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Bonding through Books and Beauty - Into the Deep

Bonding through Books and Beauty

One of the most delightful seasons of parenting is when our children gather around us with a teetering stack of picture books, ready to read together.  Picture books stretch far beyond entertainment. As educator Charlotte Mason taught, "living books" illustrated and written toward the True, the Good, and the Beautiful leave a lasting impression. They help shape our children's imagination, support the development of their linguistic ability, and introduce them to heroism through acts of virtue.  When parents and children spend time reading beautiful books together, connection just happens. Reading time is a wonderful place to get to know each other at a deeper level. Here we learn together, we get a closer look to our little one's hearts, and we enter the perfect atmosphere for questions about life, family and faith.  One of my favorite memories is when we read "Little Women" and my kids (benevolently) poked fun at me because I cried my heart out through it all. (Of course, it's now a family inside joke!) Reading inspiring stories together as a family also contributes to point our hearts and minds to God. It helps our children to discover the truth of his love and goodness in every new story they enjoy. With this lens, we set out to assemble a mega-list of magnificent Catholic picture books. We are blessed to live in a time with rich and worthy Catholic titles, and this list offers both classics and new favorites.  We’ve categorized the list to help you navigate it according to your needs. Each book is linked to Amazon, but we recommend checking your library or local Catholic bookstore first. We hope this list brings your family together around the Faith, builds beautiful memories, and helps shape an ideal of sanctity in the minds of your precious children. Which Catholic picture books have been your children's favorites through the years? Share with us in the comments below.   Ready to dive deeper?  Here are 4 ways to fill your nets...   1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses  2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.  3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.  4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!

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How to talk to Children about Death - Into the Deep

How to talk to Children about Death

We are mid-way through the month of the Holy Souls, so let's discuss talking about death with our children. This is something our family has been forced into, as we have had many close family members die in the past few years. My children are far more acquainted with the concept of death than I was at their age, and while I hate that in many ways, I'm also grateful in many ways. Much like childbirth, our sanitized society is so removed from the natural cycle of death that it is almost taboo. But death is a part of reality, and I'm thankful that the Church always stands as a beacon of light on the shore of Heaven to remind us that this world is not our home. So if you worry about your children learning about death, or struggle with how to appropriately discuss death with your children in a way that is developmentally healthy, here are a few things we've learned from personal experience and the professionals we've consulted along the way.   1️⃣ Normalize it (within your local community) We don't have to hide death from our children. When someone in our community passes away, we can share that information. We can bring our children to cemeteries and funeral homes. It will not scar them; on the contrary, it will help them understand the normal cycle of life and death which can help them be less fearful. *It is important to note that this is appropriate within the context of the child's relational circle. It can be quite harmful to share uninhibited news of global tragedy with a small child.   2️⃣ Let them see you grieve Another way children can learn to relate to death in a healthy way is to see you be sad about it. If a friend or family member dies, it is good for your child to see you cry and miss the person. Again, this helps form their perception of death and how to process it properly.   3️⃣ Listen, answer, pray Children may have a lot of questions about death, especially if someone close to them dies. These questions will often come at inconvenient times! But it's good to pause and listen to their hearts. Answer only what they ask about, and then offer to pray with them. Death is a mystery, and it helps to show our kids that we must always bring our hearts, questions, and sadness to Jesus when we are confronted with death.   4️⃣ Underscore everything with hope in Christ The final and most important point: always share about death in light of the Resurrection of Jesus. Death is not the end! Even in our grief we hold onto the hope of eternal life with God. This is why we pray for the dead in November! It is hope and confidence that fuels our petitions. The comfort and victory of Christ is the lens through which we can help our children view death.   A Useful Guide for Families Our Hallowtide Study is a great tool to guide the talk with your littles and direct their hearts to heaven, our eternal home. This 49-pages digital resource contains a buffet of traditional prayers, hymns, history, liturgical events, poems, art, picture books, copywork, coloring pages, activities, and handcrafts for you to pick-and-choose from.   I hope this is helpful as we continue to pray for the dearly departed in November!   Ready to dive deeper?  Here are 4 ways to fill your nets...   1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses  2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.  3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.  4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!

