A Life-Changing Morning

There's so much to say about this morning, the day when we were blessed to approach the Kursk Root Icon of the Theotokos. Honestly, though, I don't have sufficient words. Thankfully, my dear friend does! Please visit Anna's site to catch a glimpse.

Family Readings for Lent

If you're like me, you already miss the nightly readings and ornaments of the Jesse Tree. my 2 year-old embraced our devotions fully this year, and still asks to "do Advent" every night! Today I heard about a wonderful way to integrate daily family readings during Lent, which will be here before we know it! This Orthodox Mom is developing the readings and posting them as she finishes them. I am inspired, and would love to eventually come up with ornaments to go along with the readings.

A New Chapter

Some of you may have visited the Festal Celebrations Gallery, especially to get more information on the Jesse Tree project. I'm excited to announce that I am the new owner of that site!

With God's help, I hope to continue the work of the previous owner, and continue to offer ideas to families who would like tangible ways to bring the Church's Feasts home. Please visit the site, and look forward to contributions from several individuals over the next few months.

I hope to add pictures and updated reading lists for the Jesse Tree project in the next few days. Please pray for me that I am able to live up to the task given to me.

Advent Activities

Since I am starting to gather my Advent activities in one place for my own use, I thought it might be helpful to write about some specific activities my family participates in.

Let me preface my first posting by giving you a little background info. If you are not familiar with the Orthodox Church's fasting periods, our Nativity Fast begins on November 15th and is a 40 day fast that ends on Christmas. The word Advent is the Latin word for "coming". We Orthodox use other Latin terms, such as "Trinity", so I personally have no problem using the word Advent when speaking about this time period. Here's a great article on that topic.

Instead of writing one long (and possibly overwhelming) post about everything my family does in our home, I thought it would be more helpful to post about one at a time. To me, the best way to do this is to first write about the activities that may take longer to get ready, in case anyone would like to incorporate them this year.

Activity #1 40 Books in 40 Days

One fun way to involve my children in our nightly activities is to have a children's book about the Nativity Season for each night. In our house my husband and I wrap each book individually and place them under our tree on November 15th. (More about our tree later). Each night our 3 children take a turn picking a book and unwrapping it. Then we read the book aloud together, and the book is placed in a basket so that the children can read it again during the rest of the season. There are some books that are designated for special nights, like the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, or St. Nicholas, and I do this by writing on the wrapping paper, so we don't forget!

There are several ways you can do this activity, and I encourage you to make it YOUR tradition. If you don't put your tree up until later in the season, you can put your books in a big basket. If it is overwhelming, you don't have to wrap the books at all.

I will share some of my favorite book selections with you, but don't feel the need to duplicate them in your household. You may be surprised at how many you already have, if you gather all your Christmas books in one place! Some families may want to include secular Christmas books about Santa Claus, reindeer, etc. Because every family has their own beliefs on this topic, I will only share my top choices that are religious in nature, and some that are specifically written from an Orthodox point of view. I have linked as many books as possible to websites where you can take a closer look:

The Nativity of Our Lord by Sister Elayne (This is one of the books from The 12 Great Feasts for Children)

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple by Sister Elayne (we read this book on the feast, which falls on November 21st.)

The Saint Who Became Santa Claus

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate (there is also a board-book version for toddlers)

Baby in a Manger by Julie Stiegemeyer

On This Special Night By Claire Freedman

The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats (also available as a board book)

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

What Star Is This? by Joseph Slate

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi (We read this book on the Feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6th)

The Usborne Advent Nativity Book (This book has pop out characters for each day that make the nativity scene. It starts on Dec. 1st)

North Star: St. Herman of Alaska by Dorrie Papademetrious (read on Dec. 13th)

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift by Jeannine Q. Norris

Please feel free to add any great books from your collection by leaving a comment!

Musings

Well...it seems that every time I come to post I am either uninspired, distracted, or pulled away. It has definitely been hectic around here. I do feel the need to write, however, as it helps me to come and re-visit my own postings. So forgive the personal nature of this post as I muse about the ups and downs of my household.



From the prayer corner:


I have really tried over the past month to improve our family prayer time. The kids and I pray in the morning before starting school, but I was inspired by Mary to try and bring another element into our day by implementing the prayers of the hours. She came up with these great visuals for the daily hours, and for each day of the week. We have added our "visual aids" to our altar, and they have been a wonderful reminder to all of us, kids and adults alike!



From the kitchen:


I am so ready for fasting! I know that sounds crazy, but I am so much more organized with menus during fasting times. I have a weekly rotation that is constant, and right now I could use some of that! I may share my whole weekly menu later, but here's a link to my favorite!



From the schoolroom:


Oh, how time is flying, and yet sitting still! You may know that I started homeschooling the kids after Christmas last year, and we began this school year at the end of August. It has definitely been an adventure. The kids are still loving it, and I admit to having days where I love it, and days when I REALLY miss their old school. My one challenge right now is that school feels very monotonous to me. I still don't know how to get out of making it more without adding more. You can always read more about our school days here.



From the church:


If you know me, you know that I LIVE for the Nativity fast. It is so close! I am doing my best to get the Christmas shopping, card sending, cleaning, planning done by November 1st so that when the 15th comes, we can relax and embrace! I am giving a small talk on Advent at our church's womens' retreat next month. I had a great conversation with my Dad (who's also our parish priest) about the difference in this fast from Great Lent. This fast is meant to be fun and exciting. He compared preparing for the Nativity to preparing for the birth of a baby. Preparing the nursery, knitting the blankets, etc. can be just as exciting as the actual event! Here's a post from last year on how my family embraces the Nativity Fast.



