Prayers.....

Could you please pray for baby B.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

SeWonderful Quilts

Getting ready to send my box of quilts in to sewonderful quilts. A great charity that gives quilts to sick children in the hospital. They will send you the fabric if you want, or you can use your own. The patterns can be as simple or complex as you feel like making. If you enjoy sewing, please check them out.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Ramblings from October

The Altar at St. Ferdinand

nun doll collection at St Ferdinand

We attended 1st friday Mass at St. Ferdinand church.

 

replica of the original St Ferdinand

 

 

 We kept busy making a birthday gift (top) for a BFF. And 2 baptism gifts for some special little friends.
*all crafts and sewing projects were done by bashing my stash :) no new material or supplies were bought*

 We did some rock climbing!

And some rocking out to 1D in the car :)

And of course some shopping for beautiful little girls.

 We had friends for a visit and went to the Art Museum.

And did some "trunk or treating" and fell in love with baby animals at the petting zoo.

A very happy girl that her costume for her history project is Finally done! And a very happy momma that it was done 95% by said happy girl! She did a great job.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

a little something to make you smile :0}

Head over to The Careless Catholic, but only if you want to smile ;0}

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Field trips and First Friday

We have tried to take advantage of living so close to St. Louis, only about 20 minutes to downtown, be forewarned this post contains A LOT of pictures ;0)

 

 We passed this "silver" tree in Forest Park. The kids thought maybe the overlaid a real tree. My thought is the whole thing was created as art. We did not see any plaque or sign stating why it was there, but it was outside the Art Museum, hence my guess :)

 This is a very beautiful statue of St. Louis. I love the rays of sunshine in this picture.

 We went to the zoo, the kids were made wanted to sit and have their picture taken as soon as we walked in. I did tell them from now on if they let me have 1 picture at a picture worthy spot, I will not force ask them to take a million pictures all day. This is for their benefit as well as mine a have more then a few pictures :)

 This guy cracked me up, he just swam there like that, maybe he was tired of people watching him, so he decided to watch people instead, lol.

 The monkeys were kind of sad looking, they just sat there next to the window....sitting.

 We had some very nice days, and the girls picnicked outside on our patio. More to come on the boxes stacked next to the door, hopefully this weekend I will have time to post.

 The History Museum hosts a "homeschool day" once a month. They have crafts and some other events, 1 of them being yoga? yeah, I thought that was weird too. But we went and opted out of the yoga, once we got there we realized it was geared towards much younger kids, but we stayed and had fun anyway.

 Playing dress up :)

 Once hubby found this place (be complete accident, he had to run an errand at work and just happen to pass it) he knew it was a place that a certain little girl would love to go and check out.

 And this beautiful old church is where we will be attending Mass today on this perfect (praise God) fall day. There was a caption in the church bulletin about homeschool first Friday Mass with sack lunch and fellowship after!! Exactly what we have been looking for, a group that just hangs out no commitment and they are Catholic ;0) Now please God let there be some kids there my kids ages!!! (every group we have checked out has all young (8 and down) aged kids.

Don't quote me, but last night while the boy was at Boy Scouts (our church is about 5 blocks from this gem and his troop is through the parish) and me and the girls were checking out and when I say checking out I mean taking a million pictures and looking in every window we could reach, ;0) But anywho.....I believe this is the old church/convent of St Rose Philippine Duchesne, she started a mission here in our town with a school.  I am very excited to attend Mass here, the kids are very excited to meet some new friends. Blessings on this wonderful First Friday!

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Novena to St. Therese

St. Therese Novena 2012
Starting on Saturday, I am joining more than 24,000 Catholics to pray a St. Therese Novena!
I’m actually trying to help this online prayer community (PrayMoreNovenas.com) to get 35,000 people praying this novena for St. Therese.
A lot of people out there love St. Therese, so help me get this novena to them!
You can sign up for handy email reminders to get the the novena prayers here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/st-therese-novena/
After you sign up, maybe you can help spread the word as well. God’s Mercy is abundant and overflowing, let’s share it!


