Lent . . . is coming. Finally.

It’s super late this year. Almost as late as it can possibly be. The latest since 2000 and the latest until 2030 when Easter will be on April 23 again. In 2038 it will be on April 25th, the latest possible Easter! I might be the only person interested in that little tidbit. So, let’s move on, shall we?

Lent is late, but it will arrive next week. Lent is always a great kick in the pants for me. New Year’s resolutions come RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF CHRISTMAS. Who wants THAT? And a New Year’s Resolution is meant to be forever, or for a year, anyway, which means, practically, they’re harder to stick to. Lent is a nice, tidy length, perfect for trying out new additions and subtractions from my life to see if they make me and my home better.

If it was a great success, maybe I’ll stick with it long term. If not, well, Easter will come, and I can try something new next year.

I don’t want to bug you guys with salesy stuff too much. This year in particular feels like a lot, because I had the book launch, and I’m trying to create and promote my monthly prayer booklets, because they are a genuine help to my family and I hope they are to yours! But I would never want you to think you have to buy ANYTHING to be a part of the Catholic All Year community. I’m not getting as many blog posts out as I would like to (I’ve got some mailbag questions that just need formatting, so hopefully those will be posted soon) but the archives are all here and all free, and I hope you’ll poke around there a bit every so often. And I have new content on Facebook and Instagram here and here almost every day, if you’re not giving that up for Lent!

Update: The Catholic Mom Bundle Sale is over for the season, but my contribution is available for purchase here in my shop.

I like to participate in this Catholic Mom Bundle once or twice a year, because it’s a great way to introduce you guys to other Catholic women who are out there creating content to help us live out our faith in our lives and our homes. This Lent 2019 Bundle features FIFTEEN items: books, journals, liturgical living resources, crafts for moms and kids, and beautiful, printable art. It’s available for five days only, for only $25, which is 89% off. It really is a great value, even if you’ll only use a few of the included resources, and, if you buy it from me, it helps me justify the amount of time I spend creating this stuff!

So, here’s what you’ll get . . .

1. Cut back on your spending to devote more to almsgiving with “Hail Marry’s Guide to a No-Spend Lent eBook” & “The Hail Marry No-Spend Planner”
2. Observe each day of Lent along with inspirational posters and sacrificial practices with “The Catholic All Year Printable Lent”
3. Play engaging word puzzles, coloring pages and bingo games for children with “Lent Activity Bundle for Catholic Kids”
4. Help the youngest family members walk the Via Dolorosa with the Montessori-style “Stations of the Cross Cards and Meditations for Families with Young Children”
5. Create a hands-on prayer experience with the simple “Easy as Abacus Stations of the Cross Craft Kit”
6. Grow in virtue and intentionality with “Until I Rest in You: A Lenten Journal for Catholic Moms”
7. Slow down and create a work of beauty with “Pray Fast Give Embroidery Pattern”

There are even more workbooks, printables, and eBooks in the Catholic Mom Bundle. Ordinarily everything would cost $233. But for 5 days I’m partnering with these lovely women and we’re selling all our products as a bundle for only $25.

See more details on all the products here.

I’m super DUPER excited about my contribution. So I want to give you a look at everything you get in the Catholic All Year Printable Lent.

Ta DAAAA! Okay, maybe it doesn’t look like a whole lot here. But these are our beloved family Lent traditions, that for over TEN YEARS I have just kinda thrown together every year for my kids, finally in a professional, printable, accessible, useable format perfect for homes or classrooms.

You get:

• A Lent Clipart Countdown Calendar featuring medallions for Lenten weekdays and Sundays, special days, saints’ days, feasts, and fasting days
• A brief explanation of the symbols used on each medallion
• A sample mock-up arrangement of the clipart calendar, posters, and quotes
• A Lenten prayer, fasting, almsgiving poster
• Eight different Lent quotes from the Bible, the catechism, and the saints
• A group Voluntary Lenten Disciplines page for things a household or classroom are taking up or giving up together, in an example version (the one our family uses) and a blank version
• Individual Voluntary Lenten Discipline slips
• A Label and Instructions to make a Lenten Sacrifice Bean Jar

The Voluntary Lenten Discipline Pledges come in a group version for things that a family or classroom are giving up or taking up together, and these individual pledge slips for . . . individuals. The example version in the main photo is what WE do in our house, but there’s a blank version to fill in what you’d like to do.

The Lenten Sacrifice Bean Jar is SO GOOD for resetting habits around here. I’ve got a post on how it can be used for Lent here, and for general behavior modification here. Usually we use purple kidney beans, since they are more Lent in color, but I didn’t want to go to the store before I took these photos, so these are pinto beans. 🤷‍♀️😆

The Lent Clipart Calendar has individual medallions for each POSSIBLE day of Lent in this and EVERY OTHER YEAR. You get super cute little cacti for the weekdays of Lent, but there are also medallions for special Lent days like Ash Wednesday, and the days of the Triduum. There are Sunday medallions, and ember day medallions, and a medallion for each and every saint on the universal calendar (plus some of our favorites who are not on the universal calendar) whose feast day might fall during Lent in any year. You also get a little explanation of the symbols I chose for the medallions, in case your kids ask you if St. Gemma Galgani was a paratrooper (she was not) or if St. Peter Damian liked naps (he did).

So anyway, this is my printable magnum opus. It was a labor of love for my kids and yours. I really hope you like it and that it will inspire and enable you to try out these traditions in your home or classroom.

As a thank you for buying the Catholic Mom Bundle using my affiliate link, for which I receive a percentage of the proceeds, you’ll also get this set of four Lent Saint quotes, a $20 value, for FREE!

Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Part I

Saint Patrick’s Breastplate Part II

Joseph Most Just, Terror of Evil Spirits

Saint Frances of Rome: Find Him in Her Housekeeping

Just email your receipt or confirmation number to helpdesk@catholicallyear.com and I’ll send you the four .jpg files.

Happy Lent!