Teetering Work-Life Balance

Anyone else glad May is almost over? Whew! Between graduations, conference season, and proposal deadlines, I'm beat. I very rarely travel for work, but I traveled three weeks in May covering San Antonio, Amarillo, and Houston. Needless to say, all the "other" work didn't stop. When I was in the office, I found myself singing out loud in our building foyer every morning and evening because I was the only one there (and our foyer has some pretty nice acoustics I had never noticed). While I was keeping up with everything work related, I found my family suffering. My two small kids, 4 and 2, were often asleep when I came home, and my husband was beat from chasing after them. As I continue to grow in my nursing career, I'm getting more and more requests to do this and that. Not to mention, thoughts of a PhD are pressing in my mind. And these are only the professional concerns. I had dinner recently with a former nursing professor and mentor of mine, and she reminded me - just say no. She challenged me to take a serious look at my priorities. I did, and my stress level has decreased tremendously. I just love the nursing faculty and mentors in my life! With a new focus, I'm determined to keep my work-life balance in check. Any suggestions for a growing nurse and young mom to keep my sanity? What helps you?