This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I’m feeling called to make our family Easter baskets more “Catholic” this year.

Since we will not be able to celebrate the traditional way that includes Mass, I see an opportunity to spark the faith through our children’s Easter Baskets.

Here’s what I am ordering for our children:

Our 7 year old son:

Brother Lorenzo’s Pretzels*

I recently heard that pretzels were invented by a monk who wanted to reward young children for learning their prayers! This book tells that story!

This is a fun book that teaches about the Holy Trinity is such a fun way!

The story of Brother Lorenzo and how he happened upon a simple teaching tool in his monastery kitchen. This beautifully illustrated book will help pass on an important aspect of faith to children through an entertaining story that offers readers likeable and relatable characters.

*I did order this from Amazon – I’m hoping to get lucky and have it on time for Easter. If not, it’s still a great book for any time of year!

A Miraculous Medal

I like the ball chain look and the silver. Reminds me of army dog tags. The price is right too – only $4.00!

Our 3 Year Old Daughter

A Miraculous Medal necklace from Paradise Jewelry!

A Bumble Gum Bead Catholic Necklace

Saintly Rhymes for Modern Times

I want to add this Story Egg Book and Toy Gift Set, but I’m not sure if we’ll get it on time for Easter! I am sure the twins would LOVE it!

More Easter Gift Ideas: Catholic Candy Free Easter Basket Gifts

Our 3 Year Old Son’s Easter Basket

Stay Close to Christ is still shipping gifts. Our son is REALLY into trucks and trains . . . so I’m thinking this book will grab his attention!

The Children’s Book of Angels

I absolutely love this book is informative and the illustrations are beautiful!

For the Bride to Be

Created for Love: Reflections for the Catholic Bride-to-Be 

For the Tweens and Teens

Stickers from Someday Saints!

The Be Yourself Journal! I have a handful left in stock and can mail it to you this week!

A Miraculous Medal from Telos Art

Holy Socks

Everyone in my house needs socks right now. These are a great gift! And your purchase will also be an act of almsgiving – small businesses always need your support!

For the whole Family

Trappistine Quality Candy

The Trappistine Sisters are a cloistered community who “shelter at home” as a way of life, bringing you added assurance in this Covid-19 environment.

Let them sweeten your Easter in a safe, delicious way! Delivered safely to your door! Added bonus, you are supporting Catholic nuns! Definitely an act of almsgiving with this purchase. Plus, if you message them a prayer request they will certainly pray for you too!

You can always get Catholic Gift Ideas from the Facebook Page Catholic Shopping Bag! Click follow/like and see first so you don’t miss anything!

Want more gift ideas that will ship on time for Easter?

21 Confirmation Gifts that are Holy, Trendy and Look Good in Easter Baskets Too

These are FANTASTIC! 7 Incredibly Fun Catholic Subscription Boxes You Should Give (and Buy for Yourself)

More Easter Gift Ideas: Catholic Candy Free Easter Basket Gifts

Plus the 2019 Stocking Stuffer guide!

The post My Favorite Catholic Easter Basket Gifts appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

I have some wonderful news – there are so many options for your child and teen’s Easter baskets that nurture faith and are totally trendy!

Here are some suggestions for your child/tween and teen’s Easter Baskets!

Men and Boys

You were not made for COMFORT you were made for GREATNESS mens tee shirt

Be Yourself: a Journal for Catholic Boys

Be Yourself: a Journal for Catholic Boys offers engaging and excellent guidance for a young boy to explore and build his relationship with Jesus. There is no other journal out there like this for boys – definitely get one for your sons and nephews ages 9 and up!

Saint Michael the Archangel Socks 

or Frassati Socks

WWI Replica Battle Beads Rosary

For Babies and Toddlers

Chews Life!

We have one ChewsLife Rosary and my twin toddlers both want to hold it when our family is praying the Rosary together. The company has so many different colors to choose from – blue, green, rainbow – these will look so great in an Easter Basket!  I think we are going to have to get another!  I also highly recommend the necklace for Mama’s (great addition to a baby shower gift!) I went through a couple Miraculous Medal necklaces with the past 2 years – babies LOVE to pull on and chew necklaces.

