Establishing Intentional Anchors In Your Daily Life
Last Friday, I picked up Emily from school and as soon as she hopped in the car she squealed, “FRIDAY FAMILY NIGHT!!!!”
Nathan started cheering right along with her, and soon we were all car-dancing. We really like Friday Family Night. 🙂
Since Emmy started school, and we have significantly less time together, I’ve started putting some intentional anchors into place for our family. My kids thrive on routine, and having certain things they can count on each day, and each week, have come to be very important to their mental well-being (and behavior).
And honestly, I think the same can be said for us moms. We need a few intentional anchors in our days & weeks to keep us grounded, rested, and filled.
Plus? They can be a whole lot of FUN!
What are Intentional Anchors?
Intentional Anchors are routines, events, and traditions that anchor your day or week. They are intentional, meaningful routines that bring connection and rest to you and/or your whole family. They provide a fun, filling break in the middle of a busy day or week, and give everyone something they can count on and look forward to.
What Intentional Anchors look like in our home:
As much as my kids thrive on routine, so do I. And so does my husband. We like a good plan, and we like to celebrate things. So, in our home, Intentional Anchors often look like mini celebrations.
Every Friday night, we have Friday Family Night. We swing by Costco on the way home from school, grab a cheap pizza, and head home. We lay out a big old quilt on the floor, break out the paper plates, and watch a movie together while we eat pizza, picnic style. After the pizza, I’ll often make popcorn and hot cocoa, too. The kids LOVE this time together, and so do Jon & I. It’s a fun way to celebrate a week well done, and time together before the weekend begins.
Then, on Saturday mornings, we make Cinnamon Rolls, and we call it Cinnamon Roll Saturdays. 🙂 (Everything is more fun with a catchy name, right?) I just grab the refrigerated cinnamon rolls from Trader Joe’s sometime the week before, and we make cinnamon rolls, eggs, and bacon every Saturday. It doesn’t seem like much, but the kids wake up on Saturdays now yelling, “It’s Cinnamon Roll Saturday!!!”
And most Tuesdays, we have tacos and guacamole, and we call it Taco Tuesday. Nathan won’t even eat tacos, and he still cheers for Taco Tuesday.
These things aren’t huge, you guys. They are cheap and easy and so not a big deal. Except they ARE a big deal, because as we create these little routines & traditions for our family, our kids are establishing memories they won’t soon forget. We’re bonding, we’re having fun, and we’re growing closer as a family. And THAT, my friends, is a big stinkin’ deal.
I want to be cultivating a home where my kids love to be. I want to be building a place where they will be excited to bring friends, where they will hang out, where conversations and laughter and tears will all happen. A safe refuge from the brutal world out there.
And building that home starts now.
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What Intentional Anchors look like in my personal life:
On a smaller scale, I’m learning to use this strategy in my own daily life as well. I’m developing some Intentional Anchors throughout my day that help fill my soul & keep me from burning out.
Each morning (for the most part – I am still not perfect at this), I try to get up and have a quiet time. I read the Word, write out Scripture, or read a devotional book. I do a quick workout and then get going on my day. You can see a detailed peek into my morning routine here. That one small space of quiet in the morning really helps me approach my day with God’s perspective, and a whole lot more patience. Spending time with the Lord changes my heart to be more like His, and doing this on a daily basis seriously feeds my soul.
On the way home from dropping Emmy off at school, Nathan and I listen to an audiobook. This is just for 20 minutes or so, but it’s fun to listen through a book together, or for me to listen to a devotional book before we get home and attack the day.
A new anchor I’m trying out right now is reading a fun book in the afternoon. I try to get most of my work done while Nathan naps, but about 20 minutes before we have to leave to go pick Emily up, I get out whatever fiction book I’m reading, and read a few pages. I’m finding that if I keep working until we have to leave, I’m running late and stressed, and unable to focus on the kids after school because I have loose ends to tie up. But if I stop before it’s time to leave, and still have some time to read, the rest of the afternoon goes much better.
Follow me on Instagram for lots of fun book recommendations!
In the evenings, after putting the kids to bed, I clean up the kitchen and get it ready for the next day. Honestly, I’m still working on this one because most of the time I just want to fall onto the couch and never get up. But I always feel so much better in the morning if I did the dishes the night before!
Weekly, I meal prep each Sunday afternoon, after we get home from church. I make all of Jon’s and Emily’s lunches for the week, and stow them away in the fridge. This seriously cuts down time in the mornings. In fact, I didn’t do Emmy’s lunches before last week, and all week long I was kicking myself for having to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every single morning. It’s so much easier if it’s done the weekend before!
Again, these are not big things, but being small and simple means that I can actually accomplish them each week. Plus, they feed my soul and help me to care for my family better. If I’m not taking care of myself, I’ve got nothing left to give them. And cleaning a little each night and preparing a bit of food each weekend save me from falling behind and eating out constantly.
What could Intentional Anchors look like in your life?
