Happy New Year!

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"Should auld acquaintances be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintances be forgot and auld lang syne?"

~ Robert Burns

Till Next Time,

Monique

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Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas

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.

"And behold an angle of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.

And the angel sand to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people:

For, this day, is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David."

        Luke 2: 9-11

Merry Christmas!

Till Next Time,

Monique

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Traveling Wisemen Adventures

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.

Once again this year, our family will be following the adventures of the Traveling Wisemen! For the past 3 years, the kids have searched and searched every morning for these wandering little men. Some days they are easy to find, while other days they are rather hard to spot. The kids have even found them playing games or stuck in a tricky spot hanging on by just a thin thread. No matter where they are, we always know that they won't stop until they find the Baby Jesus on the Epiphany. 

If you're not familiar with the Traveling Wise Men, let me explain it a little for you. 

First, I started doing this after I saw the idea as an alternative to Elf on the Shelf. As Catholics, Advent and Christmas is supposed to be focused on Jesus.....not Santa. I loved the idea of bringing more attention to the real meaning of Christmas.You know the old saying "Jesus is the reason for the season!"

So during Advent and Christmas all the way through until the Epiphany, I (with help from dad sometimes) hide the three wise men around the house. Balthazar, Melchior, Caspar, and Beth the Camel ( my kids named her) have been known to hang off of the ceiling fan, play a quick games of scrabble, get tangled in garland, or stop by the kitchen for a bite to eat.

Their travels take them far and near.

We use the Playmobil Three Wisemen set and the Playmobil Nativity.

              

Our set is a little different since we've had ours a few years now. It looks like they updated the outfits the wisemen wear. The sets are sold separately and do contain small pieces. They may not be suitable for younger children. I love how the Playmobil wisemen are pose-able. It makes hiding the a little easier. You can have them doing things. You can pose them like they are in action! These are courageous and adventurous men!
If you have younger kids, you could easily use the Fisher Price Nativity set. 

Want to join in on the fun and need a few ideas?

Just check out last years posts about the Traveling Wisemen Adventures!

If you do join in on the fun and blog, be sure to link up with Jennifer's Wisemen Adventures over at Catholic Inspired!

I promise your kids will love it!

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Review~ Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women from Zondervan

Growing in their faith is an important part of my children's daily life. I was thrilled when Therese and I were given the chance to review Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women from Zondervan. 

This beautiful new book is a wonderful way for young women to grow deeper in their faith. As Christians there is nothing more important than bringing our daughters closer to God.

Zondervan is leader in the Bible publishing world. They offer a variety of Bibles and various other Christian books. They help Christians grow deeper in their faith by offering Bibles, books, curricula, academic resources, and digital resources. Their online store offers something for everyone. Buyers can find materials for children, teens, and adults. 

Beloved: 365 Devotionals is a beautiful book! I was shocked when Therese and I opened the box when it arrived in the mail. I was expecting a simple, soft cover book, instead I was greeted with a colorful hardcover book. The colors are stunning! The book itself is over 371 pages. There are 365 days for the young women to read through. Each day, young women are given a Bible verse and a few paragraphs to learn more about their faith and themselves. The book comes with a beautiful burgundy ribbon to keep the readers place. This stunning faith devotional will inspire them with positive role models from the Bible. Each day will help these young women face the pressures and changes they face every day. Whether they are worldly or spiritual pressures, this gorgeous book will help them along their journey.

How Did We Use Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women?

For this review, we received a physical copy of Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women from Zondervan. The hardback book costs $15.99. It would make a beautiful gift for a special young woman in your life. 

 I briefly looked over the book to see how it was laid out and then I gladly handed it over to Therese for her to read. At 13, I felt she was capable of reading the book on her own. After a few days, I asked her what she thought. She said it was a pretty good book. She felt it was easy to read and to understand. The Bible verse and lesson were fairly short, so it could be easily read before her start of the day or at bedtime. I figured once she was done, I'd read it for myself. It would be great to have a book for moms just like it!

We're His daughters. 

Valued. Adored. Cherished. Beloved.

What Did We Think of Beloved: 365 Devotions for Young Women?

First off, I have to repeat how beautiful the book is. I love how the book is hardback. It will last for years. It can be reread again and again. Therese could easily hold onto it and pass it down to her daughters. 

The days are broken up into short Bible verses and lessons. We both loved how the lessons were easy and simple to read. Young women can easily find 15-20 minutes each day to go through the book. Sitting down in the morning with a warm cup of tea, after praying the rosary, comes to mind. 

I loved how the book started with day 1 instead of an actual date. I've read books in the past like this, but they started on January 1st. I hate starting a book in the middle of it. The fact that this book starts with day 1 allows it to be given anytime during the year. No matter when the reader receives the book, they can immediately jump in and start growing deeper in their faith. 

Since I haven't read the book, I can't really commit on what has been presented in it. I did read the introduction and was glad to see how the book mentions the struggles young women face today. They are bombard with a variety of messages that often contradict each other. How are young women to know what they are to do? I love how this devotional's focus is on what God wants, not what society thinks is important! 

So far Therese has enjoyed reading the book. She did come across one thing that contradicted our Catholic faith. She read that Eve alone above all women lived without sin for awhile (day 7). As Catholics, we believe Mary were born without sin. If she was younger this would have concerned me more, but she came to me and mentioned it. She knew that this was not what we believed and immediately realized it was a mistake. This helped me realize that she has a strong understanding of her Catholic faith. Therese loves how the book references all the strong women from the Bible. I'd love to find a book like this about all the strong female saints the Catholic Church has. Putting two books together like that would be a fantastic way to encourage growth and strength in her faith.

Overall, we both felt that this is a wonderful book to help strengthen the faith of young women today. It's a beautiful book filled with lots of inspiration and guidance. It provides young women with 20 minutes of beauty a day with God in a world filled with so much.

Learn more about Beloved and Zondervan.....

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Be sure to read what the other ladies had to say about Beloved:365 Devotions for Young Women!

Just click the link below....

Till Next Time,

Monique

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