Christmas Traditions 2014

Christmas is just around the corner. Love love love it!

A few years ago I had one profound realization.

I was totally missing the whole point of Christmas!?!

It wasn't something I was consciously doing. 

It was just how things were.

Christmas is a time of caring and sharing.

Christmas is about family and friends.

Christmas is a time of merry making and good cheer.

Christmas is when I take a well deserved break.

Christmas is about Santa and the gifts on the sleigh.

Christmas is about the elf on the shelf.

And the list goes on and on

Don't get me wrong. Christmas is a season of celebration.

And, enjoy it we should!

Decorate your home

Cook up a feast 

Dress up for fun

Meet up with family and friends

Donate to others

But let's remember first and foremost,

Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ.

The 30th of November marks the 1st week of Advent.

Advent is a period of four weeks leading up to Christmas.

It's four weeks of preparing one's heart for the coming 

of the Lord.

I was hoping to have a nice and pretty Jesse Tree this year.

But let's not kid ourselves, I do not have time for extra prep work.

And to top it off our trusty printer seems to have conked out. Ugh!

I found a strip of craft paper and a broken toy part in the printer.

Hurray! Our printer still works!

Here are some simple Advent and Christmas activities for the family:

1. Scripture Reading

Sometime this year, the playgroup gave us a copy of the Jesus Storybook
Bible. The Jesus Storybook Bible reads more like a book than a bible.
Our goal is to read one chapter a day starting on the 1st of December
and ending on Christmas day.
Jesus Storybook Bible Reading Plan
Jesus Storybook Bible Advent Calendar

2. The Christmas Novena
Sarah and Elizabeth are all excited for this Christmas novena.
I wanted to do something that will require me to pause daily.
At midnight.. In piercing cold are words that truly tug at my heart.
It chokes me up to think of any of my children being born
in such cruel and harsh conditions.
Poor baby Jesus. And heartbreaking for Mother Mary and St. Joseph.
Tug tug tug!
So yeah, maybe this will be a good novena for me to pray this year.

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 piercing cold.
In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God
to hear my prayer and grant my desires,
through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.
* Pray 15x daily from the 30th of Nov until Christmas Day*

3. The O Antiphons
The O Antiphons are a seven day countdown to Christmas.
It celebrates seven Messianic titles of Jesus.
We pray it to remind ourselves and to invite the Lord to "Come"

4. Luke 2:1-20
Misty's home has this Advent tradition of reading Luke 2 daily.
Twice a day, the kids read Luke 2 with the intention of
memorizing the verses. In a few years, the kids will have
known the Birth of Jesus verses by heart. Sounds promising!

5. Christmas books and carols

So yeah, we've been reading Christmas themed books as
early as end October. I envy those moms who have enough
books for a proper Christmas book basket. Almost all our
Christmas books are borrowed from the library. We started
early as there is no way of knowing what will be available
in December.

Just about the same time, we started singing Christ-centered
Christmas Carols for bedtime.
M: Mama what does faithful mean?
Me: Why do you ask?
(All the while wondering why he was asking)
M: Because -- O come all ye faithful
Me: Oh, that means people who believe in God
(Whew, relieved that it did not involve anything "age appropriate")

6. Give up and Give more
Give up and Give more is an annual tradition in The Feast
that we attend. In a nutshell, sacrifice on a few simple
pleasures and donate the money to a worth cause.

At the barest level, give up some of your ME time and
pray more for/with someone who really needs it.

7. Go to Confession and Attend Mass

Attending mass is a basic thing for hubby and I. It's as basic as

eating and sleeping. It isn't something that I originally thought
of putting here. But maybe this is here for someone else???
Confession is something we try to do once a quarter.
I pray that availing of the sacraments is ingrained in the kids.
Something that is part and parcel of their lifelong relationship
with Christ. All with God's grace.

Some moms have wisely said that all you need are 1-3
Christmas traditions. Anything more is extra.

What traditions do you have in your family? What are your plans
for Christmas 2014? Til next time, stay blessed!

Novena of Surrender

The original text of the Novena of Surrender was taken from: 
Jesus, You take over! It is the prayer of Fr. Dolindo Ruotolo (servant 
of God) - written as though Jesus Himself is speaking to the reader. 

Beautiful words.

