May 20, 2025 • 28 mins
Summer's coming in HOT, mama, and with it—kids home, routines flying out the window, and that "wait, how am I supposed to keep this business running?!" feeling. In this part-three finale of the Summer Series, we’re diving into what it actually takes to thrive through the summer months as a CEO mom.
If you’ve been wondering how you can stay present with your kids and keep your business humming along—without the guilt, chaos, or complete loss of sanity—this one’s for you.
I’m sharing real strategies, mindset shifts, and mom hacks that have helped me navigate summers with babies, toddlers, tweens, and teens (yes, all at once). From work/kid/you-time containers to flexible routines and embracing the joyful mess, you’ll leave this episode feeling more prepared—and way less panicked—about what’s coming.
What you’ll learn:
- Why your old "summer expectations" might be setting you up for resentment
- The 3 key containers every CEO mom needs (no, not Tupperware)
- How to actually enjoy summer with your kids and keep cash flowing
- Why being proactive > reactive (especially when it comes to screen time + meals)
- How to plan summer days so everyone’s less cranky (you included)
- Tiny moments of presence and gratitude that make it magical
Mentioned in this episode:
- Summer Like a Boss - on sale for $25 until tomorrow in my Mother's Day sale! -- https://yaelbendahan.com/mothersday
Tag me on Instagram @yaelbendahan with your summer setup—I wanna see it!
LINKS
📈The CEO MOMS Growth Matrix - feeling stuck or plateaued at your current revenue? Snag your custom roadmap for sustainable growth from $0 to multi-6-figures in this FREE training! >>> yaelbendahan.com/matrix
🔥Join my FREE 3-Day Program, LEVERAGE - the process that’s creating multi 6 figure years working nap times and being a full time mama of 6. Claim your spot here >>> https://yaelbendahan.com/leveragepod
💰Offers in Your Pocket - 11 Offers You Can Pull Out of Your Pocket and Sell This Week! Only $9 - yaelbendahan.com/pocketoffers
💃 Apply for the CEO Mom Mastermind if you're ready to scale sustainably to $15-20K+ months. Read more about the mastermind here OR go straight to the application here.
Want to chat about the mastermind before you join? DM me on Instagram - instagram.com/theyaelbendahan
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
The fourth part is beingproactive and not reactive.
(00:03):
Okay?
So all this, everything I'mtalking about today is, I
learned this from my mom aswell.
She's really great.
But even having like a roughplan helps everyone feel calmer
because you're not scrambling,you are leading, right?
Thinking about what activitiesyou wanna prep ahead.
What meals you wanna batch cook,even what days you're gonna be
fully off or, working more.
'cause proactive energy to meequals peaceful energy.
(00:26):
So it does take time, it doestake time to plan ahead, but I
believe this when it comes to,when it comes to business I
really do believe, like when Isit on on Sunday and plan out
the week, then my week just goesbetter welcome to the Raising
Your Business Podcast.
I'm your host, Al Behan, founderof CEO Mom Academy, mom of Six
and Lifelong Reading addict.
(00:46):
This podcast is here to empowermoms to run their businesses and
lives like the powerhouse CEO.
They are.
I want you to believe that youcan have the business success
you desire.
And be present with your familyand to give you my best tips and
strategies for how to make thathappen.
I'll be sharing the honestreality of balancing business
and motherhood biz models thatwork for you.
Marketing simplicity, and themindset of A CEO, mom.
(01:08):
Now let's dive in.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome back to the podcast, andthis is part three of our summer
series.
So for parts one and two, we hadthe strategy piece, which was
(01:28):
exactly what to do, how to useyour summer, whether you are
still growing to six figures, orwhether you were already at six
figures.
And this week we're talkingabout how to show up for the
summer, mentally, emotionally,just as the mom piece, right?
So summer is coming in hot.
Okay.
It is just, oh my God, fasterand faster.
(01:50):
There's all kinds of end of yearstuff happening and now we're
like getting like the graduationdates and, i'm getting all the
emails from camps andeverything, and the kids are
gonna be home.
Routines are gonna be out thewindow a little bit and somehow
you're still supposed to keeprunning a business.
So today we're gonna be divinginto how to have your best
summer ever as a CEO Mom.
So how to stay present with yourkids and keep your business
(02:11):
moving without losing your mindor spiraling into resentment or
chaos or overwhelm or guilt.
Okay?
And I'm gonna be sharing realstrategies and mindset shifts
and mom hacks that have helpedme navigate summers with babies,
toddlers, and teens.
And this year it's all of themat once.
Literally.
So before we jump in, I justwanna tell you, today is the
(02:33):
last day you can get my summerlike a boss masterclass for just
$25.
It is normally 47 and insidethat I share exactly how I plan
my summer schedule, manage mybusiness and stay sane with five
boys and one girly, including ababy and some kids in camp, some
kids without camp.
So it is strategic, it's momproof, and it's built to help
(02:53):
you enjoy your summer and stayprofitable at the same time.
So grab it now.
The link is in the show notes.
Today is the last day.
You can get it for$25.
You can still get it after that,but it's 47, so you may as well
get it today.
Okay, so let's talk about thesummer mindset reset.
So let's start here.
Most of us come into summerstill holding onto that
(03:14):
childhood belief that it shouldbe like this total time off,
right?
And I'm 34 years old.
I'm turning 35 next month.
I haven't been in school for thepast.
I don't know.
17 years or so.
Yet I still have this.
Immediate.
When I think of summer, I'mlike, oh, summer vacation and no
school and no responsibilitiesand ice cream trucks and just
(03:37):
chilling and not really havingto do anything.
And so somewhere deep down, westill carry that expectation.
I find a lot of times.
But then we're the moms, I.
Right now we're the moms.
We're running the summer show.
We're running our businesses.
So even if your kids are incamp, you're still handling the
pickups and the drop offs andthe meltdowns and meal prep and
people being out of routine.
And you gotta put on sunscreenand we're going to the pool and
we're coming home from the pooland wet things and sandy things.
(03:59):
And the reality of summer as amom, especially a mom with a
business, is a whole differentstory than summer as a child,
right?
So here's the shift for you.
Summer gets to be more relaxed.
Yes.
But it's not gonna be a vacationin mojitos by the pool unless
you get really lucky.
Maybe you will have some mojitosby the pool.
Maybe you'll have some days inmojitos by the pool.
And some days it'll be justlike, oh my God.
(04:19):
Coffee.
Just to get through the day.
'cause it's a long day, right?
So you need to set a newexpectation for yourself.
Summer, it gets to be fun andbeautiful and memory making.
And yes, profitable.
Okay?
But it also does need structureand realistic planning in order
to feel.
Good.
Okay.
So I really do try to lean intoflexibility in the summer as
much as I can because naturallyI'm very like, like type a,
(04:43):
okay, like things have to be acertain way.
And I honestly like that is mypersonality.
And so I like to use summer as away to once a year teach myself
that we can just chillsometimes.
Like not everything has to bescheduled down to the minute to
the hour.
And the truth is I think it's animportant thing for me.
(05:03):
And Kendra Aachi talks aboutthis in the Lazy Genius about
all the different things thatsummer that summer that
different seasons can teach us,right?
So she says, I'm paraphrasinghere because my book, I'm
actually in my parents' houseright now because we had to have
some sort of machine installedin our house to remove moisture
from our underneath our floors,which is crazy.
(05:23):
Anyway, it's very loud.
It's blowing, boiling, hot airout, and it's like basically
like a gigantic vacuum that'spiped into.
A whole bunch of different roomsin our house into the floors.
So anyway, long story short, wecan't close most of the bedroom
doors and I don't wanna livelike that.
So we're at my parents for abouta month, and I don't have my
book with me, but what she didsay was something about like
(05:44):
summer teaching us, like how tolet go of like the rigidity of
routines or something alongthose lines.
