Inquiring Minds Want To Know...

What are you doing for Lent?

It was the question at our homeschool gathering today. I know sometimes we like to (and should if we choose) keep that private. I also realize that the first years I came to understand Lent and participate in it, I was enormously inspired by a few of my Catholic mom friends who were willing to share their ideas.

In response to our conversation today, I posted a few things to our local homeschool yahoo group that I have my eye on for this year.

Here they are- plus a few that came to mind.

I really enjoyed these reflections that were recommended by a friend last year-
http://www.lentreflections.com/

As a homeschool mom, this appeals to me. There is a cost involved, but I think it my be just the thing for this tired homeschool mom's soul-
http://nurturingjoy.com/

This looks awesome!!
Dynamic Catholic Best Lent Ever

If you have little ones, this is a must. I am not sure of the format now, but we enjoyed these a few years ago. There was a video and a few crosswords or word finds that went with.
http://www.holyheroes.com/Holy-Heroes-Lenten-Adventure-s/37.htm

And, of course, Icing on the Catholic Cake-
http://www.catholicicing.com/lenten-activities-for-children/

If you are up to a little Lenten project, look here for a list to "shake off the bonds of stuff". We did this a few years ago-
http://lovemylittleflower.blogspot.com/2012/02/lenten-project.html

These posts will give you an idea of our Lent when our kids were a bit younger-
http://catholicbabysteps.blogspot.com/2010/02/lent.html 
http://catholicbabysteps.blogspot.com/2011/03/lent.html.

Wrapping It Up::Holy Week and The First Sunday of Easter

Last scheduled prayer day for the "40 Days for Life"

Feast Day Table 

Stations on Friday

Paul served for the Triduum 

Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday- He Is Risen!!!

Alleluia! 

Lent On The News::Must See

I am hoping this video link works. I have wanted to come on and share some lenten thoughts, but my new computer (blessing that it is) has slowed me down quite a bit!! In the meantime, please look at this video. If you homeschool, you have to look at it!! The young man whose news story this is is a former homeschool student. He is an awesome young man (one who mentored my son through his sports programs and classes)- your kids would love watching him as well.

Lenten blessings to all!! :) 

A Lenten Hodgepodge

I have been sort of tongue tied here this Lent. Really, here and on my other blog. I hit Lent with enthusiasm. But it has not been the Lent that I planned.

One of the things that happened this Lent was facing the loss of my unborn (aborted) niece or nephew that I mentioned in an earlier post. This was the first time that I have talked about it except to a very few close friends. Getting it out here was sort of a warm up for me. I have since been able to bring it up in other settings.

Going to the abortion clinic to pray has been an experience. I have renewed awe for those who do this regularly. I know that there are those fighting on the front lines day in and day out, rain or shine. I saw them there each time we went to pray, and I know they will continue to be there after the 40 Days for Life campaign ends. I confess that I will not. I don't see this being where we are called right now, but I know that we will be doing something. I don't know how our prayers may or may not change those who enter the clinic, but they changed me (us).

This last time at the clinic, James walked over to me with an odd expression on his face. "Mom", he said in serious tone. "I think they just need to go back to the way it was and make this illegal." I nodded. He began again in a more urgent tone. "Can't the President just do something about this?" Oh, how I wish.

One of the most interesting encounters we had was with a very angry young man. He walked through our little group and I could see the growing animosity on his face. He stopped in a driveway off to the side and called someone on the phone- perhaps the police as they passed two or three times after his phone call. He seemed agitated and angry and kept looking at our group. He decided to walk back by. He spat on the ground, let go of a few choice expletives, and walked right up to my son and another teen boy and heatedly asked what they were doing there and why they were not in school. Included in his" inquiry" was the "F" word among others.

This incident has been revisited a few times around here. My 11yo continues to include the "angry man at the clinic" in our morning prayers. I actually think about him often- it is so hard to understand the depth of anger that he showed. I can only imagine how he must be hurting. We were blessed with the opportunity through this short encounter to be "persecuted for Him". It has brought to life how Jesus must have felt to stand there in the face of that mob of angry people! This was a very small droplet in a vast ocean compared to that, but is been a wonderful illustration for my boys to hold on to.

On the calmer side of things, we joined a group of homeschool children and their moms to pray the stations of the cross at a local church last Friday. At first the children were shy to take a turn reading the stations, but as soon as one child stepped up, the rest were ready to go! It is so nice to pray the stations this way with all the little ones able to roll around at our feet and not have to be very quiet. Very children friendly!

