Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
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Baby, Family, Kids, Motherhood, Work · May 28, 2021

How to Work From Home With Your Family


Two words: duct tape.

Sheesh, just kiddinggggg. 

Working from home with kids is no joke though. I’ve personally found myself feeling jealous of my kidless coworkers being able to sit down with their steaming cup of coffee after waking up precisely when they intended to and getting a morning workout in, of course. Whereas some mornings I find I can’t put my sweatpants on and pour the cereal fast enough before I start hearing the Slack “tap-tap-tap on your shoulder” sound coming from my laptop on the kitchen counter.

As someone who works full-time from home with my husband and two small children, I’ve come to feel like visiting my office in person is like going to a work spa where the luxury is being able to sit at my relatively clean dest being relatively uninterrupted for most of the day. 

And for those of you who are finding yourself missing that luxury right now, I wanted to share a few tips about working from home with your kids that may come in handy over the next few months. 

It’s a whirlwind, but we’ll make it work. 

Talk to your boss about flexibility of hours

Most of the people I work with have come to understand that I typically step away from my computer in the afternoons and pick up work again after bedtime. Do I do this every day? No, it depends on the urgency of different projects I’m working on. But if I do have the option to finish things at night and have a few extra hours to spend with the kids, I take it. They’re only young once.

The key here is being able to communicate with your coworkers and boss when you’ll be available. Ask your boss if you’re able to have some flexibility in your hours while you’re working from home with your family. 

Be clear about when you’re available and when you’re not

Once you get the green flag from your boss, then communicate with your coworkers. This way, if they ping you “after hours” you don’t need to feel obligated to respond that very minute. You’ll get back to them when you’re online again. 

One of the new things we’ve been doing here at Scouted since we’ve gone fully remote is saying “Hello!” in the mornings when we officially start our workday. In the same way, we also say, “Signing off!” in the evening. This helps to give a clear picture of our availability as well as help us not work around the clock since where we work is now where we live, also.

Leave the room (if you can)

Being able to leave the room to work depends a lot on how old your kids are as well as the help you have available. I’m lucky to have my husband at home to help support me while I work so I can be in another room to focus. If you have older kids, potentially ask them to supervise while you work heads-down for an hour in another room. If you have a partner at home, try working it out so that each of you gets at least a couple hours of heads-down work time each day by trading off the time you work from the kitchen table while also supervising and entertaining. 

Prioritize your tasks

You’re going to have interruptions throughout the day, it’s not a question of “if” but a question of “when.” 

That being the case, be sure to prioritize your tasks and start on the most important ones first. Map out the things you hope to get done each day and in the order you should get them done.

That way you don’t spend too much time in your inbox and then have a difficult time finishing an important project later. 

Ask for help

We’re in a unique time where we’re unable to have “mother’s helpers” or grandparents come over to be with the kids while we work from home. We really do have to get creative with how we multitask being parents while simultaneously doing our jobs. Do your best to assess your situation and ask for help wherever possible. 

Wherever you are, be all in

It can be really easy to feel tied to your computer throughout the day. Believe me, the last thing I want to do is look at my kids like they’re an interruption. 

But to be honest, the feeling is almost inevitable if you’re always trying to work at the same time as being a parent. Sometimes you really need to get that email out by 3, and sometimes your kids will act like they’re going to die of starvation if they don’t get a snack precisely at 2:55. 

The point here is to be intentional, wherever you decide to put your focus. If it’s on work, try communicating with the kids that they need to have a snack now and no more for the next hour because it’s work time. Then, after work time, be all in with the kids. Play games, go in the back yard, make physical contact and give them hugs. They miss that whether they know it or not. If you’re able to separate the two and be “all in” with each, you’ll feel way less stressed and frustrated throughout the day, I promise.

Communicate when you need to just be with the kids

Depending on your work’s culture, you may have coworkers that work into the night and ping you during your designated family time. Or you may have meetings scheduled during when you need to do this new homeschooling thing. 

Whatever the case, communication is so important. If there’s a meeting you know conflicts with your schedule ahead of time, communicate that as soon as possible. Make sure your coworkers know when you need to be offline and when they can expect you to be available again. 

