This essay is based on a conversation with Kara Katz. Edited for length and clarity.
A little more than a year ago, AI became even more prevalent in my community of moms than it had been a few years ago.
Although I have been familiar with and using AI at work for about 6 years, there has been a lot of skepticism about its use. And back then, AI wasn’t something that was used in the home. Fast forward about 18 months, and parents started using it to increase efficiency, save time, and maximize outcomes in their personal lives.
Initially used primarily by parents involved in technology and marketing, it is now also used by parents with no technology background. At first, I didn’t think it was something to be ashamed of, but thanks to the explosion of public opinion regarding the use of AI, things have changed.
Since using it at home, I have saved at least 10 hours a week. I’m tired of being judged for that.
I use it to plan my week
Scheduling can be a little complicated, but it’s my favorite way to use AI at home because it saves the most time.
I spent most of Sunday planning the week with my family of three. I work from home and my husband works from home two days a week. My daughter attends a transition school. Classes are 2 hours, 2 days a week. There is no organized childcare, but there are plenty of activities such as music and a gym.
Kara Katz uses Claude to plan and care for her daughter’s week. Provided by Kara Katz
My husband and I take turns caring for our daughter, but if we’re both busy, we plan on hiring a babysitter to bring her in and out of the house.
Coordinating and remembering schedules can be really hectic.
Claude Code sounds scary when you hear it, but I started using a chatbot to write code. It can be used exactly like Claude.
I explained how to organize my Google Calendar (my daughter’s calendar and my separate work calendar). Claude read them all and I inspired him to create this beautiful color-coded HTML calendar.
I also entered my daughter’s surrounding schedule (such as library events for the month) and trained it to suit her preferences. Each week, source events that you think she might be interested in and put them on your calendar.
Based on your previous working time preferences, we will send you the babysitter’s recommended time and ask for your consent to the specified date and time to deliver your daughter.
Then, publish your schedule on Netlify, press “deploy,” and a password-protected website is created for caregivers to view. If possible, enter your changes and they will be automatically updated and a link back to your website will be emailed to everyone.
Lately, I’ve been spending five minutes here and there coordinating my schedule.
It also plans my shopping list.
AI does all my grocery planning. It takes inventory of everything in my pantry, knows what we already have, knows all of our preferences, knows that my daughter and husband have celiac disease, and even knows the results of my husband’s blood tests. Use all this information to design your shopping list and meal plan.
Connect Claude to DoorDash and Uber Eats to have your groceries delivered. You can set this to happen automatically, but I like to see the listing before paying.
Tracked my daughter’s developmental milestones with AI
I think mothers are panicking over developmental milestones. We know that milestones exist, but we are not taught that there is a range within them.
When my daughter was a baby, I built the Claude Project to explore what milestones she should reach. I asked for an updated list of activities we could do each week to meet her developmental milestones. I printed it out and checked off the activities.
When we went to see her pediatrician, we knew what stage of development she was in before we even walked in the door. This will allow you to have a powerful conversation with your doctor.
I have more time to spend with my children
After being bombarded with strong opinions from people who hate AI, I love returning to the mom community. We’re using AI to buy back time with our kids. My mental burden has eased.
It’s hard for me to take seriously people who are angry about AI. In theory it is easy to be morally angry.
It’s very different to sit across from a single mother, stay-at-home mom, or working mother who is struggling to pay their bills and spend time with their family and tell them not to use AI because they probably use less water than a large corporation.