business strategy

How to Survive When the Crazy Kiddos Come Home

This week I had a moment of genius! I was coaching with one of my clients who is trying to run her business and is currently traveling the country in an RV with her husband and, wait for it, 9 KIDS!  OMG, is right.  If you want to check out their adventures.

I’m sure you can imagine that is a challenge!  And as we were talking through how to be productive in the midst of chaos, it hit me!  My genius idea for planning out weeks when the kids are not in school.

Today is our LAST day of school, and while the regular mom in me is rejoicing, I don’t have to look at a Capri Sun for 2.5 months!  The entrepreneur mom in me is getting a little bit panicky.

“I’m bored.”  “When are you done working?”  “He’s using ninja smacks and I invented them!”  You get the idea.  My really consistent and amazing schedule is about to be tested.  I’ve always adjusted my summer schedule, so that isn’t new.  But I am really excited about this new idea.  Feel free to try it out with the Walker’s and the Knorpp’s.

The challenge with summer schedules is that it changes so much from week to week.  We have scout camps, band camps, family reunions, speaking gigs, birthday parties, and home projects we are working on.  It’s tricky to find a schedule that works week in week out, and without any type of routine, my kids go crazy pretty quick.

So here is the brilliant idea.  Instead of having a routine based on day of the week.  Have a routine based on the type of the day.

I’ve broken mine down into three types of days.

1. A play day: This is for when we are heading out for a full day activity, or on vacation. I can train my kids on how to get chores done early in the morning, pack lunches, load the car and be ready to go by 10 am.  Then we can also plan the routine for what each kid does to help when we arrive, how we pack up to go home, and how to get things put away when we get home.  Yay for no more piles dumped in the hallway between the garage and the kitchen.
2. A half and half day: This would look like Mom and Dad working in the morning while the kids do their chores, practice their instruments and play outside before we get ready to go out and do something together as a family. We will start the morning with a family meeting to talk about when we are leaving and what needs to happen before we can go. That way I don’t hustle to try to get things done in my office, only to walk out and realize the family is nowhere near ready to go.
3. A work day: As much as I like the idea of playing all summer, the truth is, we’ve got a business to run and this business is what pays for all the fun! So Mommy and Daddy will be working this summer.  When we do, we need to have rules for the kids on when they can and cannot interrupt.  If someone is bleeding, please interrupt.  It someone wants a popsicle, please don’t interrupt.  We do have a nanny during the summer to help manage the house and make sure no one kills each other, but it’s amazing how often the kids still want to just come and ask us.  Setting those standards helps things to run more smoothly.

Each Sunday we will sit down for a family planning meeting.  We can look at what is going on for the week and decide which days are work days, which days are half and half, and which days are play days.  Then each morning when we meet for breakfast and prayers (we do try to do that together most days,) we can review which type of day it is and make sure everyone knows what to do.

My hope is that this will allow us to have more structure in place for the kids, and ensure that we can have a productive and fun summer.  Want to give it a try with me? >>Click Here<<