Morning routine

We've followed the same routine around here in the morning for quite some time now, but just recently I have started encountering a bit more resistance from Gemma when it comes to getting things done.  She is doing great at dressing herself and making her bed and such on her own, which I think is a very good thing especially with a baby on the way.  It was getting to the point where I was having to do wayyyyy too much reminding and nagging and helping to get everything done in a prompt (enough) manner.  I decided to make a "chore chart" of sorts to hang beside the door in Gemma's (soon to be Gemma and Kolbe's) room and this has made all the difference.  It really helps her keep on task, and since I drew pictures (don't laugh) she's able to "read" it on her own and mostly make it through things without too much prompting or help.  Some days are better than others, but overall this was definitely a positive addition to our morning routine.

Morning Prayers

Morning Prayers have been a work in progress at our house since I started saying them with the children about a year-and-a-half ago.  I finally feel like I have a good balance of something that really works for us so I thought I'd share.  I'd love to hear others' ideas as well! 

I like to have our prayer candle lit (we have a church votive that correlates with the liturgical color each day/season) and the saint of the day card on the table when the children come out for breakfast.  If Gemma asks about the saint of the day I will tell her a short story about him or her.  She still seems a bit young for our saint stories books.  We also have a weekly saint who's name we invoke each day from An Alphabet of Catholic Saints.  This saint correlates with our letter of the week.  After we finish up with breakfast and see daddy off we begin our prayers at the kitchen table.

• Sign of the Cross (I've really been working with Gemma on doing this correctly)
• sing monthly song (a traditional/seasonal [when applicable] hymn I choose and we sing all month, except for Saturdays and Marian feast days when we sing Immaculate Mary)
• Morning Offering (children's version with actions: Our Father in Heaven, I give you today, all that I think and do and say. Amen.  -- This was the same morning offering I said as a child!)
• daily Guardian Angel prayer from our Prayers for Everyday book
• daily prayer (this can be a variety of things ranging from the opening prayer for Mass that day if it's a special feast or saint, the morning prayer from MagnifiKid, a prayer from our Prayers for Everyday book, a Psalm or the Memorare on Saturdays or Marian feast days).
• sing monthly song again
• Sign of the Cross
• invoke weekly/daily saint(s)
• weekly Scripture memory Verse (when we started doing weekly verses I used a passage from the Responsorial Psalm from the previous Sunday and this worked very well.  Now that we've started our homeschool preschool, we're using the weekly verse from the Catholic Icing preschool curriculum that correlates with our letter of the week.  I like this because it has us moving around the Bible a lot more, Old and New Testament.)

After prayers we sing our day of the week song, Gemma does the weather chart and we have our circle time.  At the end of Circle Time we say this prayer, also with actions:

Jesus sees me when I sleep,

Jesus sees me when I play,

Jesus sees me all the time and cares for me each day. Amen.

Then we make the Sign of the Cross, invoke our weekly Saint (St. XX - Pray for us) and repeat our memory Verse one more time.