Lent is nigh, you guys. It is NIGH. Hope you’re ready. If you’re not, I might be able to help . . . with some recommendations, and some free printables, and a contest.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we?
Because before Ash Wednesday, comes Fat Tuesday (aka Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Mardi Gras). We are an Easter people, people, even in the face of Lent. And before this fast, we feast. So, be a good Catholic and go get your ashes, and observe the fast, and fire up your voluntary Lenten disciplines. But first, have some fun on Fat Tuesday! (Nice fun, I mean. I’ve never been to New Orleans or Rio for Mardi Gras, but I’m relatively certain they and I have rather different things in mind for what constitutes a fun Mardi Gras.)
For all the details on what we usually do at our house, check out this post. THIS year, I’m going to throw some canned cinnamon rolls in a bundt cake pan and make a super easy faux king cake. ‘Cause I’m just not in a baking from scratch place right now.
During naptime, the kids will get to make their masks. We’ve created our own this year and you can check it out below!
For dinner, I’m going to make my shrimp etouffee recipe because I have big kids I can make peel the shrimp, and after that it’s pretty easy.
Then we’ll eat up what we can of the treats, and toss the rest. And maybe a family dance party, and maybe a family movie. But it’s going to be fun.
YOU are fun too, I just know it. And I want to see it. So, take a picture of how you and/or your kids are celebrating Fat Tuesday. Share it to the Catholic All Year Facebook page or put it on Instagram and tag me @kendra_tierney. Use the hashtag #feastthenfast so we can all find each other. Or email it to me at CatholicAllYear @ gmail.com. Have your photos in to me by 10am Pacific on Ash Wednesday, and at noonish, I’ll announce the four winners, who will receive some very useful prizes (see below).
That taken care of, you’ll be able to move on into Lent knowing you are a fun and well-balanced person.
Hopefully, you’ve already sorted out what you’re giving up or taking up for Lent (here are some ideas) and you’ve decided what to do about the whole Sunday thing (read more about that from me here), but maybe now you’re looking for a way to engage with Lent daily in a meaningful and productive way.
I’ve got a couple of last-minute, easily downloadable Lent resources for you.
First, is the CAY Lent Challenge! The CAY Team has created a FREE Lent challenge to help you have a growth-filled Lent EVEN in the midst of the busyness that is life with a family.
Inside you’ll find ideas and tips for incorporating the rich traditions of Lent into your family life, plus journal and prayer prompts, and links to other helpful resources! Join the challenge here!
Download it, print it out at home, and use the pages to have an intentional, prayerful Lent this year.
A perfect compliment to the CAY Lent Challenge is the Lenten Magnificat Companion 2024 App.
The Lenten Companion App is designed to help you live all the graces of Lent.Presented in a day-by-day format, the Lenten Companion App contains:LITURGY – daily Mass prayers and Scripture readings
PRAYER – a cycle of prayers for morning, evening, and night inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours
MEDITATION – spiritual reflections for each day of Lent
Other unique features include:
ESSAYS – to enlighten , inspire, and deepen your relationship with God
POETRY – capturing the spirit of the season
PENANCE SERVICE – to prepare well for your Lenten confession
DEVOTIONAL PRAYERS – for various occasions and growing in faith
CHANTS – for Lent and Easter… listen while you read and pray
This one-of-a-kind application has been developed with the needs of
your prayer life in mind. Use it to grow in love and knowledge of Christ
and the Church this Lenten season.
Finally, a couple of free printables from me to you . . .
This is what our family Lent calendar looks like (when something weird is going on with my black ink in the color printer):
We’ve got our Family Lent Rules in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of Lent-ish clipart pictures the kids cut out and tape to the door. I started doing a Lent calendar with the kids so I would have somewhere to point when they start asking me if it’s almost Easter. (Which usually starts sometime Thursday afternoon.)
Grab my DIY Printable Lent Bundle here to set this up in your house too!
