Getting back into routine after the holidays (without overdoing it)

It only takes a few days for everything to unravel.

Bedtimes drift. Snacks become constant. The routine quietly disappears. And honestly, that’s part of the magic of school holidays.

We’ve just come out of a couple of weeks that felt full in the best way, camping trips, beach days, movies, playgrounds, bike rides, picnics, playdates… and more Easter egg hunts than I’d like to admit. A little messy, a little unstructured, and exactly what we needed.

But there does come a point where you can feel it. That slight sense of chaos creeping in.The “what are we even doing for dinner?” feeling. The 3pm slump hitting harder than usual. And the pull to bring a bit of rhythm back into the days.

Not a full reset. Just a gentle return.

I always find that there us a lot of noise around “getting back on track”. New routines. Big resets. Starting fresh. But in my house, it never really works like that. Trying to overhaul everything at once usually just leads to doing nothing at all. Instead, we come back to a few simple things that make the biggest difference.

What we focus on (right now)

1. Something ready for 3pm

This is the moment where everything can go either way. If there’s nothing easy to reach for, we end up picking at whatever’s around, and no one’s really satisfied. Having something ready (and that actually tastes good) makes a huge difference. Our Hazelnut Crunch balls is a no-brainer for me.

2. A stocked freezer

Not in a perfectly organised, labelled kind of way. Just enough in there so that future me doesn’t have to think. Something you can pull out quickly, that you know everyone will eat, and that doesn’t feel like a compromise.

3. Keeping it simple

No big rules. No extremes. Inviting movement whereever we can. Just getting back to a baseline that feels good. Because routine isn’t really about perfection, it’s about removing a bit of friction from the day.

Why this matters more than you think

When things feel chaotic, it’s usually not because everything is wrong. It’s just that the small anchors have disappeared. Meals become an afterthought. Snacks become random. Exercise an afterthought. Energy dips. And suddenly everything feels harder than it needs to be. Bringing back even a little bit of structure can shift that quickly.

A different way to think about “routine”

It’s not about control. It’s not about restriction. It’s about making the day feel a bit easier to move through. A little less decision-making. A little more predictability. A little more space. Remembrr, we’re not aiming for perfect. Just a rhythm that works for this season.

Tess x

P.S.

If your freezer is looking a bit bare after the holidays, having a few easy options on hand can make getting back into routine feel a lot smoother.