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The Mass Box: Review, Discount and GIVEAWAY!

Published on November 1, 2016July 26, 2018 by Kate18 Comments

***Make sure you read all the way down for the discount and giveaway***

You may recall if you’ve been around the blog a while that back in Lent (I know, so long ago and at the same time, what? Advent is in a month?!), I shared a few times about the wonders and joys of a new box that we had arrive at the house. This is a brand new subscription box that will revolutionize the way that your family approaches the Mass and certainly did for us this Lent.

Aptly named The Mass Box, this box arrived at our house just before Lent started. It contained not just really creative ideas for crafts with my kids, it had everything we needed to actually DO the crafts! How many times has Pintrest or blog done that for you? Each craft is thoughtfully made to be engaging for ages approximately 3-7 and as they are getting ready to officially launch the program they even offer the option for boxes that will have duplicates if you have more than one child in that age range. Plus, there are copies of Magnifikid, the kids version of the Magnificat. Plus more, each week this awesome family is producing youtube videos (Catholic Crafts with Clare) that feature their daughter Clare working through the week’s craft and talking about the reading/theme for the upcoming Sunday.

Lent was amazing. The kids looked forward to a new video being revealed each week and immediately wanted to plunge into the craft. They made Ash Wednesday faces, a felt picture of Jesus in the desert and even their own paschal candle. They were so proud of what they had accomplished. Kids are very tactile and I think, at least for my kids, if we talk about something while they are working on a project that aligns, their retention skyrockets. So, when we got to Mass on the Sunday where we heard the reading about Jesus being tempted in the desert, John whispered to me “Mommy, it’s just like the Jesus we have on the refrigerator! He’s going to tell the devil to go away, right Mommy?” Couldn’t have been prouder.

There are two things that I especially loved about The Mass Box besides just the awesome crafts and age appropriate preparation for Mass.

The creators took the time to select crafts that would work for the Gospel for each week. Now before you say, Duh, of course they did, consider this. Depending on your parish and your RCIA program, the third, fourth and fifth Sunday of Lent could have different readings than the regular Gospel reading because of the Scrutinies. This means they took the time to check both readings and come up with crafts that could work for either reading. Liturgical awareness and knowledge – check! This also gives me confidence that the crafts they have chosen were selected with care and thought, not just thrown together based on the “theme” for the Sunday.
John and the Blessing Bag. Copyright 2016 Kate Taliaferro

Not everything was a craft! Don’t get me wrong, I love crafts. But some days I’m not so into it. There was one Sunday where all that was provided was a gallon bag. We talked about how there are those who have less than we do and it is part of our responsibility as children of God and members of the community to reach out and help take care of them. The kids went through the pantry and chose non-perishable items (applesauce pouches, oreos, fruit snacks, popcorn and cans of fruit) to put in our “Blessing Bag” which we carried in the car with us until we found an opportunity to give it to someone in need. This is where The Mass Box really takes off for me. It’s about more than just preparing the kids for Mass. It is capable of engaging the faith of the parents as well. Very smart and a unique catechetical tool for sure.

I’m so excited to share that The Mass Box‘s trial run for Lent was a huge success and they are ready to officially launch the program for Advent and will continue beyond the season. A box will arrive once a month with everything you need for crafts and activities, the Magnifikids and coloring sheets that correspond to the readings. The December box will have a bonus craft for the first Sunday of Advent which is on Nov. 27 (stop frantically shopping for Advent candles for your wreath, The Mass Box has you covered).

I’m very proud to be an affiliate with The Mass Box and if you decide to subscribe for your family you can use the coupon code

DAILY10

You will receive 10% off your first month. As an affiliate, I will also receive a small kickback which will go to support this blog ministry.

Also, as an affiliate, the Mass Box has offered and exciting opportunity. From now until Nov. 11 you can enter a raffle to win one FREE Mass Box (even free shipping!). That means you will have crafts for all of Advent! Get clicking folks, this is a super opportunity that will enhance the way your family celebrates all of Advent. Follow the link below to submit your entries.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/87a01ce71/?

***Winner will be contacted on November 12. If there is no response by Nov. 14 a new winner will be selected in order to ensure delivery of the box by the First Sunday of Advent.***

Daily Advent Prayer Experiences for 2016 by DailyGraces.net

Advent Prayer Experiences – 2016

Published on October 6, 2016October 6, 2016 by Kate3 Comments

We begin another Church year very soon! Who would believe another year has flown by and it is time once again to prepare ourselves for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As we are settling into our new “home” aka vacation rental for the next 5 months before we move again to our next “new home” I have decided to try out some new cleaning routines. Nearly 3 years ago I commented to a friend of mine “You’re house always seems so decluttered and clean! I don’t know how you manage to keep everything in order, it always seems so overwhelming for me and I just give up.” She told me about the FlyLady’s system of cleaning and lent me the book. Basically, a woman (the FlyLady) started working in her own home to establish routines that would help her declutter, clean and generally regain control over her chaotic household. Today, she has multiple books plus an app. Needless to say, I flipped through the book and thought it was too much work because I am an all or nothing kind of person and it was too many changes at one time. I thanked my friend, said it was a really neat idea and maybe one day I would try it out. The notion stuck with me though and one day is finally here (I’m using this app)

At its most basic, the FlyLady’s routines and objectives are very much in line with my Lenten observance this year: to be a good past self. She divides your home into zones and each week focuses in depth on one zone. Every Monday has an additional “home blessing” where you spend 10 minutes in each zone sprucing it up without getting stuck in the weeds, or cobwebs, or legos, or whatever dust bunnies are slowly forming under your couch. What I am loving about this system (well, I think I’m loving, it’s only been a week so far) is that each day’s task that I have completed has not taken more than 15 minutes and I still feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Rather than saying to myself, “Today I need to clean the kitchen. The whole kitchen – shudder, dread, find other things to do, oops now it’s too late I guess I’ll work on that tomorrow.” I am saying, “I can definitely double check the refrigerator and make sure nothing is expired and wipe down the front and fronts of the shelves in 15 minutes, no problem.” Some other daily routines include making sure you clean up after yourself, immediately, and eliminating excuses by getting dressed right away (so that if the garbage needs to go out at 7am you don’t have to scurry about in your pjs or robe or choosing to live with a smelly garbage until you get around to it at lunchtime).

