Notes From Home- Rhythms That Sustain Us

Chore charts, a game-changing smoothie system, and a marriage challenge.

Apr 20, 2026

New seasons of the year tend to bring out a few clear emotions for me. As my husband and I were talking in the car recently (a place where we have some of our best conversations), I mentioned how the newly blossoming trees and vibrant green grass always feel rejuvenating—like a fresh start after a long, dreary winter.

In a similar way, this season of having a new baby and transitioning to a family of seven feels the same. We’re nearly two months into life with another baby, and as we begin to emerge from the tiresome (yet blissful) weariness that newborn life brings, we’re craving sustainable rhythms again—ones that ground us and shape who our kids are becoming.

This past week, we rolled out new chore charts, had more predictable school days, and returned to some of our regular pre-baby routines (like afternoon quiet time, the evening house reset, and meal planning now that our baby meals have ended). They’re not perfect—but they are steady, and that alone makes a difference.

1. New Chore Charts

If you’ve been following along for a while, you probably know that we are big believers in age-appropriate chores for our kids. It was time for a chore chart refresh (I do this several times a year), so last weekend we sat down to brainstorm.

Each of our kids received a new, laminated chore chart on Monday morning. There were squeals of delight (especially from the 3-year-old with his very first chart!) as new chores were handed out and each child’s strengths were highlighted.

-Our 10-year-old cleans up breakfast and dinner, mows the lawn, deep cleans the bathroom, feeds and changes her hamster’s bedding, folds laundry, and vacuums a few rooms.
-Our 8-year-old empties the dishwasher, vacuums and tidies the school room, cleans out the car, folds laundry, and freshens up the bathroom each morning.
-Our 6-year-old takes out the recycling, cleans the kitchen chairs, tidies up the bedroom, and makes his bed.
-And the 3-year-old makes his bed, gets himself dressed, and helps brush his teeth—simple things that are slowly building good habits.

We keep the laminated charts on the fridge where the kids check off each task with a whiteboard marker as they complete them each day. If you’d like my free customizable chore chart for your own home, see the link at the bottom of this post!

2. My Weekly Rhythm Chart

Something I’ve done for years is a Weekly Rhythm Chart for myself. I write it out each Sunday and work through it during the week. It keeps me accountable, motivated, and focused—especially in seasons where it’s easy to feel scattered.

The sections are…

What Matters Most
What Feels Hard
What I’m Looking Forward To
Goals for blogging, home, health, and homeschool
Big Rocks (the most important tasks)
Little Rocks (the smaller ones that still matter)
Plans for Dinner

By writing these things out, I’m able to move through the week with more clarity and at a sustainable pace—which makes everything feel just a little less overwhelming.

I haven’t done one of these since before I was pregnant, so it feels especially good to return to something that has worked well for me in the past.

3. A Marriage Challenge

Another conversation my husband and I had in the car recently turned into a simple (but surprisingly helpful) way to “critique” each other. And yes—this only works if both people are in a place to receive it!

We each shared two things:

Something to takeaway — what positive skill/trait of our spouse’s would we take to incorporate into our own life (I said my husband’s zest for life and his ability to have fun with our kids even when life feels demanding)
Something to give — what skill/trait would we give to our spouse to make their life better (my husband said he would give me more resiliency to be less sensitive and offended when the kids are disrespectful)

Being intentional about investing in our marriage is something we both value deeply. When kids take up most of our time and energy, it’s easy for our relationship to quietly slip to the side.

Even small, honest conversations like this help bring it back to the center.

4. Something I’m Loving — Breakfast Smoothie & a Simple System

For the past few months, I’ve been making this peanut butter/banana/blueberry smoothie for my husband and I in the mornings. It’s not only delicious, but full of ingredients that actually keep us full all morning.

2 frozen bananas (sliced)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cups milk
Several tablespoons natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
2 tablespoons hemp hearts
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon

The real game-changer, though, has been the system.

Since gathering all 10 ingredients every morning isn’t exactly realistic or simple, I make smoothie bags once a month. I buy about 60 ripe bananas (yes, I get some odd looks at the grocery store!), have the kids slice them, and flash freeze them on cookie sheets. Then we bag up everything that can be frozen together.

In the morning, I just empty a bag into the blender and add the milk, yogurt, and peanut butter.

It saves so much time—and more importantly, it makes this a routine we can actually stick with.

flash freezing bananas, making smoothie bags

5. One Thought to Keep

There’s something about rhythms at home…

They don’t need to be rigid to be steady.
They don’t need to be perfect to be meaningful.

But when they are simple and consistent, they become a quiet foundation—something everyone can return to, even when life feels full or slightly chaotic.

Right now, that’s what we’re building again.
Not perfection—just steadiness.

And that’s what matters most.

As always, thank you so much for being here and following along! I’m so grateful for so many of you who have sent messages, left thoughtful comments, and connected personally about motherhood and life.

Stay tuned for another Notes From Home post next week! I’ll be sharing our favorite chocolate granola recipe and another habit I started years ago to encourage creativity into a busy life with kids.

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