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Since kids need a constant reminder of what Easter is truly about I like to give them a reminder each time they find one of those fun plastic Easter Eggs!  I place a little picture of our Resurrected Jesus in each plastic egg. Here is a printable sheet that includes 12 of these images. One is colored the other is black and white. Pick the one that suits your situation better… These sets are free to download below! Or  Choose a simpler download that’s easier on ink usage and easier to cut. It works well for those who plan to stuff a lot of eggs. There are 24 on a page. Download the egg stuffers here: Choose one of the 3 downloads or use them all so the pictures inside the eggs will be a new surprise! Extra idea: Print them onto sticker paper so the kids can have them as stickers. Cupcake Toppers!! The colored images would also make great cupcake toppers! Just tape the top half of a toothpick to each and stick them into the top of a cupcake! ( I don’t have a picture of them in cupcakes since we didn’t make ours yet -It’s still Lent!) We also used them to decorate our “Feast Day Tree”! Be creative! They are very versatile! Praying you all to have a blessed Holy Week and a wonderful Easter! ~Jen-Marie

Here is a craft that I thought up and did with my younger kids as a quick fun afternoon project. It’s a fun craft to explain the Easter Triduum. The plate spins to reveal the days of the Triduum until Easter. It also has the Bible verse from John 2:19, where Jesus spoke of his Resurrection, pasted on it. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” (John 2:19) You will need: 2 paper plates the printable PDF page – Free Download below!! a paper fastener (looks like a nail with two points) crayons scissors glue Download here: Print and color the free printable above. Cut off a 1/4 of a plate. Round the point so you have a spot to make a center hole. Punch a small hole in the center of both plates. Make sure the plates are centered on top of each other and make sure your hole as close to the center as you can get it! Fasten the two plates together with the fastener. Cut out and glue the different parts of the PDF page onto the plate. Have the kids glue on the Bible verse above the opening in the top paper plate. Now starting with Holy Thursday add the Triduum days. Try to keep them close to the bottom of the paper plate. Spin the plate, when you cover the one you just glued, glue on the next one.  Now let the kids decorate the plate! And you’re done!! Hoping you all have a wonderful Triduum and Easter!~Jen-Marie

Every house I’ve ever lived in (5 of them) was blessed to have a dogwood tree in the yard! So I’ve had a love of dogwoods even when I was very young. As a teen, I heard the legend of the dogwood and I just loved the story. No, I don’t think it’s true, but the imagery and symbolism of the cross and the dogwood blossoms are so beautiful! So, for the last week and a half, I’ve been slowly working on the artwork to create the printable cards and the dogwood craft patterns which are in this post… If you don’t know the Legend of the Dogwood here it is: The Legend of the Dogwood At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood had reached the size of the mighty oak tree. So strong and firm was the wood that it was chosen as the timber for Jesus’ cross.      To be used for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the dogwood. While nailed upon it, Jesus sensed this, and in his compassion said. “Because of your pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth, it shall be slender, bent, and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross–two long and two short petals.      To be used for such a cruel purpose greatly distressed the dogwood. While nailed upon it, Jesus sensed this, and in his compassion said. “Because of your pity for my suffering, never again shall the dogwood tree grow large enough to be used for a cross. Henceforth, it shall be slender, bent, and twisted, and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross–two long and two short petals.      “In the center of the outer edge of each petal will be the print of nails. In the center of the flower, stained with blood, will be a crown of thorns so that all who see it will remember.” from “Sower’s Seeds Aplenty: Fourth Planting,”  # 29, p. 22 A little more information on the dogwood and its blossoms: The trees look like clouds all covered with flowers in the spring!  Dogwood flowers have a few different colors.  They can be White (purity) or pink (blood-stained). The white flower centers are green to start and then become more yellow as the mini flowers open. When the flower starts to die the center turns brown.  The pink flower centers are often brown. In the fall, the centers (crown of thorns) swell and turn into berries, which birds eat.  Neat isn’t it!! (I’m also a science nut!) Dogwood fruit A Dogwood Craft I created a pattern for my kids to make their own dogwood flowers. They are very simple to make! To make this you will need: the pattern Choose: {large} or {4 small}  crayons tape or glue scissors Print the pattern (there is one large or 4 small on a page) (stock paper works best) Download the dogwood craft Images here: Color the flower and the leaves. Add red and brown to the flower’s notched tip -“nail prints” Color the center yellow and/or brown Color the leaves green Color the petals pink or leave them white. Cut out the flower and the three leaves Tape the leaves to the bottom of the flower so they are shown through the petals of the flower. Curl the pedals up beside the “nail prints” and at the center. For a little extra fun,  you can add a pipe cleaner center to resemble the “crown of thorns”. You can add these flowers to  almost anything to decorate it! You can cut out two strips of brown paper to make a cross and add a paper dogwood flower. I added them to my Lenten/Easter cross… And  to a wreath (along with my legend print and a bow)… Glue craft sticks to the back to make the legend card stay straight. This must be hung in a dry spot (unless you laminate them). Prints and Cards of the Legend of the Dogwood You can also print out the legend story to go with your flowers.  Folded Gift Card This folded card and a handmade flower would be nice for any occasion including mother’s/grandmother’s day, a thinking of you surprise, an Easter card, etc. (Print onto stock paper) Legend Prints Nice for decorating or for framing Simple Legend Printables Nice for a class or large group 4 on a page I found so many ways to use these paper dogwood blossoms and legend cards! I enjoyed drawing these flowers and cards. My kids enjoyed coloring and creating the crafts. I hope you enjoy them, too!! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

