Work while the kids are asleep. Go to bed early and set your alarm for several hours before the kids normally wake. Or, if you're a night owl, plan on working for a few hours after the kids are in bed. You'll be amazed at how much you can get done when the house is quiet!

Enroll the kids in fun summer activities. Most towns offer plenty of half-day activities for school aged children during the summer. Many churches have week-long summer "Bible schools" filled with crafts, games, and religious teaching - and there is usually no charge for attending. Pottery shops often capitalize on parents' need to entertain the kids with ceramic making programs. Fine arts schools may have short-term programs for kids interested in learning dance or gymnastics. Check, too, with your local recreation department, museum, YMCA, and health club to see what kind of summer camps they offer.

Hire a mother's helper for one or two days a week. If your children are younger, find a "mother's helper" - a responsible older child - who can come play with your kids at your house while you work. You may not even have to pay the child because it's likely a win-win situation for you and the parent of the older child.

Trade sitting services with other work at home parents. If you know other moms or dads who work from home, you can trade childcare services with them. You take their kids one day, and they take your kids another.

Finally, if you're in a pinch trying to meet a deadline or make an important call, bribery works wonders! No, it's not the most highly praised parenting tactic in the book, but it can be quite effective. Tell the kids that if they'll keep it down until you get finished, you'll take them to get ice cream afterwards.

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