Working Wife

A friend of mine asked me how my schedule works with my wife working and with a couple of kids at home. Here was my response.

Always good to hear from you. It has been working amazingly well for us... so far. Actually Danelle started full-time last fall. That was crazy. We were just holding on for dear life. Throughout the whole time, my mom has been watching our two sons (daughter is in school) two days a week. That was helpful, but since mom lives an hour away, needless to say, I wasn't starting my day early.

The best thing about the year has been that Danelle loves teaching. It has changed her... for the better. She needed this. That was a huge part of my attitude. She needed this, as much as we needed the extra money.

As for advice, be sure and set some scheduled hours for you that need to set in stone. I would set like 7-9 and 3:30-5:30. That was one thing I had to do was to start setting some early hours, like 6 to 8 in the morning. I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON... but you gotta do what you gotta do. You will get the rest of your hours out of "have-to" work.

At home, juggle the time between three things:
1. You can do some church work (phone calls - and don't worry about the boys in the background, nobody cares that much)
2. Play with the kids. Seriously. Don't miss this opportunity. You will NEVER grow old and regret the time you played with the kids.
3. Clean the house. At least do your part. Your wife will think you are a hero.

Once school starts, you will think you have way too much time! Your wife should be able to get the kids ready for school in the morning. You might also remember she might need some down time for herself during the week.

My life will change in the fall. Our middle son will start kindergarten. So me and Ethan will have to figure some things out about how life works with one kid at home!

Enjoy Life,

Brian