Lenten Calendar

We're trying a little bit of a different Lenten observance this year for a change. We're having a little trouble adapting to the change in routine, and some is too much for us to keep up with, but we're trying!

I painstakingly cut and pasted all the readings from Jessica's blog for the "Jesus Tree" and we're reading them every night just as we do during Advent when we read the scripture passages for the Jesse Tree. We don't have a Jesus tree yet, nor do I think we'll acquire one because I don't know how we would attach our foam ornaments. So far, we are content to apply the symbols to our Lenten calendar (which we also copied from Jessica!) And we don't have the cute felt ornaments that Jessica has, but we're making our own out of foam sheets. I'm finding the foam to be a lot of fun to work with! I spent a good chunk of today's table time catching up on them. Just a few more to do and we'll have them finished for the rest of Lent.

I'm thinking it's just about time to acquire the materials for our "Garden of Arimathea." That's one of my favorite Holy Week traditions. I don't know if we've done it in the past few years, but I like it. We used a lid from a paper box which is nice and big, and deep. Lined it with foil and filled it with potting soil to make a couple of hills---calvary and the tomb with a path between the two. The kids find sticks to make the 3 crosses with and we drape Jesus's with purple. Then they make a path with stones gathered from outside. We used a little mirror as a pond and a paper cup on its side and covered with dirt for a tomb. Don't forget a big rock to put in front of the tomb! On Good Friday we put Jesus in the tomb and seal him in. On Easter morning the children find that He has risen and there are flowers all over the garden! The flowers are usually from our Playmobil sets, but they could be real if you were a mom on top of things like that. Some people plant wheat grass in the dirt which might be fun. We've never tried it. The kids enjoy the opportunity to play in the dirt and I like the visual reminder on the kitchen table of what this season is all about.