Julie Freeney Designs

Julie Freeney is an incredibly talented artist who now has her collection of stained glass-inspired paintings of floral and plant life patterns for sale on Etsy.

About 20 years ago, Julie created this piece of art of my dog and it looks just like he did!

She drew it from a picture and captured him so intricately.  Even the expression.

That's my Stormy dog :)

Since then, her talent has grown and I am the lucky recipient of this beautiful necklace.

Isn't it gorgeous?  

She creates using all different types of colors, shapes and floras in her jewelry.

You can also purchase her beautiful creations in prints.

Julie is new to Etsy but she won't be for long.  Her talent is amazing!

Here's a link to her site:  Julie Freeney Designs

I also bought this one:

Each time I wear either necklace, I am stopped and asked about where I got them.

Very original quality work.

Peace & Blessings,
Noreen

Brother Francis: The Bread of Life Review

I was looking for an engaging DVD to teach my first graders about The Holy Eucharist.  This is the Year of Faith and as Catholics, The Holy Eucharist is what defines us.  We truly believe that The Holy Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  If we want, we can go to Holy Mass every day and receive Jesus in the Eucharist.  We don't have to wait until the Sabbath Day!  What an amazing transforming gift of grace that God has bestowed on us!  But so few Catholics understand this truth and, people of other faith, dismiss it as only a symbol.

So, here's my challenge.  

How do I teach this most important tenet of Our Faith to 6 year old's?

That the Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ!

I'd been researching on the web and have found older movies that teach Holy Communion. However, they seem a bit dated.  Content is good no doubt, but lacking a visual appeal.  As we all know, kids now a days are blasted with animation graphics of the latest technology.  If it doesn't capture their attention within the first few minutes, it never will.

Source

 After viewing Brother Francis: Celebrating the Eucharist, I know it will deliver the goods to my students.

It had a feeling of Veggie Tales and we all know that's hugely popular with young children.  It had a touch of humor with Brother Francis having fun on a scooter, Pogo stick, surf board...etc.  It made him relatable and children will no doubt smile and giggle at the introduction.  Brother Francis is our guide throughout the movie and recaps the main message throughout.  It includes two visualized songs that help the message of the Holy Eucharist to stick.  For understanding to bloom in the young minds of children.  That's my goal as a Catechist.

A second part of this DVD is "The Story of Blessed Imelda Lamertini" the Patroness of First Communicants.  At the age of 10, Imelda felt God calling her to give her life to Jesus.  She devoted her life to God and He blessed Her abundantly.  In addition, they offer a Spanish version on this same DVD.  I'm happy to report that I loved it!

Word needs to get out!  Go and check out Brother Francis Online for a complete listing of all of their DVD's and activity pages.  I wasn't asked by this company to review their DVD.  I bought it on my own from a Catholic Gift Store and was pleasantly surprised at it's ability to deliver the content in an easy engaging format for young children.

I plan to show it to my class this weekend and will write an update to include their response.

Blessings,
Noreen

Animated Rosary for Kids Review

I had the opportunity to review Animated Rosary for Kids DVD through the Tiber River Reviewer Program.  This is a 2 CD set, with two mysteries on each one.  As it states, this DVD is animated with a guardian angel called "Angelito" as our guide.  A narrator introduces each mystery and Angelito sets up the scene with explanations, practices that please Jesus and how to apply these lessons to your own life.  In essence, he highlights the main points of each mystery.  The pace of the prayers is great.  It's slow with a pause in the middle of each of them.  The viewer has the option to use the subtitles in English and Spanish if they wish.  During the prayers, the viewer sees numerous pictures that helps envision the mystery.  Perfectly appropriate for small children!  I also liked that at the end of each mystery they included, the Hail, Holy Queen Prayer and a mention to pray for Our Holy Father.

