JOYfilledfamily BLOG

Youth for Life

January 25, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pro-Life, Sparkles, Walk For Life

“I walk for life because I love babies and God.” ~Sparkles (8)

Dad arrived early with the girls. They were blessed to see Fr. Frank Provone. He graciously accepted Dad’s invitation for a picture.

I tended to the life that I have been gifted. We had all intended to walk as a family but God had other plans. Dad and I received an early wake-up call, Dragonfly. He was crying hysterically and sitting in pool of vomit. We agreed that I would stay home with Dragonfly and Papi (who had not fully recovered from his cold). My season to Walk for Life will come, for now I will cherish the time I have to nurture the lives that He has given me.

This was Sweetie’s first year on the walk. It was perfect timing, as she is preparing for her First Holy Communion.

Sparkles was in charge of pictures.*

Rose headed to the front of the caravan to walk with the youth and friends from TAC.

Rose noted that this year’s turn out was twice as large as the previous years. She also noted that this year’s opposition was crude, aggressive and outright diabolic. It was clear to all my children that there are many who are lost in the ways of this world and much prayer is needed to protect against the lion who is prowling.

Here is a brief reflection from Sparkles.

“I was excited to go on the Walk for Life WC for the second time. I prayed as I walked. The crowd (opposition) made me sad because they were being mean to God. I prayed for them.

I pray that we all will love God and that He let them know that killing babies is wrong.”

We pray to help build up the culture of life, in whatever way He calls us to. God willing, this will include walking as a complete family in 2013.

*Sparkles took all the pictures posted that do not include her.

Life is a Gift

January 23, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pro-Life

ALL life is a gift from God, who are we to refuse it?

Cherish the gift—defend LIFE from the moment of conception!

~~~

Novena Prayer for Life to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Oh Mary, Mother of Jesus and Mother of Life,
We honor you as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Thank you for pointing us to Jesus your Son,
The only Savior and hope of the world.
Renew our hope in him,
That we all may have the courage to say Yes to life,
And to defend those children in danger of abortion.
Give us your compassion
To reach out to those tempted to abort,
And to those suffering from a past abortion.
Lead us to the day when abortion
Will be a sad, past chapter in our history.
Keep us close to Jesus, the Life of the World,
Who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

~~~

St. Agnes

January 21, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, St. Agnes 1 Comment

"Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve." ~ Saint Agnes

"Jesus Christ is my only Spouse." ~ St. Agnes

St. Agnes

Feast Day ~ January 21st in the Traditional and New Calendar

Agnes is the archetype of the virgins who throughout the Christian centuries have followed the Lamb wherever He goes, "first fruits unto God and unto the Lamb" (Apoc. 14:4). She was twelve years old when she was commanded to offer incense before the pagan altar of Minerva at Rome, soon after Emperor Diocletian began his persecution of the Christians in the year 303. The persecutors tried in vain to overcome the virgin’s refusal by flattery and offers of marriage. "Christ is my Spouse," she answered. "He chose me first and His I will be." Her sentence of death was passed and the child martyr died by the sword.

Patron: Affianced couples; betrothed couples; bodily purity; chastity; Children of Mary; Colegio Capranica of Rome; crops; engaged couples; gardeners; girls; rape victims; diocese of Rockville Centre, New York; virgins.

Symbols: Lamb; woman with long hair and a lamb, sometimes with a sword at her throat; woman with a dove which holds a ring in its beak; woman with a lamb at her side.

"This is a virgin’s birthday; let us follow the example of her chastity. It is a martyr’s birthday; let us offer sacrifices; it is the birthday of holy Agnes: let men be filled with wonder, little ones with hope, married woman with awe, and the unmarried with emulation. It seems to me that this child, holy beyond her years and courageous beyond human nature, received the name of Agnes (Greek: pure) not as an earthly designation but as a revelation from God of what she was to be." ~ St. Augustine

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“May God’s little lamb, St. Agnes of Rome, intercede for us that we would be loyal to the faith she professed! And should we ever be disloyal, may God’s grace bring us to repentance!”

~ Fr. Miguel Marie Soeherman, MFVA

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St. Agnes, Ora Pro Nobis

St. Agnes is the patroness of young girls and her symbol is, naturally, a lamb.