Kinda like to lean intoflexibility, like to slow down
and not be like, always rushingaround the whole time.
And I think that's a reallyimportant thing.
How to create, let's talk abouthow to create your best summer
ever.
Okay.
Because we obviously don't wannabe like, oh my gosh, if this is
not the best summer ever, thenmy children are gonna grow up
(06:04):
and they're gonna go to thetherapist and tell'em that we
are the suckiest parents ever.
First of all, they probably willdo that anyway, so whatever.
Okay.
But let's just take it let'sjust be honest, okay.
Anything that's wrong with ourkids is, is our fault, and so
let's just accept it right now.
I'm kidding.
It's not our fault.
Okay?
I truly believe this.
I learned this in a parentingclass, but God gave us our
(06:25):
children because our childrenare supposed to have us as
parents, and I want to, I wantyou to remember that.
I think that's a really goodimportant point to start this
off with.
Your children are your childrenbecause God firmly believed that
they needed you as parents inorder to become the best, most,
valuable version of themselves.
Okay?
That's how God created.
You and created them.
(06:47):
He gave them to you because theyneeded to be your children and
messed up in your own uniqueway, so to speak, right?
And with you and all your flawsand your triggers and all that
kind of stuff, and their ownflaws and their triggers, and
that together turns them intothe person they are meant to be.
And I do believe that like aslong as you're doing your best
to be the best parent you canbe, then that's just how it is.
(07:08):
Okay.
Be okay with that.
Except that like you will makemistakes sometimes and that is
okay.
And if overall you do have ageneral kind of feeling of of
coming closer in connectionrather than going, moving apart,
I really do think that's gonna,that's gonna be, that's gonna
trump everything.
And and I really do think thatis.
(07:28):
That is the most importantthing.
That's the most important thingfor your kids is to feel
somewhat connected to you,somewhat generally, to feel
connected to you and and so anypoints of connection you can
find with them are gonna serveyou well in your relationship
with them.
Okay?
Currently my oldest son istelling me like, about all of
his Call of Duty stuff and Ihave no idea about Call of Duty.
I do not know how the gameworks.
(07:49):
All I know is that it involvessome sort of.
Guns and things because that'swhat he tells me and I am like,
oh my gosh, wow, that soamazing.
Wow, that game sounds like itwas really good.
Wow.
Look at you and you really got,you got that many points.
That's awesome.
I have no freaking idea whathe's talking about, but that's
how he connects with me.
So I really try to be interestedin it as best as I possibly can
without knowing anything aboutit.
(08:10):
I do a little research, butthere's only so much I can fit
into my head at one time.
Okay, so that's like the thing Iwanna establish first.
Now, the first thing I want youto remember to do is to create
containers.
Okay?
Work time, kid time.
You time what?
I try to do everything at once,right?
Be with my kids and work at thesame time.
None of it will go all thatwell.
(08:30):
Okay?
I will get overwhelmed.
I'll get snappy.
I'll be like, shush, sh shush.
I'm trying to record something.
I'm trying to talk, I'm tryingto do this, and my brain is
scrambled and.
So this is key for me is to tryto have designated guilt-free
blocks of time, both for workand for myself.
Now that being said, I do coachmy clients.
I'll coach my clients.
When I'm with my kids, sometimeslike I'll just be like, get on a
(08:51):
voice note and I'll be like,Hey, just lemme send, I have to
send someone a message.
And I'll coach them.
I've literally coached myclients while wiping butts.
Okay.
And I'll be like, Hey, I'm justin the bathroom, but we're in
the middle of a conversation.
I really wanted to get thisacross to you while it's still
fresh in my mind.
So if you hear, kids talking inthe background, I'm just wiping
a butt right now and they thinkit's actually hilarious.
'cause that is their life too.
So it's totally fine.
Okay, so what I really, really,really try to focus on creating.
(09:15):
Is designated work time and Iwill be okay if that is my kids'
screen time.
I will.
When my baby naps is work time,no matter what.
Okay, so if my baby is nappingand I have kids around, like
they will just have to, theyknow.
They know that that isnon-negotiable.
Mommy goes into her office andthat is it, because I have very
(09:36):
limited amount of baby nap timein the day, and I prefer not to
work all evening.
And so I really, really do mybest to knock out as much work
as I can during that nap time.
So if my kids have to watchNetflix during that time.
I'm okay with it.
I don't feel guilty.
Okay.
Because this is when I can knockout podcasts.
This is when I can knock outemails, sales copy, whatever it
is content and no guilt becauseI planned it that way, right?
(10:00):
So.
But I talk about like not doingit by default.
I'm like, I will be like, okay,this is nap time and during nap
time you guys, get your screentime for the morning or
whatever.
It's that way.
I know that they'll be busy andgenerally they do not tend to
interrupt me when they're in themiddle of watching something.
'cause they don't want me toremember that they're watching
anything.
'cause then I'll tell'em to getoff.
So it works out really well forboth of us.
(10:23):
And then I really just do mybest, especially in the summer,
to have full presence when it'skid time.
Okay.
So that means like, phone downas best as possible, although I
like to take a lot of picturesof them.
Laptop shot, trying to be in themoment as best as possible.
Obviously I'm very, very busy.
I have six kids, so it is whatit is, but when I'm with them,
really, really doing my best tobe with them and and being like
(10:44):
offline.
As best as I can at the time.
So whether, whether we're goingto the pool outside or making
popsicles or my kids love bakingand so I keep trying to get them
to bake healthy things.
But doing something like that atleast once a summer, they like
to do a cooking competition, sothey make like a whole meal.
And then I have to judge, I haveto judge it.
(11:06):
So it's just very fun.
So.
Yeah, it's fun, it's messy, butit is what it is.
And again, it's summer, so I tryto like, let go of my, you know,
my usual, oh my God, the kitchenis messy, right.
As much as I can.
And the last part is you time,right?
So we have work time, kid time,and you time.
So the work time is during,generally during nap time and in
the evening.
(11:26):
The kid time is whatever that isthe rest of the day, full
presence with my children.
And you time that isnon-negotiable.
Okay.
So I will, I do my best, like atthis point to send my, be like,
okay, if you wanna be awake, youhave to be awake in your room.
I just need, you know, it's timefor, for me and for daddy,
depending if my husband's homeor if he is not on shift.
(11:48):
So taking at least 30 minutes aday if or more if possible, to
just be a person.
Right.
Just.
Sit outside with a nice coffeeand a book and feel just totally
fine about it.
Learn a TikTok dance with yourkids.
I, I actually like, that'sactually kid time, so I, I did
we just recently learned the,bye bye.
(12:08):
Bye dance.
And even my baby knows how tolike wave his little fist in the
air.
It's, it's adorable.
So, yeah, I, I like to learndances and my kids like it too
sometimes, depending on thechild.
Just make a smoothie.
Do some yoga or, or just alittle workout.
Go for a solo walk bingesomething on Netflix.
I am currently in the middle ofthe resident, right.
Whatever it is, just taking sometime for yourself just to be
(12:31):
and, and, and honestly, I, Itend to just get, find that I
get a lot of really good ideasin general for myself, my life,
my business when I'm just being,but it's, it's hard.
So whatever you choose to do,just take the time for yourself
because I find that I really,really, really need to have me
time in order to be able to pourinto my kids as best as
possible.
Okay?
(12:52):
And so even if it's 15 minuteshere, half an hour there giving
yourself those little moments,even if it's before they wake up
or after they go to bed.
I, I need it.
Okay.
I spend my whole, I spend mywhole day pretty much just
being.
The mommy and being the CEO.
And so I try to take sometimesto just be me.
(13:15):
And also taking some time withmy husband as well.
We don't get it as regularlybecause he doesn't have a
regular schedule.
