Seven Lessons Kids Can Learn From Playing Store

My fellow Catholic homeschooling mom-writer-blogger-friend Teresa wrote this great article on how kids can learn just by playing "store." While reading it, I was reminded about the times my own kids and I would play "bookshop." I am reminded once again how kids can learn so much just by playing! ;-) Time to get out our bookshop signs! ;-)

Photo credit here. (Of course, you don't need this pretend playshop set to play store or bookshop. Just make your own signs, get your own props, "make" your own play money, and voila! FUN FUN FUN!)

Click the link below to read Mommy Teresa's article:
7 Lessons Kids Can Learn From Playing Store

You can also check out her posts about being a mom on her blog here. ;-)

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (Jan 25)

January 25 is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. Since we've "adopted" St. Paul as our family's patron saint for 2012, I thought I'd share with you some ideas (some of which, are not originally mine to claim) for celebrating today's feast. (I tried Googling for ideas, but there seems to be only a few posts about it.)

We won't be able to use these ideas today though, since Timothy joined his Papa Anthony on a "mission trip" to Baguio to prepare for the Couples for Christ Magnificat Weekend Retreat (their FIRST ever trip together as father-and-son. I'm a bit nervous about it, but totally ECSTATIC too!) I hope we could still do them though, even on a different day. I'm really grateful to God for reminding me about "what is essential" through St. Paul's conversion.

Here are some ideas:

1. From Catholic Cuisine: "Although the story from the Acts of the Apostles doesn't mention St. Paul falling to the ground off his horse, it seems that is how the scene is always artistically rendered. After all, falling to the ground from a standing position hurts, but it isn't as dramatic as a fall from a horse!" 

Image source here.

a. Make horseshoe cookies and include other "horse-themed" dishes in the family's meals.
b. For snack time, prepare something horses eat, like celery or carrot sticks with dip.
(Find more ideas from Catholic Cuisine by clicking here.)

2. Read Bible stories about St. Paul. Tim's current Bible is "My Favorite Bible Storybook for Early Readers." We got it from Booksale, and although it's not a Catholic children's Bible, it's really good - Tim loves "reading" it with us! I like that the stories are a bit more detailed than those in our other Bible storybooks.

Alternatively, we plan to read (for the nth time!) the comic book about St. Paul that we bought a while back at the St. Paul's bookstore at Ali Mall in Cubao. Maybe we'll do some role-playing while we're at it! ;-)

3. Do St. Paul-themed activities. Catholicmom.com has some good ideas from their 2008 archives on celebrating "The Year of St. Paul." You may find these resources helpful:


Resources for Children and Families:

Year of St. Paul Lesson Plan from CatholicMom.comOSV St. Paul "Giant of the Church" - interactive stories, quiz and more
OSV St. Paul Crossword Puzzle
OSV Take Out Kids Page for Year of St. Paul - filled with several great ideas and activities for families
OSV St. Paul Coloring Book for Kids
OSV "Year of St. Paul" poster
St. Peter and St. Paul Coloring Page

4. Watch videos about the Conversion of St. Paul. You can find these on YouTube. Here are two such videos:




Here's a music video about "Saul of Tarsus." (Note: Our internet connection is kinda spotty now, so I wasn't able to view the video - I hope you can do so without any problems though!)


Happy Feast Day everyone! To God be all the glory! ;-)

Freebie Friday: {Facebook Freebie} 100-Indoor Activities for Kids E-book

It's been a long while since I posted about any freebies, though I have come across quite a few freebies over the past few months, which I hope I can still find time to post about later on! (Sorry about that - been having erratic daily schedules for months now, LOL!)

Anyway, I've recently discovered the blog Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling, which has lots of freebies and printables in itself. The latest one is a free e-book entitled "100-Indoor Activities for Kids!"

Image from holyspiritledhomeschooling.net

To avail of the e-book, like the blog's Facebook page first here. On the left-hand side you should be able to see a tab that says “Free eBook!!!”  Click on that tab to download your free eBook. (It's easy to do, just follow the instructions, I already got my copy!)


Hope this helps you all! ;-) God bless! 

On Smart Parenting: 6 Things To Try With Your Kids This New Year

The New Year is now upon us, and many of us have already gone back to the daily routine of going to work, doing household chores, and taking care of our children (not that the latter stops during the holidays – parenting, after all, is a 24/7 task!). Most of us too, have probably made our New Year’s resolutions (and hopefully, have not broken any of them yet); and taken steps to improving ourselves. It is a new year after all!

