Long-term Parenting & Schooling Reflections

Just getting some recurring thoughts in writing while they're on my mind yet again. In the 10 years since I began my career, my ideas about how we will negotiate the work/parenting roles have certainly shifted. Early on, being the primary income earner & loving my job, we always discussed the possibility of me continuing to work full time, while Geoff became a full time stay-at-home parent. Seemed like a great balance - Geoff would get to keep cooking & cleaning (something I don't relish taking on as a primary responsibility - pancakes again, anyone?) and I would get to spend evenings with the family in quality time mode. Well, as easy as that would make things logistically, things have changed. Geoff loves his work, while mine has lost some of its lustre for a myriad of reasons. As a result, we are now looking at Geoff continuing full time in his job, which leaves me in the less-than-desirable position of having to consider very part time work - we would both prefer that the stay-at-home parent be at home full time. So, over the next year or so, there are some big decisions to make about what that picture will look like. And in the back of our minds is the hope (not fully unreasonable) that things may change a bit for Geoff so that I can be home full time. If I do have to work a bit, I have no idea what that might entail, and there's a part of me that also harbours the thought of home schooling (a big MAYBE - we have two lovely, small schools right in town) if I am not working...Anyway, we're trying to take it easy, knowing that things have a way of coming together. Our biggest desire at the moment is that Geoff's job will eventually mean that I can stay home full time (willing to work a very minimum number of hours to maintain my professional license), and that these things will become clear at least before my parental leave ends, if not sooner!