Find the Original Here: http://www.praymorenovenas.com/your-site/#ixzz27LEbLrV8


Thanks to Jessica over at Shower of Roses to posting about this earlier, so I can now share it with you :)


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Catechism Cube, a review

We recently were given the opportunity to review the Catechism Cube by Monica at Arma Dei.  This is a printable craft that will help your children learn the basics of the Catechism. When printing this craft you have 2 choices, printing it on colored cardstock, in which case it is half way done and ready to play. Or printing it on white cardstock (or regular paper as we did) and coloring the pages before putting the cubes together. This option gave each child a opportunity to review at least some of the pages before we played.

Over all, the catechism cube was super easy to put together, I chose to glue the edges, you could staple them if you wanted to play with it right away, and it still was ready to play with after lunch. I would recommend this craft for any ages, my kids are 11-14years old, younger children could have the themes read to them by a parent, teacher or older sibling. This would be great for a CCD class, homeschool or just a fun get together with friends. My kids had fun color the pictures and seeing who knew what when they played with this craft, and have asked to play each day since we made it. I can see us getting a lot of use out of this!

 Head over to Arma Dei for a give away, there are 10 crafts to choose from and Monica will choose 4 winners. This give away will only be open until next Friday, so hurry over!!

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Moving

We are moving! In about 4 weeks to be exact, yikes! Hubby has a new job that will be taking us down to the St. Louis Missouri area. We were thinking it might be 2 months but after hubby talked with his new employer today it looks like we will be there by the first of September. I will be sure to post pictures as soon as we get settled. Until then I have a lot of packing to do, and school to try to keep up with. ;•}

Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons, a book review

Did Adam and Eve Have Belly Buttons, and 199 other questions from Catholic teenagers a book by Matthew Pinto, foreword by Jeff Cavins, 269 pages, published by Ascension Press. I bought this book while I was in the RCIA program at my church, from one of the local Catholic book stores. I had bought it for two reasons; number one, I thought it would be a funny, easy read, and it was, number 2 I thought it would be a quick way to learn a lot about the Catholic faith, and it was. It even came with a a prayer on the first page, to say before reading. It was a wealth of information on topics such as; God, Creation and Man, Religion and the Bible, Jesus Christ, The Catholic Faith and the Church, The Catholic Faith and Other Religions, The Catholic Faith and Society, Catholic Living, Catholic Prayer and Worship, and more. Also included in this book are a books of the Bible guide, a guide for confession and an examination of conscience. The questions asked, by real teens who wrote in their questions to Matthew Pinto, are great, real questions that any one of us have probably wondered about at one time or another. Each question is answered sincerely, with church teaching, the catechism, and the Bible referenced multiple times. Many societal misconceptions are cleared up in the answers in this book. I would highly recommend this book for a gift for anyone in RCIA, Confirmation, or graduation. This also makes a great book to go along with your Bible reading, because it gives you so many Bible verses to back up a church teaching, just go thorough and high light them, you never know when it will come in handy. An extra copy might not be a bad idea either, it's a great book to hand out to those you know who might need a little refresher on their faith.

I wrote this review of Did Adam & Eve Have Belly Buttons? for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Once Upon a time Saints, a book review

Once Upon a time Saints by Ethel Pochocki, illustrated by Tom Matt, published by Bethlehem Books. This book is a great read a loud book for children ages toddler and up. With short, to-the-point stories you can keep the interest of the child you are reading to or who is reading the story on their own. This would make wonderful early reader for children just learning to read. With it's easy-to-hold size, sightly larger then a regular paperback book, and it's nice large size easy to read print. Most of the stories are just a few short pages long and have beautiful pencil drawings depicting the lives of the saints. It also is filled with stories of saints who you don't hear about all that often. St. Comgall, St. Felix, And St. Hubert to name a few of the sixteen saint stories listed in this book. The stories do not go in liturgical order, although there is a list in the back of the book that does show them in that way. This would make a great book for, grandma and grandpa's house, or bedtime stories, but it is not limited to younger children. This book would be great for any age child that is interested in learning more about the saints. It works great with home schooling as well. With the short story size it makes it perfect to assign any where from two to five stories for your child to read each week. And in no time your child will know tons about the lives of the saints. And all that they have to teach us about God's love for each of us. And that we each have our own path to holiness. There are three books in this series that I know of.

I wrote this review of Once Upon a Time Saints for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Around the Year, Once Upon a Time Saints, a book review

Around The Year, Once Upon a time Saints by Ethel Pochocki, illustrations by Ben Hatke, published by Bethlehem Books, 211 pages recommended for ages 10 and up. This book is such a great book to have. It is filled with saints from every month of the year. Some of the saints are your tried and true favorites like, St. Francis, St. Joseph, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. Others were less known, at least to us, like St. Paul Miki and St. Charles Lwanga. Also included were wonderful stories of the Blessed Mother under such titles as Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Our Lady of Czestochowa, as well has the Heavenly Helpers (Archangels) and Guardian Angels. Each story is only a few pages long, and could easily be read in 10-15 minutes. The book is in liturgical order starting with the saints of Advent and coming full circle with a total of 29 saint stories in this book. We have really enjoyed this book and the others in the series. My daughter will read a story each week of a saint whose feast day falls in that week. She will then draw a picture using details from the book and do other activities relating to the story she read. They are just short enough to make out loud reading possible, even for those who have a hard time reading aloud. There are 3 books that I know of in the series and you do not need to read them in any order. Each story has beautiful pencil drawings depicting the lives of the saint. These books are a nice size print for children to read, and a tad bit larger then your average paperback book. This would make a great bedtime story book for younger children. And a great addition to every grandma and grandpa's house.

I wrote this review of Around the Year Once Upon a Time Saints for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

All Ye Lands, World Cultures and Geography, a book review

All Ye Lands, World Cultures and Geography published by Ignatius Press, part of the Catholic Schools Textbook Project, 6th grade, 16 chapters, 352 pages. "All Ye Lands" is a wonderfully put together textbook for early jr. high history classes. This textbook starts with a chapter introducing geography to the student, how to read maps, longitude and latitude are explained. As well as the continents, the water systems, geographical terms, and the climates. The following chapters go from pre-history, old testament Biblical history to ancient Greece and Rome. It spends a chapter on the gift of Christianity, and the life of Jesus. It covers such topics Byzantine Rite and the rise of Islam. Right up to South America in the 1800's. This textbook is filled with beautiful pictures and illustrations throughout, all with captions. Vocabulary words are in bold print in each chapter with a definition box in the side column. The impact that the Catholic church and Christianity has had in the shaping of the world around us is highlighted throughout this textbook. All of the chapters end with a review page with not only review questions but with several points for the student to consider. A bonus at the end of each chapter is an easy recipe for your student to make on there own. At the end of the book is an index. This is a great book to follow the 5th grade book "From Sea to Shining Sea, The Story of America". Or to stand on it's own. I do not own the teacher textbook manual for this book, but have not found that I have ever needed it. The textbook follows along at a very easy to read, and easy to plan pace. We have very much enjoyed using this book with our home schooling.