There are more pictures than you need, I just let the kids cut them out and put up the ones they want. We put up the six square pastel Sunday ones (actually we’ll only use five this year since one of the feasts we usually celebrate falls on a Sunday this year). There are pictures for each of the feasts that we celebrate as a family that (usually) fall during Lent: February 22 is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, March 17 is St Patrick’s Day, March 19th is St. Joseph’s Day, and March 25th is The Annunciation. Then we put up enough of the other pictures to add up to 46 pictures.
And here’s a printable Lenten quote, to get you all fired up . . .
You’re welcome to right-click and save any of these images. You may
print them for your own personal use or as gifts. You can upload them to
photo labs, like Shutterfly or Costco or Target, and have them printed
there. They are sized at 8×10, but can be printed smaller or larger. You
are also welcome to use them on your blog, just please link back to my
blog. If you wish to download them to use in a product to sell, please
contact me.
And that’s that. I wish you a super-fun Fat Tuesday, and a super-productive Lent.
For all my other Lent posts in one place, see here:
Great ideas! Thank you for the reminder to feast before the fast! I never did that growing up it was just Ash Wednesday fasting. Even though we don't have children we will be using some of these fun ideas for us to celebrate. I think I want to make this quote by Ven. Fulton Sheen our profile picture for Lent. We really love him in our house 🙂
We are having pancakes! (and bacon. We're going to treat and meat it up 😉 I love the masks idea too. Thanks for the good ideas.
Thanks for all of this!
Thanks! We're gearing up for our Fat Tuesday feast here, too!!
We are having good friends over Tuesday night and having pancakes, bacon, fruit and a king cake! Maybe we will try the masks 🙂 Thank you and happy Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras and blessed Lent!
Thanks for all of your fun ideas and for the great printable! We are excited for pancakes on Mardi Gras and getting ready for Lent!
The pdf is only showing me the first three pages! Is my computer being aggravating (again), or is there a problem with the file?
We are having friends over for a party tomorrow, where I will serve spaghetti chicken and king cake, and let the children decorate masks. It was last minute, but hopefully will be fun!
I just clicked on it on my iPad and all eight pages are showing up for me. If it won't work for you, send me an email and I'll send it to you as an attachment.
Love your printables and encouragement to think of Lent as a positive season! Also, just wanted to say for everyone else reading, my husband and I met and got married in New Orleans and "the worlds" perception of Mardi Gras isn't the whole truth. It's not all beads and darkness, but the official parades are actually very family friendly events that take place in the daytime!!
Really? Yay. That is excellent news, Katie. The cockles of my heart are warmed. 🙂
I also have to defend Mardi Gras in New Orleans. New Orleans is a beautiful, Catholic city and Mardi Gras there is steeped in a tradition that goes so much further than the "Bourbon Street Party" that is publicized. It is an unforgettable, family-friendly experience that I would recommend for any family exploring the world while living out their Catholic faith.
Yes, defending New Orleans here, too. All of Mardi Gras exists because of Catholicism. It is very family friendly as long as you avoid the French Quarter, which is known for being the epicenter of the debauchery. Ironically, and unfortunately, it is the tourists who are behaving in the manner that has earned Mardi ahead it's nasty reputation, not the locals. New Orleans is a deeply Catholic city whose history cannot be separated from Catholicism. (Did you know that Louisiana is divided into parishes, not counties? This is its history. Long ago, civil boundaries were drawn according to the boundaries of church parishes and the term stuck.) and one more tidbit: at midnight on Mardi Gras, New Orleans police sweep the streets-on horseback. Even in the French Quarter. Everyone has to go either indoors or home. The party is over because the solemn day of Ash Wednesday has begun. It's probably one of the most Catholic cities in America. Give it a try one day!
Kendra, love the Fulton Sheen quote printable. Thanks for creating and sharing! Hope you have a fruitful Lent 🙂
I love this post Kendra! We are all in for pancakes and sausage for dinner tomorrow night. I might even make brownies for breakfast! Please pray for me also – I'm giving up yelling at my kids for lent. Yikes!
Just found these again for this Lent! Thank you!