A New Kinda Summer + How We're Making It Work

So last week I mentioned briefly that this is the first Summer I have worked in years.
Years and years.
Like since before I had kids.

It's an adjustment.... But really, if you ask me, the whole going back to work thing IS an adjustment.
Period.
One I have been avoiding for many years, for a multitude of reasons.
Besides the most obvious + important reason(for us) of wantitng to be home when the kids were little, the other just as big reason
was childcare and how to do it/pay for it/figure it out.
I mean... Because really? No thanks.


I started working in March like a real, going to an office and getting there on time and working every day kinda thing.
During the school year I leave as soon as the kids go to school and I get home before they get out of school.
No childcare to worry about at all during the school year.
Thank God.
I am seriously so thankful or that.
But obviously the Summer break is completely different and we do need childcare now.

So this is how we are doing it this Summer...

Two days a week a sitter comes to the house to watch the kids, this is a FIRST for us so I wasn't sure how it would be,  but the kids are
loving her so far.
One day a week the kids will switch off between the two grandparent's houses, so every other week with my parents/his parents.
They go to their houses that day.
One day Eric will be home and on Fridays(Yippeee!) I will be home.
And there's the whole week covered.

This little set up is about perfect for us and pretty much exactly what I was hoping for.
This way the kids don't have to be up super early and ready, getting dropped off somewhere, but then one day they do have
somewhere to go, too.
AND one day every week they get to spend one day with their grandparent's which they wouldn't do otherwise.
Which is   A  W  E  S  O  M  E .

Let me tell you something about going back to work-
I realized that not only did I not want to do it because of the obvious reasons, I wanted to be home with my kids and not feel like
I was missing out everyday and I wanted to be there for them when they needed me...
I also had a lot of fear about going back to work for several other different reasons, and this whole stress over childcare was a huge part of it.
Who will watch the kids, how will we ever find a sitter we like/trust, how will I work part-time and afford childcare....?
It's super stressful.
And yes, the Summer has just begun, but I think this is going to work.

And to ease my guilt(which I totally and completely put on myself), my hours are perfect for us and it still allows so much time to do fun
things with the kids and just be with them.
My hours are 9:00-3:00 and getting off then, and being about five minutes from home, I feel like we still have a lot of time to go do things.
Plus Summer hours and rules are just completely different and relaxed so we do have time to go to the beach or the zoo or go swim
at a friend's house... or whatever, after I get home from work.
And that I LOVE.

I know every one's situation is different and options are different, but I hope that if someone is reading this that has been dreading how
they will do it if/when they start working again, just know that it's normal and I think everyone feels that way.
It's really a huge life change for everyone, this whole going back to work thing(well maybe just for me) but there are a lot of positive aspects
of it too that I was not anticipating.
I am kinda liking the idea of the kids doing different, fun things with a sitter now and getting to hear about them everyday, Charlotte making
a Lego friend girl that looks just like their sitter, and Wyatt
talking music and his favorite songs with her and repeating stories and things she tells them to us later.
It's good.


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Happy Monday friends, back to work I go.