Posts by Francine Pirola
Like a X-ray Glasses
“Like a pair of x-ray glasses, gratitude transforms the way we see our situation.” – Francine Pirola For more on gratitude, check out: Gratitude: the heartbeat of love Grateful The Grateful Spouse Days of Gratitude Gratitude Cards SmartLoving @ Home: Grateful
Read MoreOverscheduled Kids
In a fast-paced culture driven by the need to have it all, many kids are growing up without the joy of authentic leisure. In a telling exposé of modern family life, author and family therapist Bill Doherty is sounding the alarm about our children’s extra-curricular activities. In a world where parents are driven to provide…
Read MoreBeing Needed is Not Love
“When we mistake being needed with love, we make people dependent on us”. Fr Emmerich Vogt was speaking in his series, The Spirituality of the Twelve Steps about codependency and how common it is. Fr Vogt points out, the Twelve Steps is not just for alcoholics; it’s a spiritual process that helps us address any…
Read MoreQuality Time & Quantity Time
It’s just not possible to jump into a ‘quality’ conversation without first having lots of leisurely ‘quantity’ time.
Read MoreBoredom & Creativity
“Boredom is the crucible of the imagination. It creates space in a busy mind for creativity to be explored and expressed.” – Francine Pirola
Read MoreGingerbread Nativity
Give the Christmas tradition of a gingerbread house a more spiritual twist by making a ginger bread nativity instead! We’ve put together some instructions for a ‘basic model’ that any one can do. However you can design and plan your gingerbread nativity to be as elaborate as you like! Download the handout, or print this…
Read MoreSt Mary MacKillop Drama
Get to know this awesome saint with this drama about her life! It can be done with one child or ten making it perfect for classrooms and big groups. The script and instructions to make your own Brown Joey Habit are all included in the free PDF download. Download Script Here Enjoy and tell how the…
Read MoreTwelve Days of Christmas
Christmas is a season not a day. Here are some ideas to make the Christmas spirit last… Beginning on Christmas day and ending on the Feast of the Epiphany (6th January) Christmastide is an ancient tradition, marking celebrations for twelve days. In the Middle Ages, it was a time of continuous feasting and revelry. It…
Read MoreGingerbread Jesse Tree Cookies
Make your family Jesse Tree even more appetising by creating edible ornaments! This is great fun for kids and is also perfect for morning teas after Mass on Sundays during Advent or as a special Christmas gift. Materials: A favourite gingerbread recipe, or try this one we found from taste.com Royal Icing. If you have never made this before, check out…
Read MoreJesse ‘Tea’ Party
Why not host a tea party with an Advent flavour? Serve Gingerbread cookies with Jesse Tree symbols, or draw inspiration from the following ideas: Adam’s Apple– cut apples into thin ‘chips’ Noah’s Ark– remove the flesh of 1/2 a watermelon, fill it with watermelon balls Abraham’s Star– use star fruit Isaac’s Bundle of Sticks– use…
Read MoreNight of Light
Do your own little bit of evangelisation this Halloween and avoid some of the unhealthy, tooth-rotting candy. Why not hand out these little scripture cards with a glow stick or savory snack? The free template comes with four different scripture passages about light. Print it onto think card stock and cut around the dotted lines.…
Read MoreLight it up!
The kids in our street love Halloween, but we don’t really go for the ghoulish costumes and greedy demands for sweets. It is however quite a community event – the only time of the year when we get to meet many of our neighbours. If your children are participating, take care to avoid the pagan…
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