Ideas for a slow sunday

slow-sundays

Life is pretty hectic, it gets busy and stressful and by the weekend more often than not I’m exhausted and want to hide in a cave! Mama’s keep on going, often giving more than they have, running on empty with an exhausted body and a frazzled mind. Working from home, and with three of my four kiddos home 24/7 there is not much quiet time. i love the noise and busy-ness of family life, there is literally nothing in the world I’d rather do than raise a family and no place I’d rather be than here with them. These are the days that make a life and build those memories that I’ll treasure when they’re all grown up.

Still, it’s important to take some time out, to slow down once in a while, to fill our own cups back up. So recently, I’ve been intentionally setting aside Sundays as a day of rest. Leaving the never ending to-do lists, avoiding making too many plans…just slow, peaceful days at home. No work, no laundry… just rest and relaxation. Some weeks the kiddos are out with their Dad for a few hours, some weeks we’re all home. Either way, we all slow-down and just have fun together with no expectations and no need to clock watch.

Here are ten ideas to help you savor the day………

1| Turn off the alarms. I know little kids often wake-up like clockwork, but on Sundays I switch off my alwarms, turn my clock away so I can’t see the time and *try* and have a lie-in. Even if one of my little ones wakes me, on a Sunday we don’t need to jump up and rush out of bed. We’ll laze a while, snuggled under the warm covers, chatting or reading stories, until the rumble of our tummies pulls us out of bed.

2| Enjoy breakfast. Weekday mornings are often a flurry of activity in a morning, meaning breakfast needs to be fast and easy. Sundays for us usually mean pancakes and waffles. The smell of them cooking usually even tempts my teenager out of her bed before lunch time! THere’s nothing better than a slow breakfast, everyone gathered around the kitchen table together, chatting about the week that’s been and the week that is to come.

3| Let go of the need to be busy. I’m the worst at feeling like I should be doing something all the time. So this was a challenge for me. It’s great to ‘allow’ yourself to do nothing! Once the kiddos tummies are full, they’ll go off to do their own thing, and I usually curl up somewhere with a book or a magazine, burn some incense and play a record or two. When you’re a busy Mama, reading in the day feels like SUCH a treat!

4| Bake something. My kids often bake in the week, but on a Sunday I love to get in the kitchen and bake too… sometimes I’ll make a loaf of bread or some extra special muffins for an afternoon treat. There’s something therapeutic about kneading, and mixing and making something from a pile of ingredients.

5| Pick up the phone. IN the mayhem of our busy weeks, it’s all too easy to put off ringing a friend or family member for a chat.. there is never the time to spare. Nothing quite beats a good chat on the phone {if you can’t see them in person}, a little connection goes a long way.

6| Stretch your legs. If it’s sunny, or at least not pouring with rain, I’ll usually try and get us all out for a walk. Sometimes a long one, sometimes just a stroll around to the local park, let the little ones run off some energy and soak up some Vitamin D for an hour.

7| Play a game. We love playing board games, or card games. It’s a great way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon – the kids often pick a game each, we’ll play for a few hours after a walk {fuelled by the earlier baking ;) } Games are a great way to bring all the family together, there are so many great games that different ages can all enjoy together. I just try to avoid anything too competitive to keep arguments at bay!

8| Picky Dinners. Probably my kiddos favourite part of a Sunday {and favourite kind of dinner}. Picky dinners {aka indoor picnic/buffet} are so much fun, and great for lazy days when you don’t want to spend hours cooking a meal. Sometimes I’ll make a pizza or quiche as the main part, or a bowl of nachos. They’ll be hummus and crudites, cheese, crackers, crisps, popcorn… and whatever other ‘bit’s we might have in! I really love it, as they’ll always be something to please everyone!

9| Movie time. We always watch a movie or show together whilst we’re having our picky dinner [it’s one rare time we eat in the living room and not at the table – which makes it even more fun!]. We’ve just watched the Series of Unfortunate Events shows together. It’s a fun end to a lovely day, sitting around, eating and watching, chatting and laughing, all of us together.

10| Bubble bath. Not just for the kiddos, but for Mama too. I love a soak in a bath, a mountain of bubbles, some lavender oil to help me sleep. Perfect relaxing end to a slow Sunday – and it always sets up for a new week ahead!

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ideas-for-a-slow-sunday

Do you try and slow down on a Sunday?

3 Comments

  1. Alice

    March 17, 2017 at 12:22

    Picky dinners! My favourites!!
    Great tips Polly, I love slow sundays and really don’t have enough of them xx

  2. Candy Pop

    March 17, 2017 at 15:37

    Perfect – just my kind of post. Lovely tips!

    I hope you have a gorgeous weekend. xx

  3. Kathryn

    March 20, 2017 at 10:13

    Love this post and the picky dinners idea – my kids love a carpet picnic! We were quite good this sunday and banned all electronic devices for most of the day and spent the morning doing communal creative challenges; drawing, writing and playing silly games. It felt good! xx

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