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Daily Lenten Meditations

«  March 2010  »

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  • Pray Light a candle. Every time you pass that candle today, offer a prayer of thanks. Don’t ask for anything. Just thank him.
  • Fast Don’t cut corners. Even if no one will know, complete today’s work thoroughly.
  • Give Touch is a powerful thing. Make an effort today to touch your children: a hug, a shoulder rub, a tousled head -- especially the bigger ones
1
  • Pray Make five minutes in the morning, at midday and in the evening to be still, silent, and alone, only asking God to infuse your soul with his will.
  • Fast No noise today. Turn off the TV, the radio, the iPod. Find God in the silence.
  • Give Pay particular unsolicited attention to your least demanding child today.
2
  • Pray Begin a gratitude journal. At the end of the day, jot down five things for which you are grateful. Think upon these things.
  • Fast Remember the first time you had a moment alone with your first child. What did you promise him? Do that. Be that.
  • Give We can only expect what we inspect. For every task you assign today, follow through and before it’s truly finished ensure that there is praise from you.
3
  • Pray “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me." -- John 10:27
  • Fast Every time a child interrupts you today, stop what you are doing and look into his eyes as he talks.
  • Give “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Speak kindly all day long.
4
  • Pray Ask God to show you how weak and small you are. Open your heart to see it.
  • Fast Don’t argue today. As much as possible give up, give in, give way.
  • Give When you are tempted to put on the TV for kids today, pull out a stack of favorite picture books instead. Invite the kids to join you on the couch.
5
  • Pray Take a walk, even if it’s cold or raining. Leave your iPod at home.
  • Fast Think of someone whose life you are tempted to envy and then choke out these words: Thank you, God, for the blessings you have given to X. Help me to see my own.
  • Give Think about the kind of person your husband married. Be that person for him today.
6
7
  • Pray "Love consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender." -- St. Therese of Lisieux
  • Fast As you go about your daily routine today, remember that you are expecting someone very important for dinner tonight. Together with your children, work towards your husband’s homecoming as if you were expecting to welcome a king back to his castle.
  • Give “You can do nothing with children unless you win their confidence and love by bringing them into touch with oneself, by breaking through all the hindrances that keep them at a distance. We must accommodate ourselves to their tastes, we must make ourselves like them.” -- St. John Bosco
8
  • Pray Take this quote to prayer today and listen to God’s answer: “Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” -- John Paul II
  • Fast Stop looking for encouragement and approval. Genuinely encourage and affirm someone else instead.
  • Give Let your child choose a huge stack of picture books (use that word “huge” when you ask her to gather them). Read them all to her today.
9
  • Pray Persevere. “He who does not give up prayer cannot possibly continue to offend God habitually. Either he will give up prayer, or he will give up sinning.” -- St. Alphonsus Liguori
  • Fast Don’t forget that the only pedestal you need ever stand on, is the one your husband and children build for you.
  • Give Focus on your home today. The world can find another volunteer, but your husband and children have only you.
10
  • Pray Insist on quiet from all your children during naptime today. Pray the Divine Mercy chaplet.
  • Fast We’re half way through. Compare yourself now only to yourself when Lent began. Tweak the plan.
  • Give Reach out to a local friend today. Reconnect.
11
  • Pray Ask God to make you humble and lowly.
  • Fast Don’t compare or complain. Do compliment.
  • Give Pack a picnic and go somewhere to eat it with your children. If the weather is prohibitive, build a tent in the living room and it eat there. Sit on the ground with them. Be fully present.
12
  • Pray Sometime before bedtime tonight, make time to pray with and for each of your children.
  • Fast Rise a little earlier and bring your husband breakfast in bed. (If it’s too late today, plan for tomorrow).
  • Give Plan a date night.
13
14
  • Pray Give thanks for food, clothes, and shelter. Listen to His plan for stewardship.
  • Fast Clean out the refrigerator today instead of eating lunch. Pull everything out and wipe it all down. As you do it, thank God for the food he provides for your family.
  • Give “We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.” -- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
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Bloggers

Meet the Faith & Family bloggers. We invite you to join us in encouraging and helping the Faith & Family community grow in faith!

