Yummy Cupcakes for any ocassion!

Hi Moms, Grandmas & Care givers

It’s that time of the year again, kids are back to school,  play dates, school parties and birth day parties seem to be every weekend. Sometimes you just need to make a quick dessert that is semi-homemade. Any box of cake mix from any brand can yield many yummy cup cakes. You can personalize it with your own simple ganache, frosting or brightly covered icing. Here are some of my favorite quick and easy recipes. Kids love baking and it is also a fun way to teach them math and science! Enjoy. Maddy always gives me thumbs up!

Butter cream frosting
vanilla cupcakes with buttercream and chocolates 4oz butter
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 tablespoons milk

1. Have butter and milk at room temperature.

2. Place butter in small bowl of electric mixer and beat until butter is as white as possible.

3. Gradually add about half the sifted icing sugar, beating constantly.

4. Beat in the remaining icing sugar.

5. Mixture should be smooth and easy to spread with a spatula. Add extra milk or icing sugar until cupcake frosting is of a spreadable consistency.

Glace frosting
2 cups icing (confectioner’s) sugar
3 tblspns soft butter
2 tblspns boiling water

1. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the butter and hot water.

2. Mix until smooth.

3. Spread the frosting over the cupcakes.

Ganache
chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting and sprinkles(4 1/2 fl oz) whipping cream
(8oz) plain chocolate

1. Put chocolate and cream into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring until chocolate has melted and mixture is smooth.

2. Transfer to bowl of an electric mixer and beat until cool and thick.

3. Frosting can be used to spread over cupcakes or piped as decoration.

Cream Cheese frosting
80g cream cheese
60g soft butter
2 cups icing (confectioners) sugar
1tspn lemon rind

1. Beat cheese, butter and lemon rind in small bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and beat until smooth.

Maddy likes anything messy!

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Picnic Video & Photos

All of us had a wonderful time on Saturday. Below is short footage of our kids at play and moms at work!

We hope to see even more kids next year!

Picnic 2010 (click here)

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Parish Picnic

Parish Picnic

Our parish picnic was fun for everyone. Take a look!

Our kids jumped, laughed, ate, painted and made lots of friends

Our Parish Moms enjoyed making arts & crafts with the kids

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Respira, Cuenta 1,2,3,4…..10! y Ora…

Image by: dino_olivieri, Flickr.com

La Maternidad en mi opinión es el regalo mas hermoso que Dios le ha permitido a la Mujer, es toda una bendición que nos llena de tanta alegria y satisfacción, nos rebosa el corazon de mas amor para nuestra familia y para con los demás, nos cambia la vida convirtiendonos en personas nuevas. Mas aun asi, este tesoro tiene sus altas y bajas. Claro que Si!

Que nadie me diga que este es un trabajo facil, porque lo desmentiré, es hermoso SI, pero hay que contar con mucha paciencia para llevarlo a cabo, y esto no lo digo para asustar a nuevos padres, sino para que entiendan que es una realidad y que se debe enfrentar con mucho amor.

Image de: Sanutri, alimentación para tu bebe, Flickr.com

Cuando nos nace un bebe, no nos viene con un libro de  instrucciones, o con un manual de como Criar, Y aunque hay muchos libros que nos podrian ayudar a ser mejores padres, son nuestros corazones, las costumbres y  enseñanzas recibidas de nuestros padres, los que nos dicen como criar a nuestros hijos.

Hace unas semanas en el grupo de Madres de la Parroquia, hice una pregunta que me inspiro en este articulo. ¿Que ha sido lo  mas dificil para ti como Madre o como Abuela con relacion a la maternidad?

Entre el grupo de personas a quienes se hizo esta pregunta estaban una madre primeriza, abuelas, madre de tres niños entre 10 años a 11 meses, madre de dos una de 10 años y otro de 18 meses, abuelas a cargo de cuidar sus nietos, y yo madre de tres en edades de 4 años y 15 meses y en espera del cuarto.

Imegen cortesia de: Libertinus, Flickr.com

Como nosotras muchos son los casos que se presentan en las familias de hoy. Lo que me llama la atencion son las diferentes dificultades por la que atravesamos cada uno y que sin importar la cantidad de hijos, estas siempre terminan siendo las mismas.

Por ejemplo entre las respuestas que encontramos estaban:

El temor de ser padres por primera vez, y no saber si lo que estas haciendo esta correcto  o no.

El que otros se dirijan hacia ti aconsejandote, porque según los demás todo lo que estas haciendo esta mal.

El tener que sacrificar ese tiempo libre que antes tenias, e incluso con tu pareja, ya que ahora te debes a alguien mas.

El no saber como lidiar con varios niños a la vez, en especial cuando sus edades varian entre mas de 5 años entre ellos. O cuando estan peleando uno con otros.

El no querer delegar funciones  y responsabilidades a nadie mas, porque sientes que es algo que te corresponde  hacer, entonces no permites que nadie te ayude y terminas cansada fisica y mentalmente.

El como madres tampoco permitir al padre cumplir  y participar en sus responsabilidades, o como padre no querer enfrentarla.

El sacrificar esas ricas noches de sueños, esos dias de descanso, incluso a veces esos ricos baños de hasta una hora ( los cuales se convierten de 15 minutos).

El no saber como repartirte entre todos de igual manera, sin que nadie se sienta abandonado.

El como corregir a tus hijos sin que te odien, o teman a ti. O como tomar control de una situación sin herir sus sentimientos.

El como criar a tus hijos con valores y dentro del amor de Dios, dado a como esta la sociedad hoy en dia.

Y la lista no termina, sé que muchos padres atravesamos por situaciones dificiles, situaciones que para enfrentarlas tenemos que respirar y contar no hasta 10 sino hasta 100 si es posible. Cuando me pongo a analizar estas cosas veo que solo son pequeñeces, compárandolas con aquellos padres que estan enfrentando situaciones mucho mas dificiles como enfermedades, la perdida de un hijo o de un padre, la soledad, situaciones economicas, probelmas matrimoniales, etc.

Sin embargo no importa las dificultades que tengamos que atravesar,  pensemos que es mucho mas lo que recibimos de nuestros hijos, las bendiciones, los abrazos, el amor incondicional, la fortaleza que nos dan, la felicidad de verlos crecer, el alivio que te dan cuando algo pasa, y mas. Dios nos envia estos angeles para que los cuidemos aqui en la tierra y para que aprendamos a amarlo a El.

Aprendamos a reconocer a Dios a traves del don de la maternidad, que veamos su rostro en el rostro de nuestros hijos,  que sepamos decir Gracias Señor en momentos buenos y malos y que acudamos a El cuando no sepamos que hacer, El es el unico que todo lo puede.

Es por ello que quiero compartir no mi consejo, mas bien mi experiencia practica  que no te quitara mucho tiempo, es el de Respirar, contar hasta 10 y pedir a Dios la gracia de ser Paciente. Tambien dejarte saber mi secreto, La Oracion, arma y herramienta para todo momento y para acercarnos a Dios. Aqui dejo contigo algunos de los salmos que utilizo yo cuando mi corazón esta a punto de vencerse.

Salmo 27:1-2, 7-8

1 A ti, oh Señor, clamo;

Roca mía, no me desatiendas; *
para que no sea yo, dejándome tú,
semejante a los que descienden a la fosa.
2 Oye la voz de mis ruegos cuando clamo a ti, *

cuando alzo mis manos hacia tu lugar santísimo.
7 ¡Bendito sea el Señor! *

porque ha oído la voz de mis ruegos.
8 El Señor es mi fortaleza y mi escudo; *

en él confía mi corazón, y fui ayudado.
AMEN.

Salmo 68; 2-4, 17.

2 Dios mío, sálvame, 

que me llega el agua al cuello: 
3 me estoy hundiendo en un cieno profundo 
y no puedo hacer pie; 
he entrado en la hondura del agua, 
me arrastra la corriente. 
4 Estoy agotado de gritar, 
tengo ronca la garganta; 
se me nublan los ojos 
de tanto aguardar a mi Dios.
17 Respóndeme, Señor, con la bondad de tu gracia; 

por tu gran compasión, vuélvete hacia mí.
AMEN.

Amigos Que la Gracia de Dios les acompañe siempre y matenganse firme en la Oracion.

Bendiciones.



Posted in Mamas de la Parroquia. | 2 Comments

Back to School – Lunch Box Notes

Lunch boxes will never be the same again! Add an extra special touch and a bit of love to your child’s lunch box every day with Lunch Box Notes!

Funny – educational – inspirational – motivational – positive – they will all be eagerly awaited by your children!

  • Tuck Lunch Box Notes  into a pocket, a shoe, or a breakfast bowl.
  • Sneak one into your child’s satchel .
  • Pop one into a pencil case or onto a pillow at bedtime.

 

Why use Lunch Box Notes?

  • Encourage reading
  • Remind your child that you are thinking of them
  • Make your child feel special
  • They are fun, educational and motivational too!

There are a variety of packs in the Lunch Box Notes range: Bible Verses, Jokes, Tongue Twisters and Words. Each pack consists of a 1-page pdf file containing 8 small cards with a message and graphics that children love!

You print them and cut them out, visit www.etsy.com/shop/theuniqueday  and mention this code TUDPM2010 and receive this file free !!!

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September 14 is the Feast of the Holy Cross

Making the sign of the cross — as we do during the blessing — means saying a visible and public “yes” to the One who died and rose for us, to God who in the humility and weakness of His love is the Almighty, stronger than all the power and intelligence of the world.

-Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus
September 11, 2005

The Sign of the Cross
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Signum Crucis
In nómine Patris et Fílii et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.

One of the first prayers a Catholic child hears — and learns to pray, is the invocation of the Blessed Trinity “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Very tiny children often try to imitate others around the table who invoke the Trinity thus while making the sign of the cross.

