Saint Andrew the Apostle Novena

Beginning on Saint Andrew the Apostle's feast day, November 30th, this beautiful prayer is recited 15 times a day until Christmas. This prayer helps us keep our focus on the real meaning of Christmas. By reciting this prayer daily, we help prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Christ.

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment 

In which the Son of God was born 

Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, 

in the piercing cold. 

In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, 

O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, 

(mention your request) 

through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, 

and of His blessed Mother. 

Amen.

Till Next Time,

Monique

The Christmas Present Quest for Pre-teen Girls

Please Note~ This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to click on a link, add it to your cart and complete your purchase, I will receive a small percentage. We are very grateful for this additional source of income. Thank you.

Christmas is right around the corner. I can't believe it is almost here. Buying gifts for the kids when they were little was a lot easier to do. Having a teenager and an almost teenager. the gift giving has gotten a tad bit trickier. So here are a few gifts I have in store for Miss Therese.

This a is beautiful journal for young Catholic girls. 

“Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire!” 

Those words were at the heart of Be Yourself! A Journal for Catholic Girls. It was designed to help girls explore their identity and purpose in life in light of the wisdom of the Catholic Church. The books includes female saints as inspiration. It is packed with gorgeous, full-color line art, quizzes, journaling questions, and quotes from the Catechism and Scripture.  The Be Yourself! journal helps  lead girls to discovering how they were beautifully and wonderfully made. The journal helps girls realize they have a unique,God-given mission and purpose in the world.  The book is recommended for girls ages 9 and up.

It was created by a fellow Catholic blogger Amy Brooks. 

She blogs over at Prayer Wine Chocolate. 

I found these selection of gel pens to go along with her journal.

Therese has been reading the Anne of Green Gable series, so I found a variety of gifts to go along with her love of this charming tale.

The movie collection

A cookbook for her to give some new recipes a try.

Some tea to drink while reading or watching the movies. Of course, you can't have tea without a beautiful mug.

 

On Therese's Christmas list, she had a mermaid tale blanket listed. She asked for one last year but didn't get it so she requested one again. I found this blue-green one that I know she will love.

  

She loves her Alex and Ani bracelets, so I discovered this pretty blue one for her.

Another item she had listed on her Christmas wish list was this Instax Camera. She's suddenly got into photography this year, so this would be a fun gift to help foster her new love. 

Every girl loves to relax in the bath. These bath fizzes would add an extra bit of relaxation to her bath time.

Aren't these the cutest socks? 

I though these would make a wonderful addition to her stocking this year!

She loves her bracelets She had a few of these pin onto her pinterest board, so I thought I'd surprise her with one. 

Another easy, yet fun stocking stuffer.....nail polish!

Crafts are also a big hit. I found this string lantern craft she can make and then use to decorate her room.

and last but not least a book and kit that explains how to make these fun bracelets.

What's one your pre-teen girls Christmas wish list?

I'd loved love to hear some other ideas.

Till Next Time, 

Monique

Preparing for a Joyous Advent

Please Note~ This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to click on a link, add it to your cart and complete your purchase, I will receive a small percentage. We are very grateful for this additional source of income. Thank you.

Preparing for Advent is an important part of our Catholic faith. We need to be ready for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I love reading and during Advent, I enjoy reading books that help me stay closer to the real meaning of Advent and Christmas. It's so easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Too often we lose sight of what is truly important. Here a few of the books I have found over the years and  a few I am looking  forward to reading this year.

This was a gift for Therese.

This was a gift for Michael last year.

We don't have this book...at least not yet. We love all of Sister Wendy's art books. They are filled with a beautiful selection of artwork. I can't wait to add this to our collection.

This looks like a wonderful journal to have around. I think it would help me keep everything  in order. Who doesn't need help staying organized!

and for the kids....

When my kids were younger, we joined in on the Advent Adventure from Holy Heroes.   

While on this wonderful journey, the kids  will watch videos and complete a variety of fun-filled  activities. This program is great for kids ages 5-12.

You can sign up here.

Till Next Time,

Monique

CCD Week 7~ The Story of Baby Moses

Please Note~ This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to click on a link, add it to your cart and complete your purchase, I will receive a small percentage. We are very grateful for this additional source of income. Thank you.

Today, we get to dig into the Old Testament with the story of Baby Moses.

First up though our saint and virtue of the week.

Our saint is a popular one.....Saint Francis of Assisi. 

We read a a short story about Saint Francis. We even talked about the the story of Saint Francis and the wolf. The children colored in their coloring page of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Here are some great story books about Saint Francis that can be read to the class.

  

Our virtue for the week is Gratitude. 

Gratitude is being thankful for all we have been given. We had a young gentleman whose birthday was that day. I asked what he would do if his grandparents gave him a present. He immediately said I would say thank you! I then asked the class what would you do if you received a gift you didn't like. Would you tell the person and give it back or would you say thank you. They all said they would say thank you. They were quick to point out that if you didn't you might hurt the person's feelings. As one sweet child stated..."it's the thought that counts." I truly love the innocence of young children. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all stay that way and never lose our love for everyone. 

We added our saint's picture and our virtue to our board. Of course we reviewed the previous weeks saint and virtue. We had a very sweet little girl remember all about Saint Elizabeth. She's usually a rambunctious one, so I sometimes think she's not listening. She obviously is and I am so pleased to see her growing in her faith. She really is a precious little girl.

So onto our lesson for the week...the story of Baby Moses. After a quick (or not so quick bathroom break) we sat down on the floor maps for a story all about Baby Moses. 

We read The Story of Baby Moses from the Alice in Bibleland Storybooks. I love these books for the class. They are short, filled with all the information, and rhyme so they keep the children's attention.

After our our story time, we had a fun game of find Baby Moses. I took a small Barbie baby and hid him in the room. The children were grouped into groups of twos and then proceeded to search for him. One team would be the lucky group to find him just like the Pharaoh's daughter! This took a lot longer than I thought it would. After 10 minutes of searching, we finally had a team spot Baby Moses. They were thrilled to be the ones who found him. 

I had a very cute Baby Moses craft planned to do with the kids, but we ran out of time. Running out of time seems to be a persistent theme for us this year. 

This is the craft that I had planned to do with the kids. I found this other craft afterwards and think this is super cute too. I may do this one next year with a few modifications.

Till Next Time,

Monique