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A Catholic View on Work and Rest - Into the Deep

A Catholic View on Work and Rest

Catholicism claims that our labors do not remain empty or servile but should be tended to in and for love. When this happens, work makes us more of who we really are. We are molded by the constancy of our work. We are purified by its repetition. We are delighted in its completion. However, as worthy as work is in our development as human persons, it must not be entered without also entering into rest. The Church is clear on the boundaries between work and rest. Let's dive together into this.

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Self-Discipline in the Home + Homeschool - Into the Deep

Self-Discipline in the Home + Homeschool

Self-discipline is key to success in our endeavors and for our sanity. Particularly in the long haul of motherhood, self-discipline protects priority and peace.Self-discipline is a habit. In fact, it is the foundation of habit formation. Whole books can and have been written on self-discipline. Here, I would like to look at self-discipline in the life of the homemaker in three areas: the heart the will the life The Heart We can stay stuck in our emotions when it comes to self-discipline. Sometimes there’s a lot of shame around the idea. The Holy Spirit can use our emotions to convict us. He pricks our conscience. But there is a big difference between:"I notice that when I scroll on my phone right after I wake up instead of praying, I’m much less patient with the kids’ needs." and  "I’m always cranky with the kids in the morning, the worst mother, and I’m probably just screwing them up."One thought is the conviction that spurs us to the right action; the other is condemnation that leads us to despair and low-level comfort-seeking.When we spiral like this, we tend to focus more on the circumstances rather than our interior lives.But the heart is precisely where we must begin.Whatever your external circumstances, the Lord sees the heart. This is paramount in the life of the mother because our seasons shift often and dramatically. Self-discipline in one season will look different from self-discipline in another.We must be more attached to Jesus than our schedules.We must listen to His voice over self-condemnation.We must ask Him to cast the vision for self-discipline in this season rather than the latest Reel promising to enhance our morning routine. Resources can help, but not more than the Holy Spirit.If our goals for self-discipline are not a fruit of prayer we will likely end up defeated or self-reliant.So before we address any other areas, we should ask the Lord for His wisdom and vision for this season of our lives.And if we want to grow in self-discipline, let’s ask Him for help!   The Will   As we allow the Lord to transform our hearts and clarify our vision, He is going to give us opportunities to practice! After all, we grow in virtue by doing things consistently and intentionally.Once the Holy Spirit has shown you how to grow in self-discipline this particular season, focus your energy there. We all-or-nothing types often hear the Holy Spirit’s marching order for one step forward, then go blazing into the full battlefield.The exercise of the will is an interesting point of reflection for the stay-at-home or homeschooling mom. We have a lot of freedom. We set the schedule. We make the appointments. We discern levels of involvement. We are the CEO, the manager, the cook, and the janitor.This freedom is so good. It is partly why homemakers have a particular duty to preserve leisure in our culture (but that’s another email for another time). This freedom also presents unique considerations. After all, if we make the schedule and the rules, then we can say there is no schedule and there are no rules, right?A piece of our self-discipline as homemakers is identifying the priorities of this season and being sure we steward our time and energy well.How do we do that? Let’s look at some practical ideas.   The Life Planning   I mentioned it above, but a significant step in self-discipline is getting very clear about your priorities. The Lord has been teaching me about this a lot this summer. He has given me my assignment in this season. When I cease hemming and hawing about it, looking to my right and left, I have much more peace.It is worth taking this to deep, extensive prayer. It is worth sitting down with our spouses and reviewing the priorities of the season. And it is worth structuring our lives around the assignment. Boundaries Boundaries look different for different people, personality types, needs, seasons, and vocations. But they are important!Once we have identified our priorities, it might be necessary to put some boundaries in place to ensure those priorities are nurtured as needed.For example, one boundary I have set this year is protecting our school time in ways I have not done in the past. Unless otherwise impossible, I am not scheduling kids’ appointments during our blocked school times. I’m not taking meetings. I place my phone on “Do Not Disturb" and put it away.Notice that this is a boundary I’ve set for myself. No one is demanding that I have a dentist appointment at 9 a.m. or that I answer their text message immediately. But I know myself well enough to recognize this is a necessary boundary to protect the priority.   Flexibility + Fortitude It requires self-discipline to make a plan and set boundaries, and it requires self-discipline when it all goes to pot.As mothers, we must be flexible because there will be hiccups. Things will regularly not go according to plan. Ideals are often massacred by toddlers and teenagers.These are further opportunities to exercise self-discipline. We get to discipline our minds. How will we respond? Will we throw up our hands in resentful surrender (I have no idea what that’s about. Never done that before.)? Or will we face pivots with fortitude, doing the best we can and giving the rest to God?   Longevity The last point I’ll make on the topic of self-discipline for mothers is that we must accept the Lord’s grace and realize that we are in a marathon.Sometimes self-discipline looks like true self-care. Maybe it’s going to bed earlier instead of watching one more episode so you’re better rested. Maybe it’s taking a walk outside or reading a book instead of checking Facebook. Maybe it’s making time for dedicated prayer. Maybe it’s eating an actual breakfast so you’re fueled for the day.Remember, the motive of self-discipline must not be self-hatred. We can honor God by stewarding well the bodies, souls, and minds He gave us.We want to be able to serve Him well for as long as He has us in this field.   The Font + Fruit In our desire and effort to grow in self-discipline, our aim is to give glory to God and to allow Him to make us saints. This is simply not possible apart from grace and the action of the Holy Spirit in our lives.So once again, I entreat us all to pray. It is the font and fruit of self-discipline. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. We are all always students at the feet of the Teacher! Comment below!