“When He said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight.” (Acts 1:9) This Bible verse was the inspiration for this craft:  My kids found this craft to be so neat and fun!! It was a hit! You will need: fiberfill (a large handful or two) fold-and-close sandwich bag picture of Jesus ascending  (free download below) stapler/staples hot glue scissors string twist-tie light – LED tea light, mini LED flash light, a glow-stick or other small (non-hot) light Download instructions and image here: First, spread out the cotton.  Open the sandwich bag and start stapling the cotton onto the bag.  Staple cotton all around the bag.  You should cover the entire bag with cotton, fluffing the cotton along the way. Be sure the bag still has a pocket and an ability to tie the top.  Add your light.  Use the twist-tie to close the top.  (Be sure to keep this accessible so you can turn the light on and off) Cut out the Jesus image from the download above. Add hot glue to the back. Stick it onto the cloud/cotton. Use the twist-tie as a hook to attach the string to hang it up.  This is the completed project.  In a dimly lit room: In a dark room: They were so much fun! Hope you enjoy them! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie

I realize this is a bit late for Corpus Christi, (I’ve been keeping busy.) But it’s not too late to teach kids the awesome mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist! This is a simple art project to help kids practice painting straight lines. Practice makes perfect and even young kids can learn to paint straight lines, with a little practice! But the best part of this simple art project is that it’s a great reminder that Jesus is truly present in the Host at church during Mass. You will need: Stock paper or construction paper or canvas paper(color of your choice – We used black and white) paint: – white and yellow on black paper-yellow and red on white paper paintbrush paper plate or cups for holding paint Host printable – Available below (includes printable instructions) glue newspaper to cover the work area brown paint or brown paper for “Cross Version” (optional) Download Instructions and Host Image here: First, add a quarter-size “glop” (that’s art talk for large drop) of paint to the middle of your paper. Leave enough room for the rays and area for the monstrance base. Now work the paint out in straight lines. Start at the center and go straight out from the center. Do this all the way around. ALWAYS start in the center and go straight out away from the center. This is the straight-line practice. My kids made a chant, “Middle, go straight out…Middle, go straight out…Middle, go straight out.” It worked well for them! I held my 5-year-old’s hand and directed her paintbrush the first few strokes. Then she was able to do the painting on her own. Now add a second color to the middle and do the same as the first. You might want to do another drop of the first color again and the second color again – depending on how much the children fills in the area. Add the stem and base to the monstrance. The stem goes straight down and the base goes straight across. The children can make the base curved (if they have the ability). Now have the children cut out a host circle. After the paint is dry the children can add the host circle to the center of the rays! Cross Version: You may prefer to simply make the rays and add a cross. Add the cross with brown paint or glue down two strips of brown paper (as pictured). There you have it! I hope you enjoy!

