Apostles Lapbook

I had thought—a long time ago, when I first heard of them—that lapbooks sounded so fun and practical and creative all at once and, as such...I felt quite intimidated by them. (I blame the perfectionist in me.) But recently, Dylan and I had the opportunity to make our very first lapbook during the course of our ongoing habitat studies, and we loved it! It was very simple, but informative, and Dylan and I were both so pleased with our work. Thinking we would definitely like to make another in the near future, I ventured out to OfficeMax over the weekend to resupply our stock of paper products, markers, stickers, file folders...all items that I thought might be of value in future endeavors.

Happily, we made the decision yesterday to make a lapbook about the Apostles! As a family, we had memorized the names of the twelve last summer (during the course of Vacation Bible School, when Father would quiz the children at the opening session each morning to see who could name them all) but over time, we'd begun to forget a few. As it happened, one of the topics of our Bible Study last week was the Apostles, and so we tried again to see if we could name them all. (One of us failed miserably; I won't say which of us.) We thought a nice little lapbook would be a wonderful resource to easily review, and we LOVE the way it turned out!

I found so many wonderful lessons online from which I selected our components, but there was so much more we could have included! This site had many pages from which to choose, and is, in fact, where I found a nice printable story about the Apostles. We taped one half of a blue file folder into the inside of our lapbook, providing us with an extra "page", and it was on the cover of this that we glued our story.

Behind that page, (or flap? I'm sure there's an actual term for it) we taped a pretty scene that Dylan had colored. I added the text in Microsoft Word because I liked the wave-like effect: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of Men." I had found a cute little song that I thought would aid in memorization, so that's included here, too. We dressed it up with a little sailboat scene, and we liked that big fish so much that I used it as a guide in drawing twelve more smaller versions, each bearing the name of an apostle, to adorn each side flap. (I'm sure I'm not explaining any of this very well. I hope the photos provide a better visual explanation. You can click them for a better view.)

We had so much fun making this lapbook! I can't believe it took us so long to try making one! I love that the creative opportunities they provide are virtually endless, limited only to the imagination, and I can't wait to see what we come up with next!

Spring

I took these photos a couple of days ago and then realized they're nearly identical to some I took at this same time last year. Spring, it seems, has arrived. This year, though, my heart's just not so into it; I'd have missed these blooms entirely, in fact, had sweet Meghan not pointed them out to me. I'm still "seeking to find balance, order, and harmony", but this year, they just seem impossibly elusive. For the sake of my family, I hope this dreadful gloom passes soon. I know they're eager for their cheerful wife and mommy to return from the depths of this joy draining pit. I'm immersing myself today in my usual quick fixes: bible study with the children, a really fun and uplifting CD from my darling sister-in-law, backyard play and exploration after lunch (unless it gets too windy, which will only serve to worsen my mood), perhaps a movie with my hubby once the children are in bed...I know I'll be okay because these are all things which still bring me joy. Even in the darkest moments, it would be impossible to lose sight of how very blessed I am.

Lent 2009

We celebrated on Tuesday with our third annual Mardi Gras party! What began as an awesome event with my brother's family two years ago has become a favorite tradition, though on a much smaller scale and with our lonely family as the sole participants. No matter, though; we still know how to have fun! The children helped me decorate the dining room and we colored an assortment of masquerade masks. Dylan printed out an activity book he created by copying and pasting from various websites, which included the recipe I needed for our King Cake! He was so eager to help and made a wonderful assistant! My little Sous Chef, I call him. :)

I feel almost a sense of relief at having finally entered Lent. For a while now I've been feeling so stressed and overwhelmed, and it feels no nice to have a reason to slow down, simplify, and reflect. I printed out an archived Catholic Update from American Catholic called "Day by Day Through Lent: Fasting From Our Clutter" and I look forward to experiencing this personal "mini retreat" of sorts this Lent.

Upon a recommendation I read in Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler, we've also decorated our home a bit more for Lent this year. We've hung laminated Stations of the Cross along our hallway in the past, but this year, I just can't figure out where in the world they are! One would think it would be obvious, but sadly, around here you just never know. Why wouldn't they be in the logical place? See why I'm so eager to meditate on clearing the clutter as mentioned above? :)

Anyway, I really like what we've done instead. I discovered some lovely little black and white illustrations of the Stations of the Cross while searching online, and they are the perfect size to adorn our mantle. (The framed prints are special, too: they are copies of the Lord's Prayer and Profession of Faith that Darren received when he joined the Church at Easter in 1998.) We plan to pray the Stations of the Cross every Friday as a family, as we've done during Lent for the past two years.

