It’s really easy for me to get totally wrapped up in work and forget I have a life… and a kiddo. Hanna’s really good at entertaining herself these days… and the reason I chose to work from home was so I was here, to spend time with her, to make memories with her, to participate in her growing up.
It’s so easy to get sucked into a project, to think that you have to be sitting in front of your computer to make the money flow… and that’s just not true.
I’m instituting Fun Fridays
Yep, I’m going to start taking the majority of Friday off, to spend the day with my kiddo involved in fun activities.
How did we get started?
Well we haven’t exactly yet… but here’s my plan.
I printed out these awesome Summer Activity Cards. I looked at a LOT of bucket lists around this year, and found these were activities that I would actually do (which is important). I did pull a couple suggestions out because I just knew if we picked it I would dread it. 🙁 And as we think of new things we’ll add more.
So I printed them out, cut them up. (I did not laminate them, yeah…) and stuck them in my favorite vase.
Every Thursday night I’ll have Hanna pick out of the vase and Friday we’ll do whatever she picks.
Some of the items won’t take all day… but I’m deciding right here, right now that creating lasting memories and moments with my daughter is important and I’m going to make Friday ~ not only Fun day, but Hanna day for the Summer. Summer will be over soon enough and she’ll be in school for a full day and I’ll probably miss her terribly.
Steps to make this feasible
I still have work to do… so I’m going to have to shift things around so I can follow through with this plan.
1. Write and schedule Friday’s post Thursday night. As we get started with these activities I think it might be fun to share some of them so they may turn into Fun Friday posts for the next week.
2. Get up a little early Friday morning so I can run through email, and any Kiss Club activity that needs my attention.
3. Turn off the computer. If it’s on I’ll be drawn to it. The internet will wait until the evening after she’s in bed. Friday is really going to be her day.
4. Schedule more writing time (for new products, guest posts etc) on the other 4 days.
5. Block out Friday on my calendar so I don’t inadvertently schedule interviews or other activities on Fridays. (maybe I’ll do that in a fun color!)
So that’s the plan, Stan… if you’re anything like me, coming up with ideas for these fun Fridays is hard. Not to worry… it’s not hard for everyone, and luckily they share. 🙂 Here are some fun Summer Activities, most are free resources a couple are paid ~ and well worth every penny.
Getting Organized for Summer [SimpleMom]
Summer Survival Guide [Life As Mom]
101 Ways to Embrace Summer [Organizing Your Way]
Very Fun Marble Race Track [Home Spun Threads]
Homemade Bath Crayons [From Dates to Diapers]
Summer Fun Handbook [Downstream Parenting]
Fun Summer Activities [Kaboose]
14 Frugal Activities [Frugal Dad]
So what about you? Are you setting aside time in your work week this Summer to create memories and moments with your kiddo?
I really like the idea of having activities already planned and then drawing them out of the vase. Great suggestion!
Visiting from #commenthour – These tips are great and very important – great post!
Great tips! This can be so easy to work everyday on the blog and to “forget” to spend time with the kids!!
Sounds like fun!
Sounds like so much fun! I drag my kids to all sorts of fun summer activities so I can take pictures and they can have fun.
Great tips! I like the idea of Fun Fridays! Stopping by from Comment Hour. 🙂
Great advice for busy moms. Stopping by for commenthour.
Great blog! stopping by from comment hour tonight and following you on twitter… Have a great evening.
The PR firm where I work is chock full of WAHM moms (we’re all home-based). I’ll be sure to share!
Thanks Sarah!
Thanks for this list!! So helpful!!
Visiting from commenthour!
Ro 🙂
http://www.mommymindspa.com
Have you had your Mom-ME Moment yet today?
This is an amazing idea!! Me & my younger cousin used to look for craft ideas from the library while we were on summer break. My mom w as a single mom and worked full time so I spent a lot of time at my cousin’s
Here from Comment Hour! 🙂
Kenzi
I don’t have any kiddos yet, but that’s definitely a great idea to have activities already planned! I think I will use that whenever I have babies that want something fun to do! You sound like you’re a super devoted momma– your daughter is very lucky!! Just stopped by from comment hour to say hi 🙂
Jackie,
I love your focus. The children grow up so quickly before you know it there moving out. Absolutely essential to spend as much time with them as possible. I love the way you have broken everything down and set aside time to focus on what matters most.
