7 Quick Takes...takes from a "retired" Catholic school teacher

My days for so many years were filled with the noises, the sights, and activities of a Catholic school kindergarten classroom.  There were so many things that I learned and found out about that I am sure I will use now that I stay at home with Dominic.  So for today I am going to share a few...

1.  From Catholic Mom to Catholic Icing, I found so many others making wonderful resources to help teach my little ones about the faith.  I found it so helpful and was so thankful that others with a variety of talents were sharing with the rest of the world.  I used Catholic Mom's Sunday Gospel activities and many of Catholic Icing's crafts to help impart the Beauty of our Faith to the next generation.  There were many others too that I found by taking a little time to search the web.

2.  Sometimes I just couldn't find the resource that I needed for what I was teaching about...whether it be science or religion or reading.   Technology also helped with this.  It was easy with clip art to make different projects just using Powerpoint or Publisher.  For science, I used clip art to make projects in which the kids would sort objects into groups like living and not living things.  Being able to select the images and the number of them was alot easier then doing this type of activity searching through magazines.

3.  Little kids from a very young age can think about pretty deep things.  We talked about transubstantiation and the Eucharist in my kindergarten class.  We also went through a very basic form of Lectio Divina.  I would read through a section of the Gospel and have the kids close their eyes and try and picture the scene that I was reading.  I would stop and ask some question as we went through to get them to think about it.  Then we would talk about it after and they would share what they picture and what they were thinking about. Sure some of the comments would be silly or just very basic like "I saw Jesus" when describing what they picture when I was reading.  But I believe it helps them think about Jesus as real.

4.  We were lucky enough to have our priest visit us every week in the classroom.  The kids loved it.  They are always excited when they see the priest outside of the classroom.  I think it is important to cultivate a relationship with priest and religious so kids know they are real people that they can talk to, get to know and love.   Many of you do this already but I want to remember it as I raise my family.

5.   I loved my little prayer corner that I had set up in the room.  I was able to find many little Catholic kid books at our local Catholic thrift store or sometimes at garage sales. This way I wasn't worried if they got a little worn.  I also found various images and little statues that the kiddos could touch and look at. These little books by Father Lawrence Lovasik are gems for the kid.  They would get so excited when they saw things that we learned about in class in the books!

6.  I also found some great Catholic videos to share with my students.  In such a visual and media driven society, videos that help the saints or parts of our Faith come alive are a tool that I choose to use.  Of course, moderation with videos is important but I will use these tools with my own kids as they grow up.  A few that I liked were the Saints videos by CCC (including Saint Bernadette, Saint Francis, Saint Francis Xavier, and Juan Diego) and also the series --Brother Francis.  The Brother Francis series includes topics like Prayer, the Eucharist, Baptism, Confession and the Saints. 

7.  One of the most important things that I learned while teaching doesn't have to do with something I used or a book I read:  this is that having expectations for kids and having consistency with them is important.  In our school, the students went to Mass daily.  They were expected to behave.  Even though I had kindergarteners, while I had plenty of wiggle worms, I usually didn't have major behavior problems.  Sure I had some over the years but if I look over the students as a whole most were well behaved.(disclosure: I did have some helpers.)  The blessing of being able to go to Daily Mass with them over the years was great and it was manageable.

Thanks for letting me share a few of the things about my years in a Catholic school.  I am sure I will think of more and share those in the future!

For more 7 Quick Takes, join Kelly at This Ain't the Lyceum.

A Day for Gratitude....

It's been a kind of gloomy week around here.  That kind of week seems to settle into the bones, and into brains.   It makes the feeling around here get dragged down, down, down.  So today I am thinking of things I am thankful for to bring me back up, up, up...

I am thankful for my husband. He works hard for us.  He loves his faith.  He loves our son.  Right now as I type this he is playing with him and getting him ready for bed.

I am thankful for my faith.  It gives me strength.  It gives me hope.  I love Jesus and his Church so much. 

I am thankful for my friends. God has given me many faithful friends that we share this life with.  They love my whole family.  To have friends that embrace not only me but my husband and son is definitely something to be grateful for. 