If the idea of setting up intentional anchors in your home sounds like something you want to start implementing, I’d love to share some ideas with you!
Below you’ll find suggestions for Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Anchors. DO NOT DO ALL OF THEM AT ONCE!! Pick maybe one or two things that you want to start with, and spend a few months implementing those. I think you’ll love how they ground all your crazy, and build your relationships!
Do you incorporate Intentional Anchors into your days? What do they look like in your home?
Create a simple morning routine that actually works.
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Join us for this free email course that will help you design a simple morning routine that actually works! You'll be guided through creating your own morning routine, and given resources to help you make your most important things happen each day.
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Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.
Thank you for this post! I just found it and I’m excited to implement more anchors into our life and my own personal life. We currently have pizza friday and game night with friends every other saturday night. I definitely want to implement more in this coming year.
We have weekly date nights and family nights. Our family nights are online via Houseparty because one of our daughters is away at school. You’re absolutely right, those small rituals, routines and traditions make a big difference.
I literally posted on Facebook last night a plea for help in the area of organizing my family’s life with our three kids. I feel like a total mess. I really feel God led me to your page through Pinterest tonight. I have years of freedom flowing knowing I have help getting to where I need to go! Thank you!!!
I’m currently reading that same book. Did you enjoy it?
Small Great Things? YES!!! It was incredible.
This post was wonderful! Very informative and with great ideas from your experience, showing us that you have tried them and they have worked well. They give me inspiration to try them myself. Besides giving kids predictability (which makes them feel great), it’s creating memories for them. I love the idea of giving specific names to the activities and making them special events, making them mini celebrations. The kids can feel their lives are full of celebrations and happiness and that is what we want for them. I bet they will remember those names and celebrations when they become adults. Many blessings to you.
I adore this idea! I am very much into having an organized schedule for everything and this would fit right in!
I love his concept of intentional anchors. We have 3 small kids and life is chaotic. We were just at a funeral for my brother in law and it was mentioned over and over how many ‘anchors’ they stuck to as a family. Their kids are out of high school and will always have these memories to continue on with their kids. So thank you. I needed to come across this today 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Love the ideas, and I’m sure my kids will love it too! We have movie nights but nothing set in stone, I think when it’s a specific day the kids will look forward to it!
This is such a great article. I think our family has slipped a little in this department. Our children are 9.5 years apart. They have a great relationship, but it’s hard to find movies we all like/can see, places we all want to go/aren’t sick of… but this has inspired me to try to find some anchors for our family.
I love what you said about ending your work and reading before you go pick up Emily. I struggle with those transitions (from something I’m doing alone to something that requires interaction.) I need to intentionally approach those transitions so they are more successful.
And those cinnamon rolls. Wish we lived near a Trader Joe’s!
Kayse:
Love this post! Anchors and Routines always help me feel more centered, prepared and calm. Planning, in general makes me feel more in control of my life and allows me to craft and create days that bring me joy and a sense of accomplishment.
I hope more moms will incorporate these ideas into their daily life and enjoy the peace and productivity they can bring! Thanks for sharing such helpful content!
These are such good ideas. We have pretty good routines set in place, but I’ve never been good at having these fun themed days. You’re inspiring me to put more effort into it to create a more fun atmosphere at home.
Thank you Kayse! I love this! And the catchy names 🙂
Practical question…how do you fix peanut butter sandwiches ahead of time that still taste ok later in the week?
Oooh! It’s so easy – I was elated when someone explained it to me! You just put peanut butter on both sides of the bread. Jelly in the middle. They freeze great and taste fresh. I pull each one out of the freezer into the fridge the night before. Works great!
Every friday night, for the last 4 or 5 years my boys have ‘Superfan friday’. They watch superhero cartoons and eat pizza. We make a big blanket bed in the living room and they get to sleep there for the night. It seems simple, but it means so much to them!
Nothing fancy, but every afternoon we have Fika together. I usually make a warm-almond milk drink for the kids (mint, cocoa, etc) and have a small snack. MY husband and I drink too much coffee. It’s nice, a very welcome break in the work/homeschool day.
Fika is Swedish for a coffee break that’s more about socialising than drinking coffee. And something sweet is also welcome.
I didn’t know we had anchors. Everyday for 30 minutes after lunch and 30 minutes after dinner I make sure I play with my daughter. She chooses after lunch and I choose after dinner. (Almost) Every Wednesday we have storytime at the library. And we have a family club called the Holiday Club where we celebrate holidays. My daughter really likes to celebrate so we find something each month to celebrate and throw a family party.
Thank you for the reminder for how important these things can be. I’m inspired to be more intentional about my family’s week!
Love all of this!!! Thanks Kayse!
Great ideas! I hadn’t thought of these as intentional anchors, and their importance as such, but we have several in our family, too! Monday night is burger night (Monday Bun Day — everything IS better with a catchy title!) Wednesday is library day.
Monday Bun-Day – I’M DYING!!!! This is amazing. I must implement it immediately!!!
Named by my six-year-old daughter, of course!