Pajamajama Day & Rinnagade Siesta

It's summertime and although we do school year round, there are two important things I need to address: Pajamajama Days and Rinnagade Siesta.  These occasions go hand in hand because they are both about the same thing: recharging.

Ahhhhh...it's so relaxing even to think about.  Okay, I'm not going to lie, I just got up from a Siesta and that's why I'm so relaxed.

These are crucial components to not just to summer homeschool but all year long.  They may seem a little indulgent but 1. we homeschool so we get to set the schedule and 2. they are not indulgent, they are NECESSARY.  If you don't believe me, stop by my house on a day when we haven't had either in a while (like after a trip to MI...).

Pajamajama Days
Another name for this would be "Autism Regrouping Days."  But even kids - and adults - without Autism can benefit from this.  They are most appreciated after multiple days of schedule changes or running around or after a vacation or even a day that my pregnancy is taking a particularly hard toll on me.  It is a whole day where we halt.

But wait, that's what Sundays are for, right?  Yes, but...

As much as we consider Sundays to be sacred, they are not always peaceful.  Sunday mornings we still have a schedule - we have to be up and ready and out the door and happy all by 8:45 a.m.  Throw a meltdown and a spilled bowl of cereal in there and by 9 a.m. on the way to church, there is not much relaxation happening.  Even once at church, we all have responsibilities and different places to be and ministries we've signed up to serve on and there's usually some rushing around as well.  Then it's home, eat lunch, and by time we're relaxing it's almost 2 p.m.  From August to May we have night church on Sundays as well and then my husband plays hockey.  Try to shove dinner in there somewhere and there is not much time for relaxing.  Now I'm not complaining; I love our Sundays and would be lost without them.  They are the most crucial day to our week.  

My point is that Sundays are not a day we sit around in pajamas rolling with whatever schedule so moves us.  Therefore, we've instituted a day every so often that meets that need.  We get to relax, catch our breaths, and focus on homeschool without running around.  We are home.  In pajamas.  We have nowhere to be and very little being expected of us.  I get to catch up on housework and can take five hours to drink a cup of chai and it doesn't matter, I just keep reheating.     

These days began last school year when we had speech on Thursdays.  It was our only day with one place to be and on rare occasions, the Speech Therapist called because she had to cancel.  And it was declared by me:  it’s a pajamamjama day!!  The boys loved it...and so did I.

But what about structure?!

Yes, I am always preaching about structure and too many of these days will lead to chaos.  But just like a vacation, in small doses, these days are very refreshing.

Rinnagade Siesta

If you are not familiar with where I'm pulling this word Siesta from, let me enlighten you, friend.  I came across this fabulous idea in a college Spanish class.  Dictionary.com defines it like this: a midday or afternoon rest or nap, especially taken in Spain and Latin America.  Basically, an entire culture got together and decided "we need to refresh."  Businesses shut down, they eat lunch with their family and then everyone takes a midday break before picking up their afternoon tasks.  I swore way back in my exhausting days of college, I would implement this somehow in my life.  

In America, everything is so fast paced and all about productivity and I won't even get into the health problems with that.  I will just say my family feels better and is more productive when we implement this.  

When my kids started dropping that wonderful afternoon nap, I fought like crazy to hang on to it.  This is my solution.  It is also great with another little one on the way that we won't be blindsided by the idea of naps.  My boys know how to be respectful and quiet for sake of rest (ok, most of the time) and they appreciate the concept of rest time in general.  Plus we can just plug baby girl into an existing system and perhaps there will be a day with all four kids quiet at the same time in my future...perhaps ;).  

It is the special time after lunch where the whole house shuts down.  When I say whole house, I mean, whole house; even the dogs participate.

How do we do it?It depends.  It is pretty flexible and all about reading the moods of my kids and myself and the day.  

Today for example  we were all tired and crabby and it started storming around 12:30.  Who doesn't love falling asleep to the sound of rain??  

So after lunch, everyone picks a "snuggle spot" (options are their bed, my bed, a couch or the floor near a couch) and takes their blanket and a pillow.  It's a modified version of our bedtime routine.  They are allowed a book or magazine to look at and I shut the blinds and turn on a nighttime music CD.  The CD usually lasts an hour or so.  

Today, I read two books and then rotated around tickling kids' backs. Because I was so exhausted from pregnancy and allergies, I laid down with the one who looked most tired (he is still sleeping).  The other two I knew probably would not fall asleep I allowed to quietly draw or read until the music goes off.  

Some days we are not so tired but still need to wind down so it's the same routine except instead of sleeping, we watch a movie quietly.  If they don't stay on the couch, they have to rest in their rooms.  I use this time to get work done around the house or catch up on some writing.

No, they're not flawless, no not everyone participates to the fullest they should every day, but yes, there is still some degree of rest occurring.   Even though there have been days we've blown this time off because we'd been swimming or at a friends house, my boys know our typical days are cut in half.  After lunch there is some kind of down shift before we begin our afternoon and when there is not there is a definite difference in the mood of our home.  Sometimes we supplement with earlier bedtime but always, the rest period is missed.

So give it a try - appreciate rest and participate in a siesta or pajamajama day of your own!