From Chaos to Calm: My Sacred Approach to Weekly PlanninG

Discover how to transform your week from chaos to calm with my sacred approach to intentional weekly planning. Simple, soulful strategies for busy moms to create ease, flow, and balance.

Moving from a place of stress and chaos to ease and calm isn’t as hard and overwhelming as you may think. In fact, simply beginning to shift the idea or belief that “life is always so stressful” to “I am creating space for intention and ease” is one of the simplest things you can do to start to experience a more balanced life. And you can start to do this NOW, yep, in THIS very moment. 

Today I am sharing my super simple, and dare I say magickal, practices for creating more intention, ease and fun! And I know when I feel more grounded and calm I can show up with presence and patience for my family and that is the greatest gift we can give our children. Let’s dive in. 

One intentional moment is all it takes to create a life of intention

Before we get started, I invite you to take a deep breath in…..and exhale. Our breath always brings us into presence and it is our connection to all that is. 

As you read through this article I want to invite you to see what arises within YOU! I am laying out what works for me and yet this is not a formula that must be matched verbatim. If you think it will work for you, great, but also please be open to adjusting it to work best for you and your family. Trust your own intuition. That is always the secret sauce! 

Create a plan, with intention

I used to be the person who always planned and in that planning was always thinking about the plan, and even overthinking. Yet what I realized is that in doing this I never actually DID the things I said I would. I wasn’t showing up for myself. I was actually getting enough of a dopamine hit in the planning that when it came time to take “action” i felt…exhausted! 

So, I stopped planning! I became the person who relished in being a free spirit, living fully in the moment. But as a mom of two young kids, this didn’t totally work either. I felt unprepared and unorganized and that made me feel overwhelmed and…exhausted!

But then I figured it out. I came to understand the real balance. The balance of doing and being. The balance of the masculine and the feminine. The understanding that it all lies within and we can access this through our own inner connection, our connection to Spirit, that is always there because it IS IN US. 

And anytime you sit down with intention and presence, you connect to the Sacred. And this is the magick. This is where all things are possible. Practice this connection as often as possible as you move through the day and your life WILL change for the better. 

OK, so how do you do this? 

Again, space, presence, intention. 

My goal is to be the best mom I can be. My goal is to feel more grounded and calm so that my kids feel grounded and calm. My goal is to feel intentional, not rushed. 

I am not reinventing the wheel. I am simply CHOOSING to move with intention. CHOOSING to connect to the Sacred at all times. 

I sit down with a paper calendar and plan for THREE things: 

The year - Putting vacations, bigger events, travel, school holidays, etc. for the entire year onto the calendar. I also include full moons and new moons! 

The month - As far out as I can see, I go month by month adding in sports activities, games, practices, lessons, school events, birthday parties, etc. This is also a great time to INTENTIONALLY schedule time for fun. It is so easy to simply get wrapped up in the business of life so schedule time for those moments you love with your family. Maybe it’s Friday night movie nights or picnics in the park, weekend hikes, etc. Just add them in so you make them happen. Those moments matter. 

The week - Keep reading - this is what this post will focus on! 

Intention is experienced in the day to day moments. 

Before I even begin to think about my week ahead I think about how I want to feel. I think about what areas of life feel stressful or chaotic. I think about what’s working and what’s not working. What’s frustrating me or driving me crazy! I think about what areas I simply want to focus on adding more intention. 

Again, this will look differently for each and everyone of us so take a moment to do this exercise. You can try journaling on this which may help shed some light on things you didn’t quite notice fully before. 

My intentions are: 

1. Simply FEELING organized and intentional even in the fullness of our schedules and activities

2. Prioritizing healthier meals and snacks especially when we are on the go

3. Being more intentional with meal planning and grocery shopping so that less food is wasted and we save more money on our grocery buying 

4. Feeling calm and grounded so I can be present and patient with my kids especially during the fullness of this season

5. Prioritizing quality family time and creating simple, special moments at home 

🕯️ ☕✨ This is the fun part!

I have found that creating space and time to PLAN with and for intention, is a power, simple and highly under utilised tool. 

Again, make this time SACRED for you. This is where the magick is. 

This is what this looks like for me: 

Friday mornings - I wake up a little earlier when the house is still quiet. I am fully present and in so much gratitude for a new day. I pour a piping hot cup of coffee with a sprinkle of cinnamon and splash of cashew milk. 

Light a candle. Breathe. Get out my paper calendar, I’m old school in this way and I find it is a more grounded process than being on my phone with a digital calendar (though I have that as well). 

Look at the week ahead. 

I look at what’s going on. I look at what days are the fullest. And this is the most important piece, I take a moment to go through the week in my head. This is second nature to me now so I can do it very quickly, but in taking a few moments to walk through the week I can be thinking about how kids are getting to activities, the space between activities, what needs to happen before activities, etc. 

And this is crucial because by doing this NOW, in this moment, I get it off of my mind and I no longer carry the weight of thinking about the “to-dos” constantly. I simply let it go! And that frees me and it is what allows me to show up with presence and calm instead of overwhelm. We think that by constantly thinking and controlling and overthinking that we somehow are more prepared but this is simply not true and it is proven to be ineffective when you talk to moms all over the country who are trying to hold it all together but are overwhelmed and exhausted and feeling the exact opposite of what they are trying so hard to feel! 

