Do you remember June Cleaver? One of television's most revered mothers ("Leave It to Beaver"), she effortlessly managed to keep the house and children in working order. Always smartly dressed in a crisp frock, high heels and pearls, she made it hard to imagine that she ever got down and dirty with the bathroom floor or pulled dandelions out by the picket fence. But she certainly had the time to do so.

Fast forward 50 years and you'll find a much different family dynamic in U.S. households. Census statistics show that the majority of adults work outside of the home, leaving little time or energy for those mundane tasks - cleaning showers, fertilizing the lawn, unplugging the kitchen sink or shampooing Fido. Yet Americans are quickly learning that happiness requires a balance in work, family, friends and play.

Sandwich Generation Baby Boomers, defined as those people born between 1946 and 1964 who have aging parents as well as children under 21, can find this balance particularly difficult to achieve. How does one juggle a demanding, full-time job and managing a house and marriage with countless daily tasks?

There just aren't enough hours in the day to monitor mom's blood pressure medicine, take dad to the eye doctor, drive daughter to her flute lesson and help son fill out college applications, all while trying to get a warm, slow simmered pot roast out on the table for dinner.

Fortunately, a number of brilliant entrepreneurs have seen this need as an opportunity to launch a series of niche franchise concepts, offering more solutions to consumers than just an unhealthy fast-food meal to sidestep preparing dinner.

Today the service sector of franchising represents a large variety of businesses that not only offer great opportunities for would-be business owners, but present a gift to Sandwich Generation Baby Boomers, allowing them to accomplish more for a reasonable price - with reliable results.

Have you ever started to clean the kitchen counter only to put school books back in your child's bedroom, then you find wet towels on the carpet, and while bringing them to the laundry room the dog wants to be let out? Which reminds you: Don't forget to turn on the sprinkler and sweep the porch. Your Tuesday morning has now become a 25-count "to do" list.

One of my favorite franchisors uses the catch-phrase, "Because life's too short to clean your own home." And I couldn't agree more! There's not much I like better than coming home from work to a sparkling clean house, and consumers seem to agree: Cleaning services represent one of the most popular service industries in the franchising world.

Professional house cleaners are trained to clean using a specific routine so there are no distractions or wasted time. Most cleaning franchises also allow the consumer to select the frequency of cleaning and how thoroughly the house is to be cleaned, allowing this service to fit both the client's schedule and budget.

Mathew Mulholland, franchise development manager for Molly Maid, says that dual-income families make up the largest segment of its customers. "Consumers are time starved. Commute times keep getting longer, companies expect them to work longer hours, and free time is increasingly scarce," he says. "When they do have a free afternoon, they'd rather be spending quality time with their children than spend it cleaning toilets."

Picture this: It is 85 degrees outside with 100 percent humidity. Your yard is both overgrown and under-fertilized, and you know you should spend the day working on it. Unfortunately, it's Saturday, your favorite baseball team is playing a home game, and you haven't spent five minutes with your kids all week. What do you do?

Lucky for you, there are lawn care franchises such as Lawn Doctors, Inc. and Spring-Green Lawn Care that mow, rake, fertilize, aerate and de-thatch your lawn; trim shrubs; treat diseased trees; and, in the winter, plow your driveway.

My advice to consumers? Sell the lawn mower and gardening tools and let someone else do the work. With professional and consistent care, your lawn will improve - and so will your weekends.

Every homeowner knows that there's a never-ending list of projects waiting to soak up precious free time, from painting the shutters to replacing the gutters. Fortunately, there are a number of handyman franchises such as Kitchen Solvers that can help you with projects as small as re-facing a set of cabinets to as large as a complete kitchen and / or bathroom overhaul.

Other home improvement franchise concepts, such as Budget Blinds, Certa ProPainters, Ductmedic and more, specialize in repairing and replacing dryer vents, cleaning furnace ducts, shampooing and / or replacing carpet, installing window blinds and painting the house.

Aging parents can put an additional squeeze on Baby Boomers who are still dealing with work and children. But for many people, caring for parents is made increasingly difficult by distance barriers.

Eager to assist, there are now a number of businesses designed to help care for our aging population, including Right at Home, A Better Solution, Aegin Place, Caring Transitions, Comfort Keepers, Home Instead Senior Care and more. Franchises in this service category provide medical assistance in the home, as well as any non-medical services elder parents may need such as cooking, shopping and dressing.

If aging parents are one slice of the "sandwich" in this generation, consider children the other slice. Service-based franchises can score kids a fun, in-school workout session, a quick haircut and even after-school math help.

From planning a child's birthday party to helping your kids discover the value of art with such educational programs as Abrakadoodle and Young Rembrandts, this service category is another important sector in which franchising has found many helpful ways to assist Sandwich Generation Boomers.

Let's not forget the beloved family pet. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are approximately 65 million owned dogs in the U.S., creating a demand for yet another niche franchise concept.

If you don't have time to take the six-week obedience course at the local school gym, there are pet training franchises that will have Sparky behaving like a champ.

Got too much on your plate to haul your Great Dane or Pomeranian to a groomer? An Aussie Pet Mobile franchisee will bring his pet washing van to your driveway. And don't feel bad if you have to leave town for a few days. Choose from an assortment of franchised businesses providing pampered pets with a happy home away from home.

To the busy Sandwich Generation Baby Boomer, any time savings is greatly appreciated. With the wide variety of service franchises available these days, you can hire a low-cost tax franchise such as Liberty Tax Service to take care of your tax preparation and even e-file it for you.

Need to exercise but don't want to spend hours at the gym? There's a plethora of circuit training and other types of fitness franchises Ð including LA Boxing and Club 50 Fitness Centers - that can get you in shape with only 30 minutes a day.

And if you're a bargain shopper but don't have time to hunt down garage sales, look into those franchises that put it all under one roof! Whether you need hockey skates, teen name-brand jeans or college textbooks, there's a franchisee who can sell it to you for a great price.

The options available to Sandwich Generation consumers are endless. Service-based franchises are helping Sandwich Genera-tion Baby Boomers make the transition from June Cleaver to modern-day Super-mom a stressless and time-efficient reality. Pearls, of course, are optional.