You or your hubs or both get home from work around 5 or 6. Dinner needs to be put on the table. Toddlers need to be coaxed into tasting everything even if they don’t think they’ll like it. Dishes need to be cleaned up. Then, all of a sudden, it is 8pm and the bedtime routine begins.
I’m sorry, but where in there am I supposed to cultivate a happy family that is well-bonded and centered in Christ? WHERE??
I was reading along, minding my own business, and then I noticed…SHE’S TALKING ABOUT MY BOOK.
You know, the book I wrote because I’m such an expert on having a tightly knit perfect Catholic family?
HA! FOOLED YOU!
I am no such expert. But I did write a book. Not about having a tightly knit perfect Catholic family, but about having fun with your Catholic family, and having fun as a Catholic family. And sometimes getting out the glue gun and not shooting anyone.
Maybe you face people demanding that you play with them, like Jenna does:
It’s all too easy to get burned out with family fun. (It’s NOT just me, right?)
It’s all too easy to grow weary of trying to be a perfect Catholic family. (If it IS just me, keep quiet.)
It’s all too tempting to do what you have to do and tread water. Life is so BUSY. Etc, etc.
One of Jenna’s readers will win a copy of Catholic Family Fun. It’s my hope and prayer that they’ll use it. That it will become dogeared and highlighted and written in. That it will make the kids roll their eyes every time they think about it and that the smiles Dad has every time the phrase “family night” is mentioned warms Mom’s ever-laundry-folding heart.
So let’s all dust off our Catholic Family Funnergizer selves and tackle this February. It may get us a step away from stir crazy and maybe even a step closer to heaven.
And did I tell you to go and put your name in the hat for a copy of Catholic Family Fun? Do that too. 🙂
🙂
Sarah, I had to laugh when reading this, because I literally have about 12 pages dog-eared in your book, and I’m only about 1/3 to 1/2 done with it! Also, I totally get it about the bedtime routine. We actually start REALLY early – so we’ve modified our schedules to fit the kids’ in order that things go at least somewhat smoothly in the evening. We eat at 5 PM with the blue-haired group of folks, then immediately following dinner, it’s bath time, clean up (our preschooler takes her dishes to the sink and her dirty clothes to the hamper), and then – if good behavior – a movie like Veggie Tales or something kid-friendly that’s 1 hour or less, followed by a book, prayers, and tucking in. If my husband and I are BOTH home and we each take one kiddo, the girls are both in bed by 7 PM. If not, it takes a little longer, but we know we will at least have some quiet time to ourselves between 8-10 PM – at which point, we talk, pray, read, watch a movie, etc. 🙂 Just a nugget of our life to share with you!
I love that slice of life, Jeannie! Thanks for sharing it! 🙂
I’m finally catching up on my feed reader since – you know – I’ve got it all together? (Yes, that is a question…) ANYway! I just wanted to thank you for driving more peeps over to my area. You’re a gem 😉
I hereby reserve the right to quote you on that comment, frame it, or use it as proof of the fact that MY KIDS SHOULD BELIEVE ME.
Just sayin. 🙂
I may just have to read this book.
Yes, yes, you should, Em. 🙂