Since we’re on the subject of “new,” we might as well try out new things too –stuff we’ve NEVER experienced nor done before. This year, we suggest six things you may want to do with your kids to make this year one of your most memorable yet!

1. Create your own storybook(s).
If your children are anything like mine, they probably love pretending to be the hero or heroine in the stories you read to them. This year, why not make your kids’ fantasies in a way come true – by making your own storybooks with your kids and other family members as the main characters? 
 
As a family, come up with different “plots” for your stories. You could base them on your family’s personal experiences, or draw inspiration from other books. 

You may also want to choose which “genre” you’d like your book to focus on – inspirational, biographical, comedy, horror, general fiction, etc. Don’t pressure yourselves, though – remember that you’re doing this just for the fun of it! 

If you have older kids who can already write and draw, involve them in the “creation” of the book by having them write parts of the story or illustrate the story.  Smaller children can contribute by having their own “pages” in the book – let them scribble or draw to their heart’s content on blank pages that can be “page breakers” in your book. 

If you’re really ambitious, or find yourselves enjoying this activity, you may even want to write sequels to your book in the future. You never know - your literary creations may even get published, like the Giuliano family’s book “All the Way to God”, which stemmed from a simple family bedtime routine.
 

2. Make your own documentary film or music video.
If you’re not the writing type, you may want to have a go at making your own family film instead. This could take just a few minutes of your time; alternatively, you may want to make it a year-round project. 

Here are some ideas for your film or video project:
•    Make a documentary about your family and include interviews of different family members. You may want to make your own family tree before doing this. This would be a great way to teach your kids about their grandparents, ancestors, and other relatives.
•    Make a family video with compiled recordings of each family member completing these sentences (or something similar): “In five years’ time, I will ______________,” “I can change the world by ______________,” “I am grateful for ________________,” “I will stop _____________.”
•    Make a music video by getting each family member to sing certain parts of a favorite family song or hymn. You may opt to sing your parts in a certain way – dramatically, wackily, rocker-style, opera-style, etc. Have fun belting out the lyrics and dancing to the rhythm of the music! If you’re not shy about doing so, upload the video online for posterity - who knows, you and your family could become the next YouTube sensation!


3. Build your own family time capsule.
According to the U.S. Library of Congress, a time capsule is “a collection of objects put together to preserve the memory of a place, experience, or group of people at one point in time. People often make time capsules for special public occasions, and for others to open many years in the future.” People can make one to celebrate a family event, to remind them of a special experience, or to remember friends, family, or school – or something else important to them.

Building a family time capsule will enable you and your kids to go back in time and see your “past selves.” This will especially be a good thing to do if your kids are still very young. For detailed tips on how to make your own family time capsules, click here and here.

(This is the first part of an article I wrote for Smart Parenting Philippines' website. To continue reading the rest of the article, please click here.)

Remembering St. Cecilia in our own little way

Yesterday, November 22, was the Feast Day of St. Cecilia. It was a Tuesday, so I had to report to the office. (Although my dream to be a fulltime, stay-at-home mom is not financially feasible for us at this time, I am still blessed to have a work-at-home arrangement that requires me to go to the office at least 2x a week - thanks to my dear elders at Couples for Christ, who are so supportive).

St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians

So anyway, I left some activities for Tim and Rysse to do with their Ate* (yes, we have a helper now!). She has been a HUGE help and blessing, so yes, I'm not the "do-everything-by-myself-supermom" you may think I am! Still, I am AMAZED at the many homeschool moms out there who keep their homes, teach their kids and blog/work on the side WITHOUT any help whatsoever - hats off to you!

Back to the reason for this post. Hehe! I wanted Tim (and Rysse) to celebrate even in a simple way, St. Cecilia's special day. So what did we do before our regular storytime / booktime?

Play "Guess What Musical Instrument"!

Advanced Happy New Year from My Masterpiece Movement! (Free creative play group sessions! for 2012)

If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you've probably read about My Masterpiece Movement (MMM) before (I attended their Creativity Workshop for Mompreneurs last year, organized by Mommy Mundo, and have posted about some of their events, as well as their FREE enriching Wonder Wednesdays sessions for adults as a way to enrich one's self).

