Lent

I haven't been very consistent or dedicated to celebrating Lent the last few years. I think it started with Peanut and the GAPS diet and feeling like I didn't need to give up anything more than I already was, but since our move, I'm feeling a little undisciplined. I was hoping that a fresh start in a new place would be a chance to start new good habits and drop some bad ones, but I didn't have an actual plan, which isn't really a way to set up good habits.

It turns out that as hard as it was getting ready to move and saying goodbye, settling into a new place was even harder in many ways. Or maybe it was just the result of months and months of stress finally being relieved, or feeling like I'd spent the last year trying to keep life from getting out of my control, and now I deserved a break. Probably a combination of everything, but whatever it was, I've allowed myself too many passes--on exercise, healthful food choices, productive use of my time--I've kind of treated moving here as a vacation. Maybe that's what I needed emotionally to get through this move, but I don't think it's serving me anymore.

When I started thinking about what would help me shift things in the right direction this year for Lent, it all came down to my phone, and specifically Facebook. My mornings usually start with an hour or so of checking in while I lie in bed; whenever I'm waiting on the kids to finish something, I pull our my phone; when I need to decompress or get lost from the reality of every day for a little while, out comes the phone; and most evenings, I'm too tired to actually do something, but instead of going to bed, it seems easier to catch up on everyone else's day. It's all just gotten to be too much. And it's not just the amount of time, but also the stress it has built in me to be constantly bombarded with negative news, often that I can't do much about, all day long.

So, for Lent, I'm giving up Facebook on my phone, and long sessions on any device. I'm still letting myself check in once or twice a day for a few minutes so I can log into my groups and check in on a few people, but just forcing myself to use the computer to check will free up a lot of time. And that's really what I want because that time is where I can fit in all the good habits that make my day go so much better.

In this first week of Lent, I've managed to start my day with 20 or so minutes of spiritual study, exercise in some form most days, and I've paid more attention to the food I'm eating. I also have had fewer moments of feeling "interrupted" by the kids (which is so ridiculous since I would tell myself I was getting on the phone while I waited for them, so it was only supposed to be until they needed me anyway.) All these other goals are going to be easier without the distraction.

Next week's goal--just leave the phone in my room all morning.

Snow/Ice Day

These two were so excited to wake up to this winter scene, even if there was more ice than snow.

It may not be as soft as real snow, but there were a few nice things about today. 

 

First of all, ice makes for fast sledding. And second, it wasn't actually all that cold today. Mostly in the 30's all day, which is warm enough for some good outdoor time. The kids were outside for hours.

Friends came to play, snowiceballs were thrown,

The play got a little violent, and of course ended with ice in the face and tears. Wouldn't be a day home from school if it didn't.

And to make it an even better day, it was also Pancake Tuesday!

Pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries for breakfast.

German pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup for dinner. Yum! Had to get in one last sugar fix before Lent starts tomorrow and I give it up for the next 40 days.

It's That Time Again

Another Pancake Tuesday  (and here.) today.  The kids absolutely love this tradition because they love pancakes and are happy to eat them every meal if I will make them.

 They were a little hesitant when I said I was going to make a German pancake for dinner, just to mix things up a little, but they both ended up liking it.  I found a recipe on Allrecipes that included a buttermilk syrup that was REALLY good:

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

BUTTERMILK SYRUP:

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
confectioners' sugar

Directions

1.Place the eggs, milk, flour and salt in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour the butter into an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish; add the batter. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the first five syrup ingredients; bring to a boil. Boil for 7 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Dust pancake with confectioners' sugar; serve immediately with the syrup.

 
And then that brings us back to Lent.  (and here.) I've really been mulling over what to give up this year.  I already am feeling like I'm giving up a lot right now (my health, sleep, comfort, mental sanity), and there's just certain things I don't want to deal with right now while I'm pregnant--like giving up chocolate, or sweets, or all computer time.  But I also have been really unproductive lately and its getting me down, so I decided that I could probably cut back a lot on the wasted time on the computer if I just stay off message boards and group blogs, and if I hold off on turning on the computer until after I've spent a little time working on my spiritual growth.  So that's the plan for this year.  Not as extreme as some in the past, but seriously, pregnant ladies deserve chocolate, and to sit down in the middle of the day to check their email, or watch something on Netflix.

Lent

Another Pancake Tuesday is gone--we actually missed our morning pancakes beause Bugaboo had woken up at 11 pm with a croupy cough and he and I were up most of the night and then overslept. But we made up for it at dinner with two types of pancakes--regular and a German pancake, which the kids didn't like, but Daddy-o and I did. And the kids have been snacking on leftover pancakes today, so we've gotten plenty.