I wrote this review of All Ye Lands Student Text for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

From Sea to Shining Sea, The Story of America, a book review

From Sea to Shining Sea, The Story of America published by Ignatius Press, part of the Catholic Schools Textbook Project. 20 chapters with an index, 462 pages. "From Sea to Shining Sea" is a 5th grade U.S. history book, that also incorporates the Catholic impact on the shaping of the U.S. This textbook covers early voyages of St. Brendan from fifth century Ireland to the new world. As well as the Vikings, Eric the Red and Leif the Lucky. It also goes into detail of the son of King Owain of Wales, Madoc. And the very welsh looking Indians that later settlers found. The textbook, continues through the Spanish conquistadors, the French and Indian war, And the early colonies. Right through to the early part of the 1900's. Each chapter includes vocabulary words in bold print, pictures with captions, and easy to read sections. Each chapter, and ends with a summary, chapter checkpoint, followed by activities you can do and a short paragraph titled American larder, which gives you a glimpse into the eating habits of the people during that time period. An Index is included in the back of the book. This is an excellent history textbook for either Catholic schools, or the Catholic home school setting. The book is set up in a very user friendly set up. I was so happy to find this book, it's great for my kids to learn how Catholic's impacted the growth of our country, either through their discoveries or in some cases through their martyrdom. Saints and religious are featured through this textbook. I do not have the teachers manual for this book, but have not in any way found that in any way to be a hindrance to planning my child's school lessons with this book.

I wrote this review of From Sea To Shining Sea Student Text for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Diary of Saint Maria Faustina, a book review

Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul a compilation of notebooks written by then Sister Maria Faustina, secretary to Our Lord, published by Marian Press. St. Faustina's diary is made up of Sister Maria Faustina's notebooks that were written between the years 1934 and 1938. Sister Maria Faustina was a young Polish nun with the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. St. Maria Faustina's diary is filled with beautiful passages detailing her longing for Jesus, her struggles with her health, and her strive for sacrifice. Jesus told Sister Maria Faustina to keep a diary and and to record all the things He told her. All of the words that Jesus spoke to Sister Maria Faustina are typed in bold print in all versions of The Diary, which is printed in several languages, and availible in paperback and leather bond forms. I have also seen The Diary in cassette and CD. Many people I know read this as more a devotional type of book, and keep it close by at all times. The Diary comes with an index in the back, there is a concordance that is also available along with a prayer companion booklet. Pope Blessed John Paul II was a huge motivator in the publishing and spreading of the message of Divine Mercy, which was the reason behind Jesus asking Sister Maria Faustina to record what He said to her in her note books. And in His asking her to have a picture painted with the phrase "Jesus I Trust in You", and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The Diary is full of Jesus' need to have us turn to Him in trust and seek His mercy, this is a message that needs to be shared with everyone we meet, Catholic or not. I highly recommended the paperback of this book to have on hand to give to people you know.

I wrote this review of Diary of Saint Maria Faustina for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

St. Therese And The Roses, a book review

Saint Therese and The Roses by Helen Walker Homan, illustrated by George W. Thompson, published by Ignatius Press, 9 chapters, 149 pages, part of the Vision Book Series. "Saint Therese" is another wonderful book from the Vision Book Series, written in 1955. It tells the story of St. Therese, a much beloved Catholic saint. The Vision Book Series is a wonderful addition to any family book shelf, but especially to the home schooling family's book shelf. With their extremely descriptive stories that make you feel as though you have stepped back in time and are truly living out the story in your hands. Also there is a teacher's companion book to the Vision Book Series, which not all Vision Books are listed in, although "Saint Therese" is, Saints of the Church, which gives you vocabulary, timelines, topics for reports and much more, making it perfect to plan a unit study off of the one book. "Saint Therese" walks you through the life of Therese Martin, a sweet girl who lived a very short life, and promised to send a shower of roses from heaven after her death. This book sends the better part, 7 chapters, on St. Therese's early life before she joined the Carmelite Sisters. The Last 2 chapters are spent on St. Therese's life as a sister and gives wonderful examples of her "little way", always doing the most disliked chores and tasks, but always doing them with a smile and for the glory of God. Not long after finishing her book "A Story of A Soul" and not quite 25 years old, St. Therese succumbed to the tuberculosis that had plagued her. A short 27 years later the Holy Father named Therese of the Child Jesus, St. Therese, she has been showering the earth with roses ever since.

