Time off Conflict: Take a day off for my business or kids?

If you have been reading my posts here at WIM, you know that I have a full time job that pays the bills, two children under 5, a husband, and run a business.

Eventually I plan to have my business replace my full time job.

Now that I am starting to grow my business by attending various workshops, networking events, and meeting people, I am in a jam. I try to do most of my business stuff after work hours. But it’s not always possible. A lot of these workshops and events take place during regular business hours.

I only get two weeks vacation and 8 personal/sick days a year. So I have been taking time off for my business. I also need to take days off for my children.

My son is starting Kindergarten this year. I need to take couple of days off in early September for parent orientations and to take him to school to get to know the teachers. Camp is over in mid-August and he will be home the last two weeks of August. I want to take couple of days off to spend it with him and my daughter. Although I shouldn’t feel too guilty about that since I am taking a week off and going on vacation with the whole family.

In any event, right now I am torn between taking time off from work to grow my business or taking time off spend more time with my kids.

I can take additional time off from work but it would be unpaid and HR will comment on bad attendance and I may end up on probation.

Quitting my day job is not an option right now because I still need to keep it to pay for these events and workshops and other costs involved starting a business.

I am trying to get other members of my family take time off to spend with my children so I don’t feel too bad. I ask my brother-in-law to take my son out for pizza or to the park.

So here I am, every time I need a day off I think about whether I will be taking a day off for the next business workshop/networking event or to spend an extra day with the kids during this nice weather.

Did any of you feel this way? What would be some practical solutions?
Thanks for taking the time to read this post and leaving comments in effort to help me.