Years ago, when Jacques was building his business (he still is but you know what I mean), I can remember him working weeks and weeks at a time, never taking a day off. I can remember 30 days going by and he hadn't taken a day off. We seemed to justify those times and those days because I was at home with the kids, they were all little and not in school yet. But that changed a few years later. It wasn't but a few weeks into September, the first year we had kids in school (Wylie in Kindergarten and Kasey in PreK) when we decided that we wanted something to change. I didn't want the kids to lose touch with each other. Sounds silly considering the kids are 5,4 and 2 at the time. I can remember me saying to Jacques on multiple occasions something along the lines of, "if we don't teach them now how important they are to each other and how lucky they are to have each other, they will never appreciate it." I want them to be friends, someone they will choose later in life to go to because they are friends. So it was decided, Sundays were going to be family days. Jacques didn't work (unless he really really had to) and we didn't play with friends or schedule play dates. Sundays, family day and pajama day can be used interchangeably. It all means the same thing in our house!
This was 4 years ago and it is still the kids' (and ours too) favorite day of the week. Some Sundays we make a big breakfast together, some days we hop in the car, get donuts and go for a drive never getting out, make random appetizers for lunch, some days we do all of those things and some days we just stay home. It really doesn't matter what we do because we do it together.
Yesterday, was such a perfect reminder at how important family days are and how, in my opinion, that it is the best tradition we have started. The kids woke up and played from 7am to 7pm non stop, literally. I know I can exaggerate but not this time, I swear! Sure there were a couple little bumps in the path, but nothing that a simple, "Did you tell them how that made you feel?" comments didn't solve. They made games up, used their imaginations and spent the entire day together. The doorbell even rang a couple times through out the day, once a friend of Wylie's and a once friends for the girls. Both times, the kids answered the door and said with out hesitation is the happiest of voices, "we can't play today, it's a family day!" This made my day, something so simple yet so powerful, it brought tears to my eyes.
After 12 hours of playing together, I had to finally, after delaying bed time three times because they weren't ready to stop their game they were playing, got them in bed. I went to Tori's room to tuck her in and she was in tears. I asked her, "what's the matter, why the sad face?" She replied in the saddest most sweet voice your ears could ever hear, "I love Sundays and now I have to wait, how many days, mom? for another one. I love playing with Wylie and Kasey."
Tradition successful. YES!
~It's My Life
