Awhile back, I asked on Instagram what tips readers have to make Sabbath rest possible - especially if you are a parent to young children, a caregiver, or take care of farm animals. Here are a few tips!
Let those in your care rest by putting on a movie or music, and then use that time to rest yourself.
Enlist help from the entire household in getting ready for Sabbath. Go into the day of rest a little less exhausted by having your family chip in with preparations.
Do everything through the week, a little each day. Feel free to divide up the work of any necessary Sabbath preparations at your household in whatever way works best for you.
Batch cook and have something ready that just needs to be popped in the oven. Batch cooking is simply cooking a larger amount (say a double batch) when you are cooking other meals. Use the extra for the Sabbath or stick it in the freezer for a convenient meal down the road.
Stop preparing gluttonous meals with meat, chicken, six sides, and desserts. Things don't need to be elaborate! Simple food is less stress and just as tasty.
Feed the kids mostly raw fruits and veggies all day, then throw a frozen meal in the oven. You can't beat the easiness of raw produce, and it's so important for our health! I love the simplicity of this and the practical benefits.
We don't have a dishwasher so we use paper plates. Or be willing to turn a blind eye to the sink! I absolutely love this...the Sabbath does not require fine china, or a perfectly clean home. There's no shame in doing something easy or for not having a spotless house!
Bake extra bread and cookies and freeze to eat on later Sabbaths. Keep your freezer stocked with foods you can easily turn to on the Sabbath.
When needed, sign off of social media and turn off notifications. This is a great way to give yourself mental rest! No sense in having your rest interrupted all day long by silly or frustrating alerts and updates from your phone.
Give animals extra food and water to last them until Sunday.
Hang up a cabbage for chickens in the coop - keeps them busy and fed the next day!
Let things be messy. It's a day of rest, not having a perfect home.
Skip kid baths unless absolutely necessary. And if they're necessary in the summer, send them outside to the sprinkler or hose (if that's easier) and call it good enough.
Remember that you have nothing to accomplish! Just connect with YHWH and your family and enjoy time with them.
Related posts:
Sabbath Prep and the Idol of Cleanliness
How to Stop Working on the Sabbath
20 Tips to Simplify Shabbat Prep
