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“Do you love me?…Feed my sheep.” John 21:17 I created this toss game for our All Saints day party. The kids stood behind the fence and tossed the grassinto the circle to feed the sheep. I made this with a stuffed sheep, wire ring, and foam balls wrapped with green felt. The felt ends were cut into strips to resemble grass.

~Jennifer’s Thoughts I’ve been told soooo many times…I’d love to homeschool, but I don’t know if I can. Well, I have a few suggestions and thoughts….. If your kids are not in school yet it’s easy to see how things might go if you get a few cheap pre-K books and try teaching now before they are school age. But don’t make a big deal out of it! Just try to make it fun!! Kindergarten is only to get the kids ready for the idea of structured learning. Most kids age 8 and under can’t sit for too long. Only work with them for about an hour or less each day. The best way to teach is to teach so they don’t know they are learning. Reading to them is the BEST way to teach them. It’s sooooo amazing how much they pickup when you read. Even if they don’t sit still it’s still working a little bit. Don\’t get discouraged. Every little things helps more than you would think. Keep cool and well tempered. Kids learn better from a happy, Mom/Dad!!! And yes, it can be very hard at times to act happy even when you want to scream!!! If you feel frustrated, even a little, they know it!! Just stop and try later. You can take lots of breaks if you need to. During the breaks you and the kid(s) can do a few jumping jacks, draw a picture, play with trucks, or try fake laughing or being silly. All these things are just meant help you feel happier and it gets your blood moving which helps your brain think better. But if things get really bad; STOP AND PRAY!! Then I get asked the question… Do your kids miss going to school and spending time with other kids? All the kids will eventually understand that some go to school and others don’t. My kids have lots of cousins and friends who go to school. At first they questioned it and wanted to go, too. Then they understood what was happening and now they don’t want to go to school! They love the fact that they can finish school work before lunch then they can play. If they went to school they wouldn’t get home till much later. Plus, they would still have homework to do! They still see friends, not everyday, but weekly or more, through homeschool get-togethers or co-ops. They are happy with that and I’m happy they don’t feel the daily stress of trying to fit in. It makes kids more stress free and happy with themselves. Another question: What about missing out on school plays and parties? School plays and parties were an issue with me when I was deciding whether to homeschool or not. But there are many home school opportunities that cover those problems. One of the home school groups I’m in has a “Fine Arts Night” every January/February. It’s a art and talent show. The little artists can bring in art work they have done and also they can preform whatever they wish on stage. Some kids read poems, preform plays, sing, dance, baton, play many types of musical instruments like the piano, and all kinds of other amazing talents. I like it better than the Christmas plays at school! Plus, your child can do whatever they like and can be the center of the show. They are not lost in the group. As for parties, the catholic home school group has a All Saint’s Day Party. The kids dress up like a saint. Other home school groups have Halloween parties. We have Valentine day parties too. So the kids can exchange valentines. We participate in Science fairs, Geography fairs, and lots of field trips! There are many activities that will substitute for what the school kids do. I can\’t even begin to name them all. Simply put: Studies have shown that if a child starts his education at home he will have more self-confidence and have a better foundation to his education. The longer they are home schooled the better self-confidence they have and the better they can read and do arithmetic. They also do better in high school and college, socially and academically! Many parents complain that their kids become more aggressive or lose self-esteem after they start going to school. The other kids are often not good influences. A child, no matter how good, will pick up the bad traits of other kids. Once they pick up bad traits, it’s hard to undo it. No one family is the same as another, and we are all different so while home school may not be for everyone, I do feel that if a family has the deep desire to homeschool they can make it work. With a little bit of will and determination!! May God bless you with true discernment, if you are trying to decide whether or not to homeschool. ~Jennifer

