Baptism Dinner 2014

Baptism is an important event. Someone always seems to mention they have some sort of celebration to remember the Baptism of their child(ren). I’m not sure when we were suppose to find the time but I finally figured it out. The older 4 kiddos were baptized at one time while the younger 2 were baptized within about a month of being born. The older 4 kiddos being baptized was something I really wanted but we had to go through alot in order for it to happen. It was all worth it the Easter that happened to be my husbands birthday. The younger two were baptized so quickly because I knew it was a sacrament that I thought shouldn’t wait. During the fall, I decided it would be a good idea to find the time to celebrate all of their Baptisms with dinner and cake. I asked the kids what they would like for dinner. They all voted for lasagna as it’s something I don’t make very often. I also thought we would make a cake. I made a lemon cake well because thats what we had in the cabinet. Frosted it in white and decorated with a blue cross with gold sprinkles. White of course for purity and blue for the baptismal water. It wasn’t a fancy cake but it was good enough for my kiddos.

It was nice having a special dinner to remind us of how important their Baptisms are. I think my favorite part was the cake. We sang Happy Birthday to each kiddo and they blew out their Baptism candle or a white candle. Why sing Happy Birthday you ask? Because they were given new life and wonderful graces that come with it. It gives me a lot of comfort to know that my children all have been forgiven for original sin and will carry the sign of the Catholic Church and Christ’s love with them for the rest of their lives. I am so very thankful for all 6 of my kiddos. I can’t wait to plan for this years Baptism dinner. Does your family do something special to celebrate your child(ren)’s Baptism?

Baptism cake

yummy lasagna

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My Patron Saint

When I started my journey I had no idea that my patron saint had been with me the entire time. She had chosen me the first time I stepped into a Catholic Church the weekend of my birthday 2009. In the fall of 2010, I remember being very sponge-like and absorbing all the information I could from RCIA. I was happy to have the kids’ Godmother and a close friend as my sponsor. Having someone so willing to share her wisdom helped me then and she continues to help me from time to time when I need her. 😉 Thanks, Jill.
I searched through every book I could get my hands on. I couldn’t see myself with a heavily popular saint or one closely named to another. One night George and I decided to watch The Passion. I had never seen it before but had an idea of what would happen.  As we were watching the movie I was constantly thinking either how proud Mary must have been or how much her heart must have ached for her son. Already being a mom of four then my heart was right there with her. It must have been hard to say good bye to her son, as well as see him beaten and crucified. Right then I knew. I had this strong feeling of who my patron saint was. Through the tears I knew. Our Lady of Fatima.

That’s right. Our Lady of Fatima. Why you ask? Because the First Catholic Church I attended, our marriage was blessed in, George was confirmed in and the oldest 4 were baptized in was Our Lady of Fatima. It was where our Catholic journey began and I wanted to always remember that.

On a side note, our small Parish closed not long after all of the special moments I mentioned. One of best moments for me at our new parish was when the giant painting of Our Lady of Fatima from our first parish was placed on the wall for all to see. I am still very happy my Patron Saint chose me. Who is your Patron Saint? How did he/she choose you?

Mother Teresa book and movie reviews

So for Lent this year I decided to make reading Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light book by Easter my goal. Not that it is at all hard to find time to read with 6 kiddos around. 😉 My hope was to grow in my Faith and find another great example of a Saint role model.

This was not an easy read at all. There was alot of deepth to pretty much every chapter of this book. There were sometimes when I had to reread some things to make sure I understood them properly. This book specifically is about her letters and the deep longing for God that she lived with. The only thing I could think to compare the longing to would be depression. You want to be happy or be able to handle your emotions properly but can’t. Mother Teresa knew Jesus was there using her but she couldn’t feel him. It was inspiring to hear how she found inspiration in the ones whom she helped to give her strength to keep going with her mission. I have come to call the things I am called to do missions. Yes, it kinda makes me feel important but it also gives me more to live for. Mother Teresa would have been happy if she just saved one soul in the slums. If I only help one person to see God’s love through me than I have done my job. I of course hope that I help more than one person because one is much better than none. I will continue to look back on reading this book and remember Mother Teresa’s strength. Life wasn’t easy for her but she kept following the path Jesus had laid out for her. She really was a generous and strong woman.

I also borrowed the Mother Teresa movie from our local parish. My older 2 girls read a book about her life in hopes of getting to watch the movie with me on Easter. I wasn’t sure as to how the movie and book would compare when I borrowed them. From what I have seen there is another movie about her letters that may be more like the book I read.

So first off I was a tad confused. There was alot of frowning by the actor but from what I had read Mother Terese smiled all the time. Anyways, I  am not sure how accurate some of the scenes are as I had no prior knowledge of Mother Teresa before reading her book.