I wrote this review of Saint Therese And the Roses - A Vision Book for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Prima Latina, a book review

   

Prima Latina By Leigh Lowe, a complete curriculum, published by Memoria Press. This set of books is intended for grades one through four, but can be used with grades higher then this as the introduction to Latin. This curriculum came with a paperback teacher's manual, a paperback student work book and a cd. The cd has a pronunciation guide, prayers that you will be learning, songs and the words from each lesson spoken in Latin. The student work book has 25 lessons, with room to write your answers on each page, and a review every five lessons. There is also a vocabulary appendix in the back of the book. The teacher's manual has the same layout of the student book, but with the answers filled in with green ink on each page, which in my opinion makes things much easier to explain and grade. Just like the student work book, the teacher's manual has a vocabulary appendix in the back of the book as well as printable tests and the corresponding answer keys. Also included in the teacher's manual are, a printable vocabulary drill record, a guide to lesson planning and a sample day lesson. Each lesson your student will learn one to two lines of one of the basic Catholic prayers; the Holy, Holy, Holy, the Glory Be, the Table Blessing and the Our Father or Lord's Prayer. Each lesson is about 4 pages long, with nice sized print. With 30 total lessons this is easily a year long curriculum. That will give your student a basic understanding of the Latin text and can be used with multiple age groups at one time. There is also a dvd course available for this text, which I did not get.

I wrote this review of Prima Latina Text Set for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Joan, The Girl Saint. a book review

Saint Joan, The Girl Soldier written by Louis de Wohl, illustrated by Harry Barton, published by Ignatius Press, part of the Vision Book Series, 166 pages. I can not say enough great things about the Vision Book Series. These are a wonderfully written series on the lives of much loved Catholic saints. They are a must have for any Catholic home, and especially any home schooling family. "Saint Joan" is a very reader friendly book, 5th grade and up, with the exception of the very French last names, which were very hard for us to pronounce. Girls will love to read this book, of course, as they learn how Joan of Arc commanded, and fought along side her army. Boys will love to read this book, as it is mostly about war. Parents will love for their children to read about Joan's complete obedience to and love for God and her willingness to bend to God's will in all things. Even as Joan was being tried for heresy, she never doubted her love for God. This a fantastic book for home schooling families, and could be used as the base for a unit study on France or Saint Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc was a tremendously brave girl, she commanded armies, made grown men change their bad habits to good, won wars, and crowned a king. She was betrayed by the country she helped set free, and the church she loved. She was found guilty and burned at the stake, all before the age of 20, and with out ever doubting God's love or will for her life. I would recommend this book for all children to read, for Saint Joan was truly a wonderful role model.

I wrote this review of Saint Joan: The Girl Soldier - A Vision Book for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Our Lady Came to Fatima, a book review

Our Lady Came to Fatima written by Ruth Fox Hume, illustrated by Christpher J. Pelicano, published by Ignatius Press, part of the Vision Book Series, 165 pages. I would like to start off by saying that we love the Vision Book Series. I think that every Catholic child should have at least a few of this series on their book shelf. "Our Lady Came to Fatima" was a wonderful book, we read this book for the first time during our out loud reading time and was able to read a chapter in anywhere from 20 minutes to a half of an hour. I would say that this book has a reading level of fourth grade and up. My teenager has re-read this book and enjoyed it just as much now as she did the first time when she was 9 years old. This book isn't just for girls either, my son enjoyed it as well. We found "Our Lady Came to Fatima" very informative into the apparitions of the Blessed Mother, as well as to the lives of the three young shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. We found the narrative very descriptive, you can clearly picture the Blessed Mother as she appeared to the children. Also the feelings of the children were portrayed in great detail as they were harassed by family, neighbors and the government, all who thought they were lying through many of the months that the apparitions were happening. It goes on to tell of the children's lives after the October 13th miracle, the dance of the sun, witnessed by more then 30,000 people. The bravery in the face of death shown by young Francisco and Jacinta is a great model for children. Chronicled also are the struggles that Lucia faced as she entered the convent and tried to move forward with her life. An afterword gives an update (the original copyright is 1957) to the beatification of Fancisco and Jacinta.

