This January I have been sharing our family’s routines and rhythms. One of my goals for 2025 was to create a restful Sunday. Here are a few things I’ve implemented, to help my Sundays feel calm, restful, and set apart from the rest of the week.
Saturday night
On Saturday night, when my husband and I do the usual closing shift, I take a little extra care. I make sure everything that’s out is put back in its place. The dishes that are usually out to dry overnight are put away. The dishwasher is run and unpacked before bed, instead of in the morning. The clothes that are usually folded and waiting to be packed away the next morning, are put away. Any food prep that needs to be done for Sunday is done now. The clothes for tomorrow morning are laid out.
Saturday night is also bath night. The boys have water baths every night. But on Saturday night I wash the boys, wash their hair, clean their ears, trim their nails, etc. They are scrubbed clean and sparkly. It really makes it so I never walk into church and realize the baby has banana smooshed in the back of his hair and my toddler has dirt under his nails.
Church outfits
As the weather changes and a new season rolls in, I pick out new church clothes. For myself, and for each of the boys. I only let them wear those clothes on Sunday to church. They are always clean, because between last Sunday and now it has been washed, and it hasn’t been worn between then and now. The clothes also don’t get stained or dirty because they don’t eat in them. They wear them to church and then change out of them. They wear those clothes for about 3 months until the seasons change and the boys grow. I don’t mind repeating the same outfit every Sunday for a season. I like that we look put together, coordinated. In the beginning of December, I choose a Christmas outfit that we wear over December, which doubles as our winter outfit for the rest of winter. Then I put a new church shirt in the boys easter basket that they wear on Resurrection Sunday, and then all spring long. This often lasts into the summer. When they outgrow that I’ll pick up a summer one. And then as the weather cools a fall outfit, which takes us to winter again. My boys are still little, so we have about four church outfits through the year as they grow. I also have a spring, summer, fall and winter and Christmas church dress. This makes Sunday mornings so much easier. Knowing we have a clean, co ordinating, seasonally appropriate, unstained church outfits to wear. Gone are the days of staring at my clothes, trying different outfits on, and leaving the house feeling frumpy.
Sunday morning breakfast
During the week we eat eggs for breakfast. I like that it is a high protein, sugar free way to start the day. There are also so many different way to eat eggs. I save processed breakfast meats like bacon or sausage for special occasions. Think birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and holidays like Christmas or Easter. Really in the end this works out to about every other month. But on Sunday morning we eat cereal. This doesn’t sound special, but because we don’t eat it any other day of the week it is. Depending on the weather or what the weekend looks like we might have boxed cereal from the store (Like raisin bran) or more often I make homemade granola. I put a special Sunday table cloth on the table, set the plates and silverware on the table. I put the cereal, milk, yogurt, bananas, and a muffin, if I have baked any the night before, on the table. This take less than 5 minutes to set out, and allows us to enjoy an unhurried breakfast and still be on time for church. I also don’t feed the baby messy food on a Sunday morning. Nothing that would require me to clean yogurt out of his hair and eyebrows.
Sunday lunch
If all this rest sounds like it revolves around food that’s because as a mom I am responsible for cooking three meals a day every day of the year. And then clean up after those three meals. So a big part of creating a restful Sunday, is minimizing the work of cooking. In the winter I make soup for lunch. I can prepare the soup the night before and turn the crockpot on in the morning. Hot soup, and delicious smells, will greet us when we walk in the door from church. Or I can have it fully cooked, and just warm in up. This takes no time at all; it’s such an easy meal. In the summer I make salads and sandwiches. These can also be made the night before. All I need to do it take it out the fridge.
Sunday naps
After lunch the boys take their usual afternoon naps, and my husband and I do too. Or while they nap we might sit, and visit with each other over a cup of tea.
Sunday dinner
I do enjoy cooking, and so, after having had a simple breakfast and lunch, I am happy to cook a good dinner for my family. I like to make a traditional Sunday dinner. Think Christmas or Thanksgiving style. Over the river and through the woods style. A roast chicken, or roast beef, with potatoes and vegetables. And dessert. As best as I’m able, we don’t have Sugar Monday through Saturday. I even try limit sugars from Ketchup or yogurt. Then on Sunday, after our big Sunday dinner we have dessert. Depending on what we’re having, this can be made in advance. Cookies, pretzel jello salad, bread pudding, upside down apple cake, cupcakes, apple pie, ice cream, cheese cake. It is such a wonderful way to usher in the new week. When I look down the passage of time, I imagine my grown children bringing their children home for Sunday dinner.
Unplug
And finally, I unplug. Nothing is as restful as disconnecting for a day. I also find this gives me a clear view of my screen time, and resets my habits for the coming week.
