Easter Can't Come Soon Enough

This year we are celebrating Easter with the two olders - the full version of Easter. What I mean is we celebrated Fat Tuesday - they better understand Ash Wednesday and the significance and we are following No Meat on Friday and also observing Lent. Not that we didn't do this before, but we really didn't make the kids follow this very strictly. In the past instead of "giving something up" we added something in - family walks - family game nights - extra reading time - things that they would be happy to do. This year we asked them to add or give something up that would be more challenging to do but not impossible. For instance BigGuy said he wanted to give up TV which surprised me because each year I throw out "let's give up TV for 40 days and 40 nights" to which BigGuy makes a distorted face close to laughing and says something about March Madness and that not being possible. When he suggested it I must have looked surprised he would suggest no television because he looked somewhat insulted.....and then I explained I was pleased, but that he always nixed the idea because of March Madness - to which he looked surprised that he had suggested it too and said perhaps we should pick something else. And so we did. Spidey gave up his DS. SuperStar gave up Sweets. BigGuy gave up Computer Games. I added in going to the Gym at least 4 days a week (I know not really hard) and also asked everyone to join SuperStar in giving up Sweets too. Which we all did.

Do you know how hard this is? ALL SWEETS - not just chocolate - no cookies (ahhhhh it's GS Cookie Time)....no ice cream....no brownies....no candy.....no a lot of things. Now we did take a reprieve for my birthday and we all had some made from scratch carrot cake........yummmmmmmyyyyyy!!!!! And then promptly froze the remaining pieces and I have been trying to give them away since. But for the rest of my birthday parties (given by folks in STL - thanks I love you) I pretend ate cake (if you all didn't notice - sorry, but I didn't want to be rude after you were so sweet to get the cake) and then when they weren't looking tossed it.

The kids are probably having it the hardest - well maybe not as they don't have a period that will land 2x's within the 40 days and 40 nights that screams for a sweet treat. The kids openly suffer more though. I have to be stoic and save my suffering for after they are in bed. SuperStar has caved 2x's eating a piece of chocolate candy here and there given to her by religion teachers and at a school event. And I am thankful for that because it actually offers us the opportunity to talk about what sacrifice means......that it if wasn't hard to do it would not be a sacrifice and also to talk about what the bible stories mean when they talk about the sacrifice God made. The difficulty of our Lenten choice this year has also given us the opportunity to talk about how the commitment for each person is their own choice - it is their relationship with God and not everyone is perfect.

Plus - it has encouraged us to become more familiar with what a healthy treat is - and realize all the millions of types and flavors of yogurt. There really are a million zillion flavors. And we are eating fruit like crazy - mango, pineapple, kiwi, apples, tangerines, banana's - straight - smoothied. Yet I know that Easter Day my kids will most likely vomit from over eating their Easter Basket.

How many days til Easter?