Lent, discipline and growth

It is Ash Wednesday.  How many people did you see with ash on their foreheads?  It's one of the few markers of the Catholic church that I wish were carried on in Evangelical churches.  Such a lovely reminder.
So, as a family, we've decided to give up television for Lent.  Well, I decided that I needed to give up television for Lent but I knew that if we all didn't do it, I probably wouldn't stick to it.  So Danny offered to give it up as well.  And then of course we decided for Joey that she'd be giving up television for Lent.  She's allowed to watch TV when she's at Grandma's house but the TV in the apartment has been disconnected.  It's still in the living room, and we're thinking of putting it out of sight but we haven't quite decided all that yet.
I also decided that I'll be giving up my internet game of choice as well.  It's going to be tough but I've been meaning to stop playing anyhow and Lent is just one more reason to do it now.
But giving things up for Lent isn't just about the sacrifice, it's about making better choices and using the time that would've been spent on useless pursuits on things that help to grow myself and my family closer to God.
One of the things that I'm adding into my daily routine is a Lent Daily Meditation.  I know I'm only one day into it but I really like it so far.  I may or may not have looked ahead a little and it has a different activity every day to go along with the Bible passages.  One that I can't wait to get to asks the reader to sketch that daily verse.  I hope that this will help me to more disciplined all year round in having quiet times with God.
I'm also trying to do more projects with Joey.  With the warm weather coming, I am imagining walks in the woods to look at budding leaves and flowers, shell collecting expeditions on the beach, trips to the Children's museum, science experiments, and teaching her to grow things.  These are also all things that I hope to lead to being more disciplined in doing all year round.  Now, who knows what of these I'll be able to accomplish as I get more and more pregnant.  But I have dreams and goals and that is always a good place to start.