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I have to say, I am so excited and enthused again by one of the very special and very fat books on my nightstand that it made me get out of bed to convey its value to the rest of you. At 8 months pregnant, trust me, I am not getting paid in any way to tell you these things! I truly enjoy reading theology books of all kinds, and books about the Saints as much as any of you...but one book that has NEVER FAILED ME is this one. Every time I want to access more info on an upcoming Saint or about relics or history I reach for "Evloyeite." by Mother Nektaria McLees. I don't think there is quite any book or resource like it. No Synaxarion, or compilation of the Lives of the Saints, offers what this book does. Detailed stories from the lives of the Saints Maps and directions to venerate holy sites Miracles from the Ecumenical Councils An index of Saints with their corresponding feastdays and location Rare pictures of monasteries, relics, special icons Chapters dedicated to islan...

If you're not familiar with the idea of an "Orthodox Christmas Ornament Exchange" like the one hosted by Sylvia at www.orthodoxmom.com , be sure to check it out and initiate an exchange in your circle of friends! This fantastic idea has encouraged Orthodox pen pals amongst our children across the globe, and I can honestly say, our 3 year old seems to comprehend the idea, and is quite enthusiastic about it! Pictured here are our ornaments this year. We found things around the house, and used our own very hands to glue, glitter, string beads and weave ribbons! All of which were good practice in the realm of eye-hand coordination skills! Who would have thought those plastic balls from the ball pit jungle gyms could suffice as Christmas bulbs? And the best part - they are light weight to ship and no risk of breaking! So, off to the post office we go tomorrow, to send our small packages of love from Germany ~ We look forward to adding to our tree the new ornaments from your...

Introducing the first book, "Our Hymn to the Mother of God" as part of a full-color hard bound Orthodox children's series now available for purchase by the Sisters of All Saints Greek Orthodox Monastery in Calverton, Long Island, New York. It has been a joy to work with them to publish this special project, as their idea of using the hymnology of the Church to retell the story to children just couldn't be more appropriate! The spiritual poetry on each page is matched with wonderful original illustrations by Sister Theonymphi in the style of Byzantine iconography, which means you won't find anything theologically wrong like a cartoon image of Christ! The heavenly scenes will inspire all children to contemplate our Almighty God. Here are a few sneak peaks, and the information for ordering: The sisters hope to soon make their copies available through Amazon online, as well as parish bookstores, etc.   ISBN Number: 978-0-9835602-0-3 All Saints Greek Orthodox Monas...

What to do with icon catalogs and paper icons? Here's a quick craft to decorate with your Orthodox kids and religious education classes while offering a small lesson. Print out the black and white drawing of the iconostasis or icon screen,  and glue icons to match your local parish. Look and discuss where special icons are. Help each child to properly place them in order, Christ always being to the right of the royal doors, and the Mother of God with Christ to the left. Your parish may even have the Annunciation scene depicted on the royal doors, or the Mystical Supper above. St John the Baptist has a fixed position next to Christ. The Patron Saint of the Church is next to the Mother of God. This can also be an opportunity to discuss how for us Orthodox Christians, the altar is Paradise, the holy of holies, where the greatest miracle on Earth happens - our offering of bread and wine becomes the Holy Body and Blood of Christ our God. It is our tabernacle with manna, our food from h...

If you are looking for an idea to spark your lesson, a craft, or activity, along with additional free Orthodox resources, check out the list of "labels" now available on the left side of this blog to quickly sort through the past posts. Sometimes, we might feel we have covered the same lessons over and over again with our kids. I hope through our online communication though, we can share news ideas and inspire one another to keep teaching! There is always something to learn!

This short poem was written for a small memory book to be given to my goddaughter on her Nameday. If you would like to also use it in some way, the words can be interchanged from "Bishop" to priest, or use your patron Saint's name instead for example. I hope she likes it on September 26th this year! Click here to view this photo book larger Me and My Nouna This is the story of my Baptism,from many years ago,when I received my guardian angel,as my Nouna tells me so. Together we went to Church one day,with everyone who loves me, my Mom, my Dad, Yiayia and Papou, Thea and the Bishop too! In the Narthex we lit a candle, and began to say our prayers, to God they dedicated me, with all my worries and my cares. My Nouna confessed the Creed, and chanted softly in my ear, the Bishop blessed the water and the oil, as I watched without any fear. Then they changed my clothes, and into the water I went, three times, covered in oil, with my guardian angel whom God sent. The Bishop said...

Our Sunday lessons have sure been full of surprises this Lenten season! After Pascha, I sure hope to post all the creative ideas and lessons tips that blossomed according to each theme. Sorry that it's after the fact, but at least it'll be on the web for future years :(   Here's one idea that we'll be using tomorrow based on the Gospel reading from Mark 9:17-31. We'll be making bracelets from the powerful verse "All things are possible when you believe in God."  Printed on glossy photo paper, I cut these into strips and will use a white label to close them around the wrists of the children. You could use stickers or tape. I'll use this as the closing activity, after they have heard the re-telling of the Gospel, and have unscrambled the words of the memory sentences (see the Great Lent Lesson Chart). A special bonus is that these memory bracelets help to reinforce the message with their parents when they return home. You could adapt this for other speci...