More recently, God used MMM founder and head-teacher Anna and her team to bless our new homeschool group with a free, fun-filled, fabulous workshop, which the kids (and parents) thoroughly enjoyed! (Now, whenever we get ready for ROCKERs meetings, Tim always asks me "Will the teachers who told the nice stories be there?" - referring to the MMM team of course!)

Recently, Anna posted this on my Facebook wall:


I have been praying that God will make a way for the kids to have a regular session where creativity is encouraged! Actually, ever since attending MMM's Creativity Workshop last year, I have been wanting to enroll the kids, but, to be brutally honest, we just can't afford it right now! (Believe me though, we are blessed to be missionaries!)

So when I saw this, of course I immediately asked Anna to reserve 2 slots for Tim and Rysse! Thank YOU Lord for answering my prayers! ;-)

Slots are limited only, so reserve yours now*! ;-) Contact Teacher Anna at 0915-4327439. You can also send an e-mail to mymasterpiece@me.com * Or better yet, like MMM on Facebook or follow MMM on Twitter for regular updates. 

Sorry for the pixelation. ;-) This was from MMM's FB page. ;-)

*Super Saturday sessions will be held at 10am every Second Saturday of the month starting January 2012. 

UPDATED! Announcement: ROCKERs November 4 Meet-up / All Saints' Day Celebration

The monthly meeting of ROCKERs for November will be in celebration of ALL SAINTS' DAY.  
We highly encourage the kids (and even parents too, if you like!)  to come 

as your favorite Catholic saint or "icon." 
(For ideas, you can go here).

This is our contribution towards keeping the HALLOW in Halloween. ;-)

The venue for Nov 4 is CONFIRMED to be at our usual meeting place, i.e. 

the MEDELA HOUSE (not Gymboree).
(The complete address of the MH is No. 29, 1st Street, New Manila, QC. 

It's beside 8 Gilmore Place.)

PLEASE COME PROMPTLY AT 3.30 PM. :-)

Below is the program of activities: 
3.30-3.45 pm Arrival/Registration 
3.45-4.00 pm Prayer / Introduction to the program / Brief All Saints’ Day explanation 
4.00-4.30 pm Games 
4.30-4.45 pm Storytelling session with All Saints' Day theme 
4.45-5.15 pm Snacks 
5.15-5.30 pm Time for a short ROCKER parents’ meeting  / Kids Free Play 
5.30-5.40 pm Closing Prayer

IMPORTANT! Things to bring:
- Yourself and your kids dressed up in Saint / Catholic-themed costumes 

- Food to share (pls. see form below) 

- Your own cups, plates and utensils (so we don't need to use disposable stuff) 

Please confirm your attendance for the All Saints' Day Celebration by filling in the form below:

More WONDERFUL All Saints' ideas from Catholic Icing!

I have really got to hand it to Catholic Icing's Lacy - when God created her, He must have breathed an extra dose of Catholic creativity into her soul!

Meet Catholic Icing's Lacy, with her 3 kids Lydia, Julian and Violet! God bless you abundantly for your amazing contribution to Catholic families everywhere! ;-)
*Photo from  http://catholicicing.blogspot.com

Check out her latest posts on making All Saints' Day fun and exciting for everyone, especially the kids!

Ideas for crafting an All Saints' Day bucket (a wonderful alternative to the Halloween pumpkin buckets)

Easy food party ideas for All Saints' Day - something I hope we'll be able to use for our Nov 4 ROCKERs All Saints' Day party

Saintly soda for All Saints' Day - Lacy is totally AMAZING! She thinks of everything! ;-)

Printable All Saints' Day games - I want to do this for Nov 4 too! ;-)

Cutest All Saints' Day cookies - Makes me want to go out and buy an oven so I can try baking these! hehe! ;-)

I really hope and pray that more and more Catholic families would make being Catholic FUN and EXCITING for their kids, especially here in the Philippines! ;-) Thankfully though, God placed Catholic moms like Lacy in the world, who are willing to share their ideas for free on the Net! ;-) God bless her and all other moms like her! ;-)

Preparing for our "official" first field trip - “Beatus: Embracing the Holiness of John Paul II" Exhibit

I was so psyched when my friend and officemate Ate Alma (who also happens to be a food blogger) told me about this ongoing exhibit at the Gateway Mall in Cubao, featuring Blessed John Paul II. Entitled “Beatus: Embracing the Holiness of John Paul II" it features photos and certain relics of the late Pope, probably one of the most well-loved Popes of all time!


