Coffee shops used to be my favorite place to get work done. Coffee, occasional conversation, occasional croissants, and lots of cranking out the work…the best! And we all know that for those of us who work from home, coffee shops are our studio, work meeting place, etc. Not only are there a slew of distractions when working from home, you can’t always invite work buddies into your home for a meeting, etc. It doesn’t look professional (does a coffee shop?) and you just don’t do it.

Since having kids, my coffee shops days are almost over. Sometimes I sneak away early Saturday morning to get my fix, and to tackle my inbox for an hour or two. But since I’m a work from home mama and have my kids Mon, Weds, and Fri, coffee shops are potentially dangerous. Sometimes we have to brave it. I have a meeting that’s been rescheduled 5 times, and then my babysitter falls through. So, we pack up the diaper bag with treats and chocolate and drinks and toys and activities. We enter, order lots of coffee for me and more treats for the girls. I know that our time is very limited, and could expire at any second. Zoe has to pee, Naomi needs a bite of yogurt, Zoe wants to play one of their board games, Naomi needs a drink, Zoe wants to write on the chalk wall, Naomi wants to be with her sister. Etc. Etc. Etc. None of my usual “tricks” are working. And here I am, just trying to have a simple work meeting, that HAD to be scheduled on a day I have the kids.

Enter our brand-new Dell Inspiron 3000 2in1 touchscreen laptop (currently $499.99). It’s the perfect answer for this mompreneur’s coffee shop problems! Since I partnered with Intel, we’ve used our new 2in1 a few times for these mamas-gotta-work moments, and it’s perfect! When the girls are nearing we-gotta-get-outta-here-in-5-seconds, I grab the laptop! The girls get out of the stroller, sit next to each other, and their favorite show plays. The graphics are so crisp, and the girls sit still and it’s the perfect addition to our little outing! They always ask me to make it “like a tent” (they love that it can switch so easily from tablet to pc)! And because it’s touchscreen, Zoe can even navigate and keep the movie or show going, which is incredible and allows me to be focused on my meeting!

SO, what are your tricks for when your kids have to come to work or a meeting with you? Do you bribe? Pull out a device? Promise them a trip to Disney World? 😉 I’d love to know!

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*Although this post is sponsored by Intel, all opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting sponsored posts – it helps allow me to continue to produce quality content! And a million thanks to my dear friend Joy for taking these beautiful photos of me and my girls.