How Sunday Sets Up Our Week
There was a time when every single day started with the same question: what am I cooking today? And then I cooked it. Every single day.
Lunches would come back home untouched because nobody wanted what I’d packed. Food went to waste because I was overbuying, never quite sure what we already had.
Now I go into the week feeling like the main things are sorted. The food, the laundry, the house, the plan. And because they are sorted, I get to focus on my own things.
People call this a Sunday reset. I don’t, really. I’m not even sure what I’d call it. It’s just what Sundays look like in our home.
I like systems. They keep my mind clear. And I’ve always been big on the girls having stability. When there’s a rhythm, everyone knows what to expect and where they stand.
It starts at the end of the month
Before Sunday even comes into it, there’s the monthly meal plan. At the end of each month we sit down as a family and plan the next one. Over the years we’ve built up a long list of foods we all like, so it’s less about coming up with ideas and more about choosing from what we already know works.
Then every Friday I do the groceries for the week ahead, based on that week’s plan. But before anything goes on the list, we do an inventory first, so we’re not buying what we already have.
Lunches, sorted
On Sunday the lunch protein gets marinated, cooked and divided into individual tubs in the fridge. It’s usually chicken breast.
Then each person takes it however they like. Some make salads, some make sandwiches, some make rice bowls. They prep their own. I just make sure the main part is ready. And lunches don’t come back home anymore.
A shelf just for fruit
Fruit has its own shelf in the fridge, in different containers. We buy from the market and get what everybody likes. And we don’t restock until it’s all eaten.
Three meals, four days
On Sunday I cook three meals, fully or mostly. Usually one veg, one seafood and one chicken or meat. Those three carry the family from Monday to Thursday.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday are our weekend, and food looks different. Friday is a fakeaway, or sometimes a takeaway or a meal out. Saturday is a big roast or one pot. And on Sunday, everyone makes what they want while we get everything else done.
The rest of the house
Everyone puts their own laundry away. It sounds small, but it means nobody is looking for things in the middle of the week.
Everyone also has weekly chores, and they’re focused on the high-traffic areas: the living spaces, the kitchen and the prayer room. I honestly can’t remember how long chores have been part of our home. Long enough that there’s no pushback. It’s just how things are.
And the kitchen gets a deep clean. Everything is wiped down properly, appliances included, so we start the week with a kitchen that feels fresh.
Planning my week
Once the house and the food are sorted, I sit down and plan my own week.
My hifdh review. My Quran study. My personal goals. Content. Activities. Social meet-ups. All of it gets a place before Monday arrives.
This is the part that makes the rest worth it. Because the main things at home are already handled, my week can actually be about these things.
Brunch and the real conversations
Sunday is our family brunch, and that’s where we talk about everyone’s weeks.
Saturday is usually the day everyone goes out, whether that’s all of us together as a family or the girls with their friends. So by Sunday, everyone is rested. That matters. In the week, everyone’s too tired to think objectively about their life. On a Sunday, they can actually step back and look at it.
This is also when we talk about the girls’ hifdh. They’ve done their weekly review, I test them on it, and we talk about how they feel it went. Not just the mistakes, but how they’re finding it.
What Sunday gives us
By the end of Sunday, the main things are sorted. The fridge is ready, the house is in order, the week is planned, and we’ve actually talked on a deeper level.
That’s what lets the rest of the week be about everything else.