The exhibit opened on October 9 and will run until October 21 at the Gateway Mall Activity Area. Organized by the Diocese of Cubao and the Smart Araneta Center, it is part of the preparation for the celebration of the FIRST Feast Day of Blessed John Paul on October 22. 

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of St. Teresa (Therese) of Avila

Today (Oct 15) is St. Teresa of Avila's Feast Day. She was a Carmelite nun, like St. Therese of Lisieux. However, based on her biographies like this one from Catholic.org, unlike St. Therese, she did not have a fervent desire to serve God at an early age:

"..she led a fairly ordinary life, though she was convinced that she was a horrible sinner. As a teenager, she cared only about boys and clothes and flirting and rebelling -- like other teenagers throughout the ages."

(I see she and I had A LOT in common when we were younger, haha!) Nevertheless, despite all her faults and struggles, God blessed her immensely, and truly shaped her to be holy and a saint (something we all hope to be one day, right?)

To celebrate her Feast Day today, here is a round-up of ideas from other fabulous, creative Catholic moms, mostly homeschoolers:

1. Make a St. Teresa of Avila Prayer Bookmark from Paper Dali

ROCKERs Philippines October 7 "Workshop" with My Masterpiece Movement

Thank You Lord for the wonderful teacher-artists from My Masterpiece Movement, especially Mommy Anna, who offered to hold an interactive multi-arts storytelling workshop/performance for our small group of Catholic homeschoolers (ROCKERs!) We all had so much fun - praise God too for the generous Medela Moms Beng and Maricel, who hosted the activity (again!) at the Medela House.

The kids and I (and Ate Lyn!) went early so we could prepare the place. We rode the FX and LRT to Gilmore station and walked to the Medela House. It was pretty tiring because I was carrying a backpack with my not-so-light laptop in it, plus wearing Rysse in front with my Next 9 pouch (I SO love the convenience of babywearing! hehe!).

Anyway, we had fun setting up. I am/we are trying to teach the kids consistently about the concept of service / serving others by helping out, doing chores, etc.

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Oct 7)

This year's Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary also falls on the First Friday of October - a double reason to celebrate! I am SO excited for our monthly ROCKERs meeting later at the Medela House! We will be treated to an interactive multi-arts and storytelling/ sing and dance along session c/o our friends at My Masterpiece Movement. Yipeee! Praise GOD ;-)

The kids and I will be going to New Manila by taking the FX to the LRT station, then we'll go by LRT (Light Rail Transit, or train in other countries, hehe) to Gilmore St. and walk to Medela House (the Medela Moms Beng and Maricel are Catholic homeschoolers! Awesome!). I'm sure we'll have lots of learning experiences along the way! ;-)

Since it's the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, we will also go to Mass at St. Pio Shrine (at least I am hoping we can!) and try to do one or two of the following activities (which you may want to do too, and don't forget to scroll down for some helpful videos):

- For TeacherMama: read and apply this article on "Exploring Mary and Motherhood"

- Do coloring of the Rosary / Mama Mary pages. The mom behind Family Feast and Feria has taken the time to scan coloring pages of the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries here, and provides the link to the Luminous Mysteries too, which you can go to directly here. There is also a coloring page from Domestic Church here. You can also take a look at the one recommended by Catholic Mom here, Waltzing Matilda here. (Lightbulb moment! We can do this while praying the Rosary too! hehe).

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux (delayed I know! haha) and the Feast of the Guardian Angels

I was supposed to post these ideas for St. Therese's feast day yesterday but didn't get to as my mom and I went to visit my cousin who just gave birth, and give some breastfeeding support to her. After that, we went grocery shopping with the kids. It was a very rainy Saturday in Manila yesterday, and I hope everyone's coping with the typhoon well. Let's keep praying for those badly affected though, and still in flooded areas!

Anyway, here are some ideas for St. Therese's Feast Day, as re-posted from other wonderful Catholic moms' blogs and Catholic websites! (It's never too late to celebrate and teach our kids about St. Therese, who is one of my personal favorites, as we sought her intercession when I was pregnant with our 2 kids on mission! That's why we named our first daughter, Alyssa Therese :-) hehe.)

