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Home & Office Update: One Week Before Break…
By Jeff Zbar | December 15, 2008
It’s Monday, the 15th of the month.
As if I don’t have enough to worry about between payroll taxes being due (yes, even in the home office and home-based business) and it being, well, Monday, now I realize there’s one week to go before winter break from South Florida schools.
Such an announcement can send shivers down the spine of any home office worker — or even a traditionally officed parent.
What to do with the kids? OK, duct tape and deadbolts aren’t the answer.
Break will include several week days when the parent can’t reasonably bag-off work beyond Christmas and New Years. So what to do? Break out the rule book and plan ahead:
First, call other friends and parents to see what they’ll be up to for the holiday. Discuss plans and events. Review movie listings to see what’s going on that can be a diversion / distraction for the kids.
Make sure the kids call (oh wait - they don’t call. They IM or text) their friends, too. Let them make some plans.
Sleepovers work wonders. Turf your kid at another’s house one day (two actually, if it’s planned right), then agree to host that kid in return.
Accumulate crafts (beads, colored markers and posterboard, lanyards - or boondogle, as the kids often call it) to keep the younger ones busy.
Create a scavanger hunt. These are really fun. Don’t take long to stage, and can keep the kids busy for hours. If sending the kids out into the neighborhood, it might be a good idea to give them a cell phone — just to keep in touch.
Rent dollar flicks. WalMart and some grocery chains have the dollar-a-day movie rental kiosks. These are great, cheap distractions.
Have them work. The holidays shouldn’t be all about playtime. Have them grab a bucket, some soap and rags, and scour the neighborhood looking for cars to wash. Or they can clean up around people’s lawns.
Or they can volunteer with a charity serving food, organizing food-bank supplies, or generally giving back as a productive and thoughtful member of society.
Homework, reading and journaling. Foster in them the spirit of personal reading or journaling. They could even launch their own blog. It’s thought-provoking, inspiring - and addicting.
Search the Web for other ideas. Two weeks is a long time to have kids at home. Make it rewarding for all involved.
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