How We are Celebrating Lent

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Lent is a holiday that is celebrated in preparation for Easter. It's 40 days long, not counting Sundays.
This year Lent is March 1-April 15th.

Lent is a time to fast, pray, reflect on Christ and our life. Many protestants do not celebrate it; however, I have come to see that it is an important time and in years' past has been a life-changing time for me. I don't celebrate it in the traditional Catholic manner. In previous years, it has mostly been a "me" holiday. I stop drinking the pop. I commit to decluttering so much junk. I vow to spend a certain amount of extra time in Bible Study. Those times have truly been great. This year, however, I wanted to include my littles since we are home together everyday doing schooling.

So, for myself, I am going to stop drinking the pop...again. (You notice I didn't stay away from it the first time.) I am going to aim for the 40 bags of junk gone in 40 days. (I've never gotten rid of that much so it's an annual goal. I'll explain this project more in another post.) I am also going to do some extra Bible Study and prayer time, by starting a mini retreat time on Sundays.

With the boys, and hopefully the olders on days or evenings when they are home from school, we will be aiming to do an act of kindness every day. I will also be doing a unit on Lent with the littles to teach them the significance of what we are doing and why. What are you going to do to celebrate Lent? Post in the comments and let's share ideas.

Our Acts of Kindness

March 1

March 2

March 3

March 4

March 5

March 6

The First Post: About Me

Hi everyone! Welcome to my new blog. 

I must admit: I'm a blog hopper. I read a ton of blogs and I've started a blog and written a few posts and then started another and written a few posts several times over. Hopefully, this blog will be the long-lasting one that shares our Chaos and Joys as a blended family.

Get to know me. The boring facts.

I am Ann, a mother to 6 children, some birth and some step. We try not to make it known who is who. In fact, I've had many friends state after several years of knowing our family that they didn't even have a clue that we were blended. That is my goal in real life. In internet world, though, you'll figure it out as you read more about us, but for now just know they are all mine. They range from 19 down to 4. Our family does both public school and home school. The oldest is a home school graduate, living at home and attending college. The other children participate in a whole slew of activities and sports. I am currently a stay at home mom. My husband is a Network Engineer and works a few miles from home. We have been married 8 years.

Get to know me. The fun facts.

Have you ever seen those dogs that are so ugly they are cute? We have one. His name is Scooby, a Chihuahua/Pug mix. We've had him for about a year and a half. He is a hyper thing and definitely not the fluffy sweet dog I wanted, but he most certainly fits in with the family well. Can't you see the orneriness? 

Scooby-Right after we adopted him. And yes, there is candy mushed on the carpet under him. :(

Penny was our horse for about 6 years, after she retired from 4-H and showing. She was approximately 30 years old when she died. That is super old for a horse. She was really gentle and sweet and just loved attention.

Phineas and Ferb... We are addicted to them. We sing their songs in the van, watch the reruns of their shows and each member of the family is even a character from the show. Anytime we see "P & F", we always get on a Phineas and Ferb kick. My children could tell you everything you ever wanted to know about any of their shows or characters. It is the most ultimate TV show...EVER.

Star Wars and Lego... In most conversations, one or both of these things get mentioned. We have a "slight" obsession, so slight that they each need their own post.

And there you have it, folks! More stuff than you ever wanted to know about this family of mine. I hope you'll keep reading, though, and see what all I have to share. I can't wait for you to come back. Talk to ya soon.