I was thinking social media, but I'm not sure I can hack that for 40 days.
But there's nothing I'm more addicted to, so that might have to be it. Maybe swearing. That's another good option, and one I'll be happy to have in my back pocket once baby comes...
What are you ladies giving up?
Re: What are you giving up for Lent?
I'm considering sugar. It has become a bit of an issue recently. I'm not normally a sugar fiend but this baby has turned on my sweet tooth big time.
I'm Catholic but have decided to not give anything up for Lent this year since I've already given up a lot being pregnant.
Side note: I didn't realize Ash Wednesday was tomorrow! I go to church nearly every Sunday and we've switched to a more modern church and they didn't even mention it. Strange..
This year, I'm thinking of giving up my flatiron. I've done this before too. I have unruly, wavy hair if I let it air dry and I don't love it but I get a lot of compliments on it when I just let it do its thang. Also, my hair feels so much healthier when I quit straightening it. So yeah maybe I'll do that and then also add a half hour walk for the dog every day. No excuses.
To echo @kbrands7, I am also a practicing Catholic and was always taught to do a good deed, and to let go of something that will actually feel like a challenge (i.e.: something you really love/enjoy).
Swearing will be pretty hard, though.
And yes, I am Jewish, but DH and I are doing everything together. We've been going to synagogue (or lighting the candles at home) on Fridays/Saturdays and Mass on Sundays since learning we were expecting, and we do Hanukkah and Christmas, and baby's getting a bris and a baptism. We're both doing ALL THE THINGS so that when we make Baby do all the things he won't be going it alone. We'll leave it up to Baby as to whether he wants to be confirmed or Bar Mitzvahed or both when the time comes, but for right now we are pursuing the ALL THE THINGS (tm) method of religion:)
Apparently there are congregations around the country that are totally composed of Catholic/Jewish families (Cashews!) but none of those are anywhere near us, unfortunately.
From The Whole People of God curriculum, Logos Press.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from criticism; feast on praise.
Fast from self-pity; feast on joy.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from jealousy; feast on love.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from selfishness; feast on service.
Fast from fear; feast on faith.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
I love this! I am definitely fasting from bitterness, self-pity, complaining, fear, and anger.
Wait, so is your husband Catholic then? This is weird to me. I have never heard of anyone doing this. I just looked up the term cashew and it appears that it can be taken as offensive to members of both religions.
ETA According to this website (The Racial Slur Database) that pops up when I Google the term "Cashew" it is actually considered a racial slur against Jewish people and originated in a comedy act in the 60s. https://www.rsdb.org/race/jews
I'm Presbyterian, not Catholic, but from my understanding Lent is about sacrifice. To me, volunteering definitely fits because you are sacrificing time and energy, and donating is sacrificing your hard earned money, etc.
I still haven't decided what I am going to give up. DH and I have done fast food several years and it was great both for our waistline and our wallet. So that's a thought. I really need to stop cussing and using the Lord's name in vein, especially with a 20 month old parrot for a toddler. And I want to give up social media or my phone in general when I'm with her (evenings and weekends, so still FB at work maybe?) ... I'll talk to DH and see what his thoughts are, we usually do something together both for moral support and so we can call eachother out.
BFP 1: 9/15/2013 | DD 5/23/2014
BFP 2: 9/15/2015 | EDD 5/26/2016
I will be giving up The Bump...just kidding
Mama to Three Girls:
Twins born March 2014 at 26 weeks due to preterm labor
and our 37weeker born May 9th, 2016!
Maybe it's one of those things that's not offensive if used as a self-identifier but is offensive if used by someone else?
FWIW there are people in the Jewish community and the Catholic community who think that what we are doing is an abomination, blasphemous, dangerous, and disrespectful to both faiths (as is marrying outside the faith in the first place). But DH and I are being true to ourselves and each other, following our shared spiritual sensibilities and our love of our own traditions, and most of the people who matter (my family, his family, and our congregations) are fine with it.
But I'm from a super liberal Catholic parish (and proud of it) and I wasn't confirmed in objection to the fact that women could not become priests so I'm probably not a "real" Catholic in lots of folks' eyes.
Jack Carter (the comedian who came up with the term according to the database) was a "Borscht-Belt" comedian: one of the Jewish/Yiddish stand-up acts that played the Catskills in the mid-20th century before becoming popular in Hollywood with all the Yiddish taken out ("I just flew in from LA, and boy are my arms tired!"; "Take my wife, please!"). So my guess is that even originally the term wasn't meant as an offensive one. We Jews do like to laugh at ourselves:)
But anything can be made offensive when said by the right people.
First Pregnancy
Second Pregnancy
- BFP: 09/11/2015
- EDD: 05/25/2016
Baby Born04/15/2016
PGAL
Thankfully I'm giving up swearing instead. Though I have already failed: there were some terrible drivers out there today who merited my colorful verbal wrath, and then later DH and I were late to meet his parents and I swore automatically when I realized the time, at which point my husband reminded me about the cursing. My response (before I could stop myself) was to swear.
This is going to be a difficult (and illuminating) 40 days...
I even let the toddler know I would pay $20.00 for a nap of any length today plus kinetic magic sand and any food item that was wanted.
The offer was immediately rejected by my anti-nap toddler.
Mama to Three Girls:
Twins born March 2014 at 26 weeks due to preterm labor
and our 37weeker born May 9th, 2016!