Respect.
This is a fantastic idea. I’m more inclined to set aside a little time several days a week to focus completely on my kids – instead of devoting one day to it. It’s *hard* to keep a child entertained for a whole day! 😉 Love the links and the suggestions. {visiting via #commenthour}
I agree… we do “something” most days (we just made tie dye t shirts yesterday ~ stay tuned Friday for the post lol) ~ but since we live so far out of town (it takes an hour to get to town lol) a LOT of the things we like to do take most or all of the day ~ so this really works for us.
I like that schedule, it looks good. we just got out of school this week, and I’m looking at my list of things I want to do (for fun!) this summer.
Yes, I think all of us — parents or not — will benefit by this post, as a reminder to …s l o w… down and create a memory so that you remember this summer for the rest of your life!
I have a 20th anniversary coming up, and I’m trying to think of something memorable that my spouse and I can do together.
{ twitter = @danenoe }
I like how you have everything scheduled to make time with your family. I am also a WAHM and I keep a schedule that tells me everything I need to do. I even schedule “me” time. I think it is the only way that a WAHM can keep her sanity lol
I think you’re right about scheduling me time ~ I’m awful about that, and would love to get a little better. 🙂
I don’t have one particular day scheduled off, but I’m making sure that we all do at least one family outing each week. Today it was mini-golf and Dairy Queen.
I’ve also taken advantage of coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social to find interesting things to do (and save money on them). I picked up theme park tickets and white-water rafting tickets that way at half price, which makes them affordable.
Enjoy your summer!
I love this idea. Scheduling in some quality time is important.
Great tips! It’s so easy for time to fly right out the window if you don’t schedule!
It really is, and even when I do schedule it’s pretty easy to get wrapped up in a project… thanks for stopping by!
Fab ideas – and I think there is lots I can use for summer memories even without kids, just to make sure I don’t let work and unfun stuff expand to take up all the good summertime!
New to your blog via commenthour – enjoying having a read!! 🙂
Absolutely ~ man if I didn’t have my daughter I’d probably never see the light of day. 🙂 We’ll see ~ she’s going to school for a full day next year, which means I’ll have new challenges to having fun (even when she’s not around lol)
Coming over from #commenthour.
I love these ideas! I don’t have any kids but there’s plenty I can put to good use.
Hi Laura, Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you got featured too! I love your blog and put it in my reader!! I added you to my rockin moms list on twitter ~ only because it’s the main list I watch in tweetdeck. 🙂
No lie, it’s so hard to keep up with the kids when you have so much other stuff to do!! I know I do it myself… sadly. But, looking at your blog I think I’ll have another awesome idea to not lose touch with the little ones I love so very much! Thanks for sharing!
visiting from #commenthour
Glad you found it helpful… I know for myself I have to have a plan or I’ll get sucked in and look up and it will be bedtime. 🙂
I’m a work-at-home Mom too! Great tips!
Great post and great list. Thanks so much for the reminder that bloggers and wahp need to make sure they include time for their families and unplug from their work for a while. I write a few posts on it as well!
Visiting from #commenthour! Great post, I need to institute some of these because I feel like social media is leaking into too much of my personal life lol
That sounds like a great plan!! And I’m sure Hanna will really appreciate it 🙂 #commenthour
Great reminder – I need it. THough I think the thing I’m letting go is housework. It’s a total disaster. Good thing our summer break is only two months. I think I’d go crazy if it lasted into August (the mess, not summer). It is just too much fun to play with the kiddos! Also, I’m sure work is suffering. Alas…what to do 🙂 Thanks for the great post and how cool that you got featured on #commenthour!
Funny I seem to have gotten better with the housework ~ I think I watched too many episodes of Hoarders lol. Now I make sure at least the kitchen is cleaned up every night before bed. 🙂
What a great idea. My grandson is currently on a 10-day visitation with his other grandmother, but I had planned on having a special time for he and I to do something together where I shut down the computer and concentrate on him.
Creating a specific day and time, as much as possible, will be something he and I can look forward to as we do fun activities together.
These resources are very welcome to someone who has not spent much time around young children in many decades. 🙂
Sounds like you have a good plan in place 🙂 Stopping by after #commenthour.
Finally making it over from #commenthour. I really like your isde of fun fridays. Im stealling it to do with my BF and my “psedo” step-kids.