Finding balance

So, here's what I want to know - how does anyone manage to balance family, work, and self? I'm finding it just about impossible. It seems I can only manage one thing at a time. When I spend enough time at work to feel like everything is going smoothly, my kids suffer. When I try to leave early to give them some extra attention, my classroom suffers. My house seems to be perpetually a wreck, there's always laundry to do, and I've gained 5 pounds. I was just browsing for some pictures to post, but I have no recent pics. This morning, when I compared my running to last year, I realized that I am running about 15 miles a week LESS than I did last year. No wonder I'm struggling to control my weight.

This weekend I was able to take some time to catch up on things. I balanced 2 months worth of the checkbook, paid all the bills, got my classroom planning done for next week, finished the laundry, and prepared a presentation for my women's retreat coming up. Chris and I caught up on all of our DVR's John Stewart episodes. (Well, almost all of them.) Yesterday all 5 of us went to a Barack Obama meeting, and then we canvassed for about an hour. Today, I took Benjamin and Alexander to the local food bank, where we served dinner to the families staying at the shelter. I downloaded and ordered some of our Europe pics that haven't yet been printed, and I'm blogging! I even managed to run 17 miles this week. It was a very productive weekend, and I'm feeling good as I get ready for bed. I have to be asleep by 10ish in order to be coherent tomorrow.

The problem is, as soon as tomorrow starts, I'll feel like I'm underwater again. No matter what I do, I never feel caught up. There is always more on my "to do" list at home and at work. it 's very frustrating, and I hope as this year progresses, I can achieve more of a balance. Otherwise, I might be off the deep end very quickly, and I'm afraid my whole family will be traveling with me.