Home & Family

How To Start Meal Planning Like A Pro

03/12/2019 By Jenn Leave a Comment

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Meal planning for families is one of the most time saving and cost effective things I have found to keep my meals running smoothly.

Once you get into a meal planning habit, it takes very little time to have your meals run like clock work.

If you are new to meal planning I have some awesome tips and tricks I have used for years to help you get started.

Benefits Of Meal Planning For Families

Step by step guide to meal planning for families. Meal prep ideas to save you time and tips to meal plan on a budget

1- Saves You Money

By meal planning for your family you can shop once a week. This will cut down on those last minute trips to the store. You may wind up buying more than you came for.

When you shop once a week with a detailed list and meals in place you can get everything you need in one trip.

2 – Saves You Time

By knowing what the meals are for the week you will avoid the “What’s for dinner” question.

No more scrambling to come up with a meal an hour before dinner or getting something ordered in.

3 – Less Stressful

When you have a plan, mealtime becomes less stressful.

Mama’s, we have enough stress and meals shouldn’t be one of them.

You have everything on hand and a jump start on your meal prep right in your home.

4 – Healthy Meals For Your Family

By meal planning your family will eat much healthier, well balanced meals.

It beats hitting the drive thru or ordering in from your local pizza place.

Your recipes from scratch are always a healthier option.

Successful Meal Planning For Beginners Tips

1 – Start Out Small

I’m sure you’ve seen some people creating a monthly meal plan before. That may work for them.

However, when you are just starting out stick with a weekly meal plan.

Start off for a few months only meal planning weekly.

Pick your designated grocery day and plan a week ahead.

You can work up to monthly meal planning or every other week later.

Create the habit of meal planning first.

2 – Shop Your Kitchen First

When I sit down to meal plan I shop my kitchen before I do anything.

By seeing what I have on hand in my pantry, fridge and freezer I can base meals off of that.

I can not tell you how many times I have found various meats in my freezer that I did not know I had.

But this goes for every meal that your family eats.

My family loves muffins. They will eat them for breakfast or snacks. You might have all of the ingredients on hand to make a weeks worth for your family.

3 – Know Your Families Favorite Dishes

This meal planning tip is crucial, especially if you have picky eaters like I do.

Come up with about 20 different go to recipes you know your family loves.

The whole point of meal planning is to make things simple. You can try new things but keeping those family favorite dishes in rotation is a good idea for the ones who might not like the new dishes.

When you have a list of meals for dinner on hand just pick acouple each week to add into your weekly meal plan.

No need to constantly search Pinterest for new recipes all the time!

4 – Write It Down For Your Whole Family

By writing down your meal plan for all to see will hold everyone accountable.

Maybe you are not the one actually making the meal so this will help the person that stays on track with your menu.

I like to keep mine on a white board on my fridge, it’s part of my command center.

Another idea is to have a meal planning printable to print out and keep somewhere for your whole family to see.

Related: Free Meal Planning Printables

Here is where my whole family can go to see what is for dinner that week.

5 – Cook In Bulk

To save even more time for yourself, double your few favorite go to recipes.

That way you can serve one and place the other one in the freezer to use at a later date.

Like I talked about the muffins earlier, I wind up making more than I need for the week.

That way in weeks to come I can just pull out more muffins without spending any more time in the kitchen.

You can use this meal planning trick for various different meals.

6 – Use A Meal Service

Meal services such as Home Chef have become so popular, especially for busy families.

Enjoy health home-cooked meals with Home Chef!

Having fresh groceries delivered right to your door and an easy recipe to follow is a great tip for meal planning beginners.

With meal services everything is measured out for you. This will eliminate time shopping and waste since it is proportioned already for you.

7 – Shop Your Grocery Store Sales

Before you sit down to meal plan take a glance at your grocery store sales.

If certain meats are on sale that week plan meals around them.

That way you are saving even more money when you shop. This is a good time to stock up on items too if you decide to start monthly meal planning.

8 – Include Your Whole Family

If your children are old enough ask for their input for meals.