It's always up in the air.
But when it comes down to it, wetry to at least like, have some
time together, some like reallygood quality time together, at
least once a week, whether we goout or whether we just side
spend time together.
Currently we're, we're redoingsomething in our house or we're,
we're redoing a wall and we werepainting and, and plastering and
(13:37):
doing all that kind of stuff.
So that is.
That is like, you know, ourcurrent bonding experience.
So yeah, that is the first part.
So creating your containers ofwork time, kid time, you time
and, you know, and sometimes youcan combine those, those two
things.
Like I said, you know, doing,learning a dance with your kids
(13:57):
or doing a workout with yourkids could be some level of you
time, right?
So it doesn't necessarily needto be alone, alone, alone.
Because if you're doingsomething good for yourself,
then it's still you time takinga walk with my baby.
I still consider me time becauseI enjoy it.
I'm spending time with him.
He's so cute.
We like to go outside.
I pick leaves for him to holdand explore and you know, we,
we, we, it, it's just, it'sjust, that is, it is still me
(14:21):
time, even though it's qualitytime with my baby.
So if you can I, depending on.
Again, what you're doing.
Sometimes those things can crossover.
Sometimes work time can becomekid time, work time.
It can be you time.
Like I just like, you know,having a, a business
conversation with a friend to meis me time, because this is the
kind of thing we geek out over.
(14:42):
So I'm not saying thateverything has to be completely
separate, separate, separate.
But definitely having designatedtime for each in the day even if
it's not, even if it's not allday, is going to really, really
help you.
The second piece is camp.
Okay.
If you can get them into camp,do it.
Okay.
(15:02):
Some of my kids love camp.
Some of my kids hate camp.
I'm not gonna force anyone intoa meltdown, especially like my
older boys.
Like I'm not, I can't make themdo anything, right?
But if you can book those spots,you will be together enough this
summer, I promise.
Okay?
So no guilt.
Even a half day camp buys you afew hours of quiet and focused
work time, so I highly, highlyrecommend it.
My daughter is definitely goingto camp because she needs it.
(15:24):
She needs it.
She cannot be home all day withme and all the boys and and,
and, and she'll be bored.
You know, she will just be boredand, and, and she, she needs to
be around.
Some girl is her own age.
So, so that is something that Iknow like for sure.
And, and for me, it's really ona case by case basis.
But if they're not in camp, Ireally, really do.
I really do try to schedule aday anyway and make some sort of
(15:45):
routine, which I'm gonna talkabout now.
So, making a plan, even a looseone is key.
Okay.
Making a plan for your summer iskey.
You do not wanna wake up everymorning just being like, oh,
what should we do today?
Because that is just a recipefor crankiness and chaos and
resentment.
Resentment from on both sides.
Okay.
So I know that my kids wake upin the morning, like, what are
we gonna do today?
(16:06):
And I'm like, I don't know,whatever.
Something they, they're justlike, they're in a bad mood,
okay?
Because kids need to know whatto expect.
They also like, they're like,yeah, well it's summer.
They sh they do wanna enjoythemselves and have a good time
and do stuff that they can't doduring the year.
So.
I'll do my best to make thathappen.
Now that I have a drivinglicense, which is really
exciting, actually, I'm gonna doa whole podcast about like,
(16:26):
lessons I learned from, fromlearning to drive because it
was, it was a journey.
It was, it took whatever it took18 months and it was brutal.
And I'm gonna go deeper intothat, into that in a, in a
different in a different episodebecause it's too long to discuss
right now.
But lemme just say that drivinglicenses in Israel are different
than.
Than the United States and uk,which are the other two places
that I've lived.
(16:46):
So it's a very, very differentexperience.
And so.
I am really, really relishingthis opportunity that I can like
just get in the car and take thekids somewhere.
Unfortunately, we still do nothave a car that's big enough to
hold everybody'cause we're stilltrying to find a car that fits
our needs and is not in thecategory of truck, which I think
if you have over, like, I thinkit's like if it's over like nine
(17:07):
seats or like over a certainsize.
It's considered a truck and youneed a truck license.
My husband has one.
I do not.
So I am, we're still trying tofind something that will make
sense for our family and will belike, efficient.
And, and also, just enable me tobe able to drive everyone around
at the same time.
But having a plan for the day,for the week even is a really,
really, really important thing.
And I remember when I was a kidgrowing up, my mom, we did not
(17:30):
go to camp.
I think I went to camp for onehalf summer, but my mom did
mommy camp.
Okay.
And it was just, it was, it was.
Now looking back, I'm like, wow.
She was amazing because it's alot to have, to have kids and to
be doing stuff like all summerlong.
And we had a much longer summerthan the kids here have.
We had like two and a halfmonths of summer, so it was a
long.
It was a long time, but she, atthe beginning of the summer we
(17:53):
would literally plan out thesummer.
We'd take a calendar.
It'd be like, okay, I don'tknow, Wednesdays, or like
Wednesdays were like trip daysand Thursdays were like, getting
ready for for our Sabbath.
Right?
So like that would be like, thatwould be like the activity for
the day, right?
And different days at different,at different things.
But also I like to block out mydays in like these, these very
rough sort of time blocks,right?
So.
Morning could be doing anysummer learning they need to do.
(18:15):
Any sort of projects.
Getting, getting the morningtours done.
My work time as well, becausethat's when my baby naps.
Then midday would be pool timeor outings and.
I'm very lucky that I have areally handy husband because it
is too hot generally to go intothe pool midday, but every
summer he sets up a tarp aboveour garden so that the sun is
(18:36):
kind of blocked off, and so itdoesn't get too, it doesn't get
too boiling in our garden, andthe kids are able to go in the
pool at any time, which isreally amazing.
So, so you can decide, okay,that's, full time is.
Midday or like, again, I don'tlike to do pool every single day
because then they get tired ofit.
So like, let's say Sundays andTuesdays and Thursdays are pool
days or something like that.
Right?
Afternoon could be screen timeand maybe work time also,
(18:58):
depending on, if there are naps.
And evenings would be whateverit is, family move in night,
play, play dates, barbecuesdowntime, whatever that looks
like.
So just having a rough plan forthe day so the kids know what to
expect, I find makes a very,very big difference.
When it comes to the generalcrankiness, I like to let each
kid pick some sort of likesummer project like some sort
of.
(19:19):
Thing that they wanna do, learn,accomplish that summer.
Like I said, my older son, myoldest son who's 15, he really
wants to just get a job and makesome money.
So I'm like, great, by allmeans, please go out, get outta
the house, do something.
And he's, he's good.
He's happy to work.
He's really like, he's, I'm, I'mvery proud of him.
He's very happy to work if he,if he, if he's getting
compensated for it.
So he just does whatever he, hewas doing cleaning before
(19:41):
Passover.
He's.
He's worked in in like parkactivity places.
Like he, he finds, he findsstuff so.
I am not so worried about him,but different kids are
interested in different things.
My, my 13-year-old just gotinterested in Dungeons and
Dragons.
My 11-year-old is very intoelectronics.
My 9-year-old just likesreading.
But no, he, he, he likes to dothings.
He might go to camp actuallywith, with his cousin.
(20:03):
So my, my nephew is, they're notin the same grade, but they're
very close.
And so they might go to camptogether because I think that
he, he might, he might enjoythat, but it really depends.
Again, it really depends on thekid.
And I probably will.
Have maybe like, so that Idon't, I'm not limited to just
like an hour of work every day.
I might have my kids just rotatewho helps with the baby and
probably I'll probably pay them.
(20:23):
'Cause it'll either themresponsibility, it will give me
some space and they will be muchmore engaged with the baby if if
they, if they feel like they'regetting compensated out as well.
I don't normally pay them for,you know, for watching their
younger siblings.
