Here’s a shocker: I’m busy. How about you? Editing, writing, emailing, tweeting, posting, pinning, meeting and now Skyping (is that a verb?) with our amazing editors at Working Mother Turkey and Indonesia does not leave a lot of time for anything else at work.

Then there are the kids, with their homework, afterschool classes, weekend soccer and always the unexpected: Yesterday, hubby worked late, then rushed
to pick up the boy’s repaired glasses for the third time. (Talk about getting your money’s worth from a warranty!) And this morning was my turn: The kids’ dentist appointment ran waaaay longer than expected and resulted in
a late work night for me.

And so it goes.

I don’t think this cycle is going to end anytime soon—at least for us. So what to do? Well, if you’re me, you devote a whole issue of Working Mother to ways to Take Back Family Time. My dedicated team of fellow working-mom writers and editors collected dozens and dozens (who has time to count?) of great tips and strategies for grabbing back a few more quality moments every day for you and your family, from turning off those always-urgent-sounding email alerts on your smartphone to freeing up your overscheduled calendar.

I’m likely just as bad as you are about answering emails at all hours or filling my days with meetings. Join me this month in saying “No” to screens, sports and stress, if only for a moment more to share with your kids. My children surprise me every day with something they say or create—much more so than another email that honestly can wait until tomorrow.

Featured Video: Jennifer Owens