Staying Ahead While Staying At Home

It was around this time last year that I made an attempt to be a some-what Stay At Home mom -- all while unpacking and discovering a new town and state. I was also contracting for my old job, which turned into much more time than I originally planned.

Needless to say, it was less fun than I thought it would be.

Facepainting at the Children's Museum
This week I'm home with the girls while they are off for winter break. We're all one year older and wiser, so I'm working on some better strategies from lessons learned.

First, and most important, be a step ahead. Plan one big event each day that's tailored for them. I took them to the children's museum on Wednesday and to an ice skating lesson on Thursday. I anticipated hunger, had a plan, and cut activities short to make sure they got fed. We took breaks, rested and had strategic movie times - to keep small tempers at bay. I let them choose some things to do, but never gave up my hold of the master schedule.

Skating Alice
Second, I didn't expect to work much during the day. I saved much of what I needed to get done for the evening after they were in bed. My coworkers were made aware of this expectation and warned to text me if the situation was urgent. This made me feel less stressed during the day, my attention was focused on what was around me - not at my email inbox.

Last, I made sure to have fun. Run around. Get the board games out. Play with toys. Eat lunch and snack with them. That's what this time is for. On Monday, we all head back to our hectic, full-time schedules and all this together times goes away. Enjoy it now.

Would I want to stay at home full time? Err... Not yet. I give props to the ladies that do, but we seem to work better when we're on a structured schedule - with school and teachers providing needed instruction and interaction. I'm not above asking for help on this one. But maybe someday I'll have cookies and milk ready for when they step off the bus. A Mom can dream.

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