Sunday doesn't have to be overwhelming
It's Sunday evening. You're thinking about Monday morning, wondering what's for dinner, whether your child has everything ready for school, how much laundry needs to be done, and what you forgot to put on the calendar. The mental load on Sundays can be especially overwhelming for working moms.
The Sunday reset isn't about having a spotless home or a perfectly planned week.
It's about taking a little time out of your weekend to make the upcoming week much easier.
Start with a quick family calendar check
Review school activities and appointments.
Check homework assignments and upcoming deadlines.
Look at your work schedule.
Identify busy evenings.
Decide which days need especially easy dinners.
Practical tip: Write down the three most important things your family needs to remember this week. That way, when busy evenings come, you have your priorities already written down.
Plan your meals before the week begins
Choose 4–5 family dinners.
Plan a leftover night.
Keep one easy backup meal available. (think frozen lasagna, pizza, etc)
Check your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.
Make one organized grocery list.
A simple example of a weekly dinner plan that can include your favorites as well as easy dinner nights:
Monday - Sheet pan BBQ chicken
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Chicken Alfredo
Thursday - Easy taco bowls
Friday - Family favorite or easy dinner
**A quick reminder that meal planning should fit your family’s budget and schedule, not create more work.
Give your home a 20-minute reset
The goal of a 20-minute reset is to reset the spaces your family uses most.
Suggested tasks:
Clear kitchen counters.
Load or unload the dishwasher.
Pick up living room clutter.
Put away obvious laundry.
Empty trash if needed.
Reset the entryway.
You don't need to deep-clean your entire house every Sunday! A 20-minute reset with the whole family pitching in with age-appropriate activities can do wonders!
Get laundry under control
Gather laundry from bedrooms and bathrooms.
Wash the essentials needed for the upcoming week.
Fold and put away at least one load.
Make sure school and work clothes are ready.
Focus on what the family actually needs for the upcoming week instead of trying to eliminate every laundry basket. This can make the overwhelming and never ending task of laundry a little more manageable.
Prepare for school and work
Check backpacks and school folders.
Review homework and school reminders.
Prepare lunchbox supplies.
Check work calendars.
Gather keys, bags, and other essentials.
Choose a place where everything can be found easily in the morning.
Create a simple evening routine
Creating a simple evening routine can make mornings a little less hectic.
Some suggestions include:
Put out clothes for Monday.
Prepare one breakfast or lunch item.
Check the next day's calendar.
Set a reasonable bedtime.
Take a little time for yourself! (I promise this is okay)
Don't forget to reset yourself
A reminder that you are a person too! Your value does not lie in what you can accomplish for your family, what you do for work, or even in perfection. You deserve rest and relaxation just as much as your family does. ( This is a lesson I learned the hard way!)
Ideas to unwind:
Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.
Read a few pages of a book.
Take a relaxing shower.
Watch a favorite show.
Spend quality time with family.
Go to bed without feeling obligated to finish every task.
Reminder:
Your Sunday reset should give you breathing room, not take away the little bit of rest you have left.
A little preparation goes a long way
Small steps are enough. Need a little more guidance?
The Busy Mom Reset includes a complete seven-day plan, meal-planning worksheets, a cleaning schedule, and family organization tools to help make your week more manageable. (Just click the link below)