How to Balance Busy Life???

As far as keeping up with the house--have you tried FlyLady?
www.flylady.net has great tips to save you time.

Hello S.,

This is such a powerful question dear lady! Congratulations on not throwing in the towel. A question that I dreaded asking my family was, "How can I improve." I don't know what took me so long! You wouldn't believe the level of support I have including as a result like not having to manage our personal account anymore. Surprisingly when I need to do something it is paid for before I arrive, or purchased from a list that I generate. That's how bad off things were with me managing the checkbook, as one example.

Inviting the family to help you create your strategy will show them that you value them ALOT!. While I challenge you to bite your tongue and listen carefully, you may find as I did that they believe in you more than you do for yourself! The feedback they give you will stand you up straight if you are willing to receive it. With a powerful mastermind to support you, creating work life balance can be much easier than you think.

Believe well!

A. Z.
http://www.HomeOfficeMommy.com
Coming soon!

Get someone to help you at home so you can work.
It is impossible to do all that... and with the kids.
As organized as we can be... there is a reality that too much is also too much.. ... and something has to be sacrificed or added... meaning a babysitter/nanny at your home... to help so you can study and work... scheduling it all.

AND... where is your Husband in all this? He, once he comes home, has to help too. AND so that you can study for school. It is only fair and necessary. Keeping up with school is not a luxury... but a responsibility.
My Hubby works and goes to school. WE as a family all know that.. he has to study. He is busy. That is a priority. But, he does do things with the kids... for the home and family. BUT.... it is stressful.

You need to sit down with Hubby.... .and problem solve it. It is for him too... your academic standing... since it all contributes to the overall well being of the family and its success. It requires BOTH spouses to participate in that.

Since you have so much on your plate, I would really recommend a Nanny helper.

good luck,
Susan

I have a home-based business - the trick is to limit your time on that business, and to get on and off emails as quickly as possible. I find if I don't set a timer, I spend too much time on either my business or on the computer.

It is VERY stressful to do it all. When you do work, you need to have a babysitter, or you will get angry and frustrated with the kids. When I teach piano, I make sure I have a sitter available if my husband is working. I often would have the sitter come early, so that I could focus on the prep work that needed to be done, even though I wasn't actively teaching, and then go into teaching with the sitter present. Also, you can see if the sitter would also be willing to prep meals, or do other chores to help you take a load off.

Yikes! I have two kids, and I can't imagine trying to run a business and take classes on top of running the home! I'm happy when I have time and energy to do some sewing for money now and again.

However, I have found that using the S.H.E. method does help me have more spare time--as long as I actually work the system. Like right now I shouldn't be online, but should be cleaning or cooking... You can get the book "Sidetracked Home Executives" or read about it online here: http://organizedhome.com

I would also wonder exactly what kind of online marketing you're doing. Is it for a regular company, where you're advertising for them online? Or is it one of those many and varied (but very much the same) online marketing schemes that are almost surely scams? I don't mean to be cynical, but I spent a few hundred dollars (that we really couldn't afford) trying to figure out how to make money online. I pretty much wasted it. It can be done, but it takes a LOT of dedicated time, and having two kids and a husband to care for didn't really make the time worth it. It also takes quite a bit of initial capital to do it properly. I now have a blog with ads on it that net me a $100 or so every month or two. But I don't spend much time on it. So unless you are already making money and know what you're doing, I caution you to be careful.

Anyhow, the S.H.E. system might help you. It helps you organize everything you have to do, in a way that keeps you from forgetting important things, and still get it all done. Hope that helps!

Is there a young teen you could hire as a mother's helper? She could come while you are at home to help out. MY daughter is homeschooled and she will go help out my neighbor here and there, she has 3 little ones under 4.
I love flylady.net. It has many tips on how to balance busy schedules and get the house clean.
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I too work from home and until my son got really active had him home with me all day. I found that scheduling a mommy helper (sitter) for a couple of hours a few days a week really helped. She was able to play with him while I got through some things (housework, work-work etc) that had piled up. Even gave me time to have lunch with my husband once in a while. Also, my husband and I schedule grandma time so we can get out to dinner a few times a month.

Talking with my husband helped a lot - he had no idea how overwhelmed I felt. He also helped me see I had to stop putting so much pressure on myself. As long as the big stuff got done (work and time with family) all the little stuff didn't matter so much and we help eachother on weekend mornings get through whatever piles are left so we get lots of good family time in after breakfast.

I am so with ya! :) I have 4 kids (ages 11, 7, 4 & 2), homeschool the two girls (and the two younger ones are not in preschool right now) and also have my own home business. So, I can definitely feel your pain!! :)

There are a few things that have worked for me...

I try to make one day a week our 'slower' day -- typically Friday. This helps A LOT.

I also try to have things that the younger ones have on hand to play with while I'm doing other things.

Occasionally, we walk to the park or go to the zoo... Something fun and different just to break up the monotony.

Oh - and this is a big one for me - almost every night I take a long bath. :) It helps relax me so much before I hit the sack...

I would strongly recommend taking a great, high-quality, absorbable multi-vitamins. I take one every day and it has given me TONS more energy and I don't get sick nearly as often. Be careful though, there are many multi-vitamins that are NOT absorbed by the body - so you will end up just wasting your money. You have to make sure there is evidence that the vitamins and minerals will be absorbed and not wasted.

Something else that has helped me is to set aside a little time just to myself. For example, when my hubby gets home I try to take a 30-45 minute walk/jog. Or, I get up a little early and read a good, uplifting book.

If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to take care of anyone else.

It's all about balance.. Figure out a routine that works for you and that will also help. :)

I hope that helps!! Feel free to PM me if you need to chat. I know how stressful it can be. :)

~ Ann

I'm also a busy woman but a mother's job is never done.You have to find balance or you'll have a nervous breakdown.Monday through Friday for me is work/school and the rest of the weekend I enjoy with my family.No matter what's
going on every Sunday is family day.