Entertaining the Kids While Working From Home

While I'm working sometimes the kids are restless. That's the hard part about working from home. I love having my own home-based business and most days I balance it all beautifully but sometimes it's chaotic. In the best of ways though! I wouldn't have it any other way and love, love, love what I do.

The boxes arrive with our own household products and things that I will use for my business and I have some calls to make and appointments to set and confirm . So what should I do for the kids? Hmmm? Nap time? Nope. Oh, snack...um we just ate. Movie? Nah, I can be way more creative then that. So I unpack the different sizes boxes get out my scissors and suddenly we have new toys. We have robot heads, a dinosaur house, a new thing for the baby to climb in and out of. Presto I have 20 minutes to work and the kids are having a ball!!!!

So moms who work from home please realize that with some creativity it is possible to do it all so long as you don't expect to get it all done in 20 minutes and you can take a few seconds out to snap photos like this and have yourself a good laugh. If you'd like this opporunity and want to join me and other great moms who make money from home don't hesitate to contact me.

Love and Logic Parenting Tools

I'm a stay at home business owner who feels like she has the weight of the World on her shoulders (nothing new to any mom reading this). I wouldn't give up staying at home and making a difference in the lives of others like I do but there are some hair pulling days! I have a 3 1/2 year old and a 11 month old. My little squirt is everywhere and into anything dangerous (cords, electrical outlets, the computer tower, stairs, etc.). She just looks at a toy and instantly crawls away to find something hazardous to her health. My toddler turned preschooler is sassy, clever and very temperamental but can be trusted in a room alone. Now I'm a teacher with a Master's in Early Childhood Education (two classes away really) so one would think I could handle two children, right? Nope. I really feel like I did better with 18 other children in a classroom then at home with my offspring.

My adorable and sometime annoying husband (love you cutie) says to me one night during a bath time melt down that I went to school to do this so why am I stressing out over a temper tantrum? I took a very big deep breath and counted to 10 before answering him. Here was my answer, "Well, darling one might think this but in reality I went to school to teach not to parent." Being a teacher does not qualify you for parenthood. Yes, it helps because I know a great deal about child development and discipline strategies but it is different in the classroom.

There is no manual that tell us what we should do or how we should feel when things happen. If one existed I'm sure they would be sold out and a line of moms would be standing around the corner of every store selling them. Being a business owner and a stay at home mom can be stressful and everyone handles stress differently. Well, I remembered a program I used when I was teaching that I loved and now I own the program for parents and can't recommend this enough to moms and dads. Love and Logic and it's been around since 1977 (that's as old as me)!!! It is rational, it makes sense, it works if you follow through with it and it's fun. Shouldn't parenting be fun??

What I love most about it is that my husband likes it and so we both can be on the same parenting page and that makes a significant difference with that argumentative little guy of ours. Even if you don't buy the program, sign up for the email tip because that alone is a breath of fresh air some days. Happy parenting and best of luck!!!