The Sabbath Day

[wuapinmon]

We pretty much don't spend money on Sunday unless we have to (confession: my wife and I left the kids with some friends and went to Louisiana Pizza Kitchen to watch the World Cup finale). I have no issues with TV on Sunday. We can go over to friends houses, invite them over. We like to invite folks over a lot. Since most people in our ward don't like my politics--I'm a bit of a pariah, it's usually people from work or neighbors.

We all take naps. I play MW2 against whichever CUFfers are online. I do like to experiment in the kitchen on Sundays, though this often involves borrowing stuff from neighbors when I realize that we're missing something. As payback, I usually give some of whatever we made.

Lately, we've been doing a lot of canning on Sundays. I also bake. Someday we'll watch movies together. I have a dream of sitting the kids down and watching all the grand trilogies with them.

I think the Sabbath is an individual decision.....but, I don't think wearing church clothes is required to go to church, let alone all damned day.

[Eddie]

And I spent all day Saturday working on the farm as a teenager. No time for a nap.

EXACTLY! Mom and Dad generally had enough work for the entire weekend to be done on Saturday. Sure, there might be some free time in the evening - particularly when it started getting dark. What made Sunday great was that there was no work. Play might be limited, but there was NO WORK.

Growing up, Sunday we usually stayed in our church clothes except for the tie. We rarely watched TV. We'd go to Grandma's house or play board games. No friends. No playing outside. We'd sometimes have big family reunions and while the cousins played football or softball, we'd watch.

I would put our family somewhere in the middle. No TV before church. No computer or video games. We'll read or watch a movie together. Sometimes bake. Sometimes take a walk. Sometimes play some games. The kids still get out the legos and have a lot of fun with those. We'll get together with extended family sometimes, or sometimes with family friends (where their whole family and our whole family get together). We generally follow the "don't make other's work" rule and won't shop or eat out. Every once in a while (< once per year) we might be returning from somewhere on Sunday and stop for fuel. But that is so rare I doubt my kids even remember the last time.

Sunday is definately a different day. And the kids know it is. But they don't dread it - at least as far as I know.

[ERCougar]

Sunday is definately a different day. And the kids know it is. But they don't dread it - at least as far as I know.

I think this is the key. I don't think your kids need to think Sunday's the coolest day of the week, it should just feel different. It's a little like tithing--it's a day you give back to God. So if someone draws that line at no jumping on the trampoline, even if it makes no sense to me, good for them--their kids will have a clear idea that Sunday is a special day. Same goes for parents who make their kids dress up, stay with the family, whatever.

So niku, if you had a crappy Sunday, that doesn't necessarily mean your "rules" are wrong. (Of course, I'm not saying they're right, either.) I don't remember any mandate about Sundays being fun. But the reason why we don't go boating on Sunday is that then it would feel just like Saturday. It should feel different. Not bad, just different.

[Eddie]

I have to add this here -

One Sunday as we were getting ready for church my then 5 year-old daughter asked if it was Fast Sunday. I thought that was an interesting question from her, but I told her "No. Today isn't Fast Sunday."

My assumption was that she figured she wouldn't get as good of a breakfast or lunch if the rest were fasting, or that something was different about Fast Sunday.

When I answered her, her head dropped in obvious disappointment and then she looked up and asked me if we could have a Fast Sunday today.

Through further discussion I discovered that she had been having fun playing in her room, wasn't looking forward to going to church instead, and was operating under the belief that "Fast Sunday" meant that the meetings would be "Fast" and we would return home more quickly so that she could return to playing.

[Uncle Ted]

Growing up, Sunday we usually stayed in our church clothes except for the tie. We rarely watched TV. We'd go to Grandma's house or play board games. No friends. No playing outside. We'd sometimes have big family reunions and while the cousins played football or softball, we'd watch.

I knew a family like that growing up. A few of their kids went apostate after they got away from home.

We didn't watch TV on Sunday, or much any other day for that matter, growing up. We could only pick up two or three channels and there was usually always a snow blizzard on. It wasn't worth watching TV in rural Idaho.

[byu71]

I knew a family like that growing up. A few of their kids went apostate after they got away from home.

We didn't watch TV on Sunday, or much any other day for that matter, growing up. We could only pick up two or three channels and there was usually always a snow blizzard on. It wasn't worth watching TV in rural Idaho.

There just aren't any guarantee's are there. A friend of mine and I were discussing one of our fellow golf group members. He has kids with 3 different women, gambles his fanny off and owes a couple of people money. He is though a very friendly person and actually pleasant to be around.

My friend knew him in High School and said his Dad was as strict as anyone in their ward. He said all 3 sons have nothing to do with the church.

On the other hand, I do know some pretty strict families where all the kids are straight arrows even now they are off on their own. Like the rest of you, we all probably know some pretty lax households where the kids are now pretty strict.

[marsupial]

We pretty much let them do as they wish.

We do Church, and then we come home and chill. We watch a ton of movies. We will go for a walk. We will kick the soccer ball around or play catch with the softball.

They can go to friends houses, and friends can come over to our place.

We really don't have many rules at the house.

This is our approach. Basically, we don't go shopping or to the movies or to the gym or even out for a run. But we might hit our neighborhood pool and we always have kids playing at our house. We don't keep them from their friends on Sunday.

I have worked in the yard (conference weekend) but normally we don't do yard work, since it is work. Also, I work from home and sometimes I will get stuff that comes in. I am always tempted to get it done and over with, especially with Danimal around to take care of the kids, but I always wait until Monday to do it.