Maybe your husband or your kids want to try something new that you might not have seen.

This can keep meal planning fresh for the whole family.

9 – Add A Leftover Night

I add a leftover night once a week, every single week!

By Thursday I am worn out and we usually have a fridge full of leftovers.

So nothing goes to waste add in a leftover night each week or whatever works for your family.

It’s one less night of cooking for you and easy clean up!

10 – Coordinate Your Calendar

Keep in mind your schedule when you are meal planning. If you have a night where you have little time pick an easy meal for that night.

Plan each meal ahead of time and meal prep. That includes lunches too!

My kids get a packed lunch for school that I always prep the night before. It is part of my nightly routine but I also prep lunch for myself and my husband as well.

If your kids are in school and mornings seem to always be rushed you can make muffins as I do. It’s a great snack to eat on the go.

Meal Prep Ideas For Meal Planning

Meal prepping can be another way to save so much time for your family!

Here are some bonus tips for meal planning like a pro.

These are all things I like to do the day I go grocery shopping that way I am all set for the week!

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1 – Prep Your Veggies

Chop, dice and slice up all your veggies. If you need them for a recipe cut them as so and set them aside.

If they are for snacking bag them up into individual containers so they can be easily grabbed.

2 – Wash All Your Fruits

Wash all your fruits and get them ready to eat for the week.

This is a huge time saver for me, especially for berries and grapes. I like to cut up strawberries and pull the grapes off the stems too.

Since I pack those in my kids lunches I can just easily pull them out and bag them up.

3 – Cook Ahead Of Time

If you can get a jump start on any part of your meals do so.

I will cook up chicken, ground beef, rice etc. Anything to cut down time the night of serving a meal go for it.

4 – Create Snack Boxes

I recently started doing this for my kids and they love it!

Create little “lunchables” for my kids. They can pull these out after school for a healthy snack.

Meal planning does not take a lot of time, it is just using your time more productively!

Speed Cleaning Tips From The Pros

03/05/2019 By Jenn 2 Comments

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Speed cleaning can be different for everyone.

It could be that 15 minutes you have before dinner or maybe it is a 2 hour let’s really clean up clean.

Maybe you have a guest heading over that gave you short notice.

You could even use these speed cleaning tips when it comes to your regular cleaning schedule.

Housekeeping should mean being a slave to keeping your home clean. Speed cleaning your house could be what you need. Here are speed cleaning tips to help.

The goal is to get it done and get it done fast.

When you do any cleaning task in your home work smarter not harder.

This is where speed cleaning can come in handy!

9 Speed Cleaning Tips From The Pros

1 – Start With Your Dirtiest Area First

One of my biggest speed cleaning tips are to start with the area of your home that needs the most attention.

This will do a few things for you.

First, by tackling that area you have put off for longer than you wanted you will feel so accomplished by getting it clean.

Second, it will give you the motivation to look at your clean space to want to clean other areas in your home.

I always start with my hardest job first when it comes to speed cleaning.

If I don’t, I lose focus and feel like that bigger area is still hanging over my head.

By getting the worst job done first I have plenty of energy to tackle the rest.

I find if I start with all the smaller tasks, I wind up not completing the main area that needs to get done.

2 – Have A Plan

The whole point of speed cleaning is to get it done fast.

Usually its under an hour but depending on the day you may only have 15 minutes.

Come up with a plan.

Take a look at the time you have to speed clean and make a quick to do list.

Try to really think about what you can get done in the time-frame you have.

Focus on the areas or things you really need to get done and prioritize them in your to do list.

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You probably do not have time to vacuum your entire home so only pick the areas that really need it.

If you are realistic here you will be able to get everything done and feel so accomplished.

3 – Pick Up Clutter

Speed cleaning does not mean actually cleaning a surface area with product. It can also be as simple as just picking up all the clutter from around your home.

Clear off your kitchen counters, pick up the toys or go tidy up your drop zone.

Put everything back where it belongs.

By just clearing all the clutter makes a home look cleaner and more put together.

