Why are we doing this? Well, besides looking for a way to recalibrate our approach to spending and money in general, Lent starts tomorrow.

In the history of the Christian church, Lent is typically a 40-day season where in preparation for Easter Christians would adopt certain attitudes or prayer or repentance, or sometimes fasting or giving up of certain behaviors. Often a combination of new attitude and abstinence are combined, so that if you give up chocolate for lent when you crave chocolate you use the craving as a trigger to pray.

It’s a great spiritual discipline or practice, though by no means does it impute any special holiness or Christianity+.

For this Zero Week Challenge, there’s a two-fold idea. First, that we’re setting aside unintentional consumption and buying for Lent. Secondly, that in those moments we usually buy, we can turn to moments were we pray or give or reflect or any number of other practices.

Clearly there are big challenges to this. We need to have our family provided for in advance. A week without spending isn’t intended to be a week without eating or driving. So we’re filling up the gas tanks tonight and our grocery runs are complete. We’ve tried to ensure that what needs we have are covered for the next week.

I’m not sure if we’ll succeed. And I’m not sure what the impact of success would be. In fact, I’m not even sure what success would look like. Spending less money? Spending less often? Reflecting on the gap between real and perceived need?

But I am sure that for this week we’re going to try and spend no money at all. Bills that are coming up have been paid. Upcoming needs have been planned for. And whatever else comes up we’re planning on just passing on. Then we’ll see what happens. If it’s healthy and has a positive impact on our lives, we’ll probably do this again.

If you’re looking for something to try this Lent, you’re welcome to join us. You can try a Zero Week Challenge too, or just resolve to abstain from casual spending for the season. If you do, let us know.

Now girls listen up here’s how you live a long and happy life:
Never ever jump out of a moving car.

Sebastian, at 7 to his sisters aged 5 and 3 respectively.

For the older kids we’re going to cut back on parties too. But for Arden, turning three, we didn’t want to trim back against her expectations too much. Especially since at three it’s hard to hear anything but “no parties”.

So she had three: One with our family, one with friends and one with Jenn’s extended family which happened yesterday.

In 1940, Americans spent about fourteen percent of their food budget on eating out; by 1975 it was up to twenty-two percent, and by 2010 it was forty-one.

But given at most of the gatherings like this is majority of the audience isn’t there for any given performance. We sat through nine presentations before Sebastian’s group came on. What made a few of them work better than the others was the fun quotient. When the teacher programmed something fun for the kids to do the 5-minute show became instantly fun for everyone to watch. Sadly, few of those preceding 9 shows were fun. But the music teacher at his school picked songs people knew, had the kids march and dance and kept the whole thing short. Our other kids actually enjoyed the music portion because the emphasis was on fun rather than performance.

So we actually stuck around for the last group. Sure that was in part because most of the audience was gone by that part and we felt bad for the last group of kids. But she rewarded us and the final song was “Good Night” from the Sound of Music.

The whole thing was a good reminder to me. Unless your quality is truly exceptional, people will always prefer to engage with what’s fun.

The only thing I get hung up on is whether love can really be love if it’s so impersonal. Regardless, the video’s title, “Mr Happy Man”, is certainly accurate. This guy is seriously happy, his happiness is infectious and we could all do to wave and love people a little more often.

Mr. Happy Man from Matt Morris Films on Vimeo.

Lately at bedtime Arden’s been asking for me to tell the story of when she was born. Then for the stories about her siblings being born. It’s become her nightly routine. Fitting, because today is her birthday which makes me mindful of her birth.

Three years ago today on a Friday morning Jenn woke me with the news she was in labor. Because Jenn’s previous labor was so quick we were ready with plans to make sure we didn’t need to risk life and limb to get to the midwife in time. We called her mom to come over. Then, because her mom lived two hours away, we called our friend Stephen. He’s only 10 minutes down the road. He still wasn’t close enough.

ALmost immediately after we made the calls, Jenn realized she was ready to deliver the baby. So I put in a movie for the kids and drove her 5 blocks to the birthing center. Then I drove home to wait for Stephen. He showed up a few minutes later and I returned to Jenn’s side. The first thing the midwife told me is that she should’ve been pushing, but wanted to wait for me. She did wait for me.

Less than half an hour later, we had a beautiful new baby. I think we were both expecting a boy, because I checked three times before I was ready to proclaim we had a daughter. That left us stuck on names though. We loved the named Arden, but anticipated using it for a boy. But after very little discussion we realized that was the name for our little girl.

Now she’s not so little. Sure she does little things still. She pronounces it “flamily”. Her shoes are nearly always on the wrong feet. More often its the glimpses of the older Arden that stand out. Her tendency to structure the world around her. How she pays attention to emotions and always looks to tend to the downhearted.

Today she is three. Tomorrow she’ll be grown up. In between we’ll get to help her and love her and challenge her. What a lucky pair of parents we are.