WAHMs, what do you do to keep your dcs occupied while you work?

[One Art]

I'm going to be working on a big proofreading/editing project for about a month, and although I can do some of it at night I won't be able to do all of it at night. I don't have tv, and I own maybe two movies. My dds are 4.5 and 1.5 years old. What do you do to get work done? (Oh, and I might be able to get family members to watch them for a couple hours here and there, but daycare is out for just a month-stretch -starting immediately, btw - so it wouldn't be possible to find daycare... the waiting lists are long for the good daycares around here). Thanks for any ideas!

[firstwomantomars]

Hi!

Routines and regularity ended up being the keys for me. I never really had routines in place before.

Now I do and every morning after breakfast (during "Mommy's coffee time), after lunch and before supper, I get some time to work in my office. It's taken afew days for my 8 year-old to get it, a few weeks for my 3 year-old and my just-turned-one is really trying at it (keeps trying to get onto my chair and "type" on my computer) but all in all I actually do get a good amount of time each day to work. I sometimes have to remind them and above all my challenge is to be firm and consistent.

Also, make sure you do stop working once in while when you say you will ;-)

Usually they play in their bedroom or around my office room (that bugs me but it's okay) and for a little bit in the morning and before supper they get to watch TV (I can see it from my desk).

Hopw this helps! Good luck!!!

[CawMama]

It's hard sometimes. I am really disappointed in myself that I've had to resort to so much tv lately. But, I just discovered the wonders of Mary's Softdough....now ds will sit at the table by me and go crazy with it for a really long time!

[amberskyfire]

I'm curious to know what everyone does, too. My girl still sleeps all day now so I just put her in my lap, nurse, and type away. I'm not sure WHAT I'll do when she's awake all the time, though. It kind of scares me. My office (and I HAVE to work there, there's no option) is only about six by ten feet and it has two desks and two chairs in it with NO floor space. I don't know what I'll do with her later on.

[eepster]

Mostly I work while DS is napping, or while DH watches him in the evenings. Occassionally he will give me a moment while he "plays" a song on the piano (which is right next to my desk) and sings, but that sometimes turns into climbing the piano. Very rarely he will actually play with toys.

[MonTana Mama]

This is a challenge for us as well. I have found that if I do something exclusively focused on them...like take a walk, crafts, make-believe game...that will buy me a good 45 min---1 hour. Also, setting the timer for 5 minutes will get me uninterupted time. My one yr old is easy, my 3 yo is the challenge. Phone time is our biggest challenge. Any ideas?

[2M's Mom]

I have been working from home for 6 years now (wow, where has the time gone), so, all of my children's lives. I am SO SO SO SO SO lucky that my MIL is a nurse, and is more then happy to come over on the days she is not working. So, 2-3 days a week I have her here, and the kids pretty much do Nana time those days. But, it is wonderful, since they are just int he other room, I can take MANY breaks to spend time with them, nurse, cuddle, feed them etc etc. Now, I do still work the other days (I try to do most when DH is home), and now that they kids are getting older (3 & 4), I can set them down with a snack, art project, book, movie etc and get a little bit of time. Now, most of the work time is interrupted, and I can always hear them, if not see them. I think over time I am them have adapted to a nice schedule and we all work well together.

[Contrariety]

Books, when I can. Otherwise he has to entertain himself with toys and... uh... Bear in the Big Blue House on VHS. :

ETA: Even though I work at home, I have a set schedule. Fortunately it's only three hours long and is mostly just babysitting a phone so I do get to spend most of my time playing/hanging out with DS.

[Neth Naneth]

Here is what we do. For up to one hour a day DS can watch TV. It isn't something that I count on but on average there is a half hour in the day when DS (who is almost 2) is watching TV and I am in the same room with him working on my computer. Also he doesn't have his own room and all of his play items are out in the living room (and so is my computer) so he will play with his toys and I can work some times. Also there times when I put him in his high chair next to me where he will draw, play with stickers, etc. I usually get two hours where I can work while he is napping and that helps a lot. There are some evenings where I get another hour in after DS has gone to bed and some morning where I get some work in one to three hours where I get work done before DS wakes up. Finally I can even get a little bit work done while he is nursing but he is still a strong nurser at this age and so some times I use his asking to nurse as an example to take a break. Good luck!

[yarngoddess]

While I have just started to do some wahm craft ideas and such- I have been sewing diapers and making necklaces- I have found the Story Reader books to be SUPER. My kids- all four - will sit and let this book read to them. They love all the sound effects and noises. When they get bored with that we put it up for a few days and get out the leap pad's- I got a bunch of stuff on sale and at used kids stores it has helped them be occupied. They do play in the kiddy pool (I take my sewing machine outside) or watch movies, play video games, COLOR or do clay/play doh, and they have their own notebooks to write in, their own "laptop" computers that they play with and we just keep going.

For us it isn't finding time to work- it's remembering to make time to eat! I'm terrible with this. I don't get "hungry" untill my blood sugar has crashed due to lack of food. My kids are the same way and would rather eat "snacks" all day than real food. LOL

[mama in the forest]

Carrin - where do you buy your softdough? I just took a look at it and the naturally scented ones look amazing!