“It’s definitely a privilege to work while being able to be with my kids at the same time, but it could be overwhelming too. For me, the key is planning. Time keeping, planning, discipline and a lot of hardwork. I cook while my kids are still sleeping and put them to bed at 8.30 so i can have the time to work on my stuff at night. During the day, the are trained not to disturb and play on their own while i do chores and sometimes i get them to help around to make them feel included and for sense of responsibility, even with my business work. Its hard work. But it can be done. Privileges dont come without a price but this privilege is definitely a blessing for me.” – @aidatotomi
“Working at home with kids, it’s not easy as you get distracted very easily, what I could suggest having the experience of working at home and bringing Marissa to work with me is that, always have their fav thing to do by their side/yours. Munchies. I will always have a bunch of colouring stuff which includes waterpaint/drawing block/playdoh as Marissa loves playing and drawing. Not so much on lego though. Of course we need to plan the night before even working at home so we don’t get distracted to also have their fav movie/cartoons on. Alhamdullilah Marissa has gotten used to it. I will always have her by my side. Maybe with some music on so they can dance and sing together, key is to include em together with what you’re doing. Eventually they will leave you alone” – @norrashidah.azri
“During these two weeks, I aim and strive to:
- Be positive, be grateful to Allah SWT for his blessings and make lots of dzikir.
- Be a better parent. Take more chill pill while working from home.
- Help others in need, in any form of help possible.
Sending all lots of love and hugs to all the awesome parents out there. Ain’t easy for sure but you can do it InsyaAllah.” – @intannurulain
“Working from home with 3 kids running around, fighting and shouting at each other is almost impossibble cause they demand around the clock attention.
Here are some tips from me that might be useful for mommies out there:
- Wake up early – waking up 2/3 hours early before the kids is crucially important to me. So many work can be done during this period.
- Multitask – Eg, you can reply to email while defrosting meat etc etc. It will save you a lot of time.
- Plan some activities- Indoor hopscoth, joining them in hide n seek game, DIY box house (you can google all the interesting activities) the goals of all the activities are to entertain them and most importantly to drain their energy.
- Make full use of their naptime – be productive. Their naptime is not the time for you to take a break, but its time for you to take care of everything, your work and house chores.
- Get them involved- sometimes they just want to be part of whatever you are doing, so get them involved and let them help.” – @intanrohani
“Working from home with schools being closed at the same time is somewhat a new experience for me. Challenging being the most of it, caring for the needs of your kids while needing to fulfil the 8 hours working requirement, being able to take calls, having conference calls.
Yesterday was the 1st day and surprisingly when the kids finally fell asleep last night, I was thinking how much more of this I could take, I was so tired I didn’t even bother fixing myself dinner, even fell asleep on the couch while trying to take a breather haha. Woke up this morning i was wondering and asked myself how can I make the experience and journey better?
Slowly i think i would be able to cope, my plan and what I have tried so far:
-bathe before the kids wake up
-get breakfast ready and feed the kakak before I clock in for work
-kids will bathe during my short breaks
-occasionally have 5-10mins break to check on the kids
-switch workstations depending on kids’ need (so if they are playing in front of the tv, I’ll be there so I can monitor them)
-ask for help, always always ask for help whenever possible
-I would replace working hours at night if I feel guilty for not being able to commit during the 8 working hours
I think its not the easiest thing to do, it keeps you on your toes, exhausted most of the time but i think in time we shall get the hang of it.” – @tamz_jo