And now we're in another season of Lent. As much as I've gotten out of my computer fasts last year and the year before, I just don't see that as being a possibility right now. We are spending way too much time stuck at home without a car and in freezing weather so we can't just go outside to play and I would honestly go crazy without the computer. Plus, I'm trying out a new organization system for my daily "to do" lists and its all on the computer, so I need my computer.

But my biggest issue at the moment seems to be my chocolate (and junk food in general) obsession, so I'm going back to my traditional chocolate fast. I'm throwing soda in there too, because even though I don't drink that much, I still think I've drunk more soda in the last 2 years than all of my life before that. I seem to have let some bad food habits creep in and I'm missing the girl who never ate french fries, hot dogs, or drank soda, and was able to give up sweets for months at a time. Not sure if its the control I used to have, or just the healthier habits where I really did feel like I was taking good care of my body, but either way, I'm going to try to get a little of it back.

How Do You Eat Your Pancakes?

It's Pancake Tuesday again. We had quite the variety today--whole wheat, banana, chocolate/banana, and even a couple with macadamia nuts thrown in (YUM!) And we each have our own way of eating them.

There's Daddy-o who loves the peanut butter/syrup flood, my chocolate/banana/macadamia pancakes with powdered sugar--I couldn't decide if maple syruup and chocolate went together so I didn't even try.

And the kids have developed the habit of "dipping" and "sprinkles" with their pancake strips. Bean piles the sugar on and dips with each little bite.

Buggy doesn't really double dip--he doesn't need to since he usually shoves each strip in and probably swallows them whole (and makes a big sugary mess with each bite--at least it means he's eating less).

And of course this means that the start of Lent is here. I've decided to change my goal from last year a little, so I'm going computer free when my kids are awake (so I can still sneak on here early in the morning and at naptime if everyone actually goes to sleep)--I figure that gives me a little more flexibility, but still keeps the spirit of the "fast". And in order to help along with my goal to eat more healthily (is that a word?), I'm also cutting out chocolate, candy, and cookies. I guess this year is the year of loop holes--I can still have dessert, just not most of the desserts I'm used to :)

Speaking of my goals, its been 2 months, and I feel like I'm making some progress in most areas--I'm up to running 5.5 miles, I've mopped my floor this month, social activity is alive and well, and I'm working on the others. It's nice to see some progress.

The End of Lent

My daytime computer hiatus is over. I'll be honest--I've cheated a bit this last week. With all the sickness and sitting around watching TV going on in our house, I needed a tiny bit of socialization. But for the most part, I've been pretty strict about keeping the computer off until after kiddo bedtime for 40 days.

All in all, this has been a great experience. I'm not sure I accomplished quite as much as I thought I would, although I should have a very full craft post coming up soon with all of the scrapbooking I've been doing lately. I did take more naps, which I desperately needed. I definately made more of an effort to socialize with people when illness didn't get in the way and have finally reached the point where I'm actually going to miss some things and people when we move. But most important, it just seemed to change the general tone in our home--I wasn't as annoyed with the kids for "interrupting" me while I was trying to do things on the computer. They weren't bored and begging me to get up and play with them. And we did come up with some fun things to do (it really helped the last couple weeks when the weather got nice and we could play outside).

All of you who mentioned that you should try it--DO IT! Seriously. I'm not going to be so strict about it now--I like to check my email in the morning (and there were a couple times when plans changed and I showed up early to things because I hadn't checked my email) and I would like to be able to print out bits for my craft projects during the day since I've been pretty wiped out by evening lately--but I don't ever want to go back to having the computer on all day long. We've all just been so much happier.

The Start of Lent

WARNING: This is long, and kind of babbles. Don't feel like you have to read it ;)

OK, before anyone starts getting confused, no, I have not converted to Catholocism or any other religion besides LDS. And no, Mormons do not typically celebrate Lent. However, I usually do. It started when I was in college and working at Park City Ski Resort. Mardi Gras is a pretty big deal up there--apparently people from New Orleans like to come skiing that week and escape the craziness that is going on in their own home town. Only they bring a lot of the craziness with them, so we had people throwing beads to us as they got off the lift and in general, it was a very festive week. Well, as I started investigating the holiday more and found its connection to Lent, I decided that if I was going to experience the pagan side of the holiday, I should try out the religious side of it as well. And honestly, I love the idea behind Lent--in our church, we fast once a month for 2 meals, which is the same idea, but I don't think I can overdo the sacrificing part of my life. At least, I'm currently no where close to overdoing it and welcome the extra opportunity.

In the past, I've usually given up chocolate. I think that is a fairly common--chocolate, alcohol, red meat (the last two aren't really an indulgence for me so it would be pretty pointless). But this year, I decided that instead of just giving up something that I love, but offers no redeeming value when forfeited , I am going to do something that should actually accomplish the purpose of practicing Lent: "Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations."

