually an awful distraction from the purpose of Lent, which is to bring us closer to Christ.

So to all you new mamas out there, I’ll be praying for you this Lent. I hope that you got some inspiration from this post, and maybe even an idea or two for Lent. And if not, well, you can always just give up chocolate. I won’t be offended.

What are your Lenten celebrations? Do you have any suggestions for new moms during Lent?

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Micaela is a homeschooler by day, a blogger by night, and a Catholic wife and mom 24/7. You can read more about her adventurous life at her blog, California to Korea (and back again).

Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living, Guest Posts

Free Online Lent Conference for Women #CC4Moms

February 2, 2015 By Jenna 2 Comments

Want an easy way to set aside time this Lent to prayerfully look at your vocation as a mother and woman? The Catholic Conference 4 Moms is a perfect and FREE way to listen to simple, useful talks/podcasts from other Catholic moms on topics that will help you grow in this season of preparation.

Catholic Conference 4 Moms Banner (1)

 

Who:

The Catholic Conference 4 Moms Speaker Lineup

What:

Every day during the conference, you will have access to 5-6 talks (titles of presentations here), just as if you were at a live conference. This link will come via email. What’s different is that you can choose which talks you want to watch or listen to and when you you want to do it.

When:

Friday, March 6 – Monday, March 9. After the conference is over, it will all be available for purchase for one low price of  $39.99.  This will include online access to all the videos, as well as a download of every video presentation.  And besides all of this, there will also be bonus downloads, PDFs, discussion questions, ebooks, and other goodies.

Where:

At your computer. Whenever you want.

Why:

Because we could all use a fresh new look at our lives as women and moms. Lent is such a beautiful time for this. Read more about it here.

Now What?

What should you do next? How do you sign up? Follow these steps to ensure the best experience:

  • Register for Free Here
  • Enter to win a prize pack here
  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Pinterest
  • Watch the Promo Video

 

I’m most excited to hear the following talks:

  • Why is it hard to be a mother today?
  • Praying with Children
  • 5 Daily Habits that Will Help You Get Out and Stay Out of Survival Mode

Do you plan on attending with me? What are you most excited to hear?

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Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living, Muddahood

#5Faves: Lent Resources

January 27, 2015 By Jenna 9 Comments

Looking to make Lent a little more meaningful or even just easier? Both of those adjectives would certainly help you prepare and focus, yes? Yes. Here are my favorite Lent resources. I hope it is a pious one for ya.

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40 Simple Lenten Activities for Kids: This is the first year that Ellen really understands the liturgical year. I tried some of this stuff before, and while I am sure it was beneficial in some way, I think this year she will actually be able to put two and two together.

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Walk with Jesus Through Lent Ornaments: I’ve had my eye on these bad boys for a few years now. I love having a tangible thing the kids can do each day during seasons of preparation. And, I really want something reusable like our Advent calendar. Maybe I will bite the bullet and grab these this year?

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Easy Meatless Meals: Certainly you will be attending a fish fry or two, but don’t forget there are some insanely easy and filling meatless meals you can make right at home. My favorite? The bean burritos.

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Picking Your Sacrifice: This guide is more specific to Friday abstinence, but I think all of the ideas are very appropriate for your Lenten sacrifice. Find a new idea that will help you grow this year.

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Blessed is She Lent Journal: I used the Advent journal last year, and it was the most fruitful Advent I have ever had. No joke. I cannot wait to start using this on February 18; I really love having something concrete I can go to each day to keep my grounded. You can preorder the journal right now. Hot Tip: the Advent journal sold out last year!

For more Lent resources, check here. Some links may be affiliate.

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5 favorites

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Filed Under: 5 Favorites

7QT: if that person understood the silent treatment, she’d be getting it

January 9, 2015 By Jenna 6 Comments

chatter

I feel like I’ve reached another blogging rut. I know, we all get them. Woe is Jenna’s super-hard life. But, when your goal is to eventually have a self-sustaining blog that makes some side income for your family, and you reach a plateau, and you’re immensely pregnant, this stuff happens. And the whole Internet gets to hear about it.

I feel like I just need a really famous person to give me my big break. Do you know famous people? Can you hook me up?

Otherwise things are going to get pretty creative around here.

Wait, is this a thing?

Wait, is this a thing?

instalife

my gram

 

this week

I care enough to make sure you don’t miss out on anything I posted earlier this week. Obviously you have a good excuse for why you didn’t read. I forgive you. And I update you:

tl;dr January

Ideas for Friday Abstinence

#5Faves: Essential Oil Tricks 

in photos

learning all about static electricity...or just building a fort

learning all about static electricity…or just building a fort

clearly our week was packed because I had time to update my cartoon icons of Mike on my phone

Clearly our week was packed because I had time to update my cartoon icons of Mike on my phone.

