Missing family time

I'm tired of my family not being together.  I miss not having us home for dinner or even just me and the kids after school.  I fear the coming years will just get worse.  How do you fight for that time back with 5 children? And yes it's actually harder having one not here...I get the comment a lot that it must be easier with one gone. Heck no.  Way harder on many levels.  Anyway, just wondering what the best way to approach this all is. For now our new thing is to cross off a day on the calendar and nothing goes on it.  Probably a Sunday after church which only gives us half a day.  But still better than nothing.  We need more down time and family time. It's getting impossible to make it thru busy weeks without this.