It's not too late to make it a great Advent - 3 ideas for you and your family

So I was feeling a bit STUMPED on how to make these next few weeks really special.  And then I was feeling like DOWN that Advent started this past Sunday and we didn't even pull out our wreath yet.  BUT instead of beating myself up about it or letting myself get goofy and anxious, I decided I would simply go on the hunt for some practical things that we could do this year and DO THEM (even if we are starting late)!  

Here are some of my favorite finds.  I bunched them into three groups:
-Acts of Service
-Crafts/Decorations
-Daily Reflections

Join me in making it a great Advent, Catholic Mama. It's not too late.

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ACTS OF SERVICE

Adopt an individual or a family in need.  Many parishes and organizations have programs set up and make it easy to help others.  Also consider adopting a family in need in your parish or school who may not be on any official list, but could really use some extra kindness and love.  

Use Kindness Elves (call them Advent Angels?) to encourage daily or weekly acts of kindness.  LOVVVEEEE this! Read more at TheImaginationTree.org.  

* Don't forget to lead by example.  Start by doing a few acts of kindness for your own kids.  Check out 10-surprises-for-kids-that-wont-cost-you-a-dime.


Prepare a Manger for Baby Jesus
A great activity for kids to do during Advent is have a manger for Baby Jesus. Every time they do a good deed or make a sacrifice, they get to add a piece of straw to the manger. Hopefully by Christmas Baby Jesus has a nice soft bed to lay on! Read more at Catholic Icing.

CRAFTS / DECORATIONS

Set up a manger scene in your home.  When I was young, it was my job to set up the manger scene when the decorations came out.  After my mom passed away, my dad gave me the manger scene and now I think of her every year when we put it up.

Kids can make their own manger scene with tips from CatholicIcing.   

Buy or make an Advent Wreath. This flameless Advent wreath from KarenInMommyLand can be made with items that most of us already have in our homes.    

I found an adorable Advent arrangement on Etsy and bought it as a birthday gift for a few of my favorite peeps.

DAILY REFLECTIONS

Advent Adventure from Holy Heroes is great for kids.  Subscribe here.

Don't miss Bishop Robert Barron's Reflections.  Subscribe here.

Click here to subscribe to Catholic Mom Danielle Bean's 'Daily Advent Prayer'. 

Author Dawn Curazzato shares the story of her granddaughter's amazing miracle

If you missed our NFC Moms Meeting yesterday, click the link below to hear Dawn Curazzato, author of Memoir of A Miracle, shares the AMAZING story of her granddaughter's miraculous healing and their family's journey of faith.

Click the link below or listen at www.CatholicMomsConnect.com

To order Dawn's book or to invite her to speak, visit http://www.newdawnii.com/

At the end of our meeting we prayed a decade of the rosary and watched 

the Quiet Waters Rosary Musical DVD. 

Join us at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Niagara Falls to see the LIVE performance 

on Wed, Oct 14th, 2015. 

OB/GYN Jaime Obst shares her journey to becoming a Catholic Doctor, Wife and Mother.

 Dr. Jaime Obst shares how she opened her heart over and over again to God's will for her as a Catholic OB/GYN, wife and mother.  

Dr. Obst works in Buffalo, NY, at the  

M. Steven Piver M.D. Center for Women's Health and Wellness.  

Click below to listen or visit www.CatholicMomsConnect.com.

To find a NFP only physician near you, visit http://onemoresoul.com/nfp-directory or http://www.priestsforlife.org/doctors/.

For more information about Fransciscan University in Stuebenville, OH, visit http://www.franciscan.edu/.

Sacrificial Love

Susan Brown is a mother of eight children who currently resides in the Philadelphia area. She has moved ten times since she has been married. In this talk Susan speaks about the practices of 'offering it up' and 'sacrificial love', related to her children and her marriage.  She shares wisdom and insight that she has gained from growing in her faith with a great sense of humor and a 'tell it like it is' way.

Click below to hear her inspiring talk: 

(28 min)

 

Having trouble? Listen direct at www.CatholicMomsConnect.com

We would love to hear your feedback! Comment below or email us at CatholicMomsConnect@gmail.com.

Chastity in Marriage

When it comes to talking to our kids about “chastity,” the very word can make us cringe as we imagine ourselves using words for body parts we’re not comfortable using, and even less comfortable hearing come out of the mouths of our children.  But the truth is, our Catholic faith teaches that our sexuality is a gift from God to be enjoyed and reverenced!  

Find out how one mom's quest to answer her teen's questions about sex changed her marriage, her faith, and her life.

Click below to listen to this inspiring 20 min talk:

Having trouble? Listen directly at www.CatholicMomsConnect.com.

Serving Those In Need

Our Moms Group volunteered at Community Missions recently, a soup kitchen in Niagara Falls, NY.  Seven of us (including one of our Mom’s teenage daughters), prepared and served food to the city’s hungry on a frigid winter day.  The Mission’s regular staff was very welcoming and by the end of the morning we were all conversing and laughing together.  The few hours we were there was a gentle reminder of needed prayers for our brothers and sisters that find themselves in need of a meal, and the need for our time to support ministries like this.  We all left Community Missions feeling that it was a special time for us and that we’d like to do it again.

Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me...  

Matthew 25:34,35 

Moms Meeting w/ local guest speaker Joanne Lorenzo

The NFC Moms Group was very blessed to have Joanne Lorenzo speak at our meeting this past Saturday.  She is the Founder and Director of The Magdalene Project, working tirelessly to help those who are in need. Listen below:

(~20 min)

The Magdalene Project - Our Mission

Every Saturday evening an R.V. travels the streets of Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y. searching for people in need. It moves up and down drug infested areas of the inner city seeking men, women, and children whose lives have been abused by drugs, alcohol, domestic abuse, and prostitution.

"This is "The Magdalene Project."

The mission of the "Magdalene Project is to seek out people who have lost hope and share the love of Jesus with them. People whose lives have become hopeless for various reasons.

We distribute roses to women and pray for them. Many have broken down in tears, told us their whole life story and many dream of a better life. We tell them there a better life with Jesus and then pray they give Him a chance. Men are addicted to drugs and alcohol and have given up hope, and children and teens are wandering around the streets looking for some form of attention and self worth. We know they are looking for love and acceptance and can only get that through the love of Jesus.

God has a great plan for all of us if we would just follow and obey Him.

http://www.magdalene-project.org/