my mumprenuer tips for holiday survival..

​ In an ideal world we would have six weeks off through summer with our kids. We'd take trips to the beach and only use our phones for photos of those magical moments. 

But in reality when you are self employed 'Mumprenuer' the thought of six weeks out of a working routine breaks you out in a sweat. Can you do it all? Can you have fun with your kids and stay visible online and be of service to your customers and clients?

Yes you can. It won't always go to plan or be easy. But here are my top tips I use for the summer holidays...

1- Time Block: Get your planner or diary out and block off your time. Leave space for lunch, appointments, play dates etc. Then look at what you have left, what work can you fit in? Do your bears like to lounge around in the morning? So could you work for a little then? Or are you best off getting up and out of the house and then working in the afternoon? Think about your day and be practical. Work around your kids, because lets face it they come first. 

As you all know Sunday night is when I plan my week. Without planning my week, nothing would get done, I'd end up in the garden, or at Costa or worse sucked into my current Netflix binge. So time blocking saves time as well as the plants in the green house at the plot. Because I need a reminder about everything. Take your diary and look at your day. There are a lot of hours in there when its broken down. If you are wondering I use the freedom mastery law of attraction planner which is broken down hour by hour from 5am to 10.30pm.

2- Be Honest: Tell your clients what's happening. You are your brand. Your clients love you for your honesty and authenticity. So tell them whats happening. No one will mind if they have had a heads up. If you've got a client and the kids will be there, put them in the picture and give them the chance to re-book or change their appointment time. If your working times are changing tell them. Be Honest and it's half the stress. Being professional and honest go hand in hand.

3- Schedule: Social media is a huge part of a working mum's day for many. Scheduling saves me in the summer. I schedule my cards and my quotes. All my blogs are written and saved, podcasts ready to edit and my Newsletter is always in at least its final draft. This way I only have my clients to see to as all of my admin because 90% of my SM stuff is already done. You can even set auto replies to emails and inboxes. "Thanks for connecting with me, I am currently on summer holiday break with my kids, but I'll get back to you after 7pm when I check my emails. See no one died! And your client knows from get go. You can use buffer if you want an app to help you with social media scheduling. 

4- Communicate with your Bears: You have to explain to your kids that you need to get some work done a minute. Maybe you have emails to check, blogs to quickly publish or clients to book in. Kids actually react better when you explain to them what is going to happen ahead of time.  Most cases they understand more than you think they do. I lay out the plans for the day whilst we have breakfast together. That way I know we are all on the same page and there is no "I'm trying to work here!" shouting. 

5- Keep Balance: 50/50 work and play. It's the only way. We have a quiet morning, chilling whilst mummy does some work then at lunch time lets take a picnic to the park. Depending on your line of work, this might be a complete no no for you. Which in that case I would suggest you call upon your tribe. Ask your girl gang if any of them want to share some childcare over the holidays. If you don't ask you don't know right. Maybe you can have her Bears in the morning and she can have yours on another day. It doesn't matter if she doesn't work. Perhaps she wants to get her nails done, Or the shopping without two grizzly bears dragging their heels. Ask. Worst case she says no. 

6- Start Early: If you don't do this already I bet my save the last dance album that once you get into the swing of this and see the benefits, you'll carry on with this one after the kids are back at school. Get up before your Bears. OK so this might be 5am or 6am if you are lucky. Fill your planner with all of the things you need to do whilst its quiet. Make yourself a coffee and you'll be amazed how much you can get done. Plus if you are like me then there is nothing worse than being woken up by a child poking you in the eye. So win-win. You get some work done, and a coffee in peace. I try and do all the things that require quiet time before the bears wake up. Meditation, reading, Writing. Anything I struggle to do with too much going on around me. Then I can have breakfast with the bears and focus on the rest of our day. 

7- Let them get bored: Children need to sit in their own Boredom, yes you heard me right let your kids be bored once in awhile. With the world being so quick and expectations being so high there is very little time for them to connect with themselves. So if they say they are bored, let them figure it out for a little while. they need to tap into their internal drive and figure out what lights them up. So let them come up with some ideas for themselves. They might just surprise you. 

8- Double Up- No one is perfect and sometimes things won't get done, That's just a fact when you are a mum and and entrepreneur all rolled into a Goddess body. But you can be clever and pick up a few hacks. My two favorites are I love to binge a good series, its my time for me. But there aren't enough hours in the day so I watch it whilst I do the washing up. ha ha. I know its really basic but honestly I hate washing up, but it needs to be done. Somehow watching my favorite series gets the job done and it doesn't feel like such a drag to stand in the kitchen at seven o'clock at night. Secondly my favorite thing to save time is to hang my washing on the line on the hangers! Shocking I know but it means there are very rarely any floor-drobes and the clothes go from the line to the wardrobe. Skipping that pile on the dining room table or bedroom floor for 12 hours stage. and my other one is listen to podcasts or music when I do the housework. bringing Joy into the dull jobs. 

9- Fuel Up!: Make sure you are eating well. The crusts off your kids plate as you take them to the kitchen is not going to cut it. Eat when they eat means you get chance to check in with them as well as taking some time to refuel. I also love apple cider vinegar and the energy it gives me. I honestly wouldn't go with out it now. I take mine with hot water and a little honey to taste. Make sure its the one with "the mother" as that is the most important part. As well as the above make sure you are staying hydrated. Brain fog with the kids is no joke. Eat things that fill and ignite you, don't rely on sugar fuel too often. 

10- It is what it is: Working for yourself is a blessing. It's hard but it's a pure blessing. Most of us started this line of work because it combined your passion with the flexibility to work round your kids. So enjoy it, Sometimes the work will just have to wait. Leave some flexibility in your summer and remember you only get 18 Glorious Summer Holidays with your Bears, so have fun. 

Oceans Of Love Cx

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