Those rules include: keeping the home life out of the home office, and vice versa; making sure kids - those who are old enough, at least - respect mom or dad’s work schedule; and having realistic expectations about just how much you can get done in a day. But many agree that you have to put your family and its schedule first when working from home.

“You have to have a family first mentality at all times when being a mom entrepreneur. Otherwise distractions from your children will drive you crazy, make you lose your focus on your business and make you angry at your children,” explained Traci Bisson, founder of The Mom Entrepreneur and mother of two children – ages six and 10 – whom she has raised while working from home.

Many experts agree that having a physical door to separate the office from the rest of the home – or, at least, some sort of barrier – is vital, particularly for younger children who get along just fine, if not better, without mom or dad in their sights.

“As that five-month-old becomes a year or older – often out of sight out of mind. If they don’t see you, they don’t need you,” said Jeff Zbar, founder of ChiefHomeOfficer.com.

If the kids need to see you to stay calm, other arrangements can be made. Zbar has been working from home since 1989. When his children were young – they are now 18, 16, and 12 – he would put the playpen on the other side of his see-through glass office door. This eliminated any “separation anxiety.”

But where you decide to set up your home office depends on each individual and their home needs. For Bisson, her office is in her living room, which is directly off the playroom area.

“My kids like having me in the same room and I have worked hard to have them understand what my work entails and what hours I will dedicate to working and to playing,” she said. “They have also been instructed not to interrupt me while I am on the phone unless it is an emergency.”

Sometimes, bringing kids into the office may be to your benefit.WorkingNaked.com founder Lisa Kanarek, who has been working from home for 20 years while raising her two sons, now 13 and 15, said older kids can help mail out products, update mailing lists, and help with other tasks. It’s also important to keep younger kids busy so you can be productive – whether that be with books, movies, going to summer camp, and even setting up a little mini-office for them to play grown-up in.

“Give him or her a smaller version of a telephone, stapler, tape dispenser, ruler, and safety scissors. Add plenty of paper and markers,” Kanarek said. But when it comes to the TV, she warned: “Try to avoid turning the TV into an electronic babysitter.”

If possible, try to work with clients who are OK with having conference calls rescheduled, calls and e-mails returned only at certain times, or getting status updates via phone while you are on the road to daycare, little league, or other kids’ activity.

Desk hours can be planned around school drop off, dentist appointments and other family must-dos. Bisson, Kanarek and others agree that phone calls with clients should be scheduled while kids are at school, day care or napping. Play dates are also good times to be productive.

Heather Allard, founder of TheMogulMom.com and mother of three who has started three at-home businesses since 2001, said it’s also helpful to set regular office hours each day. She advises to treat those hours as “sacred,” barring family emergencies – since you often may have a small window of time to spend in your home office. And make sure friends and family know to steer clear of you while you’re working, as well.

“During your office hours, let [personal] phone calls go to voice mail, close your e-mail client and for heaven’s sake, stop Twittering and Facebooking,” Allard said. “You need every minute of your office hours and you have no time to waste on distractions and disruptions. “