It’s doing a little everyday, rather than burning yourself out in one day and then not cleaning anything for the next 3.

“Your home did not get dirty in one day, and it will not get clean in a day either” to quote the Flylady.

So what does all this have to do with Advent prayer? As I was wiping down a bathroom this morning (yes, I’m cleaning bathrooms! In the morning! Shocking, I know. Right your seat and continue reading). I was thinking about the above quote and realized that a disordered, lacking or non-existent prayer life works in a similar way. We can’t expect to go from nothing to a full blown prayer routine overnight. Trust me, I’ve tried it. Many times.

For this Advent, I have decided to break up the 4 weeks into 4 types or themes of prayer. Each day will have an idea to ponder, a Scripture to meditate on, a prayer to recite, or some other kind of short activity that will guide you to a prayer experience. This is not supposed to be long, arduous or in any other way taxing. 5 minutes of your time, 10 if you get really into it. My goal is to offer a variety of prayer opportunities that will help all of us gain a deeper understanding of Advent and also learn what kinds of prayer brought us to encounter Jesus during our day. What better way to prepare yourself for the coming of Jesus at Christmas than by spending Advent discovering what ways you communicate with Him best?

Every day there will be a new post. I am planning on posting the night before so that you early risers don’t have to wait for the day’s prayer experience. Posts will be linked on the page “Advent Prayer Experiences – 2016” along the top toolbar as well as on the homepage.

Announcements, Changes and Updates

Published on September 6, 2016October 3, 2016 by Kate3 Comments

Hello dear readers,

You may have noticed that there has been a bit of a lag in posts as of late. I had intended to write up a quick post about the transitions our family is in the midst of, but even that proved beyond my capacity. Now that we are settling into our new “normal” I found myself with an afternoon of USA Women’s soccer, a steaming cup of tea and absolutely no children about, the perfect time to sit back and reflect on what has happened the past few weeks (and then I got way too in the weeds with this story and decided not to edit anything for a few more weeks, so now the Olympics are over, my tea is long cold, but I’ve finally gotten around to finishing what I started).

I may have mentioned, though perhaps not since I am trying to be both honest and open, yet still mindful of the potential dangers the internet offers to those who share too much information, that we are moving!

For the past year or so we have been hoping and praying for our next assignment in the Air Force. There are some many things to consider – location, career progression for Ben, proximity to family, opportunities for the kids, etc. Taking all things into consideration and with lots of prayer we decided to ask for an assignment to pilot training in Texas. Our prayers were answered when Ben returned from his last deployment in April when he was told that yes, we would be moving at the end of the summer to Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, TX, which is about 2-3 hours west of San Antonio. Ben will be teaching brand new Air Force 2nd Lieutenants (the first rank for officers) on their first aircraft, the T-6 Texan II.

We asked for some extra time off between the assignments, so in early August we packed up our trailer and started a long trek to Illinois. We drove for 5 days with our minivan loaded with rooftop carrier, bikes, and 3 kids, plus our Durango hauling the trailer and the dog. We are so blessed to have wonderful families who are generous with their vacation time. My dad and one of my brothers flew out to California and helped us drive back to Chicago. We were able to spend 3 weeks with my parents and are presently in the middle of 3 weeks with Ben’s family in Ohio. What a blessing for our family, especially our kids. They have never been to the Midwest in the summertime!

This will be a bit of a unique move because it is actually 2 moves in 1. Before Ben can go teach new pilots how to fly the T-6, he has to re-learn it himself as well as receive training on how to be an instructor and trainer. We will be in San Antonio until early March when we will move again to Laughlin AFB in Del Rio, TX. We will only be 2.5-3 hours from some of Ben’s family in San Antonio which is incredible and we are so excited to be close to them.

On the topic of incredible, God’s timing couldn’t be more perfect. Even though we are moving twice in less than 9 months, we are also happy to share that we are expecting our 4th “gift from God” as John says. Yes, we are pregnant! But God is so good. Remember that big drive to Illinois – probably not the greatest, most fun idea to do when you’re pregnant. But God timed it just right – I was through with morning sickness completely, didn’t get carsick once, and was still only 15 weeks and wasn’t feeling overly large or awkward. Plus, and maybe even better, we are due at the end of January so we will have the baby while still solidly in San Antonio, surrounded by family and well before we will be moving. It truly is a miracle. I’m craving McDonald’s cheeseburgers and asiago bagels (oh I just got super hungry!) and no, we aren’t finding out who this little miracle is until they are born. The kids are having lots of fun trying to decided if they think “Peanut” is a boy or a girl.

So that’s pretty much where we are right now. Lots of transition, lots of new places, lots of please oh please just take a nap (but not too long of one so you go to sleep tonight in another new place).

We appreciate your prayers as we continue with this move. I hope that you all are having a good wind-down to your summer months and are ready to dive into the school year. Next on my list of things to do are a few book reviews I’ve been sitting on and work on putting together a better “teacher’s binder” for our homeschool year. We won’t be starting until we are settled in San Antonio so I’ve got some time yet.

Here are some pictures from our travels so far =)