ChewsLife even sells Toddler bracelets!  I am so excited to put one in my daughter’s Easter basket and purchase one for my friend’s daughter too!

Shining Light Dolls

I am loving the Saint Gianna doll – saint and physician . But Shining Light Dolls has expanded their inventory to include SO MUCH MORE THAN DOLLS!  Faith and fine motor skills cross paths in so many of their fun products!

The water reveal cards are great for Easter Baskets, as well as all the different dolls – the classic, the plushies and now – a Blessed Virgin Mary Rag Doll too!

Plus, I highly recommend Shining Light Dolls’ wooden toys too!

Happy Easter Coloring Book!

I am so excited to color these Easter Egg pages with my daughter!

Toddler, Pre-school and Young Catholics

Saintly Heart has an incredible selection of toys and games for babies, toddlers and pre-school aged children!

The Saintly Heart Tattoos are perfect for inside plastic Easter eggs (and my 5 year old LOVES tattoos – I think this will be the second year she gets these!!)

But Saintly Heart also has fine motor skill toys based on the Catholic Faith and wooden blocks that are also a huge hit in our house!

Definitely check out:

The Easter Play Set

The Bath Toys!!! (Saint Florian, patron of Firefighters and Saint Francis themes!!)

The Fatima Lacing Set

The Brother Francis Mass Set

and more!

For Teens and Tweens

Pink Salt Riot has an Easter box for Tweens!!!

The Easter Box for Tweens is a great gift this year because

1. It is BRAND NEW!  Just debuted in 2023
2. It is filled with springy things that delight her sense of style and turn her attention back to Christ’s glorious Resurrection – without a cheesy sentiment in sight.
3. It’s already done for you!

Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire!” Those words are at the heart of Be Yourself! A Journal for Catholic Girls, which is designed to help girls explore their identity and purpose in life in light of the wisdom of the Catholic Church, including half a dozen female saints.Packed with gorgeous, full-color line art, quizzes, journaling questions, and inspirational quotes from the Catechism and Scripture, the Be Yourself! journal leads girls to discover that they are beautifully and wonderfully made…and that they have a unique, God-given mission and purpose in the world. Recommended for ages 9 and up.

The latest review of the Be Yourself Journal, found on PrayerWineChocolate’s website is from Doug and Grace Johnson.  (Grace is the 12 year old daughter of Doug and Abby Johnson):

Part of the 5 Star Review states:

Grace would even tell you that it’s easy to get caught up in this journal. She’ll plan on spending 5 minutes working in it and before she knows it, an hour has passed by. She enjoys reflecting parts she has already read or worked on as well as exploring new parts of the book. Again, just a great tool for catechizing and connecting young girls to their faith.

I am also loving the Frassati socks for girls – I think it’s the pastel colors that just say Easter and Spring to me!

For Women

Prayer Wine Chocolate Apparel and Wine Tumblers!

The Light Gray Prayer Wine Chocolate Hooded Sweatshirt is perfect for a cool day on the beach!

I love mine – a soft, classic piece and with a convenient pouch pocket that definitely comes in handy!

Catholic Stickers

There are a growing number of “Catholic Stickers” being produced (which makes me so happy – I had a sticker book growing up)!

Some of the places you can purchase Catholic Stickers are:

Etsy (click here to see lots of Catholic stickers)

Subscribe to Prayer Wine Chocolate and receive 10 free resources!

The post Catholic Candy Free Easter Baskets appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

This post contains affiliate or associate links with several businesses (which means if you shop through the links, I earn a small commission). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Whether you are the Godparent or sponsor; parent, grandparent, Aunt or Uncle . . . it’s nice to get some new ideas for gifts around the Sacrament Season.

This week I will be honored to stand as my niece’s sponsor.  Somehow she’s going to high school next year!  My how time flies.

Being given the chance to stand as her sponsor, I can’t help but think of my sister, who is now in her 30’s.  Years ago, I was her sponsor too.

I’m feeling compelled to give them both gifts.

Do you desire to give gifts that inspire?  Are you looking for some “holy but trendy” gifts that hopefully will be treasured and will increase the recipients faith?