Danielle Bean

Danielle Bean
Danielle Bean, a mother of eight, is Editorial Director of Faith & Family. She is author of My Cup of Tea: Musings of a Catholic Mom (Pauline 2005) and Mom to Mom, Day to Day: Advice and Support for Catholic Living (Pauline 2007). Though she once struggled to separate her life …
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Rachel Balducci

Rachel Balducci
Rachel Balducci is married to Paul and together they are the parents of five lively boys. Besides being a mom, she is also a writer and a newspaper columnist for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. For the past four years, she has maintained her personal blog at Testosterhome.net where she …
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Lisa Hendey

Lisa Hendey
Lisa Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com, a Catholic web site focusing on the Catholic faith, Catholic parenting and family life, and Catholic cultural topics. Most recently she has authored The Handbook for Catholic Moms. Lisa is also employed as webmaster for her parish web sites. …
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Arwen Mosher

Arwen Mosher
Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their young children Camilla and Blaise. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site is ABC Family. …
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Rebecca Teti

Rebecca Teti
Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in …
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Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee
Robyn Lee is the managing editor of Faith & Family magazine. She is (yikes!) an almost 30 year-old, single lady, living in Connecticut with her two cousins in a small bungalow-style kit house built by her great uncle in the 1950s. She also conveniently lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law …
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Hallie Lord

Hallie Lord
Hallie Lord married her dashing husband, Dan, in the fall of 2001 (the same year, coincidentally, that she joyfully converted to the Catholic faith). They now happily reside in the deep South with their two energetic boys and two very sassy girls. In her *ample* spare time, Hallie enjoys cheap wine, …
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Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr. John Bartunek, LC

Fr John Bartunek, LC, STL, received his BA in History from Stanford University in 1990, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He comes from an evangelical Christian background and became a member of the Catholic Church in 1991. After college he worked as a high school history teacher, drama director, and …
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Guest Bloggers

Melissa Wiley

Melissa Wiley
Melissa Wiley is a homeschooling mother of six and the author of The Martha Years and The Charlotte Years, two series of books about the ancestors of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She blogs about children’s books, family, and home education at Here in the Bonny Glen.
Read My Posts

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March 2010

Meatless Meals, Lenten Crafts, and Saints.

Posted by Robyn Lee in on Thursday, March 04, 2010

Some Feast Days in March

March 3: St. Katharine Drexel
March 17: St. Patrick
March 19: St. Joseph
March 25: The Annunciation of the Lord
March 28 Palm Sunday

Meatless Meals
Southwest Baked Chili Dip
Kid Friendly Tuna Casserole
Eggplant Lasagna
Lenten Friday Vegetable Soup
Certified Meatless

Lenten Activities
Crown of Thorns craft
Mosaic Crosses
Sacrifice Beans
Lenten Cross
and more!

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Filed under annunciation, beans, casserole, crafts, crosses, dip, feast, lasagna, meals, meatless

January 2010

Feasts, Food, and Fun!

Posted by Robyn Lee in on Monday, January 11, 2010

Some Feast Days in January
January 20: St. Sebastian
January 21: St. Agnes
January 22: March for Life
January 27: St. Angela Merici
January 28: St. Thomas Aquinas

Winter Cooking
Curried Winter Soup
Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Roasted Winter Vegetables
Harvest Pear Crisp with Candied Ginger
Mulled Wine


Fun in January
Find the differences in these two pictures
Polar Jump
Word Play

Image Credit

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Filed under cooking, feasts, food, fun, january, winter

Kids Can Do Chores

Put 'Em to Work!

Posted by Danielle Bean in on Monday, January 04, 2010

When we talked about chores on Monday I promised you some lists.

First, I’ll share my simple chore chart. I’ve never been much of one for charts, but I find that a little bit of organization keeps us on track throughout the school year. You can see my kids’ Monday-Friday chore assignments here.

