by Pope Francis | Children are not capable of accepting the faith by a free act, nor are they yet able to profess that faith on their own; therefore the faith is professed by their parents and godparents in their name. Since faith is a reality lived within the community of the Church
Read More »6 Ways We Taught Our Kids to do Chores… And Learn to Work
by Jennifer Tutwiler | These days, the measure of good parenting seems to be how care-free and enjoyable an existence we have enabled for our children. Children are expected to play with their toys, play outside, play with their friends, play sports, play with video games... and yet today’s children are some of the most behaviorally challenged in human history.
Read More »A Tribute to a Mother’s Hands
by Kerry Costanzo | I love the poem, "The Beautiful Hands of a Priest," and I began thinking the other day about how one could write a similar reflection on the hands of mothers. While a mother’s hands do not share the dignity of those of a priest, they nevertheless have their own special value.
Read More »3 Essentials for Homeschool Education
One of the ends of marriage is the procreation and education of children. Procreation has gotten a good deal of attention in the recent history of the Church, but education is often of less interest.
Read More »Homeschooling in the Here and Now: Earning Your Stripes
For the homeschooling mother of many, there's always more; more to organize and more to do. Always more little faces to wash, more nails to clip, more hair growing back into bright, smiling eyes, more boo-boos needing more band-aids and more baby teeth to brush.
Read More »The #1 Most Common Obstacle to Homeschooling
Families grapple with discipline in the home. Ginny Seuffert tackles an aspect of it by making etiquette part of and not an obstacle to homeschooling.
Read More »Do Homeschool Kids have an Unfair Advantage?
We can’t socialize well (because we never go out of the house); we’re not good at sports; it’s not healthy to spend so much time around your Mom; we’re not qualified to teach geography (because we never go out of the house); we’re not qualified to teach anything; snow days are healthy for kids and homeschoolers don’t get snow days, and so forth.
Read More »Catholic Kids and Sacramentals Don’t Mix?
The Catholic family home is often hazardous to sacramentals. Knowing that these sacramentals are symbols of holy people and things, we try to be respectful. We do. But there seems to be always such a clutter everywhere!
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 5
In the “Armor of God,” with which we are all called to equip ourselves (Ephesians 6:10-18), the Word of God is the “sword of the Spirit.” Daily, reverent reading of Sacred Scripture can help us to immerse ourselves in the mind of Christ and cultivate our personal relationship with Him. It can also help us to develop a living, breathing, personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, the Author of Sacred Scripture.
Read More »6 Tips to Surviving Christmas
Sometimes it seems like the work for Mom is never ending in our large Catholic families. By Thanksgiving, the first quarter assignments have been completed and the homeschooling is clipping along nicely. Then Bang! Along comes the Christmas season, doubling the work load but halving the class time! It’s more than a little discouraging!
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 4
Have you ever been asked by an evangelical Christian if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? What do you say? My answer is simple: Yes. I have indeed committed my life to Jesus Christ and invited Him to be my Lord...
Read More »7 Ways Our Children Can Keep Their Way Pure | Part 3
We are not alone in our fervent desire to help our children remain true to their Catholic Faith. The Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, earnestly desires their salvation as well, and she can show them how to stay close to Jesus throughout their lives.
Read More »God Made Animals with Stripes Color-In
What are the lemur and zebra talking about? Caption this image! What could be more fun than coloring a picture? Sharing it with someone! Why not encourage your child to send it to their grandmother? Or parish priest? Or someone they appreciate? Each week, connect with a loved one through your children’s art, and then share with us where it went! We’d love to know!
Read More »Homeschooling With A Limp: This Mom Won’t Quit
Tonight I’m making chicken noodle soup for dinner. I need the comfort that it brings to me because today my meds aren’t working. One of the hardest challenges that I face as a homeschooling mother is dealing with hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid gland).
Read More »Training Our Children to be Urban Legend Detectors
Of all the cultures and all the philosophies and all the religions which have been known in the world of men, none have placed truth on as high a pedestal as the Catholic Faith. Truth is literally our God.
Read More »Orange All Over Color-In
Caption this image! Why are the children happy? What are their names? Share your child’s comment below! What could be more fun than coloring a picture? Sharing it with someone! ...
Read More »Delighting in God: Praying for the Costume Catalog
When I went to retrieve the mail from my mailbox, I saw a Costume Express catalog in the stack of mail waiting for me. I smiled when I saw the catalog because it brought back a memory to me many years ago, when we were teaching our children about prayer.
Read More »Clever Fox Color-In
Why is the fox hiding? What is the false fox for? Caption this image! Share your child's comment below! What could be more fun than coloring a picture? Sharing it with someone! Why not encourage your child to send it to their grandmother? Or parish priest? Or someone they appreciate? Each week, connect with a loved one through your children’s art, and then share with us where it went! We’d love to know!
Read More »Bee Prepared Color-In
Where are the bees going? Share your child's comment below! Caption this image! What could be more fun than coloring a picture? Sharing it with someone! Why not encourage your child to send it to their grandmother? Or parish priest? Or someone they appreciate? Each week, connect with a loved one through your children’s art, and then share with us where it went! We’d love to know!
Read More »For Love of Them
Like most Catholic-Christian parents, we are dedicated to the care of our children. The Philippine culture is notable for the utmost importance it places on the family. In fact, in the Filipino communities, it is normal to find a modestly-sized house occupied by several extended family members.
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