Welcome to Facebook, Catholic Child!

Yay! Catholic Child is now on Facebook! Since Catholic Child specializes in products ranging from tots to teens, when I'm specifically shopping for my kiddos, it makes it a lot easier for this busy mama of 7 (Yes 7 now!) to find great Catholic gifts and resources directly catering to us. And let me tell you! Every moment counts for our busy family, so I really love having a go-to company where I know I can easily find something both me and my kids will love. I'm very particular about what goes into our home, especially with our children's books and play things, so I really like that the family behind Catholic Child has a Montessori connection with their children having attended Montessori school.

Speaking of being particular! I'm particularly eyeing this lovely book that I found on this lovely article: Fostering a Lifestyle of Faith. Doesn't it look cute?! I think we're going to have to add this one to our must have list!

Where Have I Been?

Hello dear readers! It's been so long since I've written! I'd like to share what has been going on since I last wrote a post this summer.

Our biggest news is that we found out we are expecting our 7th child this winter! It was quite a surprise as I was having problems with endometriosis, but it turns out surgery this spring really did a great job of taking care of it! The children are extremely excited about their new brother or sister joining the family, and if they had it their way, we would be having triplets every time! They love the Duggar family and wish we could catch up to them :)

This spring and part of summer, I became quite an active freelancer doing writing, consulting, and social media work for two wonderful companies that I feel are doing a great job at providing parents and others with well thought out products for our children. Catholic Child and Wee Believers have been a joy to work for, and it has been a blessing to get to know the real, dedicated and hard working people behind both companies.

Unfortunately this summer, when I was about 11 weeks pregnant, I had a slip and fall accident in the bathroom of a restaurant and the injuries from that were quite a challenge for me and my family. I injured my back from the neck down, as well as hitting my left shoulder when I fell which also caused me to not even be able to type with my left hand. I was taken to the emergency room and had an ultrasound, where we were happily able to see that it looked as though the baby was alright! I was so worried because I began cramping terribly after I hit the floor and I was so scared that I might have a miscarriage. After the accident, I was in a lot of pain, and because I was pregnant, I was not able to have x-rays or any real pain relief from medication. What a challenge! I was having terrible headaches, could not sleep from the pain, and as much as I wanted, I just could not resume my normal activities. We had to hire some help so because the only position I would feel a bit of relief in was laying in bed with plenty of pillows supporting me. This also happens to be the busiest time of the year for my husband, and this year business really increased for him during this time, so it was quite stressful all around. I was going to therapy a few times a week, and now I'm happy to say that it looks like I'm finally almost done with therapy! It makes me want to cry to think of everything I went through, especially all the pain and not being able to perform my daily tasks and not being available for work and many of activities with the children, however I really am so deeply grateful to God and His mercy for relieving me from the strongest of pain I was having, and to let me slowly return to what is almost feeling back to normal.

This baby has really motivated us to re-evaluate life, our routines, our goals, and how we spend our time. With God's grace and help, we've simplified life even further where possible in areas such as clothes, toys, books, and how we spend our time. The children now rarely watch any movies and don't even remember to ask for them because they are having so much fun playing games together and using their imagination! Media was pretty limited before, but now, the children are at a point where they are not even missing it.One thing we have enjoyed more of as part of simplifying life is spending more time together because our time is being spent more cautiously. As far as media goes, we do still enjoy movies or shows, and definitely plenty of audio books and stories, one of our favorite sites being SparkleStories.com

I've decided to cut out extra curricular activities and try and find a weekly rhythm that works for our family.  This weekly rhythm is not something that is strictly adhered to, however it helps us have something to shoot for and look forward to on a day to day basis. Here's a sneak peek into our weekly rhythm if you are curious:

Mondays: Music (formal practice)
Tuesdays: Nature Exploration
Wednesdays: Art Exploration
Thursdays: Outdoor play with friends
Fridays: Library
Saturdays: Baking
Sundays: Mass, Rest, Making Homemade Pizza & Sundaes Together

The weekday activities are done if there is time after all school work and chores have been completed. Some days we get to do these activities, other times we might veer off and go to one of my husbands performances, or go on a field trip.

