Thursday 14 July 2011

Mum & Dad Preneurs balancing Working from Home, Children & School Holidays ~~ how do you cope ?

My question today was how will you cope running a business from home with your children off on school holidays ?
Do you still have to pay and send your children to nursery just to keep there place open ?

I had to blog about it as so many mums & dads tweeted me so Ive invited a couple of mums and a dad  to give use there story and share ideas, if you have any tips on this please feel free to leave a comment your tips will be so helpful xxx


MumPreneur Rachel tells her story from KoolsunKidz




Time is precious! We are all controlled by time, but it's the way you use it that counts! Time with my children is one of the most important things to me. Running a business and spending time with the children in the holidays is one of the hardest things a mother has to deal with. The work/life balance in the holidays becomes a total nightmare and the guilty feeling that you're not with your children is unbearable. I have three children - now 16,14 and 12. It is so much easier now they are older, but I still try and balance my time between the home/office and the house so I can at least be with them and do things with them.  I always try to do the main bulk of my work in the holidays first thing in the morning - either when they are all still sleeping or busy doing their own things.  I get so frustrated when work takes over and I don't have any time with them.  Again, now they are older they stay up later and I get more time in the evenings with them.  More often than not they don't necessarily want to do things with me, but I think the important thing is making myself available so that if they do want to, we can do things together.  When they were younger, my business partner would bring her three similar aged children to work and they would all play together which worked really well, but it still doesn't stop the guilty feelings that you have as a mother. I've never had help with the children and my parents and in laws all lived too far away to be able to 'pop over' and lend a hand.  Summer clubs were great when they were younger, but also expensive! So one week out of 6 doesn't go very far! A family holiday too takes up another week or so, but the rest is left just generally muddling through! Luckily now they all arrange their own social lives and I am called upon as a taxi so invariably spend my time ducking and diving in and out of the office to suit around them! All three children are hugely supportive and interested in the business, however it's my youngest that will come into the office and help.  She notices if I'm stressed and will ask if she can come and help.  She loves being with me, but I'd say she knows the stock just as well as anyone that actually works for me! So I'm very happy to let her come and pack parcels. I don't think it gets any easier however old the children are, but somehow I manage and we all muddle through!
KoolSun
http://www.koolsun.co.uk/
www.twitter.com/koolsunkidz
Facebook: www.facebook.com/KoolSun
Theo Paphitis #SBS winner April 2011

MumPreneur Kate tells her story from Growing Spirit  




Summer Fun!
Well the summer holidays are almost upon us and for us Mumpreneurs it can mean child care nightmares. I am fortunate because I do juggle my business and my son 6.5days a week anyway, so I book most of my clients for evenings and the morning he is at preschool, and if necessary my mother in law or husband can usually take him out for me. I am a healer and spirit artist so all my painting is done during nap time, or evenings and I do a lot of distance work while he plays around my feet. I have to say though when my daughter is off school it’s a very different story, partly because I value my quality time with my children and partly because she is more demanding of my time. I organise my time well; book all my clients into one day a week and send Daddy out with the kids for the day, I do still do my evening work (unless we are having a day out) and I do work harder in the run up to the holidays to allow this to happen. I love my children and I love spending these precious years with them and no matter how much I love my business my kids will always come first. 



DadPreneur John tells his story from SlabAds

I work Monday to Friday 6am to 2pm & I have 5 children, 2 of whom are at School & one in nursery, but my youngest two(twins) have to be put into childminder as my wife is at college full-time, she also works Friday nights 230pm-8pm, Saturday 730am-4pm & Monday 230pm-8pm, and as I believe a marriage is a shared responsibility I finish work & try take my children out or take them to another room or garden, this lets my wife relax & sleep if she wants, but the most annoying thing about having all children in the holidays, is that the childminder must still be paid even if the girls are not there? this policy was put in place in Private Nurseries & childminders about 10 maybe more years ago, & to be honest I do agree & don't agree, because every town is crying out for carers/nurseries, but on the same hand I'm continually paying out regardless?

We are lucky that my wife is in full-time college, as they cover some costs for our children(after school/childcare), School holidays are great.......for me, but my wife really has a hard task everyday she is off college......my next present to her is a superwoman t-shirt!!

My wife Cat, children Taylor(12), Callan(8) only boy, Bailey(4 next month), Lily(2) & Ava (2)

Thank you, John
www.twitter.com/jtfaelivi
 http://www.slabads.com

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