AT On...Weekend Rituals

After a long and hectic week it's so comforting to be able to slip quietly into the weekend. With projects and commitments and responsibilities during the week (kids! rent! friends!) the weekend is here to help us to recharge our batteries so we don't just burn out. Rituals often help make the transition from busy workweek to relaxing weekend along with tools like saying no and cultivating silence in our daily routines. Do you have a weekend ritual that triggers you to relax and go into weekend time?

Maybe that means leisurely reading the paper with a cup of coffee, or maybe an early morning hike to clear your mind. For me it can be sleeping in and then reading a book in bed (for a couple of hours for the ultimate luxury which doesn't happen so much with the bf's kids in tow) or the luxury of staying in pj's until noon while checking on Abby's LA Times Home and Garden Roundup. The point is that when I relax, I find new reserves of energy for new projects, new friends and feel overall more centered for the week and month ahead.

For some inspiration check out how seriously Gregory takes relaxing!

Image from Jemma Castle.

Comments (9)

breakfast in bed served on a proper silver tray. that's where it's at.

posted by red.door.read. on February 6th 2009 at 8:24pm
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Sunday. Sleep in. NY Times and Boston Globe. Irish breakfast tea and oatmeal with dried cherries and walnuts in my jammies and fuzzy robe. I want that tea cozy...

posted by mrsegg on February 6th 2009 at 10:15pm
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Since having 2 small sons, this ritual has changed somewhat! No more sleep-ins and reading an entire paper in peace. But what does it for me is Friday night 'eat what you want' night, where we choose to eat whatever we want, no nagging from mum! A nice glass of white wine is also on the cards and the knowledge that the job of looking after the kids is shared completely all weekend!

posted by jayne_charcoalwhite on February 7th 2009 at 4:47am
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Sleeping in. Curling up with my SO and the cats. Eary Grey with limejuice and sugar and proper breakfast untill 3...
Pyjama all day long, some reading, some sewing, phone calls to friends and a nice homecooked dinner that can take time.
I love it!

posted by nicolezh on February 7th 2009 at 7:17am
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We try to keep it down to one major errand on the weekend and that is groceries. We try to watch a movie per weekend at least and just enjoy one another's company. We always go out to eat somewhere nice on Friday. So it's not all rest but we end up mostly happy.

posted by ChrisGal on February 7th 2009 at 8:13am
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cleaning my apartment! and then sitting down with a nice glass of wine...

posted by freedomisavoice on February 7th 2009 at 12:05pm
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The beloved and I are both busy professionals who love to work. We have a pact - whenever possible we take the whole of Sunday as " 'jamas day ". Yep, we stay in our pjs all day long, in a delicious hedonistic way, and do as little as possible.
Starting the Mimosas mid-morning ensures we can't work (at least not effectively, anything you do after a couple or three of these will make no sense whatsoever in the cold light of Monday morning). We chat, read, potter about on the 'net looking for obscure pieces of art to add to our collection, and generally luxuriate.
Simple, inexpensive heavenly re-charge, highly recommended!

posted by everydaydiva on February 7th 2009 at 12:25pm
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Sunday -- make breakfast (some configuration of eggs & bacon or ham) and then relax with a big cup of strong English tea (PG Tips, Typhoo, Yorkshire Gold) and the stack of Sunday papers.

Then a 15-minute nap. Very productive!

posted by lolax on February 7th 2009 at 5:28pm
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We've taken to being more observant of shabbat in our household, which has really made an impact on how we approach the weekend. We both work high stress jobs, and te chance to come home on Friday (well, for him, I work 4 days a week with long hours and work at home on friday) and then either stay in for our observance or head out to the synagogue has really made a difference in how we feel about the weekend. We've set boundaries for ourselves about what we will and won't do on Friday night/saturday, and it's made a world of improvement. Errands are scheduled on Sundays (Get up, get groceries, prepare food for the week, clean house, do laundry) and we're ready for a little wind down on sunday evening. But having the separate day of friday night/saturday to ourselves is a great recharge for us.

posted by blueroses1 on February 7th 2009 at 5:38pm
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