It was a long week at our house. Stress was mounting for my little family and something had to give. Mother Nature brought a never ending Saturday drizzle I decided to ignore the normal screen time limits and join in. The boys watched TV in the living room, the girl child was on her screen in her room and Hubs and I snuggled in our bed for a bit to watch one of our shows. Snuggling in bed on a Saturday afternoon? What!?!
The busy week that had coiled around our necks even had the three year old all out of sorts. The afternoon slipped away and each family member slowly unwound. I simmered a pot of chicken bones on the stove for homemade broth. The smell wound it’s way around the house. Meanwhile, the five of us unwound, relaxed and got lost for a bit in other worlds of action, adventure, drama and suspense.
Hours past “dinner time” I gathered all five of us at the table for our family favorite: homemade chicken soup and fresh biscuits. We ate, laughed, burped loudly and made silly jokes. We licked the drips of honey off our plates and slurped broth from our bowls. We didn’t scold “use your silverware!” No one complained “I don’t like this.” They ate it all up, the food, the attention, the silliness and especially the time together.
I didn’t plan a destination vacation or an expensive family outing. Today we just hung out. We made a memory of loving togetherness. It might be remembered as “that night when mom burped at the table?” ..or “When we got to watch TV all day?” Today may not be remembered specifically. Deep layers of this kind of family time are what I know from my own life will bring my kids home as grown ups from much bigger stresses and much farther away.
Have things been stressful in your house? Does everyone need a little extra rest and a favorite meal? What helps your family unwind? Maybe you need some of comfort food today… tell us about it, share your rest.