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Our 2023-2024 School Lineup | Booklists + Resources - Into the Deep

Our 2023-2024 School Lineup | Booklists + Resources

August is upon us, which means it is nearly time to begin another school year in our home. I have been in planning prep for a couple of months (I take it slow!) and I'm happy to share our booklists with you here! How I Plan a New Homeschool Year My planning process typically follows three movements: Pray (you can learn more about that here) Make booklists (jot down all my ideas and resources, then heavily edit) Put it all together in a rhythm First, I'll share our booklists. Then, I'll share a loose idea of our rhythm! The Groundwork... My oldest kids are entering the 4th and 1st grades, and my youngest two are 3 years and ten months old. While each child does their own level of phonics, math, copywork, and logic, most of our subjects are done family style in a loop rotation (more on that later). This fits our family best in this season and we all really enjoy this setup. My three-year-old will not do any formal preschool work; however, he likes feeling "big" and has asked for his own school work this year. I've picked up A is for Art to go through with him as interest dictates. My main priority each morning is to snuggle him and read picture books to fill his cup before our school day begins. Our Homeschool "Curriculum" | The Booklists ***Unless otherwise linked, all books can be found on this Amazon list!*** Like I mentioned, we have family subjects and individual subjects. Only the older two have individual work. These children have different learning styles, so we use different resources for each. Family Subjects Morning Basket Our Morning Time will consist of The Daily Feast + any memory work (like poetry, Mass parts, and longer dictations for my oldest).P.S. already using my Daily Feast notepad and it's a game changer for organization!We will also do our fun read alouds during this time. I don't have a final list yet, but I've shared some definites in the Amazon shop! Catechesis We will be using Into the Deep Level Two this year, taking pauses to do the picture studies on the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary during Advent, the Luminous + Sorrowful during Lent, and the Glorious during Easter. History We used The Story of the World last year and it was a family favorite all around! We are moving to Volume 2 this year. I use the student guide for extra reading, map work, and projects.Additionally, I'll be reading one story each week from American Tall Tales so they have a touch point with their national history. Geography We use the geography prompts in the SOTW above.I'll also pepper in Charlotte Mason's Elementary Geography. Nature Study/Science It's a water year for us! I'll be using Among the Pond People in the fall semester and Ocean Anatomy and Watercolor with Me in the spring. I picked up The Good and the Beautiful's Wind + Waves. We used their Little Hearts and Hands last year and it was a great resource to have on hand for days when I needed extra support (like when a kid was sick or the baby didn't sleep). Excited to have that in my back pocket again this year. Literature My fave! Well, alongside catechesis and history. We will ease into the first semester by revisiting A.A. Milne's When We Were Very Young. Aligned with our history studies, we will also read some Norse Myths!In the second semester, we will read a couple of Shakespeare plays (the kids have loved these—not yet sure if we will revisit old favorites, read new, or a combination of both).Our main focus this spring semester will be fairy tales. I've snagged some fairy tale picture books from Will Moses, and I have a couple of collections here at home I will pull from. (A note on finding books on fairy tales: be sure they are the original text, not adaptations!) Character Building I have some perfectionistic students (no idea where they got that 😬), so we are working on growth mindset with Mistakes that Worked.We will also be reading through A Book of Golden Deeds.In the spring semester, we will revisit Connoisseur Kids. We used it this year and it was a roaring success, so the kids want to go through it again! Artist Each year, we study two artists. In the fall we will study Van Eyck and use the picture studies from Simply Charlotte Mason. In the spring, we will deep dive Michelangelo. I'm pumped. We will use SCM's picture studies, along with The Stone Giant, Michelangelo for Kids, Mike Venezia's Michelangelo, and a giant coffee table book of his complete works. Composer As with the artists, I select two composers to study each year. In the fall, we will study Handel and, in the spring, Paganini.I'm an Opal Wheeler fan girl, so I just use her books. Mike Venezia has a book on Handel, too, so we will use that as well. Language I don't stress about this much yet. My energy is focused more on reading fluency at this stage and, with a toddler and baby, I don't have much overflow to devote to foreign language. I have Prima Latina and we will use those DVDs each week in "car school" when we drive a small distance to pick up our farm food and dairy. On Rhythms... Our family functions best with a rhythm rather than a strict schedule. But we typically begin around 9 a.m. (this gives us time for personal prayer, breakfast, morning chores, and getting ready).Typically, we school Monday-Thursday, as Fridays are set aside for errands, Mass, and cleaning. Weekly Loops With that, here are the family subjects we will loop throughout the week: Mondays || catechesis, character building, history, nature study, and composer Wednesdays || catechesis, character building, history, literature, and nature study Thursdays || catechesis, history, literature, and artist/drawing Like I mentioned, all of this will be tested by actually living it, and we will adjust as needed! I always enjoy reading other people's homeschool plans, so I hope this has brought you some entertainment and solidarity! God bless your new school year!

