School’s Out for the Summer: A Working Mom’s Guide to Surviving

Surviving summer as a working mom at any time can be fun, but chaotic. During the COVID-19 pandemic, though, it is a whole new ballgame.

Making playdates may not be the safest bet, going to theme parks can be risky, and other activities with large groups may contribute to spreading the virus. This summer, working moms may have to get innovative to keep their children entertained as well as give themselves time to get work done.

Spending time in the swimming pool, taking photographs to remember the memories, and many other strategies can help you to survive this extended summer vacation.

Document your summer with fun photographs

Sure, COVID-19 has taken away the opportunity to go to theme parks, beach trips with friends, and other fun group activities, but that does not mean you cannot have fun.

Take the time to snap some cool photos with your smartphone while you and your kids play out in the yard together or do a fun craft with each other.

While some storage options charge a monthly fee, Meet IBI is a one-time fee for a full terabyte of storage. Download the app to your smartphone, and IBI will collect the photos for you automatically, so you do not have to worry about backing them up on your own.

You can set up who has access to your photos, making it easy for family members or friends to see the pictures you are taking. IBI is available at Best Buy, Target, and other retailers.

While there are free online photo storage solutions such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and Google Photos, IBI provides much more storage space and more services for a busy mom. You can also take those photos and make fun edits to them in Photoshop or Lightroom.

Keep your swimming pool safe

If you have a swimming pool, but you are also a working mom, then you know it can be tough to keep an eye on the pool area while also trying to focus on getting your work done.

Make sure you keep your swimming pool area safe so that your kids cannot just get in and out without you knowing about it while you are on a Zoom call with your company.

One way to do that is by installing a swimming pool fence. These will help block access to the pool, hot tub, or spa unless an adult is on hand and will also provide you with peace of mind knowing that this mesh pool fence is keeping your kids safe while you work.

Even if your children are skilled swimmers, it is a good idea to have a pool fence installed.

Organize board game nights or puzzle afternoons

To keep the children occupied and give them something to look forward to during the week, try to organize family puzzle afternoons or board game nights that everyone can join.

Schedule a board game after dinner one night and let each family member pick what game they would like to play.

Rotate those through a weekly schedule–and you can even make it enjoyable by saying that the winner gets a certain privilege, such as choosing what movie to watch on Friday night or 15 extra minutes before going to bed.

Surviving the summer as a working mom may not be the easiest thing you have done in 2020, but there are ways to help get through this time and help you still enjoy time with your family.

Avoiding stress this year is practically impossible–make sure your kids are as happy as they can be during this unprecedented time in our nation’s history and plan activities that they (and you) will like doing together.

Home Jobs By Mom

Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.