'Cause I don't know, I just feellike that's just part of being
in a family.
I was never paid to babysittingmy, my siblings.
I, to me, so that's just, thatis just part of that is just
(20:46):
part of being an older sibling.
And he is very, very cute.
So it's not like a, a bighardship.
But I do think if it's gonna besomething that's more like, like
scheduled, like, okay, every daywhatever, the baby has his, his
nap, and then after his nap.
You watch him for an hour and ahalf while I continue working,
it's more, it's planned ahead.
I do think it should be paidbecause they, then they can't do
something else during that time.
And I want them to be fullypresent with him.
(21:07):
So if they feel like they'regetting compensated, I think
they're much more likely to befully present rather than just,
sitting on the floor reading abook and like, just throwing
them toys every once in a while.
So that is that is the, that is,that is my plan.
We'll see how, we'll see how itgoes.
We'll see who's home.
We'll see who's available to dothat.
So I, so I, I believe the samewhen it comes to life in general
and business in general.
(21:29):
I've spoke about this a lot inprevious episodes, right?
I think Abraham Lincoln orGeorge Washington, one of the
presidents said, if I was gonnaspend an hour chopping down a
tree, I'd spend 45 minutessharpening the ax, or something
like that.
So I do believe that sharpeningthe ax is important when it
comes to everything you do.
Even if it's just a rough plan,even having a rough plan is
better than no plan.
Okay.
And I really do believe that.
So when you are being proactiveabout it, when you're like,
(21:50):
okay, here are the activitiesI'm gonna pull out when the kids
are getting bored and cranky,here are the things I'm gonna do
in the afternoon when, mydaughter comes home from camp.
Maybe we'll do, maybe we'll dobatch prepping.
A dinner every day.
Maybe I'll give my kids theopportunity to plan dinners for
the week and each of them takesa day.
Like they would, they would lovethat, right?
Like, but knowing what's goingto happen makes everyone
happier.
(22:10):
Okay.
And, and so having that roughplan makes flexibility easier
because then you can sign the,change the plan up.
Because you have a plan tochange.
If you're just going into like,just floating around and like
being like, oh yeah, we'll justfigure things out when it
happens.
That might work for some people.
It does not work for me.
It does not work for my kids.
They need to know.
Okay.
So that is the last, the lastpart of this is being proactive
(22:32):
and not reactive in all areas oflife.
I feel that is a good, it isjust a good, it's a good
philosophy to have.
And the last part I wanna talkabout is finding the joy.
Yes.
And even when it's loud and.
Summer can be overstimulating.
Okay?
Especially if you have a DHDlike me.
There are some days when thenoise is just a lot.
Okay?
There's, I have five boys,including a baby who's also very
(22:54):
loud and a girl who's not quieteither.
But I do believe that you canfind joy in the chaos.
And there's a few things that Ilike to do to find the joy as
best as I can.
The first part is gratitude.
Okay?
So pause, looking, looking atyour kids, okay?
This is, probably what youwanted, right?
I know.
This is what I wanted.
(23:15):
I wanted a big family.
I wanted kids, running around.
I wanted just a happy home.
And, they're healthy, they'rebeautiful.
Thank God.
These moments are fleeting.
And I saw this amazing thing.
It's like, if you wanna be morepresent with your kids imagine
that you are actually like 80and you've got to, you've got to
come back for one day.
To be with your kids at this ageand like, see how different you
feel about it.
And I really try to like leaninto that mentality when I'm
(23:36):
starting to feel reallyoverwhelmed and annoyed by
everyone around me.
And I'm like, okay, everybody isjust calm down.
Read a book, do something color.
Just, just be quiet for fiveminutes, right?
But I really do find that liketrying to lean into gratitude as
best as I can, it makes a hugedifference for me.
Because, being a mom is not forthe faint of heart.
So you need to, you need to beable to lean into that and be
like, be able to.
(23:57):
Hold onto that even in the hardtimes.
Okay?
And there are gonna be hardtimes.
There's gonna be great times,there's gonna be all, all kinds
of times.
The second part is presence,right?
So the more intentional that Iam, the more grateful I feel,
right?
So, putting your phone down andwatching them just jump in the
pool and laugh at their jokesand just letting yourself feel
it.
Make such a difference now.
I do.
Again, I like to document.
I like to document and Iunderstand that.
(24:19):
And I and I will always have myphone up taking pictures of
that, like the whole time.
And I'm so glad that I dobecause now I keep getting these
like pictures, like, oh, 10years ago, and looking at my
cute little kids 10 years ago isjust, is just it?
It just, it just.
It makes me so emotional.
It makes me so emotional becauselike they were all so little and
now they're just so big and itjust reminds me how fast time
(24:42):
goes.
So I'm not saying don't documentright.
But trying to at least, I try tolike leave my phone somewhere
where I'm not, like in adifferent room or something, so
that I can at least try to bepresent for 10 minutes, 15
minutes, and half an hour anhour, right?
As best as I can, and lettingyourself celebrate the little
wins, right?
So you worked for an houruninterrupted.
That's a win.
You made it to the park anddidn't yell at anybody.
That's a win you got in a soloice coffee break.
(25:04):
That is a win.
Okay.
Stack those wins for yourself.
Try to write those down, like,or try to like, just keep, keep,
keep note of it.
I like to have, like, I like touse chat GBT for this.
Like, just like, talk into itand be like, here's, this is my
win chat and I'm gonna just talkinto it and have it summarize
your wins.
At the end of the day.
It makes things a lot easier todo.
Like I just, I I just find itmuch easier to do that than,
(25:25):
than typing things out because Ifind that I verbally process
much better.
So it really once at the, at theend of the day, at the end of
the week, kind of looking at allthe wins that you've had will
really make you feel good aboutyourself and it'll help you pat
yourself in the back.
I'm very into verbal validation.
So I have to either wait for itfor someone else or I validate
myself.
So I'm happy with both.
So I do, I do tend to selfendorse whatever possible.
(25:47):
I'll self endorse in front of myhusband and they'll be like, oh,
yeah, yeah, right.
Oh my, you were so great whenyou did that.
And I'm like, right.
I know.
No, I'm kidding.
He does, he does, he does dothat.
It's not his natural lovelanguage, but he knows how much
it means to me.
So he really does try.
But,, everyone has their ownthing, that they have their own
tendency.
And so I don't, I don't hold itagainst him that it's not his,
his natural tendency to do that.
So self endorse yourself as muchas possible.
(26:09):
So, to sum up, alright, you donot have to choose between being
a great mom and running a greatbusiness this summer.
Alright?
You just need realisticexpectations.
Right.
You need clear containers oftime.
And again, they don't, the wholeday doesn't have to be clear
containers of time.
You can overlap.
You can have work time plus kidtime.
You can have kid time plus youtime.
You can have work time plus youtime.
Right.
That is okay.
(26:29):
I'm actually thinking I shouldmake a really cute, like sort
of, a really, a really cool sortof like Venn diagram for this.
Oh my God, I just had such agreat idea.
I'm gonna make a Venn diagramfor this.
Okay.
So I do think they can overlap,but at at least have some of the
days be clear containers of eachbeing proactive, planning ahead,
being proactive and having spacefor you to rest and reset and
pat yourself on the back and bein gratitude and be present.
(26:52):
You can absolutely have yourbest summer ever, even with a
baby.
On your hip, even with loads ofemails piling up.
It might be a little messy.
It might be loud, but it canstill be magical.
Okay?
And if this episode may be made,you feel even 1% more ready for
summer, I'm really happy aboutthat.
Please let me know on Instagram.
But go grab my summer like aboss training.
It is only$25 today.
(27:13):
Today's the last day you can getit, and it's going to seriously
change your entire summerstrategy.
Okay?
It is short.
It's powerful.
