Growing up, I really dreaded the period of Great Lent because it seemed to drag on
forever. Life always seemed to be "on hold" during this serious time, plus, I always felt extra tired from the fasting menu and I just couldn't wait for Pascha to come. In the last decade or so however, I have grown to love and even look forward to this period. I now get excited to put aside worldly cares, read spiritual books and prepare not only physically and mentally for Pascha, but most importantly, spiritually. Preparing as much as possible, in the proper way, makes Holy Week, Pascha, and Bright Week so much more meaningful.
In my experience, Great Lent takes on a whole new meaning for mothers. Gone (temporarily) is the chance to stand in church on the first week, listen attentively to the Great Canon, and let the feeling of serious prayer soak in. Children tugging at a Mama's skirt, asking if the service is over yet, racing through the church or squabbling with a sibling - dealing with each of these situations becomes the mother's prayer year-round, but especially during Great Lent, when temptations seem to be at their highest. It can sometimes seem pointless to even be at the services because our children are distracting others (and us) from prayer, embarrassing us, and making it impossible for us Mamas to get anything out of the service. It is a frustrating and trying service each time. But really, we can and should take this opportunity to challenge ourselves and not to let our babies get to us. Instead, we should let them guide us and help us become just a little tiny bit better during this holy period. If we can cross ourselves each time we're having a difficult moment, God will help us get through each temptation and show our kids what the proper Lenten attitude should be.
Having said that, this is the first year that my husband and I are going to be responsible in preparing two toddlers for Pascha. The little one is just two months old so she is going to be a little young to do anything other than be present at services. I have been thinking of age-appropriate ways to help an almost-2 year old and a 3-year old participate in the fast and prepare for the Feast of Feasts. I'm not very experienced at this yet, but I have managed to come up with a few little ideas, many of which I have seen from other mothers and am adapting to my own style.
Here's what I'm planning on doing this year with the kids:
1) Make a Paschal countdown. I will take a basket and fill it with 46 plastic eggs (40 days of Lent + 6 days of Holy Week), and each morning after prayer, I will have the kids remove one egg from the basket. The emptier our basket gets, the closer we'll be to Pascha. (Originally I planned that we'd add a labelled egg each day to the basket, but then I realized it might be difficult to explain to the kids how to know that Pascha is approaching. They're still too little for a "count-up.")
2) I have selected one Paschal song (new to me as well!) that I will work on teaching the older two kids. On Pascha, we can hopefully perform it to family and friends (maybe even to the Bishop if they are brave enough). I'm also going to teach Lazar (hopefully) a poem about Pascha. In addition, I would like to teach them the Russian and Serbian melodies of Hristos Voskrese (this should not be too hard because singing comes easy to these two).
3) Lately with my pregnancy and now a newborn in the house, the kids have been watching more tv than I ever hoped they'd watch (only an hour a day, but still too much for my liking). Even though they do not quite understand what it means to "fast" yet, I would feel better cutting down their tv time to perhaps just weekends, if possible.
Things I'd like to do personally:
1) Read, read and read (spiritual reading, that is). I have been reading more than usual lately thanks to my nursing sessions which require me to sit in one spot and not get up...but still, there are the distractions of a cellphone, tv, etc and I would like to cut all of that out and use my nursing sessions strictly for reading. I'd like to ideally get in some extra reading time at night when the kids are asleep as well.
2) Go to confession and Communion each weekend. (Self-explanatory).
3) Take on a new, non-screen-related hobby. I'm choosing sewing! I've had a machine for over a year now, and have yet to use it simply due to fear of failure. I really need a good old-fashioned niche, and hopefully sewing can fill that void for me. (plus, what could be more fun than being able to sew new things for my babies?)
4) CLEAN our house!!! I'm going to deep-clean the house as best I can, taking on one room at a time. With 3 little ones under foot, it isn't going to be an easy task but I am hoping to create small windows of time each morning and evening for this job. One thing this includes me doing is going through all our clothes and getting rid of what we do not need. We have way too much of everything!
5) Cut out secular music and TV for the period of Lent. (This is something I have always done and really enjoy, actually.)
Today's Quote: "Are you fighting against your passions? Fight, fight, and be good soldiers of Christ! Do not give in to evil and do not be carried away by the weakness of the flesh. During the time of temptation, flee to the Physician, crying out with the Holy Church, our mother: 'O God, number me with the thief, the harlot, and the publican (i.e. with the repentant), and save me!'" -St. Anatoly of Optina
