I began this stay-at-home mom, co-running a small business journey understanding that I would have to overcome the greatest and most reoccurring encounter yet: managing my toddler. Let’s set the record straight here, his boundless energy and enthusiasm for life is both refreshing and a joy to experience, yet it is simultaneously exhausting and painful. Yes, painful. Apparently, being a living jungle gym is part of the job. I can’t say that he inspires my creative muse (yet), though those days are surely coming. He’s been born into a long line of creative and talented individuals, and I am sure the passion of those around him will rub off and he will, in turn, produce his own forms of art. However, until that day, he is just a barely organized bundle of chaos and energy that has needs and attentions that cannot be solved by giving mom peace and quiet to work on her TTRPG products. So, how do I manage? Well, first, I roll for initiative. Playgrounds and parks are a toddler mom’s best friend. Not only are they free and publicly available, but sometimes we get lucky and there are other kids for him to play with and practice his social skills, and it’s 100% guaranteed to expend some of his energy. But, since I hate cold weather and it’s not always nice enough to go outside, I have to check the weather and decide when the best time of day is for us to go to the park (if at all). Lately, after his afternoon nap is the best time, so my work time goes first in initiative order, followed by playtime with my toddler and other chores as needed. I’m a planner, if you haven’t noticed, so I layout the timeline for our day at the beginning of everyday. I like to tell him the plan too, so, hopefully, his expanding toddler brain might understand the progression of events so he can have assurances for his day. He does seem to be getting a better grasp of time and certain events triggering after specific criteria, so I am confident this kind of communication is benefiting him. But, how does that solve...![]() But, how does that solve being able to work… with a social toddler who always wants to play? First, like I said, I communicate with him how our day is going to look to set his expectations. He’s only 3, so it’s a rudimentary grasp, but he does seem to understand it at a basic level. Then, when it comes time to work, I let him play by himself. I tell him, “Mommy has to work right now, so you need to play with your toys.” And while this sometimes draws pouts and fake tears, he has quickly adapted to running into his room and having his own little adventures with toys. This gives me about 2 hours of time to work, and then there is the ever-blessed nap time where I am truly uninterrupted. Though, as he grows older, that window begins to close. All in all, I can get about 3.25 hours of work done during the day, with the toddler around. Which I honestly feel is pretty good. Now, the hours where he is awake is still not the easiest. There are constant breaks to change diapers, retrieve an unreachable toy, or, and most persistently, the insatiable need to be fed. This kid eats all the time. Thankfully, as he gets older, I can prepare his food/snack and he can mostly eat it unaided without making too much of a mess. I just can’t underscore his constant need for food enough… it’s a lot. let dad take care of the rest Finally, I let dad take care of the rest. I’m blessed to have an eager and engaged husband for our child’s father. He loves spending time and taking care of our son and is not only willing but excited to come home after work and take him to the park (yes, again) or play around with him while I squeeze in another 1.25 hours of work (woot! Up to 4.5 now!) Finally, after bedtime, I round out my day with another 30-minutes of work to bring my daily total to 5 hours with time to relax with husband/family. Now, my goal is to get another 5 hours on Saturday to round out my weekly hours to 30. Would I like to do more? Absolutely! Right now, I’ve squeezed my schedule as much as I can to ensure I can get all my chores done and keep the house clean and orderly, spend quality and education time with my toddler and expend his boundless energy, take care of myself and my health needs, spend time with my husband, and use all remaining time to work. I mean, that’s not a lot, right? Lol. It's All Good Fun But, it’s all good fun. And as someone who enjoys a challenge, it gives me a chance to exercise my planning and organization skills on a daily basis to try and get everything done by the end of the day. Of course, more often than not I have to adapt to special circumstances and changes in the plan, but that’s all part of the challenge. It gets easier as they get older, right? Hello??
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