So here’s a Monday morning confession for you.
My little family of four is feeling very disjointed to me this morning.
I know it’s Monday morning, and who should have it all together on a Monday morning? But it’s the truth. We had a very busy weekend. A fun weekend, but we were all kind of all over the place.
Todd and I had a great, much-needed date night. We went to dinner and we went to see Gone Girl. My in-laws kept the boys overnight. We took the boys to a really fun birthday party on Saturday morning and then went to the pumpkin patch, and we went our separate ways that afternoon. I took the boys to a movie and Todd went to a party for friend. And Sunday was not as restful as any of us would have hoped. There were arguments before we even got in the car to go to church.
And in our case, I know that we weren’t disjointed because we had too much togetherness. We’re disjointed because we’re too busy. All I can think about this morning, is what I’m preparing for supper so my family can sit down together and have a distraction-free meal together. Not a perfect family dinner, but just a meal together. Without rushing kids off to do baths and bed time. Without rushing to the next activity.
The kind of meal where we have time to ask each other about our days, and we do our very best to think of the most positive thing we can share. And then also feel comfortable enough to share our hurts.
As much as I love opening our home and I know how important it is for my kids to share their space and their table with other families, having good, uninterrupted time where they feel seen and heard is so important, too. And it’s the same for Todd and me. We both want to feel seen and heard and important when we’re at home.
There’s a big pot of Pioneer Woman’s chicken and noodles being prepped right now, and I’m already excited about sitting down tonight with my people.
This post is part of 31 Days of Breaking Bread
Such an important point. Entertaining is wonderful and such fun but quality family time is so important as well. I know growing up I always appreciated family dinners that included just our immediate family because it felt special and intimate and, most important, comfortable.
Have a wonderful dinner tonight with your family. You all deserve it.
On days like this when our son was young, we would have dinner in an unexpected place. A picnic in the front yard (regular meal), or on the floor of the guest bedroom or using the good china for hot dogs. ANYTHING that would add a bit of spice and break the ice. AND if I put the glasses in the freezer so they were good and cold I earned extra points!
I LOVE all the honest posts out there in Blogland today!!! Makes me feel so much better as a Mama to know that we all struggle with the same things. Enjoy your dinner tonight!
An interesting perspective on being “busy”. An afternoon at the pumpkin patch with your family, a date night with your husband, taking your kids to see a movie…sounds like you’re making sweet memories, not becoming entrapped in busyness. And I’m sure your boys LOVED it. It’s hard for me to imagine feeling “disjointed” from my family after a weekend like this. I say (or type) this in the most gentle way possible, but I truly believe a change in perspective might help in that “disjointed” feeling you’re experiencing.
Hey, Katie. I totally understand what you are saying, and the boys DID love the birthday party and the pumpkin patch and the trip to the movies. We spent a lot of the weekend not being together as a family of four. And that’s where I felt disjointed. Our weekend was full and fun, but we spent most of Saturday (starting around noon and until after the boys went to bed) and Sunday (again after lunch until after dinner time) all split up for different activities and commitments. We did have so much fun, but we weren’t all together after Saturday morning. But we had a good supper tonight together and then all carved our pumpkin together tonight. Even when we’re all at home doing nothing, without planned activities, I go into Monday feeling more refreshed just because we were all together.
Happy you had a good time together tonight and hope tomorrow morning feels more refreshing for you
Sometimes I worry about you because it seems there is a real struggle between the desire to do it all and have quiet family time at home. I prefer more quiet family time at home and definitely need, what we lovingly call “transition time” , between activities. I’m an introvert and need quiet alone time in order to recharge and face more activities. It’s just who I am and I plan accordingly so I don’t end up a cranky, crabby mess. It sounds like you might be the same. There’s no shame in it and it’s OK. Recognize who you are and what you need – no grace required 🙂
Hey, Victoria 🙂 You’re right! I am a total introvert and crave quiet time at home, but love being with people. This past weekend was very unusual in that our schedule was jam packed with mostly things we couldn’t get out of because our relationships are very important to us. Thankfully, not all weekends are like this. I learned last year to say no to a lot, and have pulled away from most of our outside commitments. It has been a great year because of that!