He Changed His Mind, Again!

Well, after three weeks of trying to decide what job was the best choice, and turning one down and then asking for the opportunity back, he has made a final decision. I am happy that my husband has come a long way, from baseball being his number 1 love, to his family taking the spot! I was hoping he would coach to be closer to us, but this was not the job that would give us more quality time together. I also appreciate how we continued to talk and discuss the options, in a loving way. What an opportunity to grow as a couple and focus on what we want for our future. I finally heard my husband say that he is trying to create more balance in his life. I love it!

We have implemented many tools to keep us connected while he is gone. We will have to continue these and add other's as we embark on a job with more travel, but less stress for him. When he is happy we will be too. Some of the tools we use are:

**daddy pillows or hugs, with his t-shirts on their pillows. We also put a long sleeve shirt on his office chair so they can go in and get a hug from daddy.

**We take pictures daily of simple activities and email them to him immediately. He then calls throughout the day and has a few clues as what we are doing and what to ask about.

**We send simple text messages to let him know we miss him and thank him for all he does for us.

**We sometimes make a count down chain to rip off a loop daily. It gives the kids an idea of when he will come back.

**We have also tracked him on a map. What a great way to learn geography.

**The gratitude journals, we started a few months ago, are going well! We try to say something we appreciate or a conversation or activity we liked with dad. We can go back and read the positives when we are missing him.

He always seems so thrilled to know we are thinking of him and do appreciate him. It makes it all worthwhile for him. See the vision for yourself and other's and they will join you! We can be more conscious.