How Do You Find The Balance?

Upstairs is a sleeping baby who is supposed to be at daycare. Downstairs is a frantic mom trying to figure out how to squeeze in a bit of work from home.

I'm really lucky. I do web editing for a parenting magazine, so I have the ability to take some of my work with me, and the other parents I work with generally understand when the kids are sick.

Still, I can't help but be jealous of the moms at work who are switching off with their partners, so that nobody has to take too much time off. I can't help but be worried that my missing work this time will be the "straw that breaks the camel's back" for my boss.

It really is ideal to have two parents in a home, with one of them mostly dedicated to family management. Someone who doesn't have to worry and lose money everytime someone is sick, or a plumber has to be waited for, or a kid just really, really wants you to come on a field trip.

So what do you do when that's not possible? Right now I can do some of my work at home. Previously, I ran my own home party sales business in the evenings. I am thinking about trying to do freelancing from home on a permanent basis once I have enough experience.

Truthfully, I really like going to work, separate from my house. I like the time away and the adult interaction. I like knowing exactly where my money is coming from too, and having someone else worry about the taxes, paperwork, etc.

My daughters are also very social creatures, such as myself, who thrive on their own interactions with kids their age. When I work at a regular job, I also get assistance with child care. At home, I'm just not able to focus as well.

But winter is a sickly time for little ones in day care, so work gets missed. It's not fair to an employer, or other employees who don't miss work. So I am constantly trying to come up with a better solution.

What do other people do? How do you find the balance?