I can’t complain (much) about the past 2 Sundays.

Two weeks ago, we were coming home from a couples’ weekend where I enjoyed a luxurious spa day with my sister-in-law, a delicious dinner with my husband, and a stylish dressup for the Kentucky Derby that I didn’t end up watching. Last Sunday was Mother’s Day…and although I DID complain (heavily) that morning before locking the entire family out of the bathroom for my 30-minute shower, I ended the day with a slight wine buzz and a major dance party with my kids. In my world, that’s a definite celebration!

But for two weeks in a row, this crazy schedule caused us to miss out on our typical Sunday routine. Skipping it truly showed us how SUNDAY is the glue that holds this family together…lo and behold, it’s NOT me!

Let’s break down the glue formula, shall we?

1. Sleep in. And by this, I mean until a glorious 7:30 AM. If the kids want to get up earlier, we (I) allow them some television time so we (I) can catch up on rest. 
2. Divide and conquer. We aim to be downstairs by 8:00 AM. Mike will make the kids breakfast while I go over our calendars for the week. Free download of the daily template I use is available here, as I’m still a paper-and-pencil gal when it comes to scheduling!
3. Meet and meal plan. This is our favorite step, the part Mike and I most look forward to. It’s like date night for the middle-aged (for him, I’m younger). While the kids are eating breakfast, Mike pours an espresso and I whip up a mango raspberry hibiscus Happy Juice. Over our favorite morning beverages, we review the calendar I just organized. We make a meal plan for the week while simultaneously creating a grocery list. Yep, I have that template here too!
4. Ready, set, go! Over the next hour or so, we get ourselves ready for the day. During this time, we may sneak in our respective workouts while the kids do a non-electronic device activity (e.g., grade-appropriate workbooks for John, something artsy for Ella). Check out the My Very Many Hats shop for links to our favorite activities!
5. Go to church. Our favorite mass to go to as a family is 10:00 AM at St. Helen’s Church in Westfield. I live under a rock and am not up-to-date on the modern-day “slang” (air quotes) that today’s youth is using these days. But attending church here FINALLY made me understand what “it’s a vibe” means…St. Helen’s IS a vibe! Gorgeous decor. A vibrant band and choir. Screens for the visual learners, hard of hearing, and emerging readers. And a celebrant who never fails in delivering a beautiful, relatable, and spirited sermon. Although we haven’t formally met outside the post-Mass handshake, Father Tom is hands-down one of my favorite people in the world. My seven-year-old actually pays attention and leaves with insightful questions, oftentimes which we cannot answer (“If God was here first, who created HIM?”). And even though Ella isn’t quite there yet in terms of participating, I fear not; we’re stocked with church-friendly activity books for her. You can grab them for your little ones at the shop, too! Can’t attend in person? St. Helen’s hosts a livestream of this mass every week from their Facebook page. Listening to the recording from home when your kids have strep throat is also an option. 
6. Food shop. Grocery list from Step 3 in hand, we head to Acme immediately after the Father Tom handshake. Mike and I typically divide and conquer again, taking our own cart and one kid each. John can pick out a fun snack that we’ll reserve for good behavior during the school week, and no one is better at scoping out the produce than Ella. She seriously puts Peter Piper to shame in the pepper section (see? This is the type of slang I’m comfortable using). 

Although Sunday morning may be far from “easy,” these steps are absolutely vital in giving us a head start on our inevitably busy week ahead. It’s more like “Necessary like Sunday morning,” but who can have a dance party to that?