Sunday is the only day I don’t dash off to work, to drop the kids off or to workout. Every other day of the week is accounted for and I don’t get a lot of quiet time. My favorite Sunday rituals are critical for me to be able to keep the hamster on the wheel for the rest of the week. The hamster being me. 🙂 Whenever I decide to work on Sundays or head to the studio the rest of my week suffers. Here are some of the things that I need to do on Sundays to refresh ever since I became a mom. (helpful to non moms also)
Easing into My Favorite Sunday Rituals
I love to wake up late. This seemed impossible and like a distant mirage when I was a new mom. There is no such thing when you have an infant and they want to nurse or just be with mom! Now that my boys are 3 & 5, I’m starting to see a little light (sleep) at the end of the tunnel. Before having kids, I could sleep with the best of them and wake up at times that would rival any frat boy.
I’m a night owl, and have the most energy and ideas around 9 PM so it’s extremely difficult for me to go to bed early and rise early. I’ve tried to flip it and be a morning superstar but it’s just not in me. For the rest of the week I wake up between 6-7:30 AM, depending on if I am going to work out or not. On Sundays, my sleeping- in mornings are sponsored by my early bird hubby, and I get to sleep until I can’t.
Coffee: a must for favorite Sunday rituals
Unfortunately, I can’t really sleep much further than 9 AM if I’m lucky. My boys usually come in and try to talk or cuddle around 8 AM until they realize I’m not getting up. As usual, the promise of coffee nudges me into heading downstairs and getting tackled by the boys. My husband (the best husband) usually has a nice cup ready to go for me and knows not to really address me until half a cup in. Currently loving Philz Coffee, the Tesora Blend!
I don’t know why but when I first wake up, no matter the time, I feel dead tired. A conversation before coffee feels impossible! I have very low blood pressure, and my friend that’s a doctor explained that the low blood pressure might be why. A little cup of coffee and I come back to life. During this cup of coffee, I don’t do or say much. Unlike my weekday morning coffee, where I’m herding and shuttling the boys and replying to emails simulateneously while posting stories on Insta and pinning on Pinterest. I do nothing but stare at my boys in my favorite pj’s. Bliss.
Church, with or without them
I’ve always gone to church since I was little and throughout college, grad school, and beyond. It centers me. I have to be quiet. I’m unable to check my phone or be reactive. The happy rituals I had as a kid and going through the familiar songs and prayers feeds my soul. Many times, I’m able to see how directly the readings and homily speak to what I’m going through at the moment. Sometimes, it’s not want I want to hear but what I need to hear.
The big question is always do the boys come or not. Half the time they do, the other half I get the luxury of a little me time in there. I love when they go because I believe building their faith is important. However, many times when they go with me, I’m shushing them or chasing an impromptu heist down the aisle. Or even better, outside the actual room and in the greeting area with the rest of the shushing parents. I’m grateful to go with and without them. If you haven’t prayed in a while I recommend that you try! When I’m going through things that I don’t understand, it always brings clarity, if not answers. My favorite inspirations here:
Books, more coffee, & a little shopping
After mass, with our without the fam, I love to head to get more coffee and a light meal. If my sister and her family are with us, we’ll all go. I work with my sister and it’s always tough to just have sister time and not “work time” with her, so on Sunday we try to ignore the fact that we probably have something urgent to discuss and will email each other about it later. After our coffee shop “brunch”, I like to shop a bit or head to a bookstore with the kids. The whole point is to waste a little time!
If I shop, I try to shop for the joy of shopping vs because it’s my job. I will try not to have an agenda but just get back to the joy of browsing with no expectations. When you blog about fashion, you frequently start to feel that every store trip has to produce something. While fun at first, it can really wear on you. So, I get back to basics and shop for the boys or for my home. Sometimes I find the best pieces for my closet when I’m in this casual mood. Win/Win.
If I’ve had a heavy shop week for work or I’ve gotten a lot of clothing collaborations, I will take a break on the recreational shopping. Instead, I will head to the bookstore with the kids. We can spend hours there. They love reading and some bookstores have amazing kids sections that allow parents to take a breather. I round up my favorites; self-help, magazines, Kennedy biographies, and get to browsing. If left there, I could spend all day browsing without any notion of time. Those are the most relaxing moments. Luckily, the kids soon get hungry or bored and it’s time to go!
Run around the lake
If we don’t shop, we might go for a run as a family around the lake nearby! As the boys are getting heavier in the running strollers this is getting to be a better workout! I love these runs because we are in it together and being outside by water is magic. I like to think that seeing us workout will inspire them to stay active as they grow older. They see that exercise is a priority for my husband and I. I think it keeps us “sane” so it is often times a part of our favorite Sunday rituals.
Work
The other day I read that Karlie Kloss, a new Judaism convert, relishes Shabbat holy day. Shabbat occurs from sunset on Fridays through nightfall on Saturdays, if I got that right. I had a moment where I thought, gosh, I wish I had that too. A day I couldn’t drive and look at my phone or work. Then it hit me! I do have that. It’s called Sunday, the Sabbath, in my religion, I just choose to ignore it. I need work in this department!
I was heading to quickly judge myself and beat myself down about not giving myself an honest to goodness Sabbath day. Luckily, I caught myself and thought, Karlie Kloss is not a working mom with 2 businesses. She’s a supermodel, millionaire mogul, with complete control of her schedule. KK probably has an army of staff that can work for her if she needs something done on her holy day. I don’t. It’s me. I’m the mom, I’m the founder, I get a lot of help but it’s still me at the end of the day pushing things forward.
My long winded point is that I usually work an hour or so on Sundays, because I have to and that’s ok! I also sometimes don’t work Monday mornings and spend it with the kids in summer, it’s about finding your balance. And not judging yourself especially against a celeb. Don’t even get me started on that “You have the same hours in a day as Beyonce”. News flash: no, I don’t actually.
Flowers for favorite sunday rituals
So after I check in to work or put out a fire (yes they happen on Sundays in my world), it’s time to reclaim the rest day. Nick is a great cook, chef, in my eyes, and we usually head the grocery store to gather stuff for the week or dinner. I love picking flowers while at the farmer’s market or store. And they make me feel special and are part of my favorite Sunday rituals.
Organizing & writing stuff down
I also use this day to organize and thing about the week ahead with the kids. These are some of my favorite pieces to help me organize my clothes and the kid’s clothes/toys. I also love jotting thoughts down on this notebook by the Graphic Image!
Early dinner with family & friends
We love to entertain and one of my favorite things to do is have friends and family over for dinner! Check out a recipe we make all the time here. I think this is my favorite Sunday ritual. Getting time to catch up and share a meal with friends is the ultimate chicken soup for the soul! I prefer eating outside if we can and make it super casual. These are some of the items that help our outdoor dining experience.
Reach out to people
If we don’t have people over, I love to take a few minutes and reach out to friends that I haven’t connected with. I will message them on social media or text them to set up a time to chat! Sometimes, it’s just doing it when you have a quick second to let them know you’re thinking of them. 🙂
Well, there you have it. Reading back, all these things are so basic. That’s what makes them special I think. It doesn’t have to be grand to fill your soul and have you ready to tackle the week! Let me know what your favorite Sunday rituals are in the comments. XO, Z