P.S. Please also keep reading to the end for ideas on celebrating the Feast of the Guardian Angels (Oct 2)! :-)

Celebrating the Feast Day of St. Lorenzo Ruiz

It is St. Lorenzo Ruiz's Feast Day today (Sept 28). Since it is still flooded outside due to Typhoon Pedring (which seems to have "calmed down" a bit, thank you for joining us in prayer!) I thought I'd try to come up with a post on how to celebrate his Feast Day. (Since I can't find one on Google! haha!)

But first, here is some information about the St. Lorenzo, or San Lorenzo Ruiz, as he is fondly called by Filipinos everywhere:

Lorenzo Ruiz is the first Filipino saint. He is also the first Filipino martyred for the Christian Faith. Lorenzo Ruiz was a layman, married, and had two sons and a daughter. Born in Binondo, Manila, about 1600's, he was educated in the school of the Dominicans there. He served as an altar boy and later was a helper and clerk-sacristan in the church of Binondo. He was a member of the Confraternity of the Rosary. 

Ideas for Celebrating the Feast Day of St. Padre Pio (Sept 23)

St. Padre Pio has a special place in our family's heart now because we believe that it was through his intercession that my sister got pregnant, after waiting for almost ELEVEN years! (I wrote about that on Philstar.com here.)

Today (Sept 23) is his feast day, and here are some great ideas for celebrating it from Catholic Icing. (Forgive me, but I'll just copy and paste Lacy's post below, hehe). Thank you St. Pio for praying for us! Happy Feast Day!

Pray, hope and don't worry. - St. Pio of Petrelcina


Note: The Philippine Center for St. Pio has an official website here. It is a wonderful, solemn place to visit and celebrate the Eucharist. The chapel is located at E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave (C5). You can view the directions/map going there here.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


St. Padre Pio has a feast day coming up on September 23. If I were to rank St. Padre Pio on a popularity scale from 1-10, I would give him a 10! He sure seems to be a 'crowd pleaser', and there's no question as to why if you read about St. Padre Pio. The most famous thing about him is his stigmata. Well, that and his fist fights with demons and levitating and all kinds of crazy cool stuff :-) Anyway, here are some feast day ideas for celebrating with your kids:

Ok, call me crazy, but I love these Stigmata Rice Krispie Treats

from Family at the Foot of the Cross! 

My Little Flower made a St. Padre Pio Lapbook.

Get a special Fun Fact Sheet on St. Padre Pio for Kids

over on Catholic Online.

Waltzing Matilda has 2 St. Padre Pio Coloring Sheets!

These were colored by Keeper of the Keys. 

Find a St. Padre Pio Spoon Craft over on 

Cottage Blessings. He's standing with St. Francis here.

Ideas for celebrating "Michaelmas" - Feast Day of St. Michael and all the Archangels (Sept 29)

The Feast Day of all the Archangels - St. Michael, also known as "Michaelmas," falls on September 29. Two other archangels, Gabriel and Raphael, are also honored on this day. (To know more about "Michaelmas" please go to the articles on these sites: Women for Faith and Family, Catholic Culture, Catholic.org)

For ideas on activities, crafts and the like, check out my favorite Catholic crafty homeschool mom Lacy's suggestions, which I am re-posting below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michaelmas comes every year on September 29. It is the feast day of St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and well- basically the Archangels :-) When getting ready to celebrate Michaelmas with your kids, think "tough angels". Because that's what archangels are. Save your "fluffy angel" ideas for the feast of Guardian Angels in October.

I love this Angel Mobile Craft from Bountiful Blessings.

If you're not crafts enough to cut the pieces out like she did,

Charlotte has a Printable Page of these Kitchen Angels.

Suggested Activities for the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross (Sept 14) and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (Sept 15)

Check out these great activities for two of the GREAT* Feast Days in September posted on the ROCKERs page:
http://rockersph.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/ideas-for-the-triumph-of-the-holy-cross-sept-14-and-our-lady-of-sorrows-sept-15/

*Why are they GREAT in my book?! Well, the Feast of the Triumph of the Holy Cross reminds us all about the POWER of JESUS' SAVING WORK on the Cross, while the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows invites us to unite ourselves with Mama Mary in prayer and compassion for the world. :-) Hope you and your families enjoy celebrating these days!

Save the date: October 7, 2011 (First Friday)

Why October 7, 2011?!!

Here's a clue:


Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!! Praise God!

P.S. Wanna know more? Please go to the ROCKERs site here. ;-) Godbless us all!