Are you a work at home mom? Then you will want to read this post.
Who doesn’t love summer vacation? No more strict schedules, no worrying about getting to school on time, packing lunches, it’s all on hiatus for the next two months. July and August should be filled with fun summer activities right? Usually that has been the case, but this year, before the end of school, I started to feel a bit panicky.
As a work at home mom, with blogging, some freelance work and the South Asian Bloggers Network, all of a sudden, I am one busy WAHM! Even though it’s wonderful to be busy doing all these things I love, I enjoy doing things with the kids in the summer as well.
So how do we balance it; find time to get our work done as well as spend time and have fun with the kids? Even though I’ve realized that during the summer I have to have a lighter work load, it is doable to survive the summer as a work at home mom. I’ve teamed up with 4 awesome mom bloggers and we are sharing with you, 5 Summer Survival Tips for the Work At Home Mom.
Summer Survival Tips for the Work at Home Mom
For myself, I usually fit in some work here are there during the day. I do some work and answer emails when I wake up earlier than the kids, I do a little writing if the kids are having quiet time and of course do a lot of the more labour intensive work once the kids have gone to bed at night. But realistically, it’s not enough time to get everything I need done.
So, once a week, I pack a up a backpack with activity books, crayons, some lego, small games, the iPad and of course a bunch of snacks and lunch. Then we head over to a Tim Hortons where I know they have reliable wifi, and we settle in for a few hours.
When we first go in, the kids each get a muffin and I usually get a large steeped tea. The air-conditioning is always on full blast, so it’s nice to have something warm to drink.
Then I pull out the activity sheets and crayons for the kids. They will eat their muffins and then start doing the sheets. There will be some questions here and there, but they know to try and figure out stuff together so that I can get work done. Once the sheets are done, they will probably color a little, build some lego and play a game. By then they are hungry so I pull out their food and that keeps them busy for a while as well.
I’ll grab some lunch too and keep working. Realistically, at this point, the kids are getting a bit antsy so that’s when I pull out the big guns, the iPads. I’ve dowloaded a bunch of fun, educational apps that they really like and that buys me at least another hour to work.
At first I used to feel guilty doing this with the kids, but I realized there was no reason to. I wasn’t doing it everyday, plus, they actually enjoyed going. I even have the kids ask me, “When are we going to Tim Horton’s again mom?” I think it’s the lure of the chocolate chip muffins and the iPad at their disposal.
This is one thing that really helps me out during the summer to get a big chunk of work under my belt.
As I mentioned, I’ve teamed up with these lovely mom bloggers and they’ll be sharing with you their Summer Survival Tip for the Work At Home Mom. Click on the each link below to find out their secrets of balancing work and motherhood during the summer.
Bonnie at Koala Mom
Heather at Love Life and the Pursuit of Play
Raj at Pink Chai Living
Salma at The Write Balance
Tara at BC Mom
If you’re a work at home mom or dad, how do you stay productive during the summer when the kids are at home?
If you like this post, you may also like:
6 Reasons I Love Being a WAHM
Why a Coffee Shop Office is Great!
Finding my Self Worth as a SAHM
Fantastic idea, it sort of teams up a kid/mom date with work and gives them something to look forward to! 🙂
That’s a fun way to look at it Tara 🙂
I’ve thought of popping into a local coffee shop to get some work done, especially when it’s really hot out!!! The problem is that my Netbook is really slow so it drives me nuts… but I’ll keep this in mind! I don’t think you need to feel guilty for it because it’s a great change of pace for the kids (something new and different for them) and there are lots of educational activity pages available so they’re learning something too. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Bonnie, I appreciate that. Sometimes it’s hard to avoid that mommy guilt!
What a great way to entertain your children and get some personal work done at the same time. That eatery must be very forgiving for allowing you to bring food into the place for their lunch. But look at the result. The kiddies love the place.
It seems to be working quite well. They almost look at it as a treat or fun outing!
I always enjoyed my kids working along side of when I am on the computer. It can make for a fun day.
You are right about that Sandy 🙂
I love your method, Salma. I have found that I lock myself in the office for an hour or two while the girls are busy with Lego or some sort. Then I really work for 3-5 hours after they’ve gone to bed. I’ve also pulled out the iPad and felt guilty. But you are totally right – mama’s got to get work done!
I generally surrender to playing with the family. Housework suffers so that I can get business done and still have fun. Summer is too short.