I recently had to work at home for the first time with mini me and it was one of the hardest things I’ve encountered. I didn’t have a plan for my day as to how I’d maneuver getting my work done and keeping him occupied. This was a first for me. I’m used to being “MOMMY” and giving him my undivided attention but, today had to be a little different. I did manage to work for a couple of hours before I woke him up and then the demanding preschooler started to want all my attention. I know that he has a schedule at preschool and when when he’s there, he follows the structure but at home it’s different. Also at school they have story time in the morning, eat breakfast and then go and play out on the playground for about 30 minutes, they have learning centers after that, then lunch, nap time and before you know it, it’s time for me to pick him up! Preschool is from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm. One thing I learned really quick is that I’d have to discipline him with a routine schedule at home. However, it’s almost like he’s a completely different child at school. He’s definitely more independent.
I totally commend moms who work at home on a daily basis, and moms that home-school! I’m sure that scheduling and structure play a huge role in how you are able to successfully carry out your daily tasks. I would lose my ever loving mind if I had to do this on a daily basis! I can’t even function properly when I bring mini me to the office with me for a couple of hours. I end up abandoning my work to play Nick Jr. videos on my laptop, color, and keep him from disrupting the rest of my office. We eventually just pack up and leave! Working at home was definitely a challenge for me. When I am working on a graphic or web design project, I start to work late usually after mini me is asleep until the wee hours in the morning. I’m definitely going to have to have something in place because I’ll be working from home a lot more and mini me will be home part of the time when he’s not in preschool. If you have any advice to share, I’d REALLY appreciate it. I need a check list of MUSTS for work at home moms, if you are a WAHM and use a checklist or have a special system, I’d love to hear from you.