Weekend Prep: 7 Things that will Guarantee a Peaceful Week

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Early on in family life, I was definitely in survival mode. But I didn’t want to just survive, I wanted to thrive as a family. Therefore, I took control and decided on prioritizing weekend prep.

Many people are so exhausted by the time the weekend rolls around that they literally want to take the entire weekend off to rest. I GET THAT! I’ve been there.

However, I learned that if I took my weekend to actually prepare for the week ahead I wouldn’t be exhausted by the time Friday rolled around.

HOW?

For me, there are 7 things I do each weekend to guarantee a peaceful ahead.

Yes, things happen to throw hiccups into the plan. It’s called life. But I’ve learned it’s best to head into a new week with a solid plan and do the best you can with what comes at you. Weekend prep is everything!

Sunday is our day to slow. it. down. As a family of 6, 4 kids ranging from teenager to toddler, all in extracurricular activities, running 2 businesses, our life is in overdrive right now. We are constantly on the go.

That is why I hold our Sunday’s very sacred. We purposely never signed the kids up for any travel sports leagues because we want to protect our Sundays.

I have also found that if my Sunday planning and preparing is off, then my whole week tends to be off. I do not like the feeling of chasing my days.

I needed to set up a system and program where my days were in my control, not the other way around.

Here are 7 things that I personally prioritize and do my best to make happen each Sunday.

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QUIET TIME

You’ll quickly discover that I’m a huge proponent of morning “quiet time”.

For me, it sets the tone for my entire day. It’s the only time that the house is completely quiet. I cherish that time.

I learned a long time ago that I cannot pour from an empty cup. I must fill myself up first before I can give to others. As I look at my schedule it is full of things to do for others, therefore, filling myself up is priority #1.

I can read my bible, my current book, and journal my thoughts. It’s my moment to clear my head before the day begins.

I also learned that if I’m getting up when the rest of the house does, if I’m already in a rush when my feet hit the ground, then I’ve already lost the day.

I am not a natural “morning person”… but I have found such peace and satisfaction in getting up before everyone else does that getting up early, to me, is so worth “losing sleep”.

I purposely leave my “do not disturb” activated on my phone during this time of day so that zero notifications or alerts pop through. I don’t even touch my phone because this time is so important.

I do not start my day with scrolling social media and checking out everyone else’s lives, I focus on my own during that time.

More on how to manage time, instead of it managing you.

SPIRITUAL TIME

An important step in my weekend prep is spiritual time. Our church offers a variety of services. Some weeks we will go to a Saturday night service or Sunday morning or we’ll watch online. Either way, we attend church as a great way to spiritually fill ourselves up to prepare for the week.

Our kids enjoy heading to their individual classes to worship and learn at their level. My husband and I appreciate the time that we have during our service together.

Haven’t found an actual place of worship that you’ve connected with yet?

Our church offers a webcast option, you are always invited to check that out.

Or there are many great podcasts/videos to start with:

QUALITY TIME

During sports seasons, there’s not much quality time. We are typically running in all different directions, giving each other hugs and kisses as we cross paths.

Sunday may easily be the only day of the week that we have an opportunity to actually sit down and eat together. Therefore, our weekend prep time includes this quality time.

Most often, my husband will prepare something wonderful. He’s one of those that can open up the fridge and pantry, grab a few items, and put together an outstanding meal.

I just cannot do that! My brain is not wired that way. I am a full board recipe follower. I need an exact plan, ingredients, measurements, etc.

My current breakfast obsession is Pecan Pancakes with Maple Butter by Joanna Gaines in the Magnolia Table Vol. 2 Cookbook.

I made this the other day and I was hearing praises all day. Even my husband who is usually on pancake duty said these were one of the top 2 pancakes he’s ever had. We are all still trying to figure out what the best ones were?

Friend, if you haven’t gotten your hands on these gems yet, please don’t delay! These books are full of some of the most amazing food we’ve ever eaten!

French Toast with Vanilla Syrup and Strawberry Butter
Banana Bread
Spinach Tortellini Soup
Chicken Spaghetti
Raspberry-Chipotle Pork Tenderloin
Beef Enchiladas
White Chicken Enchiladas
Tres Leches Cake
and much more!

As a non-cooker and non-baker following the recipes in these cookbooks are easy and has provided the most fun I’ve ever had in the kitchen!

For this meal, we set the table really nice. Pull out our “real” plates and glasses, use pitchers for milk and orange juice, etc. Turn on some light music, pray, eat, talk.

Easy music playing:

This time also provides an opportunity to teach our kids how to behave during a meal.

No elbows on the table
Use a napkin
Don’t slurp your drink
Take small bite-size pieces
Don’t talk with your mouth full

Our goal as their parents is to make sure they are ready for the real world.