Related: 14 Habits Of An Organized Mom

4 – If It Is Not Dirty Do Not Clean It

Just as I said about your to do list. Be realistic here.

Do you need to vacuum your whole house, no. There are rooms that are just fine the way they are.

Only focus on the area’s of your home that need to be picked up or cleaned.

If you are speed cleaning because you only have 30 minutes, spend that time on areas that actually need it the most.

If a bathroom in your home is basically clean, then leave it alone and move on to another area that needs your attnetion.

5 – Follow A Weekly Cleaning Routine

By following a regular weekly cleaning routine you will see all the difference in your home.

You will spend so much less time cleaning when you get into the habit of making sure things get cleaned when they need to.

Weekly Cleaning Schedule Printable

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6 – Set A Timer

They call it speed cleaning for a reason, we need to be speedy here.

Set that timer on your phone and only use the time you have set.

Try to beat the clock.

When the timer goes off, call it done.

Once you get into speed cleaning regularly you will get faster once you develop a routine with it.

This will allow you to add other tasks to your to do list eventually.

7 – Spot Clean

There is no need to clean every area in your home when you are speed cleaning.

Spot clean places like mirrors and counters. Only focus on the toothpaste your child squirted all over the place.

Or, that whatever it is on the kitchen counter.

Vacuum or mop the areas that really need it.

Your goal here is just to freshen up the space not actually deep clean it.

Save the deeper clean for your weekly cleaning schedule.

8 – Clean Out The Kitchen Sink and Make It Shine

There is something about a shiny sink. One that is not full of dirty dishes, it will instantly make your kitchen look clean.

This task should only take a few minutes and it makes a world of difference.

Load up your dishwasher or hand wash all those dirty dishes.

Then give your sink a quick wipe down to make it shiny.

A simple swish of dish soap and a microfiber cloth will do.

9 – Use A Multi-surface Cleaner

Using a multi-surface cleaner is your best bet, especially when speed cleaning.

I recommend having a caddy with all my cleaning supplies when I clean normally, but here there is no time for that.

Grab yourself a microfiber cloth and a good multi-surface cleaner to spot clean any area you need.

I am loving the Method brand for my cleaners!

So what does my speed cleaning routine look like?

Since my weekly cleaning routine is done mainly on the weekdays, speed cleaning is left for the weekend.

The time I have really varies depending on what we have going on. But I usually have a solid hour to speed clean.

Kitchen – 10 minutes

Load the dishwasher
Clean my sink
Spot clean the counters
Wipe off the refrigerator door handles
Vacuum up the cat food area

Living Rooms & Front Hall Way – 10 minutes

Pick up any kids items
Fix the couch cushions
Straighten the shoes
Vacuum the front door rug

Bedroom – 5 minutes

Make the bed
Pick up anything that does not belong and return it to where it goes

Bathroom – 10 minutes

Pick up dirty towels – usually found in my kids bathrooms
Spot clean sinks and mirrors
Fix hand towels

My Office – 15 – 20 minutes

My office seems to be the dumping grounds for everyone in my house.

Since I like to start of Monday’s with a clean slate in my office most of my speed cleaning is focused in my office.

Go through paperwork
Clear off desks
File anything that needs to be filed
Clean up crafting items or anything that does not belong

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Tricks To Keep Your House Clean

02/26/2019 By Jenn 2 Comments

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Want to know how to keep your house clean every day?

Habits…

That’s right!

By creating good habits you can keep your house clean!

Tricks To Keep Your House Clean all the time when you are a busy mom

And it is simpler than you think.

Housekeeping does not have to be a dreaded chore!

Here are 10 tricks to keep your home clean with minimal effort.

1 – Make Your Bed

To some people making their bed everyday seems like a waste of time but it makes all the difference.

It really takes all but a few minutes to make your bed each morning.

Just by making your bed it will start your day off right and you will feel more productive!

Get your kids in this habit too!

To make things easier, simpilfy your bedding.

For us, no one uses a top sheet. I found that it winds up bunched up every night anyway.

So each morning all I do is straighten the bottom sheet. Throw the comforters and pillows on top nicely and in no time it feels like a comfortable space.

