… and these Thy gifts …

I am officially TIRED.

Starting today and until baby’s here and we’ve recovered, here’s our coursework:

Religion: Pray the Liturgy of the Hours with Mommy at 9, 12, 3, 6 and 9.
English: Read a book (approved by Mom) and blog about it.
Math: Do 1 Math lesson.
Science: Watch one episode on the Physics DVD or read a book and blog about what you learned. (Do experiments when the kits come.)
History: Read a book/chapter (approved by Mom) and blog about it, or continue work on your History lapbook.
Music: Listen to classical music radio online.
Help Mom clean/declutter/reorganize the “room of the day”.
Clean your room for 15 minutes.
Play outside for 15 minutes if weather permits. Otherwise, play in the basement/practice your forms.

Extra credit for taking dictation from 6-year-old to document what *she* learned.

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• Sunday
  Luke 2:15-16
  ¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
• Monday
  Luke 2:17-18
  ¹⁷ And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; ¹⁸ and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
• Tuesday
  Luke 2:19
  ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
• Wednesday
  Luke 2:20
  ²⁰ And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.
• Thursday
  Luke 2:21
  ²¹And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
• Friday
  Matthew 2:1-2
  ¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ²“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
• Saturday
  Matthew 2:3-6
  ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’”

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1. Tell your sister(s)/brother(s) what you like best about him/her.
2. Be kind to someone who is hard to get along with.
3. Tell someone the story of when Jesus was born.
4. Give everyone in your family a hug!
5. Say a prayer for the poor, the hungry and the homeless.
6. Clean your room without being asked.
7. Put a dollar of your own money in the Church collection.
8. Write a Christmas letter to a faraway aunt/uncle.
9. Help Mom with a chore.
10. Go through your closet and gather what you can donate to charity.
11. Write a Christmas letter to a soldier who is overseas.
12. Call up your grandparents just to say hello.
13. Read an Advent story to or with your sibling.
14. Ask Mama Mary to prepare your heart for Jesus’ coming.
15. Smile and be cheerful today.
16. Talk about the REAL meaning of Christmas at dinnertime.
17. Pray for the sick.
18. Ask Dad for a chore you can do.
19. Help Mom wrap gifts.
20. Pray for the souls in purgatory.
21. Write a list of all the things/events/people you are thankful for this year.
22. Write a thank you note to Dad for everything he does for us.
23. Play for 30 minutes with a younger sibling, without arguing or fighting.
24. Sing Christmas carols while helping decorate the tree.
25. Start the day with a prayer of thanks to Jesus for coming to save us.

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Printing these out today to put into our advent calendar boxes.

• Sunday
  Isaiah 7:14
  Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel.

  Micah 5:2
  But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

• Monday
  Matthew 1:18-24
  ¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; ¹⁹ and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away. ²⁰ But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; ²¹ she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ²³ “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). ²⁴ When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, ²⁵ but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

  Luke 1:26-33
  ²⁶ In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” ²⁹ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. ³⁰ And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

• Tuesday
  Luke 2:1-5
  ¹ In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. ² This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And all went to be enrolled, each to his own city. ⁴ And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
• Wednesday
  Luke 2:6-7
  ⁶ And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. ⁷ And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
• Thursday
  Luke 2:8-9
  ⁸ And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
• Friday
  Luke 2:10-12
  ¹⁰ And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; ¹¹ for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”
• Saturday
  Luke 2:13-14
  ¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

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Luxury for Mom:

Started off the early morning with 1/4 cup of Mariebelle Aztec Hot Chocolate… just enough for me to handle in the dark hours of the dawn…

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Yena’s Quote of the Month: “Mom, what’s the name of that movie, Princess Diarrhea?” (Princess Diaries)… oh my child, so blessedly out of the loop.

Tip for Slow Food Lovers in Wintry Weather:

Take some oxtails from your favorite grass fed beef farmer, put in water in a large heavy pot, bring to a boil, then simmer overnight on LOW LOW LOW. Wake up in the morning to falling-off-the-bone tenderness. Take out meat pieces with slotted spoon, leave pot with stock outside in the cold (32 degrees F here right now), covered. In the early evening an hour before dinner, take pot inside. Scoop out solidified beef fat (could probably use this for a birdseed feeder?), bring stock to a boil, season with salt and add yummy things like peeled quartered potatoes, lots of onions, whole black peppercorns, green beans and cabbage leaves. Return meat to pot and simmer just until all warmed up. Perfect for fall.

Prayer to Saint John Bosco for our Young Driver

O glorious Saint John Bosco, who in order to lead young people to the feet of the divine Master and to mould them in the light of faith and Christian morality didst heroically sacrifice thyself to the very end of thy life and didst set up a proper religious Institute destined to endure and to bring to the farthest boundaries of the earth thy glorious work, obtain also for us from Our Lord a holy love for young people who are exposed to so many seductions in order that we may generously spend ourselves in supporting them against the snares of the devil, in keeping them safe from the dangers of the world, and in guiding them, pure and holy, in the path that leads to God. Amen.

Keep her safe from irate drivers who are impatient to get to where they’re going…

On my to-do-list today:

• David Lebovitz’ Ginger Ice Cream
• Ginger Molasses Cookies from King Arthur
• a fruitcake, perhaps this one from Traveler’s Lunchbox
• If I have time to spare, make oven mitts kinda like these for Christmas presents — using the material we have right now, including the Insul-Bright and cotton batting I got from Over the Rainbow, we could make 15 of these!!
• Request Advent books (yeah, a tad late) — to pick up on Friday after Thanksgiving. Might post links and book suggestions later, we’ll see.
• Go shopping with hubby for our artist-in-training, soon-to-be-10-year-old’s put-together art box: tackle box filled with goodies like Prismacolors in his favorite hues, a new sketchbook or two, and other goodies from Michaels
• If not too tired, shopping for stocking stuffers also for St. Nick’s Day on the 6th.
• Return shoes to Zappos, my very own shoe store in the living room.
• Print out Bible verses and fill advent calendar.

Off to do my 15-minute-each-room tasks, so I can check them off Toodledo, THE (so-far) perfect online spot to help me accomplish tasks according to GTD principles. Still working on a paper-based organizational tool, but haven’t perfected *my* system yet.

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