Backpacks, Breakdowns, and Boss Moves

Back-to-school chaos? We’ve all been there—missing shoes, cold coffee, and a bus that won’t wait. But mama, you don’t have to live in breakdown mode. In this episode of It’s a Single Mom Thing, Sherry gets real about how single moms can flip the chaos into confidence with small, powerful shifts that save time, money, and sanity.

From littles to teens to young adults still at home, you’ll hear how to:

• Turn breakdown mornings into boss moves with simple family routines.
• Use a Weekly Meal & Activity Planner to tame the 5 p.m. dinner panic.
• Teach kids and teens to carry their share (yes, even financial contributions for young adults).
• Understand the real cost of disorganization—in hours lost, dollars wasted, and stress piled high.
• Reflect with guided journal questions that help you and your kids track wins, learn from mistakes, and take the next right step.

👉 Download your free Weekly Meal & Activity Planner here: [Click Here]

✍️ Journal Questions from this episode:

• What’s one boss move I made (or will make) this week?
• Where did chaos sneak in and trip me up?
• What’s one next step I can try (shoes by the door, Sunday huddle, grocery pick-up, teen dinner night)?
• For teens/young adults: My Win, My Learn, My Next.
• What’s my hourly rate, what did I spend on food, and what’s that costing me physically, emotionally, and spiritually?

💡 Small shifts lead to big wins, mama. You’re not running a restaurant—you’re leading a crew.

📞 Need prayer? Call our 24-hour prayer line anytime at 855-822-PRAY.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Morning Chaos Reality Check
• 2:04 From Chaos to Crew: Kids as Team
• 7:49 Dinner Without the Meltdown: Fridge Plan
• 13:29 Total Boss Moves: Small Shifts, Big Impact
• 17:22 Weekly Reflection Guide and Prayer
• 20:41 Episode Wrap-Up and Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to it's a Single Mom Thing, the show for single moms by single moms. This is Sherri, your host, and I am happy you are here today. Remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you.

Speaker 2: 0:13

Okay, ladies, I got a podcast pop quiz. It's 7.32 in the morning, the bus comes in three minutes and one kid can't find a shoe, another's crying because their hair looks weird and your coffee, yeah, it's ice cold. Question are you about to have a breakdown or a total boss move? You see, mornings, in my opinion, well, they should come with a warning label that says may cause excessive coffee consumption, high stress levels and unexplained tears. Yeah, back to school. Mornings, those are total chaos, girl on steroids. But let me pause right here because all is not lost.

Speaker 2: 0:54

Listen, this isn't just about moms. For those listening. This isn't just for the moms with the ones with pigtails and paw patrol backpacks. Nope, okay, if you're a single mom of littles, middles, teens trying to pass algebra, or even a young adult juggling part-time work and college classes while still living at home, you know the chaos. Different ages and stages, same stress. This podcast is for you. So here's the thing. Chaos doesn't have to be the boss. No, you do. And today, ladies, I'm going to show you how to flip those breakdowns into total boss moves. So welcome back to another episode of it's a Single Mom Thing. I'm your girl, sherri, and we're going to keep it sassy. We're going to keep it moving forward.

Speaker 2: 1:38

In today's episode called Backpacks, breakdowns and Boss Moves, you see, we're going to be talking about making your kids part of the win, taming dinnertime panic with a simple weekly plan and grabbing back your peace, your time and your money, one small shift at a time. So you ready, girl, let's make mornings your territory From chaos to crew, making your kids part of the win. All right, boss lady, take a deep breath. If chaos isn't the boss, well, who is? We are okay. But here's the twist we're not doing it solo. This isn't a one woman show. Okay, we're gone of those days. You are a household and that is a team. So think of yourself as the CEO of Home Inc. And here's the good news your staff already lives with you the littles, the middles, the teens, even that young adult still living at home, yeah, well, they are all part of the household team and everybody's got a role. You see, we are moving from I do it all to no, we do it together, you see, because we're not just running a house, we are raising humans who can fly, not failure to launch. Okay.

Speaker 2: 2:58

So let me break it down. For example, when my son was little. His jobs were simple Pick a snack for your lunch, put your shoes in the same spot by the door, help with a two-minute tidy up after dinner. You see, it wasn't perfection, that's not what I was looking for, but it was ownership, was the buy-in I was looking for. So, ladies, as your kids get older, their roles should grow too.