Eating properly without completely grossing people out is an important life skill.

We also purposely engage in meaningful conversation. This is not only to have good quality time but also to teach them, by example, how to do this as well. Another life skill.

Having a hard time coming up with topics to talk about?

Grab some conversation cards!

Finally, our family rule is whoever helped cook the food doesn’t have to clean up, the rest of the crew is on clean up duty. If the dishwasher is full, time to partner up for handwashing and drying.

The goal is to not have any dishes in my sink or countertop after the meals are finished. This also encourages my kids to work together and accomplish the task.

Our other family mealtime rule? Whoever cooked also gets to pick out the movie or board game for the night.

On my meal prep sheet, I put the name of which kid will be helping cook so there are no fights. Everyone knows what day is theirs and they get to pick out the meal as well.

Picking out the meal, no cleaning, AND getting to pick out the movie or game encourages great participation in the kitchen.

This is our opportunity to truly slow down and make this a wonderful experience.

Can we do this every Sunday? No, as there are times we are out of town or there’s an event on a Sunday, but we do our best to make this a weekly priority.

Is it always brunch? No, sometimes it’s a late dinner.

It doesn’t matter when this meal happens, we just do our best to schedule at least ONE meal a week together.

PLANNING TIME

A peaceful week wouldn’t happen without sitting down to plan it out. This is a vital part of my weekend prep.

While the kids are doing their chores I sit down with my phone and paper calendar and start mapping our the week (& month) ahead.

I like to use both electronic and paper calendars. The electronic is used for alerts and reminders. We also use a family calendar so everyone knows what is on the schedule. We are all color-coded.

The paper calendar is for me to actually “see” my life. I love opening up a big month-at-a-glance calendar. My life makes more sense when I see it that way.

From there I can determine where I need to be and when.

What appointments do I have?
What appointments do I need to setup?
Do I need to schedule babysitters?
What phone calls do I need to make?
Who do I need to schedule things with?
Who is picking up who, where, and when?
What do the kids have scheduled?
When do they need to be there?
What time do they need to be dropped off and picked up?
Who will be doing that?
What food, meals, snacks do they need, and when?
What gifts and cards do I need to purchase?
Who do I need to send a card or make an encouraging call or text to?

Then I communicate the weekly plan with the family.

FOOD PREP TIME

One of the most important things I do is to make sure we have a food plan for the week. Living with 4 guys, food is an incredibly important part of the weekend prep.

The area of meal planning has always been a struggle for me so I had to really break it down into bite-size pieces.

I like to do a few things when it comes to food:

Grab my cookbook and list of family favorites
- If you don’t have a family favorites list yet, then make one ASAP! It simplifies your meal planning!
Write out meal ideas for the week
Look at the calendar and figure out which meals should go on which days depending on everyone’s schedule.
- There are nights that are a no-go for a home-cooked meal. This is where I’ll need to plan food options for on the road.
Fill out the Meal Planning Sheet
Head to pantry and fridge for inventory
Write out Grocery List
Shop
Prepare

With my tight schedule, I love to take Sundays to cook as much as possible. With that being said, usually, my planning and shopping happen on Fridays or Saturdays.

Remember do whatever works for you. It’s called “weekend prep” but this can happen any time during the week.

A few of the staples that I cook and store in the fridge for quick grabs during the week are:

These are so easy for anyone at any time to grab, heat up, and eat.

Also if I have extra time I’ll throw together some freezer meals.

On a tight budget?

Be sure to check out my 3 simple steps to meal planning on a budget here.

Tight on time?

Have you discovered the Instant Pot yet? If not, you should.

I think I’m a forever Slow Cooker gal, there is just something about putting ingredients in and letting them blend together for hours and hours at a time. But let me tell you my Instant Pot has saved me on many occasions.

For example, yesterday’s dinner. I was feeling good about myself all day as I had put the pork tenderloin in the marinade and in the fridge to soak by 8:30 am! To not only discover right before dinner time that I didn’t prepare or even think about any sides. Ugh.

So I saw a couple of sweet potatoes sitting on my counter. I grabbed those and my Instant Pot, threw a cup of water in, and they took about 30 mins to cook to total perfection. No need to poke holes or wrap in tin foil or sit in the oven forever.

CLEANING TIME

There is nothing like starting a new week with a freshly cleaned house.

The laundry is done.
The bathrooms and bedrooms are cleaned.
Things are organized.
Backpacks are prepped and schoolwork is completed.
Everything is ready to walk out the door the next morning.

And trust me, I am NOT doing this all on my own. Everyone joins in on this fun!!

Weekly chores are an important step in the weekend prep.

Struggling with cooperation from the kids?

Many people ask how I engage my kids in doing chores. I wrote an entire article on this topic. If you are struggling with kids and chores definitely head over there.

