Mom’s Write: 5 Ways to Survive Schedule Changes

It’s summer time. If you are a mom and a writer, chances are, this means that there will be some change in your schedule. If you have kids in school, they will be home more often, or you’ll be shuttling them from place to place. If you have babies or preschoolers, you’re probably still spending more time outside.

For me, summer time means that I have several weeks off from my day job. I always look forward to a less stringent schedule and more writing time. But I also look forward to more time with my kids.

I’ve written about writing with kids in previous posts, but recently in the 12×12 Picture Book Facebook group, Julie Falatko (mom, writer, book reviewer), posed the question about writing with kids in the house. It racked up a ton of comments. Some moms they are used to have some or all of their children away for a few hours a day at preschool or school. When summer rolls around and the kids are home, it throws a kink in the writing routine.

Here are some ways writer moms survive schedule changes:

1) Establish a routine.

Kids thrive on routine, and frankly, so do I. While I do enjoy the more relaxed summer schedule, I still like to know what I have planned for the day. During the school year, I normally get up at 5:00am to write for an hour. I am going to try to sleep a little longer, but if my four year old continues his morning bird rituals, then I may have to still get up early to write. I like writing before everyone gets up because it really is quiet and I get a lot accomplished. I hope my routine will look something like this:

6:00-8:00 Writing time

8:00-9:00 Breakfast, household chores

9:00-1:00 Activities

1:00-3:00 Writing/Quiet Time

3:00-5:00 Activities

5:00-8:00 Dinner, winding down

8:00-10:00 Writing/Reading Time

Of course, not every day will look like this. But the plan is to try to establish a routine.

2) Expend some energy.

Many of us in the 12×12 group said we do the busy, fun, energy-exhausting activities in the morning. Talk with your kids about fun things they want to do and make a summer bucket list. We did this last summer. We spent time going to the Transportation Museum, the art museum, the pool. Whatever you do, make sure they expend some energy. Get totally worn out. Then they are more likely to want some quiet time or nap time when you can write.

3) Create a quiet time.

If I could wave a magic wand and have everyone in my house quiet and peaceful at the same time, it would be wonderful. It seems far-fetched. But if you wear them out in the morning, even the wildest will settle for a little bit of quiet time. This summer we are heading into the first summer of NO NAPS. That’s right. The quiet time will be tested. But I also have this amazing thing called Netflix. It will keep my wildest calm for an hour or two. Call me a terrible mom, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting them watch a movie after a morning of activity. My daughter will be happy to read on her own. My son can’t read yet, and he will look at books, but not for 2 hours. Hence, Netflix comes in handy.

4) Make it Fun

If your kids are old enough to understand, explain what you are working on. Show it to them, read it to them. I talk about reading my picture books to my kids in another post. 

Carrie Charley Brown  suggested making special boxes for the kids. The kids can decorate their own box. Rotate new or special toys or activities in these boxes. They would be filled with things that they don’t normally get to play with or do. These boxes would only be for mommy’s writing time. Carrie said her kids really loved it. I plan to try this out myself this summer.

5) Relax

For type A personalities like me, relaxing is HARD (see my post about resting). I always feel the need to be doing something. But sometimes I need to be reminded that writing is also in the living. Living life, making memories, stopping to smell the roses are perfectly fine because they give us something to write about. Just make sure, when you are relaxing, to bring your notebook along in case an idea strikes you.

How do you handle schedule changes that disrupt your normal writing routine? Have more tips? Share them in the comments.