It is packed with mom testedmethods to make the season
actually work for you and yourbusiness.
I've never had a businesswithout children.
Okay.
I started my business with fourchildren, then had my fifth and
my sixth as a CEO mom.
And so I've like literally likerun, run the gamut of business
(27:35):
summers, and I don't wanna saythat I've, I've cracked it, but
I do pretty good.
We, I, I figured some thingsout.
So if you know another CEO momthat's staring down summer
with., A little guilt and alittle fear and little
apprehension, then share thisepisode with her.
Tag me on Instagram at the AlBehan.
Let me know what your summersetup looks like, and until next
time, I'll see you.
Keep showing up.
(27:55):
Mama.
You have got this.
I can't thank you enough forlistening to raising your
business.
I hope this episode has inspiredyou to take another step towards
building a business and lifethat you love, and growing your
income in a way that works foryou and your family.
If you enjoy this episode,please take a second to rate and
review and let's connect that onInstagram screenshot and share
(28:17):
it on Instagram Stories so wecan get the word out to more mom
business owners like you.
Tag me at the El Behan and shareyour biggest breakthrough from
today.
See you next week.
The fourth part is beingproactive and not reactive.
(00:03):
Okay?
So all this, everything I'mtalking about today is, I
learned this from my mom aswell.
She's really great.
But even having like a roughplan helps everyone feel calmer
because you're not scrambling,you are leading, right?
Thinking about what activitiesyou wanna prep ahead.
What meals you wanna batch cook,even what days you're gonna be
fully off or, working more.
'cause proactive energy to meequals peaceful energy.
(00:26):
So it does take time, it doestake time to plan ahead, but I
believe this when it comes to,when it comes to business I
really do believe, like when Isit on on Sunday and plan out
the week, then my week just goesbetter welcome to the Raising
Your Business Podcast.
I'm your host, Al Behan, founderof CEO Mom Academy, mom of Six
and Lifelong Reading addict.
(00:46):
This podcast is here to empowermoms to run their businesses and
lives like the powerhouse CEO.
They are.
I want you to believe that youcan have the business success
you desire.
And be present with your familyand to give you my best tips and
strategies for how to make thathappen.
I'll be sharing the honestreality of balancing business
and motherhood biz models thatwork for you.
Marketing simplicity, and themindset of A CEO, mom.
(01:08):
Now let's dive in.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome back to the podcast, andthis is part three of our summer
series.
So for parts one and two, we hadthe strategy piece, which was
(01:28):
exactly what to do, how to useyour summer, whether you are
still growing to six figures, orwhether you were already at six
figures.
And this week we're talkingabout how to show up for the
summer, mentally, emotionally,just as the mom piece, right?
So summer is coming in hot.
Okay.
It is just, oh my God, fasterand faster.
(01:50):
There's all kinds of end of yearstuff happening and now we're
like getting like the graduationdates and, i'm getting all the
emails from camps andeverything, and the kids are
gonna be home.
Routines are gonna be out thewindow a little bit and somehow
you're still supposed to keeprunning a business.
So today we're gonna be divinginto how to have your best
summer ever as a CEO Mom.
So how to stay present with yourkids and keep your business
(02:11):
moving without losing your mindor spiraling into resentment or
chaos or overwhelm or guilt.
Okay?
And I'm gonna be sharing realstrategies and mindset shifts
and mom hacks that have helpedme navigate summers with babies,
toddlers, and teens.
And this year it's all of themat once.
Literally.
So before we jump in, I justwanna tell you, today is the
(02:33):
last day you can get my summerlike a boss masterclass for just
$25.
It is normally 47 and insidethat I share exactly how I plan
my summer schedule, manage mybusiness and stay sane with five
boys and one girly, including ababy and some kids in camp, some
kids without camp.
So it is strategic, it's momproof, and it's built to help
(02:53):
you enjoy your summer and stayprofitable at the same time.
So grab it now.
The link is in the show notes.
Today is the last day.
You can get it for$25.
You can still get it after that,but it's 47, so you may as well
get it today.
Okay, so let's talk about thesummer mindset reset.
So let's start here.
Most of us come into summerstill holding onto that
(03:14):
childhood belief that it shouldbe like this total time off,
right?
And I'm 34 years old.
I'm turning 35 next month.
I haven't been in school for thepast.
I don't know.
17 years or so.
Yet I still have this.
Immediate.
When I think of summer, I'mlike, oh, summer vacation and no
school and no responsibilitiesand ice cream trucks and just
(03:37):
chilling and not really havingto do anything.
And so somewhere deep down, westill carry that expectation.
I find a lot of times.
But then we're the moms, I.
Right now we're the moms.
We're running the summer show.
We're running our businesses.
So even if your kids are incamp, you're still handling the
pickups and the drop offs andthe meltdowns and meal prep and
people being out of routine.
And you gotta put on sunscreenand we're going to the pool and
we're coming home from the pooland wet things and sandy things.
(03:59):
And the reality of summer as amom, especially a mom with a
business, is a whole differentstory than summer as a child,
right?
So here's the shift for you.
Summer gets to be more relaxed.
Yes.
But it's not gonna be a vacationin mojitos by the pool unless
you get really lucky.
Maybe you will have some mojitosby the pool.
Maybe you'll have some days inmojitos by the pool.
And some days it'll be justlike, oh my God.
(04:19):
Coffee.
Just to get through the day.
'cause it's a long day, right?
So you need to set a newexpectation for yourself.
Summer, it gets to be fun andbeautiful and memory making.
And yes, profitable.
Okay?
But it also does need structureand realistic planning in order
to feel.
Good.
Okay.
So I really do try to lean intoflexibility in the summer as
much as I can because naturallyI'm very like, like type a,
(04:43):
okay, like things have to be acertain way.
And I honestly like that is mypersonality.
And so I like to use summer as away to once a year teach myself
that we can just chillsometimes.
Like not everything has to bescheduled down to the minute to
the hour.
And the truth is I think it's animportant thing for me.
(05:03):
And Kendra Aachi talks aboutthis in the Lazy Genius about
all the different things thatsummer that summer that
different seasons can teach us,right?
So she says, I'm paraphrasinghere because my book, I'm
actually in my parents' houseright now because we had to have
some sort of machine installedin our house to remove moisture
from our underneath our floors,which is crazy.
(05:23):
Anyway, it's very loud.
It's blowing, boiling, hot airout, and it's like basically
like a gigantic vacuum that'spiped into.
A whole bunch of different roomsin our house into the floors.
So anyway, long story short, wecan't close most of the bedroom
doors and I don't wanna livelike that.
So we're at my parents for abouta month, and I don't have my
book with me, but what she didsay was something about like
(05:44):
summer teaching us, like how tolet go of like the rigidity of
routines or something alongthose lines.
Kinda like to lean intoflexibility, like to slow down
and not be like, always rushingaround the whole time.
And I think that's a reallyimportant thing.
How to create, let's talk abouthow to create your best summer
ever.
Okay.
Because we obviously don't wannabe like, oh my gosh, if this is
not the best summer ever, thenmy children are gonna grow up
(06:04):
and they're gonna go to thetherapist and tell'em that we
are the suckiest parents ever.
First of all, they probably willdo that anyway, so whatever.
Okay.
But let's just take it let'sjust be honest, okay.
Anything that's wrong with ourkids is, is our fault, and so
let's just accept it right now.
I'm kidding.
It's not our fault.
Okay?
I truly believe this.
I learned this in a parentingclass, but God gave us our
(06:25):
children because our childrenare supposed to have us as
parents, and I want to, I wantyou to remember that.
I think that's a really goodimportant point to start this
off with.
Your children are your childrenbecause God firmly believed that
they needed you as parents inorder to become the best, most,
valuable version of themselves.
Okay?
That's how God created.
You and created them.