Jon and I have slowly been working on a post together… Life never seems to slow down for long, things always pop-up so our blogging together is not going to be as frequent as we had hoped. But our blog is here and we will post together whenever we can. In the meantime, I thought some of our homeschooling followers might like to see my daily school log. Here in Pennsylvania, we are required to have the full 180 days logged. My evaluator liked this daily log that I made up and it’s been working very well here at our house! It’s Catholic Inspired, complete with a few religious images! I have added a “total number of days” page at the end for my high-schooler. So she can total up her days to receive her diploma credits! (It’s our first year homeschooling a high-schooler. ~ with an accredited diploma program.) The log works well since I can have the kids check off when they have completed a subject. So I don’t have to remember!! Now, don’t freak if you see the list of subjects across the top. We don’t do them all every day! We have specific days we learn the non-core subjects. Check List Style - Download Here: Empty Block Style - Download Here: Filled Block Style - Download Here: It’s free for you to use! You are welcome to use this if you like. Or just use it as inspiration for your own! I also made another page for the kids to make a list of the library books they read. That’s one long list by the end of the school year! I hope you are all having a wonderful school year! May God bless it with the joy of learning! ~Jen-Marie

Today (Sept 27) is our 15th wedding Anniversary and this is our first post together on our joint blog!! As unplanned as this was, I found it to be 100% appropriate! What’s even more interesting is our first post is about love and marriage! Anabelle from Written By the Finger of God asked me two weeks ago to do a guest post on our love story. I had to laugh since it was just before our 15th wedding Anniversary! I thought what could be better than to share our love story with all of you 15 years after one of the best days of my life!? So, to read our love story, please visit Anabelle at Written by the Finger of God . Jon and I both have written our own version of our love story! It was an amazing walk down memory lane as we wrote our stories! I hope you enjoy reading them! UPDATE: Anabelle closed her blog so I posted the stories here on my blog { CLICK HERE } Now onto our first joint post: Marriage and the Holy Trinity Did you know that marriage is a symbol of the Holy Trinity? I only learned this a few years ago! Take a look at what Jon has to say: The idea of marriage has gotten a lot of attention lately. People used to ask the question “should I or shouldn’t I?”. Now it’s a matter of: “What is a marriage? Why should it be called a union between a man and a woman only?” A long time ago in the book of Genesis, God first created marriage when he gave Eve to Adam. Thousands of years later, Christ revealed that God himself was actually more than we thought. He wasn’t just God, He was a Trinity, a union of three divine persons in one God. In God, there is a Father who is distinct from the Son but loves the Son and gives everything of himself to His Son. This Son accepts everything that his Father gives Him and gives back to his Father everything that he himself is. This total self giving of the Father to the Son and the Son back to the Father never stops. Since God is forever and doesn’t change, so too this giving doesn’t change. In fact, it’s so intense that it actually makes the Third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This truth about who God actually is why we understand what marriage is supposed to be: the giving of one selflessly to the other. Each receives everything that the other one is and gives back totally. In this sharing of each other, there is an openness where a third is welcome and can find life. Marriage is meant to be a reflection of the very nature of who God is. God has shared the truth of who He is and a man and woman embrace that truth when they embrace one another in a total self giving marriage. Any other union that seeks to twist and change what God has made is an attack on the very truth of who He is. Humanity has received from God this truth and the truth of what marriage is meant to be. The question is not what can we turn it into, but can we just embrace it for what it is? _______________________________________________ Isn’t that COOL!! 😉 Our kids who have a general understanding of the Holy Trinity thought this concept was neat! The rest just liked doing this fun art project…. For this craft you will need : the free printable sheets (available for free- Download below) colored pencils ribbon or string (about a yard for each craft) tape scissors hole punch Download the Craft Here: First color the two hearts (One for the Trinity and one for the married couple). Color as many babies as you like. I colored one baby for each of my living kids. Cut out the hearts and babies. Use a hole punch to make a hole at the area marked with dots (there are 6 dots). Use some smaller strips of ribbon/string to tie the two hearts together. The Trinity heart should be on top and the married couple under it. Tape about three strips of ribbon to the bottom of the married couple’s heart. Use tape to tape the babies to the hanging ribbons. Add a ribbon to the top of the trinity heart. Use this ribbon to hang your heart mobile. That’s it! These would be great when teaching about marriage, or the 7 sacraments. They would also be a great anniversary gift or decoration!! Hope it you enjoyed it!! God Bless. ~Jen-Marie and Jon