Here are some suggestions:

The most up to date Catholic Catalog is here!  Made just a few months ago,   Many more ideas for Confirmation gifts included :). Get it here:2023 Cozy Catholic Christmas Catalog

Curious about the CATHOLIC BEST SELLERS in 2024? Check out this post: The Most Popular Catholic Gifts in 2024

Money

Ok, that’s not inspiring.  But honestly, I look back on those Sacraments and I am so grateful my parents threw me a party and my Aunts and Uncles gave me money.  That money went into my savings and stayed there for a little while.  It helped me go to my prom, and eventually grew into college tuition money.  It’s not unique, but it is helpful and it is appreciated.  However, I suggest you give something with it.  Here are some ideas:

Does the person you are shopping for have a smart phone?  Perhaps they would like the Hallow App!!!

This is an incredible gift to give!  The Hallow App has prayers led by Bishop Barren, Mark Wahlberg and so many others.  The app includes music, Scripture readings, even podcast like courses.

Tee-shirt with a Trendy Rosary

This is a great gift for a young woman or young man from teens to adults.

For the men: 

I love this shirt with a quote from Pope Benedict!

A great message for every Christian to remember when times are tough and they need to push through.THE WORLD OFFERS YOU
COMFORT
YOU WERE NOT MADE FOR COMFORT
YOU WERE MADE FOR
GREATNESS
-Pope Benedict XVI

Alternative options for Men’s Shirts:

Armed and Dangerous Catholic Tee

Add the coolest Rosary ever (in my opinion):

WWI Battle Beads® Catholic Military Combat Rosary in Gun Metal

You can see a handful of options from Rugged Rosaries here on Etsy!

Silver Combat Rosaries

Gunmetal WWI Rosary

My husband and son both have WWI Battle Beads Rosaries and love them!

Another great Confirmation gift for boys is a comic or book from Voyage Comics and Publishing!

Digital Disciple: Carlo Acutis and The Eucharist

Spider-Man and Faith: Essays on Christian Truth in the Spiderverse

More comics and gifts based on The Sword of Saint Michael, Saint Maximillian Kolbe and more.

Highly recommend perusing the shop at Voyage Comics and pairing a few gifts with the Boys’ Be Yourself Journal.

For women: 

Petite Fleur Catholic Shop has a lot of pretty shirts!

I am a huge fan of Pio Prints Tees! Pio Prints has so many inspiring, strong, empowering quotes on soft, stylish shirts.  They are my favorite Catholic tees!  See all the choices here: Pio Print Tees for women and youth.  

A Vintage Catholic Rosary

This French Vintage Heirloom Rosary from Della Madonna is exquisite.

For a more economic option, check out Refuge Rosaries.

Add a fun “Taylor Swift style” Catholic bracelet – the words are quite inspiring!!!

A Cozy Catholic Blanket!

This Ave Maria Blanket is lovely! Made by Petite Fleur Studios, this sweet & feminine design makes this throw blanket a perfect Confirmation gift or birthday gift for a special lady in your life! This soft silk touch throw blanket that’s ideal for lounging on the couch during chilly evenings.

Socks! 

From Saint Michael to Bl. Pier Giorgio – these socks are such a unique, fun and practical gift!  I love how you can get them for guys and girls!  Here are a few favorites! Sock Religious has a ton of saints to choose from!

Jewelry

First and foremost, I can not stress enough how many graces truly come from wearing a Miraculous Medal!  I love the simple style of this one: Telos Art Miraculous Medals (the small options are the best!) 

If you shop from Telos, use coupon code AMY10 for a discount!

A classic, simple and beautiful option from Telos is this Crucifix and Miraculous Medal necklace

Telos Art Shop has a variety of beautiful options for both women and men!

If you shop from Telos, use coupon code AMY10 for a discount!

And these are not just for women.  My dad, who still lifts weights almost every day (true story) and is in his 60’s wears one.  His looks like this: Silver Toned Oval Miraculous Medal

One Decade Rosary Bracelets are popular and stylish.  Rugged Rosaries has a Jujube Wood Rosary Bracelet that looks both masculine and trendy.

For girls and women,

 Give Love and Blessings all have a great selection.

