During my catechism, Father Ian made a point to really ingrain in me that the point of fasting isn't simply to abstain for the purpose of abstaining, but to simplify life. We need to simplify life in order to save money and another precious commodity: time. Time to be used in prayer, fellowship and doing good deeds.
As parents, and I think moms especially struggle with this, there seems to be a constant urge to be 'doing' things. Exercise more, read to our kids more, organize more, work more, etc. The problem is, when we are trying to do so many different things, we can't do anything well! Hence why trying to 'perfect' oneself other than through prayer and fasting is such a futile endeavor.
So, every Lent, I make a Lenten resolution. Last year, I admit it was to start jogging to lose all my pregnancy fat...but the other motivating factor was to provide sanity time for myself and my girls. Time outside where the girls could enjoy nature and I could enjoy a quiet time to pray and think about nothing. Seriously, our jogs are one of my favorite activities now simply because my girls like to just sit and stare at everything and I can have guaranteed quiet time (usually, I have anything but that!).
This year, my resolution is to start using my slowcooker. My family tends to eat mostly vegetarian as it is and so I hardly ever use the crockpot because most recipes I find are either meat heavy (and expensive) or are vegetarian stews. (And one can have stew only so many times!) But, cooking every night is very stressful since it is during the hour where my toddlers are tired and cranky and in need of lots of attention. So, my goal is to start using the crockpot in order to give them the love and care they need during the witching hour of weakness for them, and to keep me from getting stressed and angry right before my husband comes home every evening (I'm sure he'll appreciate that!).
I encourage you to also make a Lenten resolution. Simplify your lives!
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2 comments:
I've wanted to use my slow cooker more too, but so many recipes are either meat heavy or have something like cream of mushroom soup as their base. If you have some good recipes, I'd love it if you would share a few!
I'll pass any along that I come across. I'm starting this lent by only doing one crockpot meal a week and have a list of recipes to try. I'll post any successful ones.
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