The Mass Box- Get your family ready for Mass the easy way!

Being a mom can make my brain hurt. If it's not reading ingredients on toxic death sunscreen, it's scanning the room for choking hazards. If it's not pureeing my own baby food it's wondering how my parenting decisions may cause my kids to need therapy later.

We worry- a lot. We all know it's a problem. That's why when somebody offers me a hand in saving my child's life, heart or soul... You bet I am going to take it.

The greatest gift we have here on earth is the Mass. If I fail as a mom in all other ways but have kids who encounter Jesus in the Liturgy then it's all OK. They say you can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. You can teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. This is the Mass. If our kids successfully connect with The Lord in the most intimate encounter this side of Heaven, then they will always know where to turn. If they're in jail, the hospital or just plain bummed out, they can find Jesus again if they know where to look.

However, if you're like me, your mom guilt can sometimes hit it's peek at some point during the Sunday Liturgy. I become distracted thinking:

"I should've read the readings before"

"Next week I will teach my kids the meaning behind the Holy, Holy, Holy. They should know that, why don't they know that?"

"Is it a feast day? Did I tell my kids?"

"Is my four year old wearing two different shoes?" "Wait, am I wearing two different shoes?"

I walk out the door with big plans to make Mass prep an important part of our week. Then sometime during coffee and doughnuts and rushing home for naptime I forget for exactly

seven days.

However, thankfully, this Lent I had the gift to pilot a program that aimed to solve this very

problem. The Mass Box is a genius initiative that attempts to make Mass prep super fun for kids and super easy for parents.

In short, the Mass box is a subscription based service (which can be subscribed to month-to-month or in 6/12 month increments) that delivers all you need for successful Mass prep right to your doorstep. Each week the Mass Box people provide a short, super adorable video with Clare and her dad discussing that week's Gospel message. Here is an example for the first week of Advent:

In your box, you will find craft supplies portioned and ready for your child to complete a craft along with Clare and her dad. My kids would watch each episode of "Catholic Crafts With Clare," on average 1,000,000 times. They loved her and along with it, loved her message. Additionally, the box includes weekly issues of the magazine/devotional MagnifiKID for your child to take to Mass that week- total score. Undoubtedly, these activities and Gospel discussions made a huge impact on our Sunday Mass experiences. Even my preschooler could recognize the Scripture story that she had become familiar with in the week prior. The Mass Box totally eased my mom-guilt by giving me an easy way to Liturgically prep my babes to hunger for the Lord's Word on Sunday. You can check out the Mass Box at their website and can even use my affiliate code HeartUnited5 for a 5% discount!

Now I am just waiting for them to release The Laundry Box, The Discipline Box and The How-Come-Dinner-Happens-EVERYDAY!? Box. #Goals