I chanced upon the Novena of Surrender by accident. Admittedly, 
there have been times when I've had need of prayers like these. 
Times when I've been tired, angry or frustrated. In such times
I try to say thank you to God for the challenges. They serve as good
reminders of who really is the Lord of my life. TRY is the word 
because it is oh so hard to do at the heat of the moment.

By His grace, life is all calm right now. I am at the moment recharging
the batteries. Our life will be very busy soon. The Novena of Surrender
is a gentle reminder that He takes care of everything.

++++++++++++++++++++

Novena of Surrender

Day 1
Why do you confuse yourselves by worrying? Leave the care
of your affairs to me and everything will be peaceful. I say to you 
in truth that every act of true, blind, complete surrender to me 
produces the effect that you desire and resolves all difficult 
situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 2
Surrender to me does not mean to fret, to be upset, or 
to lose hope, nor does it mean offering to me a worried prayer 
asking me to follow you and change your worry into prayer. 
It is against this surrender, deeply against it, to worry, 
to be nervous and to desire to think about the consequences 
of anything. It is like the confusion that children feel when 
they ask their mother to see to their needs, and then try 
to take care of those needs for themselves so that their 
childlike efforts get in their mother’s way. Surrender means 
to placidly close the eyes of the soul, to turn away from thoughts 
of tribulation and to put yourself in my care, so that only I act. 
Saying “You take care of it.”

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 3
How many things I do when the soul, in so much spiritual and 
material need turns to me, looks at me and says to me; 
“You take care of it,” then close its eyes and rests. In pain 
you pray for me to act, but that I act in the way you want. 
You do not turn to me, instead, you want me to adapt to your ideas. 
You are not sick people who ask the doctor to cure you, 
but rather sick people who tell the doctor how to. 
So do not act this way, but pray as I taught you in the Our Father: 
“Hallowed be thy Name”, that is, be glorified in my need. 
“Thy kingdom come”, that is, let all that is in us and in the world 
be in accord with your kingdom. “Thy will be done on Earth 
as it is in Heaven”, that is, in our need, decide as you see fit 
for our temporal and eternal life.If you say to me truly: “Thy will 
be done”. Which is the same as saying: “You take care of it”. 
I will intervene with all my omnipotence, and I will resolve 
the most difficult situations.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 4
You see evil growing instead of weakening? Do not worry, 
Close your eyes and say to me with faith: “Thy will be done, 
You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, and that 
I will intervene as does a doctor and I will accomplish miracles 
when they are needed. Do you see that the sick person is 
getting worse? Do not be upset, but close your eyes and say 
“You take care of it.” I say to you that I will take care of it, 
and that there is no medicine more powerful than my 
loving intervention. By my love, I promise this to you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 5
And when I must lead you on a path different from the one 
you see, I will prepare you; I will carry you in my arms; I will 
let you find yourself, like children who have fallen asleep 
in their mother’s arms, on the other bank of the river. 
What troubles you and hurts you immensely are your reason, 
your thoughts and worry, and your desire at all costs to deal 
with what afflicts you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 6
You are sleepless; you want to judge everything, 
direct everything and see to everything and you surrender 
to human strength, or worse- to men themselves, trusting in 
their intervention,- this is what hinders my words and my views. 
Oh how much I wish from you this surrender, to help you 
and how I suffer when I see you so agitated! Satan tries 
to do exactly this: to agitate you and to remove you 
from my protection and to throw you into the jaws of 
human initiative. So, trust only in me, rest in me, 
surrender to me in everything.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 7
I perform miracles in proportion to your full surrender to me 
and to your not thinking of yourselves. I sow treasure troves 
of graces when you are in the deepest poverty. No person 
of reason, no thinker, has ever performed miracles, not even 
among the saints. He does divine works whosoever surrenders 
to God. So don’t think about it any more, because you mind 
is acute and for you it is very hard to see evil and to trust in me 
and to not think of yourself. Do this for all your needs, do this 
all of you and you will see great continual silent miracles. 
I will take care of things, I promise this to you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 8
Close your eyes and let yourself be carried away on the flowing 
current of my grace; close your eyes and do not think of the present, 
turning your thoughts away from the future just as you would 
from temptation. Repose in me, believing in my goodness, and 
I promise you by my love that if you say “You take care of it.” 
I will take care of it all; I will console you, liberate you and 
guide you.

