Lent

I intended to have this up yesterday and I just seem to be behind all the time.  I have found it fruitful to look at posts from past Lents to see how God has used that time in my life.  So here's a little rundown of what Lent will look like over here.

1) Typically during naptime I veg on the couch.  Usually from 1-3 I have quiet time to myself and generally I take that time to catch up on shows on my DVR or watch whatever's on.  Not super fruitful or productive. But very relaxing.  After taking care of my kids all morning, I need some time to veg out and not have to use my brain.  So for Lent, I'm going to allow myself 45 minutes of TV time.  That's one DVR'd show.  The other hour plus of time I have, I am going to spend doing other things.

2) More Spiritual Reading being one of those things.

3) More blogging being one of those things.  I know a lot of people who fast from blog/social media for Lent.  I don't have much time with four toddlers, so I check FB, IG, blogs during naptime while vegging and sometimes when they go to bed, but beyond that, my phone is usually in my coat pocket ready to head out the door whenever I need to (which is why I'm bad at answering the phone...). Blogging is so fruitful for me, it allows me a stress release.  It also allows me to have a digital scrapbook of my thoughts, feelings, pictures, kids' milestones, etc...  So instead of fasting from it, I'm hopefully going to be posting 2-3 times a week.

Those are my personal Lenten goals.  I think giving of my time is definitely what my spiritual life needs right now.

As far as our family goes, I'm behind on the prep work, but what I'd like to do is:

1) A friend gave me a Family Lent book about Mother Teresa.  So we're reading that daily.

2) I printed off a Lenten countdown for the bigger girls and they're coloring in the days as we go.

3) I'm taking Catholic Icing's idea of a Lent candle cross, lighting a new candle each Sunday.  The kids really loved that during Advent and it was a great chance for us to talk about what Advent meant.  So we're going to do that through lent as well.

4) I'm going to make a crown of thorns with playdoh and toothpicks for the kids.  They can take a toothpick out when I catch them being helpful, making good choices (walking away from someone bothering them being a big one right now), being kind,etc... Reenforcing the good behaviors that we've been very diligent about instilling in the kids.

All in all, I'm trying to keep it simple, prayerful, and down to my kids' level.

Also, last weekend I went through closets and purged big time.  I was feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and Lent is a great time to get rid of it.  I dropped off 4 garbage bags of stuff at the Mission and it feels good to have organized closets.  I'm also selling a bunch of (big) baby things online.  Almost all of it sold quickly.  I kept my favorite and most used baby items but realized I had A LOT of stuff from Anna and Anthony.  If we're blessed with another baby, he/she will be just fine with the few items I kept :-).  I haven't gone through baby clothes, but they're neatly organized by size and gender, so I will hold onto them in for a while.