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RESOURCES:

St. Agnes Bio – EWTN
St. Agnes Bio – Catholic Culture
St. Agnes Bio – New Advent
Act of Charity Printable – JOYfilledfamily
“Shining with the fire of divine love” – Reflections by Fr. Z
Images of St. Agnes – SQPN

RESOURCES FOR KIDS

Little Flowers Wreath I – St. Agnes – JOYfilledfamily
Love of God Candy Heart Bracelet – JOYfilledfamily
St. Agnes Bio for Kids – Holy Spirit Interactive
St. Agnes Bio for Families – Domestic-Church.com
St. Agnes Crafts – Catholic Icing
St. Agnes Coloring Page – Paper Dali
Coloring Page – St. Agnes from Curmudgeonry
St. Agnes Coloring Page – Waltzing Matilda

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Prayers to St. Agnes of Rome

O glorious St. Agnes, you served God in humility and confidence on earth and are now in the enjoyment of His beatific Vision in heaven because you persevered till death and gained the crown of eternal life. Remember now the dangers that surround me in the vale of tears, and intercede for me in my needs and troubles. Amen.

~~~

O sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, source of all virtue, lover of virgins, most powerful conqueror of demons, most severe extirpator of vice! Deign to cast Thine eyes upon my weakness, and through the intercession of Mary most blessed, mother and virgin, and of thy beloved spouse, St. Agnes, glorious virgin and martyr, grant me the aid of thy heavenly grace, in order that I may learn to despise all earthly things, and to love what is heavenly, to oppose vice and to be proof against temptation; to walk firmly in the path of virtue, not to seek honors, to shun pleasures, to bewail my past offences, to keep far from the occasions of evil, to keep free from bad habits, to seek the company of the good, and persevere in righteousness, so that, by the assistance of thy grace, I may deserve the crown of eternal life, together with St. Agnes and all the saints, forever and ever, in thy kingdom. Amen.

~~~

Walk for Life West Coast

January 21, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Pro-Life, Walk For Life

We are preparing to depart for the Walk for Life WC. Please join us in prayer. You can also watch the live coverage on EWTN.

Walk for Life West Coast (Live) EWTN

Sat. Jan. 21 at 2:30 PM ET & Sun. Jan. 22 at 9:30 AM ET

Join Father Mark Mary and Doug Barry for live coverage of the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco, California. EWTN takes you inside this year’s walk, with special interviews, participant commentary, and speeches from dynamic pro-life leaders.

EWTN Pro-Life Reources

Week 2

January 20, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: EPLifeFit, Work-outs Leave a Comment

I just completed my last work out for the week. I feel great. In fact, we all feel great. I’ve been working out with the entire family. The workouts take about 20 min from warm-up to cool-down. It’s the perfect length and rigor for everyone to follow.

We will attempt to test out of Module 2 on Monday. ALL FOR!

Day 1
10 Squats
30 sec Plank
10 push ups
1 min rest
3 rounds

Day 2
15 Body Rows
10 Lunges ea leg
1 min rest
3 rounds

Day 3
10 Pull-ups
15 Hollow Rocks
15 Supermans
1 min rest
3 rounds

Rose’s {pretty, happy, funny, real}

January 19, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: {phfr}, Rose, Rose GFG