On a daily basis, we eat all meals together mostly at home to save money and eat healthy. We also have family prayer time together throughout the day, we of course do school together, and then there is also nightly story time. Lately, we've been reading some vintage Raggedy Anne & Andy stories on one of the iPads via Childrens Books Online. I highly recommend this website and can't wait to explore it further. Just the fact that we have been giving the children something to look forward to together has had an amazing impact on them. I notice the peace and happiness that fills them as life becomes simpler and at times more predictable. I also can't help but love to see the joy that exudes from them when it comes time to our nightly story together.

If you'd like, and I can make some time, I'll go ahead and fill you in on some more of the details of how we run our days (including what we eat!), as well as how we've changed things up for school this year.

This year we've decided to mostly use Catholic Heritage Curriculum as part of our plan to simplify life. I can go into more detail about that in another post, however I can definitely say that I love the order it has helped us create for school as our little family grows and the kids really love it too! I still believe in the great benefits of a Montessori education, and see how it Montessori activities are a natural fit for children. If anything, I still recommend at least having some homemade and inexpensive Montessori practical life activities for toddlers through about 6 years old if possible in the home. It has been my experience that the practical life activities provide children with the opportunity to feel a sense of fulfillment and purpose, along with helping them to learn order and independence.

I hope to keep you updated more often, and hope that you are all doing great and having a wonderful Autumn!

God Bless!
-Susana

Peace Begins at Home

From the Archives:
In our family, we believe peace education begins at home, and for us, Jesus is the supreme example for Peace education. Sometimes the children forget to treat each other with kindness, but a simple recalling of a parable, or from Jesus own life, brings a gentle reminder of how we can better treat one another. It isn't always easy. Remember, I have six children! However what does make things easier is that since the oldest was very little, my husband and I have both taken the time out to talk to the children. The little seeds planted then, make it easier for when situations arise now. They are able to stop, listen and think, and that really helps a lot. Sometimes I tell the children that our problems are so small compared to what is going on in the world. Just last night I was talking with the children about how we are so blessed and need to take the time to appreciate each other and use the gifts God has given us to do good. When we start practicing peace, kindness, and respect in the home, we can then take what we've learned and put it in practice to share with the rest of the world. Teaching the children that we are all connected and affect one another really strikes a chord with them.

 I like to tell the children to imagine us being like a big display of domino's, one touching another, and so on and so forth. In our day to day life, we may not see the bigger picture of the domino effect. We may only see the little, immediate things, and sometimes we may not even even see anything at all. I tell them that just because we can't always see the overall picture sometimes, doesn't mean that it's not there, or doesn't exist.

 As they sit there with intent little eyes, processing the information, thinking and digesting what I am telling them, I sometimes silently wonder, "Do they really understand?". Just the other day, as I wondered this, one of them looked up at me and said, "Yeah, I get it! If I'm nice to my brother and make a sacrifice to share my toy, then he'll be happy and maybe be nice to my sister and make her feel good, then she'll go out and smile at someone and make them feel good, and then they'll do something nice like open the door for someone, and then.. and then...". ..And then Mami feels good, and thinks to herself, "Yes, there is hope for this world, and it starts right here."

When Pinto Beans Become Jelly Beans!

Repost from March, 11':

"Mami, is Lent when the frijoles turn into jelly beans?"  -Mr. C last night.

The sacrifice jar is out! That means Lent has arrived and for the duration  my children can earn these:

And on Easter morning their sacrifices will turn into the sweetness of these:

This is one of the many things we do to show the children that we are on a 40 day journey with Jesus during Lent. At the end, there is the joy and sweetness of Easter. The grit before the glory, the pinto bean before the jelly bean!

