Happy Pancake Tuesday!!!!

Last night my sister in law sent me a message to remind me that today is Pancake Tuesday.  What is Pancake Tuesday you ask?  We here in America we call it Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras.  Personally I prefer our version as it includes a big ole party.  You would think that the Irish would be all over the whole Mardi Gras thing rather than just eating pancakes especially since I have eaten pancakes in Ireland and trust me when I say they are not even close to the delicious concoctions we make here.

My mom called me last night and asked what I was giving up for Lent.  I honestly didn't have the heart to tell her that a few years ago I gave up giving up things for Lent.  I know I know, I am a bad Catholic.  I am going straight to hell.  But in all honesty, if the reason I go to hell is because I don't give up anything for Lent then I have led a very boring life.  She informed my she was giving up cookies and candy.  Well, I have been doing Weight Watchers for a month now, I haven't eaten anything good in all that time so any food item is out.

When I turned 21 I had a brilliant idea to give up beer for Lent.  I was 21 for goodness sake and went to Umass Amherst (or Zoomass as we called it, major party school).  I stuck to it though.  For 40 days I didn't drink any beer.  I drank whiskey instead.  And not good whiskey like Jameson or Bushmills, I drank the cheapest stuff I could get my hands on.  I was in college after all, on a budget.  It was the worst 40 days of my life.  Cheap whiskey hangovers are the worst!  To make matters worse, St Paddy's Day falls right smack dab in the middle of Lent.  My first year being able to get into a bar on Paddy's Day, think I could pass that up?

I have also through the years given up soda (that was worse then beer, it is my only way of getting caffeine), potatoes, sugar and swearing.  They all pretty much sucked, but isn't that the point, to give up something you will miss.  Something that will make you suffer?  Well, I have suffered.  I have given birth to two children, I am a waitress and a lunch lady, my husband's chauffeur, and I have 200 pigeons living in my back yard.  I think that counts as suffering, especially the whole waitress and lunch lady gig.

Now I am feeling a bit guilty.  I will have to come up with something.  I have to lead by example right?  I have two little Catholics to raise.  I am good and follow the whole no meat on Friday thing,  Always have, always will and I subject the husband and kids to it too (my husband was born and raised in Ireland, you would think he would be all into that but he isn't).  My nephew who is a Catholic Brother and spends a lot of time at the Vatican gave up Facebook.  I have to laugh at the thought of priest and brothers going on Facebook, but they do and I appreciate it because that is how the nephew and I stay in touch (guess we will be out of touch for the next 40 days).  I personally can't give up Facebook, I might just die, plus how will I be able to spread my blog to the world?

I think I will just end up going with my first thought.  I will give up sex for Lent.  I may not suffer too much but my husband will, and he is still in the doghouse from my last blog about the fish.  Yes, that is it.  No sex for 40 days.  Killing two birds with one stone, my husband gets to give something up for Lent too.  Good plan.