Resetting My Heart, Home, and Mind Each Week.

We transition on Sundays, so having a routine that prepares my mind, heart, and home has been invaluable.

If the kids are coming home, I prepare the house. For me, this looks like doing their laundry so it’s clean and ready for the week, updating our family wall calendar, stocking the fridge and pantry, and making sure the home is peaceful and clutter-free when they get back.

This helps set up my week for what’s to come and prepares my heart for the change in dynamics.

I start mentally preparing on Saturday. I do laundry then, because I intentionally don’t do housework on Sundays…it’s my day of rest.

If the kids are leaving, it looks a little different. I still do their laundry on Saturday, but my focus is more on being present and letting Brandon be present with them, allowing them time to connect and feel seen before they leave.

I also prepare myself mentally for the quietness that settles in on Sunday night. Brandon and I often go for a walk after the kids leave. It gives us space to reconnect, get some movement, and reset our minds and hearts for the week ahead.

It’s really important to me to reset both weekends, whether the kids are coming or going. But each reset is different, depending on how the previous week went. Some Sunday nights I don’t want the kids to leave; it’s been an incredible week, and I know I’ll miss them. Other Sunday nights, I can’t wait for peace and quiet, maybe it’s been a long, hard week, full of blended family ups and downs, and I just need to breathe.

Other Sundays, I grieve losing the quiet time with just Brandon. We have so much fun together, and sometimes it’s hard to let that go. But I’ve said it before (and will probably say it until all the kids move out) we live our lives in week-long increments. If we don’t like something, give it a week and it will change.

That’s the beauty and the heartache of a blended family.