Like any busy family, we’re often left at the end of a weekend asking just what happened to our two blissful days of nothingness.
Where does that time go?
Errands. Cleaning. Getting things done. (finally). Mowing the grass. Driving here and there. Doing this and that.
We’ve learned that if we want to make the weekend slow down we really need to build in rituals that make it feel slower, even if it’s not.
In my book, Savoring Slow, I talk about a several ways to live your life as if you on a staycation at home.
And, in the Abundant Mama Project Online Program, we spend the better part of a whole week creating family rituals and traditions that transform family life completely.
Many of the ideas that we all long for, though, are quiet and simple. They are not filled with noise and chaos but rather slow, savored moments. This is especially vital for those of us that are highly sensitive moms.
These simple ideas I’m sharing today would make for a great weekend staycation plan as well.
These are our family’s favorite little rituals to build into our week and weekends:
Family Movie Night
We’ve been doing family movie night for about 7 or 8 years and our family truly looks forward to this marking the beginning of the weekend. We don’t do this in the summer because we are outside more than in, but this ritual is a true connection builder and I see it lasting a long time. Who doesn’t like to sit and watch a movie, eat pizza and popcorn and just chill out after a long week? We’re a house of girls — and one man — so our favorite family movies are the following: Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nanny McPhee, The Lorax and, most recently, Maleficient. (affiliate links)
Family Game Night
Games are so good for our children – and for our connection to them. There’s nothing quite like watching our children take a game seriously and learn to play. We’re always trying to add in family game time. Sometimes it’s first thing in the morning, by the way, not just at night. These days the girls are hooked on playing Checkers while we LOVE the card games Swish and Sleeping Queens.
The Family Bike or Hike
Being active together is always a fun time and it makes us, the parents, happiest. I find that when I’m hiking or riding my bike I finally feel like a real human being and can breathe. The space it provides to think and dream and breathe is so good for us all. And, as it turns out, it’s also a great stress reliever, too. So worth scheduling in every weekend, if possible. Plus, building a connection to nature is really good for our children, too.
The Family Meeting
In my book, I spend nearly a whole chapter talking about how to hold successful – and fun — family meetings. These slow table talks are invaluable to building family connection and family peace. And, when done right — as I talk about in the book — your kids will love them. We recently started our slow table talks back up and plan to have them every two weeks.
The Family Read Aloud
The power of one book. It’s truly a gift. When we all gather around for reading from one book we are instantly connected to something bigger than us. This ritual may never end at our house until our girls leave the nest. We love reading aloud together. Reading it. Discussing it. Challenging it. Imagining it. It’s all good for our family connection and bond. Our favorites we’ve read: Harry Potter, Little Dog Lost, and Wonder.
What family rituals do you want to add into your week?
I’ll try to incorporate these ideas every week. Thanks!
Let me know how it goes!
We had a not-so-quiet game of Life last night; I wasn’t sure my husband would make it to the end, but he did- and won! We also do family movie nights, but they have been more sporadic with the great, summer weather.
So glad you have fun together. It’s the best part of family life!
We all pile into our bed on a weekend morning for a morning drink, a chat, hiding under the covers etc etc! It’s a lovely connection first thing.
It’s hard as a single mom but I try to stick to movie nights and reading together. I am going to try the hike or bike idea.
Love these ideas. As Christmas approaches I am thinking of how to use the season to really help my family recharge or strengthen our family connections. All of the ideas I find for serving others are geared toward helping or treating strangers or others outside of the family, which is great, but I feel like we too often try to squeeze in all of these things at the expense of our own families. I want to teach my children to actively love EACH OTHER. Any ideas?!
Thank you for reading. Great idea for holiday use!