More gift ideas in this post: Dynamic Duos: These Catholic Gifts Go Great Together

Books

A Catholic Bible! I probably should have made that number one on the list.

For women, there are a few journaling bibles out there.

Journaling Bibles are AWESOME!

***If you purchase a journaling bible, add some journal colored gell pens and colored pencils too!!

For men, The Catholic Mens Bible the Great Adventure Bible that is used by Father Mike in the Bible in a Year Podcast is a great choice.For a younger recipient consider the Catholic Youth Bible

Some other books to seriously consider are:

The Other Side of Beauty by Leah Darrow

Manual for Spiritual Warfare

And, of course, Be Yourself: A Journal for Catholic Girls

A recent reviewer of Be Yourself: a Journal for Catholic Girls states:

“One evening, I discovered the girls journaling, coloring, and doodling on its cute pages. As I looked at the book and began to read over it, I was so impressed with how beautiful, uplifting, and uniquely Catholic this journal was! I wish I had something like this when I was a teen girl! With handwritten “letters” from the Saints, amazing scripture verse coloring, quizzes, and creating your own Novenas, this journal was so impressive…”

And now there is Be Yourself: A Catholic Journal for Boys!!!

Be Yourself: A Journal for Catholic Boys

is designed for boys to understand their identity and individuality, with the help of their Catholic faith.

Packed full of great art, quizzes, journaling questions, quotes from the saints, Scripture verses, and passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Be Yourself journal helps boys become the men God created them to be.

Ages 9 and up.

want more gift ideas?  Check out The Best Catholic Gifts of 2023

Temporary Tatoos

– I love this for the junior high student (but know some grown up women that love them too)!  Just Love Prints has two right now – one that says, “Be Not Afraid” in JPII’s handwriting and the other is in Blessed Pier Giorgio’s handwriting!

A Sword – 

 I kid you not, I asked some Catholic moms for ideas, and one told me she got her son a sword for his Confirmation – now all her kids can’t wait to be confirmed!

It’s a great reminder that throughout life, they will be a spiritual warrior!

In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the hemet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6: 16-17

Holy Candy made by Nuns

A Crucifix

A Sticker Bundle

The Best Catholic Sticker Bundles are found in the three following shops:

Stump of Jesse

Sweet Little Ones Shop 

This Saint Gianna sticker is from Kidderbug Kreations!

and 

Just Love Prints

If I am being perfectly honest here . . .

I want one of these!

A fond childhood memory of mine is a sticker collection!

In fact, I wrote a whole post on Catholic Stickers!  Catholic Sticker Heaven!

Find more Catholic Shops over at catholicinfluencers.com

Want more gift ideas?  Check out these awesome gift guide posts!

Curious about the CATHOLIC BEST SELLERS in 2024? Check out this post: The Most Popular Catholic Gifts in 2024

The Best Catholic Etsy Shops (recent post, Divine Delights: Unveiling the Best Catholic Etsy Shops)

The most up to date Catholic Catalog is here!  Made just a few months ago,   Many more ideas for Confirmation gifts included :). Get it here :2023 Cozy Catholic Christmas Catalog

The post 21 Confirmation Gifts That Are Holy, Trendy and Look Great in Easter Baskets Too! appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

This article contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!

1. Heaven is For Real for Kids

I loved the adult version of this book!  I look forward to sharing Colton’s story with my son!

2. Caleb’s Colt

My son picked this out of his school library.  I love the angle it takes to tell the story of Palm Sunday! He couldn’t sit through the whole book, but when he walked away I finished reading it myself!

3. Paddy and the Wolves: A Story about Saint Patrick

This is a new book about Saint Patrick!  It’s about a boy that can’t sit still during prayers!  I know one of those quite well!

4.  The Little Flower: A Parable of Saint Therese’

St. Therese’, as a young girl, wants to do things her big sisters and older people do in order to show how much they love God. Therese’ wants to do lots of things, but, unfortunately, she is just “not old enough”. Most children have had this desire and because of that they will immediately connect with the story. Read more about this book here: Beautiful Little Flowers: The Little Flower Book Review

5. Dear Pope Francis: The Pope Answers Letters from Children Around the World

So cute and a great reference book!

