This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu®. The opinions and text are all mine.

We’re about to get back into the swing of things. Back to days of busy routine. Our home school begins in just a few days and I’m already making plans to help ease our busy days and nights.

My calendar used to be pretty empty. These days, it’s packed full. Every day. It seems like the older my kids get, the more running around we do. I’m sure you can relate!

Which is why I love simple solutions for busy weeknights.

3 Ways to Ease Busy Weeknights

1. Meal Planning. 

I know I talk a lot about meal planning. That’s because it’s one of the best ways to free my mind on busy days. The thing about eating is, well, we have to eat every. single. day. And more than once.

When I’m tired or really busy, I can’t think straight. I need a plan beforehand. I hate standing in front of the fridge staring blankly, wondering what to cook, just minutes before everyone starts complaining of hunger and/or starvation.

Having a plan eases my mind so that I don’t have to think about what we’re going to eat when we’re hungry – I already know. It’s really important to me that we eat good, homemade meals every day.

2. Streamlined Outings and Errands

This year, not only do we have a full day of ice skating each week, music and voice lessons scheduled, this year we’ve added gymnastics to the mix and my daughter Laura is in physical therapy twice a week.

First of all, I’ve done everything I could to make sure our lessons and appointments are streamlined for the week. Even though we live in a small town, any time we have to leave the house is a disruption from our normal routine. I don’t know about you, but I like being home. I really don’t like needing to leave the house everyday.

Tuesdays are packed. Our day begins with an early morning session at with the physical therapist. We’re typically there for an hour and a half. As soon as we’re done there, we head over to two hours of music lessons. Two of my girls take music. Emily is still taking classical guitar and piano and Laura takes violin and voice. During all of this, Hannah works on some of her school work with her dad. He typically helps her with math since I’m not a math whiz like he is.

We come home and I prepare lunch. After we eat and clean the kitchen, it’s time to head to gymnastics for an hour. Then, if I need to run to the store I will and drop my daughter, Emily off at her college class. My husband will pick her up and hour later.

After that, we head home and I get supper started because as soon as supper is finished we have to head to Community Choir practice for 2 hours.

Wednesdays are just as busy. We head to Knoxville early in the morning and I get my shopping done. You know, for things I can’t get in our small town. One of my favorite places to shop is Costco because I can stock up on our favorites and don’t need to shop every week.

After we get our shopping done in the morning we head to the ice rink and Hannah spends the day ice skating. I spend the day helping her practice while Laura works on school work. And I help Laura as needed. It’s a long day, but the definitely worth it!

Whew. It makes me tired just to think about it.

And the rest of the week is… well, I pretty much play catch up.

3. Easy, Go-To Meals

So, I guess this tip really has a lot to do with meal planning. So, basically when you’re meal planning consider how busy your days will be.

Plan meals that your family loves that are easy to prepare. Save more time-consuming dinners for days when life is laid-back and easy.

One of my favorite go-to quick meals is spaghetti. When I was growing up, my sweet mom always made her spaghetti sauce from scratch.

Um, in the 24 years I’ve been a mom, I’ve always relied on pasta sauce that was convenient and ready-made. In fact, I’m quite thankful for Ragu®. Not to mention that Ragu® has a long standing history of bringing families together. Some nights I’ll saute some onion and veggies and pour the jarred sauce right over it to simmer, heat through, and we’re ready to eat. Easy!

Other days, especially those days when life is particularly hectic, I’ll heat the sauce in a pan and serve it over noodles. Either way, Ragu® Spaghetti and Pasta Sauce is always a hit in my house. Serve with some garlic bread and a salad – get your kids involved with this – and you’ve got a delicious meal in no time.

Every mom needs easy, delicious, go-to meals. It will save your sanity!

Eating a homemade meal with my family every night is priority in our house. Sitting around the table, enjoying good conversation, laughter, and delicious food makes life meaningful and draws families closer together. Which is why I believe meal planning, streamlining outings, and go-to meals are essential for busy moms.

Comments submitted may be displayed on other websites owned by the sponsoring brand. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Ragu®. The opinions and text are all mine.