Family Forum: Balancing Acts - How To Do It All?

You've got work deadlines, teacher conferences, bills, baseball and ballet practices and an endless to-do list. Not to mention, your hubby has been begging you to schedule in a date night.

Dare we even suggest adding in a manicure appointment, yoga class or some other form of "me time."

It today's fast-paced world, busy moms and dads can feel as if they are being pulled in several different directions on a daily basis. Just getting through the week can seem like a small victory but finding ways to balance it all is key to truly enjoying life.

Tell us. I'm sure like most parents, you probably feel like you do not have all the answers, but no one does. Still, we want to hear - what is working for you and what are your biggest struggles when it comes to juggling your career, your family and your own needs while staying sane?

You'll see members of our Family Council, an advisory group comprised of smart and engaged parents from the neighborhood, responding to these questions below in the comments section and we invite you and your circle of friends to join in the discussion by doing the same.

Family Forum is a feature on Patch that invites local parents to discuss issues that matter to them.

Wondering who are these local parents we tapped for our Council? Meet the members:

• Janet Grech - A Malverne mom with children enrolled at Our Lady of Lourdes School.
• Laura Murray- A Lynbrook mom who grew up in Malverne and is the current president of the Mothers of Malverne. She has two young children not in school yet.
• Gina Genti - A Malverne mom with two boys in elementary school.
• Andrea Shinsato- A West Hempstead mom with a 2-year-old and one child enrolled in Chestnut Street School.
• Theresa Walz- A West Hempstead mom whose children attend Cornwell Avenue School and West Hempstead Middle School.
• Loraine Magaraci- A West Hempstead mom with kids enrolled in West Hempstead Middle School and High School.
• Audrey Diaz Robles- A new mom to a 6-month-old baby.
• Dawn Wladyka- A Malverne mom with two students attending Our Lady of Lourdes School and one enrolled in Grace Lutheran PreSchool.
• Eileen Lynch O'Hara - A Malverne mother with three children enrolled at Saint Anne's School in Garden City and one child at the Brother Fox Latin School at Kellenberg Memorial High School.
• Maria Salcedo-Hafker - A Malverne mom who sends her children to Maurice W. Downing School and Davison Avenue School.
• Lori Lang- A Malverne native and mother of four whose children attend St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead.
• Jennifer Johnson- A West Hempstead mom with one child attending Cornwell Avenue School and another in day care.

Family Forum will also be the place for you to pose your questions about parenting topics and local issues that affect families. Where can we get information on local flu shot clinics for children? How do we talk to our children about peer pressure, bullying and protecting themselves online? How can we help our children's schools weather their budget cutbacks?

Have a topic or question you'd like to bring before the Family Council and fellow Patch readers? E-mail Tara.Conry@Patch.com