This year our church starts at 8 a.m. I will not lie, this is not out favorite time of the week. We try to have everyone shower and lay clothes out and get as much ready the night before but it doesn’t always happen. We have occasionally made it and gotten sat down right before the person conducting starts the meeting, but more often than not we are a few minutes late. Once we actually get to church though, I am liking the 8 a.m. time. The kids are fresh and more alert and usually have eaten enough breakfast that they are fine until we get home to go without a snack. Then we get home and have the rest of the day to enjoy our sabbath day of rest. As the kids are getting older and our schedules are getting more hectic I am really starting to appreciate even more having Sunday as our day to step back, relax from the daily grind and enjoy our church and family time.
We have gotten into the routine of coming home and making a breakfast meal for lunch. Then anyone that wants to can take a little nap, usually its just Ryan and I but occasionally one of the others will decide to nap. The non-nappers read or play quietly together. Unless we do a family movie or AFV episode together, we have decided to not have any electronics on Sunday. This is probably a little bit of a ‘haha!’ moment for my parents. When I was in about 3rd grade I remember them telling us there would be no more TV on Sundays. I remember saying and thinking many times that it was a dumb idea and I would never do that when I was older. Of course my kids whine and try and think of every possible reason or excuse to make just watching TV like normal a good family building experience. That is some of their best bonding and playing together time of the week though. I love hearing them decide what game to play together and spending some quality time with each other.
After naps we all play games together, read books together, make a dessert together, things like that. Sometimes we make a treat and then invite another family or two to come over that evening and help us eat it. One of our favorite treats is to help Ryan make his Grandma Groom’s cinnamon rolls. Ryan is the one who likes to cook of the two of us so he usually cooks a nice dinner for us on Sundays too. After dinner and dishes if we don’t have someone come over we watch America’s Funniest Videos together while we eat popcorn (preferably air popped). If our Monday night is busy the next day sometimes we have FHE on Sunday night too. We try and get a little one on one time with the kids on Sunday also.
Its just a nice day. I am grateful for Heavenly Father’s wisdom in giving us the Sabbath day to rest from the daily grind and chaos of the other six days of the week and recharge. I love having the whole day to focus on the Savior and family.