2 – Establish Good Cleaning Routines

A great way to keep your house clean is to establish cleaning routines that will put your home on autopilot.

Part of my nightly routine is cleaning my kitchen. I wake up every morning to a nice shiny kitchen and a jump start to my day.

It makes each morning so much easier!

When you break up things into smaller chunks keeping your home clean will seem like a less daunting task.

This goes with my weekly cleaning routine.

Weekly Cleaning Schedule Printable

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I break up my days into smaller sections of my house.

But by having regular morning and night cleaning routines, my weekly cleaning schedule is a breeze.

3 – Do A Load Of Laundry Every Day

Laundry is my least favorite house chore.

With a family of 5 the laundry seems never ending. So to stay on top of it, do a load of laundry each day.

Make that one load of laundry a priority so you can fully wash, dry and put it away before you go to bed.

If you have a delay on your washing machine use it to your advantage.

I try to set mine up the night before. I will set the delay for about an hour before I wake up. That way I can switch it to the dryer first thing in the morning.

If that does not work for you set it for when you come home after work. That way you can switch it over and get it put away the same day.

4 – Don’t Let Things Pile Up

Tackle the clutter to keep your house clean.

Junk mail, school papers or just clutter. Take care of those items right away.

Try to make it a habit by going through everything when you receive it.

The little time each day it takes you to go through things the less it will pile up and become overwhelming.

5 – Put Everything Away After You Use Them

This is an obvious trick to some but I think many do not follow through here.

Putting things away as you go will ensure for a tidy home.

After you come home put your shoes away where they belong. Or when you get undressed every night make sure your clothes go into the hamper instead of on the floor.

Same thing goes for my kids make a drop zone for them for their backpacks and school items. As soon as they walk into the door make sure the items go where they need to.

6 – Do Not Wear Shoes In Your House

The easiest way to keep your house clean, leave your shoes at the door.

I have a no shoes rule in my house for many reasons. But, the main reason is dirt.

Shoes will tend to track in a lot of dirt.

I have shoe mats at each door for my whole family that way the dirt is contained and I just have to keep up with that area.

Plus, my hardwood floors show everything so I have to mop less often when no one wears shoes in my house.

7 – Clean As You Go

Again, this may be an obvious one but not to some.

Cleaning as you go saves you so much time!

I do this a lot when I am cooking dinner each night.

Then, I will start to clean one area of my kitchen that I know is no longer needed as I cook.

I load the dishes as I am cooking into the dishwasher.

Same thing with just walking through my house.

When I walk into a room and see something that does not belong I will grab it and put it away.

8 – Keep Your Sink Empty

Keep your house clean by having a shiny sink.

Make it a habit to keep your kitchen sink clean and empty at all times.

I have gotten into the habit of unloading my dishwasher right before bed. That way I can start my day loading breakfast dishes right away.

Grab A Free To Do List Printable

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If you do not have the time at night to unload it, make sure that is one of the first things you do each morning.

By taking care of dirty dishes as they happen will create less mess and work by scrubbing caked on food later.

9 – Know When It Is Good Enough

Your home is never going to be spotless.

I am a perfectionist so this one is a little hard for me.

I chose to focus on the little things each day to make it good enough.

And, I am okay with that!

Your goal here is not to have a spotless home it is just to keep things flowing and to prevent overwhelem.

Not everything needs to be deep cleaned every day or even every month.

Focus on just maintaining areas so when you are ready to deep clean its more managable.

10 – Invest In The Right Tools

Tools to keep your house clean is a very important tip.

Try to find an all purpose cleaner you love. One that will clean almost every surface in your home.

The fewer products you have the more space you’ll gain in your cleaning tote and cleaning will take a shorter amount of time.

I highly suggest looking into a automatic vacuum if you can.

It’s one less task you will have to keep up with. If you have little kids this is a dream!

I would run mine after each meal just in my dining room when they were little.

It freed up time each day constantly sweeping up crumbs.

