Family Rituals

Recently I was reading a blog and the writer spoke about mindful morning rituals that bring grounding and provide a marker in her daily routine ((Homesong Blog, for reference).  I really liked the idea of using the phrase "rituals" to describe the practices that are woven into daily life.  My personality naturally flows with rhythms so I already tend to have many rituals as a part of my very being.

I thought it might be neat to experiment with this idea in terms of our family.  As a child, many of my markers of happiness come with memories of rituals, that just became a part of our daily lives.  I thought I would briefly share some of the ways that our family has bonded through rituals over the past few months.  These are the top 3 ways (at the moment) that we share in rituals together.

First of all, mornings are my time with my boys.  This is mainly because my dear husband is NOT a morning person, and barely wakes up as they run around the room jumping and yelling.  My day nearly always starts with one little body climbing in bed with me for snuggles, and soon the second little body joins us.  Eventually they coax me out of bed and I make my way downstairs to put on the coffee and make breakfast. We usually sit together for breakfast and talk about our day (while I sip my coffee and force my body to come alive). We look outside and check the weather.  Sometimes we put on music and sometimes we just talk.  I try to read my Bible (amidst many interruptions, but still!).  I love these times.  Even though I am often tired, I love mornings and having just a moment to sit and sip a hot drink and be present in the environment around me.

I have mentioned this before, but Fridays have turned into our coveted family movie night, and this is one of my favorite times with the kids.  Either in the afternoon, or right after dinner we pull out blankets, pop some pocorn and snuggle up together to watch a movie.  I can't say I always join them undistracted (sometimes I fold laundry or do dishes) but when I can, I snuggle between them and eat too much popcorn and often cry at the sentimental parts (yes, even cartoons).  It is great to force myself to stop and slow down and just enjoy this time with them, and they love it so much!  I know it's kind of a cliche weekly activity, but for us right now, it just works so well and is a hit all around.

My last (and most favorite) ritual is something that Daniel and I have started this year called "Coffee and Connect."  It doesn't follow a strict schedule, but 1-2 times a month, we block out a space when the kids are at school and it is his day off, and we sit down for coffee together.  It's not a "date" but it's a chance to talk and connect over what's going on in our lives.  The planner in me pulls out the calendar and we usually talk over the month ahead and all our activities.  But then we move on and ask each other how we are really doing, and what's going on with our dreams, stresses, and just lives in general.  This is so great!  We try to have these conversations on a regular basis, but with kids and ministry and just life... sometimes we don't get a real uninterrupted conversation.  So these times are SO great to connect with each other's worlds.  We often end the time in prayer, and then carry on with whatever is on our agenda for the day.  For me, these have been crucial times, which I look forward to every time!  My biggest love language is quality time, and this just does it for me!  I recognize that it's not necessarily my husband's best thing (he loves gifts most... but he does say he appreciates the conversation) so we make sure to schedule in some fun date nights on top of these connection times.

Those are my top rituals right now...  What does YOUR family do as a regular means of bonding together???  Please do share!  I love new ideas.