Many of you are probably laughing and nodding in agreement with this scenario. It's great that your kids have so many friends and get to enjoy the "lazy days" of summer, but you still have a business to run. So, how can we successfully run a business and be a full-time mom when the kids are underfoot ALL DAY LONG?

Remember, this is the reason you decided to work from home. The most commonly named reason for launching a home business is to be close to children. Well, you're good and close now! Put a photo of your happy, smiling children next to your computer so you can be reminded of exactly WHY you are home. That will help you when one of them comes in covered in dirt and deposits a pile of it on your office floor.

So, here are some tips for making the most of working from home with children:

• Get up early. Most kids sleep in a little in the summer (the older they are the more likely they are to do that). Keep your regular schedule and get in an hour or two of work before they get up. Don't worry about getting dressed, just work in your jammies until you hear the pitter-patter of little feet!
• Go Wireless! If you have a laptop, get a wireless card for it and set up your house for wireless! Take your computer outside and sit on the grass while your kids ride their bikes or play. At least you are there to say, "Oh, wow!" when they do something they think is FABULOUS!
• Put a signal on your office door. If you have to make phone calls, tell your kids that if the door has a red circle on it, they better not even knock-BUT, if they are good, you will reward them when you're off the phone with some undivided attention! Put up a green circle when it's okay for them to come in and bug you!
• If your kids can read, schedule a thirty minute daily reading time. Tell them they have to sit in their rooms reading quietly-use that time to get 30 minutes of work done. We give out daily reading tickets and on Friday, my kids get to choose from a "Prize Box" if they have earned all five tickets that week. It really motivates them to read.
• Include them! You are training future entrepreneurs. If you make a product or need to package customer orders, let them help-even if It's licking stamps or carrying boxes into the post office. Make sure they think they are the most important helper in the world! You can even pay your kids to help!
• Set limits for friends: Don't allow the neighborhood kids to run your schedule. Let your kids and others that they can't come knock on your door until a certain time. Some moms even have flag signals to let others know they're "open" for visitors.
• Let other moms know you work: Many of my neighbors had no idea I was running a business from the house. Hopefully, they'll "get" it and respect your time.
• The Tech Babysitter: Your kids will probably want to or get to watch TV or a DVD during the day. Schedule their "tech time" at a time that's convenient for you to be working. Only your kids want to watch Scooby Doo for the 16th time.
• Get out of the house - schedule errands and take your kids so they feel like they've been out of the house and "done something" during the day. They will be less restless.
• Pay an older child to "babysit" a younger one for an hour while you work-even if they are not old enough to REALLY babysit. It's amazing how "mature" a 9 year old can be when you put him in charge of a younger sibling for MONEY!
• Employ a "Mother's Helper" - a 12 year old would be delighted to make a few dollars playing with your kids in the back yard while you work. Just make sure the kids know the babysitter is in charge-not you. Otherwise they'll STILL come to you when they want a drink or a snack
• Find a summer day camp program-it will give you a whole week of full or half days to work and yo
  Managing Change
  All the talk today is about managing change in organizations. Leaders talk about it like it is really something one can ‘manage’. Everywhere I go I see consulting practices with change leaders and much of what comes out the other end, is only slightly better than the snake oil salesmen of time gone by. So what is up with managing change?The first thing to realize is that you cannot manage change you can only preferably lead or manage people. There is no such thing as organizational change, there is only people change. Organizations are large groups of people, yes organized in a particular way to accomplish a particular task, but they are still people. Right here
  ghing and nodding in agreement with this scenario. It's great that your kids have so many friends and get to enjoy the "lazy days" of summer, but you still have a business to run. So, how can we successfully run a business and be a full-time mom when the kids are underfoot ALL DAY LONG?

  Remember, this is the reason you decided to work from home. The most commonly named reason for launching a home business is to be close to children. Well, you're good and close now! Put a photo of your happy, smiling children next to your computer so you can be reminded of exactly WHY you are home. That will help you when one of them comes in covered in dirt and deposits a pile of it on your office floor.