Speaker 2: 3:24

You see, middles well, they can do a quick night before check. Make sure the water bottles are filled, the Chromebooks are charged and the outfit is laid out. They can even help pack lunches while you're cooking, and they're responsible for emptying not only their backpack, but maybe the dishwasher too. And, of course, don't forget and you probably should have this it is putting papers in. What I like to call. The mom needs to see this pile. Okay, by the time they're teens, though, however, listen ladies you need to hand them the calendar. Let them add their practices, their tests, their work shifts to the family schedule, so it's not all on you and their alarm clock yeah, that's theirs, not yours.

Speaker 2: 4:06

Laundry day, there's two, and if they've got younger siblings, well, they can help quiz them on vocab while dinner cooks. You see, if they can marathon an entire Netflix season, trust me, they can master a checklist. And then there's the young adults that are still at home. I see you, you're not off the hook either. Listen, this is where moms, you're going to really shift some gears here. Okay, you see, they are eating at your table. They are carrying part of the load too. That means one night a week, dinner is theirs. They have to plan it, shop it, cook it and clean it. Oh, yes, they do. They have to plan it, shop it, cook it and clean it. Oh, yes, they do.

Speaker 2: 4:45

And if life gets a little wild and they can't cook, well, then cover, take out from their paycheck, because, listen, if you're earning in my household, you are also learning to contribute. Listen, this is a family, not a free hotel. So maybe that looks like, I don't know, $50 to $200 a month toward groceries or even covering one shared bill, like I don't know, wi-fi streaming or gas for the carpool line. May I suggest that, you see, living at home means we share the load, and that includes time tasks and little financial piece too. Well, why? Because, remember, we are preparing them to fly, and ladies, flying starts by carrying their own weight now, not watching mom carry it just because she loves them. Listen, I've been there, done that. You don't need to. So listen if you're wondering well, okay, sherry, that sounds great, but what about when they don't do it? Well, I got you boo, okay.

Speaker 2: 5:45

So here's what natural consequences come in Now. In my household, I didn't necessarily do punishments, I did preparation. That helped with my mom guilt that was about to follow. You see, my job isn't to carry your consequences, neither is yours to carry theirs. It is to coach them through them. So let's say, for an example, let's say, if a little forgets to clean out their backpack that almost never happens, right. Tomorrow, well then, your toy time or coloring time starts five minutes later. Shoes left out Well, they not only put them away, they get to lay out tomorrow's shoes too. And here's how I got your middle schooler boo. Well, if they forget their folder, well then you get to explain it to your teacher because, listen, mom's not driving across town to rescue them, didn't pack their lunch when it was their turn. Well, let's say they get PB and J and an apple today.

Speaker 2: 6:41

Teens who slept through their alarm that never happens, right. Well, guess what? You get to handle the late check-in and makeup chores before you see your friends. Laundry ignored Well, you get to wear what's clean and mom doesn't rewash at 10 pm. Okay, and for those young adults still living at home, well, if they skipped your dinner night, you are now either going to cover takeout for the whole family or you are going to cook twice. Sorry to me, cook twice next week. Don't contribute to the agreed amount. Well, wi-fi pauses until it's paid. Leave a mess all over the shared place. Well, wi-fi pauses until it's paid. Leave a mess all over the shared place. Well, guess what? It gets moved to your room for a week. Are you seeing the pattern here? Ladies, these aren't punishments, these are life lessons and lessons that they need to learn. This is preparation Because, listen, the goal isn't, like I said, it isn't just about getting through today.

Speaker 2: 7:38

The goal is raising kids who know how to handle tomorrow. It's the small shifts to big wins. That's how we fly Dinner without the meltdown. The fridge plan that saves sanity and some cash. Now, nothing wrecks a good day faster than a five o'clock with a no plan. You know the drill Everyone's hangry, you're tired and suddenly, well, fast food or a frozen pizza feels like the only option. But it doesn't happen to be that way, right?

Speaker 2: 8:09

Listen, I learned as a single mom, real quick a simple, fridge friendly system that both me and my son could survive the week without losing our sanity. Okay, and here's what worked for us. We started out every Friday night we would do what I call a quick huddle 10 minutes top we are not doing an hour and got time for that. We would scan the week ahead for practices, school projects, bible studies, church events, my work schedule, his homework load, and that all got added to this fridge-friendly plan that I'm going to link to later. Then for me, I would plan out the meals for that week based on the ease and events in the upcoming week. Then on Saturday, after usually some sporting event that we attended, for him some extracurricular activity, I then placed a grocery order and then Sunday after church we would pick it up. Boom done, shakalaka done. That little rhythm. Yeah, it saved me and it kept me organized because I only bought what matched the plan. And it kept me sane because I didn't have to drag them all through the store aisles begging for candy at the checkout line. You know what I'm talking about. And here's what it also did it kept us on a budget because I wasn't stuck running into the you know the pricier store option that just happens to be on every other corner. So it is convenient.

