Am I the luckiest working mum?

Some days I really appreciate the opportunity I have to work for myself and work from home. I need it at times as to be honest working from home is not always all it is cracked up to be - why? To name a few: Aafter a while you can feel very isolated, after all the kids are at school, there are no toddler groups/coffee get togethers to attend, plus it is your working day so would not be a productive use of time. So when you are sat in the same room day after day with no-one but yourself it can become a little monotonous. You never really leave work, you feel guilty about turning the computer off and are constantly thinking you can just 'pop' and deal with an email or something. You also feel a sense of duty to deal with things at any point in time as it does provide a great deal of flexibility as well so when you are working for someone else, you like to show you can be super flexible as well, so they won't mind if they ring you and you ask to call them back as you are in school, or popped out or have a sick child at home because they will know any work not done during the day will be done that evening. There is no commaradeship associated with an office environment and no-one to sound out when you hit a problem in your work or ask advice from. A great deal of discipline is required as well. It is hard walking in from drop off at school and noticing something that needs doing like a pile of ironing or some dirt on the kitchen floor, instinct makes you want to deal with it there and then but you have to think, no I am in my office now, I will deal with that when I have finished work. There are a few negative as you can see I don't get paid holidays though, or sick pay, or a pension. But what about the positives? I get to do all the school runs, which gives me vital contact with the teachers espcially Little Man's incase they've not had a good day with him I can easily attend all appointments for Little Man without thinking and worrying about asking for yet another hour here and another hour there off work with promises of I will make the time up, I just go. If one of the boys is sick, again I don't have the same worries as being in an office and thinking about having to take time off, say I am sick myself, or have unpaid leave I can attend any/all school events I can (to some extent) be choosey about which work I do and how busy I am I can halve my hours in school holidays so childcare costs are minimal and I get time with the boys If I am having one of those days work-wise where nothing is going right, or I am getting frustrated, I can jjust down tools, get the dog and go for a quick run to relieve the frustration and I come back refreshed and clearer in the head. Don;t think a manager in an office would appreciate you doing that. My hourly rate means I earn a decent wage but can do less hours Best of all, I normally start my day at the crack of dawn when the rest of the house is still slumbering. I find I shift a lot of work very early in the morning. Most mornings, one of the boys will wonder into my office, climb on my knee for a cuddle and then crawl into the spare bed we have in there and lie there playing until it is time for the day to begin - I mean how many other people can be sat in their office, hear their child playing and glance across and see their child happy, snug and smiling next to their desk? That makes me realise I have the best deal in the world!