St. Joseph is one of my favorite saints!  If God picked him to be His foster-father he must have been an amazing man! I’m sure he worked tirelessly to care for Mary and Jesus! I imagine he often had sore arms and splinter filled hands while he lovingly worked to provide all he could for his family. That’s an inspiration to me! We are meant  to work hard for God. All our efforts in life should be for Him -just like St. Joseph! Often, kids have a hard time stopping from playtime to do chores, but chores are very important for kids to do. It helps them to learn responsibility and consequences. Chores can also teach children important life skills that will help them to care for themselves in the future.  If each child helps and does his or her tasks it will help to bring peace and order to the home and family life. This chore chart includes a praye r: Download the Chore Chart and Prayer Here: This chore chart has a section for writing the names of jobs/chores/responsibilities. Then there is a section to check off that the job was done properly. A completed chart can be an opportunity to reward the child with something special, like a treat, an allowance, a night out with Mom or Dad, a loving hug and kiss, or whatever your family feels is appropriate. This chart will work best if it is laminated.  You can write in the responsibilities before you laminate it or use a wet-erase marker to write them on after it’s laminated. (Using a wet erase marker will allow you to change the list occasionally.)  Use removable stickers or a wet-erase marker to check off when the chore is done. You can also add magnets to the back of the laminated chore chart to stick it to the fridge. If you can’t laminate: clear, smooth, shipping tape or contact paper is a fair substitute for laminating. **Don’t forget these crafts which you can make to help celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph: St. Joseph’s Flowering Staff and a Story St. Joseph’s Image on Wood ~ Craft St. Joseph, pray for us! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

My kids just love those books! (Ya know, the ones were each page has a huge picture and a list of things to find in the picture!!) So when I was trying to think of things to keep a group of teens and older children busy I thought it would be a fun idea to have a “Catholic I Spy” for them to do! Download the I Spy Files here: A few of my older kids and I had a lot of fun making these “I Spy” scenes. It was interesting to see all the saint themed ideas that they could come-up with! I took the pictures, and my oldest daughter made the poems to go with each one (I helped a little.)  After we printed them out, I laminated them and they were ready to use. (You could put them into plastic sheet covers, too.) They are great for youth group gatherings, All Saints Day Parties, family reunions, car rides, waiting rooms, and any other time you want to keep teens and older kids occupied. (Adults like them, too!!) Have fun making your own or you can print out the ones we made. Never stop searching for Christ in your life! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

