Today we are so excited to introduce our newest contributor, Amanda Kahle . Amanda is an LA mom of two girls who, along with her husband, started Inner Piece, a modern jigsaw puzzle that spreads quiet time in this loud, distracted world. Her timely post talks about working from home while also parenting, which many of us will be doing over the coming weeks.

I had a whole other piece written for this inaugural post but extreme changes to our lives have happened over the last week. Most of us are looking at the weeks ahead with our children at home, wanting to keep them safe and happy to have them close, but wondering how we are going to continue to work and do all of the things we need to do. Up until last December when I launched a new modern jigsaw puzzle company, I worked as a freelance event and shoot producer. My schedule has always been impossible to predict so when I went back to work when my first daughter was 5 months old, I found instead of hiring a nanny or engaging a daycare, I could best maximize the money I made by taking jobs that allowed me to work (mainly) remotely and relying on our beloved occasional babysitters with flexible schedules. Which means I do a lot of work at home with my kids here with me. Here are some of my best tips for those of you who might need them soon. Have fun and stay sane out there!

1) Channel your inner pre-school teacher and set-up situations throughout the house. I have had friends who are amazing and go full out here and have color-blocked, IG-ready play stations for their kids. That’s amazing. But not necessary. Pull out something that is in your closet that no one has played with for a long time and set it out somewhere in the house. Don’t excitedly scream – “Wow! Your favorite play-doh ice cream maker.” Just be chill, moms and dads! Let them discover it for themselves. Be creative here, it doesn’t have to be a traditional toy. Once I pulled out a small dog cage my mom had left and put that in the kitchen. That dog cage provided hours of joy.

2) Push through whining. Because we know they will. They will tell you they are bored one hundred times and ask you what to do next. This is a trap. If you tell them what to do, you will have to do it with them. If you turn on the TV, it’s really hard to turn it off. But if they find something to play with themselves, they can stay entertained for hours. Sometimes this whining can last for 20 or 30 minutes and its very tempting to start acting as a cruise director. Kids love a good cruise director. But then your job becomes being the cruise director and not whatever you are currently being paid to do by your employer.

3) Save your bribes for when you really, really, really need it. I like to use a treat that takes a long time to eat, a new coloring book, or a piece of construction paper and a big stack of stickers.

4) Stay Connected. I try to close my laptop and put away my phone every couple hours and play with them for a bit. Twenty minutes spent playing sharks and minnows in the backyard is fun, everyone gets exercise, and gives your brain a little rest from technology. Win-win.