Pshew, we did it.
It took a whole day, and we didn't get ANY schoolwork done (double day tomorrow!) but we went to Mass, got our ashes, decorated the house for Lent, and . . . Cleaned Out the Toys!
Here's our day in pictures . . .
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| ashes |
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| remember, baby, you are dust . . . |
And the big toy cleanout . . .
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| before |
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| during (this part is what I like to call "sweep pile rescue") |
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| after |
I know, it doesn't LOOK all that different. But there is a huge stack of toys against the wall of my garage that says otherwise. We still have a lot of toys. More than I intended, but it was HARD getting rid of stuff. We got rid of half of our toy bins, and probably two thirds of the toys themselves. We moved art supplies and games down where big kids can reach them.
I'm happy with our progress. And, hey, this way we have something to do NEXT Lent, right?
This is what our school table looks like now:
I'm sure it will be very motivational, or at least now, if they're spacing out, maybe they'll be spacing out about the passion. So that's something.
For our other Lent decorations, see here.
In other Ash Wednesday news, I got the following email:
"FYI, Bishop Michael C Barber, S.J. of the Diocese of Oakland, California, quoted your article “Outside the Box: 66 Things to Give Up or Take Up for Lent (in beginner, intermediate, and advanced). People found it humorous and insightful."So. Cool. I need new business cards. Kendra Tierney: wife, mother, blogger, inspiration of bishops.
+;0)
Oh, also, not yelling is really hard. I'm glad it wasn't a one day challenge.