Hi, I’m Jennifer, and I’m a full-time working mom who works from home. It’s so nice to work from home during the school year because I generally have the house to myself and can revel in the quiet.
However, this is summer, and that means the kiddos are hyped up on fruit, sugary snacks, too much tv, and I’m trying to find a quiet place to hide. I thought many of you could relate, so here are my tips for surviving working from home this summer with kids.
Routine, Routine, Routine
First of all, I am a creature of habit. This can be a good or bad thing, but I think we can all agree that children need routine. Luckily, my working hours are flexible so I can set my schedule to my needs.
My kids will sleep in if I let them, and since it works better for me, I do. I will get up every weekday morning at 5:00 a.m. and immediately jump on the computer. I don’t even bother getting dressed. This gives me four hours of quiet until my toddler wakes up and starts demanding chocolate milk and Cocomelon. Four hours of quiet time means half my workday is done before anyone else gets up.
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Scheduling a Break
When my youngest wakes up, I start my break. This is our family time to do a fun activity together, have some lunch, or maybe sneak in some laundry.
I’ll admit this can be hard to take a break because as a mom, my mind just thinks of all the things on my to-do list. Sometimes, I’ll end up filling my entire “break” time with chores or errands. Yet, it’s always my goal to do something fun with the kids, even if that’s just a picnic lunch out in the backyard or coloring together.
Plan an Outing
Once a week, I try to get us out of the house to do something fun. It does not include running errands. It could be as low-key as a visit to the park or as elaborate as an afternoon at Main Event.
Whatever is in the budget that week is generally what we do. I try to give my girls a couple of options. That’s just enough to allow them the choice of what we do that week, but not enough to make the decision hard.
I plan ahead by knowing what my budget will allow that week and then give them those appropriate choices. Sometimes we pack a picnic, but more often than not, it’s our opportunity to eat out. So, that’s also a fun perk to allow the kids to decide where we eat while out and about. It’s usually the oh-so-popular chicken place that’s never open on Sundays (wink, wink).
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This is how I survive working from home with the kiddos under foot this summer. So far, everyone seems happy and there have been no complaints. I know I’m fortunate that my job allows me to set my own schedule and not everyone has that option, but I hope this method that I’ve adopted can help some of you too.
Feel free to share what’s been working for you as well! We can always learn from each other.
