Working from Home, and Summer break with the Kids…
It’s only the second day of summer break! I should have thought of this sooner, but I didn’t so I’m a little stressed out over how to handle the kids while working from home.
My kids are older. It’s not like I have babies or toddlers anymore, so it shouldn’t be this difficult. I could also be making more out of it then needs to be. It's normal for me to overthink things. This is, after all, my first summer working full time from home, and self employed. This time last year, I had just started this business, and I still had my job at the bank. So during the summer, I was going to the bank 3 times a week and had childcare lined up. Going into this, I had this (unrealistic) vision of lazy days of summer lounging by the pool, which is probably why I didn’t plan for this before summer break started! But, like I said, my kids are older so I shouldn't have to entertain them, or occupy them ALL. THE. LIVE. LONG. DAY! So why am I so stressed out over this?
Well the answer to that question is maybe because I am a bit of a control freak at home, and the thought of leaving the girls to their own devices all day or even half day causes a lot of anxiety! What will they get into? Will they wreck my house while I’m working? That answer is likely NO, they won’t wreck the house. Only because I will be home and aware of everything they are doing. AH HA!! There is my answer…since I will be hyper aware of what they are doing, I won’t be able to 100% focus on my work, and that there is what is stressing me out! And that there is also the reason I just totally lost my $hit over them bickering like normal, and totally sent them to their rooms! But hey, at least now it’s quiet and I’m able to focus on this task so there's that! But I normally wouldn't have sent them to their rooms or totally lost it just because they were bickering. It's just because I was trying to write, and couldn't concentrate.
The kids want to go places and have friends over. Ok, so no big deal right? Well it shouldn’t be. But the stress level doubles if someone else’s kids are over. But it shouldn’t…not if I trust my kids and their friends to follow our house rules. Maybe that’s where my issue lies…in my lack of trust. But why don’t I trust them? Well maybe because the oldest is almost a teenager, and teenagers in general are a totally different creature!? LOL!
Seriously though, I mostly do trust my kids. When left alone, the oldest is so overly cautious she won’t do anything, and the youngest just wants to play on her iPad ALL DAY!
So here’s what I’m going to do! I’m taking the rest of this week, which is really only the rest of today and tomorrow make a schedule and work on my routine. I plan to dedicate time to just be with the kids. Yes I have to dedicate time each day to my business. But I also need to dedicate time to my kids. Ever since I left my job at the bank, I’ve been telling myself this was going to be a great summer, and we were going to have adventures, and try new places and things. So we will! But first, I have to get my work done!
I’m an early riser, so I will get my work done in the morning before the kids are even up! Really I’m just adjusting my routine a little. I always get up early but during the school year I use that time to enjoy a cup of coffee and scroll facebook or Instagram or watch the news before I have to get the kids up. Now I will use that time to work on my business, which I used to start after the kids were at school. Once they wake up, they can pretty much make their own breakfast and do their workbook pages, and watch a little tv. Working on my business is not a daily task, so I can dedicate some days to just go on an adventure or something fun. THEN, we can get the business of summer fun! And we don’t have to go someplace every single day. But at least a couple times a week, and those will be days when I don’t schedule any work appointments or phone calls. The other days will be our days to just hang at the pool or with friends. Oh, and we all have housework/chores to do too. I just need to write down a basic schedule allowing me x hours of work time, appointments are certain days, and free time on other days. I can make it work! I WILL make it work. I also have a little village of supportive and loving family and friends who I can lean on if it gets too hard.
Starting next week, we will have friends over, and go places. We will have fun, but I will work too!
