Minimum days at our elementary mean the kids are excused at noon. Here's how this goes down:

8am - drop off the two little kids.
8:10-8:35 - frantically answer emails for work
9am - drop off the big kid
9:20 - 11:40 - frantically make calls and participate in meetings.
12pm - pick up the two little kids.

Awesome! That's like, what, two-and-a-half hours of actual work time before I have kids back at home with me. Oh, it gets better. This week is parent-teacher conference week at the elementary school, and as of this afternoon, I've already met with both teachers.

Here's how THAT went down:

8am - drop off the two little kids.
8:10-8:35 - frantically answer emails for work
9am - drop off the big kid
9:20 - 11:40 - frantically make calls and participate in meetings.
12pm - pick up the two little kids.
12:10 - 1:00 - frantically answer more emails and make notes for a project
1:20 - 2 pm - parent teacher conference
2:10 - 3 pm - work work work
3:15 - pick up the big kid
3:45 - email phone work work blah
5pm - homework! dinner! brainstorming call with boss! more email!
8pm - bedtime. (ha! ha ha ha!)
9pm - GO TO BED WEE HEATHENS YOU ARE SMALL CHILDREN WHO NEED SLEEP
9:30pm - more email. more notes for project. more GO TO SLEEEEEEEP OR I WILL SELL YOU TO THE ZOO AS LION FEED.
10:30pm - surrender. deep cleansing breaths. one more email.
11pm - *blink, blink* still awake.
midnight - snoring.

Lather rinse repeat.

Yeah, it took me about 18 hours to get a full work day in, each day for the last two days. And, like a gift that just keeps on giving, it is noon dismissal all week long.

The conferences both went well - kids are smart, need to do more flashcards.

Which I'll get right on gladly, if they will kindly keep my children for more than a four hour day.