But let’s be clear what we mean by “long.” Over the course of Monday, we had the junk removal service come to get an ancient mattress + bedding set that was still in the house, the HVAC crew was here all day repairing things, one child needed to be driven to Starbucks to meet friends, and then to be picked up when he called me, plus I was ending at 4:40 to bring another kid to fencing. I was also not exactly in a high energy state, as I had woken up at 2 a.m. thinking about things, and just as I was finally feeling ready to sleep again at 3:30 a.m., the toddler started screaming and did not stop, so I went in to him, and I didn’t wind up going back to sleep until 5:30 a.m. when I admitted defeat and gave him to my husband, who took the 5:30 – 7:15 shift.

(I would like to note that the thinking at 2 a.m. did work, in the sense that I wound up rewriting something with a much better structure than it had previously. So thank you, inner editor, I admire your skills, but I would appreciate you working at different hours. Perhaps the baby was also thinking deep thoughts from 3:30 a.m. on. I do not know…)

So I was tired and getting interrupted a lot. But it’s folly to hope for perfect working conditions. If I waited for perfect working conditions, I’d never start anything. And I don’t just mean those little tasks that people sometimes do in short spurts, like responding to meeting requests or sending invoices. I needed to do some thinking-required worky-work. Better to start and do what I can and come back to it when I need to. One way or another, the important stuff gets done.

Just not always between the hours of 9 to 5. Because I’ve been doing some stuff at night and on weekends (and on vacation) too. It’s what makes it possible to then do, say, Mommy Day #4, which I completed yesterday. I took the 7-year-old to Chuck E. Cheese and got him a 90-minute play pass. He had a grand time and we enjoyed hanging out. Now I’ve done these special outings with all four big kids this month! I wasn’t sure how it was going to fit, but it did. Everything fits when you decide it needs to. Now I’m even planning a Mommy Day #5 with the little guy next week if the weather cooperates. We shall see!

In the meantime, I posted two Medium columns this week (as I attempt to get ahead of the week off…). I wrote that When It Comes to Friendships, It’s OK to be the Planner. I also wrote that we should Draw Little Conclusions, Not Big Ones.

The Before Breakfast podcast covered several topics this week, including one on thinking “50 not 60” (minutes, that is), when scheduling meetings, to “Log your pauses” so you can make sure your breaks are actually rejuvenating, and “Don’t wait to apologize.” That last one suggests that if you think an apology might be called for, it’s best to do it as soon as possible.

If you’re looking for reading material, Mary Laura Philpott’s new book, Bomb Shelter, is out next week. She tells the tale of launching a teen with serious health challenges out into the world. She also sends a very cool newsletter (sign up there).

I finally picked up a copy of Cheaper by the Dozen, so that might be my next read!

The next Best of Both Worlds Patreon online meet-up will be Monday, April 18th at noon, eastern. If you’d like to join us, please join by then!

We have been ordering like crazy from a company called Fast Growing Trees. Redbuds, cherries…the idea is to make this yard bloom in spring and very colorful in fall. I’m currently obsessed with fall-blooming camelias (some are “Yuletide” camelias) which bloom in fall to winter and hence will add color at a different time. As for normal blooming times, I’m figuring out when to go to Holland Ridge Farms to see the tulips…

Photo: Sadly, there don’t seem to be any of the magnolias blooming this year — the flowers shriveled up in the cold snap. This picture is from years past…