My Year of 100 Family Dinners Week 44: Dinners 105, 106, 107, 108

Finding Our Rhythm When the Season Ends

I don’t quite know what to do with myself. Just like that, football season is over.

No more practices. No more games. No more driving to the field and sitting in the stands wrapped in blankets, cheering on boys who poured their hearts into a season together. I’ll admit, after the last game, I considered becoming a football referee. Watching bad call after bad call is not for the faint of heart. It was a hard game to watch, and the boys were devastated afterward.

That night, my son went home with his dad, and my daughter and I had a quiet weekend together.

A Weekend of Rest

We did girl dinner. I went out with friends. I took walks. I rested in ways my soul has been asking for.

When you’ve spent weeks living in crisis mode, you don’t always notice how tired you are until the pressure lifts. That weekend gave me a moment to exhale.

A Short Week and Familiar Routines

The week ahead felt slightly off rhythm with school closed on Veterans Day. The kids had school Monday, and we had dinner together on Tuesday, November 11. We stayed home again on the 12th and sat down together for another family dinner.

By Wednesday, the schedule was a little wonky, one of those nights where everyone is moving in different directions. My daughter had dance class, I had a board meeting, and because of epilepsy safety, my son went to his dad’s house instead of being home alone. Even with the shuffle, we still managed to eat together that night, and that felt like a small win.

Birthday Traditions I Didn’t Know I Was Building

Friday, November 14, was my birthday.

At lunchtime, the kids and I went to our favorite local Mexican restaurant, El Rodeo. I didn’t realize it had become a tradition until the kids insisted, just like last year, that this was how we celebrate. They bring out a sombrero, sing loudly, and deliver a birthday dessert that isn’t even on the menu. It’s joyful, a little ridiculous, and completely perfect.

Later, my son went to his dad’s house for the weekend, and I headed out with friends. I somehow convinced ten women that what we all needed was a girls’ night at a local dive bar with karaoke.

Only two of us actually sang karaoke.

The rest of us sang with karaoke together, loudly, laughing on the dance floor.

I realized something important that night: I love a sing-along. Last year, my birthday celebration was an Encanto sing-along with the kids. This year, it was karaoke with friends. One of my friend’s husbands pointed out that I’d accidentally started a pattern and I’m so glad he noticed.

This is a pattern I plan to keep.

The Heart of This Week

This week didn’t come with big milestones or heavy moments. It came with connection, rest, laughter, and the quiet recognition of how quickly seasons change.

Football ended. Holidays are suddenly right around the corner. Thanksgiving is one week away, and I don’t feel quite ready but I can feel the shift everywhere.

This week reminded me that not every chapter needs drama to matter. Sometimes the most meaningful weeks are the ones where we sit together, laugh together, rest when we can, and start noticing the traditions we’re building without even trying.

Four dinners. A birthday. A sing-along or two.

And a family finding its rhythm again.