Who doesn’t love a pinata at a party!?!?  I had pinatas at our All Saints Day party years ago when we hosted them at my house, but now we have our parties at the school gym and I just couldn’t find a spot to hang a pinata! For years I just didn’t have a pinata at the party, but I really wanted one. So last year I decided if I wanted a pinata I was going to have to be creative. After a lot of thought I decided to make a ball pinata that the kids could kick around!  It worked great!! But a note to anyone who wants to try this…give the smaller kids a turn to kick the ball first!  You will need: Printable Instructions are below a balloon news paper ripped or cut into 1 inch by 6 inch strips (approximate) paper mache whisk 1 3/4 cups of flour and 2 cups cold water in large bowl  masking tape or painters tape red, black, and white acrylic paint candy or toys to stuff inside Download Piñata Instructions and Image Here: Blow-up your balloon and tie the end in a knot. Dip your newspaper strips into the paper mache mixture.  Run each of the paper mache, covered, strips between two fingers to pull off the excess batter. Lay the strip over the balloon in a criss-cross pattern. Continue to do this till you have the balloon well covered with 4 or more heavy layers of newspaper.  Be sure to leave a 2-3 inch area of the balloon exposed so you can add the candy later. (I used the tied area of the balloon as my exposed area, it’s easiest!)  If you have bigger kids in the group you will want more layers of paper mache strips to make the piñata harder to break.  Once it’s covered, place it in a warm dry spot to dry. Hint: Place it on a paper bowl or old cap to keep it from rolling away! 😉 but be sure to change the spot which is down occasionally, so it can dry completely. It will take a few days to a week (maybe more, depending on how wet you made it). After it’s dry, pop the balloon (If it didn’t pop already) and remove it. Add your candy and toys. Now use tape to cover your hole, so the candy can’t fall out. You will want a heavy layer of tape. Now use acrylic paint to paint over the whole paper mache ball. I used a mixture of red and black on mine. First paint it red and then lightly go over top with black. Hint: Use a paper bowl or old cap to keep it from rolling away as you paint. When the red/black layer of paint was dry I painted on a devil’s face. If you don’t feel you can paint one than just find a picture of a devil to glue onto the piñata. You may want to cover the picture with a layer of Modge-Podge or white glue to make it smooth enough to roll. At the party let the kids take turns kicking the Pinata! (First, be sure to give each child a bag for the goodies! I used plastic lunch bags.) If you have a group of energetic kids have them yell “NO!!” as the Pinata is kicked!! St. Michael crushing the head of Satan! (After the “Saints” were done kicking it!) His was a fun activity at our All Saints Day Party! My kids are asking for it again this year! May God Bless you all with a peaceful day! ~Jen-Marie

In honor of the month of the Rosary and pro-life month (October), as well as, the upcoming Year of Faith, I’m re-posting an old family favorite… Build a giant Rosary as you pray!  This helps to keep kids interested while praying the Rosary!  And the pictures on the beads help them  to meditate while they pray!  Free Printable… This Pro-Life Rosary is wonderful to use with children and teens to show them the beauty of new life while praying for all mothers and the unborn. After creating the Rosary, distribute the beads among the people who will be praying.  There are countless ways to do this. Example: If you are praying in a large group each person could get one or two beads. If it’s a smaller group each person who will be reciting a decade could get 11 beads (10 Hail Mary beads and 1 Our Father bead). As the prayers for the cross, medal, and beads are prayed it should be laid down on the sheet, floor, on a large table or pin it to a bulletin board. When you are finished praying the rosary you should have created a large rosary. Then pick-up the parts and use them again next time, or leave them pinned on your bulletin board as a reminder to pray for the end of abortion. Rosary creation directions: You will need: The printable pictures, cross, medal, and beads (download below) Glue stick & Scissors A twin-size bedsheet (optional) Laminate(optional) Here is Pro-life Rosary for you to print out - It is a large file with lots of pictures. You will need to make 10 copies of the bead pattern sheet. (Pink and Blue colored paper could be nice.) Then glue one of the printable pictures to each of the 59 beads. There is a number and a color under each baby picture. If you are using pink and blue paper, glue the picture to the color bead listed and write that number on the back of the bead. I tried to make the baby’s growth progress as the Rosary is said. I used a twin size bed sheet as a “map” so the kids know where to place the beads. Layout your rosary on the twin size bed sheet. Once it looks the way you like, used a permanent black pen to put a dot and a number on the sheet under each bead. Be sure the pen you are using doesn’t ‘bleed’ on the sheet or the beads. The numbers on the back of your beads should match the number you write under it on the sheet. The numbers start at 1(the Cross) and go to 61(the last bead). (59 beads + the medal + the cross= 61) I marked the “Our Father” beads as suns to help the younger kids.  Mark the center medal with an oval on the sheet (it’s # 7) and draw a small cross where the cross should be (# 1) If you don’t have a bedsheet, you can lay the rosary out on the floor, a large table, or pin it to a bulletin board. If you wish, you can get a string to use as a pattern for the participants to lay the cross, medal, and beads on. The sheet seemed to work best with young kids. It was easy for them to understand where they should lay the beads. If you plan to use this rosary activity often it may be best to laminate all of these parts after you have cut them out, glued on the pictures, and written the numbers on the back. Thanks for helping end abortion and save babies!! God Bless! ~Jen-Marie