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14 Habits of An Organized Mom

02/19/2019 By Jenn 1 Comment

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Ah, the organized mom!

Do you know that mom that looks like she has it all together? The mom at parent drop off that looks like she had the most peaceful morning getting everyone ready for school…

She looks like she got plenty of sleep the night before…

She looks like super mom running her home, volunteering at school and has a career on top of that.

Well, no one has it all together!

But these moms have a secret – they are a highly organized mom.

Are you an overwhelmed mom trying to keep up? You can become an organized mom with these simple habits that will change your life and be more productive with less stress.

We are stretched so thin these days that being an organized mom and staying one step ahead of the game is key!

These organized moms have developed amazing simple habits that are easy to follow but make all the difference.

Here are 14 Habits of An Organized Mom to help make mom life a whole lot easier!

1 – Create Routines

I’ll start with my favorite organized mom habit!

Routines..

I love my routines and I use them a ton in my day to day life.

When you set routines in your day to day life it takes the guess work out of what comes next.

Children thrive on routines but so do moms!

Having good routines for yourself can and will make you more productive, less stressed and a more organized mom overall.

Just take a look at my weekly cleaning routine.

Weekly Cleaning Schedule Printable

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It takes the guess work out of what to do, where to start and by the end of the week your home is clean in less than an hour a day.

Be sure to check out all of my posts on various routines:

2 – Make To Do Lists

Organized moms have a plan.

By having a to do list every day helps you clear out your mind.

There is just something that feels good about writing down all the things you have to do.

And, being able to cross it off as you complete each task.

Organized mom secret to make a to-do list but make it attainable!

If you make a daily to do list make sure you can complete it today.

No one wants to set themselves up for failure. So when you sit down writing all the things you need to get done make sure you can complete those tasks.

Grab A Free To Do List Printable

Getting it done one day at a time with this free to do list printable. Sign up below for your downloadable copy.

3 – Meal Plan

Meal planning has saved me tons of time and money.

If you are new to meal planning you can start by just planning out a week at a time.

If a monthly schedule works better by all means go ahead and plan it out.

Figure out what works for you and your family.

By having a meal plan each week it takes the guess work of what’s for dinner?

You already have a plan written out!

Related: Free Meal Planning Printable

Sit down each week and go over your schedule. Those busy nights plan to make a quick meal or something you can throw into your slowcooker.

It takes very little time to plan and you will find your weeks run so much smoother when you have meals planned out for you according to your schedule.

4 – Wake Up A Little Earlier

Now I know what you are thinking.

My kids get up too early, there is no way I can get up any earlier.

However, by getting up just 15 minutes before your house can do wonders for your day.

Take that time to get a quick shower, or plan your to do list.

This allows you some time to think before the busy mornings happen.

5 – Nail Down A Night Time Routine For You and Your Family

Night routines are probably the most important routine an organized mom uses.

Get your house completely ready for the next morning is the goal here.

Things to include are:

Making kids lunches for the next day
Making sure their backpacks are ready to go
Picking out everyone’s clothes, including yours
Make sure you have the things you need for work ready

6 – Do A Load Of Laundry A Day

No more piles of dirty clothes and over flowing hampers.

Once you create a one load of laundry a day policy you will never spend hours doing laundry again.

I throw in a load of laundry each night before I go to bed. Then I set it to an automatic start for about an hour before I wake up.

Once I am up that morning I switch it over into the dryer and it is dry before I even leave the house in the morning.

You can fold it and put it away later.

A simple routine that organized moms swear by.

7 – Create A Command Center

A command center is an organized mom ultimate successful trick.

Having everything you need right there so all of your family knows what is going on.

Things to include in a command center are:

Dry erase monthly calendar – write down kid’s activities, meetings and appointments.
Weekly meal plan – every one knows whats for dinner that night
Chore charts – laminated chore charts so your kids can help
Important papers – school calendars, party invitations etc.

Related: Free Printable Chore Chart

8 – Batch Your Errands

Try to designate one day a week to running errands if you can.

By batching your errands all into one day saves you time, money on gas and having to quickly run out on days that are busy.

