everyone has their own (time restraints) to deal with and those with young children certainly can be (stretched thin)
when my children were young i sewed when they napped, i prepped projects during those moments they were pre-occupied...such as cutting out, marking, pinning, organizing so when i did have some sewing time i could sit right down & do it. I've made many quilts just by sitting in the breakroom at work stitching away for 10 minutes while my co-workers went outside to smoke- at lunch i would eat (quickly) & maybe have 15-20 minutes to sew.
it is all organization & motivation...everyone has their own way to relax...if i just sat on the couch & stared at the tv for 2 hours it would make my crazy---i sit on the couch & sew while watching a game or a movie...i have a small tote in my sewing room that catches all of my little scraps---when the youngest granddaughter is visiting if i want/need to get some sewing done i pull out that tote for her- she sits on the floor in the sewing room & plays in those scraps for hours sometimes...she glues them to paper, covers boxes with them (makes what we call treasure boxes)...sometimes i will sew together a pocket/pouch & give it to her to stuff...she has lots of fun & i get lots done..i work full time (60-70 hours a week) but have a pretty good system that works for me- when i get home it's usually fix dinner, eat, clean up kitchen- then i have 1 - 1 1/2 hours after dinner to go to the sewing room...then i bring out what ever hand work i am working on & join hubby in the living room to spend time talking, watch what ever he is watching, while i sew along... on an occassional day off i spend lots of time in the sewing room.
take advantage of naps, down-time, find things to occupy toddler in your sewing space with you, i've found little people LOVE playing in scraps! and can show some amazing creativity when given the opportunity
