Your mission, if you choose to accept, is to do something special with your family this week.
Level of Commitment: Baby Steps
Special family time doesn’t have to be anything special, just being together and getting silly suffices! What a way to "get moving" with the kids!
After a couple of heavy research and controversy posts last week, on ingredients in Charlie’s soap and Catholics and yoga, I’m a bit weary. I just want to sit and cuddle my kids, spend time with my husband, and enjoy the simple things in life that always bring joy and need no discernment or research.
I’m lucky enough that next week is spring break, and we’re going away, so I’ve got a built in opportunity for in-depth family time. However, I also promised God for Lent that I’d spend 10 minutes a day with each child as "special time" – that means no phone calls, folding laundry, grabbing something, cleaning up, computer, etc. Ten minutes isn’t very long, but it’s amazing how difficult it is to give both children their time every single day.
We’re nearly midway through Lent (right? aren’t we?) which is a good time to re-evaluate your commitments and recommit. If you’re not practicing Lent, any time is a good time to do something special with your family.
As I’ve been realizing following the comments at this post, family means many different things depending on your state in life.
- If you’re single, see if you can take some time talking on the phone with your mom or dad, brother or sister, or find someone you love and trust at church or work and make a special outing date with them. Your family can be your family of origin or the community around you, especially if you’re part of a church family.
- If you’re married, you might need to decide if your spouse or your parents/siblings need a little special time this week. Go for a walk with your spouse or write a special "I love you and appreciate you" letter to your parents – we’re never too old for that!
- If you’re a parent, I’m willing to wager that you feel like you never spend enough time with your kids or quality time as a family. Play outside, hit up a zoo or children’s museum, learn a new card game, or attend Stations of the Cross as a family to enter into the community of the Body of Christ at the same time.
My husband and son had some special Daddy/Son time yesterday – my almost-six-year-old is determined to run a kids’ run at an upcoming 5K in our town, and he trained with Dad for the first time yesterday. I’m so proud to tell the world that he ran 1/2 mile without stopping and 3/4 mile total, then biked 3 more miles while Dad finished his run! I’m so amazed at his dedication.
My style of spending time with the kids: a science experiment that encourages critical thinking.
Whatever you can do, keep your family emotionally healthy with just as much effort as you put into your healthy eating endeavors (maybe more!). It’s good to just be together, thanking God for the gifts of each other.
My God bless your week and your families!
What have you done or can you do this week to make quality family time a priority?
———————————————
On the healthy eating note, Tsh at Simple Mom has an awesome series running called Project: Simplify, and this week’s hot spot for organizing is the kitchen/pantry. The accompanying giveaway includes some eBooks you might recognize!
I’d love to see more of you! Sign up for a free email subscription or grab my reader feed. You can also follow me on Twitter, get KS for Kindle, or see my Facebook Fan Page.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
See my full disclosure statement here.
DH and I try to go out to a new restaurant once a week and NOT use our phones while we’re there
You’d think that since we are childfree we would spend all kinds of quality time together, but we both have tons of activities and clubs and stuff to do around the house that it’s not often we actually have in-depth conversations.
On Saturday I took my friend’s 4 year old to see the butterflies at Meijer gardens, it was such fun! I’m going to try to spend more time with her since all my nieces and nephews live out of state
Her mom loves being able to have quality time with her older daughter, and the 4 year old loves being spoiled by her “aunt windywindy.”
[Reply to this comment]
After chatting with one of my cousins last night via my mom’s Skype account, I’ve decided to finally sign up for one. And I imagine it will primarily be used for talking with my relatives.
Nice mission, it’s always good to have reminders to feed your spirit.
[Reply to this comment]
Monday Mission: Spend Time with Your Family | Kitchen Stewardship … | Kids For Nutrition // Mar 28, 2011 at 12:18 pm
[...] museum, learn a new card game, or attend Stations of the Cross … … Read more: Monday Mission: Spend Time with Your Family | Kitchen Stewardship … ← Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter – Kids Nutrition … Nutrition [...]
For the last couple weeks (amid all the craziness and stress — you know why!), I’ve tried to put my work down by 8, when the kids go to bed (my husband watches them in the afternoon so I can get some stuff done). Then I go up and actually spend a couple hours with my husband instead of working separately until almost bedtime. We’re happier, and I even sleep better (the light off the computer screen can mess up your hormones and keep you awake).
As for the kids, I’m DYING for it to get a little warmer again so we can go back to the zoo! I have all kinds of fun projects in mind for them…pretty much all outdoors! And soon it will be time to plant some early stuff in the garden so we’ll make that a family event.
We’ve been spending more time working on the house and with each other lately, not exactly “family time,” I know, but we’ve put the electronics down more and we’re doing stuff FOR the family (like spring cleaning), so I’ll say it mostly counts.
[Reply to this comment]
Katie,
Oh we must be on the same wavelength. I have been really worn out too and I can attest to Kate’s comment about the computer keeping one awake. I thought I could handle it last night and had a really fitful night though I was exhausted.
I think especially in this world of blogging and being a mom it is really easy to feel that you just need to do one more thing…one more post, one more activity, one more email, etc…..we really need to slow down and do what only we can do. –and that is to be who we are to God and to others. I am the only one who can be my husband’s wife and the only one who can be my kids’ mother.
Today I was so blessed to have time to read more slowly to my kids and to have a wonderful family devotion at lunch as my husband was able to come home for lunch today. We took more time than usual and it was wonderful.
Here’s to more time w/ the ones we love!
[Reply to this comment]
I don’t blame you after all the controversial comments. Oy vey! What a headache!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
March 31st, 2011 at 11:38 pm
Liz,
Katie
Hi! I’m just glad you stuck around….
[Reply to this comment]
I decided to do the same thing for lent!! I haven’t been that successful. I said 15 minutes on anyone or split between them. We are packing to move so it’s been crazy, which is why they need it all the more.
[Reply to this comment]
monday mission accomplished! an actual sit down dinner, tablecloth included, with a family movie after. very rare in my house but accomplished tonight.
[Reply to this comment]