I’m still sick but I won’t do that again.  I mean, how weak is that?  I can’t make it through a day without giving in?  Today I will stick with it.  I will also figure out some way to make up for it.  Maybe I won’t take Sunday off.  I have to learn to pray and ask for God’s help.  I obviously can’t do it alone.

I was giving suggestions for what to do to remove a thorn: a good deed, a kind word, a special prayer for someone, even resisting a temptation.  I gave the example of having a candy bar in front of me and not eating it.  I don’t know if he was picking on me or trying to help me work on my strength, but my 8 year old then ran upstairs, got two pieces of Christmas candy and placed them in front of me.  I jokingly tossed them at him and when I went to bed they were sitting on my bedside table.  After my morning shower there were 3 sitting on the edge of my bed.  If I don’t make a big deal about not eating them and taking out a toothpick, I think those pieces of candy will follow me around all Lent. 

I will read my Bible daily.  I will pray alone.  I will pray with my family.   I will go to Confession and take my family.

Sacrifice

I’ve been thinking about what I need to sacrifice for Lent this year.  Traditionally I give up sweets, but it has become a mini-diet not a focus on God.  This year I’ve decided I need to give up internet surfing.  I find myself procrastinating on-line, a lot.  I will only give myself 30 minutes a day to check e-mail and write in my blogs.  I am just realizing how much time I do spend on this.  Of course the sweets are gone and I will really watch my language when frustrated.

Almsgiving

The money I save on not buying sweets and my favorite expensive drink at the grocery store will buy food for the local pantry.  I will go through my home and give away items we no longer use.  I will volunteer to help at upcoming events at my church.

Pray for me, I’ll pray for you.

One family created there own Jesse Tree out of felt.  Each day they read scripture and work their way up to Jesus.

Another idea is to use jellybeans to keep track of prayer, almsgiving, and sacrifice throughout Lent.  Each color is assigned as something.  As the very large jar is filled, the children will see what they have done for Jesus.  On Easter day, then fill the rest of the jar with white jellybeans to signify the need for God’s grace to make up for our imperfection.

Also you can take those palms from last year.  Carefully burn them.  Place the ashes in a pot of dirt for Lent.  On Palm Sunday, add grass seed to the dirt.  By Easter Sunday the grass should have grown.  New Life.  Others have suggested planting Amarillis bulbs at the beginning of Lent.

I even received some great recipes:

Many people shared recipes for a Crown of Thorns.  In case you haven’t heard, it’s a piece of dough braided and formed into a crown.  Then toothpicks are stuck into the crown to signify our sins and the fact that Jesus bore them for us.  Place the crown on a purple cloth or paper.  As Lent goes on, family members that do good deeds or offer special sacrifices and prayers can pull out a ‘thorn’.  Some families then paint the crown gold, place it on a white cloth and cover it with flowers on Easter morning.  Hopefully it will no longer have thorns.

Resurrection Buns sound delicious.  They are hollow on the inside to remind us of the empty tomb.  They also taste like cinnamon buns.  Yum!

Easter Cookies are another favorite.  These are made the evening before Easter.  Each ingredient is compared to Jesus’ journey to the cross and finally burial in the tomb (oven).  On Easter morning, the cookies are decorated and enjoyed.

I’d like to thank Leslie, Julie, Jenny, Diane and Kerry for all the great ideas.

I also found some blogs and sites with ideas.

I like the prayer basket idea here:

http://totustuusfamily.blogspot.com/2009/02/lotsa-links-for-lent.html

The Catholic Bishops’ site is good:

http://www.usccb.org/lent/2007/

This site has good ideas for children’s prayer:

http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/lent/01.html

This parish site has many great family ideas:

http://www.sfaparish.com/lent_activities.htm

Now I have so many ideas to choose from for our family.  All I really want is to make Lent a time to grow closer to God and help those around us.  May this Lent season draw you and yours closer to God as well.

Lori

Make sure to check out http://www.cuf.org/familyresources/saltdoughrecipe.asp  to read a wonderful explanation of what this means.  We will be making this on Ash Wednesday.  It has been suggested that as you put in the toothpicks, make the holes a little bigger so you can pull them out later.

