Leading Family & Church (Free Download)

I’m participating in a zoom call at home, and down the hall, I hear a little boy demanding to wear his batman pants after getting out of the shower. Thinking ahead, I set out new clothes on his bed so that he can help himself while I work. Instead, he insists on wearing dirty pajamas, the ones that have sticky strawberry jelly on them and smell like pee from wetting his bed the night before. My eyes are shifting to and from the screen and I’m hardly understanding what my co-worker is saying. I’m being so professional right now.

I feel bad.

It’s past bedtime, I’m sitting on my couch and working hard to make progress on a project. My son gets out of bed to ask for lotion. His fingers are cracking and bleeding. He has eczema and the extra hand washing is causing it to flare up. Oh, and we are out of bandaids. Why do they always need me?

Now, I feel worse.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a new battle on the home front that many parents and supervisors are trying to navigate. That is working from home with little kids.

2020 has ushered in a new season that requires us to balance the tensions between work and family and finally practice what we preach: Family comes first. 

So how do we work at home? After all, we need to feed these children with the income our work generates.

How to we keep Batman entertained and be an excellent employee?

I have been a work-at-home mom for the last three years and here are my family’s best practices for working at home and hosting work calls with little (read: LOUD, MESSY & CRAZY) kids in the house.

To be honest, our definition of “excellent employee” may have to change for a season. Our expectations of ourselves, our children, and how much we can accomplish in a week may need to change. Open conversations with our supervisors may also help release some pressure.

Download the pdf’s and consider trying one of these ideas this next week! Then let me know how it worked for you and how long it took your family to adjust to the new routine.

I hope this goes without saying, but just in case consider this, if you get caught in a stressful moment, choose your child over the zoom call, pause or reschedule.

Be honest during a crisis season. It is okay that your capacity is being stretched, it is okay that you are in over your head. Be flexible with yourself. It is okay to lower your expectations as you adjust and grow into this new routine.

Cheering you on my friend! Take things one day at a time. You’ve got this!

xo, Steph

hosting work calls at home

work at home pdf (50+ ideas)

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13