Karissa Tunis - Parenting While Working from Home: A Monthly Guide to Help Parents Balance Their Careers, Connect with Their Kids, and Establish Their Inner Strength

Copyright 2021 by Shari Medini & Karissa Tunis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Daniel Brount

Cover illustration by Shari Medini & Karissa Tunis

Print ISBN: 978-1-5107-6482-8

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-5107-6483-5

Printed in China

We dedicate this book to our supportive husbands and our amazing children.

Thank you for sharing this wonderful journey with us and for inspiring us to write about it.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Where do we even begin? Parents do it all.

We change dirty diapers. We chase little ones around at the playground. We prepare our growing kids for their first day of school. We wipe away tears and try to replace them with a smile. We bandage skinned knees and always keep ice packs in the freezer. We schedule, host, and referee playdates. We throw personalized birthday parties even when the requested theme isnt sold in stores. We pour bowls of cereal, pack lunches, cook dinners, and serve bedtime snacks. We help with the mind-boggling math homework. We cheer on our athletes from the sidelines. We take on the role of driving instructor and accept the gray hairs that come along with the process. We help our babies settle into college with a smile on our face, despite the emotions inside our heart.

From the moment our kids are born, we parent. We are there day in and day out, putting one foot in front of the other, just trying to do our best for our precious families. And on top of all of this? We are trying to advance in our careers while working from home.

Some days will be better than others. We totally get it! As fellow work-from-home parents with six kids between us, we are also trying to manage it all. Parenthood can be beautiful, complicated, emotional, and downright shocking. So its no wonder that we can feel totally frustrated one moment and utterly grateful the next.

The ups and downs of parenthood are normal. However, we believe that the overall experience of parenting while working from home should be a positive one! There should be more good days than bad days. And we should be able to genuinely enjoy the time that we spend with our families while still being productive and managing our careers.

Parenting looks different in different seasons. When we embrace the fact that not every day, week, or month will be the same, we can begin to find more joy in the moment. As we move through the year, its important to recognize how parenting strategies need to shift in order to create homes that are happy and kids who are thriving. This book encourages you to create space for new goals, activities, and experiences that will help you establish your inner strength, connect with your kids, and balance your career.

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What Youll Find in This Book

December parenting is very different from July parenting. We could throw out any month of the year, and you would automatically think of a few seasonal challenges that come up in your household during those thirty days. Between holidays, school semesters, work commitments, sports, and other seasonal activities, each month is a little different. Throughout this book, well help you manage your workload month by month with practical tips, genuine encouragement, and proven strategies for intentional parenting and increased productivity. Youll be able to read about a new concept and begin implementing it that same afternoon.

We fully understand that it takes work to get to a better place! There is a need for reflection, planning, and learning to create a happier self, a happier family, and a happier home overall. But we know that you can get there because we have taken this same journey ourselves. Month by month you can make small changesboth for yourself and your family. And by the end of this year, youll be able to look back and appreciate how far youve come.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is laid out so that you can start reading it in January and use it as a guide over the course of a full year. However, if you pick it up during another month, you can simply jump to that chapter and use the book as a reference guide for the season youre in. The journal prompts for each month are intended to help you plan and grow over the course of the year as well.

Each month you will discover practical and positive tips to help you feel less overwhelmed, grow closer with your family, and overcome the challenges of working from home. Youll find great reminders for things you may have already known, and new a-ha moments for things youd like to try. We know that each family is unique in its own way. What works for one parent wont work for another. But we hope that you find the inspiration and courage to try something new and seek a solution that works for your household.

In order to address the various aspects of family life, each chapter is divided into a few sections:

Focus on You

When you are doing well, the whole family functions even better. Which is exactly why we dedicate a section in each chapter to you. We cover topics like self-advocacy, time management, self-care, finding balance, self-confidence, and much more. Our goal is to help you find fulfillment in everyday life so that you can enjoy those precious moments with your family and meet your true potential in your career.

Connect with Your Kids

As parents, we spend a lot of time with our kids. This is a blessing, but it is also a challenge! How do you fill those hours, how do you make that time meaningful, and how do you continually enjoy each others company? We share our favorite tips and tricks for spending lots (and lots) of time with your kids. Discover new activity ideas throughout the year, as well as parenting strategies to help your kids get along with friends, siblings, and, of course, you.

Work from Home

Raising children requires so much of our attention that maintaining a career amidst a chaotic environment can feel impossible. We have been there, but over the past decade of working from home, we have been able to find better ways to balance the demands. Learn how to set up your home in a way that works for you, your work, and your kids. Discover strategies to maintain your productivity, communicate professionally, build your network, and find ways to manage your time so that your work and your kids both get the attention that they need.