First Week of Lent

I am a little late getting to what we planned on doing for Lent.  This year is probably our biggest Lent so far with the kids.  Last year I think I was so preoccupied I couldn’t even tell you what happened for Lent.  John was living in Gainesville during the week, since we hadn’t sold the house to move yet.  In others years, the boys and I would use our time in the car to learn Christian songs and such.  Really nothing formal as a family. 

This year I hoped to change that.  Pinterest and friends’ blogs gave some ideas.  John and I talked about what we thought we could manage and the kids could get into.  I have to say that as I looked through ideas or thought of my own I really wanted to do it all.  John of course is my voice of reality, which is why we make a good team.  So, we decided to take it slow this year.  The idea is to start simple and we can build on it in the years to come.

To get the kids into the season, the week before Ash Wednesday we watched a movie “Animated Passion- Worthy is the Lamb”.  It goes through the last supper, the betrayal, and Jesus being sentenced to death.  It also has a second movie, “He is Risen”, on the DVD that continues the story, the boys really wanted to watch the other movie.  I told them we will as it gets closer to Easter.  I think it worked because after the movie we talked about what they wanted to do for Lent.  I told them some of the things I have done in the past- give up or do; and they wanted to do it all.  I think they get that from me! 

Ash Wednesday we introduced what we were going to do as a family. 

The Bean Jar- like the crown of thorns idea, but John and I thought the boys would understand this one a little better.  Also I liked the visual that this one gives come Easter when their beans turn into jelly beans.  We didn’t tell them about the jelly beans, our kids are motivated by food and we want them to be motivated by the want to do something good for Jesus.  So, far they have been going well.  Everything has turned into a sacrifice.  I’ve been trying to explain that saying your prayers is not a sacrifice just something good to do.  The picture of the bean jar is from few days into.  John and I are trying to come up with little things for them to do to also get a bean that night.  Caleb I think is going out of his way to let people cut in lines at school.  He has used that one a few different nights.  We told Noah and Caleb to be honest, because Mommy and Daddy don’t know what they did at school.  Jesus knows and we don’t want to pretend we did something for Jesus.

I wanted to add that the jar I used a locket that mom gave me.  In the locket is a 3rd class relic (meaning it has touched to the body of the Saint) from St. Therese the Little Flower.  When we introduced the jar I told them a little bit about St. Therese and how she that she did everything for Jesus, even the simplest acts.  I’m praying that she is inspiration for us all during this Lenten season.

Lenten Calendars- I printed off one calendar for Ian and Eli – Lamb Calendar.  For some reason this calendar was a little hard to print off.  It was in a pdf file, but when I printed it was only 1 page.  I had to play with it to get it to print on 2 pages and then glue the two together and put it on small poster board.  The younger boys like gluing the cotton balls on the lamb.  I did have to cut the cotton balls into small pieces to have them fit within the squares.  We hung the calendar in Ian's room because of Noah's desk and the supplies are also kept in that room.  Also, I'm hoping Ian helps remind me about it each day.

Then I printed off a copy of the Lent Path for Caleb and Noah.  Noah and Caleb really took on the task of coloring the calendar.  We have also added sticky notes for things they want to try and give up for a day.  Noah had a gotten a little confused about this.  He said on Ash Wednesday he was going to give up playing his DS on Friday.  Friday came and I saw him playing games on the iPhone.  We had to explain that you couldn’t give up the DS but still play games on another source.  Still a little confused; I gave him this scenario “Mommy isn’t drinking Dr. Pepper on Fridays, but I can’t go and start drinking Daddy’s Pepsis.  It means I don’t drink any kind of coke.”  This Friday he is going to try again- this time no video games.  Caleb also wants to join in.  Their calendars hang in their rooms and I also added a small sticky note so they can keep up with what day we are on.

 

Songs- I also went back in time and found a song on YouTube that we used to listen to with my mom- Carman’s Sunday’s on the Way.  Then I found a cartoon version of the song and showed the boys.  They really seemed to enjoy it.  Warning- it does have Alleluia at the end.  I also found a few other songs that I want to let them listen to that tell stories related to Lent and Easter, just no other cartoon versions. 

Stations-  I have been working on putting up Stations of the Cross for Children that I found on Pinterest.  I really liked these because they were in color and had very beautiful pictures.  I might have to put them in a book when we are finished with Lent.  The want comes from the fact that I enjoyed going as a family when we were younger, but I wasn’t sure the kids were ready to go to church for them.  Okay, Makaela wasn’t ready.  I knew she would be a handful and John or I would be distracted by her, so we are going to try doing this at home.  I hung them up in the hallway between the kids’ rooms.  I hope it serves as a good reminder for the season also.  I put the prayers on a ring so when we do pray we can flip to the next station.  I guess now we need to do is pray them.  I’ll let you know how it goes.