5/11/26:  Summer Break Survival for Working Moms: How to Balance Business and Kids

Okay moms, let me ask you – summer break – love it or hate it?

Personally, I love it!  I look forward to that first full week of my girls being home with me, looking for our next adventure, and the endless flexibility to do whatever we feel like doing each day.  That will look a little different this year with my oldest heading into the workforce, but I love the “laid back” chaos of summer.

Now the flip side – summer isn’t even officially here and I am stressed!

Finding balance gets especially hard when kids aren’t at school for seven hours of the day.

How do you plan for a productive and pleasurable summer?

The first thing I would say is what I always say – what are your priorities?  Manage your time and boundaries as you should in all seasons…around what is most important. 

Let me paint a picture of what this can look like when the scale is really being tested.

I work from home, am currently displaced from an office (hopefully corrected by July…but I doubt it), and my kids still need me, but they are 10 and 14 so fairly independent.  Obviously, that last part makes balance a little easier.

Business wise, I want to keep June and July very light because of my family first value, but know that I need to keep pushing things forward so Fall isn’t a lull.

My best advice for keeping balance this summer?

Work while the kids rest or play.  Seriously, the best work will happen in silence and solitude.

I would love to turn my alarm clock off this summer.  I am not a sleep late sort of lady, but some days 6:15am isn’t fun, BUT my kids aren’t awake then so it’s 2-3 hours worth of moments.

I love these large blocks of work time because this is where I get my deep and thoughtful work done – writing and content creation (presentations, training, etc). 

There’s also times where my kids will dash off to the park, or this summer my oldest will be at work, so that I can work in “pockets”.  These are stolen moments to do little things like catch up on email or take care of social media.

If you have younger kids who need more from you, you may live in the “pockets”, and that is fine.  You just need to be extra intentional about planning.  At the end of the prior day or the beginning of each day, create a task list sorted by importance with sub-tasks.  This will let you know what you need to do when you are able to work so you don’t spend most of the time just fumbling around. 

If you have younger, less independent children, don’t be afraid to look for child care.  It doesn’t have to be expensive or formal.  This could be having a teenager come for a couple half days a week or doing a swap with a friend – you watch the kids today, they watch them tomorrow. 

Boundaries are harder to keep in the summer, too.  You want to say “yes” to all the adventures, sign your kids up for all the activities, and do all the traveling, but don’t forget what is important and practice saying “no” to things that are not. 

If you do not want to carpool six kids to swim lessons, say NO!  If you do not want to sign your kid up for softball because you don’t want to spend every night at the diamonds, say NO!  If you don’t want to drive 1,000 miles for that one day family reunion, say NO!

Say “NO” to the unimportant, say “YES” to the important.

Summer isn’t the season for rigid plans—it’s the season for flexible structure.

You don’t need to choose between your business and your kids. You need to be clear on your priorities, intentional with your time, and protective of your boundaries—even in the chaos.

You don’t need more time this summer—you need a plan that actually fits your life.

So let me ask you—what strategies are you putting in place now to avoid a stressed-out summer?