Marshmallow's First Ash Wednesday

I love the innocence in this picture! They look so angelic here!

Marshmallow did NOT want the Deacon to touch his head. Hence the off-centered smudge mark of ashes. LOL.

Lent Calendar

So...I've been reading a book called "Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler". In the book, they give you an example of making a Lent calendar to help teach your children about things we do during lent (prayer, alms, fast). I've also looked at the one on one of my favorite blog, Shower of Roses, as an example. Here's our calendar:

Each day we will be doing the following:

I'm really excited about the 40 bags in 40 days. I've already packed three bags, two for trash and one for donations. It's so nice to be able to see the top of the china cabinet shelf and the entertainment center. I'm sure I'll be able to fill 40 bags of "stuff" easily. It will be so nice to be de-cluttered! Princess and Junior are especially excited to fill their jars of pennies. And they can't wait to put the purple cross stickers on each day when they have finished the tasks.

Wherever there is a fish, we are to fast and abstain from meat. Though, since I'm still nursing Marshmallow, and the other two are so young, we are exempt from fasting, but are eating less or no "snacks" during those days. We are, however, having either fish or no meat on Fridays.

Colored Pancakes! Oh my!

In honor of Fat Tuesday (aka Pancake Tuesday), we made Mardi Gras pancakes for lunch!! The kids were titally amused that their pancakes were colorful and were extremely excited that there were leftovers for breakfast the next day. (They didn't quite come out the colors I'd have liked, but the kids didn't know the difference.) Princess kept commenting on how "we've never had pancakes like these before!"

  

I also learned that the reason people make pancakes on Fat Tuesday is because in the "olden days", you were not supposed to have ANY animal by-products during lent, and so they would have to use up all of their eggs and milk by making pancakes.

(Sorry for the cruddy pictures. My camera's battery had died, so I had to use my phone. The next couple of posts are this way.)