Clean Week 2026
- serafimasarov
- Feb 23
- 2 min read
Hello! I’m really only popping in here for a moment (but God willing, I’ll be posting weekly, give or take when the homestead gets too busy to write). Clean Monday is minutes away here, and this is really the last place I want to be, but I am babysitting my printer while it spits out packets for the elementary class I teach in the morning.
So just some quick resources for my fellow Orthodox moms who might also be tail chasing instead of well organized to begin the fast (like me). There are already a ton of recipe round-ups out there, so I won’t go there. I am also probably the least qualified to offer any meal planning tips. What I can offer is the loving reminder to talk to your priest, mamas, if you’re pregnant or nursing - it might not be your season to fast. Pregnant and nursing was my season for more than 14 years straight, so I feel your pain if you want to fast, yet this isn’t the time.
Clean Week! It’s a great time to clean out closets and toy bins looking for those material goods weighing down your family that could also bless another family. That’s what we’ll be doing this week. Crisis Pregnancy Centers are also wonderful ministries that often have need for consumables like diapers and wipes.
Not sure what to read this Lent? Check to see if your parish or diocese has a Lenten book club. Or read/pray the Psalter. Or the Life of your patron Saint. Or the Canon of St Andrew. Or ask your priest. Your confessor, knowing best where you are on your own journey, would be a great resource here.
Try to get to one weekday service each week, if you can. If you can rotate between Compline, Presanctified and Salutations to give your children, in particular, a taste of everything the Church offers us during this most special season, that’s always an amazing experience.
If you got here from my website, thank you for reading! If you’re reading after my 15-ish month silence, thank you for waiting!
And - if you want something for your children, memorize the Beatitudes with them. I’ve been doing this with my elementary class, and it’s wonderful. I get a glimpse of their little hearts growing as we talk about what each one means. Recite them, copy them, tape them to your walls, write them on your bathroom mirrors (with glass markers. They’re awesome and they last for years). I include them in the copywork books I published, but, if I have time, I’ll throw a downloadable freebie on my website for you all this week to make this more fun.
For anyone who needs it, watch for a free download on my site here: unfadedrosegarden.com
I’ll link it here, too, when I get it done.
Forgive me, a sinner.
Good strength!