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

~~~

{pretty}

I love the simplicity of rose’s faithfilled creations.

{happy}

a clean kitchen makes us all happy. especially rose. she takes it as her invitation to bake.

rose’s favorites—basketball, family and friends.

{funny}

the boys dressed up rose. she can’t keep out of the kitchen but refused to handle her arch nemesis—the immersion blender.

{real}

rose took a visit to the er. needless to say, she’s off dish duty.

Nut Allergies

January 15, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Allergies, Nut Allergy, Nuts 1 Comment

I suffered from many allergies as a child. Many of which have followed me into adulthood. I took myself off all medicine and shots when I was eleven years old. I was fed up with my adverse side affects to the medicine. I learned at a early age to listen to my body and find natural ways of coping with my chronic condition.

I have experienced several improvements in my health since the inception of my lifestyle overhaul. Just recently, I was able to eat raw almonds. This is a huge milestone. I’m not ready to say that I’m completely free from my nut allergies but I am excited about this small step in that direction.

I am also excited to try some recipes that require almond flour/meal.

I’ll continue to take baby steps.

these are the two forms of almonds that I have experimented with.

St. Bathildis ~ Patience ~ Lily of the Valley

January 15, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 01 January, 01 January Saints, Patience, St. Bathildis, Wreath III 1 Comment

I met for my fifth Little Flowers meeting for 2011-2012. We had a wonderful time coming together to celebrate Mass, learn about a new saint and study a virtue. Eleven of the girls were with Father L for preparation for First Holy Communion. They joined us for the second half of the meeting. Thirty-two girls were in attendance.
We did the normal routine; grace, snack, review last month’s saint and virtue, introduce the saint and virtue of the month, listen to a talk from Father L, receive a blessing, work on a related craft, update LF binders, and close with a prayer.
This month’s saint was St. Bathildis.

Feast Day – January 30
Paton: against bodily ills, against illness, against sickness, children, sick people, and widows.
Represented: crowned nun often performing menial tasks of giving alms to the poor, ladder extending into heaven, or standing before an altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The girls were intrigued by the story of St. Bathildis. She was new to us all. I told the girls about how St. Bathildis was kidnapped in her youth. When asked if they would be scared to be on a pirate ship without family, C replied, “No, I wouldn’t be alone. I would have my guardian angel with me.” Her words were such a beautiful testament to child-like faith. The other girls agreed, God and the Blessed Virgin Mary are always with them. The girls took turns guessing how St. Bathildis’s story unraveled from being a slave. They were on the seat of their chairs to hear about the heroic virtue that St. Bathildis displayed. Most noteable was St. Bathildis’s patience.

Patience – the virtue (Fruit of the Spirit) that prevents us from being disturbed by the evil around us.

We are not obliged to pray for crosses and sufferings, as some of the saints have done; but it is absolutely necessary that we should bear the trials which God sees fit to send us, with patience and loving confidence in Him. ~ Father Lasance, Catholic Girls Guide

I extended the lesson of patience into the craft. I chose something that would be new and a bit challenging—something that required a significant amount of patience. I chose finger knitting.

The girls were excited to learn finger knitting. They caught on faster than I had anticipated. The diligently worked on their knitting as they exercised the virtue of patience. They did not complain, say “I can’t,” yell for help, ort all together give up. It was a bit of a challenge at times but all the girls, including my five year olds, were able to successfully acquire the skill of finger knitting.

Father L stopped by for a visit after his First Holy Communion lesson. He reviewed the most recent feast days. Then he quizzed the girls on St. Bathildis. He, too, was intrigued by her story. Father gave the girls their blessing before he departed. Please keep father L in your prayers.

St. Bathilidis ~ ora pro nobis

Resources:
Handouts:

Patience Divider Sheet
Patience Activity Sheet
St. Bathildis Coloring Page ~ Curmudgeonry
Bio of St. Bathildis For Kids – Holy Spirit Interactive
Patience Memory Verse
Patience Memory Verse ~ Cursive
St. Bathildis-Patience Info Page ~ Shower of Roses

Resources:

St. Bathildis Bio – Holy Spirit Interactive
St. Bathildis Bio – EWTN
Finger Knitting ~ Patience Craft
Little Flowers Link Up ~ Shower of Roses

Finally, look up to heaven. Behold the eternal beauty and blessedness of paradise. If for a brief period you suffer here with courage and patience, you will after death be released from all suffering and enjoy unspeakable bliss for evermore. Such are the blessed fruits of patience. ~ Father Lasance, Catholic Girls Guide

Finger Knitting

January 15, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Crafts

Sparkles took up knitting last year, thanks to Rose. Sweetie didn’t have an interest at the time. I desired for her to learn something in the way of knitting or crocheting. This was the perfect opportunity, a Little Flowers lesson in patience.
Sweetie took to finger knitting. It’s just her pace – fast craft with instant gratification.
She knitted a 49 in scarf in 30 min. Now she is begging for more.

~~~

Finger Knitted Scarf

Supplies:

yarn*
scissors

Directions:

prepare yarn (18 yards was enough for a 49 in scarf)
follow the directions in this video (it’s the best video tutorial that I’ve seen)

Cost:

18 yards of yarn for 49 in scarf
1 skin of 300 yards – $10.99

Cost per scarf – $1.52

~~~

*My yarn supply is low and purchasing more is not an option. So, I have been making my own yarn—t-shirt yarn. I’ve raided my give-away piles for old shirts. I followed this tutorial to cut my shirts for t-shirt yarn. Be certain to give all family members fair warning. This is so fun that one can tend to go a lil’ crazy and no shirt will be let untouched. Dad has stashed away his favorites in fear that I might shred them.

Word of the Year

January 13, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Motto, New Year, Prayer, Word of the Year 5 Comments

“Almighty Father, I place the Precious Blood of Jesus before my lips before I pray, that my prayers may be purified before they ascend to Your divine altar.” ~St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi

I desired to adopt a word for the year. It was a fruitful exercise for me last year and felt that I could use a simple reminder of His call for me.

I struggled with coming up with a word. Finally, I asked Dad to pick one for me. He told me to go to my saint for the year, St. Mary Magdalen Pazzi. Praise God for the headship of my family. It was the exact place that I needed to go. The word was immediately made known. It’s not original or flashy–the word is PRAY.

Everything starts with prayer. Prayer is where I hear His voice. Prayer in Adoration, in celebration of the Mass, in my work, in times of trials, in times of jubilation, in union with Dad, with my family, for others, united in sacrifice and penance, in the tears that I shed,….I must pray in all things at all times.
I desire to do all things for the greater glory of God and I trust that, through prayer, He will show me the way.

I’m not abandoning any of my previous words. In fact, through this practice, they have been imprinted on my heart. Perfection is not sought. My goal is only to move closer to Him and do His will.

“Our prayer must be humble, fervent, resigned, persevering, and deeply reverent, for we must reflect that we are in the presence of a God and speaking with a Lord before Whom the Angels tremble out of respect and fear.” ~ St. Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi

~~~

2012 Motto

Be Charitable.

Be Useful.

Be Gentle.

Be Joyful.

Pray always.

Forget about yourself.

ALL FOR!

In His JOY,

Prayers to St. Agnes of Rome

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