6. Why Am I Here?

This book was written by Matthew Kelly.  Since I can’t put down his book Resisting Happiness, and can’t help but recommend a child’s book by him as well!

7. A Child’s Book of the Mass

I have just recently been introduced to the Catechisis of the Good Shepherd and I am so interested in it! I am hoping to get my son enrolled in a class around our home next year.  One of the pioneers of the Catechisis of the Good Shepherd in the Philadelphia area wrote this book!  I bought it for our son and recommend it!

8. God’s Wisdom for Little Boys:Character Building Fun from the Proverbs

I love this new book – especially since it rhymes!  There is something about books that rhyme that catch my son’s attention more and have him wanting to hear it again and again!  There is also a volume for little girls: God’s Wisdom for Little Girls!

9. The Littlest Angel

Although this is a Christmas book, it is still a great story!

10. My First Taggies Book: Thank You Prayer

Babies.love.tags.

11.  Only God Can Make a Kitten

My friend and fellow blogger, Brittany (Everyday Thoughts) recommends this book.  She reviewed it and since then has given it as gift!

12. You Are Special

I have heard that everything by the author is great!

13.  God is Good All the Time

14. God Gave Us You

15.  The Weight of a Mass: A Tale of Faith

A lovely fable recommended by a friend!

16.  How Big is God?

17.  The Clown of God

Another Christmas story, but highly recommended!

18. Pete Feet and Fish to Eat

This one was recommended by a friend and I am already loving it!

19. Hail Mary 

I love this board book!  Not only i it great for very young tots, but it is an awesome way to teach older children the Hail Mary!

20.  The Princess and the Kiss: A Story of God’s Gift of Purity

21. Saints on the Go

I keep meaning to order this for my son!

The post Prayer, Juice, and Skittles: Faith books for Littles appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

In our effort to keep our spirits high, my husband and I gave one another Easter baskets.

And now, we have a child!  And this year, finally . . . he’s old enough to “get it”.  I am not sure how I can explain the excitement I had when I walked into Stutz Candy Shop!

I love gift giving. I love gift shopping. And now I have real reason to do both on Easter.

But as I walk around the store, I see gift ideas for my son, for all of my friends’ daughters, for my grown up friends, for my husband and for me.

If you need or want ideas for a grown man’s Easter Basket . . . I got you covered with a whole other post!  Check out Men and Diabetics like Easter Baskets Too!

We are lucky enough to be invited several places on Easter.  Giving a hostess gift is always a great way to say thank you, and walking around Stutz Candy  provided some unique ideas.

Some of the following are affiliate links for which I am compensated. I try to keep these relevant and few in number, but they help me to continue to provide this service.

For Women – Young and Older:

1. Candy Coated Chocolate Seashells – When I saw these I immediately thought of five different people I wanted to give them too.  Any beach lover would love these – especially since we are getting closer to ideal beach weather!
2. Easter/Spring decorated Chocolate Covered Pretzels – I had planned on giving these as a hostess gift, but after taking several pictures they fell and broke open.  I thought, well, I’ll eat one and re-package the others.  They are gone.  I think I might have to order more . . .
3. Brix Chocolate for Wine Pairing – I love this chocolate, especially since it tells you which chocolate goes with which wine on the box!  Perfect to give a friend, girlfriend, wife, or hostess with a bottle of wine!
4. Little Lessons from St. Therese of Lisieux Book – This book is an absolute treasure!  Appropriate for an older daughter or even a Mom, Aunt, Grandmother, Goddaughter or friend.  If you like to put books in Easter baskets, I highly recommend this book for any daughter ages 12 and up.  I also think it would make an adult Easter basket look absolutely stunning – and adds prayer to the wine and chocolate already in there
5. Mystic Monk Tea or Coffee – Some people enjoy a cup of tea more than a glass of wine.  This is the perfect alternative.  And I love how it was prayerfully made by monks!
6. A bottle of wine.
7. A pre-made Easter Basket – Some people don’t enjoy the shopping and putting the Easter Basket together part.  I have to admit, sometimes it’s frustrating when you have an idea in mind of how you want it to look – and it doesn’t turn out that way!  And since we are down to the wire with time – this may be the best way to go!! Easter Basket Ready to Gift!

