Longing for Lent

"Longing For Lent"

Yeah, I know what you are thinking.  No way, Jose!

But, yeah, I mean it.  Our oldest is 15 years old, I mean 15 years "young".  ;)  So we have been doing this Lenting thing as a family for quite some time.  That doesn't mean I'm getting old, does it?  Nah - I'm forever young.  We have many traditions that we have carried through many years.  These traditions bond us and shape us as a family.  They help form our faith and plans for different seasons of the Liturgical year.  And for some reason, I'm always "longing for Lent".  So ready to begin.  Not that I'm 100% ready and set up and prepared to begin.  But my heart and soul is ready to jump in.  Same with my kids.  They can't wait.  Even with the giving up of things - tv time, electronics, sweets, coffee, pop, etc... and doing/giving more, they are ready to jump right in and surprise me with their sacrifices each year.  These sweet kids have a heart to give.  A heart to love.  And a heart to sacrifice.  The Holy Spirit dwells so beautifully and shines during Lent - in the love, sacrifice, and family bonding.

So, what do we do?  Let me share a "few"...

CROWN OF THORNS
**pictures and tutorial found here of how to make a table top display and tool for keeping track of our Lenten sacrifices

LENT SONG
**Lent song for kids (and review of Dogma Dogs cd) found here

REPENT CROSS WITH HANDPRINTS AND LENTEN CALENDAR
**We make the large cross out of brown constructions paper and tape it to a door or wall.  Each family member traces their hand on construction paper, cuts it out, writes their Lenten promises on it, and  tapes it to the cross.  We also hang up some printable Lenten calendars, where the kids color a square each day of Lent, counting down the days to Easter.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS
**Multiple times a week, we march around the house with flashlights and pray the Stations.  The Stations we use are these posters and they are hung up throughout the house, so we can march from room to room as we pray them.

LENTEN DEVOTIONALS
**See my post over at Cuppa Catholic on our favorite Lenten devotionals

JESUS TREE
**You can buy a kit here to make this beautiful Jesus Tree felt tree and ornaments, which ends up being a Family Lenten Bible Study - starts at Genesis and leads up to the Death and Ressurection of Our Lord

LENTEN LEGOS
**Let your kids build away!!  Here's a look at some of our Lenten Legos.

CATHOLIC WEIGHT LOSS
**A look at my fasting from last year

HOLY THURSDAY TEA
**food and scripture to teach the meanting of this day

GOOD FRIDAY TEA
**food and scripture to teach the meaning of this day

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Linking this post up with Siena Sisters, which will have a Lenten Blog Hop

Click on the image below to get more ideas for Lent this year!

Catholic Weight Loss??

***This post was originally shared here.  Click on over or read here...***

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Bear with me on this one as I attempt to explain a Catholic Weight Loss observance I am doing for Lent this year...

Dieting for Lent?  Hmmm, can that be done?  Can that be a sacrifice to offer up to Him and grow closer to Him in doing so?  We already fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, so why not incorporate some extra fasting by choice throughout the week....

(Quick side note:  I'm not a fan of skinny jeans, nor do I wear them, nor do I allow my girls to wear them)    But....  I do like the chocolate reference here, especially tied to the possibility of losing weight.  Yes, many people give up chocolate.  So much so that Matthew Kelly is encouraging people to try something new than the same ole same ole of giving up chocolate this year.  But if chocolate is a vice for you and a way to unite that suffering to His, then by all means, continue to give it up!!

My fasting this year has been many years coming.  For 14 years now, I've either been pregnant or nursing, so I haven't been able to do much with fasting.  (other than the giving up chocolate or coffee or Mountain Dew or sweets).  But only one full meal on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday have more or less been out for me.  Not this year though!  Not pregnant.  Not nursing - my little guy weaned himself a month ago (waaaaaah!).  But it was God's perfect timing and just in time for Lent!! 

Two Lents ago I was really inspired by one of my closest friends.  She fasted three days a week for both breakfast and lunch, but did allow herself one helping of food at dinner time (so they still ate dinner as a family - we all know how important family meal time is!!).  To get through the day, she allowed herself to eat bread when her body needed it.  As her belly grumbled and rumbled throughout the day, it was that constant reminder of that sacrifice she was making for Him and to rely on Him to get through the day.  And, get this - by the end of Lent, she had lost 10 pounds!!  (she got me there!!)  After 8 babies, I have some extra weight to lose.  You calculate those last few pounds that are so hard to shed times my 8 babies, well, yeah, you know what than comes to!  ....around 25 pounds!  Oy!!  Is losing this amount of weight my goal for Lent?  Nah, I'll be happy to lose even 10.  Even losing 5, I'd be thrilled!!

