Child-care juggling act makes business a pleasure, say parents
"Yes, sweetheart," he murmurs, as Evelyn gurgles and coos into the mouthpiece.
Until now, the baby has been quiet, no doubt entertained by big brother, Andrew, 3. The kids are with dad in their parents' bedroom while Haley meets with a client in their home office. The couple, both photographers, run Shandro Photo, a company that specializes in wedding and family photography.
Andrew recently gave up naps. So, during the interview, when he asks his dad to close the bedroom blinds, Michael is hopeful a darkened room will entice his son to snooze.
Navigating around the sleep patterns of preschoolers is one challenge facing parents like Michael, 34, and Haley, 29, who choose to have their little ones close by during the work day.
"He gets into a bit of a frenzy around the time that normally would be nap time," Shandro explains, before his words are drowned out by Evelyn's indignant cries.
"Andrew, don't pile stuff on top of your sister, please," he chuckles. He settles Evelyn and promises Andrew that he won't be on the phone much longer.
The thought of working from home probably flits through the mind of many parents: No more early morning drop-offs at daycare or missing work because your kid is sick. Dinner would be on time, and eliminating a daily commute would surely make you a kinder, gentler person.
But for the Shandros, and other work-at-home parents who shared their experiences with The Journal, earning a salary with kids nearby requires constant juggling and a lot of organization.
"Most days, one or both of us can have photo shoots," Shandro says. "When one of us is shooting, the other one is looking after the kids. When one of us is in meetings, the other one's looking after the kids."
It works, he says. "We have more contact with our kids and we get to see them throughout the different stages of their day. We eat our meals with the kids. - We read to our kids before every single nap, before bedtime."
Rosemary Malowany quit her day job to work from home because she missed her two-year-old daughter, Isabel.
The 33-year-old is a communications consultant who runs Wild Rose Communications from her house.
When Isabel tur ned one, Malowany went back to her office job. She was miserable.
"She (Isabel) was in care five days a week," says Malowany. "I would see her for up to an hour in the morning and then I would see her for about two hours at night, before she went to bed. Three hours a day was just tearing me up."
Now, Isabel goes to a dayhome three days a week, but her mom's flexible schedule allows them lots of time together.
"I can drop her off late or pick her up early," Malowany says. "I can finish my day when I want to take her to activities."
Shannon Lang also enjoys extra time with her sons, Jacob, 12, and Benjamin, 10, since she traded a full-time medical research job for her own home-based business.
Lang, 46, runs Elder Move, a company that helps seniors downsize and relocate.Until now, the baby has been quiet, no doubt entertained by big brother, Andrew, 3. The kids are with dad in their parents' bedroom while Haley meets with a client in their home office. The couple, both photographers, run Shandro Photo, a company that specializes in wedding and family photography.
Andrew recently gave up naps. So, during the interview, when he asks his dad to close the bedroom blinds, Michael is hopeful a darkened room will entice his son to snooze.
Navigating around the sleep patterns of preschoolers is one challenge facing parents like Michael, 34, and Haley, 29, who choose to have their little ones close by during the work day.
"He gets into a bit of a frenzy around the time that normally would be nap time," Shandro explains, before his words are drowned out by Evelyn's indignant cries.
"Andrew, don't pile stuff on top of your sister, please," he chuckles. He settles Evelyn and promises Andrew that he won't be on the phone much longer.
The thought of working from home probably flits through the mind of many parents: No more early morning drop-offs at daycare or missing work because your kid is sick. Dinner would be on time, and eliminating a daily commute would surely make you a kinder, gentler person.
But for the Shandros, and other work-at-home parents who shared their experiences with The Journal, earning a salary with kids nearby requires constant juggling and a lot of organization.
"Most days, one or both of us can have photo shoots," Shandro says. "When one of us is shooting, the other one is looking after the kids. When one of us is in meetings, the other one's looking after the kids."
It works, he says. "We have more contact with our kids and we get to see them throughout the different stages of their day. We eat our meals with the kids. - We read to our kids before every single nap, before bedtime."
Rosemary Malowany quit her day job to work from home because she missed her two-year-old daughter, Isabel.
The 33-year-old is a communications consultant who runs Wild Rose Communications from her house.
When Isabel tur ned one, Malowany went back to her office job. She was miserable.
"She (Isabel) was in care five days a week," says Malowany. "I would see her for up to an hour in the morning and then I would see her for about two hours at night, before she went to bed. Three hours a day was just tearing me up."
Now, Isabel goes to a dayhome three days a week, but her mom's flexible schedule allows them lots of time together.
"I can drop her off late or pick her up early," Malowany says. "I can finish my day when I want to take her to activities."
Shannon Lang also enjoys extra time with her sons, Jacob, 12, and Benjamin, 10, since she traded a full-time medical research job for her own home-based business.
She works 30 to 40 hours a week, but still sees more of her boys than before.
"My family says I'm nicer," Lang laughs. "The kids are enjoying it because I'm able to help out at school, maybe go on a special field trip.
"If I miss some time working during the day, I can always catch up with paperwork in the evening."
Lang is not the only parent who fits her work around her kids.
Malowany says for her to earn a full-time salary she needs those days Isabel is in care. "It would be impossible for me to get any work done if I had a two-year-old around (all the time)," she says.
Malowany works early mornings before Isabel rises, and when her little girl is home, mom still conducts business during naps. She sometimes puts in hours in the evenings and on weekends.
The Shandros tag-team gets a break when Andrew goes to preschool twice weekly and Evelyn naps, but their business is growing rapidly and they are looking for a live-in nanny.
The couple also have evening appointments, followed by administrative work, sometimes until midnight. If both parents are shooting weekend weddings, a grandmother steps in to help.
Jeni Muddle, the 35-year-old mother of three girls - Emily, 8, Abigail, 6, and Tessa, 3 - designs and creates bedding and clothing for children through her home-based business Pixie Dust Kids.
"I live in the dungeon at night," Muddle laughs, referring to her sewing room in the basement of the family home.
"I stay at home and sew at night or during the day when my kids are busy."
Business has been good enough for Muddle to hire a seamstress.
She couldn't imagine doing anything else. "I kind of live the stay-at-home lifestyle with benefits. I don't have to worry about scheduling dentists, I can still do hot lunch at school, and I like that."
Malowany agrees.
"It's hard to find any downside when you're making more money and you have more flexibility and you're seeing your daughter more than you were before. It's the best decision that my family ever made. We've never looked back."
cardillo@telusplanet.net
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