Did you miss the beginning of the New Soup Sundays series? Catch Part 1 here.
On October 24, 2021, we had our first ever New Soup Sunday. Earlier that week, I chatted with my family about my idea and my goals for this little experiment in soup and Sunday rest.
This was the basic plan:
- When we get home from church, we’ll eat a simple lunch (sandwiches or leftovers).
- I’ll start cooking the soup, and do a quick tidy of the kitchen.
- Once the soup is simmering, I’ll turn on soft music and light the candles in the living room (and if it’s chilly enough outside, I’ll turn on the gas fireplace).
- Once the candles are lit, the downstairs is a quiet zone. We can read, play games or cards, paint or do puzzles, take a nap, etc.
- Quiet zone lasts until we eat dinner.
I also wanted to be sure that my kids didn’t resent this time or feel like it was a punishment, so I was super clear that the no screen time rule was because Mom felt the need for some peace and quiet in our week. They were under no obligation to go screen-free on Sunday afternoons… they just needed to watch their movies or play their video games upstairs. (We have a small living area up there, nestled between the three kids’ bedrooms, and it already holds most of their movies and consoles.)
I made Italian Wedding Soup the first week. Then North Woods Wild Rice Soup, Black Bean Soup with Sausage, and chili – which wasn’t technically new, but I felt like we needed a familiar one.
Those first few weeks, the peace and quiet was incredible. I couldn’t believe how calming and grounding it was — even if it was only a couple of hours between lunchtime and dinnertime — to unplug from my phone, social media, the news, all of it. By week three, something really cool happened.
My kids (and occasionally, my husband) started to abandon their movies and video games upstairs and come hang out downstairs. Sometimes they wanted to be with me: they’d ask to play checkers, or my youngest would want to cuddle up on the couch with me while we both read our own books. Sometimes, they came down and spread out with a craft or game alone or together. We even made it a point to get outside around the fire pit and relax after dinner before it got too cold!
I started sharing glimpses of our new practice on my IG stories (they’re saved as a highlight called “Sunday Rest” if you’re interested) and a few friends started sharing their favorite soup recipes! In December, I decided to invest a little bit more into New Soup Sundays. I bought a cookbook, a Lodge cast-iron soup pot, and a combination record player – radio – Bluetooth speaker system.
The cookbook has soup recipes grouped for the months, so they use seasonal flavors and ingredients. Not everything we tried was a hit (Lima Bean Soup… what was I thinking?!) but several of our soups were “pretty good,” “not bad” and we even found one or two that received high praise: “I would eat that again.”
In December, we added a new element to our day of rest: a special dessert.
I’m pretty sure this was my middle daughter’s idea. We had been having lots of conversations about how New Soup Sundays make us feel, and how it’s really not about the soup. The Christian Sabbath is an invitation to shalom: to find peace, to rest, to celebrate, to delight in our Creator. The soup recipes are just a small way for Mom to give herself a cue to stop hustling around.
The Christian Sabbath is an invitation to shalom: to find peace, to rest, to celebrate, to delight in our Creator. That’s what we were aiming for with our New Soup Sundays.
“Well,” my daughter mused, “why not end the day with a treat that really feels like a celebration? Like ice cream sundaes?!” The following week, we tried our Sunday Sundaes – and we liked it!
After three months of New Soup Sundays, here’s what we were doing:
- I try to tidy up the downstairs on Saturday afternoon, when I have a little energy. Clearing off the counters and tables and a quick vacuum does wonders for how restful the house feels on Sunday.
- We go to our church building to worship with the gathered believers!
- When we get home, we’ll eat a simple lunch (sandwiches or leftovers).
- I’ll start cooking the soup, and do a quick tidy of the kitchen.
- Once the soup is simmering, I’ll turn on soft music and light the candles in the living room (and if it’s chilly enough outside, I’ll turn on the gas fireplace).
- Candles lit = the downstairs is a quiet zone until dinner. We can read, play games or cards, paint or do puzzles, take a nap, etc.
- After dinner, everyone who didn’t cook, helps with clean-up.
- When the kitchen is clean, it’s time to get out the sundae supplies. We aren’t eating Kitchen Sink sized sundaes… but a scoop of ice cream with your choice of toppings really does feel special!
- After dessert, we turn our attention to the week ahead. Backpacks, permission slips, making sure the alarms are set.
The rhythm of rest was beginning to feel like a strong habit for our family. I could tell that my heart was getting something it really needed. I wasn’t sure how long we could keep it up – or if we were doing it “right” – but I knew I wanted to stick with it.
So of course, it all got more complicated.