I've made it through 5 days so far - Ash Wednesday and the Friday after, and then the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of the first full week of Lent.  And today I start my second week of fasting on Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  I am tweaking my friend's fast a bit and not doing the bread throughout the day.  My hubby has done some fasting over the years and said the bread/water allowed sometimes makes it harder and makes you more hungry, so he suggested I go cold turkey.  Cold turkey, it is!!  Thankfully, I keep pretty busy from the time I wake up til that dinner time hits, so truly it has been doable to do this.  I am very reliant on prayer throughout the day, for sure. 

Here's a peek at my fasting days.... 

My belly rumbles and grumbles constantly at me all.  day.  long.  From the time I get up and my feet his the floor.  When I'm showering and getting ready for the day.  Feeding my 8 kids their own breakfast.   Grumble.  ++Lord, be with me+  Teaching them school.  Giving the baby snacks.  Rumble.  ++I need You++  Teaching more school.  Giving baths.  Grumble.  Rumble.  ++Help me do this!!++  Running to activities/classes.  Reading books.  Rumble.   ++All for You++  Making lunch.  Grumble.  Serving lunch.  More school.  More running to and from.  Rumble.  Grumble.  Phew - time to make dinner.  ++Thank you, almost there...++  It's getting closer!!  Rumble.  Grumble.  Family dinner time!  I get to eat with my husband and eight great kiddos!!  Yippeee!!  

++thank you, God!!++

So, there's my take on a Catholic Weight Loss program for Lent.  And because I highly doubt I'll lose the full 25 pounds that my body could lose, I may continue with a plan similar to this after Lent., if even for one day a week.  It can be such a blessing to sacrifice and fast from food like this and lift up your heart and rumbly grumbly belly to Our Lord to help you get through it. 

And before I send you all off, I couldn't help but share a little wisdom from some holy ones who have gone before us and paved the way on true beauty.  Because truly, it is not about how much we weigh, or skinny or squishy we are, etc... it's about the beauty of our soul and the JOY of our Lord living in and shining through us...

"Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul."
~Saint Augustine

 “The only ones who are truly beautiful are those who look beautiful when they come in out of the rain. That kind of beauty comes from the inside out, not from the outside in. It is the product of virtue, not rouge; it is not skin-deep, but soul-deep.”
~Archbishop Fulton Sheen

 “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”
~Mother Teresa

...slow ...Lenten... beginnings...

Two days of Lent have came and have passed.  Only 38 days left, eh?  How are you doing?  Holding strong to all those commitments you have made?  Me?  ....I'm already WAY behind.  WAY behind our normal every year plans, anyways.  But I'm right on schedule with what He wants us to be doing so far this year.

You see, we've been celebrating Lent in our domestic church here for many years and we've developed many traditions.  We have kept almost all of them, and have added a new one every couple years.  So it adds up to a lot of things that we do. A lot of things to get set up and started all at once.  This year, I've just let things happen slower.  Other years, I have had things all ready the weekend before Ash Wednesday, so when that day hits everything is good to go.  I can't even tell you why I didn't do that this year, other than God has allowed a slower beginning.  And, that's ok.  I'm fine with that....

We have our Crown of Thorns on our table and many thorns have already been removed.  We even had a sweet friend's daughters come over and we made one for their family.  (my dear friend is on semi-bed rest because her babe-in-womb is attempting to make an early arrival, and while people sign up to bring meals to help, I"m better at providing on the "soul-food" end.  Hence the Crown of Thorns for them to guide them in their Lenten path)

But here's where I am at with setting up our Lenten REPENT cross and printed calendars and handprints...  (so touched though when the four big kids took the time on their own to create lists of their Lenten plan, since I didn't have the cross and hands ready to go)

Our devotions and books?  Got it down and I'm two for two with the Pope Francis daily devotional and writing our plans on our whiteboard.  Haven't even started the Pope Francis Mercy book yet though - doh!  Cramming will be happening this weekend as our actual study group starts meeting next week....

Our Jesus Tree?  Have it hung, but haven't even dug our beautiful felt ornaments out from the basement yet.  Gosh, I sure hope I can find where I hid them from myself from last year's Lent...  ++St. Anthony, please intercede!++

I am Skirting It Up for Lent again this year.  Kinda last minute, might I add.  I did this two years ago and really wasn't planning on it this year, but on Ash Wednesday morning a Sweet Whisper encouraged me to do so.  So I gave my fiat and will act in obedience.  Two of my girls also agreed to join me on this one.  Here we are for our first two days...

