For those dedicated readers out there…(maybe there are a few)…I have not posted in some time.  I started this blog as a means to fill the spare hours of my day as I was learning to be a stay-at-home father.  And during all those wonderful nap times, I had some solid moments to sit quietly with my laptop and relay events from my day.

Then I started getting a little antsy as the long, cold, winter days pulled me into a funk.  To address this, I began taking Swedish classes and enrolled M part-time into dagis.  It worked out quite well.  I was having more adult contact (very important for a stay-at-home parent) and M was getting much more socialization and Swedish language immersion than I could provide.  We both were happy…and K now was able to stay at this pre-school for the full day, which made him immensely happy.  All were winners, but my time for this blog began to sag.

Follow this with an opportunity to start working full-time in May, and my attention to this blog jumped out the window.  And while I feel I should say how hard it has been to leave M at dagis all day and that I am really not doing justice to my family by leaving and working again; I honestly am very glad to be working.  And while that position was just filling in for someone for two months, it has turned into a full-time job starting in August, which I (and my whole family) am very excited about.

I sincerely and truly enjoyed the months that I had with M.  Watching him grow, being with him the way I was, has definitely strengthened the bond that we share.  I do not regret any part of the experience and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to spend so much time with him.  At the same time, I have no regrets of returning to work, even if earlier than planned.  I find real enjoyment in the work that I do and that enjoyment carries over to my home life.  And while I enjoyed being a stay-at-home father, i did feel that there was something still missing for me.  Though my new career is different from what I was doing previously in Burma, I am still helping others, fostering growth and understanding, and working to make the world a better place.

But with everything, there is a balance.  I will continue to be a great father to my two sons, an excellent educator for those that I work with, and an ever loving husband to the most phenomenal wife…but it might just mean that there may be a bit less activity on this blog site. I trust you understand, and thank you for still reading.