Someone taught him how to climb out of his crib. And if that person understood the silent treatment, she'd be getting it.

Someone taught him how to climb out of his crib. And if that person understood the silent treatment, she’d be getting it.

blawgtip

Consider doing some paper marketing to advertise your blog. Instead of just pushing it out on the wide old Internet, print fliers, magnets, business cards, etc. and post them on community boards, give them out to people you meet, send them in the mail.

 

inmybloglovin

I’m not the only bard in this neck of the Internet. Check out some gems that I didn’t Mark as Read before even getting to. In fact, I saved them to savor later. So, are they good? I don’t know. Let’s find out together:

Change your feed reader, change your life.

5 Housebound Faves

The Man Behind the Blog

currently

with Joyful Life

Reading:  The Expats

Eating: Made this. Loved it.

Listening: I’ve had this song stuck in my head since Christmas. Help.

Wearing: These.

Praying: For a name for this baby. The one that is coming in a few weeks.

 

 .

Squaking With Kelly
some links may be affiliate

 .

 

Filed Under: 7 Quick Takes

Call Her Happy Spring Stitch-a-Long Details {Succulent Embroidery Pattern}

March 17, 2014 By Jenna 26 Comments

It’s the first ever Call Her Happy Stitch-a-long! I’m hoping to cover all of your question bases here, but if I leave something out, let me know. It’s going to be super easy and laid back, just like me…minus the easy part.

Free succulents embroidery pattern for an easy summer DIY handstitching project. This succulent garden is the most relaxing project! |embroidery ideas | embroidery patterns | embroidery design | DIY crafts | succulents DIY

What is a Stitch-a-Long?

A group of people embroidering from the same pattern under a loose timeline in order to gawk at each other’s interpretations of the piece. It’s just for fun, so don’t be so uptight about it. Stop freaking out!

Learn how to embroider here.

How do I participate?

Super simple: I will provide a pattern that all participants will use. Download and transfer the pattern (the whole design, the parts you like or modify it and make it your own), then start stitching. Choose whatever colors, fabric and types of stitches you like. Make it as big or little as you want. Stitch it on something you will use or just do it on scrap fabric for fun.

And along the way, upload pictures of your progress to Instagram with #callherhappystitchalong. If you don’t have Instagram, post your pics on Facebook, Twitter or your blog. Make sure you share the link and/or use the hashtag so we can see your work.

We’ll run the stitch-a-long through the end of May, and then I will try to put up a post featuring some of your designs – maybe drive some traffic to your blog if you have one. If we like how this goes, I’ll set up another one for Summer. If we don’t, we can pretend this never happened.

The Succulent Embroidery Pattern

I drew up this succulent embroidery pattern a few weeks back for a tutorial I was doing. I just love this pattern so much, but I haven’t had a chance to stitch it up, so I’m going to do it with you.

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update: (coming soon) visit my Etsy shop to access this pattern!

If you finish this guy, and you want more, try out my Lenten Embroidery Prayer Pattern at CatholicMom.com. AND, if you made it this far down the post, here is a little insider info for you:

I just launched my Etsy shop.

I’ll write up a post on it, like, tomorrow, but if you want to peek around right now, feel freeeeeee.

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Filed Under: Embroidery, I Made That

Lenten Embroidery Prayer Craft

March 14, 2014 By Jenna 2 Comments

Lent is supposed to be a time of preparation, contemplative prayer, and sacrifice. But then you throw your family and daily grind into the mix, and Lent is rarely the time of penance and spiritual growth I want it to be.

Or is that just me?

Find out more by checking out my latest at CatholicMom.com: A Hands-On Prayer Craft for Lent. My hope is that the repetitive and flowing lines in this design will be the perfect companion to meditative Lenten prayer.

Also, don’t forget that next week I will be posting about the Call Her Happy Stitch-a-long. And, keep your eyes open for more details on my Etsy shop’s grand opening. Wink.

ps_marisa-lerin_5569_drawn-wood-overlay_pu

Filed Under: Embroidery, Uncategorized

A Scavenger Hunt for Celebrating St. Valentine with a 2-Year-Old

February 14, 2014 By Jenna Leave a Comment

We’re trying to live more liturgically around here this year, but my oldest kid is two. So, let’s face it: she can’t do much. She doesn’t “get it” yet. And that’s ok. We can still do this. It’s just that all of those cutesy ideas and educational lesson plans on Pinterest just won’t work for us yet.

But it’s Valentine’s Day and I wanna party.

So, we’re going with easy ideas: coloring sheets, dressing in red and pink, eating chocolate, reading books about love, making a list of people we love. And, we’re doing a scavenger hunt. And, I want to share it with you.

Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt for Kids

Head over to CatholicMom.com to get it. Get it. I love you.

Filed Under: Daily Dose: Catholic Living, Holiday, Celebrate

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