(06:47):
He gave them to you because theyneeded to be your children and
messed up in your own uniqueway, so to speak, right?
And with you and all your flawsand your triggers and all that
kind of stuff, and their ownflaws and their triggers, and
that together turns them intothe person they are meant to be.
And I do believe that like aslong as you're doing your best
to be the best parent you canbe, then that's just how it is.
(07:08):
Okay.
Be okay with that.
Except that like you will makemistakes sometimes and that is
okay.
And if overall you do have ageneral kind of feeling of of
coming closer in connectionrather than going, moving apart,
I really do think that's gonna,that's gonna be, that's gonna
trump everything.
And and I really do think thatis.
(07:28):
That is the most importantthing.
That's the most important thingfor your kids is to feel
somewhat connected to you,somewhat generally, to feel
connected to you and and so anypoints of connection you can
find with them are gonna serveyou well in your relationship
with them.
Okay?
Currently my oldest son istelling me like, about all of
his Call of Duty stuff and Ihave no idea about Call of Duty.
I do not know how the gameworks.
(07:49):
All I know is that it involvessome sort of.
Guns and things because that'swhat he tells me and I am like,
oh my gosh, wow, that soamazing.
Wow, that game sounds like itwas really good.
Wow.
Look at you and you really got,you got that many points.
That's awesome.
I have no freaking idea whathe's talking about, but that's
how he connects with me.
So I really try to be interestedin it as best as I possibly can
without knowing anything aboutit.
(08:10):
I do a little research, butthere's only so much I can fit
into my head at one time.
Okay, so that's like the thing Iwanna establish first.
Now, the first thing I want youto remember to do is to create
containers.
Okay?
Work time, kid time.
You time what?
I try to do everything at once,right?
Be with my kids and work at thesame time.
None of it will go all thatwell.
(08:30):
Okay?
I will get overwhelmed.
I'll get snappy.
I'll be like, shush, sh shush.
I'm trying to record something.
I'm trying to talk, I'm tryingto do this, and my brain is
scrambled and.
So this is key for me is to tryto have designated guilt-free
blocks of time, both for workand for myself.
Now that being said, I do coachmy clients.
I'll coach my clients.
When I'm with my kids, sometimeslike I'll just be like, get on a
(08:51):
voice note and I'll be like,Hey, just lemme send, I have to
send someone a message.
And I'll coach them.
I've literally coached myclients while wiping butts.
Okay.
And I'll be like, Hey, I'm justin the bathroom, but we're in
the middle of a conversation.
I really wanted to get thisacross to you while it's still
fresh in my mind.
So if you hear, kids talking inthe background, I'm just wiping
a butt right now and they thinkit's actually hilarious.
'cause that is their life too.
So it's totally fine.
Okay, so what I really, really,really try to focus on creating.
(09:15):
Is designated work time and Iwill be okay if that is my kids'
screen time.
I will.
When my baby naps is work time,no matter what.
Okay, so if my baby is nappingand I have kids around, like
they will just have to, theyknow.
They know that that isnon-negotiable.
Mommy goes into her office andthat is it, because I have very
(09:36):
limited amount of baby nap timein the day, and I prefer not to
work all evening.
And so I really, really do mybest to knock out as much work
as I can during that nap time.
So if my kids have to watchNetflix during that time.
I'm okay with it.
I don't feel guilty.
Okay.
Because this is when I can knockout podcasts.
This is when I can knock outemails, sales copy, whatever it
is content and no guilt becauseI planned it that way, right?
(10:00):
So.
But I talk about like not doingit by default.
I'm like, I will be like, okay,this is nap time and during nap
time you guys, get your screentime for the morning or
whatever.
It's that way.
I know that they'll be busy andgenerally they do not tend to
interrupt me when they're in themiddle of watching something.
'cause they don't want me toremember that they're watching
anything.
'cause then I'll tell'em to getoff.
So it works out really well forboth of us.
(10:23):
And then I really just do mybest, especially in the summer,
to have full presence when it'skid time.
Okay.
So that means like, phone downas best as possible, although I
like to take a lot of picturesof them.
Laptop shot, trying to be in themoment as best as possible.
Obviously I'm very, very busy.
I have six kids, so it is whatit is, but when I'm with them,
really, really doing my best tobe with them and and being like
(10:44):
offline.
As best as I can at the time.
So whether, whether we're goingto the pool outside or making
popsicles or my kids love bakingand so I keep trying to get them
to bake healthy things.
But doing something like that atleast once a summer, they like
to do a cooking competition, sothey make like a whole meal.
And then I have to judge, I haveto judge it.
(11:06):
So it's just very fun.
So.
Yeah, it's fun, it's messy, butit is what it is.
And again, it's summer, so I tryto like, let go of my, you know,
my usual, oh my God, the kitchenis messy, right.
As much as I can.
And the last part is you time,right?
So we have work time, kid time,and you time.
So the work time is during,generally during nap time and in
the evening.
(11:26):
The kid time is whatever that isthe rest of the day, full
presence with my children.
And you time that isnon-negotiable.
Okay.
So I will, I do my best, like atthis point to send my, be like,
okay, if you wanna be awake, youhave to be awake in your room.
I just need, you know, it's timefor, for me and for daddy,
depending if my husband's homeor if he is not on shift.
(11:48):
So taking at least 30 minutes aday if or more if possible, to
just be a person.
Right.
Just.
Sit outside with a nice coffeeand a book and feel just totally
fine about it.
Learn a TikTok dance with yourkids.
I, I actually like, that'sactually kid time, so I, I did
we just recently learned the,bye bye.
(12:08):
Bye dance.
And even my baby knows how tolike wave his little fist in the
air.
It's, it's adorable.
So, yeah, I, I like to learndances and my kids like it too
sometimes, depending on thechild.
Just make a smoothie.
Do some yoga or, or just alittle workout.
Go for a solo walk bingesomething on Netflix.
I am currently in the middle ofthe resident, right.
Whatever it is, just taking sometime for yourself just to be
(12:31):
and, and, and honestly, I, Itend to just get, find that I
get a lot of really good ideasin general for myself, my life,
my business when I'm just being,but it's, it's hard.
So whatever you choose to do,just take the time for yourself
because I find that I really,really, really need to have me
time in order to be able to pourinto my kids as best as
possible.
Okay?
(12:52):
And so even if it's 15 minuteshere, half an hour there giving
yourself those little moments,even if it's before they wake up
or after they go to bed.
I, I need it.
Okay.
I spend my whole, I spend mywhole day pretty much just
being.
The mommy and being the CEO.
And so I try to take sometimesto just be me.
(13:15):
And also taking some time withmy husband as well.
We don't get it as regularlybecause he doesn't have a
regular schedule.
It's always up in the air.
But when it comes down to it, wetry to at least like, have some
time together, some like reallygood quality time together, at
least once a week, whether we goout or whether we just side
spend time together.
Currently we're, we're redoingsomething in our house or we're,
we're redoing a wall and we werepainting and, and plastering and
(13:37):
doing all that kind of stuff.
So that is.
That is like, you know, ourcurrent bonding experience.
So yeah, that is the first part.
So creating your containers ofwork time, kid time, you time
and, you know, and sometimes youcan combine those, those two
things.
Like I said, you know, doing,learning a dance with your kids
(13:57):
or doing a workout with yourkids could be some level of you
time, right?
So it doesn't necessarily needto be alone, alone, alone.
Because if you're doingsomething good for yourself,
then it's still you time takinga walk with my baby.
I still consider me time becauseI enjoy it.
I'm spending time with him.
He's so cute.
We like to go outside.
I pick leaves for him to holdand explore and you know, we,
we, we, it, it's just, it'sjust, that is, it is still me
(14:21):
time, even though it's qualitytime with my baby.
So if you can I, depending on.
