Happy Lent! That doesn't sound quite right, does it? Lent is the time in the church year known for - well, not happy. After coming off the high of Christmas it seems to sneak up on me every year. Wednesday night church services, purple paraments and banners on the alter, familiar Lenten hymns all pointing to what agony Christ took in my place. It's the season of repentance.
In this pastor's house we all take a deep breath after Transfiguration Sunday. This is one of the busiest times of year - an extra midweek service to prepare. Even with the pulpit swap of local pastors bulletins must be typed up and copied, music must be programmed along with the usual Sunday service. Classes and meetings continue around this frantic schedule while the kids and I continue doing our thing, running to lessons, making meals at the right time so there's enough time for pastor husband to get to his meetings, classes, worship. There's a Seder Supper to plan this year for Maundy Thursday along with all the other Holy Week services going on. Yes, we take a deep breath..... and exhale.
The season of repentance. Who has time to repent? And what exactly are we repenting of? We can easily coast through this time in a blur and keep on keeping on until we get to Easter. But what richness we will have lost; where will we find our joy? In a culture that doesn't want to admit there is anything wrong - nothing to "repent" of - I can get dragged along to. And take my family with me. I'm still in church every Sunday, responding to the liturgy of confession and absolution; Finding comfort in knowing I am a child of God; Strengthened in Word and Sacrament. But Lent - it comes once a year - slows me down. Encourages me to admit my guilt for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. I am a poor, miserable sinner desperately in need of a Saviour. When I recognize that, I am overwhelmed with gratitude on Easter Sunday and shout "He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!" with my fellow worshipers.
So for me, Lent is the time not to forget - not to forget I'm a sinner in need of a Saviour. Shoot, I don't even remember why I walked into a room sometimes until I leave it and then remember why I went in there in the first place! I sometimes completely forget my phone number. Or my children's names. So yeah, I've painted my toe nails purple so that even when I'm naked as the day I was born I can look down and remember. I wear the pin of a nail engraved with "forgiven" so I remember the cost of my salvation and that I am indeed forgiven because of what Christ has done, certainly not any contribution I've made!
I wear my "by grace alone" necklace all year to remind me of his undeserved love for me. In an effort to impress this on my children as the Lord has tasked parents with - we work on memorizing a Lenten hymn each year. This year we'll be learning "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". My kids still remember the ones we learned in the past - "Go to Dark Gethsemane" and "Glory Be to Jesus". We make our Lenten garden as a visual reminder of his love for us. We do special devotions -
Nothing I do can contribute one iota to my salvation. And boy, do I need saving. He has done.it.all. That is what we strive to focus on in our home during Lent so that come Easter morning we are ready to celebrate and shout with pure joy and relief, "He is Risen! He is risen indeed!"
I live in Canada. There is snow. In the winter. I can't speak for other parts of this great big country but where I live, it does not snow in July. We don't live in igloos or travel by dog sled. We have all four seasons in a fairly predictable way. Our summers can be hot and humid, fall is gorgeous with eye popping colours and juicy apples, spring is cheerful tulips and a welcome respite from the bitter cold of winter. Winter is winter. I must admit - I have a hard time embracing winter. There are times, especially in January and February, when I'm bundled up to where only my eyeballs are showing with wind hurdling me around as I struggle to get to the car (with groceries) and I say to myself how did I get here? One minute I'm a girl growing up in southern Missouri and the next I'm married to a Canadian and find myself wearing long underwear.
A few weeks ago, we got ice instead of snow. I realized that snow I could work with. Ice - what's up with that? You can't play in it, you can't make a snowman, you can't sled on it, you can't drive on it unless you have a death wish, you can't walk on it without falling on your back, you can't even skate on it! Muttering slightly unsavoury comments to myself under my breath in regards to the ice as I was trying to make my way to the van - I looked up (which is actually dangerous because then I'm not watching what I'm doing). And this is what I saw....
Totally worth the risk. Thank God I looked up. And then I thanked God! I went home and stayed home until it melted and while I waited, I baked. Things seem so much better with a cinnamon roll - you know what I mean?
And even better - these are low fat and yummy. Score. Make a cup of tea, sit in front of the fire place and I have just avoided the nut house. For now. A day to myself is another helpful coping mechanism. Wayne takes the kids skiing on Mondays and since I don't ski, I stay home. Zanna's just starting to ski and she looks good!
She may not know what she's doing yet, but she looks good anyway!
Will's a natural and has graduated this year to adult skis. He goes down the hills by himself and enjoys the fresh air.
Looking good, guys! While you're doing that, I'll get my hair cut, the floors cleaned, grocery shop and maybe make some more cinnamon rolls! Is it just me or does anyone else get really excited when the plow comes through with the dump trucks to scoop up the snow collected on the side of the road and truck it out to a giant snow hill far, far way? The roads seem wider again and spring is in the air! Meanwhile, as we wait for spring, we read some books especially for this time of year.
Around here it's generally accepted that anything above -10 C is good for sending kids outside. So my kids have made a "castle" in our front yard with rooms and walls to protect them during snow ball fights with neighbours. Both are proficient at shoveling and help Dad when needed. Zanna can play for extended periods of time in the back yard doing what, I'm not sure. And who doesn't love to sled down a hill? Bring some hot chocolate to sweeten the deal! We have yet to skate this year but I still hope to. We're looking forward to a sleigh ride this weekend. Yeah, winter's not so bad especially when there's a blueberry tea to end the day. Cup of steeped Red Rose tea, a shot of Grand Marnier and a shot of Amaretto, cinnamon stick. Oh, yeah....