The best habit of an organized mom is to make the most out of the time you have.

9 – Grocery Shop Less

Make one weekly trip to the grocery store.

Plan your list each week with your meal plan and get everything you need that week in one trip.

If your grocery store offers grocery pick up, try it!

I do this in the summer and let me tell you not only do I save time but sanity.

Is it just my kids or do yours hate going to the grocery store?

This is a battle I choose not to fight so I order my groceries online during the summer.

10 – Declutter Regularly

Clutter can be very overwhelming to deal with if you allow it to pile up.

An organized mom will tell you the more clutter you have the more overwhelming it can be.

Go through things regularly such as kids clothing and household items you no longer need.

Paper clutter too!

Toss junk mail, coupons that have expired and old receipts the second you can.

11 – Meal Prep

Prep anything you can on your grocery shopping day or on a day that works for you.

Wash your fruits, cut your veggies anything you can prep ahead of time is a win for every organized mom.

Go through your meal plan for that week and see if anything can be prepped before hand saving you even more time during the week.

12 – Create A Drop Zone

The key to being an organized mom is to have simple systems in place.

Like the command center you should also have a drop zone.

A place where backpacks go, keys, shoes, your purse.

Anything that you need to walk out of the house with should all be in one centralized location for easy access.

13 – Set Deadlines

By setting deadlines for yourself you will more likely to make your task a priority.

But, just like your to do list keep it realistic.

Break up bigger goals into smaller chunks.

An organized mom will tell you by working towards a goal little by little and setting a deadline to get it finished is the key to successfully getting it done.

14 – Plan Your Week Every Sunday

This is so important to set yourself up for a successful week and hit the ground running on Monday.

Take some time each Sunday to write out everything you need to do, places you need to be and everything in between for the week ahead.

So you see being an organized mom is just planning ahead. Taking a few minutes each day to get things done.

Are there any organized mom habits you have? I’d love to know in the comments.

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Are you an overwhelmed mom trying to keep up? You can become an organized mom with these simple habits

How To Create A Morning Cleaning Routine

02/12/2019 By Jenn 2 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the full disclosure.

This week we are going to talk about how to develop a simple morning cleaning routine that works!

Ya’ll know how much I love my daily routines, it truly has changed the game for me as a mom.

No matter what season I am in, my household thrives on daily routines and that includes a simple morning cleaning routine.

simple morning cleaning routine that will set the tone for a productive day as a busy mom.

House chores do not need to take a lot of time or effort.

The purpose of daily routines is to create a calmer less stressed environment for you and your kids. Allowing you to spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your family.

Weekly Cleaning Schedule Printable

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But the house chores still need to get done, right?

Finding your simple morning cleaning routine could work wonders for your day.

Once you delevop the habit of routines they become second nature and it will allow you to create this sense of acomplishment during your day.

You will feel more productive.

It can set the tone for the whole house.

I’ve noticed this with my own kids. When they see mom working on her morning cleaning routine they have become more helpful in the morning.

So what does a simple morning cleaning routine look like?

Just like I explained last week with your nightly cleaning routine, take a look at the time you have in the morning.

I personally like to get up a few minutes before my kids this way I can get my face washed and get dressed before they even wake up.

That extra 20 minutes or so really works well for me and I do not feel rushed.

The focus on a morning cleaning routine should be your bedrooms and bathrooms.

But again you find what works best for your family, if you need those extra 20 minutes of sleep you do you mama. We’ve all been there!

The key to a successful morning cleaning routine starts the night before.

I can not stress this enough!

You have a sparkling kitchen and living room when you wake up, thanks to your nightly cleaning routine.

This will allow some extra time for you in the mornings to focus on your bedrooms and bathrooms.

When you are first getting into the swing of a morning cleaning routine make a quick to do list.

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Figure out how much time you have and write down the things you would like to get done before heading out the door.

If you can not get everything done it is okay to tweek it.

Pick the important spots and work on those each morning. Again, this is not a deep clean. You are basically doing a quick tidy of your home.

Doing these little tasks each morning the deep cleaning will become so much easier as well!

