Summer is Coming!

I've very excited about this summer.  I am taking three months off work! 

We're taking the boys out of school, going on a long vacation to Minnesota (where our families live), and spending lots of time with grandparents and friends.

I'm going to be a stay-home mom for 12 weeks!  I am thrilled and terrified.  I've always been fearful of being a stay-home parent, but even if it's awful it's only for 12 weeks. 

And it won't be awful!  It will be fun!  We'll have playdates at the community pool.  We'll go to the library every week.  We'll eat a lot of ice-cream and drink a lot of lemonade.  We'll sleep late. (I can hope, right?)  There will be swimming lessons and flip-flops and sprinklers and sunshine.  Whoo-hoo! 

One of the (many) reasons that I chose to work at a career rather than stay home is that I'm afraid I'll find that I'm too impatient and critical to be with my kids all day.  I like things to go as planned.  I like quietness.  When I think about being home with the kiddos not only do I think about missing my job and my paycheck, but I worry that it might not be the greatest thing for my kids because I'm annoyed all the time and shushing them too much. 

So I'll definitely be back to my job again in the fall, but I'm looking forward to the summer experiment.

I'm very, very blessed to have the opportunity to take three months off.  How many people can say to their employers, "Well, I'd like to just not work for three months.  You don't have to pay me, but I would like to keep all my benefits and I'd like my job to be reserved for me to return to when I'm ready."  I was really nervous even to ask.  But they said, "Hmm...  Sure, we can make that happen!"

I'm counting down the weeks!  Come on, summer!

Comments

[Denise]

That's awesome! Being a two teacher family, we are spoiled with our summers. We do work at a camp, but it's all together, so it's fun! And beyond the camp, the rest of the time is all ours.

I think you'll be a great SAHSM (Stay at home summer mom!)

[Leigh]

It will be fun! Your kids will enjoy it.

I have really enjoyed being at home with the baby, however, I find myself working more at home than I did at work. I rip and run all day, and by 9 I'm worn out. Our home has become the neighborhood kid's place, and we have kids over every afternoon when school is out. This can be somewhat tiring having so much noise and extra children around everyday.

I am not looking forward to going back to work at all.

[Eos]

I love your honesty...I've done both (stay at home full time and worked out of the home) and although I'm currently at home (fostering and trying to figure out if we'll go ahead w/ state adoption or not...lately family of three doesn't sound so bad!LOL) I've come to realize that I was a better parent when I had another outlet...reason why, if this fostering/adoption thing doesn't work out, I'll have to either go back to school or just get a job!LOL

You'll enjoy it though...and yes...what a wonderful job/employer to let you have this opportunity.

[haze]

This is wonderful! How fortunate you are to be able to spend the summer with your boys. They will love it and so will you. Maybe you won't want to go back to work...

[wendy]

How fun!