Originally published in “The Evening Sun” on June 25, 2010, by  Jon Lawernce Going out in public with my wife and eight children normally causes reactions from those around us. From the casual onlooker, their the wordless mouthing and bobbing index finger as they count. However, from the insatiably more curious, we get comments. “Are they all yours?” Yeah and from the same wife, too! “You have enough for a (enter sports team here).” That’s not our goal. “You know what causes that, right?” Yup. Love. But the most common is “I have only one. How do you handle eight?” The answer to that one is really a handful of things. Both husband and wife having the same beliefs and goals for the family. Putting the best interest of the family before self. Eating meals together. Praying together. And lastly, there is the line in the sand that can never be crossed: “please” and “thank you” From birth, every parent knows that children don\’t come with owner’s manuals. Which makes sense because we don\’t own them. Slavery ended generations ago. But what every parent should know is that teaching of children starts early. From the first times they ask for something to eat, drink, or play with (that can be one and the same!), it’s important to establish a very simple expectation. Every request needs to be accompanied by “please’. And so long as this is continually reinforced, they will pick it up and adopt it as the standard operating procedure. Please is about respect. It teaches the speaker that they are in need and they have to be a little bit humble to have that need filled. They grow up realizing that they, like everyone else, have limitations and that the people who can help them won\’t be ordered around. There are people in authority over them who deserve to be respected. And respect that is given is normally rewarded. Children are lovable but not born polite. They come into the world basically selfish. So when their diapers need to be changed, their bellies filled, or their hearts hugged, they cry to have those needs fulfilled. And that’s perfectly fine. Otherwise, they\’d be smelly, malnourished, and not near as fun to hug. But if that “me” attitude is not one day changed, their world view quickly becomes slanted. They “blossom” into demanding, uncaring people who think that others exist to serve them. They go through life with unrealistic expectations and look for immediate gratification. Please is one little word that is a great course correction. It crushes that self-centered worldview and reinforces the need for others. It\’s a loving discipline meant to help them grow into balanced people who are emotionally ready for the world. “Thank you”s, on the other hand, are about gratitude. They compliment “please” and finish the job that it started. When we receive something or some action from another, we have an obligation to respond. “Thank you” fulfills the debt that comes with all kindness. Any well-intentioned action done to us deserves this bare minimum response. Equally, these two words confirm the sincerity of please. Without them, the hearer is left questioning if the speaker ever even meant it. Perhaps the “please” was just a tool to manipulate the other person, leaving them feeling used. But when “thank you” follows with nothing more to be gained from the other person, the hearer is touched by the respect shown them. The earlier that it’s learned, the happy the individual is. Respectful and grateful people are more likable and make better friendships throughout life. Their relationships with others are more meaningful and genuine. Others are seen as equals and not mere two-dimensional shapes that only have value when they are needed. As they grow into polite individuals themselves, they go out into the world not only ready for it but prepared to improve it. Just as bad examples can lower the bar in society, these good individuals help others to gravitate back toward politeness. Since human beings are influenced by what they see, these respectful words can and do touch people. And the need for it is great. Parents have a short window of opportunity to properly influence the young children in their care. While our little ones are blessings, they come with an obligation. They have need of our guidance. Left to their own devices, they will have a harder road to travel. But when we instruct them on how to conduct themselves, their way is smoother. Any parent who holds their ground on these words is rewarded with politer children and a happier home. Been there. Done that.

…people count the number of your children out loud when you’re in public …people ask, “Are they all yours?” …you start counting your children when you’re out in public …you have at least three bunk beds set up in your home …almost everyone you know has less children than you do …people say, “Wow! How do you manage?” …people ask you, out of the blue, if you are Mormon or Catholic. …you buy your pots and pans in the restaurant supply store …supposed “family size” food portions seem awfully small …you complain, “Doesn’t anyone make large dining tables anymore?” …you outgrow your mini-van …you\’ve heard “Don’t you know what causes that? ” more times than you’d care to remember …you\’ve forgotten what it’s like to be alone anywhere else but in the bathroom …your children never run out of playmates among their siblings …everything you buy is in bulk …people ask, “Don’t you get overwhelmed?” …you and your husband can no longer hold each child’s hand while crossing the street …it takes a wonderfully long time to hug and kiss everybody …one of your children looks wistfully at the newborn and asks you, “Can’t you have another baby really soon? I hardly get to hold this one because everybody else is taking turns.” …you realize that few houses are designed with your family in mind …people ask you if you’ve ever accidentally left any of your children behind …life around your family never seems boring or dull …your tent is the largest one in any campground …you feel sorry for people with only two children …you sometimes wonder what on earth mothers with only two children do with all their spare time …whenever you set your dining table, it looks like it used to look when you were expecting lots of company …you read a cookbook and joke, “They call these meals? Sounds like a little snack to me.” …your gratitude at the abundance of God’s blessing moves you to tears unexpectedly …you start thinking of yourself as “rich in children” …you secretly think that life in your family might possibly be a much more joyous adventure than life in smaller families …you are vastly amused at much modern parenting advice, realizing that it is unnecessary, impossible, impractical, or simply silly to try to apply it in a large family setting …you and your husband laugh, “And to think that when we got married, we wanted only four children!” …your husband sighs happily, “I’ve finally got my dream car”–and it’s a used 15- passenger van. copyright 1996 by Rebecca Prewett

Jacob as “St. Andrew” Jacob is wearing a brown robe I bought from Oriental trading. The beard is also a Oriental trading purchase. I tied a fishing net around his waste. These can be bought in most craft stores. I printed out two fish pictures and taped them on to the net. NOTE: This information and the images are meant to inspire you to make your own costume. I’m sorry, these are not for sale. Without the beard:

Joshua as “St. Sebastian” I used permanent red and black markers to make red lines on Joshua’s white shirt to resemble arrow wounds. His “skirt” is piece of white material with brown felt stripes sewed across the top, like the Romans wore. Joshua held homemade arrows, which I made from sticks. The pointy ends were gray felt with red tips (permanent red maker) and the other end were brown felt “wings”.