That is just the beginning.  Thank you to the Giver of all things!

7 Quick Takes

First time joining in...and late to the party!  But I figure why not.  I have been reading the takes for ever so long and enjoyed seeing this glimpses of people's thoughts from all over the country.  So now for the first Siegel's Seven Quick Takes

1.  I live in a part of the country where there has been much rain and usually it's needed because we have alot of agriculture and farming around here.  I live in one of the bigger cities and we have had a problem with too much rain and flooding.  We are lucky at our house but there has been many basements dealing with water.  Reminds me to be thankful for what we have and not always be looking at what other people have...

2.  What is it that I want to have...it seems silly almost to say. I live in great neighborhood where I can walk to church with my family.  But our street is full of the older generation of people whose children are out of the home already. I wish we lived next to some families so when my son gets old enough he can run out and play with them. However, we live close enough to go visit some great friends that I am blessed to have.

3.  I am not actually sleeping in this photo but it looks like I am.  You can spot my overflowing endtable next to us. This table holds what I spend my time doing when Dominic is sleeping.  I was never able to sleep when he sleeps but find it much more refreshing to read a book, type and email, watch a movie on Netflix.  

4.  One of the things I like most about the blogosphere is the recommendations you can get on books to read, shows to watch, or other useful suggestions.  I have been introduced to Dorothy Sayers from blogs as well as some fun shows like Life on Netflix.

5.  One thing I wished I did while the baby is napping is work on my novel.  It is kind of finished as I have written it through to the end of the plot, but it definitely has some parts that need to be fleshed out.  I count this as stretching my writing muscles so I can get back in shape to work on it. Also forgive me if my blog is a bit rough right now.  I am still learning to do things like insert links etc.  (For instance, I would suggest reading more quick takes at This Ain't the Lyceum, but am not sure yet how to add the link. Sorry! :).

6.  Speaking of working out, I was in a good mode of working out and then fell back out again.  Planning on starting Monday again.  Can you loan me some willpower?

7.   Seeing as I just started to write here, I am thinking of different things I want to writing about...the future will hold: writings about my Catholic faith, my family, things I learned teaching kindergarten for 6 years before staying home with Dominic, books. Looking forward to sharing thoughts and ideas that I love that are helping me climb toward heaven along with my family.

That's it for this week! Thanks for reading---I am glad that there are so many out there that are running toward heaven and know that it helps me keeping up the race knowing you are there.

On my endtable...

So my endtable usually ends up being cluttered with stuff. Stuff that I am working on. A drink.  A bottle. Books that I want to read or am reading.

Sometimes the books I put there get devoured very quickly and sometimes they are slow starts but then I pick back up and love them. Some never get finished. On my endtable right now are three books: the bible, Strong Poison, and Mother Love.

The Bible I put there after a talk by one our local priest Father Scott Courtney.  He talked about how important it is to read the Bible so we know and love Jesus.  He is the Love of our lives and this is one of the best ways to get to know him.  I need to pick it up more often and it being there is a reminder of this.

Strong Poison is a mystery by Dorothy Sayers.  One of her other books came recommended and so I start with the first of the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries and have been working my way through them.  They are quite enjoyable adventures into the world of early 20th Century England.

Mother Love is the prayer book of the group Christian Mothers.  It has many wonderful prayers coming from the rich history of my Catholic faith.  It helps to have the knowledge that I am surrounded by the saints that came before me that have fought the fight. Some of them mothers, some of them priests, or sisters, but all of them loved our God with their very hearts and beings.

Surrounding myself with books is part of who I am and each book continues to shape who I am…

An introduction...

Who am I?  Well, to start with my name is Jennifer. Most people call me Jen.  For many years, I was a kindergarten teacher before I “retired” to take care of my now 8 month old son Dominic.  I am married to a wonderful, hardworking man named Michael.  We love and try to live our Catholic faith and are trying to raise our son a Saint!

My days are naps, diapers, and friends.  My days used to be filled with more noise than a crying baby, so the adjustment to a baby in the household is sometimes more peaceful and easier.  I was used to the noise and chaos of 20 5 and 6 years olds.  But now I am used to the relative quiet of one baby.