Work At Home Mom: Summertime Game Plan
Work At Home Mom
“I know the price of success: dedication, hard work and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen”
~Frank Lloyd Wright
As a work at home mom I depend on school hours to get my work done. Now that summer is here, my son is home from school and suddenly my whole system is thrown into chaos!
Every work at home mom knows how challenging it can be to get any work done when the kids are around. But a full three months of having full time distraction can throw your business in for a loop.
This means we need a plan, on the plus side flexibility comes naturally for moms. In fact being a work at home mom requires flexibility.
Work At Home Mom Tips for Staying on Track
1. Is there another work at home mom in your community with children of similar age to your children’s age? Try organizing a babysitting swap. Get together with the other work at home mom and create a schedule where each takes turns being the designated sitter. The work at home mom who need to run errands, work, etc., can drop their children off at the sitter’s house that day.
Check out Meetup.com to find other WAHM’s in your area. Find another work at home mom with a similar need and see how you can help each other.
2. Check out local day camps. A work at home mom favorite. What’s not to love? The kids are entertained for a few hours giving you plenty of time to get work done. Plus unlike overnight camps, these camps allow you to drop your children off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon.
There are all kinds of camps with a variety of programs ranging from art, music, and drama to math and science. You are sure to find one that appeals to your children’s interests, these activities will keep your children’s minds fresh and engaged during the summer.
I love being a work at home mom and I’m really proud of the business ownership exposure my son gets. See if you can find entrepreneurship programs for kids so they can get a head start in learning business principles.
3. Your place of worship may also have some summer activities planned. There may be a “Mom’s Day-Out Program” that allows parents to drop off their children for a few hours three days a week.
Volunteers in the congregation may teach the children a craft, read stories to them, or simply play with them. This option works best for young children.
4. Consider hiring a young teenager to come over and play with your children while you work on the computer in your office. You are still in the house, so you can feel safe knowing you are there in case of an emergency. Since young teens have less babysitting experience they usually charge less than older, more experienced ones.
Make sure the baby sitter understands that you are a work at home mom and should not be interrupted unless it’s an emergency. Although I know a work at home mom who makes it work, it really depends on who you find.
From my personal experience, teenage babysitters are restless. They get distracted easily and many are glued to their cell phones. My son is still very young and loves to play with his cars, the teenage girl I had hired apparently didn’t appreciate all the car games and spend most of the time huffing and puffing. That’s definitely NOT the attitude I want my son to be surrounded by. She was gone by the end of the day and I was back at square one.
5. Another option is to call the local high school or college before school gets out and let them know you are looking for an intern. This can take the form of someone majoring in early childhood education to watch your children or you may want to hire a student interested in business, marketing, etc. They can help you with your business tasks which will free up some of your time. Normally, you do not pay interns. They work in exchange for the experience.
As a bonus, hiring an intern will you give you feel for managing employees, something you should be considering if you’re planning on taking the leap from being a work at home mom to full-fledged entrepreneur.
6. You can also get your children involved with your business. Take them on your journey! Explain to them how they were a big part on your decision to become a work at home mom. It will expand your relationship to another level.
Depending on your children’s age, assign them tasks that they can easily complete. This will help give them an understanding of business and increase their self esteem. It will also enable you to spend time together as a family and still get work done.
7. Hire a babysitter. This one I’ve had better luck with. As a work at home mom, I need professional help getting things done and this includes help with my son. I would recommend Sittercity to any work at home mom. The best thing this service is that you can view profiles of potential candidates, check out their profiles, many provide background checks (processed through Sittercity) and set up interviews until you find the best candidate.
Working around your kid’s summer vacation can definitely be hard, but if you stay flexible and creative you will find ways to do it. Remember that you became a work at home mom to have more flexibility and to have more time for your children so do make time to spend fun-time together as a family to enjoy the great weather.
