Jacob and I would really like to be able to go to church for both the morning and evening services on Sundays, but it is always so difficult with the boys and their meal and nap needs. Are we the only ones who struggle with this?
Elijah takes three naps a day, but with going to church twice he only gets one good one and a couple way too short disrupted catnaps. He has been sleeping well in nursery, but as he ages, this is dwindling. Josiah only takes one nap a day, but it usually starts around noon or shortly after and lasts 3-4 hours. With church followed by lunch, he doesn’t get in bed till nearly 2pm and as soon as he wakes up it is time to leave again. Of course it doesn’t help that it takes a half hour to get there. Then we get home after bedtime and still have to eat…something. And just forget it if I have to work the next day and make all of those preparations.
Anyway, by the end of the day everyone is overtired and grumpy and by the time Jacob and I fall into bed we feel like it has been a rough day – every time, no matter how hard we try. It seems like “so much for a peaceful, restful, worshipful day"!
The obvious solution is to skip the evening service, which we usually do, but we’d really like to get back into the swing of going. We’ve thought about just watching on the internet, but I know we won’t with kids to take care of and you miss out on the fellowship and the kids getting the experience of physically going to church. Do any of you have ideas/solutions? How do you manage? Or do you bother? I’d love input. Maybe I just need to be more organized??? (Story of my life, yet I do try!)
5 comments:
Great post, Abby! Yes, we struggle with that as well, although I think we got out of the habit while I was pregnant bc we were working on construction projects. Actually, we haven't been IN the habit of going for a long long time, unfortunately and now when I think about another hour in the nursery for Henry it's not very appealing (only bc he doesn't sleep very well there). So we haven't gotten much farther than wanting to go, with no real effort or sacrifice to make it happen so far. Maybe this will help motivate me! On the flip side, for your family of 4, it may not be the right season for you to force it.. after all, it is supposed to be a day of rest.
Oh Abby!! Speak my heart!!! I come home just about every Sunday just from our morning worship time and say either to myself or sometimes out loud~is it really worth it??? I could write a novel about the challenges/struggles of Sunday. I agree w/ Annie, in that right now is not our season. Just making it through Sunday morning is a big enough challenge. I haven't even thought about trying Wed night (we don't have a Sun. evening service~which we really miss but wouldn't go if we did). Try dropping your child off and there being a note on the door that there isn't any teachers for the 2nd hour (in a church bigger than Westside!!!). I mean, I've moved heaven and earth to get us all here and pack a snack for the car ride home to keep everyone happy (that would mean I packed 4 sippy cups, three snacks, two separate bags and got myself ready only after cooking and cleaning up brekafast!) and I might have to come back and get my child b/c no teacher. I volunteer as much as I can but...as a SAHM I NEED sunday school!!! Anyway, I could rant more. I say, do what you can. Evening service will still be there when they are older and the habit really means something to them. They'll get it.
We haven't even made it to the morning service or SS lately...so obviously it is a struggle for us! This past Sunday I got up and got Karis ready, but couldn't get Kevin out of bed in time!So I decided we would head to the evening service, but Karis was napping right until 5:50, so no way we would have made it there until it was over lol. Hopefully soon it will get easier.
It gets much, much easier. :-) Hang in there.
Abby-love love your heart! We don't have Sun night here but we do Awana's on Wed. night and it's hard but when I hear Connor recite verses, it's all worth it! Hang in there- it will get a bit easier as they get bigger (never easy but easier at least). Also, for a while, we did a little mini-worship at home and did a bible story, I played a bible CD and we danced and worshipped at home on the nights we couldn't go. Just a thought! Love you sister in Christ!!
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