Thursday, October 25, 2012

Days of Beauty: Slow Day - how?


So, how exactly do we do slow day? Of course, this will look different in every family - I can only speak from our family and inside these walls what slow day is like here.

An important reminder at this moment is that we do have set home hours. I unplug our phone every morning and have a note on the door that we don't answer before 2pm.

I usually try to fix a hot breakfast on slow day - that is a slowing for sure! It doesn't have to be long and complicated though: muffins or leftover sausage casserole. Making a pot of hot tea is simple enough and still appreciated and slowing.

Our morning routine is really very unchanged - we start by reading the Bible during breakfast, brushing teeth, making beds and getting ready for the day. We start school and all is as usual. Sometimes we may go for a walk before or after school. We may go pick up the fallen magnolia cones that are all over the driveway for ten minutes.

As with breakfast, I try to fix something out of the ordinary and warm and slowing for lunch. And, just as with breakfast - it does not have to take a lot of time. Leftover chicken noodle soup from the night before with freshly toasted grilled cheese, leftover quiche from a prayer shower with a little salad - really whatever feels right and like it would work.

Frequently we have a picnic or eat on the screened in porch or go for a walk. We read and linger. Do a puzzle or play a game, or bake something together.



Slow Day is like any new habit or routine - it takes practice and trying things to find out what works. A simple bit of planning has made this exponentially more successful for us. Planning ahead is the key to success for so many areas in my life - when I am working ahead it is building in slow for a future day.

Be watching Monday for a post on planning - just me sharing what works for me. Planning is such a blessing because if you think about how you are removing the last minute stress and worry of being in a hurry. I won't be standing in the kitchen at 12:32 with hungry children running around me asking what is for lunch - I will be ready and prepared.

Even though a day to slow and pull in is what I'm describing, I still plan for this day. I don't make a lot of preparations in advance but just have a general plan and guide. Of course, there is a place for spontaneous and we still have room for that if it comes up. I'd rather be spontaneous and toss out something else I'd planned than have to scramble around and figure something out in a moment of hurry.


Slow Day has been a huge blessing in our home - it is my favorite day of the week. I'm still learning and still wanting to implement more slow but this has blessed us where we are at in the learning and growing.

Would love to hear your thoughts on slowing!

Photos: Except for Slow Day yesterday, all photos this week have been from our visit to the Botanical Gardens and a beautiful nature trail we found there!

3 comments:

angie said...

I am anxious to read the upcoming post on planning. I think this will be applicable to slow days and those that aren't so slow. Since my children attend school away from home each day, I have been tossing around ideas fro implementing a slow evening...
As you said, this vital concept will look different for each family and each season of living.

Aside: Did you know that there is a Christmas episode of "Love Comes Softly" series coming to DVD next week?

Lauren (in Savannah) said...

Our van broke down a few months back and we can't afford to fix it right now so we have had a lot of slow days. As much of an inconvience as it is not having a car..... it is a blessing in a way. It forces us to stay home. Before I was always needing to run out the get this or that. Now we do our errands on Fridays when we have homeschool co-op and my oldest doesn't need the other car(she drives it to college and work). Sometimes I will take her to work and use the other car and on those days I notice I am out almost all day running here or there. I think sometimes we can make do with what we have at home and not have to run out and get something we think we have to have.

Jen N said...

I completely agree with the idea that I would rather have a simple plan(for meals, activity, etc) and set it aside for spontaneous than face the pressure of "what now".
Thank you for these posts!