This week, I’m joining Jeff Goins for his Slow Down Challenge. If you want to participate, sign up for the free Slow Down Challenge email list. Also, you might consider grabbing a copy of his book, The In-Between. Jeff is such an inspiration to me as a writer and I highly recommend reading all of his books, if you have a chance!
This afternoon, there were quite a few whiny attitudes at our home. Remembering that today’s challenge was to stop and savor life, I decided to do something fun and out of the ordinary.
I called the kids to the kitchen and told them we were going to take a little break from homeschooling to have some hot chocolate and read aloud together. Hot chocolate is always a special treat and, even though it was a hot day, they were thrilled.
We made the hot chocolate together and then they all watched/listened to a little of The Creation by Haydn on my phone while sipping their hot chocolate (this was one of the projects we were supposed to do as part of our My Father’s World Creation to the Greeks curriculum this week.)
I then sat down and read aloud to them for about 20 minutes. It was the perfect afternoon antidote.
After this impromptu break, everyone went back to the rest of their school projects for the day feeling refreshed and in much better spirits. It’s amazing what taking a little time to savor life can do!
How did you stop and savor life today? Tell us in the comments or blog about it and leave your link below.
Monica says
Snuggled into my bed at 9 pm and read for one hour a book titled
‘Inside your teenager brain’.
Amber says
I love reading these posts! I am kind of torn though. Honestly, I try really hard to savor the time I spend with my daughter and my husband. People always say “the housework can wait but babies are only young once” etc, etc. I wonder if I’ve taken that too far to the other extreme? I feel like I’m always behind on my chores. I feel like I’m the only person I know that really does stop what I’m doing to go have a tickle fight with my daughter, instead of finishing the tasks at hand. And sometimes people (including my husband) get a little judge-y when I haven’t accomplished as much in my day as they would have. I have been blessed with one child and cant have any more. This is my one shot and I don’t want to miss any of it.I never really had a relationship with my mother, so building a close one with my daughter is very important to me. Sorry to go on and on, but this is an inner struggle I’ve been having for quite a while and I’d appreciate all of your take on things.
Pat P. says
I LOVED Caddie Woodlawn!! I must have read that book a million imes when I was young! It was the BEST strong girl adventure story EVER!! And to boot it was based on a real person, you learned a lot about our country’s history. 🙂
Carol@simple_catholic says
My niece spent the day with us yesterday unexpectedly. I had a lot to do but I put it all aside and just took the time to be with her and my son. We laughed and played and I took them to the pool. At one point, I realized how sacred each moment is and all the “stuff” I wanted to get done was nothing compared to joy of spending that special time with my niece and son making memories. 🙂
Amanda @ The Fun Mommy says
Hey, you collect Starbucks mugs like I do. 🙂
Crystal says
My husband LOVES Starbucks mugs. 🙂
Pam@behealthybehappywellness says
A warm drink is always a nice treat and break in the day. This week, I’ve been enjoying an afternoon green tea break – and I challenged my blog readers to do the same: http://behealthybehappywellness.com/2013/08/tuesday-challenge-enjoy-some-green-tea/
Crystal says
What a great idea!
Elizabeth says
Truthfully I spent a good part of the afternoon & evening in the grip of an unexplainable anxiety attack (needless to say painful) so my ease down time was playing spider solitaire sounds weird but the idea of any unknown combination of cards in a stack almost always has a solution if you are willing to back up and keep trying actually is helpful to me. It’s also nice when you can just finally let things go around you though I admit soon as I get home from work today I will have to catch back up LOL problem with stopping for a few min … always fall behind and have to work twice as hard.
Crystal says
I’m so sorry you were having an anxiety attack. 🙁
Gretchen @ Desert Survivor says
We took a time out last night by taking a slow walk with the kids with no destination in mind. They got to lead the way, and we climbed “volcanoes”, jumped over “canyons”, and forded “raging rivers.” Fun!
Crystal says
How creative!