On a personal note:


Last week we were able to visit family and friends on a 5 day trip to Michigan. We stayed with my husband's cousin, and the kids had a blast with their cousins. Dan and I left the kids for the weekend to attend a wedding of an old camp friend. We were able to spend a couple of days with friends we have known since we were kids! We both really needed that. I am always so amazed at how attending a wedding or baptism, or even funeral in the Orthodox Church can be so renewing! Participating in these sacraments is a huge confirmation of our own marriage, our own childrens' baptisms. You realize how connected to the people who share your faith you really are. So Many Years George and Suzy! Your wedding blessed us in more ways than you'll ever realize!

I'll leave you with two pictures from last week. One of my 3 (girl in front, boy in back, and the toddler who still has the paci) with their cousins and Tete (grandmother), and the other from the wedding:

How To Raise An Orthodox Christian Or Possibly A Saint

Last night my husband and I were discussing how to help our children to be less self-centered. I stumbled across the following today. It is written by an anonymous author, and I came across it here. It was just what I needed!

1) When the child is yet young, begin to train him/her in sympathy and consideration for others and in unselfishness. By these means he/she will grow up to understand that the materialthings of this world are not the most important things for Orthodox Christians. Your life-style and example will be the greatest influence on your child in this matter.

2) Teach your child how to chant the psalms and the hymns of the Church. This will encourage him or her to learn to love the holy services, and to reject the foul language and immodest songs that are so widespread today in our society. Your example in this will have the greatest influence on your child.

3) Never cease from finding occasions to train your child in spiritual matters and in the love of God and others, and always bring them to the Church. When we were small, we were never asked "if" we were coming to church - or anywhere else, for that matter. The fact that we were going to church was a foregone conclusion. Your child must learn this from the very earliest years. If you wait until your
child reaches adolescence, it will already be far too late.

4) Teach your child the meaning of the words "right" and "wrong," "sin" and "virtue," "truth" and "falsehood" ; also teach your child to know the Church's Faith, and to recognize erroneous belief. In this manner, your child's understanding and spiritual discretion will grow as the years go by, and he/she will be prepared for the future, even if he/she has to endure hate and persecution for his/her convictions.

5) Give your child spiritual duties appropriate to his/her age and understanding. These could include such activities as reading the Lives of the Saints written for your child's level, or reciting some of the evening prayers together with the rest of the family, or fasting and making prostrations, or helping out in church if he or she is old enough.

6) Aside from providing your child with plenty of Orthodox spiritual literature appropriate for his/her age, make sure that material of an impure or inappropriate nature is not in your home. Unfortunately, today this includes most of television programming. Remember: whatever goes in, comes out. Your example in this matter will have the greatest influence on your child.

7) Your own life-style, your personal tastes, your words, the books you read, the music you listen to, and the things that draw your interest and attention will all speak louder to your child than anything else. Hallow your child's eyes with the holy icons. Sanctify his hearing with the holy hymns, his sense of smell with sacred incense, and his entire body and soul with the holy Mysteries. If your home is a haven of spiritual sanity, love, and peace, your child will know where to turn when he or she inevitably encounters the blasphemous, shocking, and sordid things that fill our society. Teach your child the Jesus Prayer.

8) Instruct your child in almsgiving and compassion towards those who are in need. And teach them also that they should help in house duties and, if they are old enough, that they should labor at various odd jobs, so that they may learn from an early age that, as the Holy Apostle Paul tells us, one who does not labor should not eat. Idleness and affluence together have, in our society, destroyed countless young people and led them into sin and even an early death. Never be ashamed to say to your child: "We can't afford it."

9) Teach your child by your own example - and by the examples found in the Holy Scriptures and the Lives of the Saints - that abstinence from food and drink and personal comforts is a noble and beautiful thing, taught to us by our Savior Himself and by the Saints.

10) Be fair if it should ever happen that
your child gets into a dispute with another child, or with teachers, or with other authorities. If your child is wrong, he/she is wrong, and
show him/her, together with your love and support, why he/she is wrong. Your child will learn something of God's justice from your example.

11) As the years pass, if you persist faithfully in these matters, as you must, you will discover, much to your surprise, that you have grown spiritually also. Saint Paul was quite serious when he said that "a woman shall be saved by childbearing"- and we know and understand that, especially in a society such as ours, both parents are essential for the proper kind of Orthodox Christian spiritual nurturing that is needed.

12) Prepare yourself for a life of spiritual struggles and prayers. You and your children will need them and the grace of God, for we are not living in the world as God originally created it. We are living in occupied territory - a land occupied by the enemy. But, by our holy Faith and God's grace, we are nonetheless a free people, living in hope and expectation of our deliverance in our true and everlasting country. And if we are heedful in these matters, we will have the boldness to say to our Savior in that last day, "Behold me, your servant, and the children which Thou hast given me."

By the intercessions of Saints Joachim and Anna, O Christ God, may we, together with all our little ones, be deemed worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Orthodox Children's Bible for only $4.99!

We have an Orthodox children's Bible reader that we adore. It's called the Greek Orthodox Children's Illustrated Bible Reader. It's a beautiful hard cover book, and the illustrations are in the style of iconography. My son has absorbed so much from this book, that I recommend it to everyone. Here's a review done by the Director of Christian Education from the Antiochian Archdiocese

Go here to get yours for only $4.99! They usually cost $20, and this website offers free shipping, as well. I have a feeling that these won't last long, so grab one while you can. I just bought 3!