Summer snuck up on me this year. I’ve been so distracted with clients, settling my father’s estate, the new blog design, packing and moving that I haven’t done my annual summer planning. My youngest got out of school last week. The three older kids have two weeks left. Since we won’t be moving until the end of June, it doesn’t make sense to look into any local programs or activities. I need to find something for them to participate in when we arrive in our new city. Sometimes masjids even have special summer classes and activities for children, so I’ll be sure to check into that.
I haven’t always been able to afford to put my four children into summer camps and programs while I worked. It can be a real challenge to work at home with bored children underfoot, but not impossible if you’re well prepared and have a plan.

Create a daily routine

Children thrive on routine. Having a daily schedule to that everyone knows when to get up, have breakfast, perform salat, lunch, snacks, dinner, television time, bedtime, etc. will make it easier to maintain productivity while working at home  your kids this summer.

Set the rules

Discuss the work-at-home rules with your children. If they’re old enough to read, write them down on poster board so everyone can be reminded of them.  You may have rules like knocking before entering your office, or one hour of quiet time where you work uninterrupted while the children watch a favorite DVD or television program.

Hire a part-time babysitter while you work

Most people think of hiring babysitters to stay with their children while they enjoy a quiet night out, but if you work from home a babysitter can provide lots of uninterrupted time to work on your business. You may be able to find a trusted teenager in your neighborhood or at the masjid and pay her for a couple of hours a day to keep the kids entertained and occupied.

Rework your schedule

The beauty of working at home on your own business is that you can usually work when you need to. If you’ll be working at home while your kids are home for summer break, think about changing your work schedule a bit. Maybe you could get up an hour or two earlier each morning, or go to bed later in the evening.
Preparation can making running your home business while the kids are home during summer break much easier. Do you have any advice for working at home during summer break?

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with a financial alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools necessary to operate a successful, home-based business.d

Suban’Allah, I survived a weekend of nursing two sick children back to health. Both are doing much better today – my oldest had a tough time last Thursday, so I’m keeping her home today, just as a precaution. Meanwhile, I really need to get back on schedule with packing since we’ll be moving out of state in less than two months! Not to mention I’m traveling out of town this Wednesday, so I have to finish up the laundry and prepare a few meals to leave behind for my husband and kids while I’m away. Honestly, the life of a Muslimah working at home is NEVER dull, masha’Allah.
I’m really excited about some up and coming projects that I’ve been working on. You may recall last fall I mentioned that I was working on an ebook to help Muslimah’s interested in working for themselves take the first important steps toward turning that dream into reality. Unfortunately my father’s unexpectedly experienced health crisis required my attention and I had to put the project on hold. I have started working on the book again, and plan to expand it to include a workbook insha’Allah. This ebook will be free and I look forward to having it ready by June, insha’Allah.

This project deadline will coincide with the completion of another important project I’m working on as well, insha’Allah. I am planning the redesign of this blog so that it is much more streamline, user-friendly and provides you with as much information as possible to start, and/or operate your own home business successfully, insha’Allah. I’m currently working with a Muslimah-owned, full-service, website development firm www.paramaya.net to make this happen.

I look forward to providing you with useful resources and online tools, instruction video and webinars. I’ll also provide affordable, one-on-one coaching for those seeking more personal guidance, inspiration and accountability and help you establish and implement your work at home mission, vision, mission, strategy, objectives and goals. Please stay tuned – I will keep you updated on my progress, insha’Allah.

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with a financial alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools needed to operate a successful, home-based business.

Today is the beginning of spring break in our state. That means a week of working at home with all four kids. Yikes! I’m not really worried though, after five years of running a home-based business, I’ve learned how to prepare.

Set Aside Time for Fun

I have to arrange my work schedule so the family can do a couple of fun activities together. Bowling, the drive in movies, and other activities give the kids something to look forward to since we’re not going out of town this year. I usually adjust my schedule and work a little earlier in the morning, or later at night (after the kids go to bed) to compensate for spending quality time with the family.

Establish a Schedule

Spring break only lasts one week, so I don’t want the kids to get completely off of their regular schedule. I try to establish regular waking, eating and bedtimes. It makes planning the days much easier plus it’s much easier for them to get back on schedule once vacation time ends.

Let the Kids Help with the Business

My kids love helping out with my business. I’ll give them small (but important!) jobs like shredding documents, organizing files, assembling booklets with the three-hole punch, putting stamps on envelopes and post cards, etc.
This is good practice to prepare for the coming (longer) summer vacation. When you work from home, preparation and planning are the keys to success.
Do you have any tips for parents managing home-based businesses and kids on spring break?

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with a financial alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools needed to operate a successful, home-based business.

*Photo: Google Images