Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Since my children's school only assigned a grand total of eighteen books for my six kids to read over the summer, I decided to add a few more unassigned kids' books to my reading list this summer. Hah! If your local school is like ours and your kids need to read 25 books each just to complete the school year requirements, either of these two choices would be great picks. 1. Saint Nicholas and the Mouse of Myra, by Jay Stoeckl. This graphic novel is the sequel to Saint Francis and Brother Duck , which I reviewed last year . I enjoyed Stoeckl's second book even more than his first, perhaps because our family loves St. Nick so much . Read more here...

Since it's too soon for the Twelve Days of Christmas, here are twelve tips for celebrating Advent instead. These tips include what you should do, what you shouldn't do, and what you can get away with (I'll promise never to tell). **What to Do this Advent** 1. Explore other cultural traditions:  Learn how the custom of Christmas stockings evolved from the German tradition of slipping treats into shoes or slippers that kids leave near the chimney in the days leading up to St. Nicholas' Day (December 6). Celebrate the Feast Day of the Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12 at the nearest parish with a large Hispanic community. On Christmas Eve, you can serve twelve fish dishes the way the Italians do. Experiment by adding shrimp cocktail or baked clams to the menu. Dilled salmon steaks garnished with lemon always taste great. Sushi platters or bouillabaisse combine many types of fish in one dish. See how many you can add to your Christmas E

Advent is here! It's time to prepare our hearts for Jesus. Here are a few things we are implementing into our Advent season....  Each year when we set up our Nativity we leave Jesus out until Christmas morning. We also leave the wise men out of the scene until the Epiphany. I really don't like seeing Mary and Joseph adoring and empty manger so I am on a hunt for a wooden figurine of the expectant Mary on the donkey, on their way to Bethlehem. My plan is to have this figure outside the stable until Christmas and then move The Holy Family into the stable on Christmas morning. I am loving this idea of the changing scene throughout the month. Another idea I just recently heard about is to place a piece of straw in the manger each time someone sacrifices something or does something kind for another. This is in an effort to build a soft bed for Jesus through acts of love.  I can't wait to see the stable fill with straw over the next few weeks! T

I never believed in Santa.  Ever.  I have no memory of believing in Santa and that's because (according to my parents) I discovered them putting Christmas presents under the tree at the age of three. My parents saw no need to lie about what they were doing and so I never had the excitement of waking up Christmas morning and discovering presents.  Christmas was kind of boring.  I usually got my gifts Christmas Eve and I always knew what I was getting. You can read the rest here .