Soothing Sunday #2

Halfway through Soothing Sunday and I'm just getting to tending to your needs.  It seems, I got ahead of myself and just started soothing myself because I followed last week's outline.  With one brief exception... due to the missing item yesterday from Polly's, I had to stop at the grocery store for the second day in a row.  A little less than soothing, but the sandwich I ate for lunch was cheaper and healthier than what the trip through the drive through would have been.  I guess that makes it worth it, right?  It's okay to be off-track if it's worth it.

Following my own prescription...

1. I set expectations Saturday night.  Actually, I hadn't really planned to, but my hubba-hubba-Hubbie asked what the plan was for the next day.  [Does this mean he's reading my blog?]  All I wanted out of today from the outside world, was to go to Church with the family.  That's it... then relaxing the rest of the day (oddly to me, relaxing means finishing packing up the Christmas ornaments and running laundry-- makes Monday-Friday easier when you start on the right foot)
2. My lunch in the works got a little off track, but in my mind, I had planned ahead and told everyone we were having sandwiches at home after church.  [Or in my son's case, chicken noodle soup-- I think if we were to wring him out, he'd be dripping with chicken soup.]
3. After I pack up those ornaments and throw a load in the wash, I'm taking a nap.  And when I get up, I'm going to have a cup of mint tea... to rehydrate and pep myself up.
4. We're having tacos for dinner... and I'm not making it, either.  Someone else IS in charge and was quite willing to be... well, at least he didn't argue. 
5. Yes, the house is a bit wrecked... and I'm okay with that...  I'm going to remind everyone that while dinner is being cooked, it's clean up time.
6. Oh, yes, and I'm enjoying my family.  The TV is going off (one little guy lost his privileges) and I plan to read or knit later.

And for an added bonus this week, we (well the kids and I) get an extra weekend day due to the MLK holiday from school. 

I guess the message is... my planned worked.  I'm relaxing.  I don't feel guilty, because I managed to keep things in order all week.  I think it's a fair exchange and working of family this way.

Have you developed your own formula for a Soothing Sunday?  Give yourself permission to relax... it's okay. 

Here's my suggestion for the day to make it more soothing... Here in the Midwest, we've (finally) got a lot of snow.  My kids already went out for a romp (and to burn off some energy), but if yours haven't... kick them OUT (weather permitting of course).  You can enjoy a quiet moment inside and make them all some hot cocoa. 

After they all come back in, get out all your snuggly blankets, pop in a movie that appeals to everyone (or most everyone) and have a movie afternoon.  My favorite "everyone likes it movie" is "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"  (not the one with Johnny Depp, that's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).  It's got a good message about family, sacrifice, and respect.  I love to point out that my daughter is behaving like Veruca Salt (not the band, the character) when we go shopping.  Or telling my son to stop eating like Augustus Glug and chew his food.  Or telling him to stop obsessing about video games because he sounds like Mike TeeVee.  Plus, the Oompa Loompas are less creepy than the one guy CGI'd into hundreds in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.

If you really want to take it up a notch... you can give your kids Wonka Bars or individually wrapped Scrumpdidliumptious chocolates as a treat. [I know you can get these at Target, Meijer, and Walmart-- not sure all the smaller grocery stores are carrying them yet.]

Oh, and the nice thing about Willy Wonka is, you can still fall asleep during it.  In fact, I've been known to put it on, just so I can take a weekend nap, because it has a soothing effect on my family.  For some reason, the kids stop running and watch it... hope it works on your kids too.  The older kids may watch from the get go... don't be surprised if the younger ones don't "tune in" until they get to the room where everything is edible.