The bookcase beside the fireplace has, over the last several months, become a focal point for seasonal displays. Having decorated it for Advent, winter, and Valentine's Day, I decided that it would be nice to arrange a few simple Lenten pieces here, too. I started with the most perfect granite sculpture, etched with three crosses, which had up to this point been sitting out on our back patio. I was determined to make a crown of thorns, too. I hadn't the faintest idea how, but figured a stroll through Darren's desert garden might provide a bit of inspiration. I was in luck! The sprawling branches of a small mesquite shrub bordered the walking path and I was startled by the size of their spines. I couldn't remember having seen it there before, so it must have been divine intervention! :) Darren agreeably helped me fashion a crown from two flexible branches, and it is amazing.

I've begun a Lenten Bible study with the children, borrowing from Jessica's archives at Shower of Roses, and I love it so much. We're not making symbols for a Jesus tree, but I've compiled just a list of the daily readings from the New Catholic Picture Bible and printed the corresponding coloring pages for each child. Jessica, thank you so much for sharing all your hard work!!!

Also, in addition to our daily morning prayers (Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, Morning Offering, and Guardian Angel prayer), we're also saying an Act of Contrition because I really want the children to start learning it and Lent is the perfect time to start! I also have a list of specific prayer intentions for each day of the week. This is another idea discussed in Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler, and although it suggests making a large calendar to include these prayers and other activities, I decided to simply type them up and include them with our morning prayers and Bible Study. (Jessica, however, has posted a lovely example of her family's calendar!)

And of course, we just had to make another Lamb of God poster. I especially love this year's because it reminds me so much of the little lamb Kristen received in her Easter basket last year. We'll add a cotton ball each day and have a cute fluffy white lamb by Easter!

I feel like there's more I wanted to say but I can't remember what and Darren is sweetly reminding me that my computer time is up, anyway. :)

Some Mardi Gras Cuteness

My children and I came across this silly video today while searching for Mardi Gras crafts. We found it at this site, where we, appropriately, were printing out our own mask templates! We've laughed through it several times now and hope you enjoy it, too!

Just a walk in the park, Kazanski.

I had been so worried about how we would manage all those doctor appointments on Wednesday, with the first being Darren's at 8:30 that morning. He hadn't yet been cleared to drive, and we had no babysitter, so it was up to me and the children to get him there in time. I wasn't really thrilled with the prospect of waiting for who-knew-how-long in the waiting room with four rambunctious little monkeys, however, so I decided to pack up a picnic breakfast and wait in a nearby park, instead. Darren called from the doctor's office when he was finished with his appointment (much sooner than we expected) and since we were having so much fun we we went back for a little while longer after picking him up. It worked out much better this way! Thank goodness I had my camera with me. :)

P.S. My brother is probably the only other person in the world who will appreciate the title of this post, but I think it's brilliant. It's a quote from Top Gun: "You up for this one, Maverick?" "Just a walk in the park, Kazanski". Because see, I had no idea how everything would work that morning and it turned out, both literally and figuratively, to be just a walk in the park.

Melissa is up too early.

Doctor appointments for everyone this morning, except me: post-op check for Darren, well child checks for all four children, hoping my sanity remains intact.

I started Facebooking this week after nearly a year of a mostly quiet account. I have friends now! It's funny to see these faces from the past. Lots of memories, there.

And speaking of which, I dug out my old souvenir box from high school to show my children photos and brochures from Ford's Theatre during our Presidents Day lessons. Some of that stuff I hadn't looked at in years! I had forgotten that I'd added many items from my much earlier childhood when their storage box was destroyed by a water leak in our old apartment. Stories and pictures I'd drawn in like second grade! Now that is fun stuff. Boxes may yet make me crazy, but that pretty much settled it for me: I am keeping our children's work! They'll be thirty-something one day, too, and I know we'll like to see it again.

Kristen's first birthday is less than one month from today. I have my mom to thank for that (un)kind reminder. Darren returns to work tomorrow and I miss him already. I've loved having him home.

Time now for that first cup of coffee, and then it's time to really get moving.

And thank goodness for spell check. Apparently I can't spell "brochures". Or "apparently".