The Tiki Bar Is Open

My husband found this sign at Garden Ridge a long time ago. He hung it out on the back porch, never moving it even for inclement weather, and our daughter found it exciting to move the little flip sign (shaped like a bare foot) from "Closed" to "Open." Since it was never taken inside, it became faded and a bit mildewed.  So I sanded it down and repainted it with bright colors.  Now it hangs in our sunroom and has become somewhat of a symbol for the relaxation of the weekend.

Friday nights the kids are forced to eat a dinner of pizza or macaroni and cheese and to eat it watching a movie.  Surprisingly, this is an event for them; possibly because they rarely get to watch much TV. My husband and I hang out either on the deck or in the sunroom, depending on the weather, and have a drink (in between refereeing movie night).  It's a nice, relaxing start to the weekend.

So why should anyone care what we do on a Friday night?  You don't have to, and I don't expect you to do so.  But since I like to give ideas to overworked, stressed, and tired women, I wanted to give some ideas for bringing peace to nutsy lives.

First: Tradition! Tradition!  TRADITION!  (Close your eyes and picture "Fiddler on the Roof.") My husband and I like to have traditions that make our home a place where our kids want to be, not just where they have to be, seeing as they are too young to be anywhere else for the most part. So we have our Friday nights to relax.  We rarely plan to go anywhere, unless on a vacation or the occasional date night (in which case, the kids go to the grandparents, and my husband and I stay home and relax).   Besides, where we live, traffic is horrendous on Friday nights.  Saturday nights we grill hamburgers and make fries and baked beans.  This has become such a normal part of our lives that our daughter tends to freak a bit when it doesn't happen.  Not that things don't change from time to time, but we like to have traditions to provide a peace and stability to our lives.

Second: We don't like to overcrowd our lives.  I can hear some of you saying, "But your kids are still young; there's not so much to do."  Yes and no.  'Yes' because we know that as they get older, they will have more schoolwork and other extracurricular activities.  And, 'No,' because we don't intend to have them in every activity known to man.  When I was young, my parents allowed us one out-of-school activity (I took clarinet lessons) and limited the school activities (we weren't staying after school every day of the year or going to games or competitions on a regular basis). We did not do any activities that interfered with church on Sunday and Wednesday nights.  I enjoy swimming and took lessons when I was young, but since the meets were Sunday mornings, I did not continue.  Do I miss it?  Not at all.  Our priorities were church, family, and academics.  I understand that many colleges today want tons of extracurricular activities, but I believe that God will place my children where they are supposed to be and no college can keep them out if He wants them in there.  Meanwhile, I believe my husband and I are to make our priorities God-fearing ones where family and church come first.

I don't presume to tell anyone what to do; no one's life is the same as mine.  As Frodo said in The Lord of the Rings, "Go not to the Elves for counsel, for they will say both 'yes' and 'no'."  And in reply, Gildor says that advice is a dangerous gift even from the wise to the wise.  I simply want to encourage you to take time to relax, to be with family, to enjoy your years here on earth and the years God has given you with little lives to add spice and joy.  I want to encourage you with the thought that you don't have to rush it away convinced that you have to do this and that to keep up with others or some social standard. Let the tiki bar (or coffee house or game night or whatever flies your starship) be open once in a while and enjoy it.