This Christian sign is a very ancient one, mentioned by the early Fathers of the Church as being a habitual practice by the second century. Tertullian recounts that “in all our travels in all our coming in and going out, in putting on our shoes, at the bath, at the table we mark our foreheads with the sign of the cross.” This sign or mark on the forehead of consecration to Christ has an antecedent in Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of judgment, in which the Lord commands that a “mark be set upon the foreheads” of the Israelites who cry out against the evil which surrounds them, so that by this mark God’s people were identified as belonging to Him and saved from annihilation [Ezekiel: 9:4-6]. Other biblical references to “sealing” God’s people with a sign on their heads are found in the Apocalypse (or Revelation) 7:4, 9:4.

This sacramental “mark” is important to Catholic people to this day. We are baptized with this sign and this seal of the Holy Trinity. We are anointed, at baptism and at confirmation, by the priest making the sign of the cross on our foreheads with the Oil of Chrism (the oil blessed by bishops at the Mass of Chrism on Holy Thursday). The sign and the chrism are also used at the ordination of a priest or bishop. In administering the sacrament of the sick the priest anoints the person with the sign of the cross made with blessed oil. Also, on Ash Wednesday, our foreheads are marked by the priest with the sign of the cross made with blessed palm ashes.

Another form of the sign of the cross is made by the priest several times during the celebration of Mass and when he grants absolution and gives other priestly blessings, by making an invisible cross with the the first two fingers and thumb of his right hand extended. A similar gesture of blessing is made when a priest blesses religious objects (these objects used in worship are also called sacramental), such as rosaries, medals, vestments and articles used used in connection with Mass.

Parents find that even infants can learn to make the sign of the cross, and try to imitate what they see family members doing at the blessing before meals even before they can talk. Try to encourage use of this sign at bedtime prayers, too, when you can explain what it means.

The two forms of the sign of the cross used by most Catholics are:

The Great Sign of the Cross: (This is the one most people think of, and the one people use most often.) A cross is traced with the right hand, touching the forehead, the chest, then the left and right shoulder. [In Orthodox churches, from right to left.] The Doxology is said aloud or silently as the sign is made.

The Little Sign of the Cross: A cross is made on the forehead with the thumb or index finger (this form is used by the priest when anointing or administering ashes). Or a cross is traced with the thumb on one’s own head, lips and heart, a gesture which asks Christ to instruct our minds, aid us in our witness, and renew our hearts. (This sign is made at the reading of the Gospel by both priest and people.)

Some suggestions for helping to increase children’s awareness of this devotion are:

Give your children a new medal, or perhaps a crucifix, and ask the priest to bless it for them while they are present.

Have holy water at home for making this sign “in all our coming in and going out.”

Before going to Mass, ask the children to notice the different forms of the sign of the cross used during the celebration by the priest and by the people.

Excerpts courtesy of  “Women for Faith & Family – www.wf-f.org.

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Back-to-School Crafts: The Colorful Coverup Notebook

The new school year is just around the corner! Get your kids excited about school with these cute and crafty back-to-school supplie.

Here’s a fun and fuzzy way to dress up your plain notebook.

Materials
  • Spiral-bound notebook
  • Tacky glue
  • Pipe cleaner
  • Colored paper

Instructions

1.Spruce up a plain spiralbound notebook with bold stripes by using tacky glue to stick pipe cleaners (the extrawide, fuzzy type work especially well) onto the cover.

2. Fold the pipe cleaner ends against the top and bottom edges of the inner cover, then conceal them with a glued-on sheet of colored paper.

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So nice to welcome new families!

This Monday the kids and I had tons of reasons and excuse as to why we could not make the play group, but none where good enough. We showed up a little late and had to run out a little early but  we are so glad we made it in. The kids made paper plate crosses and the little ones ran around during free play.

A new mom and her three kids stopped by to meet our group. As different as we all are we all have one thing in common and that is the love for our children and the infinite desire to give them the best! Every time we meet  I feel blessed, blessed in knowing that I am exposing my kids to a group of kids that are as loved and as cared for as mine.

Welcome new Families and we hope to see many more new faces as we grow.

Please note:

  • We now meet on Mondays at 9:30 am.  Bring a friend.
  • We will be actively involved with the Kids Zone during the parish picnic Sept 12.
  • We are still requesting suggestions for our end of the summer “Parish Mom’s” picnic. Park, orchard, playground or back yard what would work for you and yours.

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Working On Naps

The past few weeks I have been working really hard to implement a structured routine of eating, activity, and sleep for Jillian. I don’t follow a strict schedule but I do follow the routine and do things in same order: eat, activity, sleep and then repeat. I’m following the book ” Secrets of the Baby Whisperer” and it is really working for our household. The advice in the book is practical and it is an approach that benefits the entire family not just the little baby. The baby wants to be a part of the family routine not be put in charge of the family routine.

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Dear Fr. Pat

One of our biggest tortures when we go to church with the little ones is when they end up disturbing everyone.  The stares, the shame, the lack of control are pretty hard to handle.  We dream of the day when our kids have some sort of apparition of Our Lady of Fatima so they can stay in stasis for the entire hour!

However, until that moment arrives……  Can you please give us some tips on how to better engage our kids during the mass?

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