Inspired by Tiffany's post about Lenten decor:

I found this table runner at a local craft boutique. I love it.

And purchased this little cross set. (linked on Tiffany's blog)

My granddaughter sweetly picked these little purple flowers for my birthday. It is the perfect Lent decoration. Beautiful and simple.

Our Lent "fortunes" sitting out.

I found a pretty purple ribbon to hang our banner with.

The boys colored some cross ornaments last year (or the year before) that we just hung up this week. .

There you go- I did say hodgepodge, right? On to Holy Week! Blessings to all! I will see you after Easter. 

March Feast Day Decorations

Taking a lighthearted turn here to show off our 

St. Patrick's feast day table. 

 It is hard to see in this picture, but the light through the door was 

casting rainbows on the wall! 

 In case everyone has not colored their own "Paper Dali", you can print your 

St. Patrick here. 

 I purchased this super adorable "cool spool" from the Iris Blue Artworks store at Etsy.

 We made these shamrock rosaries last year using an idea posted on Catholic Icing. 

And more... 

 We did bump St. Joseph from the feast day table- not very nice considering this is his month! But he has a very prominent spot in our kitchen, and I added a purple cloth (in honor of lent) that I think makes him stand out nicely.

 A little more St. Patty's bling. 

Thanks to Tiffany's inspiring post, I am adding a little purple to our decor.  

Some more St. Patrick's day books and the smaller "cool spool" 

that came in a set with the one above. 

Blessings to you during this Lenten season! 

Movie Viewing for Lent

I heard about this while listening to Catholic radio today- A list of 6 movies to watch during lent on this blog post at Decent Films Guide: Into the Desert: Lent and Film. There are additional suggestions as well.

Sharing...

Okay- deep breath. I am going to share something very personal. Not many people read this blog, but it is still it is difficult to share in this public way. But I feel moved to. Isn't it interesting how God works in our lives?  We were moving toward a happy go-lucky Lent (as much as Lent can be). Happy craft projects, maybe a few good works of mercy, but then God gives you (or rather me) a good swift kick in the tush.

I am going to begin with the most difficult part of this post: I have a precious nephew or niece who was aborted. It breaks my heart. It broke my brother's heart. He was the dad, and after he made that one fatal decision (his choice!) to be with the mom of this little life, there was no more "choice". At least not for him. It is harsh, but it is the truth.

So, here I sit with my growing boys. It was easy, for whatever reason, for me to talk to my girls about these things. I wanted them to have knowledge. I always knew that they could make poor decisions even if they were armed with that knowledge, but I wanted them to have an honest chance (one that I truly did not have) to make fully informed decisions for their life. Talking to my boys about these things has not taken the same natural course. Which brings me to this Lent.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I knew God would provide the perfect Work of Mercy for us this Lent- one that would be far superior to anything I could plan. Our homeschool group signed up with the 40 Days for Life campaign to pray weekly for one hour at a local Planned Parenthood that provides abortion services. Being the reserved person that I am (really- despite blogging, I am an introvert), this is not a natural fit for me. But I felt moved to participate.

There are so many reasons- for those sweet babies, for those dear moms who are so scared that they choose death over life, and for my boys. I need to open the lines of communication with my guys. They need to see that they can make a difference. I also pray that God grants them graces for joining in with such great enthusiasm. I so desperately don't want them to be one of those men who give up their "choice".

The experience, so far, has been... interesting. My boys are little confused. Mind you, we pray peacefully. The signs we hold are gentle signs. Nothing gruesome. Today, a women screamed from her mini van (with her own children in it) that "you children should be in school" and then added a few swear words in. There were several other incidents like this one. My boys can't understand why anyone who feel anger toward what they are doing.

Thankfully, there was also a young construction worker (guessing from truck and dress) that gave the nicest toot, a big smile, and a thumbs up to the boys. I should mention that the boys want to be right out there with their signs. A few times, I thought my 8yo looked on the verge of tears. I tried to talk to him- he said that "it is okay mom, I am okay". Good enough.

One of the dear ladies who was with us today took a moment to talk to my boys after. I don't remember all the details, but she explained how she prays for those people who are so angry at us. She really spent a few minutes talking to them and I could tell it took the edge off for Mark and James.

So, here we are. Fully into Lent. It is just once a week, but I feel like this is our Lent. Praying for those babies. Learning to put ourselves out there. For those who are on the front lines, I know this is just a baby step, but it is a step.