What I think is missing is an introduction segment on the DVD or a pamphlet to be included in the set.  There is no explanation of the beginning prayers that's prayed at the beginning of a rosary.  This important information could be the introduction.  Also disappointing was that no one was even holding a rosary.  I didn't see one rosary throughout all 4 mysteries.  It was strictly focused on the mysteries which is great, almost like a mini bible study.  But for a new learner, there must be an option to learn how to pray the rosary in full.  I'm sure it was a matter of time constraints, but each mystery included the introduction of the mystery, Angelito's comments, one Our Father, one Hail Mary, The Glory Be and Fatima Prayer.  The viewer needs to know the beginning prayers and that for each mystery, there are 10 Hail Mary's prayed, not just one.

A problem I had with this DVD is the lack of clarity for the singing between the mysteries.  I showed this DVD to my son and he too, was unable to decipher the lyrics of the song.  One last issue involved the praying of each and every Hail, Holy Queen.  The reciters were out of sync which created a bit of an echo.

Would I recommend this DVD, absolutely.  The parent or teacher who uses this DVD, will need to instruct the children on the full rosary.  I did just that, when I showed it to my first graders.  They loved Angelito!  And had many questions of the mysteries.  It created curiosity, excitement and yearning to know more.  It was effective!  The children can learn a great deal about the bible by viewing it and how to apply these lessons to their daily lives.  You can go to Aquinas and More to purchase your own copy!

I was given a free copy of this DVD for my honest review.  All of the above stated opinions are my own.

Blessings,
Noreen

Flower Petal Rosary Review

Monica from Arma Dei Shoppe and Equipping Catholic Families had asked me to review one of her Cathletics Kits called Spiritual Bouquet of Prayer Petal Flowers.  I blogged about it over at Community of Catholic Bloggers today but I think the word needs to get out... so I'm blogging about it here too.  

Monica is famous for creating engaging and hands-on activities for children to learn about their Catholic Faith.  This particular prayer craft has 3 prayers/activities in it.  You can use it to teach the rosary, make a rosary garland or use the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  When you purchase the kit, Monica will send it to you by mail or as a PDF printable version.  I received it as a PDF file and printed the templates out on white cardstock and then made color copies of the Flower Petal Rosary.  I cut out all of the pieces to make our flower and then brought it to use with my first graders in religious education.

I opted to use it as a game format to informally test my students on their prayers.  I'm well aware that it's easy to recite prayers in a group but a different matter when saying it aloud on your own.  I thought this was the perfect way to do this in a non-threatening way.  Turns out, it worked beautifully for my assessment.  Here is how I used it:

• Informed students that we were going to pray one decade of the rosary together yet each student would have an opportunity to lead 2 Hail Mary's.  (My class size is very small!)
• Instructed students that they could either recite the prayer by memory or use the petal as prompting.  Each petal has the Hail Mary printed on it.
• Students sat in a circle and I placed the stem with the mysteries down in the center, explaining the first decade of the Joyful Mysteries~ The Annunciation.
• I then placed the circle with the Our Father on it and we recited it together.
• Then one by one, each student placed their petal around the circle and led a Hail Mary Prayer.
• As a group, we prayed the Glory Be and Fatima Prayer together.

Here are a few photos of our prayer circle:

This Cathletics kit is a fun method to teach children the basic prayers in our Catholic Faith.  It can be used again and again or it can be made into a wall display for a perpetual reminder.  Perfect for at home use or in the classroom.  Anyone who wants to teach a child how to pray the rosary would love this!  Check out Monica's blog HERE or her shoppe HERE.

Blessings,

Noreen

Catholic Lingo Bingo Review

Monica from Equipping Catholic Families gave me the opportunity to review her Catholic Lingo Bingo Game that she created and sells online at her Arma Dei Shoppe.  If you want your children or students to learn "the lingo of the Catholic Church" meaning the sacramentals, vessels and vestments used in Mass, then this is the game for you!  I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know some of the names of the vessels until reviewing this game.  So thank you, Monica!

This game is quick and easy to receive because Monica sends it to you online so after you pay for your kit, it's sent instantly through cyberspace to your home or office computer.  I followed Monica's recommendation and printed out my black and white copies on white card stock paper for durability.  It comes with 15 black and white bingo cards, so yes, it's time intensive to color them all. However, if you're a teacher, you can hand them out to your students to color them and it'll be done lickety split.

