Monday, January 14, 2013

Preparing to Rest {Mindful Mothering Mondays}



It's Saturday night, and I'm wiping counter tops in the soft glow of the kitchen.  Upstairs, the kids are busy pulling on pajamas and setting out church clothes in preparation for the morning.  I move from kitchen to downstairs bathroom, straightening and wiping down, and all the while keeping up a silent meditation.  Gratitude for another week past, intentions for the one just beginning.

One of my goals this year was to work on our family day of rest.  By being intentional in preparing for it, hoping to make it more of a weekly reality.  As the Mama of this family, taking a day "off" to rest can seem an almost laughable prospect.

The truth is, we need rest.  All of us.  Rest is neglected to the detriment of all, but culturally we seem to have let it slip away.  The crush of so many busy days deceive us into thinking that if we took a day off, we'd never catch up.  The catch-22 is that, without it, we surely never will.  A generation of people running on empty have proven this - we need rest.  Creating a family tradition of taking a day to pause, regroup and embrace rest benefits all, from overwhelmed parents right down through the little ones.

Sometimes I wonder that we get so used to seeing the Ten Commandments of a list of "Thou shalt not's" that we forget that when we let go of our vice grip on our lives, God takes that space to bless us.  Not only that, but this principle of a day of rest was important enough to Him to include it on His list of Commandments to us.  A Sabbath is a blessing, straight from Heaven to us.  It hangs there like a gift, just asking to be opened and accepted.  Still, we convince ourselves that our lives are simply too big, too full, perhaps even too important, to take time to slow down and regroup.  But if we are honest with ourselves, the world won't stop turning if we step out for one day each week.   

With little ones to care for and responsibilities every day of the week, yes, even on a day of rest, I have realized that I need to prioritize Sabbath preparation.  If I neglect this discipline, the very chaos of getting a family ready for church and the stress of figuring out what to serve for dinner can steal the peace I am seeking.  The key to a peaceful Sunday for a Mama comes right down to preparation.

Each family will prepare differently, based on their season in life.  Here are 4 ways we are preparing to rest.

Prepare Your Heart:  I work this in by listing my thanks for the week past and my hopes and prayers for the week to come.  Touching on the moments that made up my week illustrates God's blessings in my life and centers me in preparation for Sunday morning.

Prepare Your Mind: In order to keep stress at bay during my day "off," I jot down a list of all of the things I need to pick up again on Monday - the reminders, the lists, the plans.  This clears the clutter out of my mind and gives me permission to relax.

Prepare Your Home:  On Saturday evening, I make extra sure to have the house picked up before bed, the kitchen wiped down and ready for the next day.  This is not a time to get stressed out by aiming for a perfectly clean house, but rather just straightening up for a clean slate in the morning.

Prepare Your Meals:  Simple food is our staple on Sundays.  Soups and breads can be prepared in advance (I love my crockpot for this), cuts of meat can marinate over night.  I set out bowls and cereal for the morning so it is ready on hand when the kids come down.  Even if I do end up needing to do some cooking on Sunday, doing some of the prep work on Saturday evening really helps to keep the stress of getting meals on the table to a minimum.

Prepare Your Family: I have my kids set out church clothes the night before right down to shoes to minimize last minute dashing around (my 5 year old suffers from chronic shoe loss).  I double check their choices when I come up later on, just to make sure everyone is all set.  I also remind the kids about expected behavior at church and that we don't play video games on Sundays.

In a world of rush and schedules and madness, the Sabbath is still a gift, waiting just there for us to embrace. Through intentional preparation, even the busiest of Mamas can find a bit of peace in this, His gift of rest.

How do you prepare for your day of rest?



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{It's Mindful Mothering Mondays, a day to take a deep breath and write out your mothering journey, whatever form it takes. A day to link up for encouragement from others who are in this same phase of life. A day of writing out the trials and triumphs and what you're learning right where you are, right now.

You might post recent struggles or thoughts. Maybe just a picture or a quote. Or maybe you'll just come here and read the links that others post. Whatever form your participation takes, this is a day for you.
We are all in this, together. Together, we can encourage and build one another up, be honest with our shortcomings and strengthened by community to keep fighting the good fight.

I chose Mondays because what Mama doesn't need a little encouragement on a Monday? As such, I'll have the link up ready to go on Sunday night for you to begin submitting your links.

