Remember that you are dust,

And to dust you shall return.

This is the line that the priest uses when he marks your forehead in the sign of a cross with ashes on Ash Wednesday. The ashes are from the burned palms of Palm Sunday from last year.

So begins the new season of Lent this year. Bret and I are not the most religious people. I can list on one hand the number of scriptures I can quote from memory (not sure I could even come up with more than one). However we try. We got to church on Sundays and holy days of obligation, Emily goes to Sunday school, we volunteer, we tithe, and we observe most of the traditions of our faith. The Catholics are renowned for their dogma and I must admit that there are a few of those that we may on occasion overlook (for the record I have read our holy father Pope John Paul's book The Body and I have to tell you that I am still not convinced when it comes to birth control, spilling a man's seed, etc etc).

So as part of our traditions I try not to snack in between meals, we don't eat meat on Ash Wednesday or Fridays, I am going to go to confession, and I have decided to commit to something and give something up.

The things that I (and Bret because we agreed to work together on this) are going to work to spend more one on one time with each of our kids. Our plan is to take an hour each day after dinner and before bed time and spend it with one kid alone. So tonight is Emily and mommy time and daddy with Palmer time. We want to use this time to work with them on some learning skills too. I got the kids new flash cards, work books, and some fun activities to play too. It can be anything from making cookies, playing a video game together, playing a board game, playing dolls/cars, or just going for a walk. On the surface it sounds like something that we should have already been doing but it is harder than it sounds. Evening in our house is some what hectic and chaotic. We get home, fix dinner, eat, usually watch TV, take a bath, read a book, and then off to bed. Bret and I are exhausted in the evenings and I will be the first to admit that it easier to let the TV entertain the kids than for us to do something. The other part of this is one on one time. I think it's important for the kids to spend time alone with one parent. I also plan to commit to calling my grandmother more often. Again something I should be doing but is hard to find the time for.

As for what I am going to give up...I am giving up sleeping in late. I realized that in the mornings I tend to sleep as LONG as possible and then run around with my head cut off trying to get us out the door on time. My plan is to get up at a set time everyday and use that morning time productively. I may do a yoga video, go for a run, or make something for breakfast for the kids (not that there is anything wrong with cereal, pop tarts, or granola bars). Sleeping in has been me being selfish and wanting that extra time to sleep but also in the evenings when I stay up too late to. So we shall see how it goes. Are you giving anything up for lent?