Again, what you're doing.
Sometimes those things can crossover.
Sometimes work time can becomekid time, work time.
It can be you time.
Like I just like, you know,having a, a business
conversation with a friend to meis me time, because this is the
kind of thing we geek out over.
(14:42):
So I'm not saying thateverything has to be completely
separate, separate, separate.
But definitely having designatedtime for each in the day even if
it's not, even if it's not allday, is going to really, really
help you.
The second piece is camp.
Okay.
If you can get them into camp,do it.
Okay.
(15:02):
Some of my kids love camp.
Some of my kids hate camp.
I'm not gonna force anyone intoa meltdown, especially like my
older boys.
Like I'm not, I can't make themdo anything, right?
But if you can book those spots,you will be together enough this
summer, I promise.
Okay?
So no guilt.
Even a half day camp buys you afew hours of quiet and focused
work time, so I highly, highlyrecommend it.
My daughter is definitely goingto camp because she needs it.
(15:24):
She needs it.
She cannot be home all day withme and all the boys and and,
and, and she'll be bored.
You know, she will just be boredand, and, and she, she needs to
be around.
Some girl is her own age.
So, so that is something that Iknow like for sure.
And, and for me, it's really ona case by case basis.
But if they're not in camp, Ireally, really do.
I really do try to schedule aday anyway and make some sort of
(15:45):
routine, which I'm gonna talkabout now.
So, making a plan, even a looseone is key.
Okay.
Making a plan for your summer iskey.
You do not wanna wake up everymorning just being like, oh,
what should we do today?
Because that is just a recipefor crankiness and chaos and
resentment.
Resentment from on both sides.
Okay.
So I know that my kids wake upin the morning, like, what are
we gonna do today?
(16:06):
And I'm like, I don't know,whatever.
Something they, they're justlike, they're in a bad mood,
okay?
Because kids need to know whatto expect.
They also like, they're like,yeah, well it's summer.
They sh they do wanna enjoythemselves and have a good time
and do stuff that they can't doduring the year.
So.
I'll do my best to make thathappen.
Now that I have a drivinglicense, which is really
exciting, actually, I'm gonna doa whole podcast about like,
(16:26):
lessons I learned from, fromlearning to drive because it
was, it was a journey.
It was, it took whatever it took18 months and it was brutal.
And I'm gonna go deeper intothat, into that in a, in a
different in a different episodebecause it's too long to discuss
right now.
But lemme just say that drivinglicenses in Israel are different
than.
Than the United States and uk,which are the other two places
that I've lived.
(16:46):
So it's a very, very differentexperience.
And so.
I am really, really relishingthis opportunity that I can like
just get in the car and take thekids somewhere.
Unfortunately, we still do nothave a car that's big enough to
hold everybody'cause we're stilltrying to find a car that fits
our needs and is not in thecategory of truck, which I think
if you have over, like, I thinkit's like if it's over like nine
(17:07):
seats or like over a certainsize.
It's considered a truck and youneed a truck license.
My husband has one.
I do not.
So I am, we're still trying tofind something that will make
sense for our family and will belike, efficient.
And, and also, just enable me tobe able to drive everyone around
at the same time.
But having a plan for the day,for the week even is a really,
really, really important thing.
And I remember when I was a kidgrowing up, my mom, we did not
(17:30):
go to camp.
I think I went to camp for onehalf summer, but my mom did
mommy camp.
Okay.
And it was just, it was, it was.
Now looking back, I'm like, wow.
She was amazing because it's alot to have, to have kids and to
be doing stuff like all summerlong.
And we had a much longer summerthan the kids here have.
We had like two and a halfmonths of summer, so it was a
long.
It was a long time, but she, atthe beginning of the summer we
(17:53):
would literally plan out thesummer.
We'd take a calendar.
It'd be like, okay, I don'tknow, Wednesdays, or like
Wednesdays were like trip daysand Thursdays were like, getting
ready for for our Sabbath.
Right?
So like that would be like, thatwould be like the activity for
the day, right?
And different days at different,at different things.
But also I like to block out mydays in like these, these very
rough sort of time blocks,right?
So.
Morning could be doing anysummer learning they need to do.
(18:15):
Any sort of projects.
Getting, getting the morningtours done.
My work time as well, becausethat's when my baby naps.
Then midday would be pool timeor outings and.
I'm very lucky that I have areally handy husband because it
is too hot generally to go intothe pool midday, but every
summer he sets up a tarp aboveour garden so that the sun is
(18:36):
kind of blocked off, and so itdoesn't get too, it doesn't get
too boiling in our garden, andthe kids are able to go in the
pool at any time, which isreally amazing.
So, so you can decide, okay,that's, full time is.
Midday or like, again, I don'tlike to do pool every single day
because then they get tired ofit.
So like, let's say Sundays andTuesdays and Thursdays are pool
days or something like that.
Right?
Afternoon could be screen timeand maybe work time also,
(18:58):
depending on, if there are naps.
And evenings would be whateverit is, family move in night,
play, play dates, barbecuesdowntime, whatever that looks
like.
So just having a rough plan forthe day so the kids know what to
expect, I find makes a very,very big difference.
When it comes to the generalcrankiness, I like to let each
kid pick some sort of likesummer project like some sort
of.
(19:19):
Thing that they wanna do, learn,accomplish that summer.
Like I said, my older son, myoldest son who's 15, he really
wants to just get a job and makesome money.
So I'm like, great, by allmeans, please go out, get outta
the house, do something.
And he's, he's good.
He's happy to work.
He's really like, he's, I'm, I'mvery proud of him.
He's very happy to work if he,if he, if he's getting
compensated for it.
So he just does whatever he, hewas doing cleaning before
(19:41):
Passover.
He's.
He's worked in in like parkactivity places.
Like he, he finds, he findsstuff so.
I am not so worried about him,but different kids are
interested in different things.
My, my 13-year-old just gotinterested in Dungeons and
Dragons.
My 11-year-old is very intoelectronics.
My 9-year-old just likesreading.
But no, he, he, he likes to dothings.
He might go to camp actuallywith, with his cousin.
(20:03):
So my, my nephew is, they're notin the same grade, but they're
very close.
And so they might go to camptogether because I think that
he, he might, he might enjoythat, but it really depends.
Again, it really depends on thekid.
And I probably will.
Have maybe like, so that Idon't, I'm not limited to just
like an hour of work every day.
I might have my kids just rotatewho helps with the baby and
probably I'll probably pay them.
(20:23):
'Cause it'll either themresponsibility, it will give me
some space and they will be muchmore engaged with the baby if if
they, if they feel like they'regetting compensated out as well.
I don't normally pay them for,you know, for watching their
younger siblings.
'Cause I don't know, I just feellike that's just part of being
in a family.
I was never paid to babysittingmy, my siblings.
I, to me, so that's just, thatis just part of that is just
(20:46):
part of being an older sibling.
And he is very, very cute.
So it's not like a, a bighardship.
But I do think if it's gonna besomething that's more like, like
scheduled, like, okay, every daywhatever, the baby has his, his
nap, and then after his nap.
You watch him for an hour and ahalf while I continue working,
it's more, it's planned ahead.
I do think it should be paidbecause they, then they can't do
something else during that time.
And I want them to be fullypresent with him.
(21:07):
So if they feel like they'regetting compensated, I think
they're much more likely to befully present rather than just,
sitting on the floor reading abook and like, just throwing
them toys every once in a while.
So that is that is the, that is,that is my plan.
We'll see how, we'll see how itgoes.
We'll see who's home.
We'll see who's available to dothat.
So I, so I, I believe the samewhen it comes to life in general
and business in general.
(21:29):
I've spoke about this a lot inprevious episodes, right?
