How to Balance Working from Home - from Milk & Honey Babies

If Ariana Adams, owner of the Milk & Honey Babies boutique in The Shops at Hudson Yards, had only one piece of advice for fellow parents, it’s this: Don’t beat yourself up! The mom of 6- and 11-year-old girls is, like so many others, juggling her kids’ distance learning with business calls and mealtimes, and she has found it does no one any good to feel bad when things don’t go quite as planned. In fact, though, Adams has a lot more advice than that. Here’s what else she has to say about keeping everyone in good spirits ...

Remember this is all new for all of us:

At the end of the first week stuck at home, I was joking that my kids were going to turn into chicken nuggets because we weren’t being very efficient at making meals, let alone sticking to a routine. Then I reminded myself that we were navigating uncharted territory. That allowed me to see that we are actually doing a really good job with the hand we’ve been dealt. Also, and this is important: Every day is a new day, and a fresh start for figuring things out.

Still, don’t lose sight of the elusive routine:

Any structure we implement helps at least a little, because the more routine the girls have, the more my husband and I can focus on our own work. Putting distance learning in place has really helped. Now, they know they have to get dressed in the morning; every day is not a pajama day.

Be honest with your colleagues:

Let those you work with know that you have children at home, and that means you are essentially doing two jobs simultaneously. You’ll need to set clear boundaries, so everyone’s expectations match up.

Involve the kids in food prep:

When this first started we spent a lot of time feeding our girls—they seemed to get hungry every hour! At one point, my younger daughter claimed she was “bungry,” bored and hungry, I realized she was just plain bored. So I have begun to kill two birds with one stone by getting them involved in the cooking. One thing we all love is pizza night, which my husband leads. It’s fun, we all help and the kids know what’s for dinner so there are no complaints when we sit down. Taco Tuesday is another game changer. And last weekend we prepped meals ahead of time to get us through the week.

Provide new ways to experience the world right now:

One saving grace in this challenging time has been all the authors doing virtual storytimes on social media. It’s a different way to experience a book the kids love. The girls have also gotten really into a drawing class on Instagram Live. It’s a great way to pass the time, plus they have something to show for it when they’re done. (Milk & Honey Babies will be hosting a Virtual Story Time on their Instagram, Friday, April 10 at 10am) Our older daughter is doing a lot of virtual playdates, which is keeping her connected to her friends, who are so important to her now. This uncertain situation is scary for kids, and it comforts them to be able to touch base on Google Hangouts or Zoom. 

Don’t forget to make time for parent-time.

The other night my husband and I had a “date night”—a saxophonist we love streamed a concert that we watched on our television. It’s something we’ve never actually done before. The music was beautiful, and our date night was awesome.