Other great  Mother Teresa resources for kids:

  Mother Teresa of Calcutta cartoon for kids

  Family at the Foot of the Cross craft ideas

Mother Teresa costume

Mother Teresa homeschool lesson

Mother Teresa handwriting practice

Lent

As our 40 days of Lent are quickly coming to a close I have learned a few things ;). I really do enjoy confession. Why you ask? Well, Where else can you confess, get counsel, and be forgiven? Nowhere. It’s uplifting to hear simple words like “Keep Trying.” I am pushed to my limits quite often.There is nothing like the reminder that we are human and humans are prone to sin. The difference is the struggle to do the right thing no matter what. It isn’t always easy and we all slip but that’s why Jesus is there to forgive us and help us to try harder.

I really miss reading. As part of my Lenten promise I have decide to read Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light. Not only are there a few brain cells left after having 6 kiddos but I can still enjoy it. The biggest obstacle is making the time to do it. I am hoping to be able to dedicate as much to every book I read as I have this one. Mother Teresa really has become a great role model for me. I may never be in the slums of Calcutta but I can do my part wherever that happens to be. Her life truly was a gift to God.

My family struggles with family prayer. George and I have come to realize because neither of us grew up praying more than for meals that we haven’t mastered the family prayers. We started Lent out with trying to pray the Rosary 3 times a week. This week we are going to try for 1 decade per day. In my eyes it’s better we pray some of it than none of it. We still have alot of room for growth in our Faith as a family. I am very curious to see where we will be lead to next. Our mission for God as a family.

   I love doing crafts with my kiddos. We have made cute bunnies out of plastic Easter eggs inspired by Make and Takes . We have also made an Easter wreath courtesy of printables at Wee Little Miracles . ( make sure to scroll done to print everything easily) They are both easy and fun crafts. I love crafting and have gotten pretty lucky that my kiddos do too. You can check out all my crafty finds on pinterest at CrafteeKim

There is nothing written that says you have to take part in Lenten traditions but I am very glad we do. It is always a great time of growth and enjoying time with friends. The blessings that come from tryingare well worth the effort. Have a happy week ; Holy Week is COMING and so is Our Lord………..

How to take multiple kids to church and remain sane

 

I will be the first to admit that Mass does not always go well for us. With 6 little people all wanting different things how could it. Being still a bit of a newbie to Catholicism I began going to Mass when my youngest daughter was about 4 or 5 months old. I started to wonder why would any sane woman put herself through all that to come to Mass. After understanding the strong need for the Eucharist and wanting my children to have Faith that they could only get by fighting through it, I started to figure out what worked and what didn’t.

1. Lovies. Every kid has one. Take the lovie if anything in secret so that when a problem arises the child be calmed by his/her lovie.

2. No food/drink. This does not include infants. Kids and yes even toddlers can go an hour without eating or drinking. It’s distracting and can add problems for another parent. Not to mention the mess that may or may not be made.

3. Support. My husband is very good about taking turns handling one kid or the other. It’s nice to have him there when Duke feels like pouting or Little Kermit is hungry or even when the older 2 decide to fight or play. I can’t say divide and conquer more like divide and calm.

4. Blessing. Duke has a habit as all children do of constantly asking is it over yet. I tell him you have to get your Blessing first. He doesn’t pay better attention but he does get excited to get his Blessing. Even to the point where occasionally he runs from the back of the Church to the front of the Chapel to jump in line.

5. Books/coloring Books. This worked well for the girls for a short period of time. We stuck to religious books only. This way they understood this was a special day. It was meant to be celebrated with Jesus and God not Dora and Sponge Bob. When they got older the Mass books were great.

6. Children’s Church/Liturgy. Duke and Bubbles enjoy getting to go and hear things on their level. They only miss the readings and the homily. Plus it gives us time to focus on the other 4.

7. Pray hard to Mother Mary. There is no one who understands more than her what we are going through. There is nothing in the Bible that says Jesus was a clam and easy-going toddler. 🙂 I recently was having a hard time juggling kids when I found a prayer card. It affirmed to me that Mother Mary had her hand on my shoulder and was going to continue to help me through. ( I love how the Holy Spirit works)

8. Breathe. No matter if you get to hear the homily or miss out on the Eucharist. You are blessed for just being there. You are showing your children how important being in God’s House really is. You are giving them the best example of carrying a cross they will one day bare themselves. It’s funny to imagine my kiddos one day wrestling their 2-year-old during Mass. What a wonderful thought.

Whatever you do don’t give up. Remember why you decided to bring them up in the Catholic Faith or your Faith. Kids need boundaries as well as love. Show them why Church/Mass is important to you and they will grow to appreciate it as well. As we return this Sunday with all the kiddos after missing 2 weeks because of illness, I will be praying very hard for Mother Mary to help me survive another Mass. Have a Blessed weekend 😀