Lent Cometh: perhaps everything you'll ever need to know to have the best Lent ever

A pretty significant percentage of my all-time most popular posts are about Lent. I figured that since I've gotten quite a few new readers over the last year, it might be nice to put the best of the Lent posts in one place. So, here they are . . . (Just click on the post title, not the photo, to read the whole thing.)

All about how we celebrate Fat Tuesday in our house, including recipes, crafts and activities, music, and our favorite Fat Tuesday movie.

A close up look at what our home looks like during Lent. Simple but meaningful, these small touches around the home really help our family be mindful of the season.

My very first post to "go viral," this is how I have come to view Lent . . . "not everything I have tried to do (or not do) for Lent has worked. Today, you get to hear about what I don't do during Lent, what I avoid not doing during Lent, things I tried not doing but couldn't, and how I find mortification without suffering except in relation to Dr. Pepper."

Looking for something new to give up or take up for Lent? Maybe this post can help. It is my all time most popular thing on the blog. It's been featured in newspapers and magazines, and was even mentioned in a homily by a bishop!

More of my Lenten philosophy . . . "THIS Lent, let's win. Let's have a Lent that will benefit ourselves and the people around us in our particular lives and our particular circumstances. Let's see the big picture and remember that it's not about not eating chocolate, it's about WHY we're not eating chocolate. Let's do Lent right, and hope to find a better version of ourselves this Easter."

My take on the age old question of whether Sundays "count" during Lent . . . "Sundays in Lent seem to be a genuine source of confusion among Catholics. Both the 'I don't cheat on Sundays' people and the 'Sundays don't count' people believe that Church teaching is on their side. Or perhaps they just think there isn't a formal Church teaching on it, so it is a matter on which good Catholics are allowed to disagree.

But we can't ALL be right, right?"

A little guide to exactly what we do for each day of Holy Week, and how to do it yourself with very little advance planning.

Details about our Spy Wednesday and Holy Thursday celebrations, including Thirty Pieces of Silver for kids, the Seven Churches Visitation, an at-home Last Supper -- complete with Rice Crispy Treat Lamb, and Family Foot Washing.

Details of our Good Friday and Holy Saturday observances, including Hot Cross Buns, our favorite stories and movies, a real Southern Catfish Fry, egg dying, and the official eschewing of Easter egg hunts and other early celebrations.

And finally . . . "How much of Jesus' suffering and death to share with little ones is a question many parents struggle with.

It can be overwhelming to feel like you have to introduce so many facts and concepts and characters all at once, especially if your kids are perhaps more concerned with how close they are to getting to eat treats again than with the details of Jesus' passion.

How to handle it in your own family is going to depend, of course, on your particular kids.

But here's how we do it in our family."

So, hopefully these will get you in the mood for Lent, or at least ready to start thinking about it. My own perspective on Lent has changed so much over the years. I'd love to hear how YOU plan to approach Lent this year. Also, I haven't decided on what my own voluntary Lenten disciplines will be this year, so if you've got any ideas, lay 'em on me.