Make time to enjoy this time

There’s no question that we wish working at home with our family came under different circumstances. But we all know this is something you had previously wished you got to do more. Working from home with your kids is a temporary situation that can feel frustrating at times, but is also an opportunity to be with the ones you love most more than you ever could before. 

Enjoy the extra time you now have with your family and be intentional about the little things each day. 

We’ll see you on the flip side.

What are your tips on working from home? Leave them in the comments below!

In: Baby, Family, Kids, Motherhood, Work · Tagged: how to work from home with toddler, work from home to look after child, work from home with kids, working from home family interruptions, working from home with baby covid, working from home with family, working from home with toddlers is impossible, working from home with toddlers meme

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Hi! I'm Chelsea and we're the Damon's. We spent the last two years in WA state paying off student loans and just bought our first house in SC! I love a smooth black coffee, Josh's first love is the Seattle Sounders. Our kids are huge dorks and constantly make us laugh and we all love spending as much time outside as possible.

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Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?

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Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so p Happy birthday to our 9 year old goob! We are so proud of this boy. We are constantly told by others how kind and sweet his is. I mean, we know it too, but it means even more when his character shines through even when mom and dad aren't watching. We love you so much "Puppy!"
More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽ More photos from this weekend 🍂🍏⚽
The start of a new school year has always felt lik The start of a new school year has always felt like more of a “New Years” to me than January 1st ever did. The air starts getting more crisp (thank goodness), the leaves start to change, and the house is quieter (now that the kids are in school, and just during the day, ha). 

Every year around this time I can clearly look back and see how our family has changed. Last year, we had just said goodbye to the boys (our first foster placement) and our family was making sense of the whirlwind that had just happened over the summer. This year, David is way more into soccer, Evy is telling me about the conversations the girls at school are having (she’s a huge people-watcher), and of course Cleo is getting so big! Her first two teeth made their appearance this week and we’re also pretty sure she said “Dada” the other night. 

It really goes by so fast. But little memories like the ones in these photos will last. I remember going apple picking with sweet family friends as a kid and I love doing that for our kids now. 

What traditions have you tried to pass down to your kids?
Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Sinc Evy has always been very much a Mommy's girl. Since she's been a baby, I've been learning that she needs love in a very different way than David does. After school and before bed, she especially needs all the love, attention, and cuddles. 

Today I had a pretty hard day with several hours of intensive Zoom calls. They ended right as the kids got home from school and when I was done, I just felt this deep exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to cuddle with my kids and never look at a computer again 🤪. 

I realized that's probably how Evy (and David, but mostly Evy) typically feels after a long day. I can tell that it's especially draining for her. So I was reminded to be extra gentle with her emotions, especially on school days when there's just so much going on and it can feel pretty intense, especially at that age. And especially to us introverts 🫠 Anyone else have highly emotional kiddos?
My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling My phone rang this morning just as we were pulling away from dropping the kids at school. A little baby needed a home until his adoptive family could come get him. 

At the time, we didn’t know his name, his gender, or anything about him. We were told he was healthy and we’d get more details later.

And we said yes! We thought it would be longer but his adoptive family is BOOKING it to get here and take him home forever. He will be so loved!!

I love that we get to share moments like these with our kids. I know they’ll remember them for a looong time to come.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not ev Sometimes I just need to remind myself that not every moment needs to be filled with productivity. And sometimes I don't need to multitask. Easier said than done for me anyway. But I'm trying to intentionally practice slowing down. How do you try to slow down?

Shoes @naot.northamerica
Dress @shopbohme
Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋 Do Butterfly hair! It's easier than it looks 🦋

Doing fun hairstyles with Ev has been a new way for us to bond, especially since Cleo's joined us. Would you try this one??
I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I n I'm working to adjust my mindset from thinking I need to rush while the baby's asleep to get things done to rather bringing them along with me when I can. 

Cleo loves being worn and, for the time being, is super content just watching me unload the dishwasher, make dinner, or tag along to grab Evy and David from the bus. 

And I'm way more at peace when I don't feel like I need to rush or time is running out. We have time and most things we have to do in a day aren't urgent.
Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 Baby's first taste of solids: banana edition 🍌 What was the first food you gave to your baby?
Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖 👀 th Just a Wednesday afternoon and a book 📖
👀 the comfiest heels I own by @naot.northamerica 
#naotic

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