Will's love for Legos has taken on a new dimension as he's been learning about and working with Lego NXT Robotics. A fellow homeschool mom and I have been mentoring a group of kids as they've prepared for a competition where they had to build and program a robot to run a prescribed course outlined ahead of time. The challenge was to send your robot into a mine that collapsed, through the fallen debris (Lego Duplo) and collect the trapped miners (Lego men). Each team was encouraged to win "team spirit" points by making a poster, brochure, business cards - whatever! A lot of work was involved! Saturday was the big day and Will's team won the challenge in their age category. The day was exhausting but a lot of fun. The win was unexpected but a great way to end not only the day but the months of effort and hard work. In the You Tube video, the first robot and team pictured is Will's.
I follow the Simple Mom blog and have enjoyed reading their series of "a day in the life of a homeschool family". They're having a linky tomorrow so I thought if would be fun if I documented one of our days. There is no right or wrong way to home educate and it can look completely different from one home to the next. Depending on the number of children, one or both spouses working out of the home or from home and a myriad of other possibilities, it develops a personality right for that family. While our days can vary in many ways, some things stay consistent. Most of our mornings remain fairly predictable but the afternoons differ from day to day. This was Wednesday, February 1st.
Will is the first up at 6:30am. He worked this time out on his own. He finds this gives him enough time to lounge in jammies and play of bit of Lego before getting to work. My alarm goes off at 7am. At 8 when I emerge from my room, Zanna has already eaten a bowl of cereal and wants me to help her change her calendar to February. At this she realizes that it's her birthday month and she starts to plan! Will has completed his math test and waits for me to check it. He's also read two chapters in his book about Hudson Taylor. He's currently working on my computer and using the World Book Encyclopedia to fill in his Eastern Hemisphere Explorer. We're studying China these days. The kids follow me into the kitchen and beg for waffles. I start on this as they empty the dishwasher. 8:15 - Waffles in the waffle maker so I check the math test. Will's back to EHE until I call him in for breakfast. Zanna has gone into detail on what she wants her birthday cake to look like so I have her draw it for me. 8:30 - eat, clean up kitchen, check email 9:05 - up in the playroom/schoolroom, Will and I work through his early confirmation curriculum "Faith Foundations". We're on the 6th commandment (the adultery one). Awkward. Shouldn't this be daddy's job? I power through and try to stay calm and normal. 9:40 - moving on to spelling with Will. Meanwhile Zanna is at her desk working on her handwriting.
10:15 - Zanna's back to playing and I go over the days assignments with Will. He's to come up with a key word outline for a paragraph I give him, pick a poem to copy in his very best cursive handwriting and read two more chapters in Hudson Taylor book (missionary to China). 10:30 - Wayne and kids are off to the retirement home for the Wednesday morning church service. I'm off to the grocery store. 11:30 - Wayne and kids beat me home and Zanna's helping Wayne shovel the driveway. Will's back to work upstairs. I unload groceries and reheat some homemade chicken noodle soup from the other day. 11:45 - lunch, clean up 12:15 - read to both kids on couch our ancient China book and the chapters in "What the World Eats" that has a Chinese family in the city and country and what they eat in a week. 12:45 - read to Zanna our Five in a Row book for the week "Katy and the Big Snow". We discuss responsibilities. 1pm - quiet time. Kids are in each of their rooms. Will has borrowed my iPod and is listening to "Treasure Island" while playing Legos. Zanna plays quietly with her dolls. I'm in the family room for my Bible reading time. I read today's reading from "Treasury of Daily Prayer", read a chapter from "Christ" and start my new book "The Narrow Lutheran Middle". 1:40 - quiet time normally goes until 2 but gotta go! Zanna has gymnastics at 2 we have to get to. Will stays home with Wayne and finishes his quiet time. He gets to his assignments I've given earlier and goes for a walk with Wayne after he finishes. Watches a bit of "Muppet Treasure Island" on video. While Zanna has gymnastics from 2 - 3:30, I chat with the other homeschool moms. 4pm - get home. I ask Will questions about the book he's reading, he reads his poem he copied, and I look at his outline. He and Zanna watch an episode of "Phineas and Ferb". 4:25 - leave for Will's violin lesson. Zanna stays home with Wayne. 5:10 - back home and I start supper. Kids are at the table drawing.
Zanna is making her own version of a Jackson Pollock painting and Will is drawing a maze. I make shrimp stir-fry.
6pm - eat, devotion, clean up. 6:45 - bath for Zanna. Will's back to listening to "Treasure Island" 7pm - read to Zanna in her bed. Goodnight at 7:30. 7:30 - downstairs on couch with Will. I read "Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze". 8pm - American Idol. I read "Eric Liddell" (missionary to China) during commercials. 8:30 - Will to bed. That's it! I don't do much between then and 11pm when I usually go to bed. This night, Wayne is feeling like he's coming down with a cold and goes to bed early. I try to read some more until my eyes sting and I give up.
