Chocolate and Shrove Tuesday

Sometimes chocolate is just a good idea. It comes in a variety of sweetness levels, satisfying the severest sweet tooth to just one that needs a lit kick in the pants and everything in between! We're working on lifting spirits here this week. After another week of "fever baby" we could all use a little lift, and so what if we use chocolate as a motivator?!

 

 

Luckily for me (and really, do I need an excuse?) Valentine's Day is this week and today just happens to be Fat Tuesday, perfect time to indulge a little and bring out the bulk chocolate that's been sitting in the freezer since Christmas! 

 

A few weeks ago I bought a few packages of dried fruits: cranberries, blueberries, cherries, and plums. My original intention was to bake with them but then I realized.....who doesn't love chocolate covered dried fruit? Chocolate covered raisins has always been a hit, maybe we could take a walk on the wild side and try something new! Thank goodness we're a fearless bunch because these are just simply divine!

 

The littles we're thrilled to get their hands in a plate full of melted chocolate. I didn't have my eye on them the whole time so I wonder how much actually made it on the plate as opposed to in their bellies :)

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Then there is always the cliche of chocolate covered strawberries.

 

As this is the start of the Lenten season, I feel a very strong pull to just let the spirit flow and do whatever it is that I'm being led to. I haven't always allowed myself that luxury, and well.....having five children can make that a wee bit challenging at times. Our Lenten journey is described well here in this older post; how we hold on to the reverence of this time and nourish our spiritual bodies. As I form a clearer picture of our current state as a family, I'm realizing that nourishment for our collective and individual selves is paramount. We've all had to sacrifice quite a bit as of late, it's time now to figure out how to manage the difficulties in our lives without sacrificing our family body. I am really quite inspired that all of this seems to be culminating at the time of Lent.

 

"I believe Lent is the time to work with what gets in our way - the obstacles to our desire to fulfill our destiny." ~ Lynn Jericho on the spiritual practices of Inner Lent.

 

You can read her full post about Inner Lent here.

 

How will you work with what gets in your way this Lenten season?

 

To Nourish and Replenish

As we embark on the spiritual awakening that might come for those who seek the journey during Lent, regardless of religious orientation, this time of year is overflowing with a newness and anticipation for a budding out. All of these attributes to this time of year I find beautifully symbolic; new lambs, budding trees and flower buds peeking from their cold winter beds, the sun's warming glow turning brown grass in to a brighter green, seeds going into the ground where they will sprout and provide our summer bounty. New, alive, to begin again. Life during Lent is profound in that we are asked to look deep within ourselves and see where we might find a bud peeking out waiting to be found. What new life is sprouting within you? How might you cultivate the newness that lies within you to be a gift to the world around you?

I've been speaking with several around me who are devout in their Lenten celebrations. They always give something up for Lent; chocolate, sweets, meat, alcohol. I always question them about their particular choice as a way to understand how giving up that particular item for 40 days will make a difference in their devotion to their God of choice, themselves, and their greater community. The idea of 'sacrificing' a particular item for Lent shows that they are a devoted follower of Jesus, that by giving up something they are mimicking Jesus' 40 day fast as he prepared his body to receive enlightenment, a closer connection to his Higher Power, the Light, the Creator. I agree that a degree of cleansing is a good idea during these Holy Days, cleaning and nourishing our bodies and spirits to bring forth a replenishment that will bring us closer to remembering who we are and what greater good we are seeking to provide in this life time. How can we clean out the old stuff, the stuff that wears us down and drains our energy? What is that stuff......emotional, physical, relationships, spiritual? Is this stuff that we can work on to let go of and allow the newness within ourselves to unfold, like the flower?

During Lent, we choose for it to be a quiet time in our home. Our seasonal table is bare, holding vigil is a candle, a bowl of earth, and some bare twigs. The empty landscape allows us to see how the preparations begin........through the creation of our Lenten garden, we see Life spring anew. Celebrating Lent with our children is a lovely and reflective time. We hang 'Our Lenten Journey' poster that helps us travel through the 40 days, reflecting on a particular emotion or other word, that will allow us some clarity into our depths. This is a great exercise for our bigger children as they are old enough now to ask questions of themselves and can clearly express how and why it is they feel a certain way. Last year, they found this to be a very nourishing activity and looked forward to putting up our new leaf everyday; focusing on the word of the day and allowing whatever thoughts or emotions that came up to come through so that they could process........and then replenish. It is a beautiful experiment in self care and healing. We found that this process provides a space for the child to feel the work of the Light within them. Seeing and knowing that there once might have been a space within them that was clouded and hurt and now.......there is Love and Light.