Some people color their beans purple because that is the Liturgical color of the season. We however, have found that purple colored pinto beans are a bit too tempting for little ones! ;)

Here is a link to some of the stuff we were doing last year, which we'll be doing again:

Lent: Our Journey with Jesus to Easter


Want to teach your little one's about the Catholic faith the Montessori way? Check out Elizabeth Papandrea's Catholic Montessori album!

Hello Again!

Hello out there! I just wanted to stop by and say hi and give a quick update to what's been going on.

As many of you know, some guy was trying to get me to buy my domain name back for way more than I could afford. He is currently trying to sell it for close to 3k!

Anyways, I was so bummed about what happened and even got physically sick over it! I was so upset, but then realized that I just had to "Keep Calm and Carry On! I don't ever want to get that mad and upset again! It's still hard thinking about it, and I haven't even been able to begin to do the damage control that I could be doing. I think God may have something in the works for me though! Changes are coming!

For one thing, I've been really embracing the idea of being a minimalist. Being the busy mother of 6, has me constantly reflecting on how to simplify life and make things easier around here so that we can enjoy family life together. It's been great so far, and I feel so blessed that my children are still young and it's not too late to enjoy and care for them to the fullest!

So what have I been up to since this all happened? We went out of state to visit my mother who thankfully is doing much better! I also had an article published in the latest edition of the Catholic Kids magazine, St. Marys Messenger. It's a pretty cool magazine, you should really check it out! The article I wrote describes our "Hands on Homeschooling".

I also recently designed the DVD Cover and disk art for a docu-interview on renowned poet and literary great Sabine Ulibarri.The production company told me It will be sold on Amazon.com in the coming months.

Finally, I had the pleasure of doing some writing work for non other than the fabulous Catholic Child Catalog! They have so many wonderful products, you are sure to find the perfect gift for any child in your family!

In the coming months, I hope to be able to start anew! I have a new blog in the works, one that will encompass the same Montessori homeschooling tips you've come to enjoy, and so much more! I'm excited to share with you and only wish I had more time to keep up with all of your amazing comments and private emails! You have all been so very sweet and supportive and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Adios for now, I'll pop back in as time allows, and hopefully announce the new blog as it becomes available!

-Susana

Spread the word! Montessori Candy is now at:
http://www.montessoricandy.blogspot.com

Thank You!!!

Me, hubby, and baby #6.

Just a quick thanks to all of those who have been so loving and supportive to what has happened in regards to my domain name. MontessoriCandy.com is now a junk site designed to trick people into clicking their links. It is being run by the following:
 

LeaseDomains.com
  9654 W 131st St.
Executive Suite 411
Orland Park, IL 60464
Phone: (708) 254-6429
Email: leasedomains@gmail.com


Please don't enable them and click their links at my former domain name. They want to use all of the links I built up over the years for their gain. They were very ruthless and insensitive towards me by insisting I pay thousands in return for my domain name.

Again, with 6 children and many needs to attend to. There is no way I could dive into the money my family needs to live on to re-purchase my domain name. Replace the broken fridge or buy back my domain name? You get the picture! ;)


I would appreciate you all out there spreading the word that my Blog is now located at http://www.montessoricandy.blogspot.com and that MontessoriCandy.com is now a garbage dump! :)

In other news, please keep my mother in your prayers. She is in the hospital and we will be traveling to see her. I won't have much access to email, but please note that I will try to get back to you as I can.

Thank You!!!

 

I've been pulled from temporary retirement to share this sweet blog award given to me by both Natasa and Sasha! Thank you both!
The recipient is supposed to share 7 things about themselves, possibly 7 things you do not know, so here they go:

1. I hate going to the dentist! I used to try to distract my mom to look the other way whenever we passed his office as a little girl! Hated it then, hate it now!

