It is a daily juggling act. Sometimes my children need me NOW ... sometimes they just want a few minutes of attention .... sometimes they are amusing each other or maybe watching a movie or playing a game together.

My challenges are when my older daughter is on vacation (she's in first grade) or when my kids are sick or something else is disrupting the routine. My baby will be a year old in two weeks, and she'll start walking soon -- toddlerhood has its own set of challenges!

When all else fails, when I can't get enough work done during the day and I'm up against a deadline - I've stayed up most of the night, or started work early in the morning while my family is sleeping.

Some days are more challenging than others, but I've become very used to juggling and doing things together, I'm able to work in short bursts (10 to 15 minutes at a time) and go back and forth. My lifestyle demands flexibility, resourcefulness, and adaptability. I don't rely on child care and never have.

Somehow it all gets done. And when it can't all get done, just make sure the essentials are taken care of - meet the deadlines if you can't get an extension, food, clothing, school, bills. Everything else can wait.

Guilt .... yeah, I still deal with that. Have to check my priorities sometimes and remind myself WHY I work from home in the first place - to be available for my children when needed or just so they know I'm here. I have to keep my priorities firmly in place because some people don't accept my priorities, or just have different ones, and I have to be firm in my answers when people want me to get involved in something else. Family, home, work -- if it doesn't fall into one of these three categories, I am under no obligation to fulfill it, or taking it on is solely at my discretion.

Another thing about guilt .... whose standards are you trying to live up to? Your own, or someone else's idea of how your life should be lived? I have high standards for myself, but I'm also learning how to be realistic. Not everyone accepts or agrees with how I live my life, but my children are healthy and happy, my husband has what he needs to do his job, and I finally have a working balance to my life that I can adjust as needed.