Check out Kids and Chores: Easy Ways to Get Them Done for ideas on how we make it all work with our kids and house.

Our rule: TV and electronics are not touched until chores are completed.

Daily Spot Treat

I always tell my kids that if they keep up with their daily chores then the weekend chores are much easier. The same goes for me. I need to keep on top of my daily basic simple maintenance items so my weekly cleaning is easier.

Daily mental boosters:

Make beds each morning
The kitchen sink remains empty
Run at least one load of laundry
Toys and things are picked up each night before bed

These things don’t necessarily make my house “clean” but boy do they help me keep my mind clear during the day.

Weekly Clean

The weekend prep goal is to prepare the house for the week ahead. I love starting a Monday morning with a clean and tidy house which helps my mind remain in the same condition.

Now trust me living with 6 people, 4 of them being kids, 3 of them being boys, and 1 a toddler, I have given up any expectations of perfection.

But I do expect effort.

Need a good Deep Clean?

Head on over to Spring Cleaning / Deep Cleaning program. Be sure to download your FREE Checklist!

Declutter inbox and desktop

Set a timer and clean up and clear out your email and your workspace.

Don’t get lost in doing “work” during this step, stick to your timer. This exercise is not for you to do the work, it’s for you to focus on organizing your virtual and physical workspace.

I have to take Sundays to clean out any of my mail/message centers to start the new week fresh.

I don’t know about you but if I don’t stay on top of my email, it can (& do) get completely out of control!

The first thing I have to admit is if I am feeling overwhelmed by my inbox that usually means I have too much going in there.

I use unroll.me

It is by far the easiest thing you will ever do to clean up your inbox. You will be able to see the entire list of what you are currently subscribed to and unsubscribe at the click of a button.

It is so easy and free!

When looking at all of your messages, ask yourself:

What do I need to keep? File it.
What do I need to follow up on? Add it to the to-do list.
What can I get rid of? Dump it.

My weekend prep also includes taking time to clean my desktop, both virtually and physically.

My computer:

What items have ended up on my computer desktop that can be filed into more proper areas?
Do I need to set up new files?
What things can I delete and get rid of?
Can I clear out my download and trash files?
Do all of these things need to be on my desktop?

During a deep clean, I like going through my google drive and dropbox as well to do the same thing.

My desk:

I clean any clutter that has been collected.
- What do I need to keep? File it.
- What do I need to follow up on? Add it to the to-do list.
- What can I get rid of? Dump it.
Dust and wipe down desk and items
- There’s nothing more distracting than trying to be productive in your workspace and seeing dust that instantly reminds you of the millions of other things you need to do.
I also like to add any new, fresh, updated greenery.
- Adding a small plant or flower to a workspace has changed the game for me.
- Greenery is a well-known stress reducer. I don’t know too much more of the psychology behind it all I know is that it works and I love it.
- I usually keep it simple with a faux plant, flower, or Christmas tree depending on the season… but if I walk outside and one of my flowers is in full bloom, I’ll pick it and add it to my desk decor.
- There’s just something about it.

SELF-CARE TIME

This is an important part of the day. Most people skip it because they think they either they don’t have time or they’re being selfish… that there are other things you could be getting done during that time.

That last one was me!

That’s when burnout kicks in.

Weekend prep consists of preparing yourself inside and out for the week ahead. You need to take time for yourself.

This could look different to different people.

What is it that:

Relaxes you?
Fills you up?
Clears your head?
Clears your heart?
Feels good physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually?

Is it:

A nap?
A bath with candles, soft music, and some scented Epsom salt?
Quality time with your significant other?
Doing an at-home facial?
Journaling?
Reading a good book or magazine in total silence?
Yoga?
Deep breathing exercises?
Going outside to sit and soak up the sun?
Going for a walk?
Running?
Listening to an encouraging podcast?

Here are some of my favorite magazines to dive into:

So, friend, what is it for you?

Whatever it is… Schedule it. This is an appointment with yourself. Don’t no-show yourself.

It’s best to sit and make a list of your go-to self-care things. Don’t be caught saying “I don’t know what to do”. Be prepared with this time.

Don’t ever let anyone make you feel that you shouldn’t take this time for yourself. If this is something new all you need to do is have a conversation that you’ll be implementing this into your routine and why it’s important.

Struggling with stress and anxiety? Then definitely check out these ways to battle them!

So there you have it!

These are the 7 things I do during my weekend prep to (almost) guarantee a peaceful week ahead.

Remember: do what works for you and your family! If you work on the weekends then what day of the week can you use to plan and prepare for the week ahead?

Make this work for you!

I’d love to hear what your weekend prep is like in the comments below!

xoxo, Mo

Would you share this with your friends and family? I would appreciate that so much!