Hi, everyone! Happy Solemnity of the Annunciation! I just wanted to let you know that we have two NEW coloring pages to share! Download them below. Download This Coloring Page Here: Download This Coloring Page Here: I hope you are all healthy and safe! I’m praying for you all! Please, pray for us! ~JenMarie

My daughter, Hannah, even created a new coloring page for our St. Joseph page! She’s excited to share! So take a look! Download the St Joseph Coloring Page Here: I hope you all stay healthy and safe! May God bless you! ~JenMarie

Hi Everyone! Happy Advent! I know it’s been a while since I have posted; life has been keeping us busy! Jon and I have been working on a project that we wanted to share with you. We created a printable 4-page explanation of the symbolism of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It’s been simplified and organized to help children and teens see the meaning and beauty of the miraculous tilma that helped to convert millions of people! I also created a coloring page with instructions for drawing a rose! My girls had a great time coloring the picture and drawing the roses! Download the Guadalupe Pages Here: I hope you can use and enjoy these two downloads! Have a blessed week! ~Jen-Marie

Today is a big day. It’s actually a really big day. It probably doesn’t seem like much but it is. It’s about beginnings and endings. A long time ago, in a garden far far away, God made Adam and Eve. It was our beginning. From them, all humanity came. At first, everything was perfect, peaceful, and holy. Humanity was in harmony with God and nature. And it was good. But then something happened. The first parents went along with Satan and fell away from God. They disobeyed and something else began: sin. It’s a dirty little word but that’s a good name for it because that is what it does. It makes us spiritually dirty. It stains us and it’s a stain that lasts! Sin didn’t stay with just them, it was passed down to those who came after them. Original sin became like a “spiritual gene”. Those who came after Adam and Eve, were now going to be born without grace. Every child God created, baby after baby after baby, for thousands of years, was condemned to be born with Original sin. They would be born into the kingdom of darkness. They would be born disordered spiritually. You can almost hear Satan say, “That one’s mine, and that one, and that one….they are all mine!”  His influence was easy to see, too. Cain killed Abel, Noah got drunk, Moses kept himself from the Promised Land because of his anger, David allowed one of his soldiers to die so he could have that man’s wife, and the great king Solomon worshiped foreign gods. All big name men, all big falls.  And Satan smiled. Until one day, over two thousand years ago, something new began. The end began. Amidst the darkness of Satan’s kingdom, a single little light shined out. It wasn’t a light any human could see, though. It was the light of a single little baby girl in the womb of Saint Anne. To this one, Satan could NOT say “mine”. This one did NOT have Original Sin. She was not in his kingdom. She was in God’s kingdom . Just as the fall and sin began with Eve, the victory over sin would begin with the new Eve: Mary.  Today is about that day; the day that the first human person was kept from the kingdom of darkness so that she could be the holy, clean, pure mother of the savior and Son of God: Jesus. Today is Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Today is the day when the ending of sin would begin. Last night before the vigil Mass of the Immaculate Conception I saw a bumper sticker. It seems really appropriate for what God said to Satan when He made Mary.  Thank you and God Bless!— Jonathan Lawrence

As many of you know, we have a growing online Catholic jewelry business. It started small but didn’t stay so small! Through this, God has certainly blessed us and our whole family (and our children’s orthodontist)! More importantly, it’s been a blessing for us to provide necklaces, bracelets, and bangles to families all over the world. And it’s more than just a medal and chain. Far more! We are blessed to be involved in important times in people’s lives: the birth of a child, baptism, marriage, Confirmations, First Communions, fighting cancer, the death of a loved one, and so much more! We are extremely grateful to all of you who have allowed us to provide jewelry during these very important times in their lives! THANK YOU! But… At times, we have not been able to provide an item that has been asked of us. We don’t want to let people down and never like disappointing anyone! One of the requests that we had received MANY times was for a tiny St. Cecilia medal. While we certainly could provide larger size ones, smaller sized ones were not available to us. We had to tell many of you “no” because it was one that we could not provide…until now! Working with our supplier, we were able to have one produced in Italy exclusively for Catholic Inspired ! We waited for 4 months while they were created! We had high hopes for how they would turn out and we were not disappointed! Wow! Very nice craftsmanship! Please check out our shop to see these beautiful medals! If you are looking for something unique for a loved one or friend who loves music or is a musician, then please consider this since St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music, especially church music, as well as musicians, singers, composers, instrument makers, and poets. She is also the patron saint of the blind. And now that we have this new tiny St. Cecilia medal in our armory of medals, we can use it to create all kinds of custom designs, too! We can add it to a bangle, put other charms with it, and make it fit your personal taste! We currently only have one shop listing with this medal but we will be adding more designs. If you want to personalize this, feel free to contact us! To commemorate this, we are offering a 10% discount on EVERYTHING in our shop from Nov. 22, 2017, until the end of the day on Nov. 28th, 2017! Please use the coupon code: CECILIA10 Thank you and God Bless!

