RAW Living and Learning

18 oz lemon water 2 oz fresh wheat grass juice Mug of organic coffee with 1 tsp of organic coconut sugar Today we set up the Nativity, blessed it and then had our prayer circle time around it. We blessed the stable and manger. Then the animals We then blessed the Angels and shepherds.   The star and the Magi And finally Mary, Joseph, and the Christ Child. We then safely tucked the Christ Child away until Christmas Eve. We begin each school day with our prayer circle time. I sit with the children on the floor and we pray the rosary, say our regular morning prayers and offer prayer intentions for whomever is on our prayer list that day. Then we read some poetry or a particular folk tale, learn a new song or read story of interest. But during the various celebrations of each Liturgical year we get to focus on particular devotions and traditions making for an very varied and exciting year for the children. This is the active component of their Catechis...

When one consumes as much produce as our family does you make a ton of trash, in the way of fruit and vegetable scraps and wheatgrass mats. But instead of throwing them in the trash, why not allow them to break down and create some wonderful compost for the garden?! In years past I use to compost in large Rubbermaid bins that I kept on the side of the house. We filled them so quickly with scraps that I realized I needed a much larger system. To keep things simple, I found an isolated spot in the yard that is not visible to the neighbors. It just so happens to be below our upper deck making it super simple for the kids and I to just walk out the front door and toss the scraps onto the pile. It is behind our fence and is very easy to rake due to the fact that I have no sides or walls around it like most compost bins. It literally is just a big pile on the lawn. I have 2-3 avocado trees that sprung up in the pile too. Very cool. I will transplant them once they grow a little bigger. ...

On December 8th, the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This year it falls on Sunday so the observance has been transferred to Monday. (Source: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1223) A feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church. It is now recognized as a solemnity. In 1854, Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest ...