Community
Act of Love | Family Rituals
The role of rituals feels important at the moment, whether it's taking ten minutes for some mindfulness, or promising to go out in nature every morning. No matter how they look or how they may be different from before, it's about bringing a sense of calm, connection and control. Sasha, co-founder of Mr and Mrs White, shared with us the family rituals she is grateful for, despite the juggle of her business with three kids at home and her tips on making your home a haven.
Tell us a bit about your family, who you are and what you do?
My husband and I live in Avalon on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. In May this year we will be celebrating 12 years of marriage. During this time we have built our own business called ‘Mr and Mrs White’, where we design and make timber furniture and joinery in our Sydney factory. More importantly we have 3 daughters - their names are Selah (9), Oak (5) and Clay (2).
How are you coping with the current situation, juggling running a family business with three kids at home?
As with most families around the world we have found ourselves in a situation that has definitely been challenging and and hard to grasp. When I have a moment to gather my thoughts I think “how did we get here?”. However amidst all the devastation, there has been a lot to be grateful for, such as spending real quality time with my kids - learning, baking, going for long walks and bike rides. Our connection to the community feels stronger - we’ve met neighbours (from a distance of course) that we have never seen and probably never would have in our normal hustle and bustle routine. I’ve witnessed and been the recipient of acts of kindness - friends dropping off baked goodies, kids writing letters to their friends and dropping off handmade gifts. Kids really are amazing - they adapt very quickly to situations, always creating fun and laughter, making the most out of it. As hard as it has been juggling it all I can’t help but feel feel grateful for this time to slow down and surrender to the ride we have all, as humanity, had to ride out together.
Whats the best part of your day as a family?
Evenings are my favourite time of day. Nathan pulls up in the driveway, kids are excited to wrestle or jump on the trampoline with dad and I’m relieved that I can cook dinner in peace. Our kids are getting to a good age where we can all sit at the table and eat dinner together. it doesn’t happen every night but when it does its very special. Our two eldest daughters love setting the table and helping me bring all the food out. With three girls, its not the most peaceful or relaxing time but it’s those moments that you know you will look back on and miss.
What makes your home a haven, even at times like this?
As an introvert myself, home has always been a haven. Especially in times like these home is so important because it’s where we are spending all of our time. I have thought about this recently because for my kids I want home to be the one place they can feel themselves, feel loved, be able to rest, be creative, learn and have fun. For myself, creativity is expressed mostly in creating warm and liveable spaces within the home to do these things. Recently we have set up a more functional home office so I have a space to work and so my kids have a space to do their school work. I found the kids are more motivated to learn when they have a space to do it (however small). Its like creating mini havens within the haven.
How do you look after your families health?
Lots of healthy home cooked meals! We get a large fruit and veg box delivered weekly and I am astonished at how much girls eat! My second daughter loves to bake so I have been doing a lot of healthy baking - brownies with hidden zucchini, chocolate muffins with chick peas…sounds gross but it's actually yum! To save going down to the shops too often I have been making a lot of snacks that I would normally buy - such as homemade muesli bars and seed crackers. To help with our immunities I have been giving the girls vitamin C every day and doing lots of cooking with garlic, ginger and lemon.