Marie says
I could of done chores and freezer cooking but I knew it was going to be a nice day so I savored it by taking the 3 kids to a splash pad we haven’t been to in several years. The excuse has been, “it’s to far or it’s a lot of work etc.” It was work but the kids were thrilled and I got to enjoy them instead of just rushing through the day with my list of to-do’s.
Crystal says
I’m sure the memories made were well worth the to-do list that didn’t get done. Good job, Marie!
Tasha says
I am doing MFW Creation to Greeks with my 7th grade daughter this year.
My 9th grade daughter is going through MFW AHL.
Royale says
We have done MFW since Adventures-2nd grade, and my daughter is entering 9th grade and doing AHL. I love to see other people doing MFW, it is such a beautiful program. Creation to the Greeks was my favorite year. Have fun with it and keep taking advantage of those special moments.
Crystal says
We’ve done MFW for four years and it seems like each year just gets better and better!
Dee Wolters says
Wonderful!! Sometimes less is so much more. Love the books you are reading. A few years ago these were on our reading lists too. I have 3 daughters in college and my baby boy is 16. Daughter #2 really enjoyed when we read missionary stories. Now as a college senior she plans to attend seminary next year in preparation for becoming a career missionary in a developing country, probably south east asia. We just never know how God will call our children and where that will take them. I was just trying to do a “good job” with home school and never knew until 2 years ago that those early missionary stories were so important to her.
Crystal says
My mom read many missionary stories to us growing up and they had a profound impact on me… it’s something I hope to share/pass onto my children, too.
I’m so blessed to hear of your daughter’s heart for missions!
Rhonda says
I am a big Aldis shopper and I have noticed a larger increase. I now have teenage boys and they are eating a lot. I am getting ready to make pancakes with cooked apples before they begin their busy homeschool day.
Lana says
My husband needed a tool from Harbor Freight on one side of town and I needed to go to Aldi on the other side of town. I was really a little grumbly about having to run his errand because I don’t like going to those man places where I cannot find what I need. I picked up the tool which was not really all that bad but the to get to the other side of town I had to drive through downtown. I have not been through there in quite awhile. I took the time to look and enjoy. I did not know that we have an art co-op now and that some run down places are now new businesses. I drove by the beautiful old women’s college where our 30 year old daughter went to school. I saw a big old house that is beautifully landscaped and had masses of flowers in the yard. What a great treat in the middle of my day! I have been missing these little things in my haste to get things done. Thanks for the reminder!
Crystal says
Oh, I love this — how inspiring!
Victoria says
Last night. I was sitting in my folding camp chair by the sides of a soccer field waiting for the first game of the season to start when it hit me…this was the last first game of the season I would ever watch. After 13 yrs as a soccer mom, my son’s are now going to be both too old for the community soccer league at the end of this year (and my daughter decided soccer wasn’t her thing). I took time to snap a picture and the put down everything and just watched the game. After the game, which was a scorcher, I suggested to my son that we jump in the pool, while in it we had a massive water fight. When it was over I couldn’t help but feel so blessed, I have three wonderful children.
Crystal says
I love this — what fun!
Jamie Rohrbaugh says
I treated myself to an early bedtime – as in, 7:00 PM early or so. It wasn’t exactly a break in the middle of the day, but it sure felt nice and restful! 🙂
Crystal says
Good for you!
Shelly says
Sometimes a break is what we need, no matter what are age, to refocus our efforts and refresh us. My kids love to gather around the tablet to watch science videos we found on You Tube. It’s a good break from book work, but they are still learning. 🙂
Crystal says
Is there a particular YouTube channel your kids love? I think my kids would love to watch science videos — and I’ve never even thought to check YouTube for them!
Shelly says
The channel that my kids like is called STEMbite.
Here’s the link, http://www.youtube.com/user/STEMbite?feature=g-high-crv
There are some science videos and a few math videos too.
Crystal says
Thanks so much!