Help! I Need to Get Work Done.

I'm glad you got a few responses... I asked this question a few days ago and got nothing! (My mother's helper is sick and I'm trying to do phone work with a 3 yr old and 8 mo old... not going too well unless Dora the Explorer if on!)

But spending some concentrated time does seem to help.

Wow....
Being a stay at home mom IS a full time job...so you are pulling double duty..
I ran a day care in my home so my job was the kids anyway...I know it is nearly impossible to squeeze more in.
Start with a schedule...Well, you can try giving them assignments, but I see your age gaps in the children may make that hard.
Lunch time, movie time, nap time....Keep them in a row. It is the most mellow time for you. They get full bellies and will settle down in front of a movie until they doze off for a nap.
I took VHS tapes and taped several movies in a row. It also kept the original movies out of reach and they last longer. You can always retape a homemade cassette... And you can group them....like Aladin part 1, 2 and 3...Toy story one and two...thats a couple hours of movie. Then you don't have to be interupted to change the movie...or have the napping child woke up by "White Noise" at the end of the tape. I taped Fantasia over and over on a tape....when they woke up, it was still on and they would continue to watch instead of jumping up and digging out toys. this gave me clean up time and cooking time...without them coming into the kitchen.
Don't get into a bad habit of letting them sleep all day...you'll regret it at night.

Hi R., I work from home occasionally and have found that for me the best solution is to hire a babysitter or a mother's helper (younger teenager) to play with the kids while I work. The kids love our sitter, and I love knowing that they are having fun while I'm working. We try to limit TV time, so parking them in front of a movie isn't always an option. Also, I work after they're in bed, but, of course, that can get exhausting because Moms need sleep, too! Good luck. - K.

I would sit the 5 and 6 year olds down and tell them that they are now BIG boys/Girls and you could really use their help with the "BABY". Give each of them a job and give them a Small reward if they help you. ie: five minutes more at bed time or 5 minutes of special mommy time. If the do a great job, come up with special thing to do with them at the end of the week. I say special time, because it is free and it will teach responsibility without spoiling them. I can't stand seeing parents have to buy a child someting in a store just because the child has trained them that they have to do it. Remember YOU are the boss. Listening to crying now will pay off BIG time in the future! They will respect you more in later years and cary that on to their children.

The only advice I can give is ORGANIZATION. You need to make a schedule and stick with it - the kids need to know that they can't disturb you while you are working. Maybe have activities that maybe you set up for them but that they can do on their own for a half hour or hour at at time.

The only other alternative is to find someone to watch them while you're working. It doesn't even have to be outside of the home. I have a friend who is a part time nanny. She watches a little girl while the mother does laundry, takes a bath, works form home, etc.. But the child and mother are in the house together most of the time. She just hired my friend so she had someone to watch her daughter so she could just get stuff done.

Good Luck

I don't work outside of being a mom but I do have days that I need to get things done and argue or work against my kids all day long. They are 2yrs and 4yrs. What works best for me is to give them my FULL attention in the morning whether we go out or stay home. Then after lunch the little one takes a nap and the older one can entertain herself for awhile or watch a movie. If I need to be on the computer I give her 3 activities she can do near me w/ out needing me. I also promise her she can have a turn on the computer if she is quiet while I am busy.
Good Luck and definitelly try to play more w/ your kids!

Hi R. -

I recently started working from home myself. The first thing I did was talk with my kids. Tell them I was working, doing my job and when I was in my office, I was working. Not to inturupt while I was on the phone and no fighting (yeah right LOL).

It took a bit of reminders and holding the hand up when they just ran in the office while I was on the phone, but they started getting it when I ignored them. If I had to stop my call to deal with them, they had to go to their room and or lost a priviledge (if it was a repeat problem).

Soon they learned they enjoyed me being available and would come in quietly and wait, it took a few months, but being consistant really helps.

Now they love it, cause they get to do what they want while Im working, which can be a problem itself LOL. Though my kids are a little order (11 & 13) its been a year now and they have adjusted beautifully!

Make sure you set aside time during lunch for them, so they do get your undivided attention during the day. Make it a "special date" time and lots of attention. Snack time after school, take a break yourself, then give them free time so you can finish up. Try to make a schedule of sorts, even if its in 1 to 2 hr chunks with a 10 min break. Once a routine sets up, they will adjust (remember, they adjust to the school class routine very quickly!)

Best of luck.

R.,
When it's time to get some work done, try one of these....
set them up with a disney movie and make them some popcorn. Tell them it's movie time, dim the lights and there you have at least 1 1/2 hr. You can also try to give them books to read orcoloring books or interactive toys so it resembles what you are doing, kind of so they can "work" too. That too should get you an 1 1/2 hr. If you have a lot to do, you can try both. Just make it fun. You can pretend to be an office together and they could be your assistants or co-workers. This always helped me around the house. Good Luck and remember to just make it fun!

You are funny! You have three kids and still want to work from home?! Didn't you know that motherhood is a full-time job? And I'm guessing that mothering three kids is more like three full-time jobs.