...of Healthy Family Relationships

CTC Readers' Poll:
Thank Goodness It's Friday 

 In the March 15, 2006 issue of the newsletter, we asked this question:

"Does your family have any special rituals for Fridays? Is there anything out-of-the-ordinary that you do each week to celebrate and welcome the weekend?"

"Nothing special. Just knowing I have the freedom to sleep in, have a second cup of coffee in the morning or read is enough for me." ~ Kim

 
"We have a party atmosphere every Friday evening to help us reconnect after a busy week at work and school. We often have 'take-n-bake' pizzas from a local grocery that sells them 2/$12 on Friday night.  We might rent a few videos or get them free from the library. We often invite friends to join us so that the kids can have their friends over while the adults play board games." ~ Anne
 

 
"This isn't something I do but that my daughter's mother-in-law does. When her parents were alive every Friday was pancake night. They would get together and have pancakes. Nothing fancy. Everything was very laid back but the kids knew they would see their grandparents on Friday and visa versa. Neat idea." ~ Sandy 

"I love Fridays! Doesn’t everyone?  My husband and I have been married for nearly 4 years now and we decided before we got married to take Friday nights as our 'date night.' He has been a student in Pharmacy school ever since we got married. Very often although we are in the same house in the evenings, he will be studying all night long. A week can fly by and we haven’t even really seen each other much. Friday night 'date nights' are our chance to take some time for togetherness after a week of studying night and day.  Money has been tight while he is in school so we have learned to find pleasure in the simple things. We frequently enjoy a rented movie and some popcorn on the coach, bringing a board game to a coffee shop and sharing a soda, going to the park and eating a simple dinner or packed sandwiches and homemade brownies, going for a bike ride on a local bike trail, etc. Being together is the only thing that really matters on 'date night.' We hold this time together as sacred and have put off a whole variety of things in order to spend this night together. It has brought so much joy to our marriage! During those weeks that just seem to drag by or when things aren’t going well at work, I just remember that I have a HOT DATE on Friday night with the man of my dreams and it makes everything better." ~ Kristin



"Every Friday night we gather after supper to have a movie night!  The kids can't wait to select a feature movie when we go to the library the day before.  I pop some popcorn.  My boys eagerly dress into their pajamas and cuddle on the couch to watch a movie. " ~ Christine
 


"Over here Disney has a movie on Friday nights. I make a pizza and fry some cauliflower (takes the place of the fries you usually have with the pizza in Lebanon) and we watch the movie. Also, my older son gets to stay up later so we pop some popcorn for a DVD or a movie on another channel. Just make it a fun end to the school week." ~ Beth
 
 
"My hubby and I started this years ago when we were first married (1978) and when we adopted two half-grown boys five years later and then two more children three years after that, it really came in handy. And we've had three biological children after that! So, anyway this is what we do on Friday nights: pizza, pop and a movie AT HOME. For the first 20 years we used pizza crusts (already made) from Sam's Club or another big warehouse store in our town......I'd make 12 or 24 at a time.  I'd also buy #10 cans of mushrooms, tomato/spaghetti sauce, and black olives, and bulk pepperoni and bulk shredded cheese (or sometimes block and shred it ourselves). We'd save the bags each crust came in, and re-bag the pizzas in there, and then freeze them.     

Then in 1999, we bought a bread machine and the little recipe book in the box had directions for focaccia bread. I'd had focaccia bread at the farmers' market in town and LOVED it. So I made up a recipe. It didn't raise like a regular bread recipe would, so I thought, 'This would make a very cool pizza crust.' So that's what I started doing. We make our pizzas FRESH every Friday.     Focaccia bread (crust), spaghetti sauce (bought or home-made with our own tomatoes & ingredients and canned in the summer), mushrooms, green & black olives, shredded mozzarella cheese, sauteed onions (only on Mom & Dad's parts). Some of us like anchovies and slivers of dill pickles, too! Ymmm...

Other times we've had one of the take and bake jobs from Papa Murphy's (chain voted #1 for the last three years). They  have a to-die-for Garlic Chicken Pizza that's out-of-this-world. ....and I've come up with a home-made version of our own.....using our OWN chicken (we raise fryers in the summer)!!!!

We don't have soda pop any other time during the week ..... so that's special too.   

Movies come from the library in our little town OR dear hubby redeems one of his one-movie- rental-for-100-gallons-of -gasoline coupons. It used to be (years and years ago) that we just watched TV on Friday nights....remember 'Dallas' and 'Knots Landing' or 'Falconcrest'?   
That was our thing!    

We've had friends over on Friday nights who LOVE our home-made pizzas. On those nights, I have all the kids make their own pizza in pie plates (I make several batches of focaccia bread)....have all the ingredients in little bowls and everyone makes their own special pizza!      Kids love coming here!

We were recently at Pizza Hut and afterwards the kids (16, 14 and 10) told me, 'Mom, this was fun, but we like your pizza better!'  What more could a mom ask for?" ~ Deb

"Friday is the day that my husband and I use for our 'free' time. I take a long bath, do my nails, put on a mask while my husband plays a round of golf.  It's a nice way to have some alone time, then we go out to dinner." ~ Renee
 

Editor's Note: Thanks to all our readers who took time to write.

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