I wrote this review of Our Lady Came To Fatima - A Vision Book for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

John Paul II, A Life of Grace book review

John Paul II, A Life of Grace written by Renzo Allegri, translated by Marsha Daigle-Williamson, Ph.D. published by Servant Books. "John Paul II" is a 195 page biography on the life of Pope John Paul II. This book starts with a quick introduction of Pope John Paul II parents, family and moves swiftly into John Paul II (then Karol)'s life. This book gives you much in the way of what it was like for young Karol as the family struggled with Karol's mother, Emilia's ill health. The author shares a beautiful poem that young Karol wrote 10 years after his mothers death in remembrance of her. Several chapters are spent going into detail of young Karol's early adult years, which he spent writing plays based on books of the Bible, and working with other young adults his age in underground prayer groups during the war. Some of the things Karol learned in these underground prayer groups he used during his early years as a priest when working with the youth groups that he started. This book goes on to discuss the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II in the early 80's and it's links to the third secret of Fatima. I would highly recommend this book to be read by anyone with even a passing interest in Pope Blessed John Paul II and his life. It blends together the over all theme of the life of Karol Wojtyla (later Pope John Paul II) which was one of ever increasing struggle, from before he was born until his last breathe, you can see our Lady's hand guiding his life to where it needs to be. You can also see how hard Satan tried to weigh down this incredible man's heart so that he would turn away from God. Thankfully for us, Pope Blessed John Paul II always turned to God and our Lady offering up his life of struggle.


I wrote this review of John Paul II: A Life of Grace for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods
Aquinas and More is the largest on-line Catholic bookstore.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

"unPlanned" book review

"unPlanned" by Abby Johnson with Cindy Lambert, CoPublished with Focus on the Family.

"unPlanned" sheds light on to Planned Parenthood's true agenda, while highlighting what a strong impression the peaceful and prayerful people can make. Abby Johnson walks you through her journey as she realizes that what has been her passion and her longing to help women, along with her own past abortions, is really doing more harm then she could have ever known. Abby Johnson shares her struggles trying to get out from the job she held as director of a Texas Planned Parenthood, and sharing how even though she had been uneasy for a time with the "business" side of Planned Parenthood Abby still felt as though she was doing all of these women a great service by keeping them from a back alley abortion. You share her pain as she comes to grips with how many lives she has helped to destroy, mostly her own two children that she had aborted while still in college. I found it very interesting as well that the other main people in this book are the founders of 40 Days For Life. So you feel as though you are getting two stories in one. But the biggest impression that this book left on me was how ruthless Planned Parenthood was, and I can only imagine still is. You will see Planned Parenthood as they truly are, told to you by someone who for many years was their biggest supporter. By someone who thought that Planned Parenthood was very much the biggest helper to all of womanhood. And you will watch as Planned Parenthood does every thing it can to hurt Abby Johnson. But with the grace God, and help from family and friends you see as Abby triumphs.

I wrote this review of Unplanned for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

**I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

"A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms" a book review

"A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms (52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul)" by Lisa M. Hendey, published by Ave Maria Press.