I opted not to color in the calling cards because after coloring a bunch of the bingo cards myself, I realized,  that my coloring was done at whim.  Which means that each picture of a sanctuary lamp is colored differently.  This was not an issue because when we played it with 5 children (ages 4-12), I showed them the card and helped them identify it if it was on their card.  We had a couple of young children so one of their moms helped out too.  Thanks Colleen!

This game is a great lesson in learning about our church's sacramentals, vestments and vessels.  It's beneficial for all ages including adults.  As I mentioned earlier, I learned a few things too!  It's perfect for younger children because there are 9 large pictures on each game card so it's easy for them to figure out what the picture indicates.  Another idea Monica suggests is to make it into a matching game by cutting out the bingo cards.

Here are some pictures of our game in process...

And yes, a dragon was also invited to join the game!  We played it so that we filled up the entire lingo bingo card so no feelings were hurt by not winning and for them to learn all of the items on their cards.  It's learning and fun all at the same time!  I would definitely recommend this game to every Catholic family and school teacher to instruct the children on these items they see in mass often or on occasion.

Monica gave me a free copy of her Catholic Lingo Bingo Game in exchange for my review.  My remarks are my own.

Blessings,
Noreen

Journey's End Review

Jennifer from Crafolic Blog created an active fun game for kids to learn about sin and confession. She gave me a free copy to review and tell others about it.  I am happy to do so!  I decided to test it out at a family gathering with my nieces and nephew.  Their ages ranged from 5 to 14 and there were 5 of them playing.  The premise of the game is for the children to walk the "Life Path" and randomly pick a card at each station in life.  Jennifer recommends using 3 - 2x4 boards, a fat rope or the edge of a rug.  I used 3 belts since that is all we had and it worked out well even though they were under 4 feet each.

Walked on the belts 

Along their "Life Path" they were to randomly pick a choice card that told them what they had to do at each station of life.  For example, 

"You chose to go to confession.  Walk forward with God's grace!!"  

or 

"You chose to commit a venial sin.  Walk the Life Path with one of your hands at your side 

and the other over one eye."  

or 

"You gave into temptation and chose to commit a mortal sin... Walk the Life Path backwards,

with your hands down and your eyes closed."

There were a total of 4 stations where they randomly selected a card and followed it's directions. The last station is a "Death Card" that again, is randomly picked and will tell you whether your actions will lead you to Heaven, Purgatory or Hell.

My youngest niece took a break with her dog!

Overall, this game is educational and it teaches children the relationship between sin and confession.  It's also a hands-on game that generated a lot of discussion of sin and the need for God's grace for eternal salvation.  My sister and oldest niece, helped me run the game and answer the questions that arose.  We answered questions as they were asked which caused some interruption to the game but it was a great way for the kids to make the important connections.

Before starting this game, I would recommend explaining to your students or children, that this game is played randomly and the "Death Cards" are not a predictor of their own future resting place.  We played the game several times and my son randomly picked the "Hell" card twice and asked "Do you think God is trying to tell me something?"  I used this as an opportunity to talk to him about the importance of God's grace that can be given to him through confession for absolution of his sins.

Thank you to my family for playing the Journey's End Game with me!

Thank you to Jennifer from Crafolic for giving me this opportunity!  You can purchase your own Journey's End game from her website here for $5.00.  This faith formation game is a great deal that will enhance your children's understanding of sin, confession and God's grace.

Blessings,

Noreen

Family Calendar by Arma Dei & Giveaway

I'm posting this information at Community of Catholic Bloggers as well as here so as many people as possible can check out Monica's great products and enter her giveaway!

Monica from Equipping Catholic Families Blog and Arma Dei generously gave me a free copy of her Family Calendar to review.  She offers two options, you can either buy it in black and white for the coloring pleasure of your children or buy it fully colored.  Correction:  both the black & white and colored calendar are offered for the same price!  I have the one which is fully colored and I three hole punched it and placed it in a report folder with a clear front page.

Very colorful front page in my report folder.

Note the focus of the month and important feast dates.

 If you want to stay on track with the liturgical calendar, this is a must have.  Each page informs you of the focus of the month.  For example, January is the Month of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. February is the Month of the Passion of the Lord...etc.  She also has left space to write special dates among the already listed popular  feast days of the month.  You will also find special notes on each month with dates to remember.

Lists all the feast and holy days of each month.

The last two pages of the calendar has a comprehensive list of all the feast days each month.  It's a great way to become familiar with saints and holy days each month.  So much information in her calendar!  I love it because it's all in one place at a glance.  Previously, I've been googling the liturgical calendar to learn of dates and feast days and now I don't have to.   This calendar is a great resource for teachers and moms who wish to raise their children in the Catholic Faith.

All of Monica's products are so vibrantly colored, easy to use and informative.  If you're not familiar with her work, you should head on over there right now!  In fact, she is hosting a giveaway of her Catholic Bilingual Bingo Game.  It's easy to enter her giveaway at Equipping Catholic Families.
She's a blessing to us all!

Blessings,
Noreen

Keys of the Kingdom Review

I was given the opportunity to review a Bible Based PC Game produced by Inspired Media & Entertainment Company.   The mission of Inspired Media Games is to spread the Word of God to as many people as possible through various forms of media entertainment.  I was specifically sought out because I am a Catholic Blogger and my faith comments are at the end of this review

The name of the game I chose was Keys of the Kingdom which is rated E for everyone.  This is a 100 level brain teaser logic game for the family to be played at home on their computer.   Yes, it has 100 levels of challenges which increase in difficulty as the levels go up.  My son and I played the game at times separately and other times together.  We did complete the 100 levels of this game.  At first glance, I noticed the appealing computer graphics of the large knight guarding the entrance to each level and the player's little knight on a horse in the corner.  The background music is peaceful that allows for concentration on figuring out the process of moving bricks.

The premise of this game is to help Sir Lancelot, our hero, outsmart the evil king by moving colored bricks from one space to another to open a path which leads the key to the lock.  Once you've manipulated the blocks and brought the key to the lock, the lock is opened and you can move on to the next level.  This brain teaser game uses bombs, scales and pulleys, and floating bricks which can be moved in the direction your key needs to go. 

Children with strong visual spatial intelligence will do well with this game.  For us challenged in that area, the game has a view solution button that you can click on to show you how to work the specific level.  It's great because you can replay it as often as you'd like and slow it down to show you move by move.   If you notice you're moves will not bring the key to the lock, you can click on the undo button to go back one step or press the restart button to try it all over again.  What's also great is that this game is not timed and you can replay each level as often as it takes to get it right.

In between each level, the player is brought to a page with a bible verse with two options.  The player can click on continue and move on to the next level or click on the "Know God" button and go to Don't Be Left Behind Website.   It was developed by All About God Ministries with the intention of leading people to Jesus Christ.  



This game was fun and at times very challenging that led to some degree of frustration.  We enjoyed playing it overall and would recommend the game.  I am not endorsing the All About God Ministries since I disagree with their statement of faith and their view on the Roman Catholic Church.  I applaud Inspired Media & Entertainment for developing a PC Game that seeks to spread the Word of God, but I want to be clear, I do NOT agree with All About God Ministries.

Please note:  this is not a Catholic ministry and in fact, they state on their website "they are not affiliated with any organization or denomination though they work with some."  I wouldn't say they are boldly anti-Catholic, yet, under their world religion page they list Roman Catholicism and state what they feel are the problems with my religion.  This ministry believes they have the truth based on solid, fundamental Christian doctrine and it all must be found in the bible.  Bottom line is that the people behind All About God Ministries do not believe in Sacred Tradition or any organized religion for that matter.

This Bible Based PC Game was provided to me through Inspired Media & Entertainment; I received no monetary compensation for my review.

God's Blessings,
Noreen