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)

Day 9
Pray always in readiness to surrender, and you will receive 
from it great peace and great rewards, even when I confer 
on you the grace of immolation, of repentance and of love. 
Then what does suffering matter? It seems impossible to you? 
Close your eyes and say with all your soul, “Jesus, you take care 
of it.” Do not be afraid, I will take care of things and you will 
bless my name by humbling yourself. A thousand prayers 
cannot equal one single act of surrender, remember this well. 
There is no novena more effective than this:“O Jesus, I surrender 
myself to you, take care of everything!”

O Jesus, I surrender myself to you, take care of everything! 
(10 times)


++++++++++++++++++++

Original text:
Jesus, You take over!
Imprimatur 
+ Vincenzo Pelvi 
Auxiliary Bishop of Naples,Italy 
July 25, 2006 

Joining the fun at: 

Image Credit:
Gordon

Quiet Time and Schedules

I talked about GRACE the last time. Little did I know that I was going to need

a huge dose of it.

(1)

The kids got the "Tummy Bug". 3 days of diarrhea plus vomiting but no fever.

That was the tricky part, bringing them to the doctor was useless as there was

no fever to treat. Then we found out that it was something that you just flush

out of your system. Hydrate hydrate hydrate.

Poor kids for being sick! Poor mom and dad for the clean up that had to be done!

Claiming claiming claiming that we have nothing but healthy days ahead of us.

I have recently been trying to cultivate healthy rhythms and routines. One area

that I've been trying to work on is my own Quiet Time. As a full time mom to

two kids below five, I can tell you that it a simple-but-not-easy thing to do.

(2) Diving Office

I know some bloggers who love praying with the Divine Office and decided

to give it a try. Hmmm, not for me at this point in time. Blocking off time for 

any one task isn't just doable now. I'm looking for something that will work

well on just a few chunks of time throughout the day.   

(3) Daily Examen

The Catholic Church has so many beautiful traditions. It's nice to know that

fellow Christians have discovered that they can practice these traditions too. 

Thank you to Katherine for inspiring me to give the Daily Examen a try.

There are many ways of going about this prayer method used by St. Ignatius.
I will try to keep things simple by "praying backward through the day" and
possibly using this guide.

Click HERE if you're feeling adventurous and would like to explore more
about the The Examen.

(4) Do You REALLY Need Quiet Time?

I don't think I have the words for this yet. So here's a good read as to WHY 

you and I need Quiet Time.

(5) Thank you Lord for the reminder:

"You're more than your hands do.

You're more than your hands have.

You're more than how other hands measure you.

You are what is written on God's Hands:

Safe. Held. His. Beloved."

- A Holy Experience

Another area that I've been working on is our Family Daily Schedule.

(6) The Daily Schedule of Mother Teresa

This other post by Jennifer really made me pause and think more about 

what's been keeping me busy. And how our schedules have been as a
whole.

----------------------------

Daily Schedule for the Missionaries of Charity

4:30 – 5:00: Rise and get cleaned up
5:00 – 6:30: Prayers and Mass
6:30 – 8:00: Breakfast and cleanup
8:00 – 12:30: Work for the poor
12:30 – 2:30: Lunch and rest
2:30 – 3:00: Spiritual reading and meditation
3:00 – 3:15: Tea break
3:15 – 4:30: Adoration Prayer
4:30 – 7:30: Work for the poor
7:30 – 9:00: Dinner and clean up
9:00 – 9:45: Night prayers
9:45: Bedtime

- The primary work of the Order, serving the poor, only takes place between   
8:00 – 12:30 and 4:30 – 7:30.
- There’s buffer! Notice that time for meal cleanup and getting dressed is built   
in to the schedule.
- They say that their lives are centered on God, and this schedule reflects it.   
There is time dedicated to prayer each day.
- They have a set (and early) bedtime, making time for sleep even if they feel   
like more work could be done.
- Look at how focused this schedule is! They only attempt to do two things:   
pray and work for the poor.

Just reading through the schedule made me ache for that kind of peaceful 
rhythm in my life."

----------------------------
Who would have known that such a simple schedule could produce such great
works of charity? I feel challenged to simplify and find something that will produce
better fruits for our family.


Some good eats...

(7) Chicken Piccata

We've had Giada's Chicken Piccata twice this week. We rarely have the

same dinner twice in a week so that says a lot. Proportions for our piccata 

sauce were just estimates and it was served on the side. I highly recommend

serving the sauce on the side if you have little ones. Without the sauce, it's 

just fried chicken.

Joining the fun at:

Photo Credit: Martin Pettitt

Lent 2013

I've been a Catholic all my life. Lent was a de facto; it just came
and went. Yes, I fasted, abstained from meat, and gave up chocolate.
Unfortunately, I was too busy being a Martha about it.

In recent years, I've switched gears. Lent has become an opportunity
to grow my personal relationship with Jesus. I haven't exactly been
successful in my attempts. I have never completed 40 Days of
intentional living; going about my day with a disposition of prayer
and sacrifice. Even if I managed to do so, I'm sure there is much more
that can be learned about the breadth, length, height and depth of
His love. - Eph 3:18 


Here are a few ideas for celebrating Lent:

Our Sunday Visitor recommends that we go back to basics with
The 1-1-1 Plan
One Sin: Concentrate or focus on one sin or fault that is getting in
                the way of your relationship with God and with others.
One Add-in: Add one positive activity that will deepen your prayer
                     and spiritual life (especially if you think you are too
                     busy to put anything more into an impossibly busy
                     schedule!).
One give-up: Deny yourself something you really like or are
                      attached to.

A Holy Experience has a free Lent and Easter Jesus Tree Devotional. 
There are readings for 17 Days and one just stretches them out for
the entirety of Lent.

The De La Salle Community in the Philippines has a list of
Good Deeds for 2013. The good deeds are acts of kindness
that one can do for others.


Lent 2012  has other ideas on things you can do to celebrate Lent.

Each year, we receive an invitation from the Lord to grow closer to
Him. He invites us to pause, remember and celebrate His passion,
death and resurrection. This is Lent.

Photo credit

Christmas Activities for Kids 2012

Last year, I attempted to make an origami Nativity Scene. In a nutshell,
it didn't go very well. So, I decided to look for more "artistically-friendly"
projects for this year.

Here's a round-up of activities that really got me inspired. Click on the
links for the how-tos :)

Nativity Scenes

This DIY Nativity Scene by Marloes de Vries is one of the easiest projects
around. All you need to do is cut, fold then glue the images. How simple
is that!

If you've got spare toilet paper tubes, Catholic Icing's Nativity Set is the project
for you.

Christmas Calendars

Here's a cute Santa Calendar from Maestra Valentina. The kids can
cut off the portion of Santa's beard that corresponds to the date. You
know it's Christmas when you've reached Santa's nose!

This Santa Calendar from Busy Little Bugs is great for the little kids. They
can put a pompom ball or sticker on the dates leading up to Christmas.

This is one of those things on my wish list. Homemade by Jill's Advent
Calendar is one of those labor of love projects. It's all hand sewn.
The tree ornaments stay in the box and a new one is hung up each day.

Jesse / Christmas Trees

Tired and Need Sleep has a Jesse Tree 2012 printable: included are
the readings, prayers and ornaments needed for your Jesse Tree.

Here's another project for the little kids. This Felt Christmas Tree by
Sol and Rachel allows your little one to decorate and redecorate the tree.

Activity Packs

We'll be using some of the activities here for our homeschooling this
December. But kiddies who're on "traditional school" holiday break
can join in on the fun!

1+1+1=1 Christmas Tot Pack

1+1+1=1 Nativity Preschool Pack

Nativity and Winter Wonderland Packs by Over the Big Moon

It's beginning to feel like Christmas in our home. We've been listening to
Christmas Songs and finalizing Christmas plans.  All we need is our
Christmas Tree. Yes, I'm still hopeful that we'll get one this year.


Photo Credit


Sharing this post here:

Christmas Traditions 2012

If I had my way, the Christmas Tree would already be up. Unfortunately, we
still haven't had time to buy the tree. And with all the other stuff that needs
to be bought (we have a baby on the way), I have considered making our
own Christmas Tree.

It's sad how many have become disillusioned with Christmas. For some,
Christmas has become one giant party gone overboard. One thing I've
learned is that you don't have to do what everyone else is doing. Just do
what makes sense to you.

The Gingerbread House

Every year, I look forward to Market Manila's Christmas posts. I must admit,
Christmas at Market Man's home is a bit grand for my current budget. But
I can still dream right. I love the decor, the tables, the menu, and all
the little details that lovingly go into their Christmas celebrations.

One thing unique about their family is that they create their own
Gingerbread House. They also create a few for select organizations to
spread some Holiday Cheer.

The Advent Wreath
When I was younger, the Advent Wreath served as our family's reminder
that Christmas was just around the corner. We would gather as a family,
sing "O Come, O Come, Emanuelle", light the candles and say the prayers.
This is one tradition that I just might bring back this year. Church Year
has a weekly guide that is easy to follow.

The Advent Activity Tree
Speaking of Advent, The Imagination Tree has this beautiful post on how
their family is celebrating Advent. The family does one activity daily
together; all these leading up to Christmas day.

The December Daily
The December Daily is Ali Edwards annual December scrapbooking project.
It's a great way to document the many activities that go on in your family in
December. You might want to read Ali's must read post on the simple things
that make for nice Christmas memories. The things we take for granted that
count too.

The Christmas Mini Album
I know, not all of us are ready for daily scrapbooking. Paper Vine has this
How To on creating a Paper Mini Album. This can be a special way to store
your favorite Christmas Photos.

Yes, having a Christmas Tree is tradition on both sides of the family. But it
is just icing on the cake. In our family, Christmas is about celebrating the
Birth of Christ. Come to think of it, we don't need a tree to celebrate that.

Sharing this post here:

Christmas Color Themes 2012

Christmas is just around the corner. Oooh, love it!

The last quarter of 2011 was a such big adjustment for the family that I
didn't get to properly prepare for last year's Christmas. This year, I'm
planning ahead and devoting the Fridays of November to Christmas
Planning for 2012. There will be a few areas that I'd like to touch on.
I'm splitting things up into weekly projects so that it's all more manageable.

I'll start by sharing with you some Christmas decorating ideas that you
can easily do for your home. I know, it's a lot easier to just go to the store,
buy a tree then buy a box of ornaments. However, putting in that little extra
effort will help add character and personality to your holiday decor.

Start by choosing a a color theme. If you dont have the time, nor patience
nor budget for things, this is the one idea that could up your game. Think
of your Christmas Color Theme as your base; the one unifying factor for
your decor.

Christmas Color Themes for 2012

1. Red and Gold
The red and gold color theme is such a classic. It's a very nostalgic color
theme for many. You can freshen up red and gold by choosing a few pieces
and presenting them in a different way.

Christmas Balls have traditionally been reserved to the Christmas Tree.
Dabney freshened things up by placing the balls in a bowl and using them as
a table centerpiece. 

Fresh Poppy Design hand made these glitter balls and hung them up on the 

curtain rod. If you're the crafty type, this will be an easy peasy project
for you.

33 Shades of Green used a few candles and transformed them into these
fabulous mood setters.

2. Blue and Silver
Blue and silver is the way to go if you want a classic Christmas Color
Theme that's sophisticated and crisp. There are many shades of blue.
The trick to this theme is finding a shade that's perfect for you.

Wrapping empty boxes and placing them under the tree is an easy
to replicate Christmas decor "cheat". Maintaing the same festive shade
of blue for the presents and balls keeps things nicely coordinated.

Why not use a blue and silver Christmas wreath to welcome guests into your
home? Make the Best of Things has a tutorial on how she created this one.

Inspiration for Home shows us how decorating the table for the holidays can
be as simple as adding a few ornaments and bows.

3. Tiffany Blue and Chocolate Brown
If I had my way, I'd have more pieces in chocolate brown; clothes, personal
items and Christmas decor. It's a shade of brown that's not easy to come by
which makes the color more dear to me. I know, blue and brown is a popular
wedding color theme. But it can make for an elegant Christmas Color Theme
as well.

Coco + Kelly can show us a thing or two on how easy it is to execute a blue
and brown Christmas Color Theme. It's all in the details!

What's Christmas without dessert? You can definitely pick up a few dessert
ideas from A Dozen Eggs' dessert buffet.

Check out Better Homes and Garden's Christmas feature on
holiday decorating in Blue and Brown. Focus on one or two elements
to keep it budget friendly.


We have yet to decide on which color theme we'll go with. Which
Christmas Color Theme will you be using in your home this year?


Photo Credit
poppet


Sharing this post here: