OK, so I don’t have a pda, iphone, ipad, blackberry…or even a cell phone…and I can’t even think of the names of the comparable technical organizers out there.  From the days of Architecture school, I always have a bound sketchbook or at least a spiral notebook for my attempts at keeping track of upcoming conferences, future projects, Arma Dei products including inventory, children’s weights and heights, doctor’s appointments, important contacts, wishlists, bibliographies, to do lists…you name it.
I know, old-school.

What I finally realized…after years of cracking open a fresh notebook and re-recording the most important info…is I need to do this once, and just replace and refill pages.  It’s pretty obvious, and mysteriously like an old-fashioned paper daytimer…the kind my husband used to have, with refill calendar pages that I just recently remembered are really expensive!!
After looking at the $5 specially hole-punched package of 30 sheets of ‘note’ paper for the $25-$50 leather bound daytimers, I realized (finally!)  I can make this!

I found an 8.5″x5.5″ binder.  Yes, for some reason I need a ‘smaller’ notebook to carry with me and write in. My next life-changing discovery was that my 3-hole-punch is indeed adjustable!  I can specially-hole-punch my own pages.  My paper cutter comes in handy, cutting all those letter size papers in half to fit the 8.5″x5.5″ binder.  I bet if you don’t have a fancy paper cutter, you could get your local print shop to make one cut in a stack of paper…if not, an X-acto and a cutting mat and steel ruler would do the trick!

I borrowed certain pages including the dividers from an old daytimer….but I’m confident I could make my own dividers too. With a little extra work, I can even make the handy tabs that stick out. It’s on my to do list.

I found a free calendar-making template site to print my 2011 and 2012 calendars.
I also photocopied an open 8.5″x5.5″ notebook, just for the lines for my own notepaper.  Pretty extravagant, eh?

I then photocopied the most important pages from my last 4 notebooks and sketchbooks.  I also photocopied our phone list (that normal people probably have in their phones), our family perpetual calendar for important dates and some of Kelly’s Comics, because I like to show them off. 

I think someday….after Easter, after the NCEA (that I’m supposed to be packing for!), after a couple family birthdays…I may even cover my new little binder with fabric, to further customize my ‘daytimer’.  Which fabric would you choose?

OK…sorry for the shameless thumbnail photo of Adam.
I guess that’s what You Tube chose, of all the images in the video.

This is my first Arma Dei silent movie…
for our upcoming NCEA show!

OK, it’s silent, because I couldn’t decide on a sound track.
It’s low res, because that’s all my computer can handle at the moment.
Please still check it out …and like it …and comment…and pass it around! Thanks!

OK, so after banishing myself with my squirmy (and loud!) little one year old BOY to the back of the Church, foyer and crying room during the Palm Sunday Mass…I’m looking for survival tips for the Easter Triduum liturgies, beyond the obvious going-to-Mass-in-shifts.
I’m thinking about taking these Passion Play Peg People…at least a few of them and the cross, for my 5 year old.  Maybe she’ll be able to follow along with the upcoming Gospel readings.  They will fall under the pews for her to climb around and retrieve, but they shouldn’t be too loud!
As for the one year old…he’s busy at home too, no matter how many toys we have around.  I think I may be hanging out in the foyer alot. I’m not sure how safe these acryllic paints are, expecting that they will spend some time in our little guy’s mouth, but being the 5th kid…they might be marginally better than the other things we have rescued from his mouth.     
Years ago, we were handing out our Reverence and Awe Collector Cards, one by one, to our other busy son when he was about 6 or 7.  They kept him busy, looking at Church things, maybe paying attention to Mass a little and mostly QUIET.  I think my one year old would just eat them though.

I’m even thinking about making my own version of a felt Mass Kit, like they sell through Wee Believers, but I expect that that’s ALOT of work…and wouldn’t really work to keep a ONE year old entertained for long. 
(I still want to make a felt Mass kit though!…I’ll show pictures if/when I do!)

Anyone have any suggestions or survival tips?

I just love the little wooden dolls that I see painted in various crafts…in fact I keep adding these ideas to my Try This At Home linky…kind of like my own little to do list of crafts for someday. 

After looking around for the little wooden dolls, I found the link to a great company called Woodworks Ltd from Shower of Roses, but I hesitated to order them because we always pay extra fees for shipping up to Canada. I found wooden clothes pegs at the Michael’s craftstore and decided that I could make these work.  In fact, maybe they could work for me in ways the regular wooden dolls wouldn’t!

In A Treasure Chest of Traditions for Catholic Families, I included a tip from a good friend of mine who made a passion play out of clothes pegs and stored them in an ice cream container.  The acryllic paint worked better than expected on the plastic container!

I painted the ice cream container so that it could work as a backdrop, a Last Supper table and an Empty Tomb!

The cross was $1.50 at Michael’s…but popsicle sticks could be used to make the cross too.

I think my 5 year old will have alot of fun with these Wooden Peg Passion Play figures!

Thanks to Karen in Mommyland for this review of our Cathletics Key Cards:  the self-quizzing Catechsim card with the rotating ‘key’ that covers the answers.  She highlights the Vessels&Vestments, Rules to Live By and Reconciliation cards and how they have been helpful for her daughter.
Please check out Karen’s awesome review here.

As Moms, we have all worn bead bracelets and necklaces, proudly strung by our kids. 
Also not exactly formal wear, these thick cord, pony bead
Good Deed Beads Bracelet will help us
with our Lenten sacrifices too.
Inspired by St. Therese, this bracelet works similar to other good deed bead bracelets, as the beads slide and stay in place, recording each good deed, extra prayer (foregone opportunity to complain) or sacrifice.

Arma Dei also sells little craft kits with everything you need to make a string of beads on a keychain, but if you prefer… this handy bracelet can remain on you, ready and reminding you throughout Lent!
We do sell these bracelets as part of Arma Dei’s products to help equip Catholic families, but this is a tutorial to help crafty moms make their own!

The 1/8″ suede lace (or parachute cord) is cut to a 15″ length and folded in half.
10 (+2 for the “clasp”) pony beads are selected for their color.
12″ of thin gauge wire or fishing line is cut and threaded through the folded end of the cord.
Hold the wire or thread strands together and thread a few beads on these thin strands. Wrap the 2 ends of the wire or thread securely around a wooden dowel, wooden spoon or other strong utensil handle. 
I have this neat red handled metal tool that originally came with a little miter saw. 

Hold the wire carefully to the dowel/utensil, as the beads are pulled onto the lace/cord, one at a time.

The order of the beads goes like this:  one clasp bead, 10 beads in the order of the pattern that you have chosen and then the remaining clasp bead.

We print our own Arma Dei logo on T-shirt iron-on  transfer paper and cut 1″ circles of the material to cover buttons using these buttons and tools with the standard wire eye.  You can use other buttons, especially if they have a solid eye to thread the lace/cord through.  This button can slide to adjust for the size of the wrist.  Tweezers help to pull the custom button onto one end of the cord.

To secure the bracelet, thread the 2 loose ends and the button through the loop end of the cord and the “clasp” beads slide and tighten around the button.

We often add holy medals, but we have learned that the small wire clasp of the cheaper holy medals release the medal very quickly with wear.