Shrove Tuesday

Last week Ramsey's school celebrated Shrove Tuesday with a big celebration! Pancake races, crowns, king cakes, beads, a parade, drums! Had you been there, you might have thought you were in New Orleans!  I helped out in the room where they make their crowns.  After all the Mardi Gras madness, I attended the Shrove Tuesday Chapel Service with Ramsey.  

Here Ramsey is writing down his Lenten offering.  This is the first year he somewhat understands what Lent is about.  He chose to give up chocolate, which I really didn't think he ate much of anyway. :)  Since then we realized he was drinking chocolate milk one day so we decided that didn't count because it wasn't food.  Then we realized he was eating chocolate gelato at ZaZa's one day, so we decided he only gave up chocolate candy.  THEN he was eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and looked at it and said very seriously, "I think those chocolate chips in there are chocolate candy."  We THEN decided that it was just chocolate candy bars in a wrapper that he gave up.  (Which he REALLY doesn't ever eat!)  Corey says next it will change to chocolate candy bars IN A BLUE WRAPPER.   I guess he ate more chocolate than I realized!  I want Ramsey to feel good about his Lenten offering and feel proud that he is TRYING to follow through with it and remembers the reasons we give up or add something in the first place.  I am proud of him for even thinking about his offering and wanting to participate.  He is a sweet, sweet boy.  On a side note...With all this talk about giving up something, John said, "I think I am going to give up milk."  I replied, "No, you need milk.  You don't need to give that up."  Then he said, "Well then I'm going to give up medicine."  Ramsey chimes in, "No, John!  What if you get sick and really need medicine and then you can't have any until Easter."  John matter-of-factly says, "Well, I guess I'll just have to wait until Easter to get better."   

That night we went to church to celebrate Shrove Tuesday.  There was a gumbo cook-off, lots of people and fun stuff for the kids to do!  James is covered in lemonade.  He spilled it down his shirt twice!

John got lots of beads from school and church.  I wonder what he did to get all those beads?  ;)  As I dropped John off at school that morning, the headmistress was literally throwing beads in my car and yelling there's more to come later!  Love it!  When I picked John up, there was the usual loud music, crazy dress and beads that accompanies each Fat Tuesday celebration at John's school.  He loves it!

A time of sacrifice for Jesus. A time of preparation for the believer through prayer, repentance and self denial for the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Lent. I hope you have a wonderful Lenten Season.