A few weeks back I decided we needed a tradition,
something to look forward to for the weekend.
When I was married, I always knew my husband and I would be together -- even if it was just getting Costa Vida salads and watching a movie or talking. Knowing he would be around on the weekend broke up the week and made a definitive split between week and weekend. I always looked forward to it. I've noticed that it seems less concrete for me since we separated and divorced. One day can kind of run into each other that way. I guess Saturday and Sunday still feel like the weekend, but...it's still different.
So, I felt that we needed an end-of-the-week ritual -- on nights when we were all together, anyway.
I'm not a huge fan (and that's an understatement) of lots of screen time for the kids (or for me, for that matter).
I wanted to do something that wasn't watching a movie.
And then it came to me, inspired by elementary school and those rare days where we got to read all day at school.
And it totally worked.
They love it, and are seriously anxious for Friday.
We alternate either making tacos or homemade pizza that night.
(This was yum: homemade artisan dough crust, rubbed with butter and garlic, sauce, layered thick with pepperoni and sharp cheddar and pepperjack cheese)
I buy them a Friday treat, which heralds back to my childhood (something I hadn't thought about until I started doing this).
We eat and clean up.
They grab their blankets and pillows, get their candy, and we gather for a "read-a-thon."
We always read at night, but Friday night now means extended reading, all hanging together, and treats.
(Ummm....hello! No brainer!!)
Last Friday night we built a fire, and read for almost two hours to finish the book we were on.
When we closed the book, Isaiah asked me to reread something at the very end that he found funny.
Benji piped up and said, "This is a great tradition."
Yeah...I think so, too.
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