Speaker 2: 9:32

And then came Sunday. Sunday was afternoon meal prep day. I would chop, cook and get proteins ready for the week. He'd help where he could, setting out fruit stirring a pot, packing snacks. But he also had his own responsibilities because he had homework he had to finish. He had to get his school planner ready. Listen, I wasn't caring at all just because I was mom. Oh no, remember, I was preparing him to fly. So here's how we made it simple and you can do this too.

Speaker 2: 10:02

I followed what I call a 2-1-1 formula Two, call my easy wins. Crock pot, chicken or sheet pan meal covered those crazy nights. And one night I chose something actually that I wanted to cook because, listen, ladies, I wanted to feed my soul too and I always made extra portions. Listen, I made extra portions because that then later got packed for our lunches tomorrow. And on the side, I always kept an emergency list that had two freezer meals, two pantry backups and one store deli night. Because, listen, chaos doesn't get to surprise us. No, girl, I came ready.

Speaker 2: 10:51

So we use what I call this fridge friendly plan. Who say that real fast. It was a weekly meal and activity planner okay, and you're going to be able to grab yours in the show notes. It had four simple columns one that include the day of the week, the activities, the dinner I was going to prepare and the prep time. For example, day I put Monday Under the activity section. Let's say there was soccer at six. Under the dinner section I had planned chicken rice, broccoli bowls, and then in the prep time I could see 25 minutes. I could clearly glaze and gaze at it and see ahead of the week what I needed to do to keep my sanity and keep my family on track. Now, if it wasn't on the fridge, it didn't exist. So post it, highlight the crazy days and match your meals to the madness.

Speaker 2: 11:42

So here's a rule that you can adopt for your family. Everybody eats and everybody helps. That means littles can pick up the fruit and set out napkins, middles can pack tomorrow's lunch and load the dishwasher, teens can chop, stir, update the calendar and lead cleanup. And young adults living at home yes, well, they get a full dinner night, plan, shop, cook clean, or they'd find a takeout night out of their paycheck. Because, listen, like I said before, if you're earning, you are learning also to contribute. This is not a free hotel. Something else that I might suggest as well is something that you could put on the fridge with post-it notes for when things run low in the middle of the week, because sometimes you might need to do a little top off, and you could post that on the fridge and if mom's got time, she can go pick it up.

Speaker 2: 12:26

Now listen, when your kids become teens, well, give them a list and a dollar amount that they could add to your grocery weekly meal plan list. Okay, keep it under, let's say, $50. Now, in my opinion, that's not just grocery shopping. You are giving them a life skill and, remember, we're teaching them how to fly. So here's how all this prep prepared us, though, for a day, for example, in the morning, this is what I do I pull the protein out to thaw, that's, let's say, monday After school, my son. He would empty his backpack and get his lunches ready while I started dinner, and then, after dishes, we would set out the coffee, fill the water bottles and set out tomorrow's shoes. You see, we landed today, so tomorrow we could take off. You see, we didn't just make dinner, we made margin, time margin, money margin, peace margin.

Speaker 2: 13:18

Those small shifts, they turned into big wins, and that's what you want too, ladies. That's what I want for you. So grab that planner, post it where your eyeballs live. Let your kids, whether they're little, middle teen or young adult, carry their piece of the load. Whether they're little, middle teen or young adult, carry their piece of the load, because you're not running a restaurant, you're running a family, and when everybody plays their part, chaos doesn't get the last word. You do. Total boss moves, mind-blowing truth why these small shifts are a big deal. All right, ladies, let's get real. These little systems that we're building, they're not just cute ideas on Pinterest, they're powerful and there's stats that prove it.

Speaker 2: 14:00

First, the time factor. Okay, so there are studies that say that the average American spends about two and a half days a year just looking for misplaced stuff shoes, keys or homework. That's half a work week lost to chaos. And added up a backpack spot by the door. Well, it isn't just tidy, it's time strategy that literally gives you days of life back. And second, what about the routines that don't make you a drill sergeant? Well, they make you calmer. Research shows that families with consistent routines report lower stress for parents and better behavior in kids. Translation. When your crew knows what's happening, their nervous systems settle and so does yours. Rhythm equals peace. And third, the dinner plan. Well, that's not just about broccoli, oh no, it's about money. Right now, the average family spends around $480 a month eating out. That's nearly six grand a year. Even if you trim that by two meals a week, you're talking hundreds back in your pocket every month, girl. That's gas money, sports fees or that's the family trip you've been putting off.