“Dear St. Anthony, please look around; something is lost and must be found.” So why is St. Anthony the patron saint of lost things?   An old story tells us that St. Anthony, was using a valuable psalter (Book of Palms) but the book was unknowingly carried off by a novice. St. Anthony prayed very hard that the psalter would be found. After seeing an alarming apparition of St. Anthony, the novice returned the psalter.  St. Anthony may be the Patron of lost things, but more importantly he is the patron of lost souls — those who have fallen to mortal sin, have abandoned the Church and have grown apathetic to the practice of the faith. Personally, I often like to pray to St. Anthony when I feel like I have lost my way in life -when I’m just not sure what it is God wants me to do. St. Anthony is such an AWESOME saint!(Some of the above information was taken from: The Real Presence.org  Please visit their site to read more about this wonderful saint!)  Last summer, for Saint Anthony’s feast day, we did a fun activity! It was a treasure dig! The kids had to dig through the rock block to find the treasures hidden inside! They had so much fun! I thought it I’d share it with you all now because it could be used as a fun activity for an All Saint’s Day event. But please remember it will take a few weeks to dry so plan ahead! You will need: Download Printable Insructions (below) Mixture of sand and cornstarch (3 parts sand to 1 part cornstarch) water old bucket or other large  trash-ablecontainer Mixing stick or spoon (trash-able) Foil cake pan or  disposable plastic cups Small “treasures ” (beads, sequins, shells, small plastic animals, etc.) paper towels or napkins popsicle sticks for each child Download the St. Anthony dig instructions here: First put your sand and cornstarch together in a bucket or other container. (Choose a container that you don’t care if it gets messed up. The sand will scratch it.) I used about 6 cups of sand and 2 cups of cornstarch to fill my 13×9 inch foil pan. Add enough water to make the mixture liquidity with a consistency of a very thick cake/cookie batter.  You don’t want it to be runny, the more liquidy the mixture is the longer it will take to dry and the harder it will be to break apart.  Pour half the mixture into a pan. (Use something that can be trashed later.) I used a 13×9 inch foil pan. You could also use plastic cups if you want to give each child their own personal treasure dig. Now add your treasures!! Make a layer of the toys over the sand/cornstarch mixture. Now top it with the remaining sand/cornstarch mixture. Pat the top of it with your stir-stick or your hand to get it to settle. You might need to push the treasures back down in as you pat it. As the water rises to the top, use some paper towels or napkins to pat the water off the top. Continue to pat the paper towel/napkins on the top until you stop seeing excess water. Every hour for several hours, pat the water from the top. After a few hours the water should stop rising. The amount of water that rises depends on how liquidy your mixture was. Place your sand-cake(s) in a warm dry spot for a week or two. (maybe three) I placed mine on a foiled cookie sheet for easy transport. After a few weeks you should have a rock solid sand-cake!(As my kids joke, “Mom’s baking again!”) Now that the “cake” is dry have the kids use wooden popsicle sticks to dig into it to find the treasures!! My kids LOVED it!!! But be warned it is messy and dusty when they break it up! You might want to do it outside or in a garage. Have fun and God Bless! St. Anthony, pray for us! ~Jen-Marie