Overworked and Underpaid or Having Fun?

My husband says that I never turn down an invitation or an "opportunity to serve". That's not true, of course. It's just that I get quite a few "invites" to be involved in various causes and even if I accept only 10%, that ends up being a lot. For instance, I never finished posting to my blog on Sunday and posted nothing yesterday because I was busy keeping up with family and community obligations and never got back online after my quick visit before church Sunday morning.

I don't think I would be happy if I weren't busy. Most nights, I get 7-8 hours of sleep, though admittedly there are those nights when my head never hits the pillow. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but I think that all mothers feel that way occasionally. People often ask me how I do what I do and still stay somewhat sane. I don't feel like I have all of the answers, and I don't think that what works for me would work for everyone else, since each person has different priorities. However, for me, the answer is in building up "chits".

I find that if I spend a minimum of an hour a day with each of my children, an hour on my book, an hour on myhome business, an hour at the gym, and an hour on basic housekeeping, I can keep up with virtually every other time-consuming "emergency" that hits. If I need to give several hours to one child's school project, I can do that. If I need to spend a few hours on a volunteer project, I can do that since the basics will be covered. Sometimes, I need to devote 10-12 hours in one day to my business or my book and neglect other things. But if I have spent those 6 hours a day on calmer days keeping up with the "basics", I only feel a LITTLE guilty about neglecting other areas of my life for the day.

So, which is it? Are those who are juggling families, jobs, social and community commitments and home commitments just emotional train-wrecks waiting to happen or doing what makes them happy and what seems most natural? I tend to think the latter. What do you think?