It's not that I don't love my children, I do. And, unlike most every other friend of mine, I am rarely without them. I hire sitters infrequently, I fret when my children are at Grandma's, and I don't go anywhere on weekend days or in the afternoons without my brood. I've been on three girls' weekends total since they were born, and away with my husband twice. I'm no hero, I just like to be with my family.

But six days of staying home with them is enough.

I've gotten where I really like my time when they are at school. I feel like a better person when they come home and much more eager to spend the copious amounts of time with them that I do. I like working out. A lot, and whenever I want. I miss volunteering at school, I miss grocery shopping for healthy meals. I even miss missing them. Which I do, but not enough to homeschool or anything.

It's a tough time of year anyway, and now add to this the illness, the missed school and catch-up work thus piled on, and the bad weather (that is luckily ending...we're going to have a warm-up this week)...at least I have Hawaii to fall back upon. Admire the 20-footers.