Home office woes

Ahh, how I'm wishing for an office outside of the house right now!  As I sit in my office, the Wii is singing along in the background with the giggles of my kiddos as they try to hula hoop. My typing is briefly interrupted by a plastic boat zinging by my head. The 2 yr old doesn't seem to understand that I gave up my large office space to accommodate a playroom. For some reason, I actually thought the toys would stay there. And maybe, just maybe, my open office arrangement would make them less likely to try to join in and more likely to happily play next to me, in their own space. How silly of me! Sitting next to my stapler is a plastic Disney monorail that doesn't see to have an off switch, chanting "Please stand clear of the doors". And then there is the spool of ribbon, laying completely unraveled in the middle of the floor. There is no closing the door to concentrate, it's more like a daily trial of focus. How many interruptions and distractions can I handle while composing an e-mail that sounds like a person over 5 wrote?

Tip of the day:  I have found it to be completely unrealistic to isolate yourself while trying to work. The best way to make working at home easy on yourself and your family is to find ways to mesh the two. Have a laptop with a wireless internet connection. You can sit outside and be with the kids as they play and still sneak in a few e-mails!