July 22, 2025

We Are The Hansons What Our Kids Do While We Work

We Are The Hansons What Our Kids Do While We Work

Ever wonder what goes on in the background while parents hustle to make it all happen? In this playful and relatable episode of We Are the Hansons, we give you a peek behind the curtain at the chaos, creativity, and comedy of what our kids are up to while we work from home. From crayon masterpieces on the floor to epic LEGO skyscrapers and spontaneous dance parties, we talk about the highs, the messes, and the unexpected magic of parenting during work hours. Whether you’re a work-from-home warrior or just need a laugh, this one’s for you!

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Hey y'all, and welcome back to We Are the hans Ends.

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I am so glad you're here with me today. This

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episode is one that's close to my heart and probably relatable.

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To so many of you. We're talking about what our

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kids do while we work.

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Now, in a big family like ours, you better believe

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things stay moving whether we're working or not. As a

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parent in a large household, balancing work and home life

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can feel like juggling flaming swords. But over the years

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we've learned how to make it work, and a big

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part of that is what our kids do during those

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hours we're focused on bringing in income, running our business,

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and handling responsibilities. Let me just start with this. We

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don't have nanny's or full time help. It's all hands

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on deck around here. Our older kids step up in

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big ways, and our younger ones have learned routines that

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make it feel natural. Some mornings, when work picks up

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right after breakfast, we've already got the little ones settled

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into their activity corners bins with coloring books, puzzles, and

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quiet toys. They can manage without constant supervision. The older kids,

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they're usually the second shift of the day while I'm

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sending emails or Jermys handling business calls. They might be

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helping a younger sibling read or checking off a chour list.

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We've learned to build a rhythm in our house. For instance,

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morning time usually starts with breakfast, quick cleanup, and then

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our kids break into their little zones reading, crafting, or yes,

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sometimes screen time. Don't get me wrong, we're not anti screens.

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We just try to keep it intentional. If the kids

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are watching something, it's often educational or at least age

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appropriate and not turning their brains into mush. We've got

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one kid who loves art. She'll spend two hours sketching

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or designing clothes and she's only eight. I mean she

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loves that stuff. We call her our little fashion ceo

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in the making. Our boys love just doing their thing.

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You know, they disappear, go play basketball, whatever it may be.

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I swear it teaches them patience and create activity. When

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they're just doing their own thing, you got to get creative.

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Then there's our bookworm. She always has her nose in

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a novel or maybe a graphic novel, but she likes

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love stories. I love peeking in on them doing what

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they do. All cozy under a blanket with a stack

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of books right there. During my work breaks, I'll pop

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in and see what the kids are up to. Sometimes

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it's snack time. Sometimes it's an unexpected sibling squabble that

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needs peacekeeping. Let me tell you, we've had court trials

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in our living room where the kids argue a case

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and elect of sibling judge. It's hilarious and teaches problem

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solving better than any textbook, And you.

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Know what's sweet. Sometimes when I'm.

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At my overwhelmed, I'll hear the kids playing pretend being

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moms and dads, running restaurants or building forts, and it

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reminds me they're learning how to be people by watching us.

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I remember one time I was mid podcast recording and

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I heard soft giggling in the next room. Turns out

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that the kids had built a no parents allowed spot.

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They gave each other facials with lotion and cucumber slices.

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Our kids aren't perfect, no kids are. They fight, they

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get bored, and sometimes they find creative ways to entertain themselves,

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like unrolling toilet paper to decorate their bedroom. But more

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often than not, they surprise us. They organize games, make

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up rules, and even keep each other accountable when we're

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not right there. We've got one son who likes to lead.

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They'll get the kids together for a game of Simon

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Says or a dance off while we're working in the room.

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It's a riot. Snack time is a big deal around here.

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When we're working, they'll team up to make snack platters, crackers, apples,

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string cheese, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, they'll bring me

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one too. When the weather's good, we send them outside.

