So, I work from home a fair bit, and have two kids who are homeschooled by my wife[0]. I tend to get a couple of hours of work done before anyone else in the house is awake (say, 6:00 am - 8:00 am). I will typically work during the kids school time (which runs 'til early afternoon), then I'll often take a break until dinner. Depending on my output, I may work for another hour or so after the kids are in bed. Like the original author, I rarely need to be constantly available on email/IM, and I have a fairly predictable meeting schedule, so this type of day works for me.
The downside is that it can definitely blur the lines between work and play. I can live with that, however, because it does offer me a pretty significant amount of freedom with my time (that is, I'm willing to work a couple of hours later in the evening if I'm free to take advantage of a perfect spring day in the afternoon).
[0] This actually helps enforce a schedule because I am relegated to my desk in the bedroom during school hours. I can only show my face during lunch.
The downside is that it can definitely blur the lines between work and play. I can live with that, however, because it does offer me a pretty significant amount of freedom with my time (that is, I'm willing to work a couple of hours later in the evening if I'm free to take advantage of a perfect spring day in the afternoon).
[0] This actually helps enforce a schedule because I am relegated to my desk in the bedroom during school hours. I can only show my face during lunch.