Annual Gingerbread House Building Day

The annual gingerbread house building party and donation to Sister Sally's outreach is coming up! We'll be at Assumption on Thursday, December 11.

Bring:

• box or 2 of HONEY MAID graham crackers to build houses (quality REALLY counts
  here generics tend to break which causes frustration)
  
• pretty candy to share for decorating.
  
• item to donate to Sister Sally, this can be canned or boxed non-perishables, diapers wipes, really, anything.
  
• low $ gift to play pass the present (1 per participating child), please wrap this.
  

Also, bring cardboard if you have any around. This is good for building the
houses on.

The icing must be made ahead of time. Let Phoebe know if you are (or even might be) coming. Better to have too much icing than not enough.

Questions? pkhoover -- at --bellsouth.net

Mondays in Advent

At Assumption Church there will be an Advent Program, not exclusively for homeschoolers, but which might be of interest them.

Monday, December 1

5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served.

6:30 p.m. Peter Pagan will present a talk for adults on the topic, "Why Politics Needs Religion." Activities for children of all ages will be offered at the same time.

7:30 p.m. Advent Vespers will be sung in the church.

Monday, December 8, Feast of the Immaculate Conception

4:45 p.m. A Holy Hour, with Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, will be offered in the church.

6:00 p.m. Holy Mass will be offered in the church.

7:00 p.m. Dinner will be served.


Monday, December 15

5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served.

6:30 p.m. Andrew Hoover and Justin Adams will present a talk for adults on the topic, "Chant in the Mother Tongue of the Church." Activities for children of all ages will be offered at the same time.

7:30 p.m. Advent Vespers will be sung in the church.

Monday, December 22

5:30 p.m. Dinner will be served.

6:30 p.m. David Hernandez will present a Veneration of Relics. David is a long-time friend of the MARCH group, and his very reverent and instructive presentations about relics are always popular. The Veneration of Relics appeals to all ages.

7:30 p.m. MARCH and Assumption children will present a program of Advent Lessons and Carols in the church. If your children would like to participate in the singing or the readings, please contact Karen Pagan at 746-6533.

All are welcome at our Advent program. Come late, leave early, or stay for the duration: whatever suits your schedule. For further information, contact Karen Pagan at 746-6533.

All Saints Day Party

We will be holding the annual homeschoolers All Saints Day party on Saturday, Nov. 1, starting at about 2:00 pm. Because the feast day happens to fall on a Saturday this year, it is a great opportunity for dads to attend as well. Children (and adults, for that matter) are all welcome to dress as saints. We usually group the children together by age and have them take turns giving the group a clue about their saint, and the children guess who it is.

Hot dogs and all the fixin's will be provided, but families staying for dinner should bring a side dish, dessert, paper supplies, or beverages.

E-mail Jordana Adams (adamsjct at gmail dot com) for further details and information.

First Friday at St. Philip's

The families located in the southern section of our MARCH group are meeting 1-3 at St. Philip's in Franklin on September 5, the First Friday. Meet at the Mary statue on Main St. and finish with Adoration at 3pm in the big church. All are welcome to join in.

Beginning of the Year Mass

It's time to start up full-time schoolwork again. A special Mass for the homeschool group is a nice way to start the school year right.


Who: All are invited.

What: A special Mass for the MARCH Group, followed by activities for younger children (in one group) and older children (in another group) in honor of Our Lady on her Birthday, followed by lunch, followed by informal social time.

When: Monday, September 8, at 10 a.m. This is the Feast of the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Where: At Assumption Church

Please bring: Bring enough frozen pizza to feed your family. We can cook the pizzas in the kitchen and then share and share alike. Fresh fruit and drinks will be provided, and we'll have a birthday cake for Our Lady.

Annual Family Dinner and Planning Meeting

The long-awaited day is about to arrive! It is time again for the
annual MARCH Planning Meeting and Cook-Off.

For this year's Cook-Off, all are invited to prepare their favorite
Italian specialty. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is a cooking
contest. And since none of us is ready to teach at the Cordon Bleu
Cooking School, you, yes you, might just win. So break out your
favorite recipe for spaghetti sauce, lasagna, manicotti, stuffed
shells, mostacciolli, pastafazoul, or anything else Italian. We will
prepare a big pot of perfectly cooked spaghetti; if you decide to
prepare a sauce for pasta, just bring it in your crock-pot.

Following are categories in which your entry may or may not be judged:

--Most Authentic Marinara

--Best Vodka Sauce this Side of the Tiber

--Just like Mama Bonvissuto Used to Make

--That's Italian

--That's Amore

--Three Day Bellyache

Of course you don't have to compete. You can just come with your
family and eat and visit.