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Nothing beats kids burning off energy in the sunshine, whether

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they're on bikes, trampolines, or collecting bugs. It keeps the

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house quiet for a little bit. Sometimes they go to

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the neighbors to swim. We've even got tour charts and

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they rotate. While we're working. One kid might be sweeping

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while another unloads the dishwasher. We try to keep it

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fair at least most of the time. They've gotten creative

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with cleaning too. Sometimes they turn on the music and

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have a dance clean. Honestly, I should probably join them

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more often. They make it fun. I try to make

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it fun when I help clean for them, you know,

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just turning on the music loud and clear so that

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they can.

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It kind of puts you in a mood.

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Every now and then, one of them will slip us

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a note that says we miss you or take a

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break soon, and woof, that'll get you right in the heart.

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We keep walkie talkies for fun, and sometimes they use

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them to check in with us while we're in the

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home office. It's like a mini headquarters communication system. Virtual

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school days are another story. When we're working and they've

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got school, the house feel like a beehive buzzing with work, learning,

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and a little chaos. Train them that certain times are

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quiet blocks. That's when no loud play happens, and instead

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they can read, build, or color while we.

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Finish meetings or calls.

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Then we reward them afterward with a movie break or

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some backyard time. It gives them something to look forward

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to and it helps keep them focused. Our teens are

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another blessing. They're great with helping the younger ones and

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sometimes even make lunch. It's teamwork and it helps them

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grow as future parents and partners. We've also set up

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many learning centers in our house. Each kid has a

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little station with their own supplies. That way, while we work,

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they still feel empowered and organized. Creativity flows in a

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big house. You'd be amazed how quickly a cardboard box

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can become a spaceship, or how markers and tape turn

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into costumes. We also encourage journaling. A few of our

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kids like to write and draw what they did while

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we were working, and sometimes we read those pages together

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after dinner. Our family values independence. We've built it into

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our kids early on that they don't need us hovering

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every second, and they shine with that freedom.

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It wasn't always smooth.

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We've had meltdowns, messes, and moments where we question everything,

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but we've grown and adapted, just like our kids have.

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One thing we've found helpful is background music. Calm instrumental

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tunes or you know that beat playing in our house

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while we all focus. Board games come out often too,

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even while working. The kids might gather for uno or battleship.

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It's a way to stay connected without needing us to

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lead it. We rotate toys every few weeks. We retire

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some and bring back others from storage or you know,

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our addict, so it feels fresh, keeps them engaged while

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we're busy. Some of our kids love to draw us

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pictures while we work. We've got folders full of just

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because drawings taped on the wall or stuck in our desk.

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We try to check in with each kid throughout the day.

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A quick hug, a smile, or a how's it going

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can go a long way in making them feel seen. Sometimes,

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while I'm doing busy work, I'll let the kids pull

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up a chair and work with me. They draw, I type.

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It's quiet bonding. We've also taught them how to make

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sandwiches and simple meals. It builds confidence and saves us time.

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During work hours.

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They're not just entertaining themselves, they're building skills, problem solving, patience, collaboration, creativity,

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all while working nearby. We've even caught our kids pretending

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to run their own business. One time, they created a

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pretend cafe in the living room and made menus signs

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and served water with a napkin. They charged monopoly money

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entrepreneurs in the making. We've done movie theaters and everything.

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Another time, our daughters organized a talent show. They practiced

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quietly all day while we were working, and then that

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evening surprised us with a full performance. It was the

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highlight of our week. Our kids loved to listen to

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audio books while they play or do puzzles. It's a

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great quiet time activity that keeps their minds engaged and

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gives us a chance to focus. And sometimes they get crafty. Literally,

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we have glue, tape, string and popsicle sticks in bulk.

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It's like a mini art studio exploded in our home.

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But hey, they're learning and creating. One of our boys

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once decided he wanted to write a book while we

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were work. He filled up ten pages with a story

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about a flying truck and a magic turtle. I was

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so proud I nearly cried. The older kids also take

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turns being the helper of the hour, whether it's snack

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time or keeping the little ones entertained. They rotate and

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keep the ship sailing while we're deep in the trenches.