"A Book of Saints" is the perfect devotional for Catholic moms. Lisa Hendey, the founder of CatholicMom.com, (a great website for Catholic moms) presents you with 52 saints each in a week long devotional set up. Each week starts of with the saints date of birth and death, patronage, and feast day. Then on to a short bio of the saint, most are 1 page long, then a short few paragraphs that highlight the lessons and wisdom to be learned from the saint for that week. Lisa Hendey then gives a weeks worth of scripture readings, with the verse book and numbers listed in case you want to look them up, but also with the verse printed in the book so no need to go hunt down your Bible, it's all ready there for you. Lisa Hendey also includes some saint inspired activities for mom and to do with the kids, which I thought was great! Each saint ends with a prayer to that saint for your family. Some of the saints chosen for the book are the more popular saints that you are sure to know, St. Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, St. Therese of Lisieux. Others might be new to you St. Margaret Clitherow, Bl. Chiara "Luce" Badano and St. Theodore Guerin, I know I had never heard of a few of them before. I also liked the fact that in the back of the book is an index of the saints names, and index of the feast days in calendar order in case you want to do them in liturgical order. An index of patronages and and index dividing them into "heart", "mind" and "soul". This is a very user friendly devotional book of saints and is a must have for every Catholic mom's book shelf.

I wrote this review of A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

**I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

"Smart Martha's" book review

"Smart Martha's Catholic Guide for Busy Moms" a book by Tammi Kiser, published by Our Sunday Visitor.

Over all this book was a easy read, with chapters like; Toys 'R' Taking Us Over, which gives you suggestions about keeping toys under control, through which toys are meaningful, and how to organize them, and From T-Ball To Trombone, a chapter on how to keep track of all the kids activities including samples of Tami Kiser's charts she uses in her own home. Tami shares time saving tips for every thing from how to organize your laundry room and get the laundry done and put away in a flash, with minimal ironing, to store your store loyalty cards so you can find them while your at the check out lane with out making the people behind you wait forever.

The thing I like best about "Smart Martha's" is that the tips range from chores to toys, and from toddler to teen. "Smart Martha's" has great tips for not just how to wrangle the littles, but how to keep your teens from abusing the internet, iPod's and keep them on track with school and tips to teach them to be responsible for themselves. All while they are still under your roof so that you are there to help guide them. I would recommend this book to any mom, whether they are looking for a organizational book or not. It is full of good hints and tips for all Catholic moms. Her techniques would work well if you have 1 toddler or 10 kids of multiple ages. She just throws out what has worked for her family, 9 kids and a husband. So go out and grab this book or rent it from your local library and see if you can be a Smart Martha!!

I wrote this review of Smart Marthas Catholic Guide for Busy Moms for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

**I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.


Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Book Review; "Please Don't Drink The Holy Water"

"Please Don't Drink The Holy Water (homeschool days, rosary nights, and other near occasions of sin)" written by Susie Lloyd, published by Sophia Institute Press. "Please Don't Drink The Holy Water" is absolutely the funniest book I have read in a long time! Mrs. Lloyd will have you rolling on the floor and at the same time wondering if she has been watching through your living room windows.

Mrs.Lloyd's book is completely relatable with chapters like; The Top Ten Things That Resist Societal Change, The T.V. Starved Family, My Other Car Is A Home School Bus, Family Prayer: An Occasion of Sin, and Family Vacations (and other ways to punish your kids). You will find your self laughing out loud for the mere fact that what she has written happened to you just yesterday. Mrs. Loyd talks about the struggles that Catholic home school moms go through on a day to day basis, but you do not need to be a home school mom to enjoy this book. Mrs. Lloyd writes about topics all moms can relate to, such as; Halloween, do you go secular, ignore it or go some where inbetween.

She gives every thing at a face value, no sugar coating it in this book, which makes it that much better. All the while not putting any one way of doing things as "better" then the other, just different and what works for their family. Which is very much appreciated. After reading tis book you will be recommending it to everyone you know, buying it for gifts and rereading it often. If you are a first time mom, or seasoned mom of 10, you will love this book. And don't forget to check out Mrs. Lloyd's other book "Bless Me Father, For I Have Kids".

You can purchase this book here.

