A Kid’s Liturgical Year Journal 2012/2013

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In the Catholic church we have a liturgical year.  This year is marked by the special “seasons” of the church–Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Ordinary Time, as well as other holy days mixed in throughout the year.

The “new year” begins on the first day of Advent, December 2, 2012 this year.  The idea of this calendar is not to show the passage of time but rather to understand more fully the life of Jesus–from his birth to the crucifixion then our waiting in glory for his final coming.

Ok, I’m not gonna lie–it is a lot to understand, process on any level and apply it to our lives.  Then in order for me to teach my kids or write about it I needed to have a way to work through it with them.

So I came up with the idea to have a weekly journal that followed the liturgical year.  I love color so I thought I would coincide the weeks with the colors of the liturgical year.  Thank you God for the gift of colors!  God knows how to brighten our days!

My goal is:

  • a new fun way to keep a gratitude journal
  • incorporate the colors of the liturgical year
  • be able to see Holy Days ahead of time and prepare to celebrate more fully
  • mix up our way of learning religion–I can teach multiple ages and a multitude of subjects!

Colors:

White:  joy and victory

Red:  blood and fire

Green:  life and hope

Purple:  coming of Christ and penance and renewal

Rose:  the joy of anticipation

This how the weeks break down:

4 weeks of Advent (3rd week can be pink)

2 weeks of Christmas

6 weeks of Ordinary Time

Ash Wednesday

6 weeks of Lent

1 day of Red–Good Friday  Tridium

8 weeks of Easter

1 day of Red Pentecost

26 weeks of Ordinary Time

I’m trying to keep it simple and “learn as we go” so I will begin with paper in this order:

2 purple

1 pink

1 purple

2 white or gold

6 green

Ash Wednesday–not sure what color to go with on this day

6 purple (I will use a different shade from Advent)

1 Red–Good Friday

8 white or gold

1 day of Red for Pentecost

26 green

I used what I had in the house! I think it looks pretty cool!  For Christmas I found some white paper with gold stars!

Ideas for study:

  • at the beginning of each week write out the Sunday Psalm and see how that speaks to your heart over the next week
  • Take a message from the gospel and apply it to each day of the week.
  • Be mindful of where the mysteries of the rosary will be throughout the year.
  • keep it simple and create a gratitude journal–counting each one–I think my kids will out do each other in gratefulness
  • write a special prayer for each “season”

I am creating 4 of these journals–one for each child.  I will let them determine what they want the focus of the year to be.  For my youngest son I will have him pick one word (a concept word like-peace, hope, love, change  . . . ) to be his focus for the year.

My intention for this form of study is that it will foster a way for the kids to develop their own walk with the Lord this year–but it has specific boundaries.  I would hope that it will be a wonderful devotional for them to look back on.  For the kids that I’m homeschooling it will fulfill religion, writing, handwriting, math (time, months, weeks, visually represent a year), reading (we will share our stories/prayers), art (either drawing or exploring Christian artwork, putting on plays), computer skills–if they want to type a week or two or print off artwork from the internet), social studies (where in the bible are we?), science (what was the weather like in the areas, were their bodies of water?, mountains, what did people eat, what plants were plentiful in different areas)–hopefully you get the idea.

I’m hoping that this idea takes on a life of its own and is a wonderful experience for everyone–but I have been homeschooling long enough to know that it will grow and change into something else.

Please let me know if you decide to embark on this activity and how it works out!   If doing an entire year seems daunting than try just one season.  Or if you read this half way through the year . . . start then!

Be Blessed.

A merry meaningful Christmas

an upcycled Christmas

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I like to call it “upcycle”.  Recycle has connotations of being discarded into a tub . .

Upcycle is the fancy cousin of recycle.  I wanted to share with you some of the things that I have made for myself and others that are from items/supplies–NOT from a store.  I didn’t intend to make it–it just happened.

I made this for my sister-in-law–for Christmas this year–she doesn’t read my blog so I’m safe showing it to you!

a felted cup holder

I have a bunch of old sweaters that I have felted (on purpose) to make a wool quilt–hopefully my kids will sew it for me this year!  the pink is a sleeve of a favorite sweater, the red berries are from a sweater and the green leaves are from a sweater that didn’t felt–so I cut the leaves out and then zig-zagged the edges to keep them from fraying!

this is a water bottle cozy–I love the flower–I made several–they started out as pins but then realized they were super cute on a bunch of things!

I followed this video to make these flowers.

Christmas card turned into art

I have 4 total framed–as a collection

I really enjoy giving (and getting) gifts of cookies!  We made a ton of raspberry jam this summer and we are making biscotti with jam as teacher gifts . . . (I don’t think they read my blog either).

I love raspberry jam!

A few years ago Family Fun Magazine had this cute idea–so I put it into my vision board . . . and this year I made it!

Advent trees! I made these out of scrapbook paper–I’m giving this to my preschoolers teacher . . . she might read my blog:-) I know she follows me on pinterest!

I have a little work space downstairs and I make all sorts of things–I like to tinker and create things–my mind works well in the 3D realm.  I enjoy making things and then giving them away.

My personal philosophy on gift giving is that it should be as personal as possible–making something with your own hand or ideas is about as personal as it can get.  I do buy store bought gifts on occasion.  I will buy gift cards to food places and my mother-in-law’s hair salon . . . I just want less in my life and I’m imposing that on others–probably not fair.

I want a simple Christmas with giving intentional gifts that are either homemade, useful or able to be recycled!  That is where I’m at!

Be Blessed as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.

A merry meaningful Christmas, all things Christmas

Dear God, thank you (FMF)

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Psalm 116: 2 (NLT) “Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”

Judy Blume wrote a book, hello God, it’s me Margaret or something like that–I remember reading it–Judy Blume had written these books about middle school stuff–and (I recall that) as I was reading it I felt so “grown up”.  This book gave me the impression that God would be there and listen to me.

As and adult (30 plus years after reading the book), I am beginning to realize the importance of giving thanks for each moment.  That my internal dialogue will be a continual prayer.  That I would fill my mind with things from heaven and not from earth.

I don’t fit in most places.

I’m ok with that.

I make choices for myself and my family that may not be popular–but I really don’t care, because when you seek approval from others and worry about what the world will think . . .

you put people before God.

I have this image in my mind of God cocking his head, leaning in to listen when I speak to him . . . thank you God, in everything, I will give thanks.

In everything , give thanks . . .

  • I chose to keep myself accountable to the Lord.  (I tell my kids “you worry about you–not the other guy”, I’m taking my own advice.)
  • I am thankful that the Holy Spirit shows me the value of keeping quiet.
  • When I lose my temper (and I do!) I am thankful that I have another chance.
  • When I slam doors (and I do!) I am thankful that I have passion, but really need another way to show it.
  • When I put the TV, computer, my knitting, this blog, a book or other distractions before my vocation as a wife and mother–I realize how blessed I am, then joyfully go about my tasks.  All the time giving thanks.
  • I will work hard not to be jealous and envy–even when . . . she has a bigger family, a nicer car, is skinny, she has a more successful   blog, perfect kids–I need to remember that God has given me exactly what I need at this time (not what I think I need/deserve).
  • I am broken and God has blessed me.  Because I am blessed, I see “broken” differently.
  • I seek balance in my choices.  I seek clear boundaries.    I seek grace.

Thank you God for always bending down to listen as I pray, ask, beg, seek, cry, and surrender.

Thank you.

I took longer than 5 minutes to write this Five Minute Friday Post.