 (and just a warning, although I will be posting and sharing pics for accoutability on FB and IG, many of my outfits will be repeats, as my wardrobe is pretty limited and simple.  I'm just not a fancy girl...)

Our Stations posters had to be replaced this year.  And they... well... are still in the package, waiting to be hung.  And prayed.  (we try to pray this a couple times each week, marching around the house with flashlights in hand and with the lights off/dimmed - such a neat tradition!!)

Haven't even watched a Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure video yet.

Haven't even sang our "It's Lent" song this year...

And there are SO many awesome Lent videos out there to watch that I haven't even turned on yet for the kids, nor watched myself...

And, this is all okay!  Why?  Because we are not perfect.  Nor expected to be perfect.

We "are dust and to dust" we "shall return"

We give our yes, our fiat, on Ash Wednesday to walk with Him throughout these forty days.  With open hearts, we give to Him our imperfections, our failings, trusting He will shine forth His own Life within us even brighter and bring us to an even closer Life with Him.  He can do amazing things just by our willing, obedient, and joyful openness of our heart, mind and will.  

++May God bless you all with a blessed Lent!!++

It's Lent!!

Lent began just five days ago, and I'm already behind on what we *should* be doing.  But we have jumped in to Lent and have started with some of our regular traditions....   We've started our devotional and our Jesus tree.  The stations posters are hung (although we have yet to pray them so far). Our printable Lent calendars are hung.  But we have lots to do still.....  We need to make our crown of thorns.  Need to start Holy Heroes Lenten Adventure.  Get out our Easter books.  Just another reminder to say "yes" and accept each day as it comes with what He has in mind for us and our journey of faith and renewal.  

Here's a little peek at our Lent journey so far....

Mario turned 12 on Ash Wednesday.

We had his birthday party on Friday.

Saturday, Neil took the two big boys skiing with the Community of St John.

And, today, we had Mass and a birthday party for my nieces.  For our family prayers tonight, we did 5 days in 1 for our Jesus tree (yeah, we have many "catch-up" days like that!)

Busy, busy, busy!!  

Yes, Lord, yes!  

Your will be done.  

Good Friday - 2014

Although Good Friday is a "down day" in our house in remembrance of the sacrifice Our Lord made for us, there are two things we always do and look forward to as a family - our Good Friday tea and Good Friday service at our church (the only day with no Mass).

Each food item below tells the story of Christ's Passion.  Here are pictures from our faith-filled Good Friday tea...

**The Water Bowl**

**The King's Crown**

**Out of Envy**

**Purple Cloak**

**The Crown of Thorns**

**The Seamless Garment**

**The Two Robbers**

**Vinegar To Drink**

**The Temple Curtain**

**Roman Centurion**

**Laid In The Tomb**

Thanks to Alice at Cottage Blessings for creating this tea idea and for Jessica at Shower of Roses for always inspiring me as a mother how to build our own domestic church.  Jessica made the printable signs for each food item - they can be found here.  My link from 2012 can be found here with more details on what each food item was.

Holy Thursday - 2014

Today begins the Holy Triduum in our Church!  It is one of my favorite Masses of the whole year. Fone and Mario served Mass and our family was asked to take up the gifts following the dressing of the altar and the presentation of the holy oils.  Super special night!!!

Before Mass, we fed our hungry crew a Holy Thursday themed meal, almost identical to the meal we have done for the last two years.  It's so sweet how the kids look forward to and remember and talk about these special traditions throughout the year.

Here was our menu...

**Hearts of Palm**

(we had salad - one plain and one Caesar, since palms are green plants too and we need a veggie)

**Costly Oil**

(plain ole olive oil - we sprinkled on some parmesan and crushed pepper for a yummy dip for the bread)

**Thirty Pieces of Silver**

(30 Ritz crackers)

**Unleavened Bread**

(skinny bread - went great with the olive oil dip)

**Mount of Olives**

(black olives)

**Cock Crows Twice**

(chicken pot pies)

**Gethsemane Figs**

(Fig Newtons)

**Judas' Kisses**

(Hershey's kisses with green wrappers)

**Clouds of Heaven**

(Cool Whip to go with the fig newtons)

**Peter's Tears**

(Altoid mints - they are so strong, they can bring tears to your eyes)

Here is our celebration for 2012.  And as always, a HUGE thanks to Jessica for sharing the idea of this tea to begin with - what a wonderful inspiration she is to me!!!

++Thank you, God, for ideas like this themed tea to help remember and understand all about the sacrifice of Your Son and His great love for us.++