Sabbatical

I have been secretly dreading this post because it means we are at the end…the end of my husband’s month-long sabbatical. We have tried to pack in so many family activities this month because these sabbaticals only come once every 5 years! I say “only” when I know how truly fortunate we are to get any time like this together at all. From going on a once in a lifetime vacation just the two of us to having someone besides me making breakfast; to say it has been magical would be an understatement. We have had fast paced, chaotic days as well as easy going mornings on the patio. My kids have flourished. This has been extra wonderful because Ella’s budding personality is really starting to shine. Scott has been here to witness it all firsthand instead of my daily briefings of the day’s activities over dinner.

I was worried when the month began about the lack of a routine or schedule. I don’t want to say I was stuck in a rut, but we had a system down while he was at work. First, breakfast. Then playtime until morning nap. Tucker would have activity time while I worked on books and blog writing, lunch, more play, maybe a walk in the afternoon and naps before Daddy would get home in time for dinner. We all get in the habits of our day to day, but this month has taught me something. It doesn’t have to be that way. I can hit refresh on our routine. I can embrace the organized chaos that summer brings. We can wake up in time to have breakfast before Daddy goes to work. I can plan more playdates with my friends. I can follow through with my toddler activities I have pinned on Pinterest. We can value the time we do have together as a family and stay connected, yet unplugged.

Every night Scott and I would think up a new “adventure” for the following day, anxiously awaiting breakfast so we could tell the kids where we were headed. It was fun to see my husband’s creative mind in action. He would dream up scavenger hunts with treasure maps (and then actually make the map). He would brainstorm how to make a trip to Menards fun. He embraced making peanut butter sandwiches for the picnic lunches while I went to take a shower. I don’t want to make it seem like he isn’t helpful when he is working, but he is busy. Those couple hours before bed each night and weekends just aren’t the same as being all together from the moment we wake up to the moment our heads hit the pillow in the evening. So, instead of feeling completely devastated as it comes to an end let’s celebrate the special memories we made. Below is a brief synopsis of some of our activities.

When we got back from Hawaii, Scott’s parents came in town for a few days. They live about 8.5 hours away so their visits our special and don’t happen as often as we all wish. The visit included a special Freddy’s lunch with ice cream treats, a library visit (Nonnie loves the library almost as much as Tucker), a birthday pool party, celebrating Father’s Day together and lots of laughs. Once they headed home, we made our way to Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead. Tucker is still laughing when he reminds us that the big momma goat tried to nibble on his shirt! We decided that completing a scavenger hunt with the homemade treasure map was a good idea on the hottest, most humid day of the summer thus far! X marked the spot with Hawaiian treasures from our trip, shark tooth included. When the weather cooled a bit, we celebrated with our first mini golf outing and strawberry ice cream to conclude. Next came the zoo and let me take a second to pat ourselves on the back for making it right when it opened so we could witness the hilarity of penguins getting their breakfast! Although everyone’s favorite part (besides the train ride) was the elephant exhibit—what beautiful creatures. We saw a play at Union Station, made art at Kaleidoscope and played until we were all exhausted at Wonderscope. We had a great game of mini golf – and when I say I great, I mean impressive because Scott got a hole in one with Ella in a body carrier on his back while hitting the ball with the club in one hand. That must be a new dad record, right? The month ends with a splash park, fishing in the neighborhood and fireworks. He officially goes back to work on the 5th (nice planning on his part to include that holiday time in there). So, his sabbatical quite literally goes out with a bang…from all the fireworks we will light. And what better way to bring the month to a close than by celebrating his favorite holiday?

Has this month been exhausting—absolutely! Is my house clean, laundry folded and put away—nope. Has it been worth it—one hundred times over! I am going to miss the extra quality time, but I wonder if it was like this all the time if we would take it for granted. Would it lose its luster? Would the adventures become the normal routine that our kids would tire of or even worse just expect? I hope not, but who really knows. Instead, I will hold out hope that in five years we can make that month long sabbatical even more memorable than this one.

Exploring West Maui.

One of our family trips to the local library.

·         A special thank you to ARCO National Construction for being a company that truly cares about their employees enough to give them this time! I am forever grateful.

If you are interested in trying any of our sabbatical activities, I have listed some of the Kansas City attractions below.

1.       Union Station

30 West Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108

2.       Parkville Mini Golf

7 W 1st St, Parkville, MO 64152

3.       The Kansas City Zoo

6800 Zoo Dr, Kansas City, MO 64132

4.       Kaleidoscope

2500 Grand BLVD, Kansas City, MO 64108

5.       Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead

13800 Switzeer Rd, Overland Park, KS 66221

6.       Liberty Splash Pad

401 Grover St, Liberty, MO 64068

7.       Wonderscope (The Regnier Family Wonderscope Children’s Museum of Kansas City)

433 E Red Bridge Rd, Kansas City, MO 64131