2. I  LOVE  chocolate. Love it, love it, love it! I get a chocolate craving around 2-3pm everyday. My dad used to buy it by the box when I was a little girl, so it seems we always had some on hand1

3. I love design, especially graphic design, interior design, and event design (especially weddings!). I wish I had gone to school to study design (besides going to school for Montessori!). I love reading interior design blogs, and love looking for inspiration on wedding design blogs and am always trying out new graphic design techniques and styles. I hope to be able to take a course in both interior and graphic design soon.

3. If I could choose to have any trait, it would be creativity.

4. I would love  to "win" a  tv home make over.

5. The family and I went to Disneyland in 2007 and it was so much fun that I still dream about going back!

6. I would love to go on a riverboat tour down the Mississippi River and would also love to go on a port hopping cruise on U.S.A.'s East Coast to visit places like Nantucket.

7. I'm a Survivor. My mother was 42 when she had me, her 9th child. She already had 8 children and was an immigrant living in a Chicago basement apartment. Her doctor told her she was too old to have me, and that I would likely have defects. He tried to scare her into thinking she could die and leave my 8 siblings without a mother. He told her it was in my family's best interest to abort me. Besides, she already had "enough" children. I am grateful to God for being alive. My mother was truly scared because of the fear her doctor put into her, but my father and mother truly stepped up to the plate and defended my life. I am eternally grateful that I was given the chance to live and believe that ALL human beings have the right to be born, no matter how they came to be in existence.

And here's a couple more for good measure!
8. I Love, Love, Love listening to people's stories, and especially enjoy conversion stories of how people of different faith's found the Catholic church as their home. I love listening to the Journey Home with Marcus Grodi while I cook!

9. I love Gypsy Jazz music! It reminds me of laid back summer days spent under the willow tree by the ol' swimming hole!

Blogs that I would like to extend this award to are:
Shower of Roses
Montessori Print Shop
Discovery Days and Montessori Moments
Wildflowers and Marbles
Montessori for Everyone
Catholic Icing
In the Heart of My Home
Waltzing Matilda
The Education of Ours
Living Montessori Now
Counting Coconuts
Sew Liberated
The Lettered Cottage
Thrifty Decor Chick
Hooked on Houses
Style Me Pretty


And Many, Many more! Ok, now back into hibernation I go!

Montessori Candy

Hello! I just wanted to send a note out to say that as the new school year approaches, my blogging will become sparse. We're gearing up for a great new year, and I'm even excited at the possibility of taking some interior and graphic design courses. Please feel free to check out my archives and enjoy! I may or may not be able to respond to inquiries ASAP, but will do my best as my 6 children allow! :)

Thanks!
-Susana

Share Your Montessori Journey!

We are all on this journey together. Interconnected, whether inspiring one another, sharing advice, or providing encouragement.

Some of us are school teachers, some of us parents, some of us are a combination of both. Some of us are seasoned in all things Montessori, some of us are scared of homeschooling and don't know where to begin. Some of us are learning day by day and trying our best to implement Montessori in the classroom or at home.

We all have a story to tell. A story to share and possibly inspire and encourage others. Advice to give so that others may learn from our mistakes. A story in it's beginning chapters, full of excitement for what lies ahead...

Share your story with us. What has been your Montessori Journey so far? How did it all begin? What hopes do you have for the future? What lessons have you learned along the way?

I would love to feature your story on my blog. Please contact me at montessoricandy@gmail.com
Both bloggers and non bloggers are invited to share their story with us. Thank you!

To read my Montessori journey and others as I add them, check out my new

Montessori Journeys Page

Intentional Living

Have you been to SimpleMom.net? It is a wonderful network of blogs headed up by Tsh Oxenrider, which includes Simple Mom, Simple Kids, Simple Bites, Simple Organic, and Simple Homeschool. This past winter I purchased Tsh's book, Organized Simplicity, and it has made such a difference in my life!

In the her book, Tsh encourages you to think and write about what your family's personal life purpose is. Tsh then has you go through and account for every minute of a typical day. She has you write down what you do and how much time you spend doing it, even including going to the restroom! Then she has you write down what you would like to do more of. Finally she has you compare the list of how you spend your time to the list of things you'd wish you could do more, against your family's own "life's purpose" statement. This little gem of guidance from Tsh has really changed our perspective and helped to make life more enjoyable and feel more fulfilled for us. I'll explain more!

