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 & Picture from: http://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/prayers/employment.htm

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. 

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.