In my house, my morning cleaning routine starts after I have gotten dressed and my face is washed. Sometimes if I am extra ambicious and woke up a little earlier I will quickly do my hair or makeup.

By that time my kids are up and getting ready for school.

Here is an idea of what my morning cleaning routine looks like for some ideas.

My Morning Cleaning Routine

1 – Start A Load Of Laundry

The first thing I do is throw in a load of laundry each and every morning. Sometimes I will even throw it in the night before and set the timer for it so it is ready to be switched over when I wake up.

Either way when I start with a load of laundry first thing I know I can have it put away by that day.

This really depends on the day for me but I always do one load of laundry a day to keep it from piling up.

2 – Making Beds

You will rarely walk into my home without my bed being made.

This is a habit I developed when I had my daughter over 10 years ago.

It truly is such a simple task and makes me feel like on the days where I do not have it all together I can go to my room with a nice fresh space to lay for a few minutes.

I do this for all my kids as well.

Sometimes they make their own beds, sometimes they don’t. It really depends on the day but before we all leave for the day all of our beds are made.

To make everyone’s bed during my morning cleaning routine it takes me about 10 minutes.

It’s a simple task that makes all the difference.

3 – Wipe Bathroom Sinks

After everyone is done in the bathrooms I quickly go through each one with a Lysol wipe.

I just find a Lysol wipe is quick and easy for the mornings.

And I only use one each morning.

I will do a quick wipe of all the bathroom sinks to get all the toothpaste and things removed.

4 – Unload The Dishwasher

I really try to unload my dishwasher the night before. It is usually the very last thing I do before I go to bed.

But if I did not get to it, I’ll unload this in the morning while my kids are eating breakfast.

5 – Picking Up and Clutter

While I am making beds and going through bathrooms I straighten any area I can.

My kids will always put their dirty clothes in the hamper. I will straighten towels, hand new ones if needed or put random toys back where they belong.

This is a true joint effort from everyone in our morning cleaning routine.

Stricty staying to the bedrooms and bathrooms here.

If you see something that does not belong put it where it goes, simple yet effective.

An effective morning cleaning routine can help in so many ways when it comes to maintaining your home.

These are basic tasks you can do each morning that really only take a half hour. And it can save you time for your weekly cleaning tasks since everything is already “tidy”.

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If you are a visual kinda mom like me here is a daily routine printable to help you!

Daily routine printable to create night routines and morning routines

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How To Create A Nightly Cleaning Routine

02/05/2019 By Jenn Leave a Comment

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A nightly cleaning routine is something I have had for years.

Even when I had little kids there was something about creating routines that just made me at peace.

I felt calmer not having to think what do I do next. It starts to become a habit.

How to create a successful nightly cleaning routine for a stress free morning.

Which means less stress of trying to keep up with everything.

This is especially important when taking care of your home.

We momma’s, do not have time for long weekly cleaning routines, am I right? So by tackling a little every day with cleaning routines can save you so much time and energy!

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When creating a nightly cleaning routine the goal is to set yourself up for sucess the following day.

Take a look at the time you have each night. For me I dedicate about 30 – 45 minutes each night.

Try to set aside the time each night to create a nightly cleaning routine that works for your family.

My children are at the age where they can help me, but if your kids are little you can try to take on your nightly cleaning routine after they are in bed.

Again the goal here is to wake up to a cleaner home so you are not overwhelmed the second you wake up.

Once you get into a nightly cleaning routine your home feels and looks better with very minimal effort.

The secret to maintaining a cleaning looking home at all times is to do a little each day.

I look at it like this. Most of us have a skincare routine, right? So this is the same thing just for your home.

I’m sure your skincare routine has become second nature by now. Take your makeup off, wash your face and apply your mosturizers and serums.

You are taking care of your skin each day so why not take 30 minutes each night for your home.

A nightly cleaning routine or anything cleaning routine for that matter will eventually eliminate the overwhelming tasks.

Since I have started creating little cleaning routines, I never have to “deep clean” much in my home.

