How do you find balance?

I'll be honest: I'm struggling at the moment.

I usually love my kids' company but they seem to have massive bees in their bonnets at the moment and coupled with some very stressful past weeks for me I'm not doing too well. Seriously I think I may have already lost my sanit due to all the screeching - even though my kids don't usually screech that much.

It's not the academic side, it's the constantness of being on call 24/7.

I know you're probably going to say getting some childcare but barring that, how do you find balance so that YOU are fulfilled as well as the rest of the family?

My kids don't see their dad really during the week - he works long hours, leaving the house before they get up and he gets up once they are in bed, often asleep. He takes the boys out for a full day at the weekend, most weekends. This gives them all time together and me a day to myself, which I need badly. I'm quite a private loner, need my own space, so this works well for us.