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Building Their Lives on the Liturgical Year - Into the Deep

Building Their Lives on the Liturgical Year

“The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children.” - Charlotte Mason  Order is something we all strive to have in our lives. It makes the world go ‘round and helps create a sense of security throughout childhood and adulthood. Maintaining a smooth, rhythmic schedule aids your child in more ways than you can count. Having a rhythmic home life is good for the body, but having a rhythmic liturgical life is good for the soul.  The Faith isn't simply meant to be learned; it's meant to be lived. Things such as reading about the lives of Saints and understanding the seasons of the Church can be done during any time of day, not only during religion class. Leaning on the liturgical year provides a structure in your children's lives that can accompany them into adulthood. How Living the Liturgical Year Now Impacts their Future as Catholics An impactful way to help children as the next generation of Catholics is having structure built within their spiritual life. Helping your child increase attentiveness to their faith will aid them in growing long-lasting habits in their love for the Church and the Lord.  Reading the Bible as a family, attending Mass every Sunday, and praying the rosary are great ways to have a lasting impact. A good liturgical option is to keep up with Saints’ feast days. There is a feast every day and there are multiple ways to celebrate. Reading a summary and then praying to the Saints daily is a fun and mindful way to keep up with the liturgical year. Another great option is considering a liturgical planner for your child. A planner is used to organize the day to day events. Your child can not only keep track of the upcoming week, but also see different religious feast days and holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.  A Structure for Worship The Catholic liturgical year organizes the Church's celebrations and events, providing a structure for worship and reflection. Having a religious structure encourages orderliness in the soul. Order is physical as well as mental. Following the ebb and flow of fasting and feasting within the liturgical year is a physical reminder of the liturgical year.  For example, let's say that, at the beginning of the week, you fill out your planner. You include things like events, birthdays, work schedule, weekend plans, etc. A liturgical planner works the same way as a normal planner, but it has Catholicism filtered into its pages. What a fun way to help your child grow in their faith!  Continuous Contemplation Living the liturgical year allows us to remember the life and teachings of Jesus and to deepen faith through various liturgical seasons and feasts. Remembering the Saints that have lived out the faith serves as an inspiration for Catholics. Contemplating the faith daily helps with spiritual growth.  Catholic Connection The liturgical year helps to create a sense of unity and community among Catholics worldwide. Community is something we as humans need. We usually look for people that we can relate to, sympathize with, similar beliefs, etc. Connecting with other Catholics over your love of the Faith is amazing!  Check Out our Student Planner!  What’s a fun, immersive way to help your child grow in the faith? Consider purchasing our newest product, the Student Liturgical Planner! This is a great option to encourage orderliness and structure in your child's school and home life. Keeping track of events such as sports practices, play-dates, to-do list on chore day can all be done in this planner. Throw in the liturgical year filtered into the calendar and you have the perfectly-curated Catholic Student Planner.  What are some of your favorite ways to build your child's life on the liturgical year? Give us some ideas in the comments below!

