How To Work From Home And Manage Your Kids

It's hard for us women to do it all. Working moms must get their children ready for daycare, and remember the bologna sandwiches, change of clothes, blankets for the week, etc. They must do the house cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, and homework all the while running a company or passing out parking tickets. You're constantly being criticized for not spending enough time with your children, or for not being at work enough.

As a stay-at-home mom, you do the same things, and if you work at home, you have little children whacking you in the face with mega blocks and shoes, smelly diapers to change, and phone conversations being interrupted by screaming banshees. You're constantly being criticized for not doing enough housework, or for not going back to work (you got a college degree to do what?).

So, for those of you who stay at home and work, I offer some helpful hints to take care of business and still get your housework done.

1. The number one thing a working mom at home must do is invest in a laptop computer with WiFi access. Being cooped up in a hole on the second floor is a positive disaster for any mom working at home with young children. With a laptop, you have the freedom to work at the kitchen table or in the living room, while watching over the little ones, unless it's your nap time and they're watching a DVD of a Disney movie.

2. Get your children on a schedule as well as yourself. Yes, some times this will get off schedule, but as long as you bring everyone back on track, you will find the day will give you much freedom to accomplish what you need to do.

3. Use your early morning to get yourself ready as well as the children. I find it best to get them ready first, fix them cereal and bananas, then fire up the TV and have it ready for when they are finished while I take a shower and get dressed. Be sure to put up child-proof gates everywhere so they won't get into too much trouble.

4. Have plenty of snacks and milk or juice on hand. When they get particularly angry, just placate them with the food, juice and of course, TV. This gives you more time to do your work and helps them to learn their ABC's and plenty of annoying songs.

5. When you need a break in between your work; do some laundry; thaw your chicken for the evening's dinner; look up Kama Sutra position #23 to tease your spouse; or dye your hair. Do whatever is on your to-do list at these bored moment breaks.

6. If your children get out of hand, put them in time-out. If time-outs don't work, take them to the toy store or let them pick something on-line. This'll help you feel less guilty for working at home instead of playing with your children and wasting the money you're making. It'll also help you to raise children who will learn to manipulate and get what they want without earning it.

7. Set aside some time during the day to play with your children. This'll help alleviate bad behavior and reduce competition they feel with your job. That's also why I feel having a laptop helps. You're in a room with them, so they feel connected to you. You can sing, play and just answer their insane questions in between your work. It's what you're best at--multi-tasking!

8. If it all just becomes too much and you need to have peace and quiet, there are plenty of illegal aliens who are ready and willing to help you raise your children for practically no money. You can find them early in the morning on street corners waiting to be picked up by anonymous pick-up drivers to haul them off to fields for day labor. You'd be doing her a favor, bringing her into your home instead of letting her go to a hot dirty field! And you children would benefit by learning a second language!

9. Make sure nap time is quiet time. If your children are young enough, they should be sleeping. If they are a little older and not taking naps any more, then a quiet time should be initiated. Quiet time is where they lay quietly (who knows, they may fall asleep), or sit quietly, reading books or looking at pictures. This is yet another time during the day that a working mom can get her work done at home. Put them all down at the same time so that you have one chunk of time in the afternoon. If this doesn't work, pop in a CD of Kenny G and they will be out in a matter of moments. Be sure to wear your earplugs, or you will join them.

With these guidelines, I hope you will have a successful career at home. Consuela does a lot of my typing on this blog, and I didn't even have to give her a raise!

Jane