Summer Tips for Working Moms
Well, summer break is almost here (we have 2 days left of school here in Florida) and that means juggling all the things for us working moms! I know we are always juggling all the things but something about summer break makes me feel like I somehow have more and less on my plate in sometimes the most overwhelming way!
I love having my kids home with me but I will say, my working mom guilt sometimes gets amplified in the summer because I want to be doing fun stuff with them but also need to be working. It’s a delicate balance and my kids are at the ages they don’t love spending their days at camp so we make do with our schedule and do the best we can!
Since we are entering into this season I thought I would share with you my 5 tips for being a working mom this summer.
A few things before we get started….
Take my suggestions with a grain of salt. What works for me may not work for you. Take these suggestions and adjust to what will best serve you.
My kids are 10, 12 and 20 so my season of parenting probably looks different than yours in many cases.
I work for myself so I can be flexible in my time.
No mom shaming….we are all doing our best so no shaming me, yourself or anyone else!! 😀
Alright here we go, lets jump in!
Wake up before the kids!
I always give myself the first week to sleep in and rest, to be on a relaxed schedule with the kids and enjoy not being up for school. But, after the first week I am back to my normal 6am wake up and I try to knock stuff out (especially stuff on the computer) before the kids are up. Usually they sleep in because they stayed up later so knocking out a few hours of work before I have a lot of interruptions helps me so much.
Let them help when you can!
This summer the girls want to earn some money to go shopping with so I am keeping some stuff for them to do. Steaming and tagging clothes, putting things on Pinterest, taking photos for me, etc. All small tasks I could use help with that they are capable of doing. It will help them stay busy and help me get stuff done quicker so we have more time for fun.
Before I owned my boutique and I worked in ministry I still did this. I saved projects to do with them, brought them to work with me, etc. Just anytime I could include them I did. It also gave them vision of what I was doing and working on and made them more understanding when I needed to focus on work.
Let go of the extras!
I try to not add more to my work calendar than I need to. Now is not the right time to add in new projects or start something from scratch. Instead I use summer to evaluate my systems, refresh things and plan for the fall. I don’t add in new things that will take a lot of focus and time and instead try to embrace the slower pace of work and space to evaluate my current business/work.
Be okay with them being bored!
It is easy to feel like we need to entertain them 24/7. But, not everyday has to be some grand plan. We get Defy (our local trampoline park) passes, we go to the pool/beach, hang with friends, etc. but we also have days at home that I work and they figure it out. Boredom is not a bad thing, it helps spark their creativity. They will figure out something to do and it doesn’t have to be all on me to entertain them.
Pro Tip - I bring my computer to Defy often. They play and I work. win-win!
Communicate!
If I have learned anything, it is that my kids wanted to be communicated with just as much as I do. Each week I let the girls know exactly what is happening…if we have any appointments, how much I need to work, if we have fun plans, etc. The more they know, the better because it helps them look forward to the fun stuff and know that in those moments I really need to focus, there is flexibility in other times too.
Bonus Tip - Get snacks…lots of snacks! And easy things for them to make for breakfast/lunch themselves. I don’t need to stop to feed them at 10 and 12 years old but I do need to make sure they have stuff they can make easily!
Are you a working mom? What are your best tips and tricks to surviving summer break?