I had a thought today as we were driving home. My brother passed away about 8 years ago. I just realized he must have met (in some way even though I know we can't understand it) his precious little one. It does not make what happen to his baby any less horrific, but I can't help but to be comforted by this!

I feel ever so less-than-articulate (even less so than usual!) in this post, but truly felt the need to write this down.

God Bless You during this very special Lenten season!!

Lent::Shaking Off The Bonds of Stuff

I mentioned this at the end of my last post, but now that I have printed 

it up and have it ready to go, I am super excited to join 

Gardenia, Tiffany, and others in this challenge. 

Honestly, it really does look doable too. 

And beneficial! 

Visit Gardenia @ My Little Flower if you would like a copy of this article.

Pondering Lent

    

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday was the Feast of the Presentation and Lent was weeks away? 

Click here to see how our plans looked last year (2011). 

We started doing these Lent fortunes a few years ago- my boys love them. (because I linked it to Catholic Icing, this is my most viewed post ever on this quiet little blog )

Put together when my boys were younger, we used these rather less than brilliant (yet still effective) Stations of the Cross. I anticipate being able to get to church to do the stations more often now that I have big boys!

My boys might be getting too old for this Stations of the Cross game, but I will pull it out anyway. Another post showing that my boys really did enjoy playing the game.

Our Lenten plans from 2010 are here. 

This year we have a devotional to read together as a family: 

Characters of the Passion: Lessons on Faith and Trust by Fulton J. Sheen

I was able to browse through the books at the local Catholic store and this one caught my eye. I am not sure how much my 8yo will understand, but we can reread it when he is older.

This passage is what first got my attention:

"Neglect of Prayer: No soul ever fell away from God without giving up prayer. Prayer is that which establishes contact with the Divine Power and opens the invisible resources of heaven. However dark the way, when we pray, temptation can never master us. The first step downward in the average soul is the giving up of the practice pf prayer, the breaking of the circuit with divinity, and the proclamation of one's own self-sufficiency."

The book has 7 chapters: 

Peter: A Lesson on Falling and Rising (the above paragraph is from this chapter)
Judas: The Lesson on Self-Pity
Pilate: A Lesson on Political Power (can't wait for this one!)
Herod: A Lesson on Self-Love
Claudia and Herodias: A Lesson on Opposites
Barabbas and the Thieves: A Lesson on True Freedom
The Scars of Christ: A Lesson on Enduring Faith

The boys and I are reading Slaying Dragons right now- it is a good Lent preparation read! 

When we are done learning how to slay dragons, we will begin: 

A Life of Our Lord for Children by Marigold Hunt

http://www.catholicfreeshipping.com/liofourlofor.html

                 

Here is where the pondering comes in- much like during advent, I realize that we are no longer a family of littles. We can stretch ourselves a bit. I need to look around for some ideas. I picture doing something outside the home- some good old fashioned works of mercy! I know if we ask God, He will send some opportunities our way. And usually far better ones than I could ever think of.

And, I am going to participate with Gardenia in her Lenten Project- "Shake off the Bonds of Stuff". I love this idea.

I'll try let you know where this pondering leads.

A Quiet Lent:::Sacrament Preparation

I have not posted often this Lenten Season, but we are still here! This year we have the double blessing of it being Lent as well as time for my youngest child to prepare to receive the Sacrament of Penance (reconciliation, confession) and First Holy Communion.

Our days have settled in to this routine-

We read our "Jesus Tree" bible stories with breakfast. This has been a great experience and a nice compliment to the "Jesse Tree" that we do during advent. During advent we read about the promises of the coming of the Messiah, and now, during Lent, we are reading about the life of Jesus beginning with His presentation at the Temple.

Coloring page for "Finding in the Temple"

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we watch Holy Heroes Lenten Adventures. This has been a nice addition to our Lent. I particularily appreciate when they preview Sunday's gospel reading. I can really tell that it makes a difference in what the boys take in at mass. The reminders to "make sacrifices" have been encouraging as well. Each day also has activity sheets, the rosary (audio), and the Stations of the Cross (audio).

We have our Lent Fortunes that we pick each morning.

The boys have been blessed with several opportunities to particpate in "Works of Mercy" and I am grateful for that. Sometimes I try and make opportunities for them, but the ones that God sends their way always seem to be a perfect fit.

                                                      


Much of our time has centered on the James' preparation for the Sacrament of Penance. It is the perfect match for the season. The concept of sin and of Christ suffering for our sins is at the center of our discussions- and that we can alliviate that suffering by turning our hearts toward Him.  I know that the concepts are big for a little 7 year old, but I am always amazed at how much children are capable of understanding!