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How to talk to Children about Death - Into the Deep

by Olivia Spears

How to talk to Children about Death

We are mid-way through the month of the Holy Souls, so let's discuss talking about death with our children. This is something our family has been forced into, as we have had many close family members die in the past few years. My children are far more acquainted with the concept of death than I was at their age, and while I hate that in many ways, I'm also grateful in many ways. Much like childbirth, our sanitized society is so removed from the natural cycle of death that it is almost taboo. But death is a part of reality, and I'm thankful that the Church always stands as a beacon of light on the shore of Heaven to remind us that this world is not our home. So if you worry about your children learning about death, or struggle with how to appropriately discuss death with your children in a way that is developmentally healthy, here are a few things we've learned from personal experience and the professionals we've consulted along the way.   1️⃣ Normalize it (within your local community) We don't have to hide death from our children. When someone in our community passes away, we can share that information. We can bring our children to cemeteries and funeral homes. It will not scar them; on the contrary, it will help them understand the normal cycle of life and death which can help them be less fearful. *It is important to note that this is appropriate within the context of the child's relational circle. It can be quite harmful to share uninhibited news of global tragedy with a small child.   2️⃣ Let them see you grieve Another way children can learn to relate to death in a healthy way is to see you be sad about it. If a friend or family member dies, it is good for your child to see you cry and miss the person. Again, this helps form their perception of death and how to process it properly.   3️⃣ Listen, answer, pray Children may have a lot of questions about death, especially if someone close to them dies. These questions will often come at inconvenient times! But it's good to pause and listen to their hearts. Answer only what they ask about, and then offer to pray with them. Death is a mystery, and it helps to show our kids that we must always bring our hearts, questions, and sadness to Jesus when we are confronted with death.   4️⃣ Underscore everything with hope in Christ The final and most important point: always share about death in light of the Resurrection of Jesus. Death is not the end! Even in our grief we hold onto the hope of eternal life with God. This is why we pray for the dead in November! It is hope and confidence that fuels our petitions. The comfort and victory of Christ is the lens through which we can help our children view death.   A Useful Guide for Families Our Hallowtide Study is a great tool to guide the talk with your littles and direct their hearts to heaven, our eternal home. This 49-pages digital resource contains a buffet of traditional prayers, hymns, history, liturgical events, poems, art, picture books, copywork, coloring pages, activities, and handcrafts for you to pick-and-choose from.   I hope this is helpful as we continue to pray for the dearly departed in November!   Ready to dive deeper?  Here are 4 ways to fill your nets...   1. Memorize Bible verses with your children easily with our FREE guide: Stocking the Storehouses  2. Make your dreams of family prayer a reality with The Daily Feast framework, making it possible in just a few minutes a day. This free guide shows you how.  3. Want to steward your own prayer life? Check out this Scripture prayer journal we made just for you.  4. Looking to level-up in your family faith formation? Join over 10,000 families that use our resources. We make open-and-go, family-style resources to make your role as primary catechist easy AND delightful. Click here to browse!

Read more

A Catholic View on Work and Rest - Into the Deep

by Olivia Spears

A Catholic View on Work and Rest

Catholicism claims that our labors do not remain empty or servile but should be tended to in and for love. When this happens, work makes us more of who we really are. We are molded by the constancy of our work. We are purified by its repetition. We are delighted in its completion. However, as worthy as work is in our development as human persons, it must not be entered without also entering into rest. The Church is clear on the boundaries between work and rest. Let's dive together into this.

Read more