Spring Break, Kids, and the Author Mom

If you're a mom then spring break is either here right now or right around the corner. Dan and I have 3 teenagers in three different school districts which means we have 2 weeks of spring break. It is times like this that I feel like Dan is lucky for working outside of the home. Why? Because the kids are home with me. He gets to go to work, do his job, and come home.  I have to figure out how to manage the chaos around here while being productive with my job.

Today is spring breaker #1's first day. He is sleeping on the couch this morning. My daughter is blasting her music like always in the morning. I usually don't complain about this while she is getting ready for school because it's only for a short period of time. Spring breaker #1 didn't complain at all. He sat up, looked around, and went back to sleep. Spring breaker #3 comes in, dressed in his school uniform, and stares down at Spring Breaker #1. "So not fair," says #3, "we shouldn't have school if he doesn't have school." Then it was time to explain about #1 having school next week while #2 and #3 are having their break. #3 says, "Yeah but he'll be at his mom's next week and we won't be able to rub it in." Aren't teenagers fun?

So how do I deal with spring break with these kids while working at home? As a side note: we have two fourteen-year-old boys and a fifteen-year-old girl. My tips work for us because of their ages. Also, the picture above is at our bonfire over the weekend. The three kids to the right are ours. One of the kids picked me the flowers.

• Dan leaves for work at 4 a.m. I get up to make his lunch each morning. During spring break I could go back to sleep after he leaves but I don't. The hours before the kids wake up provide me with some peaceful time to be productive. Even if all hell breaks out in my home later in the day, I know that I've started the day with a few hours of work. This way the day is never wasted.
• The kids know that I will NOT cook them breakfast or lunch. My kids are old enough to make two meals. I also provide them with the food that they know how to prepare.  If they are hungry, they will eat.
• I have an office area in the central part of the house but plan on moving to my bedroom for times that I get incredibly distracted. The kids can be loud and I can shut the door. I also plan on heading to our back yard for a quiet change during the work day.
• We started the spring break with a sleepover and bonfire. We are also planning on taking the kids fishing at the lake or to Flagstaff, Arizona to play in the snow this weekend. We are letting the kids decide as a reward for being good all week. They have to respect our work schedules, but we'll respect their choices on our family fun activities! Check my blog for pictures next week to see what activity they decide on.

The good part about them being home all this time is that my family often forgets that I actually have a job to do beyond locating socks, cooking, and doing laundry. This gives them the opportunity to see that while they are away, I'm at my computer working. My kids actually do stop by my computer to see what project I'm working on at any given time.


So, what ideas do you have for us spring-breaking authors?