Ok, Apart from the study part, I know what you mean with working full-time and trying to balance family. It is great that Shell is staying at home so hopefully that will make things easier on you. I work full-time and so does my husband so I'm trying to balance work, family time and keeping the house in order. I don't have dinner waiting for me when I get home because as soon as I get home I have to cook it and don't get time to sit down until after DD goes to bed and I've done some housework - so I get home from work at about 5:30 and then it's go go go until about 8:30.

I find the trick to "balance" is spending quality time as a family because you can't spend quantity time. On weekends I try to make sure I spend a bit of time sitting down and playing with my daughter who is 2. We might do a puzzle together or read a story or something like that. Now that she's getting older she likes to "help" with the housework or cooking dinner so I try to find things that she can "help" with and that's another way we spend quality time together.

As hard as it might be, I think it's important to put work out of your mind before you walk in the door and not let it get in the way of spending time with your daughter - no matter what sort of day you've had.

The other thing is making sure you make time to do something that's just for you so that you can be a better partner and mother. That might mean once a week having a bubble bath once your daughter is in bed, or reading a book, or going out for a coffee with a friend, because you need space to rejuvinate yourself so you can keep going.

I hope that makes sense.