[Donuthole]

My kids are a little older than yours, but we love to cook on Sundays. We often pick something challenging and hang out in the kitchen, chopping, mixing, and cooking the food. Yesterday, we made this:



(apologies to Donuthole for using his photo)

followed by a batch of cookies and watermelon pie. Everything was fabulous. Great way to spend time as a family.

That is actually a great idea, and one that I think I may push my wife to adopt with me. I love to cook, but I rarely find the time to do it (as I usually don't feel like cooking after a long day at the office). Sunday, however, provides the perfect opportunity to spend a good chunk of the day cooking together.

As for the photo, no apology necessary. In fact, I apologize if I gave any impression that I took that photo, as I did not. That was merely the google image photo which closest resembled my meal that day (and, now that you've eaten there, you know that it looks almost exactly like the Bún Thịt Nướng served a Pho Kim Long).

How did the Bún turn out, BTW? I've yet to undertake this at home (mainly because Mrs. Donut isn't really a fan). Did you use a recipe from online, or from your magic Vietnamese recipe book?

[Jeff Lebowski]

That is actually a great idea, and one that I think I may push my wife to adopt with me. I love to cook, but I rarely find the time to do it (as I usually don't feel like cooking after a long day at the office). Sunday, however, provides the perfect opportunity to spend a good chunk of the day cooking together.

We love it. We spend quite a bit of time discussing what dishes we want to try next and the kids look forward to it.

As for the photo, no apology necessary. In fact, I apologize if I gave any impression that I took that photo, as I did not. That was merely the google image photo which closest resembled my meal that day (and, now that you've eaten there, you know that it looks almost exactly like the Bún Thịt Nướng served a Pho Kim Long).

Pho Kim Long was great. I was looking around at the other tables in the restaurant and everything looked good. From a food standpoint, you are fortunate to live in Vegas.

How did the Bún turn out, BTW? I've yet to undertake this at home (mainly because Mrs. Donut isn't really a fan). Did you use a recipe from online, or from your magic Vietnamese recipe book?

We have been on a quest to get this recipe down for a few years now. We started out with a recipe from our book but then started ordering the dish at vietnamese restaurants (it is always on the menu) and seeing the different ways it was prepared. Then we researched recipes online and experimented with different ingredients, sauces, quantities, techniques for preparing the meat, etc. What we tried yesterday was a recipe that kind of evolved from that process. We were very happy with the results.

After dinner yesterday I carefully wrote down everything that we did. I will post it later if you are interested.

[Donuthole]

We love it. We spend quite a bit of time discussing what dishes we want to try next and the kids look forward to it.



Pho Kim Long was great. I was looking around at the other tables in the restaurant and everything looked good. From a food standpoint, you are fortunate to live in Vegas.



We have been on a quest to get this recipe down for a few years now. We started out with a recipe from our book but then started ordering the dish at vietnamese restaurants (it is always on the menu) and seeing the different ways it was prepared. Then we researched recipes online and experimented with different ingredients, sauces, quantities, techniques for preparing the meat, etc. What we tried yesterday was a recipe that kind of evolved from that process. We were very happy with the results.

After dinner yesterday I carefully wrote down everything that we did. I will post it later if you are interested.

I'm definitely interested.

[clackamascoug]

We approach The Sabbath with real intent, and purpose, without going crazy zealot about it. We don't eat breakfast before church, so when Fast Sunday roles around we have already met the requirement of skipping quantified meals for a financial offering. I stay after church to count, come home about 1 1/2 hours later, to a meal with or without the family waiting for me. If we do eat together, we gossip about church, and usually have good stories to tell. I don't mind if they eat before i get home, but they usually wait. After dinner, I change into my comfortable clothes and hang out in my office and watch sports in between about 3 naps. The afternoon is all about sleeping and solitude. About 6 we gravitate to the kitchen where some sort of fancy dessert is made, and we all chat it up. More often than not, we'll watch a movie together that coincides with moral values, nothing too extreme on Sunday's.

We do not shop.
We do not recreate.
We don't visit friends, or have friends over.
We do extended family get-togethers for meals and birthday parties.
Late in the evening I review what my plan is for the coming work week.
On vacation we roman holiday, and use Sunday's as a day of travel.

[fusnik]

This is our approach. Basically, we don't go shopping or to the movies or to the gym or even out for a run. But we might hit our neighborhood pool and we always have kids playing at our house. We don't keep them from their friends on Sunday.

I have worked in the yard (conference weekend) but normally we don't do yard work, since it is work. Also, I work from home and sometimes I will get stuff that comes in. I am always tempted to get it done and over with, especially with Danimal around to take care of the kids, but I always wait until Monday to do it.

So no run, but swimming at the pool is ok?

Costco on Sunday is divine. Tons of samples yet very few patrons.

[beefytee]

So no run, but swimming at the pool is ok?

Costco on Sunday is divine. Tons of samples yet very few patrons.

I took my brother who was in town on Sunday and he said if he moved to Utah he planned on shopping on Sunday.

He had never seen a Costco so empty.

[Jacob]

I remember once in college President Hinckley told us that "courting" was an appropriate sabbath activity, and encouraged us to do it.

[Slim]

Working out on Sunday is okay in my book. I don't avoid showering or brushing my teeth on Sunday or doing any of the other things necessary to take care of myself.