Every work-from-home/stay-at-home mom has different approaches. For me, planning and organization is the key. Here’s what I do before every planned phone call – whether it’s a scheduled meeting or a short personal interview for an article.

1)      Talk to the kids before the call. I’ve been freelance writing for three years now – and my kids are 6 and almost 4. In other words, they should be used to the routine that sometimes mommy needs to be on the phone for work. But that doesn’t mean they always remember the rules. So before every call, I remind them that I need to work, and I tell them when it will be and for how long (approximately) I’m going to be on the phone. Then we plan out what they’re going to do while I work – sometimes I ask them to simply play quietly in their rooms, other times it means TV time.

2)      Spend time with them first. If I know I have a call at 2 p.m., I make a point of sitting down and doing an activity with the kids for an hour or so before the call. They’re less likely to be yelling that they want to play with me if I just spent an hour with them. And they’re more willing to give me a few minutes of peace and quiet. It’s all about perfecting the balancing act.

3)      Be prepared for everything. Before every call – especially if I think I may be awhile, I get the kids everything they may need beforehand. Yup, that means snacks and drinks are delivered before they’re even asked for.

But let’s be honest here, whenever I can, I throw all those rules out the window and schedule phone calls and meetings during the few precious hours that the kids are in school.