I hear you Basil. IIRC I'm in the same profession as you and I have dreamed for a long time of being able to walk away from it and be a SAHM. It's not necessarily having a perfectly cleaned house and dinner ready at 5:30 every day, but the idea of being able to fully commit to making a home and caring for family. It has never been an option for me as I'm the primary breadwinner at home.
What has made it easier has been identifying what I do and don't like about the work I do, and making sure I am at least reasonably happy in my work life. I've made two career changes in the past 15 years (one a big switch, one just an employer/location change) and both moves have made me more energized and happy to show up at work every day. Would I love to win the lottery and retire at 45? Sure. But since that's not going to happen, I try to make the best what I have.
Jen, mom to "Little Miss Tiny" 4/07