Family - Balance - Priority - Life

I am learning more and more everyday how little I control in my life and how much more I need to pay attention to those things most important to me, my family.  It seems that life today is sneaky about getting you so busy that you tend to put things on the back burner that shouldn't be.  Although, a good idea to scale down, it also seems to be a double-edge sword.  It's better to be busy than bored..idleness is not good...if you aren't going forward, you are going backward...if you aren't doing anything, you are sitting on the fence...you need to go somewhere, right? It comes down to BALANCE and everyone's balance is different. 
I was listening to a book on tape yesterday and the thing that stuck in my mind more than anything was prioritzing.  The one thing that is at the top of the list for most people is FAMILY.  I look into my little "life-looking ball" and see that what makes me most happy is doing things for and with my family.  I am happiest when holding my grandbabies..and enjoy most everything most when I have my family around.  Don't get me wrong, I like my time alone when I have some, but I seem to use that for catching up on things instead of ME time for things I enjoy.  That is one of my problems I think.  That is one thing I need to work on - EXCEPT, I turn around and say that all my ME time is my enjoyment of hanging out with my family, cause I am not getting anything else done! Right?? So what to do next to work on my balance?  That is my work in progress. I have realized that I have a problem with prioritizing.  I tend to set my priorities with whatever is on "fire" at the moment. THAT is BAD!!! It is best to "plan" at least a few weeks to a month out, right? Then the idea would be that you wouldn't have as many "fires" to put out.  So my goal will be short-term at first as I take off on this new journey of life prioritization.  It will be to list my priorities and what "do" items will help me stick to my list.
This is where I shall begin -
FAMILY
WORK is important too, but I am unemployed. So I want to find a way to earn an income that will also allow me to keep my priorities with FAMILY.  Managing my time will also be a factor in this.  So many people are able to have a good income just using the internet...why can't I do that? Well, the last couple of days, we haven't had the internet in our area..don't you think that went over well?? It was a nightmare for all those connected through the world wide web! That would be a definate downer to someone doing business online. Luckily it didn't last too long.  So I have a lot to think about, but I am going to try real hard not to ponder too long, as the time is passing. 
How do you prioritize? What helps you to maintain balance? I would love to hear what works for you in this journey we call Life :0) 

I have felt like 2 years of unemployment may have started a pickling process of my brain, so I have been diligent about staying busy with many, many things so my brain always has a reason to keep thinking! Have you ever felt this way? When life throws you a curve ball, you just need to keep the mit moving in the right direction, right? I find it easier for me to feel connected with people if I keep my calendar full.  Every day there is a reason to get up and get ready for what the day brings - but there is also some responsibility to be sure the day is bringing something.  It can get too easy to just leave it open, but then - you may not feel an urgency to take that shower in the morning! I do leave time for surprises :0) you can't have everything to a plan, cause remember...life is what happens when you make other plans! Here's to less baffled brains and new life experiences - TODAY, I tried something new...I set up an account with Twitter.  Now let's see how well that works for me...I may need to get a few tips from some seasoned tweeters!  Join me in my journey to not going stale with age :0)