On Fat Tuesday, I spent some time looking for ideas for Lent. I really enjoyed looking at all the great ideas on people's blogs and was inspired to make our Lenten bulleting board:
In the cross on our board, I put 40 coins and each day the kids get to put one into the mite box for our Diocese's mission. The kids love it. We also made lap boards (in the envelope above) with a Lenten calendar to count down the days that I printed off from Catholic Icing. They also enjoy the coloring but it's been hard for them to just color 1 square at a time.
With the kids we are praying a decade of the rosary together reading a story from our children's bible (they get to choose each day). We're also giving up sweets as a family.
Phil and I were able to go on retreat together at the beginning of Lent; wow - it was a great blessing opportunity to re-focus on the important things in life - namely Christ and His Church. I loved especially just having time to sit and pray in front of the Eucharist; of course the reflections we were given on the Universal call to Holiness were great! Also, I'm trying to get to daily Mass more often - when Phil is home in the morning I've also been able to get to morning Mass without kids - it is so nice to have quiet reflective prayer-time. I am so grateful! For Lenten spiritual reading, I've been reading the awesome reflections from the prayer book: "Divine Intimacy" though it's based on the Tridentine Calendar, the meditations are great and they are really helpful, I also an reading St. Paul's letter to the Romans.
Another mom who blogs at "A Minute Captured" from the Catholic mothers Blog Roll stopped by and left a comment so I checked out her site. For Lent she's writing 20 things she's grateful for each day - What a great way to help prepare one's heart for a true celebration of the greatest gift - so though I'm late to join and probably won't get to 800, I'm starting my list today:
1. The Catholic Faith
2. Mary, who said yes to God and Motherhood
3. For my amazing and wonderful husband
4. For Lent and time to remember that our ultimate goal is heaven
5. For William my amazing, first born who is already five years old
6. For Miriam, the beautiful daughter who is so loving and wonderful a beautiful gift from God
7. For Luke, the sweetest baby ever
8. For a warm home, thanks to our wood stove and the labor of my husband
9. For the Sun
10. For family, especially siblings even when they are far away
11. For a new rug, that is soft and a great place for Luke to play and crawl
12. For friendship with other mothers
13. For St. Peter's Parish
14. For the many wonderful priests I've been blessed to know
15. For fresh eggs from our own chickens
16. Naps
17. Nursing babies
18. Scripture
19. Sunday Mass
20. Sunday as a day of rest
Happy 3rd Sunday of Lent!
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