I'll never forget February 11, 2013, not only because it was on that Monday that our family was on a 2 day family getaway to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, but because Pope Benedict XVI  made the announcement of his resignation and it of course hit the media airwaves and social networking sites.  I found out through a friend's Facebook status about this historic day and like most of the world, was shocked.  Here are some pictures from our fun trip and then I am posting some great papal resources that I have collected from various sites and bloggers:

Not only are some people unaware that Valentine's Day originated from a great saint, Saint Valentine, but I think more people do not know that today is the feast day of two other saints who were brothers in Greece in the 800s.  Their names are Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius.  You can ready more about these saints' fascinating and inspiring lives HERE.






Now onto Saint Valentine...He was another great saint whose name and contributions have sadly been forgotten in our commercialized world filled with cards, candy, chocolates, and flowers.  My cupcakes do get excited about this day and they enjoy exchanging Valentine cards and candy with their homeschool friends, but I'm glad we also talk about the person behind this fun day.  Here's a little about Saint Valentine from Happy Saints:

St. Valentine (3rd Century AD) was a holy priest and bishop who lived during a time when Christians were not welcomed in the Roman Empire. He helped many who were imprisoned or were hiding from Roman soldiers. In the end, St. Valentine himself was captured and killed for his faith. He died on February 14, which became known as St. Valentine's Day.

St. Valentine's Day became a lovers' holiday because it was said that St. Valentine was killed for marrying Christian couples. Another tale had him writing letters of encouragement to the jailer's daughter when he was in prison.

What is important is that St. Valentine loved as Jesus loves. Jesus loves us so much He sacrificed His Life to save us. Likewise, St. Valentine risked and lost his life while helping others through selfless love. Let us love each other as Jesus loves us!

Download a free St. Valentine Printable Card here:
http://www.parousian.com/victor/HappySaintsStValentineCard.pdf

Today our Catholic Homeschool group gathered for our annual Saint Valentine's Day party.  Each child brought in store-bought/homemade Valentines to share with their friends after they decorated a white lunch bag for themselves.  Each child also decorated a white bag to be donated to a child at a local outreach ministry and cards and candy were put in the donated bags from the children.  So in the spirit of Saint Valentine our children shared their friendship and love to another child through the donated bags.  After we all said a prayer together it was time to start the festivities.  Here are some pictures from our fun day: 


 Here are two bags one of our students made, one to be donated and one for her Valentine treats.

The bags on the left were lined up and were the ones the children made to be donated, while the picture on the right shows all the children's decorated bags from our homeschool group.  


Then it was time for everyone to line up and drop their Valentines into their friends bags and goodies were put into the donated bags as well.  


Besides the bag decorating and Valentine deliveries, the kids were also excited about the snack items all the families brought.  I brought these "berry" sweet, easy, and healthy strawberry hearts that were devoured, especially by my son!  Clean, pull stem, cut in half, use paring knife to cut a small "v" at top = berry sweet treat!  

Here is a collage of some other sweet treats: 




Here are some ways we have celebrated Saint Valentine's Day in years past.  Just click on title to take you to the post:

We {Heart} Jesus and Valentine Crafts (2010)

Happy Saint Valentine's Day! (2011)

Happy Saint Valentine's Day! (2012)

It's been awhile since I last posted.  I'm thankful I don't have the all-day nausea/getting sick like I used to, but now at 15.5 weeks pregnant I am still feeling blah and I never know if what I eat will agree or not with my babe and me.  I'm not a picky eater (unless I'm trying to avoid foods that I think will make me sick).

At this very moment I'm feeling OK and thought I would blog a little, especially since today, Ash Wednesday, is the beginning of the Lenten season.  I'm thankful to have my blog because when I forget all the fun and creative ideas I have done with my family during Lent or any other time of the year, I can quickly access previous posts here on my blog as a way to remind myself of activities we have done in the past.  For example,  I went to a Lenten post in 2011 and I'm copying and pasting the post here to share some of our Lenten family traditions we do each year. 


The distribution of ashes reminds us of our own mortality and calls us to repentance. In the early Church, Ash Wednesday was the day on which those who had sinned, and who wished to be readmitted to the Church, would begin their public penance. The ashes that we receive are a reminder of our own sinfulness, and many Catholics leave them on their foreheads all day as a sign of humility.

In this article, Ash Wednesday Our Shifting Understanding of Lent, it states the following:
When we receive ashes on our foreheads, we remember who we are. We remember that we are creatures of the earth ("Remember that you are dust"). We remember that we are mortal beings ("and to dust you will return"). We remember that we are baptized. We remember that we are people on a journey of conversion ("Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel"). We remember that we are members of the body of Christ (and that smudge on our foreheads will proclaim that identity to others, too).

Here is a great 2 minute video about Ash Wednesday:



Our family attended an Ash Wednesday Mass this morning to help us remember that, like the Advent season, Lent is also a time of preparation and a call to conversion.  It's funny to have people tell me that I have "dirt" on my forehead after we attend Ash Wednesday Mass.  When this is said to me, it gives me a great opportunity to share my faith.  Here is an Ash Wednesday coloring page from Lisa at CatholicMom .

Here are some other Lenten traditions that we do as a family:


Salt Dough Crown of Thorns
One day soon we will make our annual crown of thorns out of salt dough and you can find the link at Catholics United for the Faith (CUF).   Click HERE to find recipe and other Lenten resources from CUF.

Here is a picture I took in 2011 while my kid's hands mixed the salt dough ingredients:


Each time our children and my husband and I make little or big sacrifices during Lent, we will pull out a toothpick to remove Jesus' thorns from his crown. 

So many opportunities to think beyond ourselves, hence the many, many, many "thorns" !

Then just before Easter, our children will paint the thorn-less crown gold and glue jewels on the crown to represent that Jesus our King has risen!  The decorated crown looks lovely on the Easter table.  Here is a picture of a crown we did a few years ago:

Bean Jar
Speaking of sacrifices, another Lenten tradition our family does is the "bean jar".  We have a bowl filled with dried kidney beans, then when a family member makes a sacrifice, they put a bean in the jar.  Then on Easter morning the children will find that the beans that have accumulated in the jar during Lent will be changed into colorful and yummy jelly beans!
I can't remember where I got these particular coloring pages, but here are some other printable stations of the cross that children can color.

Several years ago, I found a simple presentation of the Stations of the Cross for kids 10 and under and this is what we use to say the stations during Lent.  It was in The Word Among Us Lenten Family Edition, Lent 2006 and HERE is a link to part of the article if you would like to review it.  Only subscribers to The Word Among Us can view this kid's version of Stations of the Cross in its entirety, however.

Last, but not least, I printed out this great printable Lent calendar for my children, which was drawn by Lacy at Catholic Icing.  Lacy has so many craft ideas and links for Lent and the entire liturgical year!  Be sure to check out her posts!

Have a blessed Lenten season!