Do you find yourself laying down for bed and wondering where your night went? Do you feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the evening? Well, you are not alone. Since we moved, I found myself asking these questions each night and I decided it was time for a change. There is no better time than right now to simplify your life and create a night time routine that is perfect for your family. Our life is far from perfect, sometimes are nights are crazy, but these little tricks have really helped us live more intentionally. It is so easy to just let your night-time routine happen. But the more you plan your night, the more you will be in control of your time. And we can all use more time… right? Here are 5 Ways To Simplify Your Night:
Daydream
Yes, daydream. What does your ideal evening look like? Does it involve family time, a movie, preparing for the next day, or maybe even you time? Decide what is important to you and your family. This is going to be different for everyone. I know for us, we have a bedtime routine with the kids that is important to us and we like to have time to watch our shows together after the kids go to bed. These are two non-negotiable for us. You can’t simplify if you don’t decide what is important to you, so this step is vital to success.
Meal Plan
The next way to simplify your night is to meal plan. I know some people follow a strict meal plan for the week or maybe even the month, but our family has a flexible meal plan. By creating a meal plan, this can give you so much more time in your night. No more running to the store because you are out of something or spending an hour deciding what to cook for dinner. I highly recommend using Kroger ClickList. This tool makes grocery shopping and meal planning so simple. You simply add all your items to your cart online and schedule a pick up time. Kroger will then bring your groceries right to your car. I love this service because not only does it make your mom life easier, but it also saves your lists and most used items in your account for easy access when adding to your cart.
Choose Simple
Choose simple throughout your night. Start by choosing simple meals. This is huge for us. I have a balance of simple meals and more complex meals in our week. One of our favorite meals is Red Baron® pizza. We tend to buy a mix of Red Baron® Thin & Crispy Pizza and Red Baron® Brick Oven Pizza. Our whole family loves the way they taste and this mama loves how convenient they are for our night. You just put them right in your oven and they come out so crispy and perfect. Red Baron truly understands what its like to be a mom today. Meet the Baroness: The Baroness is a mom who may not always do things by the book, but she does get the job done to ensure her family is well taken care of. She’s a mom in the real world, and is proud to be perfectly imperfect. Red Baron is all about creating a simple, mealtime solution that everyone will enjoy.
Create a Schedule
You can write out your schedule for a few days/weeks and then, it will become second nature. We like to include a fun activity for the night like going on a walk, heading to the park, have a pizza night dance party, or watching tv. We also like to include “us time” after Brooke goes to bed. Some nights, I may be finishing up a blog project or Kevin might be preparing for school the next day. But, we use the following schedule most days.
- 5:00pm: Kevin home, Change, Relax and Play with kids
- 6:00pm: Begin Dinner Prep and Eat
- 7:00pm: Play with Kids, Go for a walk/watch TV
- 8:00pm: Start bedtime routine
- 8:30pm: Brooke goes to Bed
- 8:45pm: Clean Up House, Finish To Do List
- 9:30pm: Mommy and Daddy Time – Watch TV, Talk
- 10:30pm: Baby Kevin goes to Bed
- 11:30pm: Our Bedtime (hopefully)
Reset for Tomorrow
One of the most important things in my “simplify” plan is PLANNING! I like to reset at night and make sure we are prepared for the next day. I look at my planner, see what is coming, plan out our day and make sure we have everything we need. This really helps our day go much smoother.
I hope that all of these tips are super helpful for you to simplify your night. If not, I hope I at least got you hungry for a fun pizza night dance party! What is your favorite type of Red Baron pizza? Leave a comment below and be sure to grab your Red Baron Coupon for your next Kroger trip!
Carolann
Yum! The best thing that I can do for myself in the evening is mentally prepare myself for the next day. I look at my planner and get whatever I need to organized so that the morning is smooth.