I hope you'll meet with me each Monday! Here's what to do ~

Link up your post below. Remember to put the link to the exact post you want to link, and not just your blog url. Include in your post a link back here so others who want to join in can find us! And visit some other Mamas who have linked up.

Post the community graphic within your post, so people who are reading your Mindful Mothering post can come back here and find the rest of us!

Invite the writers of your favorite blogs to join in!

Share this meme with others on facebook and twitter. This community is for all moms, and the more that participate, the more we will be able to enjoy!!}


Grab the graphic here:
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14 comments:

  1. these are really good, common sense things to do to help make sundays peaceful. i hate to admit it, but my husband and i dread sundays. mostly because trying to get a 1-year-old and two-year-old to sit through two hours of service is incredibly stressful.
    i've started lowering my expectations for my poor boys (instead of expecting them to act like adults) and i usually sit in the hallway with my 1-year-old for the duration of the service.
    i need to start doing these other things you mentioned, to make our time at home less stressful, too. (by the time we get home it's well past naptime, but we still have to eat lunch, which half the time i haven't planned... etc, etc! i'm sure you know.)

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    1. Church with little ones IS hard! Our 18 month old is usually very in and out, and even our 3 year old sometimes needs to take breaks. We actually left early yesterday because the littlest one was losing it! He usually goes down for a nap around 11, which is when our service starts. Definitely tough! The nice thing about it, though, is when we do get home and eat a quick lunch, almost everyone goes down for naps - including Mama! I try to do easy quick lunches - nothing fancy, just get those kids fed! pb and j, chicken noodle soup, whatever I can whip up in minutes and get in front of them.

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  2. Sunday Mass has really relaxed for me since I realized I'll be spending it out in the hall for at least the next 5 years, LOL. When my older kids were little I was really upset about not being in church but now I really just don't care. It's not my season and hasn't been for a long time. As far as Sunday rest - IDK. I sort of do it but I still run laundry and vacuum :)

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    1. If I had 10 kids, I'd need to do laundry on Sundays too! I used to mind not hearing sermons and stuff too, but you're right...it's just not my season!

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  3. Ahh...thank you! I too am expecting a baby in the early spring and I'm already worried about Sunday mornings. I keep thinking, we're already so rushed, how am I going to fit in nursing a newborn and caring for the hundred extra little things that they require? Thanks for your encouragement to prepare early and then keep it simple!

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    1. We love big family breakfasts, but we usually do them on Saturdays, not Sundays, simply because it is just too hard to get everyone dressed and ready to go plus clean up a big breakfast mess! So simple it is for Sundays. Sometimes I make dinner completely ahead on Saturday nights - or double a casserole during the week so all I have to do is pop it in the oven. I figure this just isn't my stage in life to have a big beautiful Sunday dinner...and that's just fine!

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  4. Great tips Lydia. We do a few of the same things here to prepare for our family day on Sunday's. Clean on Saturday, prepare something easy for dinner, and clear our minds so we can just relax and be. It doesn't always work out, but most weeks it does.

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    1. Even on the weekends that it doesn't all work out, I feel that showing our little ones that it matters can only be a good thing. Hoping that by raising my kids with this, they won't spend so many years in a rush like I did!

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  5. Thank you so much for this post! I absolutely agree that we have lost the "art" of resting. I know that finding a restful time in our house is a challenge, and we only have one activity going on as a family at one time! I love the idea of prepping for a rest day. We prep for work, prep for school, prep for vacations, why would we not give our quiet family time the same importance? Your insight and reflections are such a source of guidance! God bless you and have a great week!

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    1. Yes - especially if Mama wants to rest too, preparation is key! Thanks for coming by, Tessa, and for your sweet words! God bless your week!

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  6. Have you read the book Sabbath in the Suburbs? I am almost finished with it, and it is amazing and inspiring - and best of all, SUPER realistic and honest about how challenging but rewarding it is for a family to actually observe Sabbath every week for a year. It has already helped me make concrete changes about living more "sabbathly" and it's really well-written too.

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    1. No I haven't - thanks for the tip! Looking it up on amazon right now - I really crave this for my family and would love to know some additional resources. Thanks again!

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  7. I love this idea. I've just had my third baby and am struggling GREATLY to adjust to this wonderful albeit overwhelming change ... preparing for a day of family rest after church sounds amazing.

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    1. Little ones are the best of life but so incredibly exhausting...especially when trying to keep them quiet in church! You need rest, Mama - embrace it!

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