A month or so before the world stopped went into lockdown, we started what has become a weekly family transition. Friday Family Fun Night began in February of 2020 as way to continue the excitement from all the birthdays we had recently celebrated in November, December, January, and early February. My daughters love an excuse for fun, and I decided we didn’t need a special occasion to celebrate the little moments of life.
Each week my daughters wake up extra excited that it’s Friday.
Their joy for the fun that is planned for Friday Family Fun Night is very contagious (not in a gross ‘Rona kinda way). Rejoicing in the opportunity to order pizza from our favorite local pizza place, pick up dinner from our favorite food truck, or beverages from the neighborhood brewery (hugs juices for the kids and beer for the parents) is contagious. As adults, we get so caught up in the responsibilities of life that we forget to celebrate the little things too.
Kids are great at slowing us down…
If we let them slow us down. We don’t have to rush from one thing to the next, we choose to overpack our schedules. We can leave space in our life to slow down and celebrate the little moments if we CHOOSE to do it. We can go for a family walk each day, if we leave room in our schedules. We can choose to make a regular Friday night into something special.
Friday Family Fun Night doesn’t have to be magical…
Unless you choose to make it magical. I decided to make Friday something special, and I don’t regret it for a moment. The first Friday of lockdown, we had a family sleepover in the living room. This was to make up for a lost sleepover with grandparents and a canceled Sturgill Simpson concert. The second Friday of lockdown was a sister sleepover, which included silly faces, hugs, chatter, and lots of giggles. Since then, the fun has been as simple as dinner on the screened in porch, dinner and movie in the living room, a new movie, or game night. None of these things are all that magical, but when they come labeled as part of the Friday Family Fun Night package they have a magic all their own.
Make it your own…
Joy can be found in the little things, and I hope you and your family can find ways to find and create moments of joy in the little things. What started as a silly mom statement to make a Friday evening special, has become a family tradition. Every week, my girls look forward to the fun we will have as a family and I hope you can find ways to celebrate the little moments of life.
