From Chaos to Calm: Mehreen Omar's guide to surviving summer break

Forget the glossy laid-back summer postcard. For Mehreen Omar, Co-founder and CEO of SupperClub Middle East, summer break feels more like juggling fire while running a marathon. “People think summer is when life slows down… but for me, it’s the opposite,” she laughs. “It’s me running SupperClub with one hand and handing out popsicles with the other.”

Mother to three — Zaynab, 10, and four-year-old twins Ibrahim and Sulaiman — Mehreen describes those long months as full-on beautiful chaos. “I’ll be in the middle of a client call, and someone will wander in asking if we can bake cookies right now,” she says. But when September rolls around and the kids return to Nord Anglia, she admits there’s relief in the return of structure. “Yes, the mornings are a circus of uniforms, breakfast debates, and ‘where’s my water bottle?’ But once they’re off, I get hours of pure focus. And then, when they’re home, I try to be truly present.”

The hardest part of this seasonal shift? “The guilt, honestly,” Mehreen admits. During holidays, she feels the tug-of-war between motherhood and entrepreneurship more sharply. “I’m constantly torn between ‘I should be spending more time with them’ and ‘I have a business to run.’ At least during school term, I don’t feel guilty about working when they’re learning too.”

Her husband, Omar Sharif Mian, helps with school runs when she has early meetings, but Mehreen doesn’t sugarcoat the mental load. “That remembering everything — after-school activities, snacks, birthday gifts — still sits with me. It’s a juggling act, and honestly, sometimes the balls do drop.”

Preparation is her shield against chaos. “Two weeks before school starts, I start shifting us back into school mode — earlier bedtimes, earlier mornings, and blocking my mornings for deep work again,” she says. She also syncs the schedule with her nannies. “That’s a game changer.”

In the kitchen, she keeps “emergency happiness kits” stocked — pre-marinated chicken, favourite stews, and quick-fix meals that can be on the table in 20 minutes. “Sundays are for family planning, so everyone knows what’s coming. But my best hack? Lower the bar. I don’t aim for perfect, just fed, loved, and on time…ish.”

Mehreen doesn’t gloss over the transition with her children. “I’m very upfront with them. I tell them, ‘Mama’s going to be in work mode during the day, but the evenings are ours.’” She makes the build-up fun with pool days, school supply shopping, and eating out at favourite SupperClub spots. “My kids are foodies like me,” she grins.

Her own preparation borrows from Ramadan. “I gradually adjust my expectations and rhythms, as if I were gearing up for a big launch,” she explains. The difference-maker, she stresses, is her support system. “My husband, our nannies, and my friends are my secret weapon.”

“Planning is survival,” she says. Colour-coded calendars are her household’s lifeline. Meal prep is non-negotiable, because “dinner chaos is absolute when you’re coming off a day of back-to-back meetings.” Bedtime routines are sacred anchors of consistency, even when work threatens to spill over.

But life doesn’t always follow the calendar. “Some weeks, the planning falls apart completely,” she admits. “When I have back-to-back events or late meetings, we’re ordering takeout and doing homework at the kitchen counter while I answer emails. The planning helps, but flexibility is what saves us most days.”

If she had to distil it? “Build your support system and lean on it without guilt,” she says. “Build your village. I’m lucky to have incredible nannies who keep our home running like clockwork, and a husband who jumps in for school runs when I’m tied up. We all play our part because the truth is, it takes a team to make this work.”

And grace, lots of grace. “Some mornings, you’ll nail the routine; others, you’ll be buying breakfast on the way to school. Both are okay!” she insists. The aim, in her eyes, is not perfection. “It’s showing up as best you can while juggling everything life throws at you. Some days you’ll feel like a world-class CEO, some days like a full-time chauffeur, and some days like neither. But if you can end the day with your kids knowing they’re loved, and you still remember who you are outside of the to-do list, you’re winning.”