Ash Wednesday

It took a little creativity on my part to make Ash Wednesday a day of sacrifice, reflection and prayer in our home this year. With my oldest at an age where he lives for holidays and absorbs the traditions surrounding them like a sponge, I knew I needed to demonstrate the meaning of Lent in a way that a three-year-old could understand.

That meant hands-on activities and simplified explanations starting first thing in the morning with Mass at 7:00 am. Understandably he was very curious about the ashes he had received on his forehead so after breakfast we looked up Ash Wednesday in The Children's First Catholic Dictionary. Before we knew it we had looked up Lent, Fast, Good Friday, Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday as well.

After completing my usual morning housework, we proceeded with our preschool lesson for the day.

One of our Ash Wednesday activities was making homemade pretzels. They were so excited! (It did take a little while for me to explain to them that they wouldn't turn out looking like the crunchy snack we buy in a bag at the grocery store though. :)

When my sisters and I were growing up, my mom frequently fasted on bread and water not just during Lent but throughout the year. I have many fond memories of making these pretzels with her for fasting days.

Rolling and shaping the dough is the best part of course. It's like playing with play dough only better because you get to eat the end result! 

And there you have traditional Ash Wednesday pretzels.

They were delicious. Maybe a little too delicious to be considered much of a sacrifice!

The boys' nap time was my opportunity to to spend some time in quiet reflection.

I love to read so in order to foster a spirit of prayer I limited my choices to those of a spiritual nature for the day.

And since my mind is always going, I tried to find little ways to foster exterior and interior silence.

The radio, which is usually set to either the Classical station or the Christian station, remained off for the day. I was surprised by how often I noticed the complete silence and each time I did, it served as a reminder to converse quietly with the Lord instead of filling my mind with noise.

Once the boys were up from their naps they had a snack in the stroller while we went for a short walk outside since it was the first time in a long time that the temperature was above twenty degrees.

Then it was time to start preparing dinner. After explaining the difference between fasting and abstaining, the boys helped me make Kale & White Bean Soup.

To accompany our soup, we also made Whole Wheat Crusty Bread. It was a simple but filling meal to end our Ash Wednesday and set the tone for the Lenten Season.

How do you make Lent meaningful for little ones? Would love to hear your ideas!

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Linking up with Tacy today: