 Giving to those around us
Is as simple as can be.
If you go the extra mile and trust,
And do so joyfully.
Spend time with those around you,
Within your daily life.
Give of yourself, joyfully
By giving of your time.
Forgetting what you think you want,
And helping others is how
To give of self and spread some cheer.
The time to begin is now.
By putting your needs last, you’ll see,
Within your heart doth lie
The key to being happy,
And spreading some sunshine.
This key to spreading joy,
And making others smile,
Is reaching out to do for them.
‘Twill make it all worthwhile.
A look, a smile, an act of love,
Can brighten someones day.
And in doing so you’ll find
All gloom doth fade away.
For when you give and die to self,
You receive oh so much more
Than ever could be gained from self,
For His grace He shall outpour.
By just remaining silent
When we wish to speak our mind,
‘Tis an act of giving in itself;
A way of being kind.
For that is what He asks of us
Is to die to self and live
For those He’s placed around us
If we’d just simply give.
Joy D. is a Seton mom who submitted this lovely poem for us to share with you! Please feel free to send submissions to clareschmitt@setonhome.org
Happy Tuesday! Only 5 more days until Christmas! I guess I was a little over-excited when I said 5 days yesterday. It was 5 days until Christmas Eve.  Our family loves Christmas Eve almost as much as we love Christmas itself. Everyone gets to open one small present when we get back from Mass on Christmas Eve, so as far as my kids are concerned: “4 days until we get a present and 5 days until Jesus is born.” That’s how the countdown goes in our house.
Our family tradition is Mass, and then we make hors d’oeuvres: cheeses and meats plate, olives, dates and other dried fruit, shrimp cocktail and any special requests and my sister and her family come over. They bring Santa Lucia buns. Here is the recipe: http://tinyurl.com/ybpnkjf and here is the story behind it: http://tinyurl.com/bq7zs3b. They also bring Montana chili. (Don’t ask me how Montana chili is different from regular chili.) The kids place baby Jesus in the manger, and then we exchange gifts with them, and then after my kids are asleep, we wrap presents, drink some eggnog (or other adult beverage) and I make a crockpot breakfast. This year I’m making this: http://tinyurl.com/cx82dar.
Christmas morning is just our family, we open presents, have our crockpot breakfast that is ready and waiting when we wake up, we play games (those of us who were up late playing Santa Claus sometimes nod off for a little while) and sing Christmas carols. We put on my old LP of Harry Simeone Chorale’s Sing We Now of Christmas. Beautiful and majestic, the record is not just holiday music; it is beautiful, spiritual Christmas music. Their rendition of O Holy Night is amazing. If you can find a copy, I highly recommend it.
After our trip down memory lane, we tidy up the house and head over to Grandpa and Grandma’s house and have a wonderful feast. Some years its roast, some years turkey or lamb, one year they even made Beef Bourguignon! This year my husband’s aunt and uncle, and a cousin and his family will be joining us. For Christmas at my in-laws their motto is “the more the merrier.” Some years it is very merry indeed! After dinner, we head over to the other Grandpa and Grandma’s house and have dessert and sing more Christmas carols and play cards. Then we come home and give thanks to God for a wonderful day blessed with family and friends, good fellowship, good food, and great fun.
Tell me what your family tradition is on Christmas? If you care to share it on our blog, shoot me an email at: clareschmitt@setonhome.org. I’d love to hear from you and I’m sure our readers would love to hear your stories, too. On behalf of everyone here at Seton, I wish you a faith filled last week of Advent, and pray you have a blessed, joyous Christmas. -Clare
 Can you believe we only have two weeks left until Christmas? I think children give us a whole new perspective on Advent, on the preparation for the birth of Christ. It is more than just being good, so St. Nicholas/the Christ Child/Mom and Dad bring those presents. They really seem to understand the concept of preparing our hearts for the Christ Child. In our family, we do the Jesse Tree and the Advent Wreath. The kids love lighting the candles and picking an ornament for the Jesse Tree and coloring it, and reading the corresponding bible verse. As a kid, I remember putting straws in the manger for Baby Jesus every time we did a good deed. My mom finally had to tell me that the point was not to get as many straws as possible, but to do good deeds as way of preparing for Jesus. Each year, as they get older (3 and 5) and understand a little more, I find myself being drawn in more and more to the Advent season. I am starting to treat it how I used to treat the New Year. I always made resolutions like “I’m going to go the gym five times a week” or “I’m going to cut back on the TV” or “I’m going to lose ten pounds,” etc. Now, I find myself in the Advent season, searching for ways to prepare my heart for the Christ child, thinking “I need to be more patient with my children,” “I need to be kinder to my spouse,” “I need to pray more,” “I need to trust the Lord more,” etc.
Watching my children await the birth of the Christ-child with eager anticipation has enkindled in me some of that same child-like anticipation. I can’t wait to go to midnight mass and sing “What Child is This?” I can’t wait to watch my kids put baby Jesus in the manger, put that last ornament on the Jesse Tree, take out the purple and pink candles in the Advent wreath and replace them with red ones. I can’t wait to creep softly into their room on Christmas morning, and say “Jesus is born!” Who am I kidding, they’ll be the ones running into my room on Christmas morning at 5am, saying “Is He born yet?!?” 
Wishing you all a blessed and joyous remainder of Advent,
-Clare
Question from a Seton M om: What do those homeschooling moms out there with both school-age children and toddlers do to keep the little ones occupied? I have a child in 4th grade, 2nd grade, 1st grade, preschool and one that’s 2-1/2. The 2-1/2 year old is a VERY busy little girl and does her best to get the attention of her older siblings while we’re working.
