Sunday Prep: Getting Organized for the Week

Life with a family is beautiful AND messy. Especially during seasons where everyone is homebound, it can mean endless dishes to clean, meals to make, laundry to wash, and floors to scrub. As soon as you finish the last load of laundry, another bin is filling up, and just when you finish mopping the kitchen, someone will, inevitably, spill a glass of milk on the freshly polished hardwood.

Because life at home can be repetitive and at times unrelenting (homeschoolers and moms of babies and toddlers, know this all too well), it is entirely necessary as a mom to implement some simple strategies to give yourself a break and ensure you are ready for the week. We have to be proactive to make our homes feel joyful.

My goal on Sunday is to reset the house for a fresh start on Monday. With school in full swing, it’s easy to slide into bad habits like hitting snooze repeatedly before rolling out of bed, throwing lunches together last minute, or running around like a mad person trying to scavenge clean underwear or socks. If this rings true, read on for some simple strategies to take the mayhem out of school mornings.

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1 | Lay Out Outfits for the Week

We just got the boys each a hanging organizer for their closet and so far are loving how easy it makes getting dressed in the morning. Over the weekend we make sure to wash a big load of kids’ clothes and then all the fresh laundry gets dumped on the boys’ beds and I have them match up a week’s worth of outfits (down to socks, underwear, and sweatshirts) in their organizers. They always pick out a couple pairs of long pants or spandex for cold days and store them in a basket by their organizer so we are ready for chilly mornings and aren’t scrambling for warm layers. This habit makes ALL the difference in being prepared for the week. Early mornings come quick and if you can streamline getting your kids dressed for the school day, it can be a life saver.

If planning a weeks worth of clothes at one time isn’t practical for your life, another system that worked well for us last year was to keep a basket underneath each of my boys’ beds and put the next day’s outfit in the basket the night before so it’s all ready to go when the alarm clock goes off.

To be honest, I don’t set out clothes for myself and I’m realizing that I probably should! Setting out a few outfits at a time would take no time at all and be one less thing I have to figure out on those busy mornings.

2 | Simplify Sunday Dinner

The Sundays that I make a 3-pan, multiple dish meal, I end up regretting it because I find myself scrubbing pots and pans when I could be getting set up for the week ahead or recharging. When I’m meal planning, I try to plan in 2 to 3 very simple, easy clean up dinners. One for Sunday night and another couple for busy nights of the week when you know you’ll be crunched for time and/or energy. Think muffins and omelets (or scrambled eggs), grilled cheese or paninis and soup, charcuterie/snacky dinner (meats, cheeses, crackers, veggies n’ dip, fruit), or chicken quesadillas (this is a favorite around here!)

Easy clean up days can give you a much needed break from your kitchen and prevent meal-making burnout, especially if the kitchen isn’t your happy place. I’ve been using this meal planning pad for awhile now and love it. It’s magnetic, so it stays on the fridge at eye level and reminds me what I mapped out for the week!

Growing up, Sunday night was popcorn night. My dad would pull out our mammoth hot-oil popcorn maker and begin his Sunday evening ritual, filling and refilling bowls with hot, buttery popcorn and ice cube laden glasses with orange juice. (yes, for some reason, we always had OJ with our popcorn!). Similarly, my husband’s all-boy household had the tradition of Sunday nacho night or breakfast dinners–normally pancakes and cheesy eggs, something the boys always looked forward to. I know some families make Sundays hoagie night piling on the toppings, setting out some veggies, fruit, and chips, and you are good to go. Whatever you do, make Sunday nights a quick clean up night and your Monday self will thank you.

3 | Stock the Fridge

I used to do this on Mondays, but now I really try to stick to taking inventory of our fridge/pantry on Saturday, as well as creating a meal plan for the week. On Sundays I clean out the fridge, pick up my groceries, wash fruit and veggies, and decant them into glass storage containers-these are my favorite because the lid doesn’t require a bunch of snapping, but these also work great. Taking the time to toss old food, wipe down shelves and organize your groceries really helps streamline the kitchen. This way the fridge is stocked and ready for lunch-making and creating healthy dinners.

4 | Check the Calendar

Is it character day at school Wednesday? Picture day Tuesday? Is your 3rd grader supposed to bring a treat to share for the Halloween party Friday? Who is picking up the kids from school mid-week? This is an important and easily overlooked step in getting ready for the week. We are still a work in progress over here, but when I am mindful of checking in with my husband and kids before the week starts and creating visual reminders on my calendar (Day Designer calendars are my favorite!), as well as staging items in our entry way that need to make their way to school, it really helps take the guesswork out of the morning rush.

5 | Set up a Staging Area

Make a list of everything that needs to happen in the morning to be ready to head out the door and post it in a highly visible spot. That way when you are too tired to think about what you are missing you can just scan the list.

• Lunch
• Homework, Permission slips, picture packets
• Waterbottle
• Shoes
• Coats/Cold-weather gear
• Reading Book
• Chromebook/Charger
• Any other items-snacks, ID card, etc.

We do this same thing when my daughter has an away game so that I don’t have to ask her if she has every little thing, she can just run down the list and check everything off. Once you have your checklist made, set everything out the night before (that doesn’t require refrigeration) so that the next morning you can just grab lunches and head to the car.

Sometimes it’s the little habits like these that go such a long way in making the week a success. I’d love to hear how you prep for a busy week!

For more tips and tricks to streamline your week, check out 5 Tips to Simplify Healthy Eating.