  So, here are some tips for making the most of working from home with children:

  • Get up early. Most kids sleep in a little in the summer (the older they are the more likely they are to do that). Keep your regular schedule and get in an hour or two of work before they get up. Don't worry about getting dressed, just work in your jammies until you hear the pitter-patter of little feet!
  • Go Wireless! If you have a laptop, get a wireless card for it and set up your house for wireless! Take your computer outside and sit on the grass while your kids ride their bikes or play. At least you are there to say, "Oh, wow!" when they do something they think is FABULOUS!
  • Put a signal on your office door. If you have to make phone calls, tell your kids that if the door has a red circle on it, they better not even knock-BUT, if they are good, you will reward them when you're off the phone with some undivided attention! Put up a green circle when it's okay for them to come in and bug you!
  • If your kids can read, schedule a thirty minute daily reading time. Tell them they have to sit in their rooms reading quietly-use that time to get 30 minutes of work done. We give out daily reading tickets and on Friday, my kids get to choose from a "Prize Box" if they have earned all five tickets that week. It really motivates them to read.
  • Include them! You are training future entrepreneurs. If you make a product or need to package customer orders, let them help-even if It's licking stamps or carrying boxes into the post office. Make sure they think they are the most important helper in the world! You can even pay your kids to help!
  • Set limits for friends: Don't allow the neighborhood kids to run your schedule. Let your kids and others that they can't come knock on your door until a certain time. Some moms even have flag signals to let others know they're "open" for visitors.
  • Let other moms know you work: Many of my neighbors had no idea I was running a business from the house. Hopefully, they'll "get" it and respect your time.
  • The Tech Babysitter: Your kids will probably want to or get to watch TV or a DVD during the day. Schedule their "tech time" at a time that's convenient for you to be working. Only your kids want to watch Scooby Doo for the 16th time.
  • Get out of the house - schedule errands and take your kids so they feel like they've been out of the house and "done something" during the day. They will be less restless.
  • Pay an older child to "babysit" a younger one for an hour while you work-even if they are not old enough to REALLY babysit. It's amazing how "mature" a 9 year old can be when you put him in charge of a younger sibling for MONEY!
  • Employ a "Mother's Helper" - a 12 year old would be delighted to make a few dollars playing with your kids in the back yard while you work. Just make sure the kids know the babysitter is in charge-not you. Otherwise they'll STILL come to you when they want a drink or a snack
  • Find a summer day camp program-it will give you a whole week of full or half days to work and y
    Demystified: The Art Of Building Relationships In Business
    They say that it can take at least seven contacts to turn a stranger into a customer. When building relationships in business with your customer, it shouldn’t start when your customer makes the first purchase. It starts way before then. Instead what to do is cultivate your first contact with your customers and turn it into a friendly and true relationship. Long before they buy from you. Not only will it be good for your business, you might end up with a friend for life.Promoting your business is very important. But building relationships in business is even more so. You should always have your products and services in front of customers so that they will not fo
    Don't worry about getting dressed, just work in your jammies until you hear the pitter-patter of little feet!
  • Go Wireless! If you have a laptop, get a wireless card for it and set up your house for wireless! Take your computer outside and sit on the grass while your kids ride their bikes or play. At least you are there to say, "Oh, wow!" when they do something they think is FABULOUS!
  • Put a signal on your office door. If you have to make phone calls, tell your kids that if the door has a red circle on it, they better not even knock-BUT, if they are good, you will reward them when you're off the phone with some undivided attention! Put up a green circle when it's okay for them to come in and bug you!
  • If your kids can read, schedule a thirty minute daily reading time. Tell them they have to sit in their rooms reading quietly-use that time to get 30 minutes of work done. We give out daily reading tickets and on Friday, my kids get to choose from a "Prize Box" if they have earned all five tickets that week. It really motivates them to read.
  • Include them! You are training future entrepreneurs. If you make a product or need to package customer orders, let them help-even if It's licking stamps or carrying boxes into the post office. Make sure they think they are the most important helper in the world! You can even pay your kids to help!
  • Set limits for friends: Don't allow the neighborhood kids to run your schedule. Let your kids and others that they can't come knock on your door until a certain time. Some moms even have flag signals to let others know they're "open" for visitors.
  • Let other moms know you work: Many of my neighbors had no idea I was running a business from the house. Hopefully, they'll "get" it and respect your time.
