Easter Vigil, at home

Much like midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, Easter Vigil is something that has stopped being part of our liturgical life since we've had little kids. Long, crowded services lasting until hours past their bedtimes (and messing with their sleep for days to come) just don't seem like a good idea. Tonight I had a sort of a mom's Easter vigil. Clothes are set out and pressed, which never seems to happen on a normal Sunday. I have absolutely delicious cinnamon rolls in the refrigerator, ready to bake in the morning. The kids did run up to bed all excited about the Easter bunny, but Pete did yell "Alleluia, Christ is risen!" before he settled down. So are they more excited about the candy and festivities? Sure, but I think that's all about conveying to them the pure joy that is Easter. As they grow they'll realize more and more the source of joy isn't the trappings of Easter, but the Resurrection itself. I like to think that Easter, with the crowds and bustle and sense-jarring brass music, is the closest glimpse we get of the splendor of Heaven. So will I be a little more tired that usual tomorrow because I've been getting all of this ready? Sure, but they'll have incredible Easter memories that will hopefully tie them to the faith as they grow.

Happy Easter vigil to all the parents out there!

Can't Someone Else Do It?

There's an old episode of the Simpsons called "Trash of the Titans" where Homer campaigns for sanitation commissioner by promising that you won't even need to put your trash in the garbage can -- someone will take it from your house for you. His campaign slogan is "Can't someone else do it?" Then he spends the entire budget for the year in a month and disaster ensues. Hopefully disaster won't ensue when I try the same tactic this coming year. I think I've been volunteering too much. I love helping. The little time commitments that seem so reasonable when I'm offering my help then add up to a lot. I'm left with a family who needs more from me. They need more clean laundry, a more organized home, a less frazzled mom. Of course they should be coming first!

My first step, oddly enough, was volunteering for the nominating committee for my mom's group, ensuring that I would be unable to run for next year's board. I'm going to have to tell our wonderful DRE that I can't be a CCE teacher next year. I am still going to volunteer at the kids' school for easy things where I get to see them (lunch bunch!) or would be there anyway (team mom) but not for bigger commitments.

The biggest step of all is that I'm putting Kate, tiny little thing that she is, into a two day a week Mother's Day Out program. She loves our church nursery already, so I'm sure she'll love a few hours at her new "school." With the few childless hours a week I hope to get all of the errands and cleaning done so that afternoons and weekends are more relaxed.

Christian always says that I'm the center of the family, which I usually think is an exaggeration. I'm starting to realize how much my mood sets the mood for the family. A less frazzled mom will hopefully lead to a calmer family next year.