The last half of March has given us many reasons to celebrate!  Last week was extra special because for the first time we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and the First Day of Spring.  Then, we moved right into preparing for Easter and talking about Holy Week.  As many of you know, I enjoy decorating for holidays and trying to make them special in some way.  Sometimes life gets busy and it doesn’t happen, but I usually intend to do something.

I was very encouraged this week when I read this post on the Connected Families blog.  This blog is one that Kenny and I both read faithfully (thank you, honey, for sharing this with me).  It contains VERY good, practical, faith-based parenting advice.  Their post, “Are Your Easter Traditions Leaving a Legacy of Faith?” states “research reveals that one of the most important ways parents can build faith and values into their children is through traditions and rituals.”

Yes!  I really feel that any time we can use decorations or special traditions to solidify what we are teaching the kids, the more likely they are to remember it.  Especially if the lesson is Christ-focused.  Plus, it’s more fun to learn something when it’s fun!  It doesn’t take much at all to surprise James with a new holiday or tradition.  He gets SO excited and his excitement is contagious!

I did a little research about St. Patrick’s Day and decided it was a holiday we SHOULD be celebrating.
From Homespun Memories for the Heart: “At age fourteen, Patrick, a Scot born sometime around 385, was captured by Irish raiders and forced into slavery.  Patrick later escaped and was reunited with his family, but in a dream felt called by God back to Ireland.  He preached the gospel and built churches throughout the country until his death on March 17, 461.”  It is said that St. Patrick used the shamrock as a means to explain the Trinity during his years of evangelism.

So, we all wore our green to church and we planned in Irish dinner with friends later that day.  We served delicious corned beef (thanks, Dad!), cabbage with bacon, Irish Soda bread, and green cookies.  It was a fun day and was just one more opportunity to not only talk with the kids about Jesus, but also plant a memory in their minds that will solidify what we taught them.

A few days later was the first day of spring, and even though a few of us had colds and the weather wasn’t exactly “spring-like”, we decided to celebrate a little anyway.  We ate kite-shaped brownies for dessert after lunch, and later went on a scavenger hunt/walk looking for colored items to collect in our egg carton.  I blogged about this idea here.  Basically, you color the bottom of an egg carton with different colors and then try to find items with those colors while out on a walk.  By the time we finished it had started snowing!  Typical Colorado weather – Happy Spring!

Now, we’re past Palm Sunday and discussing Holy Week with the kids in preparation for Good Friday and Easter Sunday.  This year I purchased Resurrection Eggs , which have been lots of fun and extremely helpful in explaining the Easter story.  James has enjoyed hearing the Easter story straight out of Scripture and then opening the corresponding egg to find a symbol to emphasize that passage.  A small donkey, silver coins, a stone, etc.  The book, Benjamin’s Box, is written to correspond with the eggs and is a wonderful story.  More Easter traditions and pictures to follow after Sunday!

I’m so very thankful for these small, simple ways we can celebrate together with our children.  Life has a way of cruising by in a flash if we are not careful to stop and make the most of the simple things.  Only then can going on a walk scouring the ground for colored pieces of trash and rocks turn into a delightful, unhurried (until the snow started) memory with two very lovable, excited kids.