Materials:
4 c. flour
1 c. salt
Water
Toothpicks

Directions:
Mix flour and salt. Mix enough water to make a stiff clay. (A little warmth helps dissolve the salt.) Knead until smooth to remove any air bubbles. Roll three long ropes and loosely braid them. Form braid into a circle and stick toothpicks loosely throughout the entire crown (If they are embedded too deeply they cannot be pulled out intact.) Bake at 350° F for an hour or until it is dry and light brown.

Resurrection Buns

Ingredients:
bread dough, for buns
1/4-1/2 cup melted butter, about
1 bag large marshmallows
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
1)Mix your cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl.
2)Take a small ball of raw bun dough (these are easily made if you
have leftover bread dough as well), and wrap it around a marshmallow,
sealing well.
3)Dip the ball into melted butter.
4)Dip the buttered ball into the cinnamon/sugar mix.
5)Place the ball onto a greased cookie pan, (use a pan with a lip,
because the marshmallow will melt out to make a nice gooey sauce, and
you wouldn’t want it all over the bottom of your oven!) Leave enough
space between balls to allow them to rise to double their size.
6)Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 35 mins or
until doubled in size.
7)Pre-heat oven to 375.
8)Bake the Resurrection Buns in the oven for 18-20 mins or until
lightly browned.

Easter Story Cookies
To be made the evening before Easter

1 cup whole pecans (we use peanuts)
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
I cup sugar
zipper baggie
wooden spoon
tape
Bible

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place pecans in zipper baggie and let children beat them with wooden spoons to break into small pieces. Explain that after Jesus was arrested he was beaten by the Roman soldiers.

- READ John 19:1-3

Let each child smell the vinegar. Put I teaspoon vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink,

- READ John 19:28-30

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave his life to give us life.

- READ John 10:10-111

Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers and the bitterness of our own sin.

- READ Luke 23:27

So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add I cup sugar. Explain that the sweetness part of the story is that Jesus died because he loves us. He wants us to know and belong to him.

- READ Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16

Beat the mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.

- READ Isaiah 1: 18 and John 3:1-3

Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.

- READ Matthew 27:57-60

Put the cookie sheet I the oven. Close the door and turn the oven OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed.

- READ Matthew 27:65-66

Go to bed! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.

- READ John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

I’ve been looking up ideas for the season and I’ve also asked friends what they do as families.  I thought I’d share some of these ideas.

Fat Tuesday:  eat up all the sweets in the house, have King Cake, have a party, make and eat paczkies (a polish donut), each member of the family writes down something they’d like to work on during Lent and places in a special container to look again at when Easter arrives, create a Lenten paper chain with things to do to prepare for Easter

Ash Wednesday:  attend Mass, receive ashes, day of fasting and abstain from meat, start lenten sacrifice, start work on relationship with God and start improving relationship with others, plant seeds that will bloom by Easter

Throughout Lent:  Pray, try to get rid of things and actions that distract us from God, clear out house, sacrifice favorites such as foods and entertainments, give alms, give more time to others, focus more on God, pray the Stations of the Cross, attend Adoration, attend 1-2 more weekly masses, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, keep home plain, make and eat pretzels or hot cross buns for dessert, add Works of Mercy to your daily life

Fridays: abstain from meat

Maundy Thursday:  attend Mass, share a Passover meal

Good Friday:  pray the Stations of the Cross, attend services, my husbands’ family makes homemade Polish sausage and colors Easter eggs

Holy Saturday:  attend the Easter Vigil, get Easter baskets filled with food for Easter and colored eggs blessed

Easter Sunday:  attend Mass, decorate home with flowers and signs of spring, hide Easter eggs, hide Easter eggs, prepare and eat a full beautiful Easter morning brunch or dinner using food blessed on Saturday, Lamb cake, Lamb butter

These are just a couple of things I have come across or we already do.  I think the whole point is to clear our lives of distractions from God.  Does anyone else have ideas on how to make the Reason for the Lenten Season Jesus?   Please share.