For Children:

1. Candy that looks like legos!  Yes!  I was so excited when I saw this!  Our son doesn’t play with legos yet, but I know he will be so excited about this candy! I imagine a lego fan would LOVE these!
2. The Little Flower: A Parable about St. Therese – This book is stunning and has the most beautiful, uplifting message. This is the perfect gift for a little girl – ages 1 day to 10 years old. I wrote a whole post about it here: Beautiful Little Flowers: The Little Flower Book Review.
3. Books for boys and girls – Press Here is a great one!  So is Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes.  When we are at story time in the library, 20 three year olds are totally silent and mesmerized by this book!
4. A Chocolate Easter Bunny – I love how Stutz has so many choices – including an Easter Bunny on a motorcycle!  I also love how Stutz has a variety of chocolate crosses as well.
5. Stickers! – Stickers are so fun – and not expensive at all!
6. Retro Candy – What a fun way to walk down memory lane with our kids!
7. Lamb Prayer Buddy – Adding a stuffed animal to an Easter Basket gives it a little more love.  This stuffed animal reminds us who the holiday is about and is simply adorable! This stuffed animal is great for boys and girls – and all ages!

And before I go . . .

HAPPY EASTER!  I hope you have a wonderful time celebrating the Lord’s Resurrection!

I also hope you enjoy dying Easter Eggs, seeing family, participating in egg hunts and eating candy :).  I am sure that if you have children, I do not have to remind you that they are the greatest blessing from above.  I do ask you to remember that some couples are still hoping and praying to be blessed with children – so holidays can be tough.  If you know a couple, please consider giving them a little something – a little extra love – and most importantly – words of hope and prayers for God to bless them with a child or children to love.

And post those Easter Egg pics!  Those pastel colors make the world a little brighter!

God Bless!

Love and Prayers,

Amy <3

The post Prayer, Wine, Chocolate, Easter. appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

Even though my husband Matt has diabetes, I still put together an Easter Basket for him. Maybe it’s because we were married without children for so long, it seemed to make the house happier – or maybe we are just huge dorks that like to pretend to be the Easter Bunny once a year.  Either way, we have fun with it!  Luckily, there is an awesome candy store – Stutz Candy – that has a huge selection of sugar free candy.  Now, all things in moderation of course – but these treats put a huge smile on his face and that makes me happy :)!

What I’m putting in my husband’s Easter Basket (or have in the past):

Some links are affiliate links. Thank you for allowing prayerwinechocolate to continue!

Sugar-free Candy

1. A box of assorted chocolates
2. Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs
3. A Sugar Free Chocolate Bunny – I could not find a link to that on Stutz’ website, but I did find this awesome bundle on Amazon!
4. Sugar Free Gummi Bears 

Beer and Beer related stuff

1. Brew Like a Monk
2. Assorted beers from a craft beer store
3. A Chimay glass

Random Gifts that are not “unhealthy”

1. Men’s Health Magazine
2. A Miraculous Medal
3. Lottery Tickets!

Coffee

1. Mystic Monk Coffee – So good – and they have k-cups!!
2. Star Wars Mug
3. Star Wars Lightsaber Mugs – they light up when you pour hot coffee in them!! – can you tell how excited I am about this find?  I know my husband will LOVE these!  I will happily get rid of mugs in our cabinet so he can enjoy his morning a little more with coffee in his new favorite mugs

Laughter

1. A fun T-Shirt – Last year I went with a Bazinga Tee (if you watch The Big Bang Theory you probably can picture the Sheldon shirt); this year, I found this – and it’s HILARIOUS!
2. Brian Regan CD – This is my favorite comedian.  This CD will have you laughing so much that if you are driving, you might have to pull over!

Do you put an Easter Basket together for a grown-up you love?  I would love to hear what you put in it!

The post Men and Diabetics like Easter Baskets Too! appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

Do you remember being young, and wanting to do something that you could not do because you “weren’t big enough”? Whether it’s your three-year-old who wants to use a jackhammer or your tween that wants a cell phone, we find ourselves telling our children, “when you’re older”.  Most children have heard this from their parents.  Most children would rather not hear it.