I think for some people, life becomes so busy and hectic and then you throw homeschooling in the mix and it can just feel downright chaotic! We start building up these long to do lists weather on paper, in our mind, or in the form of bookmarks on our computer. These are lists of things that we never have a chance to do, to read, or explore. People we'd like to visit with, places we'd like to take the children to, but never seem to have the time. After reading Organized Simplicity, my husband and I really started scrutinizing our life. We realized that we wanted to spend as much time possible guiding our children and spending time as a family. We found out that we could use our time to better accomplish the things we wanted to do, and cut out the things that we found ourselves doing unintentionally, which also tended to drain our time away.

Here's an example: We like to watch movies as a family occasionally. We purposely don't have tv, but we did have a Netflix subscription. While looking for something appropriate to watch that fit our criteria, (good message, kids being respectful towards parents, modest dress, etc.), we would browse the online catalog for what seemed like minutes when in actuality, a whole half hour had unintentionally gone by! We found this happening a lot, and decided that we could better use our time as a family together. My husband ended up cancelling our subscription to Netflix to help us avoid falling in to that rut of always defaulting to movies for family time. We still watch movies together, but not as often. Instead, we've replaced most of our movie watching with bike riding, working on a project together, or just some singing and playing along to music. In turn, we feel much more fulfilled because we are getting up and doing something and actually interacting with the children. It's really a lot more fun for us and it feels good to not feel that nagging feeling in the back of our mind. You know, the one that says's stuff like,  "You should really take the kids for a bike ride" or "I've got to get around to trying that new cookie recipe the kids and I have been wanting to make".

This idea of living intentionally according to your life's purpose comes in to play for homeschooling as well. Are inanimate objects getting in the way of the "animate objects" (people) in your life? I found myself being affected by too much clutter in the form of too many kitchen utensils, toys, books and more. When the kids had a science project to try out, I would sometimes feel a cringe because of the mess it would make or because I had to make time to get the ingredients. I found that I had to put things into perspective, and make way for the people and things that really do mean a lot to me. I've gotten rid of things to make room in the kitchen for the children's items. It feels so good when they can easily find something they need for a school project. It brings about a peace and certainly less frustration. Anything I can do to simplify life as the mother and wife in a family of eight, is fine by me! My husband and I have made the commitment to home schooling, it is part of our family's purpose  in this stage of our life. Because of this, we have had to make necessary adjustments to make everything run more smoothly. It is definitely an ongoing process for us, and it will be different for everyone, depending on your personal life's purpose. I love when the children and I can sit together and just make art. I love to explore different mediums with them, but I need the time and space to do so. Again, for me, keeping clutter (things we don't absolutely need or want) and unintentional living to a minimum, is the key to making things like art time jump from the "To Do" list to the "We Did It!" list.

Being a busy mother, I also definitely need time for myself and for spending time with my husband. We've recently started going on dates more frequently, and I've even started tackling the stack of decorating magazines I've been wanting to get to, but had never made the time for. I still have a way to go and everyday presents new challenges and distractions, but I can definitely say that I feel like I am enjoying the journey to the fullest more than I've ever let myself before.

So what do you think? Are there certain things and activities keeping you from leading a more intentional and fulfilled life? How does that come in to play regarding homeschooling for you?

Catholic Montessori Album Sale!

Well, we are still out of town in the country and have been enjoying the days outside when the weather has been nice. The children are enjoying country life as a change to city life. Collecting eggs, running away from baby chickens, feeding hay to the horses, and playing soccer with their cousins in the evenings has sure been a lot of fun for the kids. I'll be back to posting more often once we get back home, and will share some pictures as well.

