Traditionally, grapes and other first fruits from summer, are blessed on the Feast of the Transfiguration. An easy way to commemorate this feast at home is to serve fruit in some way. A few low energy ideas are fruit kabobs, fruit salad, fruit with dip, fruit smoothies, frozen fruit ice lollies, etc… If you have […]
J+M+J
Music to Commemorate the Martyrs of Compiègne
Tomorrow’s Feast is the memorial of the Martyrs of Compiègne. On that day in Paris, 1794, 14 carmelite nuns and 2 servants were guillotined by the french government during the Reign of Terror. After refusing to fully disassemble their community, the sisters were imprisoned and run through a mock trial where in they were found guilty […]
The Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus {June Devotions}
In the Catholic Church, June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. As such, I thought the partially indulged Litany of the Sacred Heart would be a lovely addition to daily devotions this month. It could be part of your Morning Liturgy (Morning Time), said at supper, or be tacked on to the family Rosary.
Music Appreciation Made Easy as ABC
We use the following framework for structured listening at least once a week for music study in our homeschool, and as part of liturgical living on our family’s favorite feast days. Our method is a procedure of three steps (A, B, & C) that consists of listening to a piece of music only a couple times in a row while having a different task – purpose – each listening.
A Prayer for St. Brigit’s Day
Given their shared Celtic connection, St. Brigit has always felt like the sister-saint of St. Patrick to me. She is the patroness of midwives and dairymaids, among other things, which is why butter is traditionally made on her feast. It is yogurt for our family this year. Lately I have been fascinated with Esther De […]
Happy Burns Day!!
Today marks the 257th birthday of the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns. In lieu of the traditional haggis and scotch for Burns Dinners, our family is devoting this afternoon’s Concert Hour to him instead.
A Minimalist Wardrobe for Kids
Over the last year I have taken steps to cull our stock of kid clothes. Even with a utilitarian storage system in place, things were getting out of control to the point where swapping seasonal clothes, and inevitably which boxes held each size, took several hours one afternoon. There had to be a way to streamline this semiannual process.
With Hearts and Hands and Voices: a collection of Thanksgiving Hymns
It seems a though before the supper dishes have been cleared and the leftovers are placed in their storage bins, folks have already galloped right on by the day of Thanksgiving and are chomping at the bit to celebrate Christmas. In an effort to help us all slowdown and savor this day why not add […]
A Treat for Martlemas
For our family, the Feast of St. Martin marks the beginning of autumn. By early November usually the weather has finally chosen to cool off here down south and we gleefully send the blazing summer heat on its way.
How I Conquered Laundry in 3 Easy Steps
Staying on top of Mount Washmore was an ongoing struggle for me. Even now, it seems like just when I get the last load of the day into the dryer, I enter another room and see the muddy shirt that one of our four little tornadoes on the ground has haphazardly shed. However, now that I have a system in place, with a scheduled time when I know the next load of laundry will get done, I no longer have to fight the urge to hand-wash the one or two remnant pieces of clothing that inevitably appear.