Super Family Night

I planned to have a Family Retreat today, but we were so tired that we only woke up at 10.30am. After brunch and school time, it was already 3pm. Daddy FECS and our Little FECS went to play football, so that I could prepare the dinner. They got back home and we had dinner at 5pm. We only started at 7pm after dinner and clean-up. So what was to be a full-day Family Retreat became a Super Family Night instead. Things don't always go perfectly as planned.

This is the programme/agenda I have planned for our Family Retreat/Super Family Night. It was very ambitious, and we only managed to accomplish half of them. Well, better than nothing.

We brought out our kid's size tea set and made honey lemonade as "tea" for our Little FECS. We cut some melon and persimmon fruit to go along. So it was all ready :-)

Review family calendar

Just after going through the first agenda point on reviewing our Family Calendar... and look what happen:

Daddy FECS got so sleepy that he ended up on the carpet, dozing off... so much for all my effort of trying to plan a family retreat and getting all on-board... the one that supposed to set an example for the child went off...!!!

I didn't know whether to cry or laugh... well, actually I laughed a lot... and our Little FECS couldn't stop laughing. He knew how much Mommy is holding up expectations for this Super Family Night, and it was just comical to get such a start... well, comical to say the least!

We laughed and laughed. Our Little FECS rang the bell to woke Daddy FECS up... to no effect. I decided to go and clean up the teapot, plates and fruit bowls that we had finished. I came back and we still couldn't get Daddy FECS to wake up. Just as I was getting a little disappointed and giving up our plan of a Super Family Night, Daddy FECS got up and we continued our very "fun and exciting" Super Family Night - fun and exciting at least to me. Thank God for this recovery. But that meant that time had passed quite a bit.

Share one thing we are thankful for the past year

I encouraged each one of us to share one thing to be thankful for the year that is past. Daddy FECS thought of one than one, in fact many. Our Little FECS could barely think of an example. I wrote all the things our family is thankful for in the journal... that last 6 months of work assignment went well for mommy, that it had been a good year for Daddy FECS at work, that our Little FECS adjustment to school went very well, that the memorial service for my father this year went very well, etc.

Share one regret for the past year and burn it

I then encouraged each of us to write down one regret for the year that past, that we were remorseful over and wanting to do better. Daddy FECS was a little skeptical, as he thought that it was very negative to do so. But no one is perfect, and there will always be room for improvement, and we should not be afraid to list our failure.

I started by sharing mine: I should not burst out when I am angry. I should not react, but response appropriately, when I am angry. This is something I am really remorseful about. I totally had a emotional melt-down, when I was so upset with Mr. FECS or our Little FECS just a few days ago. My reaction was completely wrong, and I was so ashamed. I have come to God on my knees in repentance. I  know I couldn't do it in my own strength, but we serve a great, compassionate and merciful God. He has forgiven me... my sin especially in this area, and released me with the freedom to try again. I am truly thankful to God. It is at times like that that the gospel of Jesus Christ illuminated to me and spoke to my heart of God's love and forgiveness. I found myself getting a deeper understanding of the gospel and why I have accepted Christ as the Lord and Master of my life. Tears of gratefulness just rolled down my cheeks... (not during tonight at our Super Family Night, but during my solitude time with God).

Our Little FECS got what I am sharing about by asking each of us to share one regret, and he began to share his. He said that for the new year, he wanted to play more with mommy and that he would try not to do things that make mommy upset and angry. Seeing our Little FECS getting into the momentum of sharing his regrets, Daddy FECS began to join in. He said that for the new year, he hope to spend less time browsing the internet and more time exercising.

We then burn the slips of paper with our regrets. We didn't have a fireplace, thus we burned them in a ceramic pot. Daddy FECS helped me with it. Initially, we tried to burn them at the balcony, but the wind was too strong. We ended up doing it under the suction of the stove. We put off the smoke with water.

Review family traditions for the past year and plan for this year

We then reviewed our Family Traditions for the last year and plan for this year. One of the activities I brought up was walkathon/marathon. Daddy FECS preferred to just go for a walk, without joining others. Our Little FECS gave a lesson to Daddy FECS on the Danish value of "fælleskab" (meaning community) and I took a video of it. I remembered that when I was a child, my mum used to take part in such events, and she had inspired me, but we have parked it for now, and will see if we will join a walkathon/marathon this year. 

Short lesson

Then we had a short lesson on family crest. Our Little FECS was very eager to design our family crest. He immediately went to take out a piece of paper and started drawing. He said that the star on top represent God. The two dots are God's eyes watching over us. The cross below represent Christ. 

After discussion, we have adopted the following motto as what our family stands for in our family crest: Encouragement, Cooperation, Respect and Grace.

Then our Little FECS played a piece for us - Bethlehem and Christmas Delight that he had practised for his piano lesson.

Browse family albums

We browsed through family photo albums with pictures before our Little FECS was born (we took a course in sushi-making and visited Japan) and the baby pictures of our Little FECS. Our Little FECS said that he looked very funny as a baby.

Super Family Sleep-In

We didn't manage to go through more program in the agenda and it was time for bed. After brushing teeth, we made a cave/blanket fort with bed sheet. Here was how it looked like. I read a small Bible story for our Little FECS and it was lights-off and it was already 11.30pm, way too late for our Little FECS.

That was how our Family Retreat/Super Family Night started and ended - as you can see, not perfect, and off to a bad start, but still very memorable for me. I thank God that it went well, even though it was very delayed and I didn't get to do all the things I planned to do.