Meme Thursday: Spark an Idea that Entertains the Kids While You Work

Here at Sparkplugging, we’re starting something new with “Spark an Idea Thursday.” Each Thursday you will find that all the blogs on our network are posting articles on a particular topic. We want to encourage our readers to check out what everyone has to say and to maybe even take the conversation up on your own blogs. (Hey, it gives you a guaranteed topic once a week, right?) This week’s topic is “Spark an Idea that Entertains the Kids while You Work.”  Ooh, you can even get our cool graphic to use on your blog.

I have to admit that I’ll be checking out the suggestions that you all have to offer, as I am terrible at finding good ways to distract Dot long enough to get some work done. I am forever amazed at how Tamara is able to write articles while Baby Berry entertains herself. I suspect that part of my problem is simply Dot’s age. She’s still pretty dependent upon the mama for her amusement.

Still, there are a few things that have worked for me. The best one, of course, was hiring our Mother’s Helper. Virginia is about the right age to be Dot’s grandma, and she treats her as if she really was related. When she first started working for us, I was right in the room with them all the time, but now that their relationship has gotten so strong, I feel quite confident when I want to pack up the computer and head to the office for a few hours of uninterrupted work.

Another thing that has worked is timing her breakfast to coincide with conference calls. The Sparkplugging authors meet once a week on a phone call to catch up and stay in touch. I put Dot in the highchair in the kitchen, put the phone on mute, and listen in to the call while feeding her rice cereal and bananas. Now that she’s older, I can even participate in the calls more while she shovels Cheerios and Goldfish crackers into her own mouth.

Really though, my favorite ever suggestion for entertaining a kid long enough to get some work done comes from Tamara. Her little one loves to take baths, so when Tamara’s on deadline, she’s been known to give Baby Berry upwards of three baths a day. Her daughter plays in the tub while she hunkers on the tile with her laptop. It makes me giggle at the sheer absurd genius of it.

Ooh, for more ideas, you may want to check out Tamara’s earlier post called “Five Cheap and Easy Daycare Alternatives.”

So, Freelance Parent readers…give up the goods. How do you all keep your kids entertained while you bang out those SEO articles or do phone interviews? I’m dying to know!