The season of Lent is also a wonderful time to reach out beyond our doors; to bring about a healthy balance of give and receive during Lent is like magic. As Jesus sacrificed himself for the world, we can give of ourselves to those around us.  While you are preparing your body with nourishment and cleansing.......reach out and provide a 'random act of kindness' to your neighbor. Visit your local shelter and share your gifts with the animals that are seeking their forever homes. Volunteer your time. Clean out your closets and donate what you no longer need to an agency that will then give your items to someone who could use them. In fact, why stop there........clean out your homes from items that just sit and take up space, whether it be energetic space or physical space, let those items move on to a second life where they will  cherished and needed. Leave love notes to friends and family or randomly scattered around your town. Someone will find them and be touched at the notion that they are being thought of and loved at that moment. Any and all of these activities are wonderful ways to share the Lenten season with your children. They will see that they don't have to give something up to show that they are connected to Spirit.......by giving of themselves they are simply honoring the connection that is always there.

And yet, as we seek the peace and solitude of Lent, what might we do to prepare the foundation for substantial growth? How will we tend to our gardens and allow the sunshine to warm the earth to prepare for the planting of seeds? When I think of ways to go inward I think of quiet walks in the woods. I think about sitting creek side and listening to the water flowing and with journal in hand, feeling the freedom to express whatever might be asking to come out. When I think about tending to my spirit I think of sitting snuggled up with my children, feeling their breath and the deep and constant connection we have to each other and how that relationship binds us to the Universe. When I think of nourishing my spirit I think of holding my partners hand, basking in the memory and the reason for our union and how that connection to each other brings us closer to knowing ourselves more fully and our Creator. Reinforcing our foundations, our spirits, nourishing and preparing our bodies and hearts to receive the gifts that surround us, to open our hearts to receive the Light, and then in turn, give it back to the world around us.......that is what the season of Lent means to me.

As we travel through these quiet days, I hope that you are able to disconnect from the things that might be taking up too much time and space within your spirit.......the things or people that drain your energy and keep you from knowing and giving your best self. My hope is that you find the peace in these 40 days to deeply nourish yourself and your families so that you all feel full and replenished and ready to begin again.

In all things good and in peace.......

Shrove Tuesday

Here we are.......nearing the end of another month! It's amazing how fast these days and weeks pass us by. I am grateful we have chosen to live in harmony with the rhythms that surround us......the seasons, festivals and holidays, birthdays, and our quiet days. They are all pregnant with meaning and experiences that create memories for our children that will carry them through to a time when they might have their own families. It is there that they will choose what rhythms they will follow, they will recall on their moments in childhood and reflect on a time when they, too, celebrated a day, for whatever reason. I am excited to think that by simply choosing to live and celebrate the seasonal rhythms with our children we are creating another generation that will live a little more closely to the world around them. What a lovely thought!

Today is Mardi Gras and Shrove Tuesday. All over the world folks are celebrating with masks and costumes to end almost 40 days (or more depending on the region but usually begins on or after Epiphany) worth of carnival celebrations. The biggest celebration is today, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the Lenten season.

Mardi Gras in French literally means 'Fat Tuesday' referring to the last night before the annual fasting of rich and fatty foods before Lent. In English tradition the week leading up to Ash Wednesday is called 'shrovetide' and has it's own celebratory activities like football games and pancake races!

Today, It's a Simple Life is celebrating by making masks and using our felted beads from the other day to make a necklace. We will make pancakes for dinner and an applesauce cookie that I have been dreaming of for days now! Choosing these simple activities to share with our children will allow us to feel apart of our greater world, celebrating a moment rich with history as well as giving a beginning to the next phase of 'quiet' celebration for Lent, leading up to Palm Sunday, Holy Week and then Easter! Spring abounds with so many reasons to celebrate the newness in our lives; how will you celebrate Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday and then the beginning of the Lenten season with your family?

We wish you a beautiful start to your season of Lent!

To begin again.......

It's amazing how the time slips by, somewhat unknowingly. One moment your there and the next moment, weeks have passed and your left wondering......'where has the time gone?' My goal for this Lenten season was to post each day with something that inspired growth within me and my family. I seem to always forget that when you're reaching for that higher self, experiences will arise where you will be challenged to practice what it is you're trying to grasp/learn/rediscover/or correct within your self. Needless to say, these last 15 days I have been challenged. Each day that passed I put up the word that inspired me that day.