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We've taught our kids that boredom isn't a problem to fix.

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It's an vision invitation. It's an invitation to create. That's

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when they end up inventing the best games. We also

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have the quiet box, a container full of fidget toys,

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word search books, and stress balls. It's the go to

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box when they need some peace while we finish a

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call or a meeting. Now, don't get me wrong. Sometimes

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what they do while we work is get into trouble.

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I mean one day they poured syrup on the dog

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trying to make him smell sweet. Yeah, that was a cleanup.

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But even in those moments, we laugh after the chaos

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because they're kids and we'd rather they be messy and

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curious than bored and frozen in front of a screen

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all day. One of the things that helps everything run

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smoother is trust. We trust our kids. We've built up

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a system, yes, but it only works because they know

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we believe in them. We have timers around the house.

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Visual timers help the younger ones know how long to

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play quietly or clean up before we switch tasks. It's

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a little thing that makes a big difference when our

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younger kids are up and active while we're working. We

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keep that rotation of activities kinetic sand, water, you know,

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the hose, or just letting them paint with water and brushes.

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We also use stations, one room for puzzles, another for reading,

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another for toys. It keeps their minds and bodies moving

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without wearing them or us out. We've noticed our kids

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love being part of our work too. They'll ask what

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are you doing? Or can I help, and sometimes we

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get them simple tasks so they feel involved. One of

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my daughters asked to start her own planner like mine,

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so now she has a notebook where she writes her goals,

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which usually say things like build castles or hug my

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baby sister today, stuff like that. We use whiteboards too

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with checklists for the kids. They love erasing things when

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they're done. It gives them a sense of progress and

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structure while we're busy. And when things get wild and

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loud while we're working, sometimes we just roll with it.

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That's part of raising a big family. It's never quiet

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for long. One of the best parts of watching our

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kids take initiative. They'll notice a sibling needs help or

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the dog needs water and just do it without being asked.

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They've learned empathy through those moments. They've learned to wait

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their turn, be patient, and use their imagination instead of

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waiting to be entertained. We try to always do a

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check in at lunch. Everyone shares what they've been doing

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while we've been working, and we connect again before diving

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back in. Sometimes our work happens outside the house and

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our older teens step up to babysit or keep the

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house running. It's a huge responsibility, but they do amazing

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And other times we pack up our laptops and let

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the kids play at the park while we hotspot and

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work nearby. It's not always easy, but it's what works

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for us. We've built a culture of flexibility, whether we're

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working at home or away. Our kids know how to adapt,

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and we give them the space to grow through it.

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There are moments I'll pause work just to watch them

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for a second. Seeing them build a fort, laugh together,

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or read in the sunlight. It reminds me of why

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we work so hard in the first place. At the

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end of a long work day, we ask each kid

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what their favorite moment was while we were working. Their

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answers usually surprise and delight us. It shows they're finding

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joy in the everyday. We aren't perfect, our kids aren't perfect,

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but together we've found a rhythm that makes life work,

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where love, learning, play, and responsibility all happen at once.

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Our work doesn't take away from our kids. It gives

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us a chance to model hard work, passion, and resilience,

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and while we're working, they're becoming their own amazing little humans.

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We don't just survive those working hours, We thrive in

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them because the kids know they are part of the

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team and this big handsOn family, we know how to

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hustle and laugh through it all. So whether you're building, playing, helping,

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or just growing, what our kids do while we work

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is nothing short of beautiful and every moment adds to

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the story of who they're becoming. Thanks for hanging out

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with me today and we are the Hansons. Life with

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a big family means every moment is full, even the

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quiet ones. While we work, our kids learn, grow, imagine,

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and sometimes make a mess, but always in a way

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that reminds us why.

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We're doing what we do.

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I've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to get over to

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our YouTube channel and subscribe. You can also send us

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a message on our We Are the Hansen's Facebook page,

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or you can send us an email on our We

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Are thee Hansen's Show at gmail dot com. Until next time,

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keep loving your crew, making memories, and finding joy in

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the chaos.