St. Therese’ didn’t want to hear it either.

The Little Flower: A Parable about St. Therese’ is an absolute beautiful reminder of how we all make the world radiant.  Whether we are feeding the poor in a third world country, or reaching out to a classmate that feels excluded, when we act out of love, we glorify the Lord.

I LOVE this book for so many reasons, but I will condense them into three!

3 Reasons Why I LOVE The Little Flower: A Parable of St. Therese’:

1. Children can relate to the main character.

   St. Therese’, as a young girl, wants to do things her big sisters and older people do in order to show how much they love God. Therese’ wants to do lots of things, but, unfortunately, she is just “not old enough”. Most children have had this desire and because of that they will immediately connect with the story.

2. The book is a spring board for so many discussions and activities!  

   I read The Little Flower: A Parable of St. Therese’ to three six year old girls.  Each time I read the book I asked questions like, “If you were a flower, what color would you be?” “Which page of the book is your favorite?”  “Which flower is your favorite?”.  I loved how each little girl answered the questions differently!  I then printed out out some free coloring pages of flowers.  The three young ladies picked a total different page to color.  If I had them all together, I could have asked what they liked about the other persons flowers, and discussed how each one was beautiful.  I could then have discussed how God made every little girl beautiful.  We could discuss how we are all different and we all love God in different ways.  I could go on and on!  It’s a great book that can be used to build self-esteem, nurture a young child’s faith and provide an opportunity for a parent and child to get to know one another a little better (you never know what they will say when you start asking questions)!  This book is a  great opportunity for a mom to show her daughter which flower she likes the best – and how maybe she liked a different flower when she was little.  A dad could tell his son what he couldn’t wait to do when he was older!

3. The illustrations are gorgeous and exude happiness! 

   My words will not do these pictures justice. When you open this book you see flowers everywhere, beautiful days, friendly people and radiant colors.  I don’t know where I heard Tina Fey say, “I want to go there”, but I think of that when I look at this book. I want to hop inside these pictures “Mary Poppins and Bert” style!

What is your favorite flower?  My friend Kate’s is the pansy, and until reading The Little Flower: A Parable of St. Therese of Liseux, I did not know what a pansy looked like! When I asked Kate’s daughter to point out her favorite page, she picked the page with the pansy.  So cute right!?

Reading this book is a great way to say goodbye to Winter and hello to Spring with your children! It would be a great addition to an Easter basket, an awesome birthday present or even a wonderful First Holy Communion gift!

Author Becky Arganbright  and illustrator Tracey Arvidson did an amazing job.  I hope they have another book coming out soon!

Want One?

Purchase your copy here: The Little Flower: A Parable of St. Therese’

The post Beautiful Little Flowers: The Little Flower Book Review appeared first on Prayer Wine Chocolate.

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This event did not take place years ago, but weeks ago.  The Sister that was walking through the woods was one of fifty nuns that live at Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Massachusetts. When news reporters called the Abbey, the Sister did not reveal her name, and turned down several opportunities to be interviewed.

The Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, or more commonly, the Trappistines, maintain a life of silence and solitude.  These religious women dedicate their lives to prayer and contemplation.  The Rule that governs their lives requires them to live by the work of their own hands.  The Sisters offer the work of candy making to God, and it allows them to live in a self-supporting community.

The profit that Trappistine Quality Candy generates allows the Sisters to share with the poor and supports communal life.

The Sisters of Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey are celebrating 60 years of candy making this year.  On February 9, 1956, the Sisters made their first batch of caramels.

Eventually, the Sisters started to experiment with chocolate and created new candies.  In 1957, Butternut crunch was born and very soon became (and continues to be) a bestseller.

Help the Sisters celebrate their 60th year of candy making!  Order some of their amazing sweets for you or someone you love – just because! I mean, you would be helping nuns by buying chocolate – it’s a win/win AND God is happy too, I’m sure! The Dark Chocolate goes great with Red Wine – and the Butternut Crunch goes great with anything and everything!!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Sisters’ Consecrated Life, a DVD was produced this year and can be ordered from their website: Trappistine Quality Candy.

