The Sunday Reset Rituals Every Family Needs to Know About

Every parent knows that when Sunday rolls around, there's often a feeling of dread — both for you and your kids. It might be anxiety about a project at school or work, or just an overwhelming sense that everything on your to-do list won't get done in time. However, you don't have to start your week this way.

It's time to get rid of the Sunday scaries for good! There's no need to spend your Sundays worrying about the week ahead. Instead, use these reset routines to get your family, house, and refrigerator ready for the upcoming week.

Relax, Enjoy Breakfast, and Reconnect

We like to have a slow start on Sunday mornings. This means something different for every member of the family — one of my kids likes to get up at 7, which is a full 20 minutes later than usual, while the other likes to sleep an extra 90 minutes. Sometimes one parent gets up at a reasonable hour to exercise, and sometimes we both sleep in. Honor whatever feels relaxing for each member of the family.

Once one of the parents is up, we start working on putting together a good breakfast. We prefer to make something that takes more than the 10 minutes we have on school mornings, like real waffles from the waffle iron or breakfast sandwiches. Then we sit down and eat at a leisurely pace, without screens.

We like to ask our kids what they're looking forward to for the week, and if there's anything they are nervous about. If we know there might be excitement or anxiety one day, we can try to make room in our adult schedules to help make the day smoother.

Update the Family Calendar

We keep a Google calendar with everybody's commitments so it's easily accessible from phones and computers. Every Sunday morning after breakfast, we review to see if anything new has come up or if any of the regular activities have changed.

While you're reviewing the calendar, think about which parent will drive where, when kids can have a spontaneous play date, what you might have time to cook for dinner that night, and when you'll need to go out to buy something, like groceries, a birthday gift for a party, or a specific article of clothing for a sport or picture day.

Plan Your Meals for the Week

Whether you do grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon or on a different day of the week, it's easy to plan your meals right after you've looked at the calendar for the week. Right now, my daughter has theater rehearsals at 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, so we're trying to have dinner at 5 to accommodate.

This means it's best to have a meal that takes 30 minutes or less to prepare, or make something in a slow cooker. We also love meal prep cookbooks that help you prepare two or three days' worth of dinners in one night so you can easily spread them out over the week.

Once you know what meals you'll eat this week, immediately make the grocery list for your next grocery run. This prevents you from being short on an ingredient when time is at a premium.

Clean Your House

Each week, we take turns cleaning, with one parent taking care of the kitchen and the other cleaning the bathrooms. The kids start cleaning their own bedrooms. When each person finishes his or her first space, we move on to other common spaces, like the living room, dining room, and playroom, together.

I like to clean out the fridge first so that there's room for the next round of groceries and to clear out any leftovers from the previous week. We also put all of the sheets and towels in the laundry at the start of cleaning, so there's fresh linens for the week.

If you have enough time, you might also want to spend 30 minutes decluttering on Sunday, during or after cleaning the house. If you're close to a change in season, evaluate whether your kids will still be wearing the same size clothes this time next year, and get rid of some clothes if they'll move up a size.

While you're dusting, check to see if all of the toys are still being played with most weeks, or if you can give some away to younger cousins or neighbors. Remind your kids that it will be easier to clean their rooms if they're not moving around all the stuffed animals and books they outgrew years ago. And think about trying out one of our favorite organizing tools to declutter your space.

Take Time to Set Goals and Intentions for the Week and/or Exercise

Setting goals for the week and exercise are tasks that could be done at the same time, or may be two separate tasks. And these tasks may be different for different families or different members of the same family. For younger kids, this may include talking about goals like sitting still at circle time, sharing in class, or being a little more independent in cleaning their room or tying their shoes. For bigger kids, it could be guided meditation or thinking about goals set in academics or sports, and how they can achieve them.

Some families attend religious services to help center themselves, others might take a yoga class or go for a walk in nature, together or alone. I'm a lifelong runner, so I usually set aside an hour for a long run on whichever weekend day has better weather. Make sure to set aside time for your family to focus on self-improvement for the week.

Start Your Bedtime Routine Early

Let your kids start winding down right after dinner. Pack lunches or at least ask children what they will want for lunch on Monday, so you can move it to the front of the fridge. Check the weather and set out clothes for the next day. Allow time for a long bath or shower, or some extra reading time. Then, try to have your kids get in bed 15 minutes earlier than usual so you can get a good night's rest going into the new week!

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