The workspace of Sarah Thurs doesn't look so different from your typical office but just around the corner, you'll see what makes it unique, her daughter's playroom.

"She understands that when I'm in this setting, there's a different set of rules," says Thurs.

She's one of the millions of adults who works from home so she can stay close to little Juliana.

"The work will always be there once she's in school," says Thurs, "there's a small window of time I have to put her first".

Her at-home business, the Polished Pen, is less than two years old, but it's going well for Thurs and she says being a copy-editor is extremely flexible work.

"I can do my work any time of day", says Thurs, "the fact that I can pick up my work and go work in the back yard if we wanna play outside."

Before getting started Thurs read a lot of books on home businesses and with trial and error she learned you have to designate a private space for your office.

"Having the computer in a main living area was difficult because then it's always sort of beckoning you."

And she says, as your own boss, you have to allow yourself some leeway when it comes to the business side.

Thurs says, "If the phone's ringing and not a good time and you're in the middle of something, well you can return that phone call because it's better you do that than pick up and you have a screaming child in the background, that's not professional either."

having a home business is always a balancing act but Thurs says she wouldn't have it any other way.

She says, "I really feel fortunate. I just have the best of both worlds now, I'm doing it."

To reach Sarah Thurs at the Polished Pen, call 842-7071 or e-mail polishedpen@charter.net