Quick tell me; what do the Loch Ness Monster, BigFoot and the Balanced Working Mom…
5 Summer Survival Tips for Work At Home Moms
Have you ever noticed how so many things that held excitement and allure as a kid turn into things that you dread as an adult? The freedom burden of making all the decisions, getting to having to stay up really late, SUMMER VACATION! Show me an adult who doesn’t dread summer vacation, and I’ll show you an adult who a) doesn’t have kids or b) doesn’t work from home!
While there are things I love about my kids being off of school; no more being late for drop off & pick up, no mad search for misplaced assignments and overdue books, no cleaning out yesterday’s pungent, uneaten lunch containers – having to appear professional and coherent with 2 screaming kids running around is not one of them. So what is a work at home mom without a huge daycare/summer camp budget to do?
This topic came up in conversation with another blogger (the fabulous Salma from The Write Balance) and we thought it would be fun to explore the different ways that work at home moms survive summer vacation with kids in tow while still gettin’ stuff done.
My personal favourite go-to plan is to set up working playdates with other WAHM’s (bonus points if their kids are the same age). If they are not a family my kids are familiar with, there are always a few visits that are completely not work related as everyone gets to know each other and get comfortable, but after that, it’s golden! We trade off on who hosts, or find a fun place to play (wifi is a must), and can often get in 4-5 hours of work with only brief interruptions. Not only is it great fun for the kids, but is perfect for work at home moms who, as the name suggests, work from home and most often alone without the company and conversation of other adults. I often get my best ideas on these types of working playdates when I have a fellow creative mind and sounding board built in! These work sessions have led to great collaborations and fun new projects (shameless plug alert).
The life of a work at home mom isn’t always glamorous (if you don’t believe me, read this), and I definitely don’t have it all figured out (balance anyone?), but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thankfully with the summer survival tips from these amazing local bloggers, I can work at home with kids in tow and still keep my sanity!
Be sure to read all their tips and comment below sharing how you get things done with your kids under foot!
I love the idea of working playdate! I have a couple mom blogger friends whom I like to hang out and talk blogging with. We haven’t tried WORKING yet (we’re usually too busy TALKING!) but it’s so nice, as you said, to have a sounding board to bounce ideas off. I always come away feeling refreshed and inspired. Must do that more!!! 🙂
Ha Bonnie, the talking and the working don’t have to be mutually exclusive!
Awww, I love it when someone calls me fabulous 😉 Great idea with the working playdate. I did it a couple times during the school year and definitely got some work done and it really is nice to have someone else to chat and bounce ideas off of. And congrats on your new venture, very exciting!
Thanks Salma! I find that having the opportunity to chat with someone gets the ideas flowing and real time feedback means you can act on them more quickly. Win-Win!