Sperzz: Sayang... chill, chill.. life is full of challenges... we just have to work round them. One thing I learnt, we cannot change others nor the environment, but we can change ourselves - how we perceive things & how we frame our mind.
Work stress is always there... for any job. We just need to reframe. Focus on the big picture & try to ignore the less important things. If it gets too difficult, no harm seeking a better environment where you will be happier.
Home wise is alot about communication and what is your agreed 'acceptables'. Any 2 person will have differing views, but it does not mean we cannot meet mid-way or negotiate for something acceptable to both.
Maybe you & HB can review your personal achievements & goals (yours as well as the kids), then look at your current situation & status, decide whether you are on track, whether to make changes, etc... in such discussions, you can work through your differing expectations.
Homework, depends on your expectations of D. I think it is right for parents to have expectations of their kids, but we also need to remember that they are only a child (of 5?) What did we know at that age? Did we do what we now expect of our child?
Yes, the world is a different place today, but fundamentals remain. I think children need a childhood to a certain extend. How about setting him some goals, like for every 15mins he stay on his work, he gets X mins of playtime? & he gets to choose what he wants to play (computer, toys, puzzles, etc.) Instead of leaving him with no choice (then he appears like he's rebelling when he doesn't take up our option), consider giving him choices that are acceptable to you. He will feel that he has the power to choose, & will be more willing to comply. Then u can slowly coax him to develop some routine. Once you start, you have to be very disciplined yourself and keep encouraging him.
My #1 only settled into a study routine after 3mths in P1. Then again, we have never trained a homework habit prior to P1. Ops...
Moneywise, the money management gurus teach to 'spend below your means', 'save before spending', blah blah blah... I think a simpler model is to decide between needs & wants. Rank your expenses according to needs & wants, within the needs category, sub-categorise according to whether it is more or less urgent, for the wants category, sub-categorise according to least to most costly... then rank them all in 1 list. U start by paying off/ purchasing in this order: urgent needs to least urgent needs, then least costly to more costly... this way, you may find that you resource can actually get a lot of things... of course for big ticket indulgence, set a target & save towards them...
We use some of these ourselves, not always successful, but we do find them useful. See if they work for you.