Now I get into the details.

After looking at the week ahead and visualizing, I make a plan. Going back to my intentions (from above), I focus on what’s important to me. 

For example, if Monday is action packed with back to back activities that fall right around dinner time (and I certainly don’t want to grab fast food on the road), I plan for a larger, healthy, afternoon snack and pack a protein smoothie for the road. The kids will inevitably be hungry when they get home regardless so I plan for an easy dinner AFTER activities on this day. This could be soup in the crockpot, leftovers from Sunday (or I will even batch cook some things on Sundays), or even a grilled cheese or egg sandwich. 

I do this for each day and then create a meal plan. I am not into meal prepping per se, but I will include where I was roast extra vegetables, etc. in my meal plan and this helps have extra food ready in a pinch. 

Another thing I look at is making sure I have created space for what I want to prioritize JUST for me. Is it that morning walk, maybe a project that has been nudging you, or some time in the evening to read or journal, whatever it is MAKE TIME FOR IT! It matters more than you know! 

Preparing and planning in this way helps me stick to my intentions and when I stick to my intentions I show up for what’s important to me and that creates a positive ripple effect on everything in my life! 

Lastly, I fill in any missing pieces. When I’m going to the grocery store, do I need to pick up something unexpected? Maybe I’m doing some decluttering this week so when will I get to the donation center so I don’t have bags sitting in my car forever. 

Again, I used to think this was such a “boring” way to live. I used to think that being so “planned” didn’t leave room for fun or spontaneity. Now I realize I was wrong. This actually enables more fun, joy and ease! And especially when I feel more ease I am able to be more present, I am able to feel less stressed and overwhelmed. I have more energy. And all of these things allow me to actually BE SPONTANEOUS. To have more fun with my kids and simply show up as the mom I want to be and the mom I want them to have! 

🌿Healthy, nourishing foods for me and my family is a priority. Meal planning makes this much easier. I usually plan meals for a month but if you are new to this, start here, start today, start now! 

Now that you have your full line up of the week you can create your meal plan and your shopping list! 

I pretty much only meal plan for dinner along with a few snacks or easy lunch options that I want to try. That is what works for me but obviously you can do a full blown meal plan if that is what speaks to you! 

Here is my meal plan for the week of September 14th.

Sunday

Breakfast: Pumpkin French Toast - Made easy with Pumpkin brioche from Trader Joe’s 

Breakfast cookies (Ambitious Kitchen) - healthy snack for after school or quick grab and go breakfast

Dinner: Chicken Burrito Casserole (Stephanie Kay Nutrition)

Extras: 

Roast Cauliflower, sweet potatoes and chick peas to keep on hand for the delicious salad I’m currently obsessed with (I will share the recipe below)!

Bake chicken in the air fryer for easy lunches 

🌙🕯️ ✨Intentional Living Tip: Light candles, dim the lights and make Sunday dinner a special and intentional way to wind down from the weekend and start the week. Have everyone share something they enjoyed about the weekend and set intentions for the week ahead. 

Monday

Dinner: Steamed broccoli and rice with air fryer chicken or and/or leftovers. 

Tuesday

Dinner: Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas (Cookie + Kate), homemade guacamole 

Wednesday

Dinner: Healthy Egg Roll in a bowl (Gathered Nutrition), serve over rice for kids 

Thursday

Dinner: Dump and Bake Chicken Tzatziki (Gourmet Martha) with salad

Extra: PB Fit Cookies (My Plantiful Cooking) 

Friday

Dinner: Leftovers / Snack board - My kids love to gather around the coffee table, sit on the floor and have a casual dinner picnic. Clean up becomes a breeze for a Friday night! 

Saturday 

Cottage Cheese Banana Oatmeal Pancakes (Ambitious Kitchen) - Make a double batch and freeze! 

Dinner: Slow Cooker Honey Teriyaki Chicken (The Kitchn) - Perfect for easy meal time after a day of activities! 

Extra: Chocolate Chia Pudding (Minimalist Baker) 

🥗🌿🍓 And as promised, my current Go-To salad!

I absolutely LOVE adding warm, roasted veggies into my salad come fall. It is a delicious addition and you can obviously alter as you’d like!

Greens of choice - I personally love the spiciness that Arugula adds

Roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes, and chick peas 

Chicken (or I will sub a hard boiled egg)

About a quarter of an avocado

Cucumber

Pumpkin seeds

Capers

*As I am typing this I’m thinking I may even add a bit of apple next time! 

Dressing - I just do a drizzle of good olive oil and squeeze of lemon

I absolutely love this salad. I love the variations you can do and I simply don’t get bored of it! 

Now it’s your turn! 

The way we make lasting, positive change in our lives is through integration and embodiment. We ground into our intentions. What does this mean? TAKE ACTION! Trust where your intentions are pulling you and act.

Become the mom you want to be NOW. Show up as your highest self NOW! Don’t let it overwhelm you. It is simply about taking one small step at a time and then keep taking those steps. Following the nudges, saying yes, walking YOUR path. 

I really hope that this article inspired something within you. I would love to hear from you! Feel free to follow along on IG and send me a note!