July Picture Book Basket

Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore by Jim Arnosky

Island Boy by Barbara Cooney

Matthias grows from a young (homeschooled) boy to a grandfather on an island in New England.

The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown (aka Golden MacDonald), illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

This book is a well-known classic that follows the little island throughout the seasons, sharing the visit of a little kitten and the "secret" that it learns.

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Marla Frazee

You know you've found a good children's book when you find your husband lying in bed reading it with a smile on his face (and there are no children to be seen). The Seven Silly Eaters tells the story of a growing family of silly eaters. Each Peters' child likes a specific food and Mrs. Peters goes out of her way to satisfy her dear children's appetites. Eventually, she feels totally unappreciated and believes that nobody has even remembered her birthday. Her birthday morning proves otherwise. My family enjoys the lyrical and sometimes humorous text of The Seven Silly Eaters. We are also amused by the pictures that capture life in a growing family so well.

June Picture Book Basket

Our June picture book basket has been overflowing with gardening books from our May picture book basket and a few old favorites.

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey*

All of my children enjoy hearing how Sal and her mother, and a mother and her cub get mixed up while blueberry picking.  Thanks to McCloskey's book they know just what makes "that kind of a noise", "kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk".

Boy With a Drum (A Little Golden Book) by David Harrison*

This book was a favorite of my husband's youngest brother and has been enjoyed by all of my toddlers since we inherited it.  A young boy plays, "Rat-a-tat-tat-a-tat. Rum-a-tum-tum" on his drum as he marches along.  Various animals join him along the way and "if they haven't stopped marching, they'll be marching still."

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey*
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard try to find the perfect place to start their family.  My children enjoy listening to this story over and over again, and delight in hearing the names of the ducklings.  They also appreciate the brown and white illustrations.

Poems to Read to the Very Young selected by Josette Frank, illustrated by Eloise Wilkin

I don't know if my children prefer the poems or the illustrations in this book.  The selection of poems is truly wonderful.  Some of the poets featured in this book include Robert Louis Stevenson, Langston Hughes, Aileen Fisher, Christina Rosetti, Kate Greenaway, Marchette Chute, and Sarah Coleridge.  Elizabeth searches through our library basket for this book and then sits and delights in the illustrations.  I wish that this book were part of our home library.

Teddy Bears' Picnic (Aladdin Picture Books) by Jimmy Kennedy

My eldest found this book on a library shelf several years ago and checked it out often.  Recently, this book was displayed on the library's shelves and I knew that we had to check it out again.  My older three fondly remembered this book which is based on, and introduced them to, the familiar song. 

A Birthday Wish Catechism Lesson

Patrick (as I was tucking him in bed):  "The best birthday present that I could ever get is to go to Heaven. The only problem is that I would have to die."

Me:  "Oh, Patrick, I hope that you live a long life so that you can bring glory to God, but remember that death is not something to be afraid of. St. Dominic Savio said, 'Death, but not sin.' If you always love God and try your best to be good, then you have nothing to worry about.  If you do make a mistake and commit a sin, then you can go to confession."

Patrick:  "When can I go to confession?"

Me:  "When you are seven."

Patrick:  "When I go to confession at Easter time, I will have to feel the walls to find the door because I noticed that the door is hard to see in the wood where we go to Mass then."

Dear God, please help my loving little boy to become a saint.

Girls' Literary Club

My two eldest participated in a literary club again this year.  They enjoyed reading and discussing:

Around the World in…

Jules Verne (Paperbac…

$4.95

The Hound of the Ba…

Arthur Conan Doyle (H…

$9.95

Captain Blood (Peng…

Rafael Sabatini (Paper…

$11.25

At the Back of the N…

George MacDonald (H…

$13.63

I, Juan de Pareja

Elizabeth Borton De Tr…

$6.99

The Black Arrow: A …

Robert Louis Stevenso…

$5.26

I am thankful for my friend who has taken the time to organize and lead the literary club for the past three years.  May God bless her for her generosity and kindness.

Bike Riding Fun

Last Thursday, one of our neighbors gave us a 24" and two 26" bicycles, providing us with some much needed larger bikes.  The children were anxious to go bike riding, but we had things that we needed to do before bedtime.  The next day, we went to Mass for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and then we headed home to eat lunch.

After lunch, I surprised the children by telling them that we were going bike riding.  They were happy to see me riding, but they were even more excited for their sister.  Theresa rode her bike without training wheels for the first time.  She has been ready to do so for quite some time, but protested trying.  On Friday, I insisted that she attempt it.  I held the back of her bicycle three times and she was off. Now, I need to convince Patrick that he can also ride without training wheels.

Wordless Wednesday

Feast of the Sacred Heart

Sacred Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with a burning love for the poor captive souls in purgatory, have mercy on them.  Be not severe in Thy judgements but let some drops of Thy Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames.  Most merciful Lord, send Thy angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light, and peace.

Amen.

Prayer taken from the back of our parish bulletin.

Daily Renewal of Enthronement to the Sacred Heart

A couple of days after my mom died, one of my cousins enthroned our home to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and consecrated it to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Since that day, our family has prayed the daily renewal prayer below prior to saying Grace before dinner.  Last night, some friends heard us say the prayer and asked for a copy of it.  I thought that others might appreciate the prayer, too.

Dear Sacred Heart of Jesus, we renew our pledge of love and loyalty to You. Keep us always close to Your loving Heart and to the most pure Heart of Your Mother.

May we love one another more and more each day, forgiving each other's faults as You forgive us our sins. Teach us to see You in the members of our family and those we meet outside our home, and to love them as You love them, especially the poor and the oppressed, that we may be instrumental in bringing about justice and peace.

Please help us to carry our cross daily out of love for You, and to strengthen this love by frequent Mass and Communion.

Thank You, dear Jesus, King and Friend of our family, for all the blessings of this day. Protect us and all families during this night. Help us so to live that we may all get to Heaven.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us!

St. Joseph, pray for us!

Our Guardian Angels, pray for us!

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us!

~ Thy Kingdom Come

Thank you, Jenn for letting me know the title of the booklet.