When: Saturday, Sept 13

Who: All homeschoolers and those interested in homeschooling are invited.

Contact Jordana Adams (adamsjct at gmail dot com) for further location and time details.

To complement the day's festivities, and by popular request, dessert will consist of our famous annual MARCH cookie contest. Enter your favorite homemade cookies in our cookie Bake-Off. They will be subjected to the rigorous scrutiny and demanding standards of the pickiest eaters in the world: OUR KIDS.

After the delightful dinner we will all prepare, our children will play quietly together like angels, and we adults will have a little planning session for the upcoming school year in the MARCH group. So bring your ideas about what events you would like to see us offer. And bring your calendar.

End of Year Follow-Up

Everyone who turned out for the MARCH end-of-year program had a great time. The host family's living room was filled to capacity and children presented a wonderful program of poetry recitations, art work and piano pieces. After the formal program, the kids swarmed to the backyard swimming pool, while the adults chatted, made sure everyone in the pool was safe and tried not to overheat. The evening wrapped up with dinner and more socializing.

Food Donations Needed

Sister Naomi and Sister Sally at North Nashville Catholic Charities provide food, clothing, and other material assistance to our neighbors who have less than we do. The need for food donations is particularly great at this time.

Sister Naomi said that they do already have some canned vegetables. They really need canned meat, such as chili or tuna fish or even beefaroni. They need tomato sauce to go with the pasta they have. They need peanut butter and jelly. Any non-perishable food items would be welcome. They will take monetary donations as well. Those coming to the MARCH end of year program, please bring something on Saturday and it can be passed on to North Nashville Catholic Charities.

Park Day Revisited

Families who came for the first park day in April had so much fun, we did another trip to Two Rivers Park in Nashville, before the weather warms up too much for the kids to run around outside for so long. Highlights of this particular park day include sandcastle building and a disc golf lesson from a friendly park visitor who engaged a dozen willing listeners (including a few parents) and let everyone try tossing a frisbee or two.

MARCH End-of-Year Program

On Saturday, May 31, we will be having an end of year program to share our children's talents and accomplishments. If your children play a musical instrument, if they have memorized a poem, if they would like to put together a little skit of some kind, if they could sing a song, we would all love to see their performance. Or they may bring some artwork to display. Of course, the children's work does not have to be museum quality. The point of this event is to have fun and share some of the creative things the children have done over the course of the school year.

Dinner will be included. The hostess will make a main dish, and those of you who come can bring side dishes.

For more information, contact Karen Pagan (kpagan -- at -- catholicweb.com) or phone 746-6533.

Park Day

On a hot spring day, several families from locations as far afield as Joelton, Donelson, Nashville, and Columbia got together at Two Rivers Park for a day out playing on the playground, running around the fields and picnicking together. While the kids ran around, the moms and dads got a chance to visit, compare curricula and discuss the school year as it winds to a close.

Mom's Night Out

Who: All homeschooling moms and interested dads

What: An evening of support and good conversation

When: Wednesday, April 30 at 7 p.m.

Where: Whole Foods Market at Green Hills, 4021 Hillsboro Pike, 440-5100

There is a Mass at 6 p.m. at Christ the King Church, 3001 Belmont Blvd, 292-2884. You may wish to attend the Mass before coming along to Whole Foods.

First Sunday Brunch at Assumption

At Assumption we have a Brunch after the 11 a.m. Mass every first Sunday of the month. Various groups of Assumption people take turns donating and cooking the food. On April 6, the Brunch will be made by the homeschoolers at Assumption.

Let's get the kids in on the cooking. We'll meet on Saturday April 5 at 10:00 a.m. at Assumption. Kids of all ages are welcome. The older ones can dice tomatoes and mash avocados and cook ground beef. The younger ones can just play, in the school hall or outside in the back yard. Dads are welcome, too, because of course, many Dads can wield spoons and spatulas with expertise.

If you are unable to come and help on the 5th, please do not let that discourage you. There are two other ways in which you may participate. 1) Prepare something at home and bring it to Assumption on or before the day of the Brunch. 2) Just donate $10.00, and we'll will buy something delicious for the Brunch.

Mom's Night Out

Come and join us for an evening of good food and good conversation.

Who: All moms-and interested dads-are invited.

What: Mom's Night Out

When: Thursday, Mach 27 at 7 p.m.

Where: Whole Foods at Green Hills, 4021 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, 37215

Christ the King Church has a Mass at 6 p.m. Thursday evenings. Some of us will meet there for the Mass before proceeding over to Whole Foods. So please join us for Mass and/or for a pleasant evening at Whole Foods.