I wrote this review of Please Don't Drink The Holy Water! for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.
Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.
I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Angel in the Waters, a book review

Angel in the Waters, by Regina Doman, pictures by Ben Hatke, published by Sophia Institue Press.This is a beautiful story that starts with a baby being concived in their mothers womb. The baby does not understand all that is happening to him, but then his angel is there to help guide them. Each page is accompanied by beautiful pictures that give the reader a glimpse into the stages of development of a child in the womb. Soon the baby, can hear sounds, grows arms and legs and enjoys the action of sucking their thumb, all the while feeling safe inside "mother". Pretty soon the "mother" begins to shrink, and the angel tells the baby they are growing not knowing what that is, the baby dreams of the days gone by when he was able to swim. At about this stage in the book the pictures begin to be inset with pictures of "mother" doing all the things mothers do while expecting a child, being unable to sleep, having daddy talk to her belly, and going to the doctor. Soon the baby begins to move, he turns uside down and having a feeling that something is happening. The angel confirms this by telling the baby he has grown to big, and must go soon. The baby is not scared but does not want to go to the other world as the angel calls it. But the angel comforts him by telling the baby no matter what he, the angel, will always be with the baby for his entire life, and assuring him that even if he can not see or hear him the angel is still there. Finally the baby decides there is no more room and he must go, he is sad to go but knows it is what he needs to do. After he is born he discovers that "mother" is still there, only differently. The baby does not forget his time in the waters with his angel as he discovers his new experiances. This is a beautiful story to help introduce children to the miracle of how children grow inside the womb and reinforces the fact that our guardian angel is ther from the moment of conception.

I wrote this review of Angel In The Waters for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.


Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.


**I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

The School of the Family book review

The School of the Family, by Chantal R. Howard is a wonderfully written story that tells of how to intergrate your stages of life with your Catholic faith to live a truely Catholic life. This book starts off with Mrs. Chantel Howard giving a back drop into her parents early life and marriage. She documents her parents struggles to "find" their faith and what it ment to each of them and to them as a couple. After her parents conversion they spent much time not only teaching their children the basics of faith, but to make faith part of every day, hour, and minute of your life. Mrs. Chantel Howard goes into her experiences as a home schooled student, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Which adds to this book humanity that every one can relate to. Her mother home schooled not only her and her siblings but a dear friend, and future sister in law, as well. Mrs. Chantel Howard also talks of the death of her father when she was still a teenager. Mrs. Chantel Howard dedicates a chapter to her discernment on if her vocation is to be a religious sister or to the married life. Which leads into her courtship with her future husband and the struggles they faced as a newly married couple, trying to be "holy". She goes on to talk of a conversation with a friend that promted her to pray for this friend only to have that prayer make her reflect deeper into her own life, reminding us all that life is short and humility is very much needed. The book ends with "The Family Rule", which hits on points such as; the missionary call of the family, the roll the Eucharist plays and having a devotion to Mary. The chapter then has a few "rules" for husbands and wives, and then a list of "rules" for children, which puts the thoughts into easly to read list form. Over all this is a very enlightening book for families, home schooling or not, to read.

I wrote this review of The School of the Family for the free Catholic book review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, your source for Baptism Gifts and First Communion Gifts.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

**I receive free product samples as compensation for writing reviews for Tiber River.

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

stash bash

I did not see a new stash bash post over at Crunchy Catholic Momma so I am just linking to her last stash bash post, enjoy

The first purse is mine, from my stash. The yellow flower is from my daugters stash that she made on her own.

book marks for bible study, the ribbon and beads are from my stash, I figure how ever I can get it used up :)

This doll is for a sweet girl in Michigan,

some felt place mats and a table runner,

a cute little doll for a friends daughter

this skirt was given to us and the elastic waistband was majorly stretched out, so I replaced it with some elastic from my stash, that counts as a stash basher, right??

I hope you have a blessed weekend

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

Sylvia over at Journey To Reunite Two Angels is raising money to adopt a little girl with down syndrome that is in the same orphanage that they adopted their first daughter from. Check out her blog and help if you can. God bless

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

{this moment} stations of the cross

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

head over to SouleMama to link up

Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. - St. Francis of Assisi