Summertime Blues

This is my third summer as a stay-at-home parent. However, it is my first summer as a work-from-home parent.

During the summer vacations I try not to book my older daughter into too many activities or classes so we can have lounge time together, read, work in the garden or tackle home projects (she has painted many walls with me in our house). My youngest still requires an afternoon nap, so we plan our errands or park outings for the morning, come home to have lunch and some quiet time. We stick to the back yard later in the afternoon or eat dinner outside.

Our first summer with two kids was pretty stressful. I was still unpacking from our year in California while tending to a baby and attempting to convince my oldest she still had my attention. My husband was also changing careers.

We had a better groove last summer, where both kids (then ages eight and one), were content in the wading pool while I brainstormed ideas about a home business.


This summer I have had time for one role only: Referee.


My girls, now ages nine and two, are constantly bickering. #1 attempts to reason with #2. #2 repeats everything #1 says. #1 gets mad, yells. #2 yells back. Sometimes I let them yell it out until they call for me. Sometimes I just separate. Most times I give threats. Once in a while, treats.

In June, I imagined the girls could play together long enough for me to squeeze in an hour or so of work. It hasn't really happened that way. When my husband took some vacation time, I thought I'd be off the hook, but that was almost worse.

I always knew I needed to put certain expectations aside when my children were young. That self satisfaction would have greater limits: Fewer date nights, less time with girlfriends, fewer books read, stricter budgets. I even accepted that my "work" now exhibited itself within the minds and bodies of two little girls. But now that I have a mentally stimulating and creative outlet - a business -  I need to restrict myself in other areas in order to make room for the business.

Restricting time with my family just doesn't seem right for me at this point. So the business gets shifted down the priority chain a notch.

But I'm not powering down entirely-I'm taking some time to build a website, stylize our logo, organize our branding, marketing and packaging so that once the first leaves fall from the trees we'll be able to boost print > pixel's visibility. Then, at least, I can push that 'Referee' title further away.