5 Ways to Mix Work and Kids and Still Keep Your Sanity!

One of the pleasures of working at home is to be able to be there for your kids. In a perfect world, you are able to schedule calls during naptime and they play quietly while you work.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t live there.

I do know that when my kids were younger this was a big challenge. But I didn’t want it to be. I didn’t want it to be hard, to be a chore or a struggle. I chose to work at home to make our home life run smoother.

Life is supposed to be fun!

Here are some of the things we did so everyone (even me!) could be happy:

1.    Mommy’s little helper – There was a time in her life when my daughter Elisabeth actually wanted to hang out with me (she’s 17 now – ‘nuff said!). Often she didn’t need me to interact with her; she just wanted to be with me. So I set up a little desk for her next to mine. We stocked it with her “office supplies” of paper, crayons, glue, scissors, puzzles and books – all the essentials a toddler businesswoman needs. She would work away and I would work away. When Daddy got home, she would “sell” her drawings for hugs and kisses.
2.    Movie time – if quiet wasn’t crucial to what I needed then I would set the kids up with a movie while I worked. I used this as a treat because I didn’t want them to just lie around watching TV all the time but it was great to use as a reward. Or when I was desperate! (Whoever said, “Never bribe your kids” – didn’t have kids!)
3.    Game Time – This was another reward for all of us. If I had a tight deadline, I work a deal with them. “I need to get my clients report edited by 2:00 pm so if you will play quietly then afterwards we will play a game together.”
4.    Picnic time! – This was a favorite. If they played quietly during the morning, we would take lunch to the park. Or if it was raining, we would make a fire, have a picnic on the living room floor, and watch a Disney Sing-a-Long. We would sing and laugh and have a great time.
5.    Hire a “big kid” to help occupy them – I did this a couple of times and it went over great with the little kids and the big kid. During the summer holidays I would hire a girl who was just learning how to babysit but wasn’t ready to solo yet. I would pay her half the going babysitting rate. Elisabeth loved that a “big girl” wanted to play with her, the “babysitter-in-training” loved that she was paid to play and also got experience to add to her resume. I loved that they had fun and I was just a room away if they needed anything. Sometimes I would even take them to the park for a bit and then pick them up later. This was a great way for the “babysitter-in-training” to gain not only experience but confidence as well. And there were always other moms around if there was an emergency.

I miss those days. Now I have to actually set a timer to remember to take breaks because I get so caught up in what I’m doing! Well, maybe I can do these with my grandkids – someday!

So what do you do to keep your little ones busy and your clients happy?

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