Is it okay to ignore the 'written' grammar when texting family?

I'm a heritage learner, and I feel like my Malayalam sounds like a stiff textbook whenever I try to talk to my cousins. They use so many colloquialisms and shortened verb forms that I don't see in my formal books. Does anyone have advice on where to find 'real' spoken Malayalam resources that don't rely on the formal script-heavy grammar, or should I just keep pushing through the formal lessons until I'm more confident?