How challenging it must be in this day and age to compete with corporations that rely on anything but humility to sell their products.  This candy sells, not because of a great marketing strategy or a cute mascot, but because it’s simply delicious.  Must be the added prayers ;).

Enjoy!

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As a young school student, maybe around the age of 11, I often wondered what I was supposed to think about when I prayed. I thought of asking a priest if I should picture the words of the prayers, as if I was imagining them written across a chalkboard . . . or, should I be thinking of something else? Jesus’ face perhaps?

What strikes me about this memory the most are not the questions I had, but the fact that I did not think of asking my parents those questions.  My faith is the greatest gift my parents gave me.  They taught me to pray before meals, before I went to sleep at night, to go to Mass every Sunday, to pray the Rosary, participate in the Sacraments, and so on.  Yet, I did not think of asking them how to pray.  Perhaps if I saw a book laying around called “77 Ways to Pray with Your Kids“, it would have hit me – hey, ask mom or dad, she (or he) bought that book!  Maybe.

Praying with a 3 year old

At this point in my life, I a am still in motherhood bootcamp.  My oldest and only (so far) is a very active 3 year old.  He is starting to say the prayers he hears my husband and I pray, but I use the term “say” loosely.  When he prays “Bless Us, O Lord” or the “Our Father” I think we can identify about five English (or any human language) words.  In short, he has absolutely no idea what he is saying.

How 77 Ways to Pray helps 

By page 19 of “77 Ways to Pray . . .” the author, Jerry Windley-Daoust, had both assured me that I was doing some things right and gave me a handful of ideas that would help me work with the Holy Spirit and guide my son to a closer relationship with Jesus. Windley-Daoust also provides awesome ideas including craft or craft-like projects (table triangles, placemats, paper prayer chains and thanksgiving murals to name a few) and really provides approaches for all age groups and attention spans.  The book focuses on three main age groups (3+, 7+ and 13+) but also includes baby prayers and really enriches the reader as well.  When I almost drew pictures of hearts on the page that collaborated prayer and chore time, I knew he had walked a mile in my shoes.  As a stay-at-home parent, the author experienced the old adage “necessity is the mother of invention” and came up with many ways to truly be his children’s first teacher. The brevity of the book makes it easy to use as a reference, but also recommends other works to refer to on the journey to nourish your child’s soul.

As a practicing Catholic I found the book to even provide a few new lessons on my own spiritual journey.  Even though I was educated in Catholic schools from first grade to graduate school, I had never heard the term Lectio Divina and was compelled to look it up.  I was also extremely impressed with how rooted in Scripture so many activities were.  I found myself visualizing ways to incorporate short prayers found in the Bible to connect with a teenager.  For example, as a runner, I know a cross country race is extremely nerve wracking.  How awesome would it be to find “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 left by your mom or dad in your lunch or sports bag before a meet.  My point is, the book not only offers great ideas, but also stimulates more ideas in the reader.

Although the work gives great advice for any Christian family to use, the work stresses the importance of the Sacraments and the challenges that come along with them.  Although I am sure many Christian families have to find a way to reach the teen that no longer wants to go to church on Sunday, Catholics have the added challenge of, “why can’t I just ask God for forgiveness directly”.  77 Ways gives suggestions on how to deal with these unique, but common, questions.

There are also small pieces of advice that I absolutely love in this book.  For example, “walk to Mass”.  I remember complaining when we walked as a family growing up.  But, how much does a walk calm a soul – or allow a little one to burn off energy?  It’s meditative.  Another reminder that Eucharistic adoration is better to attend for ten minutes than no minutes at all.  From “God’s mailbox” to a prayer journal, having this book is just one tool that will help parents who truly desire to nurture the souls in which God has entrusted them.

Now that I have read the book . . .

I’m excited to make a visit to adoration today (although it will only be 10 minutes), look into the prayer apps that “77 Ways to Pray . . .” recommends, and really start considering the prayer rug suggestion for my “constant ants-in-pants” son!  Having this book as a reference will really help our family through the years.

 If you are interested in learning more about how to purchase 77 Ways to Pray with Your Kids, Click here: 77 WAYS TO PRAY WITH YOUR KIDS

How do you pray with your children?  Are there any activities that really excite your children and refresh your prayer life?  Please share!!

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