As a SAHM mom, taking a Sabbath is kinda hard. Because a lot of what I do can't just stop for 24 hours. Diapers need to be changed, picure books read, fights stopped and consequences administered, food made and little people tuck and re-tucked into bed. I can't even really stop picking things up because both the toddler and the puppy still put things in their mouths! But I get to the end of the week and I'm drained.
I tried reading books about the Sabbath because really wanted to be more diligent about applying the concept to my life. That's just what I do when I have a situation - I read about it. But they weren't really too helpful. I didn't need to be told I needed a Sabbath or convicted that it was a good idea, I needed some practical ways to make it work for a mom of little kids. But I've been figuring it out as a go and making some progress. I started last spring with one simple change - I stopped doing laundry on Sundays. I'm pretty minimalistic with the kid's clothing which means I can't get too far behind but even I can skip one day. Or maybe it's because I'm so minimlistic that can't ever get too far behind which allows me one day of flexibility. That's all I did to change my sabbath at first but that one changed the way I view the day.
Then a few months ago, we started having a Sabbath dinner on Saturday night after getting inspired by the What Have You Podcast. Now, we eat dinner as a family at home 99% of the time. In our stage of life I can make that happen and while I know it will get harder as the kids get older, I hope that continues as long as possible. But I've started making Saturday nights a bit more special. I make a sorta fancy dessert of some kind - this has been more challenging now that we're moved to being sugar-free around here (another post for another time) but also something that makes it even more special as we have less treats at other times. I love baking but it's not always easy with a toddler afoot so making time for that when Craig is around is really nice for me.
We also use a table cloth and put candles out. I might have set the bar a bit too high at the beginning because now if I don't have homemade bread/rolls and at least 2 sides in addition to a fancier main dish the kids feel a bit cheated but overall, it's been really good. After dinner we clean up and that is the beginning of my Sabbath time and it goes all the way to Sunday dinner when we have leftovers if possible or a simple breakfast for dinner meal. Then after dinner on Sunday, the kids help me do a quick clean-up and vacuum. Knowing that is coming before the week starts really helps me not panic and start picking up toys and messes on Sunday afternoon and choose reading a book or watching the kids playoutside. And the kids know that if they hurry do all the chores and then get pajamas on, I'll probably read them an extra chapter of a read-aloud before bed so we are all pretty motivated. Then I start the week feeling refreshed but not behind. I'm sure my sabbath time will change in different life seasons but I hope the dinner part continues at least.
Berry Tiramasu - really good!
Lemon meringue pie. The girls liked it but the boys apparently don't like lemon desserts.
Berry Blitz Torte - Also very good and a fun chance for me to practice meringues.
Fortune cookies - not as fancy looking at some of the previous desserts but a real challenge for me! Lucy wrote my fortunes and they were so much fun.
Sugar-free apple pie. Probably the best of the sugar free desserts I've made so far (I just used erithritol for sweetener in my regular pie recipe) although this Pumpkin Chiffon Pie was a big hit as well. The kids were skeptical at first but those two proved to them that we wouldn't suffer too much without sugar. I haven't done as well with chocolate desserts but I have lots of Saturdays to practice!
Do you take a Sabbath? What does that look like for you and your family? Any practical tips to share?
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