How do people do it?

Years ago, there was a movie with Sarah Jessica Parker in it. I have no idea why, but I read the book AND watched the movie. It wasn't because I was a fan of her or loved the book particularly. It was an entertaining book, but I read it in college so it just gave me a scare not to get married and have kids more than anything. Then years later, I caught the movie on TV and watched it. SJP plays this working mom, with a very ambitious career, with a husband who was supportive of her and the family but also had ambitions on his own, and she struggles to be a "good mom," you know, bringing cookies to school, trying to be polite to other moms from school... It was aptly titled, "I don't know how she does it."

I look at other moms with multiple kids and have a very successful, productive careers, sometimes in the office, sometimes at home. Work at home moms who have really great income are the ones I envy the most. I love spending time with my little one, and hate to think that one day I would have to leave him at home or at school to go work. It just tears me apart. But working at home for me is really difficult because for the most part of my life, work and home were two separate lives and never really overlapped much. 

And as much as I love our home, it's an open space layout and there is virtually no space cut out for my work, whether legal work or handmade business. It's really frustrating!

If you're a mom, and work at home, how do you do it? How do you teach kids to respect your space? How do you separate yourself from home life when you need to work?