Peek a boo - Write a page - Wipe a nose - Write 4 words

You've all read/experienced the challenges of working from home when you have your kids with you.  It's almost impossible, and some days you can take the almost out of that sentence and realize that yes, it is impossible to work from home.  Boredom, rain, cooking, cleaning, or teething all contribute to children being unable or unwilling to sit/stand/or entertain themselves. It's gotten so that I think the back of my closet is a good place to be, and I have hidden several small chocolate bars and a couple bottles of water if I have to hit the deck unexpectedly.
How do you combat this eternal struggle, the constant battle between your desire to write productively and be with your children? The obvious answer is daycare.  Some of us have that, some of us do not.  I for one, do not.  My littlest is 4 months old, and I have strong views about leaving him with anyone. 

Just for fun, let's run through a few scenarios that may or may not help you with your current child attending dilemma:

• Leave them with your husband/boyfriend/SO - Ok, if this is an option for you, take it by all means.   This is the path of least resistance as far as writing, and if you know he/she/whomever is going to be home at the end of the day, you will look forward to that small piece of heaven/time and it will get you through.  This is not an option for me, as my husband works evenings/travels/ and has an erratic schedule. So good for you, not so good for me.
• Crayons - There is a reason that Crayola is still profitable. Thousands of desperate mothers slap some paper and crayons on the table with the wishful thinking that perhaps they (your children) will color for a period of time.  Crayola has not planned for crayon fights, markers on walls and doorways, and those children who would rather peel off the paper than color on the page. If it works, go with it. If not, on to another idea.
• Video games - My house is a haven for XBox (husbands), Wii (kids and husbands), Nintendo DS (kids, often stolen by husband), PS2 (bought for husband's birthday one year) and PSP (rarely used, desired by husband then thrown in a drawer. Do you see a trend here?) It's a rainy, wet day in Vancouver.  Typical weather for this time of year.  What to do after your school snack and homework? Find a video game and leave mama in the corner for 1/2 hour. With this buffet of options, you would think that's an easy choice? Not so! Much arguing ensues and my 1/2 hour has gone to breaking up the fight.  When they are all happily playing, baby has woke up and I'm back to peek a boo.
• Begging - Now I don't condone begging because it makes your children respect you less, but I have been known to say "Please, please Mommy has to finish this. Can I give you a snack and a book for 10 minutes?" Then, I take my computer and go sit in the bathroom.  No, not on the toilet. Get your mind out of the gutter people.

Although these options will not work for everyone, this is what I encounter the most during my day. I frantically write, write, write whenever I can.  I overcome the obstacles because I truly love to write, it makes me happy, and some days it's really difficult to find one thing to make you happy.