For the short time that I do have Internet access, I want to let you know that we have Catholic Montessori Albums are on sale! I am so excited to share this news with you and hope that this drop in price will make CGS more easily available to all of you.

Digital Catholic Montessori Catechesis Albums for Home Use
Level I (Ages 3-6) Level II (Ages 6-9)

PAPYPAL
$75

These albums are scanned digital files and include lessons on parables like The Good Shepherd, the Mass, and more! Receive your PDF albums via email within 24 hours of purchase.

Level I Catechesis Album

Table of Contents


Environment


Introduction to the Atrium


Movement and Nomenclature

The Altar: Level One

The Altar: Level Two

The Altar: Level Three

The Altar: Level Four (The Tabernacle Genuflection)

Sign of the Cross

Liturgical Calendar

Preparation of the Cruets


Geography

Globe and Topographical Map

Puzzle Map

City of Jerusalem


Celebrations

Advent Celebration

Christmas Celebration

Liturgy of the Light

Pentecost Celebration


Prophecy

Prophecy of the Light

Prophecy of the Names

Prophecy of the City

Prophecy of the Mother

Prophecy of the Star


The Good Shepherd

The Good Shepherd

The Found Sheep

The Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd

The Wolf and the Hireling


Parables of the Kingdom

The Mustard Seed

The Pearl of Great Price

The Leaven

The Hidden Treasure

The Wheat Seed

Paschal Parable: The Grain of Wheat


The Infancy Narratives

The Annunciation

The Visitation

The Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds

The Presentation in the Temple

The Adoration of the Magi


Baptism

Baptism: Level One- the Light and the White Garment

Baptism: Level Two- the Water and the Word

Baptism: Level Three-the Gestures and the Oils


The Mass

Preparation of the Chalice

The Cenacle

Gestures of Mass: Lavabo

Gestures of Mass: Consecration

Preparation to Hear the Gospel


Prayers

Psalm 23:1

Psalm 23: 1-3

Hail Mary: Part One

Hail Mary: Part Two

Introduction to the "Our Father"

Maxims

Level II Catechesis Album

Table of Contents

The History of the Kingdom of Heaven

    The Unity of the History

    The History of the Gifts

    What Is the Bible?

Geography

    Pin Map

    City of Jerusalem with Passion Narratives

Prophecy

    Prophecy of the Light (Second Presentation)

    Synthesis of the Prophecies

    Prophecy of the Peaceful Kingdom

    Prophecy of the Holy Spirit

    Prophecy of the Hills and Valleys

The Good Shepherd

    The Eucharistic Presence of the Good Shepherd (Second Presentation)

    The Wolf and the Hireling (Second Presentation)

Parables

    1.  Parables of the Kingdom

            Synthesis of the Parables

    2.  Moral Parables

            The Good Samaritan

            The Insistent Friend

            The Ten Virgins

            The Sower

            The Pharisee and the Publican

            The Wedding Feast

    3.  Parables of Mercy

            The Found Sheep (Second Presentation)

            The Found Coin

The Infancy Narratives

    The Flight into Egypt

    Synthesis of the Infancy Narratives

The Sacraments

    Composite Presentation of Baptism

    The Rite of Baptism

    The Sacrament of Penance

    Summary of the Law

    Overview of Sacramental Preparation

    Meditation 1: The True Vine

    Meditation 2: The True Vine, Second Perspective

    Meditation 3: The Found Sheep and the Found Coin

    Meditation 4: The Prodigal Son

    Meditation 5: The Cure of the Centurion's Servant

    Plan for the First Communion Retreat

The Mass

    Children's Personal Missals

    Synthesis of the Mass

    Origin of the Eucharist

    Altar Definition Cards

    The Consecration

    Re-enactment of the Last Supper

Prayers

    Communal Prayer

    The Lord's Prayer:  Messianic Portion

    The Lord's Prayer:  Entire Prayer

    Maxims

    Psalm 23

Celebrations

    Synthesis of Pentecost

Practical Life

    Match Lighting 

    Calligraphy