Speaker 2: 15:17

Now here's what I want you to do, and I want you to grab your pen or paper right now. Because, listen, this is the reflection that hit me hard as a single mom. Break it down. Think about this for a moment. How much do you actually make an hour? Then what I want you to do is look at how much you spend on food in a week. Let's say you're working 80 hours in two weeks. Are you spending more on food than you're making in that time? And if you are and my guess a lot of you are what is that really costing you? Because, listen, it's costing you something, not just financially, but physically, emotionally and spiritually, for example. Physically, are you exhausted because you're always scrambling. Emotionally, are you stressed because money's slipping through your fingers? Spiritually, are you distracted from what matters most, because survival mode is draining? You See, this isn't about being a perfect meal prep mom, although it is an important detail.

Speaker 2: 16:20

This is about alignment, making sure your time, your money and your energy they are actually working for you and not against you. And the crazy thing, it doesn't take massive change. It takes small shifts, 10-minute huddles, a fridge plan, everybody owning their role. That is total boss moves. So here's a simple check-in that you could do every Sunday. I call it the win learn.

Speaker 2: 16:46

Next, ask your crew what's one win from this week? Two, what did we learn? What tripped us up this week? And three, what's one thing we'll try next week? That's it. Spend, say, 30 seconds. You see these changes. They will change the game because suddenly your family is now noticing wins, naming gaps and choosing next steps. And you, mama, listen, you're not the lone hero anymore, you're leading a crew, reflect, reset and rise. So listen, my boss. Ladies, before you race off into the next thing in your day, let's slow your roll down for a minute.

Speaker 2: 17:29

I want you to take these questions with you this week. They're in the show notes so you don't have to remember them all right now. Okay, but here's how I will use them in my upcoming week and how you should use them in your upcoming week. So, for example, I want you to write down and think about one boss move, what's one small shift you made? And this is for the upcoming week? Okay, this is something you're going to reflect on. What's one small shift you made or you're about to make, that bought back time, peace or even a little money? Two, one sticky spot. I want you to identify that. Where did chaos sneak in? Was it time, money or energy? And then three one next step.

Speaker 2: 18:12

For example, what tiny tweak are you going to try this week? I don't know, maybe it's shoes by the door a Friday night, huddle, grocery pickup after church or handing your teen a dinner night. Now, if you've got teens or young adults in your house, invite them to play along. Have them write down in their own journal my win what responsibility do I own this week? My learn what is one thing that I'm going to do differently this next week and my next On week? My learn what is one thing that I'm going to do differently this next week and my next On which day will I take the lead, whether it's dinner laundry or updating the family calendar.

Speaker 2: 18:43

Forgive me. And here's the money and meaning reflection that hits hard. And this is for your own journal, and maybe your young adults can do this too. What is my hourly rate? I want you to write that down and what did I actually spend on food the last week and then identify am I spending more in those same hours that I'm making? And if I am, what is it costing me?

Speaker 2: 19:06

I mean not just financially, but physically. Am I fatigued? Emotionally, am I stressed? And spiritually, am I distracted? Am I not in the word enough? So then, what's a change that I can do to test this week to bring my money and my values back into alignment? So, ladies, I know we've covered a lot and my brain is hurting right now. I'm sure yours is too. So let's take a deep breath and remember small shifts lead to big wins. You're not running a restaurant, you're leading a crew. Post that weekly meal and activity planner on the fridge Place, that Saturday order Swing through Sunday pickup and let the whole house carry the load with you and, mama, if you feel like you're still carrying more than you can hold, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 855-822-PRAY.

Speaker 2: 19:58

You don't have to do this alone. There's someone ready to lift you up any time, day or night. So here's my prayer for you, father, thank you for this mom listening right now. Strengthen her when she feels weak. Remind her she's never alone and give her the wisdom to lead her family with grace and some grit. Teach her kids to step up, to carry their part and to see what it means to live as a team. Multiply her time. Stretch her dollars and pour out peace in her home In Jesus' name amen. All right, ladies, that is a wrap for today. Remember when the breakdowns show up, you've got what it takes to turn them into backpacks, breakdowns and total boss moods. Have a wonderful week and remember it's a single mom thing and not the single thing that stops you Thanks for listening to.

Speaker 1: 20:48

It's a Single Mom Thing. I hope you enjoyed our time together. If you have more questions on how to have a relationship with Jesus or need prayer, visit us at wwwshepherdsvillagecom. Backslash prayer. For more information and resources, check out our show notes.