Our night routine is something I have to gear myself up for every single night. With 5 kids – there’s really no night that’s the same. I constantly need to make sure we’re prepped and ready for the full day ahead (or in this case, the week!). Every Sunday night I take the time to clean and prep and do everything I need to do to make my Monday morning easier for me and my husband. I’ve learned that everything I do ahead of time is the best way to run a crazy Monday morning.

Night Routine with 5 Kids

I’ve often joked with my husband that I feel like I’m the only one running around like a chicken with their head cut off on Sunday nights. My husband is usually so chill and relaxed and I’m running around with a running list in my head of all the things that I need to do. I always feel like I’m on auto pilot on Sunday nights, but the truth is – I’ve done it so much that I just sort of know what needs to get done. My night routine is something that I could (literally) do blindfolded (sad, but true).

This is usually what is running through my head on a Sunday night starting around 5PM:

1) Clean the bathrooms (I love to kick off the week with extra clean bathrooms)

2) Make sure the laundry is all caught up. It’s something that seems to get pushed to the weekend and it’s not always the best thing to do, but it’s time that I have to actually do it.

3) Organize the living room and put away toys and blankets and anything else that is “hanging out” where it should’ve be hanging.

4) Match the socks (although you’ll see that it’s something I personally hate more than anything to do!).

5) Make sure everyone is bathed and clean for the night (including myself!).

6) Start prepping the lunches for the next day. Make sure all the lunch bags are ready and out. Start on the items that can be packed the night before. Start thinking about the items to be added in the morning.

7) Read books for bedtime.

8) Relax and put my feet up for about 30 minutes. It’s time that I need to just BE and enjoy the moment without worrying about getting anything else done in the meantime.

I thought it would be fun to create a video of our night in action. I wanted to prove that it actually is a crazy night. I’m always joking with my husband that I feel like we need to have a reality show. Just when I think I’ve got this parenting thing down to a science, something happens and it shakes my ground! I love this about being a mom. Every single moment is a new one. You just need to laugh and roll with it, even on the tough days!

After watching this video – I find myself laughing that Victoria seems to be the ONLY one out of the bunch that actually helps me with the laundry and the items that need to get done and checked off my list. She’s also mad real and is so funny! She’s my little sidekick and I adore having her every night routine because she keeps me on my toes! She also thinks it’s adorable to be on me about making sure the brothers actually DO HELP OUT TOO!

How can you make your night routine a little easier? There are ways to make sure you’re doing what you can to make your night that much more seamless. I’m all about learning and sharing because that’s how we grow, right?

I need to start doing these 3 tips a little bit better. I try my hardest, but it’s not always a win for me. It’s something I’m determined to make sure I stay on top of for myself and my family. Love to see if these 3 tips work for you! Again – I need to get myself back on track with these, too.

1. Assign jobs on Sunday morning for everyone. The thing that kills me is the boys usually are good for saying, “I didn’t know you needed me to do that!” And then I end up getting annoyed. If everyone has their own set list the day of, they will know exactly what is expected and will get it done. If they want to wait till the end of the day – so  be it – as long as it’s done.
2. Push some of “my” duties over on Saturday. I hate running around on Sunday. I really want to make sure my Sundays are family days, not just chore days. My night routine with the kids shouldn’t be a full night of cleaning and I know if I push those things out and delegate – it would be a lot better on all of us!
3. Make bedtime an hour earlier. If everyone knows that their bedtime is an hour earlier than expected, it will make it easier on me to get everyone up and moving. Right now their bedtime is around 9:30PM, if I make it around 8:30PM then at least by 9:30PM they might be sleeping. Whenever I head upstairs around 9:30PM everyone is wide awake. The end up not falling asleep until around 11PM, which is WAY TOO late! It’s something that I know I need to get better at with them all!

Make sure you check out my YouTube channel that brings you through all of our family’s activities and why we crave (and need) an easy night routine for ourselves! I hope you enjoy our videos! I have so much fun making them for everyone! I love looking back and seeing them all, too!

Looking for an easy breakfast?

Make these yummy Breakfast Quesadillas

Looking for an easy Cleaning Schedule?

Here’s a Spring Cleaning Schedule Checklist

I know that everyone’s routines are different, feel free to share what you do and what you don’t do on Sunday nights! We’re all in this parenting thing together, so I love seeing what others do with their families!