In many ways, it’s my favourite time. In others, it’s the time that strikes the familiar feeling of frazzled exhaustion into my heart.

School holidays.

This term break is no different.

Except that it’s worse.

This time, in addition to the usual stress of running two separate businesses and managing four school-aged children through their daily entertainment, sustenance and argument quotas, I have a few added stresses thrown into the already hectic mix of work/life balance, school holiday-style.

1. I’m moving house.
2. My teenage daughter is about to do her VCE exams.
3. My youngest children want me to take them to the Melbourne Show this week when I really should be packing boxes to move house.
4. Did I mention that I’m moving house?
5. Oh. And that thing about moving house is happening at the same time my husband is going interstate for work.

School holidays, ahoy!

I shouldn’t be too negative. So far, things are off to a pretty good start.

My teenage son had a dentist appointment on day 1.

I’m not sure why I scheduled it for 8.10am – no doubt I had not checked my diary and thought I was being clever with an early morning appointment before school started. Except that it blew our very first opportunity for non-school day breakfast laziness and a leisurely lounge around with PJs and morning television.

But I am determined to focus on the good…

Those super expensive braces are going to make my son’s teeth so wonderfully straight! It’s worth running my businesses just to pay the $10,000 for them, right?

My mother-in-law agreed to take my youngest two children to a movie (and lunch) at the local shopping centre and all I had to do was drive there and collect them at the end. My streamlined and efficient approach to time-management meant I used every second of that three-hour window to work by writing blog posts for clients, sending more emails than I thought possible AND managing the social media pages for my various business interests, as well as setting up appointments for a new project I’m starting work on and squeezing in the usual pet care (feeding, exercising and cleaning up after a cat, a dog and a budgie is a business of its own), a sink full of dishes, plus hanging out a load of washing.

It was exciting to have three clear hours to myself and although it might not seem like much to anyone who has more organised school holiday childcare arrangements in place, it is the reason I am lucky enough to be able to go to bed soon (and it’s only 1.15am). I’m grateful.

And next? This time, that teen daughter who is so busily studying for year 12 exams has her bi-annual dentist appointment in less than 8 hours (I must have thought I was being really clever with two early appointments in one week!), so I will have another quiet hour in the waiting room with my laptop, catching up on more uninterrupted work – another bonus in a sea of overwhelm.

I mentioned we’re moving, didn’t I?

There are cardboard boxes filled with our possessions scattered everywhere throughout the house, but the rest of the space is still so crammed with things that it is as if the boxes aren’t there at all (well, until we all trip over them).

The plan is to have all our things miraculously stored in these boxes before Sunday when a truck we haven’t hired yet will come to take all our things to a new address.

School Holiday Guilt – And How To Avoid It

Children and outings are a great mix during any school holidays and these ones we will be re-visiting a few old favourites (Tulip Festival or fairy floss on sticks, anyone?), as a way to help keep their break from school a fun one, even if there are at least 100 other things to do.

But that’s how school holidays and running a business can clash at any time – even without the extra work of changing homes/suburbs.

It’s just another challenge in that elusive work/life balance quest but one that, ultimately, I’m glad I have the choice to stress about. Childhood is short and one thing I love about being a business mum is that, if I work hard, I can create so many opportunities to be part of it.

Claire Halliday is the editorial content manager for Mums & Co and a regular contributor. Her latest book, Things My Mother Taught Me was published in April this year. You can connect with her via her website.