I started quilting when my kids were 6 & 7, and I was a single mom working & going to school full time. I set a strict bedtime for the kids (8 pm) and once they were in bed, that was my time to quilt. I would pick them up from day care around 5:30, take them home and do homework with them while cooking dinner, eat, they would bathe while I cleaned up the kitchen, and then we'd watch some tv for an hour or so before bedtime.
If I had been a SAHM, I would have set them up as someone else suggested with coloring books or some other quiet activity and set the kitchen timer for 30 min of "quiet time" during the day. What mother doesn't need a break every once in a while? I know I did, even though I worked outside the home. ;-)