Tonight was the reconciliation service at our church. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first- I am more of a traditional "confession in a confessional please" kind of person. For the service, 5 additional priests came and administered confession face to face in different areas of the church while music played to cover any voices from carrying. This was a new experience for me, but I was very humbled and moved by the service and the priests who so patiently heard confession.

James and his cousin decided to go to their first confession
with the one priest who was behind a screen.

In James words- "because it is more like Jesus is on the other side".

Joyful! And a bit silly.

All of our attention will focus on this week, Holy Week, and the preparation for

receiving the Eucharist for the first time in June.

Lent

Yes, it is here. I admit that, unlike previous years, we went to mass on Ash Wednesday not really knowing what our Lent would look like. We sat down and had a family meeting this morning, and this is what we have so far:
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Preparing Our Hearts:

We are continuing our Lent Fortunes this year. This is a favorite of James' (7yo). He often sees the jar on the shelf during the year and asks if we can do them. He was happy this morning to finally get to pull the jar out of the cupboard.

Holy Heroes Lenten Adventures. We did begin this on Monday when the first video was sent. I am very impressed with the information that is shared. Even though it is presented by children and really directed to a younger audience, I think the information is very thorough. When the video is over, we discuss what we heard. I also printed the crosswords and word searches that are offered to go with the days.

Jesus Tree. Readings and coloring pages from Shower of Roses. I would love to make the Jesus Tree banner that is the center of this activity, but this year we will just read the bible passages and color the pictures that are linked. I hope to order the banner to make for next year.

Grapevine Wreath (crown of thorns). This link is for Waltzing Matilda. I love the way her "crown" looks with the dyed thorns/toothpicks.  I also saw one that replaced the thorns with roses for Easter morning, so I think we will do that as well. The explanation given on the Waltzing Matilda blog (near the end of the post) of why we sacrifice to pull the thorns makes this practice very understandable for children.

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Prayer/Fasting/Almsgiving

We Are Giving Up (fasting from):

Dessert/Treats- Some say that this is just silly- Lent is so much more than "giving up candy". While I agree that it is so much more, that the daily reminder when a child thinks "oh, a treat sounds nice" and has to check himself because it is Lent is a good thing.  It is also a good introduction to fasting for younger children. Some families don't allow treats on a regular basis, so this would not be as effective.

PG13 Movies- Having children as young as my boys are, this is not often an issue. However, as they are getting older, they hear more about certain movies and feel pulled to wanting to see them. Sometimes we will deem a movie of that rating appropriate when it does not touch on certain subjects. I keep feeling compelled to further explain this one but rather than do that, I will just say that I felt prompted to put this option before the family. I expected some resistance, but all seemed heartily in favor of the effort.

Almsgiving:

Spare Change- This just fell in our lap. Baby bottles to fill with change and turn back in to the Knights of Columbus to help purchase ultrasound machines for prolife clinics were given out at church last weekend. My boys are so charged up about this, it makes it the obvious focus for them.

Prayer:

Rosary- daily

Stations of the Cross- once a week

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*Each family member decided on their own private Lenten practices with the option to share with me for accountability or not.

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Last years "What Do We Do?" post on Lent.

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For our family, Lent is a fairly new concept (not one my husband or I grew up with). While we returned (after a brief detour) to the church in 1990, we did not "celebrate" our first Lent until a few years later when we found a support group of Catholic moms. As with anything new, it has taken years to develop a deeper understanding of this wonderful time of preparation. I am excited to be able to share it with my boys and am thankful for all the wonderful ladies I have met, in real life and in the blog world, who share their ideas.

Lent Fortunes

I found this super simple idea in the book, Lent is for Children. Our first incarnation of this project was in 2007.  The directions, according to the book, say to print up numbers 1-40 and place them in a fish bowl. The numbers correspond to a list of "practices". Starting on Ash Wednesday (or any time during lent), family members choose a number from the bowl and try to do the corresponding practice the next day.

This is our bowl of "lent fortunes". We decided to type ours out and place them in the bowl. It seems fancier that way. :)

Today, I drew "ask Mary, God's mother, to help you in your duties", Paul drew "don't laugh when someone makes a mistake", Mark drew "do an extra chore today", and James' fortune told him to "take extra care of your pets today". You can, of course, tailor yours to your family. Today's fortunes came straight from the book, but we have several of our own creations in the bowl as well.

