Lenten Tales--I hope that is how you spell Lenten!

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So I know last week I promised a week of B's life...but I have discovered that it would be a very short post:

1. Sleeps--I could post countless photos of this, here are a few



tummy time sleeping

pack'n'play sleeping

outdoor sleeping

2. Eats--No photo available--this is not that type of website!

3. Diaper changes--I'll will also spare you the photos of this...just know that we are emptying our diaper genie once a day between L and B and I often fight the urge to sing the 'Smelly Cat' song from Friends. Seriously though, WHAT has L been eating?



Looking innocent--don't be fooled!

So instead, with Easter being this last weekend, I decided to write a couple of silly stories involving some family Lent-related moral dilemmas. I feel that its necessary to preclude this story with a little background: Coming from a very Catholic background, our father spends every Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday re-iterating that we give up 'everything good'. Example: Are you eating a cookie?!?! But its Lent!  Are you enjoying that soda? But its Lent! Are you smiling?!!?! You get the point.



*Obviously not taken during Lent since dad is smiling

Needless to say there is always a lot of pressure to give up something that really is difficult, but not so much that you can't do it. (This means when D gave up watermelon for several years in a row it was heavily frowned upon.) Because of this--we have all discovered a system of giving up something we love but being VERY technical in the execution.

Here are some of the struggles that have resulted.......

J--a known shopaholic--gives up buying clothes a couple of years ago (notice she didn't give up shopping--these small nuances make all the difference--Be very careful when crafting the wording of your Lenten promise.) J, A and I were at the mall. J found something that she HAD to have and couldn't wait, A and I tried to talk her out of it, 'But Easter is next week! You are so close.' But by this point, J's resolve was gone, she was going to buy it. A and I went to the next store while she waited in line. 5 minutes later, J SPRINTED to us with a look of sheer panic on her face and here's why: When she got to the register the cashier tried to check her out but something was wrong with her card. As J explains 'It was an intervention!' and due to fear of smiting (see above reference to upbringing) she grabbed her card and ran from the store without so much as an explanation, leaving her potential purchase and the bewildered salesgirl behind. This, needless to say, was a near miss.



'That was close!'

Once I gave up candy. I went to a party at a friend's house, and she was serving Monster cookies....I have never looked a sweet in the face and turned it down....this was going to be hard. As the night progressed, I finally caved and ate the cookie BUT I ate around the M&M's. Questionable? Yes.

Technically cheating? No.



L shares my love for candy. Very similar to what I looked like on Easter Sunday that year.

One year D gave up purchasing (key word) coffee and while visiting her I asked her, what if I bought a coffee and offered it to you than could you drink it?....D's answer? Yes. Tricky tricky.



Of course, the majority of the time we actually follow our Lenten promises and the last couple of years we have tried to add something of value instead of giving something up but those stories don't allow me to post silly photos of my sisters....good thing I didn't give up teasing for Lent!