Answer from a Seton Mom: What I do is rotate teaching the kids. I have my older children take turns playing with my toddler and take turns getting their lessons. This does take a little bit more time, but I feel that it works well for us all around and there are fewer distractions when I can focus on them one or two at a time. Sometimes we can set up the older children at the dining room table doing their Math lessons and have the preschoolers and toddlers set up in a different room of the house drawing, reading, or playing. Then I can concentrate for some time on my older children, while the young ones play or “study” together, although I do have to be back and forth between the two rooms, which is why more often than not, at our house we end up rotating the lessons. The goal though, is to train your little one that school time is important and she needs to not interrupt the children constantly when they are studying. But remember, at these ages, you have a lot of flexibility, and if you have to take a break every 15 minutes to read a story to your toddler, or to help her find the crayons for the thousandth time, it’s ok. The schoolbooks will still be there tomorrow.
Yoke yourself under the law of God, s o that you may be in truth a free man. ~ St. Ephraem the Syrian
For most of you, two whole months have passed since the beginning of the school year! Think about all of the things you’ve accomplished in school over the past two months. You may feel as though you’ve accomplished a lot, or perhaps you feel that you didn’t accomplish as much as you would have liked to. However, all of the hard work you’ve put into your studies these past two months have borne a lot of fruit, even if you can’t see them just yet.
St. Ephraem reminds us that it is only in following the law of God that we can be truly free. There are times in school when all of the rules, formulas, and algorithms feel stifling. Why can’t we just be allowed to think for ourselves? How can we express ourselves creatively when we have all of these rules to follow? However, the most creative and innovative artists know that they will never create a great work of art if they have never bothered learning how to draw a straight line. An artist who has never learned the rules is very limited in what he can do, while an artist who knows all of the rules, and practices them, has the freedom to create any work of art he desires. It is the same with God’s law. At times, we may feel as though the rules of the Church make us less free – wouldn’t we have more freedom if we were allowed to do what we want? However, like the artist, God’s law gives us the tools, and therefore the freedom, to do much more than we could without His guidance. Let us ask God for the grace to fulfill our calling as students, following the rules laid out for us by our parents and the Catholic Church.
“To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth, that is not living, but existing.” ~ Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati
You’ve just survived yet another week of homeschooling – congratulations! Just think, as each week passes, you are one more week closer to the finish line! This is also a good time to think about the holidays that are coming up, the next one being Thanksgiving. What are some things you have to be thankful for? During this time of year, think about offering your studies up for those who do not have the things that you have.
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati reminds us that our faith in Christ and His Church is worth fighting for. There will be times in our lives where we will be confronted by people who don’t believe the same things that we do. Some of these people may try to convince us that we cannot be truly free as Catholics, because Catholics have so many rules to follow. At times like these, we must try and be like the Saints, and hold our ground like soldiers for Christ. Our parents gave us life, so we naturally wish to defend them. Through the Church, Christ gives us a new life; therefore, we must defend Him and His Church and be examples to others of the Christian life. Keep the Faith!
 Every Christian must be a living book in which others can read the teaching of the Gospel.
~ St. Joseph of Leonessa
October is over – how the time flies! By now, it’s possible that you’ve lost some of the excitement that you had at the beginning of the school year. Perhaps you dream of having adventures, and feel that studying for a spelling or grammar test is anything but adventurous. However, the great thing about being Catholic is that we are already part of a great adventure! As the Church celebrates All Saints Day and All Souls Day, we are reminded that each of us is part of a giant community filled with heroes, warriors, missionaries, teachers, priests, religious, and martyrs: men and women who gave up their lives for God, who inspired nations, and who taught people to be joyful in the salvation that Christ has won for all men. God uses our smallest sacrifices for His service, which means that when we offer up the little things, we too can become participants in the great adventures of the Saints!
St. Joseph of Leonessa reminds us of how all men are called to live the Gospel. As young people of the 21st century, it may seem a bit odd to try and live according to something which was written 2,000 years ago. During the time of Jesus, people wore different clothes, listened to different music, and there was no such thing as indoor plumbing. However, while the Word of God is unchanging, it is also alive. One of the mysteries and miracles of Scripture is that the truths contained within them applied just as much to the people living at the time it was written as it does to those of us who live thousands of years later. The Scriptures were inspired by the Holy Spirit, Who is eternal. When you prayerfully read the Scriptures, therefore, you know that the Holy Spirit is speaking directly to you, personally. And when you put into action what you have received from the words of the Holy Spirit, you are giving testimony to the Gospel. Let us pray for the grace to receive the words of the Holy Spirit, and the strength to live the Gospel in our daily lives as a witness for others.
 “Monday, Monday, so good to me”…Start the week with a positive attitude and remember we have the greatest assistance we could possibly want: “The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). This verse is so encouraging to both us and to our children! I suggest reading that verse aloud to them this morning, and reminding them that the Spirit is with them. He is teaching them through you, and they can pray to him to help them remember, as promised in this verse. Have a fantastic week y’all!
 PtP tip of the week: “Praise God for the wonderful days when your child has finally gotten through his letters without any errors, the house is vacuumed, and there is laughter…let these days remind you on the other days what a treasure it is to have your family together!” Note: these tips are FROM parents TO parents. We did not write them. The folks in the trenches wrote them, we are just sharing them with you! I can’t believe Thursday has already rolled around again, my favorite day of the week (besides Friday). Enjoy the last two days of your school week, and have a wonderful weekend!
 PtP tip of the week: “Enjoy your kids. Be open to learning yourself. And relax.” Note: these tips are FROM parents TO parents. We did not write them. The folks in the trenches wrote them, we are just sharing them with you! This one is so simple and sweet, but so true! Those three things make all the difference. It’s Thursday, my favorite day of the week (besides Friday). You just have to get through today and tomorrow and then it’s the weekend! You can do it!
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Giving to those around us
