3 Weekly Habits for Every Mom

One of the best ways for a busy Mom to stay organized and improve her mindset is to create routines and helpful habits.  The three weekly habits will help you get yourself focused and prepared for the week ahead.

This week I shared my 7 Daily Habits as part of a virtual "Ladies Linked Week" and it made me think of the things I do on a weekly basis that help me and my family.  I shared these ideas with this group of women and wanted to share them with you too:

Sunday Weekly Prep

Every Sunday I do what I call "Sunday Prep".  Now I have heard of others doing something similar to help them ramp up for their week ahead, and what I do is I look at my family's calendar for the next two weeks.  By looking at the coming week, I am able to think through our schedule and figure out what I need to do and when and how to prepare for our activities.  Looking at the following week helps me get ready for upcoming events by checking in on more details or gathering items to make sure we are prepared.  I then share our family's plans with my children and husband that day at family dinner.

Menu Plan

Weekly menu planning has been a habit for mine for a long time.  I only go to the grocery store once a week, so planning meals and my grocery list each week helps ensure I have food to put on my family's table, saves time and money, and gives me peace of mind after a busy day.

So how to start?  I start by looking at the week ahead to see when we are going to be home and when we might need a snack or cooler for a road trip.  This then helps me figure out how many meals to plan for.  After that is established I start looking at my favorite recipes.  I also ask my kids and husband if they have any preferences, even if that means they say Ham Balls, Waffles, and Macaroni & Cheese each week.  I then write down my supper plan for every day for the next week, along with some lunch ideas, "grab bag" items like fruit, snacks or cookies, and at least one breakfast item to go beyond our usual cereal, granola bars, smoothies and eggs.  After the menu is determined, I look through my pantry, refrigerator and freezer to determine my grocery list.

To help with determining our menu we do have a couple weekly meals.  On Tuesdays I typically make some type of Mexican food for Taco Tuesday and we traditionally have Pizza on Fridays.  I also enjoy using my Bread & Butter book from my friend Ally's Sweet & Savory Eats.  This book is very nice because it includes a weekly menu planner, shopping list section, and a collection of her top recipes.

Clean Purse

My final weekly habit is that I clean out my purse and wallet.  This is a simple task that makes the world of difference.  Cleaning out my purse each week ensures notes and slips of paper I stuck in there to take care of actually get taken care of and that I don't have any extra weight from toys or food stuck in there from my kids.  Going through my wallet also helps lighten the load by filing or throwing away receipts and helps me always zip up my wallet with ease.

Miss R helping me grocery shop with our menu plan on hand
Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats Bread & Butter book

What weekly or daily habits do you have to help you stay organized and prepared?  Building positive habits is a great way to create healthy routines, helps you reach your goals and can set a great foundation for your entire family.