The impact of travel on personal life

Travel impacts life in a thousand ways. It's hard to quantify the full impact to one's personal life. Suffice it to say, life does not progress. Every evening away in another country means one less night to do important things like:

Bills, filing and updating receipts in ledger - one comes home to an ominous pile of mail.

Van still needs oil change.

Car still needs repairs.

Computer broke right before I left, it sits waiting for me to make a decision on what new model to buy.

Kitchen floor sits, with the same dirty spots as when I left, not having had time to clean it.

Dining table has the same Mickey Mouse Clubhouse stickers, waiting for some Goo Gone or other cleaner.

Empty glass baby jars and spice jars sit where I left them, needing to be boiled to have labels removed.

Kids room sits with the same sheets on the beds, needing to be changed.

Parents room sits with the same sheets, needing to be changed.

Laundry baskets sit with the exact same laundry in them as when I left.

Recycling sits in the pantry, waiting to be taken to it's special drop off.

Outgrown kids clothes need to be put away meaning a reorganization of closet to fit everything.

Sam has suddenly learned to crawl and will be on the floor frequently meaning the following changes must be made ASAP!!!

• Carpet to be steam cleaned
• Toys divided between kids and assigned in separate toy boxes
• Tile floors moped and cleaned - ur more regularly
• Tiny toys taken away so Sam does not choke on them

It's exhausting coming home!!! On top of all that I got a cold and jet lag has been especially tiring this time.

And by the time one full week rolls around, there is a mountain of laundry and today is the day the washer stops working - right in the middle of wash cycle :(