  • The Tech Babysitter: Your kids will probably want to or get to watch TV or a DVD during the day. Schedule their "tech time" at a time that's convenient for you to be working. Only your kids want to watch Scooby Doo for the 16th time.
  • Get out of the house - schedule errands and take your kids so they feel like they've been out of the house and "done something" during the day. They will be less restless.
  • Pay an older child to "babysit" a younger one for an hour while you work-even if they are not old enough to REALLY babysit. It's amazing how "mature" a 9 year old can be when you put him in charge of a younger sibling for MONEY!
  • Employ a "Mother's Helper" - a 12 year old would be delighted to make a few dollars playing with your kids in the back yard while you work. Just make sure the kids know the babysitter is in charge-not you. Otherwise they'll STILL come to you when they want a drink or a snack
  • Find a summer day camp program-it will give you a whole week of full or half days to work and y
    Who Is to Blame for Job Dissatisfaction?
    Many of the stereotypes of companies are true. Companies often hire inexperienced workers for low pay, don’t train them and then wonder why they get poor performance.Companies don’t sufficiently include their employees in the creative idea process or give attention to individual input. They continue to enforce higher production requirements with tighter deadlines – in effect, expecting a “worker bee style” from its employees to keep up with competitive needs. Staff has little promise of promotion in this time of cutbacks, and consequently no real cause for ownership, since they are simply expected to get the job done. Yet companies feel cheated if they don’t
    et to choose from a "Prize Box" if they have earned all five tickets that week. It really motivates them to read.
  • Include them! You are training future entrepreneurs. If you make a product or need to package customer orders, let them help-even if It's licking stamps or carrying boxes into the post office. Make sure they think they are the most important helper in the world! You can even pay your kids to help!
  • Set limits for friends: Don't allow the neighborhood kids to run your schedule. Let your kids and others that they can't come knock on your door until a certain time. Some moms even have flag signals to let others know they're "open" for visitors.
  • Let other moms know you work: Many of my neighbors had no idea I was running a business from the house. Hopefully, they'll "get" it and respect your time.
  • The Tech Babysitter: Your kids will probably want to or get to watch TV or a DVD during the day. Schedule their "tech time" at a time that's convenient for you to be working. Only your kids want to watch Scooby Doo for the 16th time.
  • Get out of the house - schedule errands and take your kids so they feel like they've been out of the house and "done something" during the day. They will be less restless.
  • Pay an older child to "babysit" a younger one for an hour while you work-even if they are not old enough to REALLY babysit. It's amazing how "mature" a 9 year old can be when you put him in charge of a younger sibling for MONEY!
  • Employ a "Mother's Helper" - a 12 year old would be delighted to make a few dollars playing with your kids in the back yard while you work. Just make sure the kids know the babysitter is in charge-not you. Otherwise they'll STILL come to you when they want a drink or a snack
  • Find a summer day camp program-it will give you a whole week of full or half days to work and y
    Improving Customer Service
    Improving customer service starts at the top - with us owners and managers. We need to be living pictures of how we want our staff to treat customers. Having 10 plus years operating, owning and working in the food business and being a customer myself, I know what good customer service looks like. If I don’t place a high value on the best customer service possible, then my staff won’t make it a priority either.From the time a customer walks into our establishment until the time he or she leaves, we need to treat them as guests in a mature, professional manner, regardless of their demeanor or our good or bad day. We are there to serve them and meet their needs as b
    . Schedule their "tech time" at a time that's convenient for you to be working. Only your kids want to watch Scooby Doo for the 16th time.
  • Get out of the house - schedule errands and take your kids so they feel like they've been out of the house and "done something" during the day. They will be less restless.
  • Pay an older child to "babysit" a younger one for an hour while you work-even if they are not old enough to REALLY babysit. It's amazing how "mature" a 9 year old can be when you put him in charge of a younger sibling for MONEY!
  • Employ a "Mother's Helper" - a 12 year old would be delighted to make a few dollars playing with your kids in the back yard while you work. Just make sure the kids know the babysitter is in charge-not you. Otherwise they'll STILL come to you when they want a drink or a snack
  • Find a summer day camp program-it will give you a whole week of full or half days to work and your kids will have a BLAST!
  • Schedule bites of time. Tell your kids that if they let you work for 30 or 60 minutes WITHOUT interruption, that you'll give them an equal amount of "mom time".

  Be creative when it comes to keep your work/motherhood balance this summer and remember that September is just around the corner!