Our At Home Stations of the Cross

There have been many lovely blog posts this lent about homemade Stations of the Cross, as well as many other crafts for the season. I am truly inspired. I have been a mom for 26 1/2 years and I have to say that the whole concept of sharing faith building ideas on the Internet is incredible to me- I still remember being in awe when I discovered my first Catholic bookstore years ago with its one puny shelf of children's resources. That shelf is a drop in a bucket compared to the wealth of ideas to be found from Catholic moms who blog! I am so thankful to all those who freely share their wonderful talents!!

I am going to give a slight disclaimer here-

I worry that others, like myself, may feel a bit inadequate when comparing their own efforts to those captured in blog land. So, I am going to share our "Stations", hastily put together a few years ago after being inspired by a dear friend who had the stations, drawn by her children, hung around her home.

We did not do anything so wonderful as drawing our stations. At the time, I was so excited at the thought of praying the stations at home (perfect for my boys, who were little at the time) that I promptly came home and "created" these.
 Yes, I tore a part a children's Stations of the Cross book and slid the pictures in page protectors. :) I have thought, over the years, that we should upgrade. But, they do the job. The boys can tape them up around the yard and I don't worry about them being damaged.

So, there you have it. It's not pretty, but it works!! :)

This is not to take away from gratitude toward all the wonderful moms who share their creative ideas- I love them! I use many of them. I just hope we all keep in mind that the purpose is to live our faith. Sometimes that means just "doing it" even if it is more of a "fly by the seat of our pants" effort.

Stations Game

Just to show you that the boys enjoyed the game. The cards worked fine, but I had to take out quite a few of the "lose a turn" cards. They were just showing up too often. Now if I can just get my dear hubby to quit throwing away our egg cartons so that we can do our Last Supper craft! Every time I set one aside, when I am not looking, he dumps it! The upside is that I have a very helpful husband who cleans the kitchen. I had better hide it next time. ;)

Stations of the Cross Game

I have been blog browsing to get some new ideas for these last few weeks of Lent. I am always amazed at that wonderful ideas that so many moms share!

 

I printed this Stations of the Cross game from The Catholic Toolbox (very aptly named!). I made direction cards instead of making a spinner as originally shown- no particular reason why. We have not played yet, so I'll see how that works. My only thought is that because I printed them on different colors, the boys will know what card is coming next- they may not be too thrilled to see "lose a turn" card coming their way. I'll let you know how it goes when we play tomorrow.

I put the Stations of the Cross questions that go with the game in a pocket in the back of the folder. I love the little cd envelopes for game cards and pieces.

I have also printed these papers to make a super cool Last Supper craft. Catholic Icing blog has this craft and many more for the season.

LENT

What do we do?

#1- We choose a family penance. This year it is no sweets. I know- it is the typical "I am giving up candy for lent". But, really, for some reason junk food consumption is up around here and mortifying ourselves on this matter seems like a good move. Plus it is a concrete reminder each day of the fact that it is Lent!

#2- We try and choose some special reading. In the morning, the kids and I will continue to read our saint a day book plus we are adding on Father Lovasik's book "The Hidden Power of Kindness". We will only read the Fr. Lovasik book when Erin (16yo) is at breakfast with us. It is a bit over the boys' heads, but it is an enjoyable read. When Erin is not with us, we are going to read Rosemarie Gortler and Donna Piscitelli's books- starting with "Living the 10 Commandments for Children".

#3- We are continuing to pray our decade each night. The boys seem enjoy praying the scriptural rosary.

#4- I hate to put this in writing!! Last year was a bit of a failure on this one- We are planning on praying the stations of the cross at least once a week. Our church has beautiful outdoor stations that make doing this with the boys so easy and enjoyable!! If we can't make it over to church, we will do them at home.

#5- An idea from one of our children's lent books- we make up "Lent Fortunes" - little strips of paper that have simple activities printed on them. Things like: pray a Hail Mary when you hear a siren, allow your brother to choose the video, share a toy, do an extra chore, write a letter to a sick or elderly friend... we roll these up and place them in a jar. Each day the kids choose a new "fortune". The thing that is nice about this is that each day is a new start. Sometimes keeping up one thing can be difficult for children, but changing each day keeps it interesting. It also helps kids who are having a hard time honing in one "good" thing to do during lent.

One encouragement that I keep hearing this year is to keep it realistic- it is better to do less, but do it well!!

Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church is a great place to take a look for information about the season!