When work starts....and you don't

It is a little bit strange for me this week - as a high school teacher, I would normally be anxious about getting things ready for classes, trying to set up my classroom, etc. In fact, for the last 10 years I have envisioned my year not around the calender year, but the academic year. I would set up yearly plans of things I wanted to get done, sort of like New Year's Resolutions, but they would begin in August instead of New Year's Day.

I e-mailed a colleague the other day about needing to drop off a box of books at my old school. She mentioned being around school this week setting things, but the timing was bad for me and my girls. I said, "what about next week" and she mentioned, "We have to be back next week..."

That's when it hit me. Over the summer, staying at home has been pretty normal - as a teacher, summer is my time off. But now, my job becomes being a full time stay at home dad. Don't get me wrong, I would not trade places with anyone, not even after a day like yesterday when both girls were screaming for their bottles at the same time. but it is still a little bit weird.