Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Newest Product - The Holy Mass Double Faith Folder

It's finally here! After many distractions and delays, I was finally able to complete the Holy Mass Faith Folder. Thank you to all of my customers who have so patiently awaited its release. Visit the store website to view sample pictures and read the product description.

Prayer for Employment

Many of you may remember last year, at just about this time, when my husband lost his job. I shared this with you because it was an occassion that brought great witness to the loving care and providence of God. Just two days after Tony lost his job I had record sales through the Advent Faith Folder. Over the course of that weekend you, dear customers, bought enough copies to generate as much as my husband had been making in a week at his recently lost job. This was nothing short of miraculous intervention and assurance from God that all would be fine, He would provide.

Well, dear customers, my husband lost his job last week. I share this because I know we are not alone, that there are so many across the country, and beyond, that are experiencing the same thing. Loss of employment affects so many, but is so hard for our husbands. I knew this the first time it happened and I see it with even harsher reality this time around. It strips them of their confidence and makes them doubt their worth. Despite the fact that his job loss was due to no fault of his own, to him it feels as if it was just that. Not only do I pray now, for God's care during this time and for the "right" job for Tony, I pray for the wisdom to support my husband through all of this. I ask the Holy Spirit to inspire me with the right words to reassure my husband of his great worth and value, to help him see the foundation he is for our family and how much that matters to us, regardless of his place or lack of employment.

May we all pray together for the unemployed and all those struggling to make ends meet during this difficult economic time. It can be very difficult to walk the faith in the work force and it can ultimately cost one their job. May we all embrace our crosses just as Christ embraced His. And so, if you are without employment in your family, know that you are not alone and that the Meyer household is praying for you.

"God, our Father, I turn to you seeking your divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment. I need your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path, and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest. I wish to use the gifts and talents you have given me, but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment. Do not abandon me, dear Father, in this search, but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to you with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance. Grant this through Christ, our Lord. Amen"


Prayer and image found from EWTN

Clare is on the Mend

One of my faithful customers, Lori, posted my recent prayer request on many Catholic and homeschooling discussion groups last week. Thank you Lori and all of you who joined us in prayer for our daughter, Clare Therese. Long story short...Clare has multiple allergies, one of which is milk. This is the excuse I have been giving everyone since we learned two weeks ago on her first visit to the dentist, at just under 3 years old, that she has 8 cavities. Yes, as I hang my head, 8 cavities. Before we had the chance to schedule an appointment with a pediadontist, the tooth abcessed overnight and flared into cellulitis in her face. We rushed her to the emergency room and she was soon admitted with lots of tests underway. Because the cellulitis was in her face and near her eye they were very concerned about her eyesight and the infection spreading to the rest of her tiny little body. As I mentioned, Clare has allergies, which includes every antibiotic she has ever been given. This made her treatment a little more difficult. In fact, they did, and still are, treating her with an antibiotic medicine she is allergic to along with benadryl to offset the reaction. We spent 4 days in the hospital and are home with a PICC line in and receive medicines every day through that. Despite the heavy duty medicines, she has developed a nasty cough so we have added breathing treatments to our daily routine. All that said, she is actually doing well and is basically back to her old self. We are enjoying the effects steroids can have on a little one though! She is scheduled for dental surgery on Nov. 13 and we can hopefully move past all of this.

I know so many of you have dealt with sick kids and worse situations. And there are so many families that deal with ongoing medical issues every day. While this wasn't our first hospitalization or emergency, it was our scariest and most difficult. At the same time, it has been our most inspiring. Without taking up too much space or monopolizing your computer time I wanted to share a witness to the power of the Rosary and the intercession of our Blessed Mother.


We were told Clare would need this PICC line and that we couldn't be with her as it had to be a sterile procedure and was a long, sometimes difficult one. They said if everything went perfect it would take an hour and it usually is longer. My husband left just before they came to get Clare for the procedure to get us some lunch. He had been waiting all morning and we figured it was going to be a while longer so he left. Just after he left, they came to get Clare. She was asleep in my arms. I had to hand her over to a nurse she hadn't even seen before and without explaining to her what was going on, why I wasn't going with her or anything. She cried immediately. She had been so brave through all that had taken place and hardly cried a tear until that point.

I assumed this procedure would be done somewhere else in the hospital. No, they did it two doors down from the room we were in. So, I heard Clare scream and cry for me for the entire 45 minute procedure. I sat in the room and cried as my baby cried. The worst part was that she cried so politely; she'd cry, "Please leave me alone," "Please take me to my mom," "Please get me out of here," "I want my mom please." It was horrible and I just sat, paralyzed and sobbing. I clutched my rosary and began praying, I skipped right over the Apostle's Creed and right into the mysteries. I didn't pray a set of mysteries, just those that came to mind. The Agony in the Garden, the Finding of Jesus in the Temple, the Coronation of Mary, etc . It wasn't a formal rosary but it was a recitiation of those Hail Mary's and calling upon the mysteries, the life of Christ to help me through. I knew the Blessed Mother had watched and listened to her own child suffer much worse than mine and that she too was powerless to intercede. I begged the Blessed Mother, Clare's Heavenly Mother, to hold her as I couldn't hold her. To help calm her and guide this procedure. I just moved my fingers bead over bead, cried and begged Our Mother for help. I couldn't have made it without doing this. It's what kept me from storming into that room and grabbing my baby.

When they brought Clare back to the room, she immediatley became calm and quiet and I held her. The nurse that put the PICC line in came with her. He told me that was the smoothest procedure he'd ever done. The line went in perfect, no problems, he was shocked at how well it went. I broke out in tears as her gave his report and he looked at me in bewilderment. I told him how I had heard her crying the whole time. He tod me that even though she cried, she was so good, held so still and didn't resist them at all. She even gave him her arm on her own when he said he needed to look at it. We had been told the procedue would take an hour at best and most likely longer. Her procedure took 45 minutes. As everyone left the room and I held my baby, I knew the Blessed Mother heard my prayers and held my precious, baby girl. Tony walked into the room about 5 mintues after they brought Clare back. Again, Divine Providence. Obviously, God knew he couldn't handle the situation and that I needed to experience it on my own.

So, thank you Mary and thank you, all of you, who joined Tony and I and our family in praying for Clare. Please keep her in your prayers through next week as we conclude this medical endeavor. May the Blessed Mother hold all of our little ones when we aren't able and may she join us when we can.

A couple of pictures. Clare, day 2 in the hospital as things began to improve and Clare, day 3 at home feeling much better and having Halloween fun with her big brother, George.

Year for Priests Donations in Memory of Ryan Barrett

Back in September, I made an announcement on the website regarding the very sad loss of Ryan Barrett and the dedication of the Year for Priests Faith Folder in memory of Ryan. I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that has purchased the Faith Folder since then. As I indicated, I have donated 50% of the proceeds from that Faith Folder since that time to the charities chosen by the Barrett Family: Autism Speaks and Friar Suppliers. Through the September and October sales $115 have been donated to each of the charities. Just this week, Mary Ellen has written an article for the Long Island Catholic paper that beautifully expresses and graciously shares their experience as they adjust to life without their precious son. You can read the article here: Grief and Joy. Please continue to pray for the Barrett Family.

How Long Does it Take to Create a Lapbook?

Another great question from Mairead - how long does it take to create a lapbook? The first thing I would say in relation to this would be - don't do a lapbook or Faith Folder all at once. When I first began doing Faith Folders, I had a group of kids together for an all day retreat and we put together the Respect Life Faith Folder (which is my most simple). Kids and adults were exhausted by the end of the day. While we did incorporate books, snacks, breaks and lunch, it was just way to much cutting and gluing for one day. The kids and I were sick of "lapbooking" by the end of the day. It is a time consuming process. There's the cutting and gluing each book, there's the discussing of the each piece, there can be things to draw or write in the books and then there is the assembly of the whole Faith Folder by gluing each mini-book into the base. Here is what I have found works for us:

I have each child sit with me at the computer, one-on-one, and show them each book that we'll be doing and the various options for the book. I then print their chosen option for each book.
Our next session, we begin one book at a time. Everyone works on the same book and we talk about the given topic. Some of the kids have a picture to color, some have information to look up or fill in. I give each child a large ziploc bag with their name on it. Once a book is cut out and assembled, it goes in the ziploc. This continues until all books are complete. If we have to stop in the middle of a book, all pieces go in this bag.
Depending on what is involved with each book and our time schedule, we do 1-2 books at a time. We might have more than one session in a day or I may allow some to work ahead if they want.
Once all books are done, we can usually assemble the whole Faith Folder in one session. I then give them time to add their embellishments.
Anyone else want to share what works well for your family, class or group? Do you tackle it all at once or break it up into smaller projects? Feel free to share what did and didn't work for you.

Do I Need to Purchase a Separate Copy for Each Child?

Mairead also had a question about usage options and I have had many questions on this. My suggested guideline is 10 uses per purchased copy. I want to keep this affordable and practical for families, classrooms, etc. You will incur expenses beyond the purchase price in paper, ink, glue, file folders, etc. So, when you purchase a Faith Folder for $7.99 with the Regular Use Option, you are free to use that 10 times. Whether it be with your children, your class, your Little Flowers group, etc. If you are purchasing a Faith Folder to do with a group of 20 kids, I would ask that you purchase 2 copies. It's the same file, just more of a fair use guideline I suppose. I do have more teachers and CCD programs using the Faith Folders now as well as homeschooling co-ops. I know some teachers would like to use the Faith Folder year after year. Keeping track of usage could become very tedious. Because of this, I created the Large Group Use Option for $29.95. This allows you unlimited use of the file. All of this is done on the honor system and your own discretion as to how you plan to use the Faith Folder. I really want to keep the products affordable and practical to purchase for all those interested while also helping support my family. If you are ever unsure about which option to purchase, feel free to contact me.

Choosing the Right Paper & Printing Options

Customer, Mairead, had some great questions about printing. She usually prints at her local library or would need to go to a printing shop to have the pages of a Faith Folder printed. Mairead wondered about colored paper and how a finished product would look if everything was printed on white paper. I'll share my responses and anyone else, please feel free to jump in and share what works for you.


Within the Faith Folder file, I provide several options for each component. There will be black and white pages that can be printed on colored paper or on white paper and colored in by the child. I also provide colored options that can be printed on white paper, however, this does take a lot of ink. It can be nice to do for a few of the books but not necessarily all of them.
For most of the books, I use regular weight paper as they fold easier. Sometimes the card stock is nice to use for flash cards or for the pockets that hold cards as it makes them more durable.
I usually use a combination of colored paper, white paper with colored printing and black and white printing on white paper that allows the kids to add their own color or design. I buy packages of paper with a variety of colors. Perhaps you could take your own colored paper to the library.
Here at home and for my samples, we add a lot of embellishments with foam letters or shapes, glitter glue, stickers and scrapbooking elements. I even mount many of the books onto colored card stock or scrapbook paper before gluing them into the Faith Folder. So, a lot of the pizazz can be added without printing in color or on colored paper.
I know I have some customers who do take the file to a print shop (like Kinkos) and print out the desired pages. Anyone who uses this option want to join the conversation and share how it works for you or how much it costs? Just remember, it will really benefit you to look through the file first to see what options are available. In addition to the black and white and colored options, there are also prewritten and blank options to choose from. This really allows you to adjust the lapbook to the age and learning level of each child.

Welcome

Welcome to the Faith Folders for Catholics - Lapbooking(tm) with a Catholic Twist Blog. This is my first blog, please be patient with me as I learn. I would like this to be a place that I can share comments and questions from my lapbooking customers as well as give you a peak into my world. As we begin I won't be moderating comments so that you can respond to each other if I am not available to answer questions. Use this blog to ask questions of me and of other lapbookers out there. This can also be a place for you to share your experience of making the various Faith Folders. We can even post pictures of your finished products. We will build this together as we go. If you have ideas or special requests, post them here or email me privately at questions@lapbooksforcatholics.com. So, let's take a leap and just begin today with an open forum. What are your questions or comments about lapbooking so far? What has been your favorite Faith Folder - better yet, what has been your kids' favorite Faith Folder?