Here they are::
Trust
Forgiveness
Honesty
Playfulness
Renewal
Expectation
Prayer
Fear
Relief
Gratitude
Gifts
Organization
Breath
Freedom
Creativity

This is a very clear map of the journey we went on; we spent lots of time praying for a dear friend who was in the hospital having surgery, we spent time in the hospital ourselves with our three year old daughter, we came home to amazing friends and family who have gone above and beyond to help us maintain a healthy rhythm, rediscovering our gifts to eachother and our community, and the freedom the comes with discovering and letting go of what works and what doesn't work in our lives. Today, we are holding the word 'cleansing' in our minds.

It is April 1st and it is snowing here. It's technically spring, but, I feel like there is so much turmoil happening everywhere that Mother Nature is trying to keep it slow and still in the places where love can grow freely. I know that snow in spring doesn't bring much joy to many, but, it's a welcome shift for me. I am eager for warmth and sunshine but I can respect and understand what else needs to happen first before we can truly begin again.

Cleansing. To cleanse we are creating a different model for eating, sleeping, playing, and who we spend out time with. We've been so fortunate to be given loving and supportive family members at birth and then be attracted and connected to the most amazing, wonderful, selfless, inspiring friends.......who, at this point in our lives, are our family too. Sadly, there are folks who we are connected to but just aren't able to, for what ever reasons, be unconditional. Thankfully, I am awake enough to realize this, love them anyway, and let them go; allowing them to be what they can without attachment. Another big piece in the 'cleansing' aspect.

However tumoltuous these past few weeks have been, I'm so thankful that everyone has come out of it somewhat unscathed. We're alive, together, loving eachother, and celebrating each new moment together. We have a new found admiration for those who walked through these dark day with us.........and when we were the ones holding up, we felt honored to be able to be the support that was needed.

Life is moving faster and faster. Each day presents a new list of tasks and experiences in addition to the daily grind. Open your hearts. Listen. Be soft and quiet and allow the messages that will come only to flow through you. Love your friends and family. Be thankful for them everyday. Hug them and express your love without hesitation. It's time to begin again.

The simplest of things.......

We made pretzels. They are wonderful and smell just like the ones you can get in New York City except BETTER!!!! There is nothing more wonderful than discovering you can make those coveted treats at home and they truly do taste just as wonderful. *sigh* The simple pleasures......

*********The following is my article that was published in Little Acorn Learning's March Afterschool Enrichment E-book. If you haven't already checked out all the amazing work Eileen is doing.......GO! Check out her amazing website and all the amazing gifts she has to offer!

The photos are from our pretzel making today! It truly is such a simple pleasure and a ton of fun!!! ***********

Pretzels have a surprising history within the celebrations of Lent, dating as far back as the fourth century. During the time of the Roman Empire, those who were devout Christians followed a strict fast during Lent. Their diets for that 40 day period would consist of no more than breads, fruit, vegetables, and grains. Simple breads, made of only flour and water, were made and folded in the way that honored their traditional way of sitting in prayer, not with folded hands, but with folded arms across their chests. These breads were called "little arms" or bracellae. It is from this Latin word where the word 'pretzel' came from.

A simple way to make these pretzels part of your Lenten celebrations is to begin making them on Ash Wednesday as a family. Talk about the rich history these little breads have and how they can represent something so meaningful. Like a candy cane is to Christmas, let pretzels be to Lent. Serve these breads with each evening meal though out the Lenten season until Easter. Reserving this tradition solely for Lent will make these a time honored tradition in your home.

Recipe for Lenten Pretzels::

Combine 1 1/2 cups of warm water, 1 tablespoon of sweetener, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add to this one packet of dry active yeast. Let this mixture sit for a few minutes until it has proofed (becomes foamy). Add 4 1/2 cups of flour, one cup at a time, along with 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Once the dough has come together, pour it out on to a clean surface and knead until springy (about 5 minutes). Return the kneaded dough into a large, oiled bowl and let rise for one hour.



Once the dough has doubled, pour out onto a cutting board and cut into 8 equal portions. *At this time, prepare a large pot with 10 cups of water and 2/3 cup of baking soda and have it heating to a rolling boil.* Roll each portion into a long rope (about 18-24 inches).



Hold each end of the rope and form it into a "U" shape. Still holding the ends, twist the ends around each other 2-3 times and then meet them together at the bottom of the "U". Pinch the dough together. Complete the rest of the ropes. Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.





Now that the ropes are 'tied' and your water is boiling, place one pretzel at a time in the water bath. Let it sit in the boiling water for about 30-45 seconds. Remove from the water with a slotted spatula and return to cookie sheet. Once they have all been boiled, brush them with a solution of 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water. Sprinkle them with kosher salt and bake until they are golden brown (about 10-12 minutes).