With school, sports practices and games, and more, life can get overwhelming. Here are some weekly routines for preparing for a great school week.
Have “Get It Together” Time
Block off time during your weekend to make a plan, prep, and set intentions for the upcoming week. This is a great time to organize coupons, menu plan, write out checks, or pay bills.
Utilize Planners and Apps
It helps so much write out your schedule in detail. Have a dry-erase board, planner, or app that fits your needs and will help you stay organized. My husband and I use Cozi Family Organizer app to share lists and calendars.
I also prefer to write things down, so for the past few years I’ve been using a life planner to record my weekly routines, such as The Happy Planner or Erin Condren planners.
Prep Food
Prep meals or ingredients for dinners to make your week easier. This might be boiling eggs, cutting carrots and celery, or making a huge batch of oatmeal for easy breakfasts. If you do not like to plan out your meals, just prepare your staples for the week, like rice, ground beef, or grilled chicken so you can more easily put dinners together.
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Also make sure you have a fast and easy meal like a frozen pizza or simple spaghetti in your arsenal just in case something goes awry in the middle of the week.
Pro tip: Have your children prepare their own lunches. They can make five bags of goldfish or grapes to put into lunch boxes. They can also empty their lunch boxes at the end of the day and pack up their lunch for tomorrow.
Pack It Up Early
Even if karate is on Wednesday, pack up the sports and activity bags on Sunday. Then, all you have to do is grab the bag and go.
Talk About It
Take time to chat about weekly plans and logistics. This weekly routine can be done over Sunday evening dinner or maybe breakfast on Monday. This puts everyone on the same page and allows everyone to think of anything they may have forgotten over the weekend that needs to be accomplished.
Use Waiting Times Wisely
I do not like to waste any time. If I am waiting for karate or dance practice to be over, I use this time to update my planner or return emails or phone calls so I am more available when my kids are not busy.
Have a Bedtime Routine
Having a routine even when your children are older can be a huge benefit, and it does not need to be anything long or drawn out. It can be putting on a certain song or reading a book — something to signal your children to switch to bedtime mode will help ease bedtime.
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The more you stick to a weekly routines, the more effective it is. Even if bedtime is your only established weekly routine, it establishes a structure to your days (which I know can be unpredictable sometimes). A bedtime routine gives everyone, even parents, something they can count on.
Pro tip: For my older children, they like to put out their school clothes and backpacks out before they settle in for their own bedtime reading time.