Lent, the time for prayer, giving, and sacrifice, is upon us yet again. It seems to come around faster every year! Well, to be honest, I have NO CLUE what I want to do this year for Lent. I have had a crazy few weeks leading up till now and the idea of Lent feels a bit overwhelming. I mean that it’s really adding more stress to my already stressful life! Right? No, I actually don’t think that’s what it’s meant to do.  As I sit here in this rare moment of quiet and think about the meaning of Lent, I realize it’s about giving everything over to God. It’s about not focusing on the stress of life, but just living in the very moment you are in and allowing God to handle it while you take the next faith-centered step to do what make the most sense in your situation, family, and home. Lent is about showing God through prayer, giving, and sacrifice that you’re okay with His plan for you. And that even though each day of your life is a stress and a struggle, you believe that every minute of each day you can still show God that He is your center. Lent is about finding peace in the rat race of life and being okay with not getting everything just right or not being perfectly comfy. Because life is not about being a perfect human and it’s not about comfort; it’s 100% about trying your best to stay on the path to holiness. It’s about pushing yourself farther than you have up to this point. It’s about taking a humble step each day toward becoming a saint. So what is the meaning of the uncomfortable Lent? It’s about humbly and happily showing God that we are not of this world and will do something faith-centered, difficult, or uncomfortable to prove it! At this time of year, there are countless lists of things you can do to offer a loving sacrifice for Our Lord. I’m going to offer a few more suggestions: Physical Sacrifice Deal with the cold (if you live in a cold climate like me) -No gloves, just put your hands in your pockets -No heat in your car. Cut back or give up sweets or tobacco products Turn off electronic devices and spend more time talking face-to-face with those around us Give up empty television – If you must watch TV, then watch spiritual shows: Movies about the lives of the saints, Bible movies, EWTN, or shows that educate you about the faith – anything that helps you think more about God and His plan. Stop selfish grumbling. Humble Sacrifice Say “thank you” (not just “thanks” because saying “you” means more) to those who are kind to you or have done kind things in the past Take better care of the children or parents in our lives. Be more attentive and involved with them (talking, playing games together, work on projects together) When someone wrongs you, offer it up as a sacrifice in your heart because God frequently allows bad things to happen so we know that the person(s) involved need prayers Don’t be so quick to make rash judgments. Always try to think of other reasons a person may have done something rude or mean. Always try to think of their side of things and consider multiple reasons why a person acts they way they do. No one is perfect – NO ONE – so stop giving harsh criticism. “Do unto others…” … never refuse to help a person in need (as long as it’s safe for you and those around you). Pray & Meditation: Pray sincerely for someone you really don’t like Make a good examination of conscience and go to confession Go to daily Mass or read the daily readings at the USCCB website Talk to God daily like He was your best friend! Stop grumbling about the failings of others and pray for them instead. Say the Angelus each day of Lent. If you already do, pick a different prayer to add to your daily routine. Say a daily Rosary or at least a decade. You might like this article: HERE  If you already do pray the Rosary consider adding the Divine Mercy Chaplet to your daily prayers. Faith Learning: Spend time learning and researching questions which you have about the faith. Visit Catholic Answers Website or the Catholic Answers Forum Read the catechism! It is online HERE Read books about the faith. For Example, books by Mike Aquilina , Scott Huhn , Donna-Marie Copper O’Boyle ,  Matt Leonard , or Steve Hemler are a start. Visit The Catholic Book Blogger for more Book ideas. Finally, learn more about the meaning of Lent. Here’s a good list of frequently asked Lenten questions: HERE I don’t believe that this list is even close to being a complete list. Nor is it a list that a person should pick only one item to sacrifice. We are all called to more! Strive to make Lent as full as possible. Focus more on God and others and less on yourself.