Making the Art Happen When The Summer and Kids Being Bored Is Also Happening

Would you like to know the secret to making it through the summer WHILE working from home and WHILE also having bored kids on your hands? Here it is, I’ll tell you for free:

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha nope not happening hahahahahahahahaha.

But of course you CAN try to retain some semblance of a schedule, which is what I’m attempting to do. But you have to be willing to go with the flow sometimes, which is what I’m also attempting to do. You also have to stick to your plan, which (for me) includes looking my adored offspring in the eye and saying “NO”. At which point they will request clarification of my “NO” and when does the “NO” go out of effect and if they do such and such a thing will that change the “NO”?

(Can they go back to grandma’s???!!!???)

For realz, though, here is my schedule that I am attempting to maintain:

5-6 a.m. I groggily wake up, drink the coffee, and try to convince myself that yes, I DO want to work on my social media.

7-11 a.m. Kids are awake and we are busy trying to wear them out by playing outside but of course that never works so really we’re just making it til quiet time, which is right after lunch time.

11 a.m.-1ish p.m. Youngest sleeps, oldest are relegated to their room and I only intervene if there’s bloodshed. This is when I actually work on art pieces.

1ish p.m.-5p.m. This is when we bring the t.v. into play. If everything is going well I might get another hour or two of creative time in, but usually I end up having to be the arbiter in some squabble which means the t.v. goes off and we clean, because someday they will learn not to say “I’m bored” to me.

5 p.m.-7p.m. Dinner and family time, also my running time (usually happens as soon as daddy steps through the door).

7 p.m.-Bedtime We have what we call “retire time” which means my kids are awake but they’re in their room, leaving parents + toddler to do whatever. Ostensibly I could work during this time period but usually I’m too tired and so I’ll either read myself to sleep or watch one of our shows mindlessly.

Next Day: Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

You might ask how this is different, given that we’ve been homeschooling for the past several years, and I have them all day all year long. It just is. Having lessons to get through calms my kids down, but I personally cannot do lessons all year long AND they’ve clued into the fact that kids around here get summers off (I’ve kept that knowledge from them for several years and continued schooling into the summer months so I can take all of November and December off, which is when I like being off). So here we are.

What tips do you have for continuing your work/business/etc during the summer if you also have kids? I’d love to hear!

And art on, my friends. Every step counts.