As a freelance journalist and work at home mum people often ask me how I do it. The truth is I don’t really know how I do it, only that I have to so I just get on with it.

What I do know though is that there are certain things I can’t live without, things that make being a work at home mum not only possible but easier.

With the school holidays upon us once again I thought now would be a good time to share my top 5 work at home mum essentials for anyone else tearing their hair out and wondering how on earth they’re going to get through the next six weeks.

My top 5 work at home mum essentials

1. Patience! You’re going to need it, in spades. For when they decide to empty the boxes of all the jigsaw puzzles they own on their bedroom floor in a heap when you’re writing that really important email, or draw all over themselves and the baby with the permanent marker you accidently left within reach. If you haven’t got patience, being a work at home mum probably isn’t for you.

2. Snacks. I cannot stress the importance of snacks when you need them to be quiet for five minutes or so. And if you need to make a phone call the smaller those snacks are the better. Think raisins, smarties and blueberries – anything they eat one by one that takes them ages.

4. A laptop. It might sound obvious but a laptop is the single most important thing when it comes to making a success of being a work at home mum. You don’t want a PC or anything that’s stuck to a wall meaning you can only use it in one place. You need to be able to use it in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and in the local coffee shop if you’re lucky enough to get a moment’s peace. And don’t go buying one you can’t afford to replace if they happen to spill Ribena on it or crack the screen playing rocket girl (don’t ask). For a few hundred pounds you can get one that does everything you need it to do without breaking the bank (LatestDeals.co.uk has some great offers).

4. A phone connected to all the devices in the house. The more you can control from your phone, the better. That way you can send things to the printer while stirring the tea and upload files to your server while breastfeeding the baby.

5. Wine. Or gin. Or whatever takes the edge off. Because the chances are you’ll be on edge. A lot. And if you don’t need something to take the edge off, then quite frankly you’re superwoman.

Are you a work at home mum (or dad)? Do you ever work from home with kids in the house? What are your work at home essentials? I’d love to know!

This is a collaborative post.

If you liked this you may also enjoy reading:

How I make working from home with kids work

Creating a home office when you don’t have an office

Clever ways to fit 3 kids in one bedroom

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