This simple system ensures that the older kids pitch in with the necessary stuff (meals, laundry, clean up) on a regular basis and the jobs are distributed fairly. I have separate lists that describe, in... READ MORE

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Filed under charts, chores, homemaking, housekeeping, kids, organization

December 2009

Awaiting Christ and Celebrating the Season

Posted by Robyn Lee in on Thursday, December 03, 2009

Some Feast Days in Advent
November 30: St. Andrew
December 7: St. Ambrose
December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 21: St. Peter Canisius

Christmas Cooking
Warm Caramelized Onion Dip
Apple Cider Cranberry Sauce
Pork with Cherry and Wild Rice Stuffing
Make a Butter Log
Toasted Coconut Marshmallows
Christmas Cooking Cocktail

December Fun
Advent Wreath Coloring Sheet
Sleigh Ride by Boston Pops
Christmas Craft

Image Credit

 

 

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Filed under advent, butter, christmas, cooking, feast, guadalupe

October 2009

Fall! Recipes, Games, and Feasts

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Monday, October 19, 2009

Some Feast Days in October
October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary
October 15: St. Teresa of Jesus
October 16: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque
October 17: St. Ignatius of Antioch
October 19: Memorial of the North American Martyrs

What’s Cooking
Easy Beef Burgundy
Baked Pecan Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Salad
Chocolate Pumpkin Cake

Fun in October
Fall Coloring Pages
Halloween Tic-Tac-Toe
Stamp an Apple-Picking Bag

Image Credit

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September 2009

Back to School and Autumn Begins

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Wednesday, September 09, 2009


Some Feast Days in September
September 12: The Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 14: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
September 21: St. Matthew
September 23: St. Pio Pietrelcina
September 29: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael
September 30: St. Jerome

What’s Cooking
Warm Cranberry-Walnut Brie
Caramelized Onion-Potato Gratin
Zesty Chicken Wrap
Apple Pie with Cheddar Crust

Fun in August
Marian coloring pages
Pizza Maker
The Muppet Show: Autumn Leaves

Image Credit

... READ MORE
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August 2009

August feasts, desserts, and fun!

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Saturday, August 01, 2009


Some Feast Days in August
August 4: St. John Mary Vianney
August 8: St. Dominic
August 10: St. Lawrence
August 15: The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 22: The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
August 24: St. Bartholomew

What’s Cooking: Desserts
Warm Skillet Sour Cherries with Vanilla Ice Cream
Chilled Raspberry Cream Pie
Watermelon carvings and ideas
Lemon Meringue Martini Recipe

Fun in August
Gospel Word Search
Summer Coloring
Julie Andrews and the Muppets
Picnic Tips

Image Credit... READ MORE

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Filed under cooking, feasts, fun, gospel, mary, pie, recipe, summer

July 2009

Celebrate Independence and Faith

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Some Feast Days in July
July 3: St. Thomas
July 4: Independence Day
July 9: St. Augustine Zhao Rong and his companions
July 11: St. Benedict
July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
July 23: St. Bridget of Sweden

What’s Cooking: Independence Day Menu
All-American Trifle
Nacho Dog
Grilled Corn on the Cob with Chile and Lime
Warm Asian Potato Salad
Homemade Lemonade
Inside-Out Cheeseburgers

Fun in July
U.S.A. Paper Airplane
United States Puzzle
National Anthem

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Filed under benedict, cooking, corn, faith, feast, fun, homemade

June 2009

Celebrate the Sacred Heart, the Immaculate Heart, and Dads.

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Thursday, June 04, 2009


Some Feast Days in June
June 7: The Most Holy Trinity
June 13: St. Anthony of Padua
June 14: The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
June 20: The Immaculate Heart of Mary
June 22: St. Thomas More

What’s Cooking
Fresh Strawberry Muffins
Spiders
Oven-Fried Zucchini Sticks
Firecracker Grilled Alaska Salmon
S’mores Ice Cream Cake
Mint Mojito

Fun in June
Father’s Day Craft
Saint Peter Puppet Show
Ladybugs’ Picnic

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Filed under cake, christ, cooking, dads, fathers, feast, fun, mary, muffins, salmon

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pray the litany

Posted by R. Lee (Webmaster) in on Monday, April 27, 2009


Litany of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

V. Lord, have mercy on us.
R. Christ, have mercy on us.
V. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
R. Christ, graciously hear us.
V. God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, Son of the Eternal Father, have mercy on us.
Heart of Jesus, formed by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mother’s womb, [etc.]
Heart of Jesus,... READ MORE

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Filed under christ, ewtn, jesus, litany, love, praise

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