I have more time to spend with my family and I am not spending all day cleaning my house.

So what does a nightly cleaning routine look like?

It could be anything that works for your family, however you really want to focus on your kitchen every night.

With as much time as a family spends in the kitchen each day this is the spot you want to wake up to clean.

I know I do not want to come down to make my coffee first thing to a dirty kitchen.

It will get me sidetracked if I find myself having to clean the dirty dishes from last nights dinner while I am trying to get my kids ready for school.

You have to try to see what you can get done each night that works for your family but I promise you creating a nightly cleaning routine works!

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If you have to make a to do list for your nightly cleaning routine.

Set a timer and see what you can actually get done in the time you have.

From there you can see what you got done and what tasks are important. Keep in mind this is not a deep clean but more like a tidy up make me feel good routine.

You are just looking to maintain the areas of your home so it does not pile up and become overwhelming.

In my house our nightly cleaning routine starts right after dinner most of the time. Since I focus on the kitchen, I like to get that done so I can move on to making sure my kids have their school paperwork signed, backpacks ready, clothes picked out and plenty of cuddling and bedtime reading.

I’ll break down extactly what I do for you for some ideas.

My Nightly Cleaning Routine:

1 – Leftovers and Dishes

I gather up all the leftovers from dinner into containers. While I am doing that, my kids clear their own plates and put them into the dishwasher or the sink if they need to be rinsed.

I tend to clean up as I cook so most of the items I use are already in the dishwasher. But the pots and pans I pile into the sink after I am done with putting all of the leftovers into the fridge.

** Side Note – Before I move into step 2 I make my kids lunches for the next day. I like to do this before I clean off the counters since I already have dirty counters.

I know this is not a cleaning task but it is part of my nightly cleaning routine.

2 – Counters and Surfaces

From here I spray and wipe everything down. This includes my kitchen counters, stove, table and chairs.

Keep in mind this is a quick wipe just to get the crumbs and spills.

I am loving the Method line to clean my home lately! The almond wood cleaner for my table smells AH-mazing!

3 – Load the Dishwasher and Clean The Sink

Any dishes that are left in the sink gets loaded into the dishwasher. If I need to hand wash any dishes I will do this too.

By this time my dishwasher is pretty full but I always run it each night even when it is not so I start off with a cleared out dishwasher the next day.

If I did not run it every day, dishes pile up into my sink and I try to stick to my nightly cleaning routine.

This is where I have time and if I was unloading the dishwasher let’s say at 5 o clock when I am making dinner it really does throw me off.

I will scrub the sink with hot soapy water and run my garbage disposal.

I like to run the garbage disposal each night with hot water to make sure everything is completely gone and it keeps it from building up.

4 – Floors

I will sweep up the crumbs and spot mop where I have to.

Most of the time this is basically around Garfield our cats bowls. He tends to make more of a mess with his food than my kids.

If there are any sticky spots I’ll quickly mop that.

5 – Take Out The Trash

This is part of my husbands nightly cleaning routine. He will take out the trash after I am basically done with the kitchen.

6 – Swap Dish Towels

I like to clear all the dish towels from the day to be washed and replace them with new ones for the next day.

7 – Pick up and Clutter

My kids and husband are in charge of this task.

They will pick up any toys or items that are around the house and put it where it belongs.

My nightly cleaning routine is pretty basic. It truly sets me up for the next day which is the goal.

PIN ME:

If you are a visual kinda mom like me here is a daily routine printable to help you!

Download My Daily Routine Printable

Printable Guidelines:

Thank you for your interest in these printables!

How To Save and Print:

Click the actual image or the link noted to open it as a PDF. From there you can download and print free of charge.

When saving these printables you are agreeing to the terms below.

You may not use these to copy or sell to make a profit. You can not alter any free printable that you download from this site. Do not modify and pass off as your own.

Sharing:

I love when other readers share my free printables. Feel free to use (1) one image per post and it must contain a link back to my original post. You can resize the image to fit your needs.

I’d love to be tagged in any social media post when using my printables in any way.

Thank you!