So, this year I decided to focus on something that I actually feel is interfering with my life. Something that will hopefully make me a better person if I sacrifice for these 40 days. I'm going to give up the computer until post-kids'-bedtime.

I have no interest in giving up the computer completely--and I don't think that would be beneficial because there are a lot of positive things that I gain from being able to use my computer and the internet--connecting with family and friends, a vast source of information on any topic I could possibly need to know about, my calendar, scrapbooking journaling, ordering gifts and clothing. . . The internet really is a marvelous invention.



But somehow, in the last few years, I have become completely dependant. 14 years ago, I used the internet for the first time. I remember we had 50 free hours from AOL--dial-upand it probably took most of those 50 hours for me to find the information I needed for the oral report I was preparing on endangered species. In college, I used it some towards the end, but mostly it was a way for me to email friends who were at different schools.

Then, 7 years ago, I started working at a lab. A government run lab that, as many government businesses seem to be, was not entirely efficient and employed me for a year to do about 6 months worth of work. I was bored and had to find something to do for the hours I was there--and, thus, my bad internet habits began.

Then, just over 4 years ago, I quit my fulltime job and had already put my masters degree on hold for a year, all to handle the constant naseau and throwing up that came with our little Bean. We had just gotten hi-speed internet so I could work from home (honestly, the smell in my office sent me running for the bathroom literally the moment I stepped in the door, making it impossible for me to get anything done if I went in) and I was pretty happy beginning my stay-at-home-mom career a few months early. I had things to keep me busy--getting ready for a baby, continuing to work part time at 3 different jobs, moving and settling into a new apartment.

Then, Bean came along, and as anyone who has lived with a newborn day and night knows, its hard to leave the house for awhile, making face-to-face interactions difficult, but there is always email and IMing--and then you don't even have to worry about the screaming baby interrupting the conversation like they will with phone calls.

And mine didn't like to sleep, so the difficulties continued which led me to the amazing support group I found at Baby Whisperer. I spent a LOT of time researching sleep training and ways to understnad this crazy little baby of mine. And found a group of new moms to share the horrors and wonders with, who I still keep in contact with 3.5 years later.

Then, I squeezed in a few hobbies and interests which led to more time on the internet learning and finding new ideas and then sharing them with new friends. Next, a move that took me away from my "real-life" friends who actually lived close enough to hang out with. Then, another baby--more friends who were also having newborns at the time, more research and support on the lack of sleep--and winter in a place that actually HAS winter, so hibernation, of course. And honestly, I am just not someone who loves playing "princesses saving the bunny" yet again. I get bored. It was fun when I was 6, and I'm so glad I have a child with an amazing imagination, but we both need friends our own age to truly appreciate our interests. And I found keeping up with friends online to be the easiest course of action.



Basically, my virtual life has taken over a lot of my life, more than I would like. And I am finally at the point that I want to do something about it. It's not that I think any of my online pursuits are bad-- I have made a lot of really good friends through this and they have stretched me and taught me things that I wouldn't have bothered with on my own. I have re-found my creativity, which I hadn't seen in years. Its just the amount of time that I've dedicated to them. And the times of day that I am using.

So, the things I am hoping, and expecting, to see happen in the next few weeks:

*I am going to find more time during my day. I know there is a set amount of time each day--that I have the same amount as everyone else, but I'm going to win back some hours for myself. I've actually been more conscious lately of what a lie it is when I say, "I didn't have time to . . .(fill in the blank with a million things I want/need to do". Sure, some days I really didn't have anytime--especially if the project is big. But I ALWAYS waste some time, so the little 5 minute things could be accomplished if I really wanted to.

*I'm going to find ways to interact with my children that fulfill all of us--all this extra time in the day is going to need to be filled somehow, so time for that creative hat to come on and come up with activities to keep us all busy and happy.

*I am going to have to become more organized and time efficient. I use the computer for EVERYTHING. I can still do all of this, but I need to take a few minutes the night before to figure out what I need the following day. My Household Operations manual is going to get some good use this month! And because there are only so many hours that I'm awake after the kids are in bed, I'm going to have to whittle my hours of surfing down to what I really need. Just a little prioritizing.

*I hope I can finish some fun projects for myself. Instead of continuing to read about and amass this huge list of things I want to try or make or do, I'm actually going to spend some time doing them. Of course, this will probably be limited to naptime mostly, so I'm not promising to have a whole lot to show for this. Especially since the "nap" part of naptime tends to distract me and suddenly I find that Bean is the only one not asleep.



*Maybe this will give me a little more push to get out of the house and socialize. With people. In real life. Maybe not since its still cold and snowy. But I can hope. A few 12 hour days of nothing but 3-year-old talk will probably force me out.



So, I'll still be around and I'll keep updating this blog--just don't email me with questions that need answers that day. :)