Sabbatical Challenges

As I work on this sabbatical project, there are many challenges I have as well.

The biggest cutest challenge is caring for two babies who are just now nine months old while I work at home.  I love having this opportunity to be home with them, but it is a challenge.  My work schedule consists of about an hour and a half in the morning during nap time, another hour in the afternoon during their second nap time, a couple hours in the evening a few nights a week after the boys are in bed, and occasionally some time on the weekends.  Doesn't really add up to a lot of time, so I try to make use of every minute I can once the boys are sleeping.  It's a challenge but it's a wonderful challenge to have.

An additional challenge has been trying to find a daycare for the boys for when I go back to work in July.  It seems I could find a daycare for later in the fall, but not necessarily in July.  I'm still on the hunt, but going out to interview and tour daycare facilities takes time away from my project.  

On another front, just when this sabbatical started we got an offer on our house.  We put it up for sale early last fall and this was great news!  But it also meant we had to find a new place. We did and we're going to be moving soon.  So the project will probably take a backseat temporarily while we pack up and move from one house to another.  I assume we'll also be without internet for a short period while we're between houses.

I am also working on two other projects at the same time as the sabbatical project.  One is an ongoing thing with a deadline in June.  I'm working on getting that project wrapped up and then not worrying about that project again until I'm back at work full time.  I'll have about 11 months before the next deadline.  The second project is one that I thought was complete but was asked to do a few more things too.  I never found the time at the end of the year to squeeze it in along with the many other things I was doing in trying to prepare to be gone from the office for six months and since I was also not given a deadline I've put it aside for the time being. But it weighs on my mind and I feel like I need to just go in and get it done.  I don't think it'll take long, but I'm afraid once I start that I'll discover otherwise and get bogged down in that.  I really need to find out what the deadline is, that would give me the sense of urgency (or not) that I probably need.

It's a bit of a long list and it feels overwhelming to me to list it all out like this.  But I wanted to do this post because this is part of the reality of this sabbatical and this blog is a journal of this six month project.  In the middle of all this, I am pleased with the amount of work I have actually been able to accomplish.  And when I go back to work in July I think I'll look back on these six months as the busiest ever.  This might be a break from work, but it's not a break by any means.  I feel even busier than I do when I'm working in the office full-time.  That's the reality.