7 Things I Do On Sundays To Make The Week Easier As A Stay At Home Mom

I can usually tell how the week is going to go, based on how prepared I am come Monday morning. I have learned that even a little prep goes a long way.

I’m definitely not doing some huge, perfect reset every weekend, because honestly with little kids, that’s just not realistic. But simple routines, like my daily reset routine, help the week run more smoothly.

These are the simple things I try to do on Sundays to make the week easier as a stay at home mom.

1. Check our schedule for the week

One of the first things I like to do on Sunday is look ahead at what we have going on that week.

That usually means checking for appointments, errands, outings, or anything my husband has going on that might affect our normal routine. Even if we don’t have a packed schedule, it still helps me so much to know what the week is going to look like ahead of time.

When I don’t check our schedule, I feel like the week just happens to me. I feel behind before I’ve even really started. But when I take a few minutes to look ahead, I feel so much more prepared mentally.

It also helps me think through practical things, like which days would be best for staying home, which days would work better for getting out of the house, and when I need to keep things extra simple.

2. Make a simple meal plan

This one has probably the biggest impact on my week.

I don’t make anything fancy, and I’m definitely not planning elaborate meals every night. I just try to come up with a simple plan for dinners so I’m not standing in the kitchen at 5:00 wondering what I’m going to make while everyone is already hungry.

My husband and I have a shared note where we can both add add and cross things off of our grocery list as needed. I usually think through a few easy dinners, check what we already have, and update our list.

Having even a basic meal plan helps me feel so much more organized going into the week. It takes away that daily mental load of figuring it out over and over again.

And on busy weeks, simple is always better.

3. Grocery shopping

One thing that really helps our week run more smoothly is staying on top of grocery shopping.

Right now, my husband and I have been taking turns doing it, and honestly, that has been really nice. It gives each of us a little break from the kids, and it helps make grocery shopping feel less like just another overwhelming task that has to get squeezed in during the week.

Most weeks, once I’ve made a simple meal plan and know what we need, one of us will handle the grocery run. Just having that figured out ahead of time makes the week feel so much easier.

And on the weeks when I do need to take the kids with me, I usually use curbside pickup instead. That has been such a helpful backup for me in this season of life. It saves time, keeps things simpler, and helps me avoid dragging everyone through the store when it’s just not worth it.

Grocery shopping may not seem like a big thing, but having a plan for it ahead of time makes such a difference in how prepared I feel going into the week.

4. Quick kitchen reset

I don’t do a deep clean of the kitchen every Sunday, but I do like to make sure it’s in a good place before the new week starts.

That usually looks like cleaning out old leftovers from the fridge, decluttering and wiping down the counters, making sure the dishwasher is caught up, and checking that we have clean cups, water bottles, toddler plates and utensils,

The kitchen is one of the biggest areas in our home that affects how the day feels. When the kitchen already feels messy and behind first thing Monday morning, everything feels harder. But when it feels mostly reset, the whole week starts off better.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. I just try to get it back to manageable.

5. Catch up on laundry

Laundry is one of those things that can make me feel behind really quickly if I ignore it for too long.

So on Sundays, I like to make sure we’re in a decent place with the basics. That might mean washing a few loads, folding what’s been sitting in baskets, or just making sure everyone has the clothes they need for the next few days.

With little kids, it’s always the small things that seem to sneak up on me, bibs, burp cloths, and socks. When I can get caught up on laundry before the week starts, it makes the day to day feel so much easier.

I don’t always finish every single bit of it, but even making progress helps me start the week feeling less behind.

6. Quick declutter around the house

One thing that helps me so much before a new week starts is doing a quick declutter around the house.

I have a basket that I take with me from room to room, and I use it to pick up all the random things that have ended up scattered around the house and don’t really belong where they are. It’s usually little things that somehow collect and start taking up space, like toys, cups, mail, socks, hair bows, odds and ends that just make everything feel more cluttered.

I’ll toss it all into the basket as I go, and then I go back through it and put everything where it actually belongs.

This is one of those simple things that helps the house feel less chaotic without taking a ton of time. Even if everything isn’t perfectly clean, a quick declutter makes the main spaces feel more manageable and gives me a better starting point for the week ahead.

7. Prep a few basics

Since we usually go to the library on Monday mornings, I like to use Sunday to get a few things ready ahead of time.

I always try to make sure the diaper bag is packed, the diaper genies are emptied out, and a few of those little things are taken care of before the new week starts. It may not sound like much, but doing those small things ahead of time makes Monday morning feel so much less rushed.

I’ve found that when I take care of those basics on Sunday, it’s so much easier to get out the door without feeling frazzled. I’m not scrambling to restock the diaper bag, deal with a full diaper pail, or remember everything at the last minute while trying to get everyone ready.

Starting the week with those simple things already done helps Monday feel smoother and gives me a better sense of reset going into the week.

Final Thoughts

My Sundays are definitely not always super productive, and I don’t do all of this perfectly every single week. Some weekends are slower, some are messier, and sometimes life just happens.

But even doing a few of these things helps me start Monday feeling more prepared, less overwhelmed, and more ready for the week ahead.

As a stay at home mom, I’ve learned that simple routines like this can make such a big difference. It’s not about doing everything perfectly. It’s just about setting yourself up in small ways that make the week feel easier.

If you’re in a busy season with little kids too, I hope this gives you a few simple ideas to help your week feel a little more manageable.

If simple routines help you feel more prepared too, you might also like My Simple Weekly Cleaning Schedule and SAHM Daily Routine (With A Toddler And A Baby).

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Simple systems. Calm days. Intentional motherhood.

– Suzanne