I think Abraham Lincoln orGeorge Washington, one of the
presidents said, if I was gonnaspend an hour chopping down a
tree, I'd spend 45 minutessharpening the ax, or something
like that.
So I do believe that sharpeningthe ax is important when it
comes to everything you do.
Even if it's just a rough plan,even having a rough plan is
better than no plan.
Okay.
And I really do believe that.
So when you are being proactiveabout it, when you're like,
(21:50):
okay, here are the activitiesI'm gonna pull out when the kids
are getting bored and cranky,here are the things I'm gonna do
in the afternoon when, mydaughter comes home from camp.
Maybe we'll do, maybe we'll dobatch prepping.
A dinner every day.
Maybe I'll give my kids theopportunity to plan dinners for
the week and each of them takesa day.
Like they would, they would lovethat, right?
Like, but knowing what's goingto happen makes everyone
happier.
(22:10):
Okay.
And, and so having that roughplan makes flexibility easier
because then you can sign the,change the plan up.
Because you have a plan tochange.
If you're just going into like,just floating around and like
being like, oh yeah, we'll justfigure things out when it
happens.
That might work for some people.
It does not work for me.
It does not work for my kids.
They need to know.
Okay.
So that is the last, the lastpart of this is being proactive
(22:32):
and not reactive in all areas oflife.
I feel that is a good, it isjust a good, it's a good
philosophy to have.
And the last part I wanna talkabout is finding the joy.
Yes.
And even when it's loud and.
Summer can be overstimulating.
Okay?
Especially if you have a DHDlike me.
There are some days when thenoise is just a lot.
Okay?
There's, I have five boys,including a baby who's also very
(22:54):
loud and a girl who's not quieteither.
But I do believe that you canfind joy in the chaos.
And there's a few things that Ilike to do to find the joy as
best as I can.
The first part is gratitude.
Okay?
So pause, looking, looking atyour kids, okay?
This is, probably what youwanted, right?
I know.
This is what I wanted.
(23:15):
I wanted a big family.
I wanted kids, running around.
I wanted just a happy home.
And, they're healthy, they'rebeautiful.
Thank God.
These moments are fleeting.
And I saw this amazing thing.
It's like, if you wanna be morepresent with your kids imagine
that you are actually like 80and you've got to, you've got to
come back for one day.
To be with your kids at this ageand like, see how different you
feel about it.
And I really try to like leaninto that mentality when I'm
(23:36):
starting to feel reallyoverwhelmed and annoyed by
everyone around me.
And I'm like, okay, everybody isjust calm down.
Read a book, do something color.
Just, just be quiet for fiveminutes, right?
But I really do find that liketrying to lean into gratitude as
best as I can, it makes a hugedifference for me.
Because, being a mom is not forthe faint of heart.
So you need to, you need to beable to lean into that and be
like, be able to.
(23:57):
Hold onto that even in the hardtimes.
Okay?
And there are gonna be hardtimes.
There's gonna be great times,there's gonna be all, all kinds
of times.
The second part is presence,right?
So the more intentional that Iam, the more grateful I feel,
right?
So, putting your phone down andwatching them just jump in the
pool and laugh at their jokesand just letting yourself feel
it.
Make such a difference now.
I do.
Again, I like to document.
I like to document and Iunderstand that.
(24:19):
And I and I will always have myphone up taking pictures of
that, like the whole time.
And I'm so glad that I dobecause now I keep getting these
like pictures, like, oh, 10years ago, and looking at my
cute little kids 10 years ago isjust, is just it?
It just, it just.
It makes me so emotional.
It makes me so emotional becauselike they were all so little and
now they're just so big and itjust reminds me how fast time
(24:42):
goes.
So I'm not saying don't documentright.
But trying to at least, I try tolike leave my phone somewhere
where I'm not, like in adifferent room or something, so
that I can at least try to bepresent for 10 minutes, 15
minutes, and half an hour anhour, right?
As best as I can, and lettingyourself celebrate the little
wins, right?
So you worked for an houruninterrupted.
That's a win.
You made it to the park anddidn't yell at anybody.
That's a win you got in a soloice coffee break.
(25:04):
That is a win.
Okay.
Stack those wins for yourself.
Try to write those down, like,or try to like, just keep, keep,
keep note of it.
I like to have, like, I like touse chat GBT for this.
Like, just like, talk into itand be like, here's, this is my
win chat and I'm gonna just talkinto it and have it summarize
your wins.
At the end of the day.
It makes things a lot easier todo.
Like I just, I I just find itmuch easier to do that than,
(25:25):
than typing things out because Ifind that I verbally process
much better.
So it really once at the, at theend of the day, at the end of
the week, kind of looking at allthe wins that you've had will
really make you feel good aboutyourself and it'll help you pat
yourself in the back.
I'm very into verbal validation.
So I have to either wait for itfor someone else or I validate
myself.
So I'm happy with both.
So I do, I do tend to selfendorse whatever possible.
(25:47):
I'll self endorse in front of myhusband and they'll be like, oh,
yeah, yeah, right.
Oh my, you were so great whenyou did that.
And I'm like, right.
I know.
No, I'm kidding.
He does, he does, he does dothat.
It's not his natural lovelanguage, but he knows how much
it means to me.
So he really does try.
But,, everyone has their ownthing, that they have their own
tendency.
And so I don't, I don't hold itagainst him that it's not his,
his natural tendency to do that.
So self endorse yourself as muchas possible.
(26:09):
So, to sum up, alright, you donot have to choose between being
a great mom and running a greatbusiness this summer.
Alright?
You just need realisticexpectations.
Right.
You need clear containers oftime.
And again, they don't, the wholeday doesn't have to be clear
containers of time.
You can overlap.
You can have work time plus kidtime.
You can have kid time plus youtime.
You can have work time plus youtime.
Right.
That is okay.
(26:29):
I'm actually thinking I shouldmake a really cute, like sort
of, a really, a really cool sortof like Venn diagram for this.
Oh my God, I just had such agreat idea.
I'm gonna make a Venn diagramfor this.
Okay.
So I do think they can overlap,but at at least have some of the
days be clear containers of eachbeing proactive, planning ahead,
being proactive and having spacefor you to rest and reset and
pat yourself on the back and bein gratitude and be present.
(26:52):
You can absolutely have yourbest summer ever, even with a
baby.
On your hip, even with loads ofemails piling up.
It might be a little messy.
It might be loud, but it canstill be magical.
Okay?
And if this episode may be made,you feel even 1% more ready for
summer, I'm really happy aboutthat.
Please let me know on Instagram.
But go grab my summer like aboss training.
It is only$25 today.
(27:13):
Today's the last day you can getit, and it's going to seriously
change your entire summerstrategy.
Okay?
It is short.
It's powerful.
It is packed with mom testedmethods to make the season
actually work for you and yourbusiness.
I've never had a businesswithout children.
Okay.
I started my business with fourchildren, then had my fifth and
my sixth as a CEO mom.
And so I've like literally likerun, run the gamut of business
(27:35):
summers, and I don't wanna saythat I've, I've cracked it, but
I do pretty good.
We, I, I figured some thingsout.
So if you know another CEO momthat's staring down summer
with., A little guilt and alittle fear and little
apprehension, then share thisepisode with her.
Tag me on Instagram at the AlBehan.
Let me know what your summersetup looks like, and until next
time, I'll see you.
Keep showing up.
(27:55):
Mama.
You have got this.
I can't thank you enough forlistening to raising your
business.
I hope this episode has inspiredyou to take another step towards
building a business and lifethat you love, and growing your
income in a way that works foryou and your family.
If you enjoy this episode,please take a second to rate and
review and let's connect that onInstagram screenshot and share
(28:17):
it on Instagram Stories so wecan get the word out to more mom
business owners like you.
Tag me at the El Behan and shareyour biggest breakthrough from
today.
See you next week.
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